Author: Sports Radio Service

Wranglers whip up on Barracuda in 6-2 win in series opener

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San Jose Barracuda forward Anthony Vincent (#76) battles with Calgary Wranglers defenseman Jerrod Tinordi (#26) after the whistle during the Wranglers 6-2 win over the Barracuda at Tech CU Arena on Saturday Nov 16, 2024. (San Jose Barracuda)

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE — The Calgary Wranglers scored four unanswered goals to cruise past the San Jose Barracuda in a 6-2 victory on Saturday evening at Tech CU Arena.

Calgary has won two games in a row and remained undefeated on the road with a 5-0 record. San Jose had its two-game winning streak snapped and lost for the just the second time at home.

San Jose (8-5-0) drew first blood in the with Danil Gushchin first goal of the season 90 seconds into the game. Cuda captain Andrew Poturalski started a counterattack over to Colin Graf. Graf led a two-on-one into the Wranglers zone. Graf threw a rink wide pass over to Gushchin who made a move fore-hand to backhand as he beat Wranglers goalie and former San Jose Sharks prospect Devin Cooley with a top shelf goal.

Calgary (12-3-0) had a strong finish to the opening frame with two goals in a span of 2:27 to close out the first period with a 2-1 lead. First, William Stromgren led a 3-on-1 rush inside the Barracuda zone. Walker Duehr made a back handed pass to Jonathan Aspirot who buried the puck into an open net for his first goal of the season at the 16:32 mark.

Then Duehr was on the receiving end of a centering pass from Dryden Hunt and Duehr blasted a one-timer past ‘Cuda goalie Yaroslav Askarov for a power play goal, his ninth goal of the season at the 18:59 mark.

The Wranglers kept their foot on the gas pedal to start the second period as they scored their third goal within two minutes to start the period. A turnover by the Barracuda inside their own zone led to Rory Kerins lifting a backhander from just outside the crease past Askarov for his team-leading 11th goal of the season at the 1:49 mark.

Calgary scored its fourth unanswered goal just before the sixth minute mark of the middle frame. Stromgren maneuvered around three ‘Cuda defenders before finding Sam Morton who redirected Stromgren’s pass into the short corner of the net for his third goal of the season at the 5:54 mark.

Gushchin scored his second goal of the game and season with San Jose having pulled Askarov for an extra attacker late in the third period. Graf slid a pass over from the left slot to Gushchin who beat Cooley to the short side with a wrist shot 2:21 remaining in the game.

Adam Klapka and David Silye added empty net goals to seal the deal for Calgary. Klapka scored his fourth goal of the season at the 18:28 mark and Silye his first goal of the season at the 19:10 mark.

Cooley (9-2-0-3) stopped 31 of the 33 shots he faced to earn his ninth victory of the season. Askarov made 19 saves on 23 shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished 0-for-2 on the power play. Calgary went 1-for-3.

The Three Stars of the Game: 1) Duehr 2) Gushchin 3) Morton.

UP NEXT: San Jose and Calgary conclude their two-games series on Sunday at 3:00pm at Tech CU Arena.

Cardinal Knocked Down Nesting Cardinals 38-35 on Senior Day Home Finale Thriller on the Farm; Kenney GWFG!

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Stanford Cardinal kicker Emmett Kenny (13) watches his game winning field goal in the fourth quarter against the Louisville Cardinals at Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto at Sat Nov 16, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Michael Roberson

STANFORD, Calif. — The Stanford Cardinal (3-7, 2-5 ACC) won their final home game of their inaugural season in the Atlantic Coast Conference, 38-35 over the Louisville Cardinals (6-4, 4-3 ACC), on a cool afternoon in Palo Alto.

Despite winning the coin flip and possessing the ball first to start the game, Stanford was unable to hold on to their early 10-0 lead. Louisville was able to spread their wings, and fly away–as so eloquently sung by the R&B group, Troop–for most of the game, but it was a 60-minute contest.

The Cardinal did nothing with the opening drive of the game; however, they were able to spoil the Cardinals’ initial drive. Stanford forced a turnover by Louisville, when their QB, Tyler Shough attempted a pass to Mark Redman, it was deflected by defensive tackle Zach Rowell, and intercepted by senior linebacker Gaethan Bernadel.

Stanford parlayed that early gift into three points on the scoreboard. Senior kicker Emmet Kenny booted a 41-yard field goal to put his team up 3-0.They would add more in less than two minutes of game time play. They forced there fine feathered guest from the Bluegrass State to punt the ball.

Junior QB Ashton Daniels launched a 62-yard bomb to freshman WR Emmett Mosley V, , to give the home team a 10-point lead, 10-0. Things were looking good for the Cardinal, but the Cardinals record indicated that they had the propicity to tally some points themselves.

They did just that with a little more than a minute left in the quarter. Redshirt-junior running back Donald Chaney burst through the line for a one yard touchdown. The red birds were within three, 10-7. That also was the score after 15 minutes of combat, the Cardinal up by three going into the second quarter.

Midway through the quarter number two, Stanford improved on their lead, with another field goal (24) by Kenney. The Cardinal went up by six, 13-7, but that did not last long. Louisville responded less than three minutes later to finally take the lead.

Freshman running back Duke Watson rushed for a five yard touchdown, and with the extra point, the Cardinals went ahead by one, 14-13.They were able to add more before the half.

Junior wide receiver Chris caught a ten yard touchdown pass from Shough, with :49 before intermission, giving the Cardinals an eight-point advantage at that point, and eventually at halftime. 21-13, Louisville.

Early in the second half, Duke Watson was at it again. The first-year exploded for a 68-yard run to paydirt. That scoring drive gave Louisville their first double-digit lead 28-13, widening the margin to 15.

Stanford pride showed up, and the Cardinal was able to score with :07 in the third stanza. Daniels completed another TD pass ((13 yards), this time to Elic Ayomanor. The Cardinal pulled within seven, after a successful two point conversion, 28-21, U of L.

A little more than five minutes into the final quarter, the running Duke made another appearance in the endzone. Watson scampered five yards to the TD zone, to place them in front by two touchdowns, 35-21. The game seemed to be in the Cardinals’ wings, not the Cardinal tree.

Freshman sensation Emmett Mosley V had to have made his four predecessor namesakes proud with his historic performance in the game, Especially the fourth quarter, when he took over, Mosley caught two crucial touchdown passes, Daniels hit him for a four yarder, and Justin Lamson tossed his (25) with :45 left in regulation. At that juncture of the conference battle, it was tied at 35′

Louisville had the ball, hoping to end it, avoiding overtime. Instead, they failed to move the sticks on a 4th down play near midfield, not attempting the potential game-winning field goal either. Not only was that questionable on the behalf of Louisville, but they committed some egregious errors too.

With a few seconds left, and Stanford also near midfield, too far away for a makeable field goal, the Cardinals committed an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty with a second left.

That tagged on 15 yards to their trek downfield. Next, they jumped offsides on the field goal attempt. Five more yards, and the Cardinal were absolutely in FG range, with the 20-yards gift.

“It was the Penalties, you know, that gave us the opportunity. He [UL HC Jeff Brohm] didn’t expect to have two penalties to put us in that, but he is playing to win, you know.” Stated Stanford HC Troy Taylor.

Emmet Kenney stepped up and booted a 52-yard Game-Winner, and the crowd of 18, 685 were truly gleeful that Stanford won their second home game at the stadium, but first ACC home victory.

Stanford will next be in action Saturday, November 23 across the Bay versus Cal, in the first inaugural ACC Battle of the Axe, at 12:30 PM on the ACC Network. Louisville heads back to Kentucky to host Pitt, on the same date on ESPN2, game time: TBD.

Interview Exclusive Mayor Juslyn C Manalo of Daly City: Are Migrants Safe In Daly City from project 2025 deportation?, Also SF Mayor Breed’s election loss and Oakland Mayor Thao’s recall; plus more

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Daly City Mayor Juslyn Manalo stopped by for a podcast with Sportstalk radio to discuss her recent re-election and the worries migrants may have regarding deportations and Project 2025, San Francisco Mayor London Breed’s loss for re-election and Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao’s recall. (photo still from Daly City meetings You Tube)

Daly City Mayor Juslyn C Manalo stopped by the Sports Talk microphones to talk about her recent re-election and current events.

Mayor Manalo talked about Daly City public safety, affordable housing, and that Mayor Manalo said that she got over 51% of the vote to get re-elected and that there was an activation of voters who had came out.

One of her proud achievements as mayor was reinstating Fire Engine 95 and that she was able to bring back a fire engine that was eliminated during the great recession. It wasn’t easy but she was able to get that engine back for the Daly City Fire Department.

Mayor Manalo commented on the recent worry about immigrants being arrested and picked up for being suspected for being an illegal immigrants regarding the coming Trump administration and ICE enforcing Project 2025. Manalo makes clear that California is a sanctuary state and wants to assure Daly City immigrants that Daly City is welcoming state.

We also asked Mayor Manalo about San Francisco Mayor London Breed who lost her recent election and what it was to have been able to have been able to work at times with Breed and comment about her leaving office.

Also being Mayor it’s a tough job at times and Mayor Manalo did express her thoughts about Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao who will be leaving office after serving only two years after being recalled.

The Cow Palace was used as a sports facility in the past for such minor league hockey teams such as the defunct minor league teams the San Francisco Spiders and San Francisco Bulls. Mayor Manalo talks about how important the Cow Palace is for the City of Daly City.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa: Sharks conclude 4 game road trip in Pittsburgh tonight

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San Jose Sharks Tim Liljegren (center) celebrates his goal with teammates Cody Ceci (left) and Luke Kunin in the first period against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Thu Nov 14, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa:

#1 New York Rangers Mika Zibanejad Jimmy Versey, Vince Trocheck, scored a goal each in the second period and that was all the scoring the Rangers needed to defeat the San Jose Sharks 3-2 on Thursday night.

#2 Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky said that the Sharks did improve their first period which they had lost in most games this time they shutout the Rangers 1-0. They didn’t win the game but they did figure out how to improve in the first period

#3 The Rangers got goaltending help from Igor Shesterkin who stopped 25 shots and held the Sharks to just two goals enough to win the game by a goal.

#4 Former Rangers and current Shark Barclay Goodrow who played three seasons in New York got a standing ovation from the Madison Square Garden fans during a third period break in the action.

#5 Mary Lisa, the Sharks complete this four game road trip tonight against the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Pants Arena. The Penguins have lost four of their last five games. The Sharks have lost three of their last four games. How do you see the match up between the Sharks and Penguins tonight?

Mary Lisa covers the San Jose Sharks road games at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Fox 60 points not enough in OT Thriller; Kings bow to Timberwolves 130-126

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Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox (5) takes a jump shot over the Minnesota Timberwolves guard Nickiel Alexander Walker (9) in first half action at Golden One Center in Sacramento on Fri Nov 15, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings were back in action on Friday night in Sacramento. The Kings came into the game with a record of 7-5 on the season. The Kings had won two of their last three games. The Kings welcomed the Minnesota Timberwolves to Golden 1 Center on Friday night.

Contrary to the Kings, the Timberwolves had lost the last three games they played. The Wolves would be looking to get on track, and the Kings would be looking to improve on a solid start to the homestand. Tip-off was set for 7 PM PST. The Kings lost to the Timberwolves 130-126.

In the first quarter, the Kings’ offense looked out of sorts. However, that was entirely predictable. The Kings were playing on Friday without DeMar DeRozan and Malik Monk, who were both injured. On the other hand, the mostly healthy Timberwolves were on a mission to snap their skid.

The Wolves outscored the Kings 32-27 in the first. De’Aaron Fox started red hot for the Kings with nine in the quarter. Anthony Edwards matched the energy with eight points.

In the second quarter, the Kings continued to struggle. The Kings’ offense didn’t have good spacing and flow in the first half. Granted, the Wolves were shooting well. Fox was really the only reason the Kings stayed in the game in the first half. He finished the half with 21 points.

The Kings were outscored 30-27 in the second quarter as they trailed 62-54 going into halftime. Edwards led the Wolves with 13 points. The Kings would need to tighten the defense and get a contribution from someone not named Fox in the second half to have a chance.

In the third quarter, it was more of the same uninspiring basketball from the Kings. There’s not much else to say. The Kings were outscored 36-28 in the third quarter to dig themselves into a 98-82 hole going into the fourth quarter. Could they make a run?

In the fourth quarter, Fox went absolutely insane. Fox scored 20 points in the fourth quarter to bring the Kings all the way back to a tie game as time expired. The Kings came back to tie the game 115-115 going into overtime.

In overtime, Fox continued to impress, but it wasn’t enough. Fox scored six points in overtime, but the Kings were outscored 15-11 to lose the game 130-126. Edwards had seven overtime points to seal the deal for the Timberwolves. The Kings were led by Fox with 60 points in defeat. The Timberwolves were led by Anthony Edwards, who scored 36. The 60 points from Fox was a career high and franchise record.

Up Next: The Kings stay home to take on the Utah Jazz on Saturday night at 7 PM PST. The Kings will be on the second night of a back-to-back.

Vegas Forwards Lay Down Two Pair as Golden Knights Defeat Utah HC 4-2 

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Utah Hockey Club Mikhail Sergachev (98) celebrates with teammates after scoring against the Vegas Golden Knights at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Fri Nov 15, 2024 (AP News photo)

Tomas Hertl and William Karlsson each score twice in Vegas victory over Utah

SALT LAKE CITY–Coming off of a heart-stopping 4-1 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday night, the Utah Hockey Club faced another stiff challenge on Friday squaring off against the Pacific Division leading Vegas Golden Knights.  The two teams had already faced each other in Las Vegas two weeks earlier where Utah found itself losing 4-3 in overtime.

Utah forward Logan Cooley drew first blood at 11:16 of the first period with his third goal of the season, assisted by Matias Maccelli and Dylan Guenther. Utah finished the period besting Vegas 16-9 in shots on goal and winning 86% of faceoffs.

Moving on to the second period, Utah defenseman Mikhail Sergachev notched his 4th goal of the season at 6:59 on the power play to make it 2-0, assisted by captain Clayton Keller and Alexander Kerfoot. With the goal, Sergachev extended his home goal-scoring streak to four consecutive games. 

Later in the period, with Utah defenseman Michael Kesselring in the penalty box for hooking against Keegan Kolesar, Tomas Hertl brought the Golden Knights back to within one on a power play goal assisted by Nicolas Roy and Jack Eichel.

Unfortunately for Utah, the third period was all Vegas. At 8:23 Tomas Hertl evened things up with his second power play goal of the game, assisted by William Karlsson and Jack Eichel.  With a minute and eighteen seconds left in regulation, Karlsson gave the Golden Knights their first lead of the game which also turned out to be the game-winner, assisted by Kaedan Korczak and Cole Schwindt.  With Utah netminder 

Karel Vejmelka on the bench to give his squad an extra attacker, Karlsson struck again unassisted into the empty net with 29 seconds left to send fans to the parking lots as Vegas came away with a 4-2 victory. 

Utah Hockey Club Head Coach André Tourigny addressed the media following the game. “Well, I don’t think we played as good with the puck, but I think it started in the second. I think in the second we were not as urgent defensively giving a few men rush…It’s not like they generate the few man rush we give them, so that started there. I think in the third we…it’s not like we collapsed, and we still had a few chances, but I don’t think we connected really well on our power play, and that cost us momentum.” 

Tourigny, commenting on the difference between the first and third periods, said, “There (was) two teams on the ice, in the first there (was) only one. When they showed up, there started to be a game. I think from there it was 50/50. I don’t think it’s for them or us. I think it was 50/50. It’s a good team, Stanley Cup champion contender. And you know what? One thing you can learn from them in that game is, even when we dominate, they just hang there. They just hang there and hang there. We could not get the big goal. It’s the killer goal, (would) have probably changed everything, but we could not separate ourselves, like you mentioned, after the first period, you know, we had (a) 1-0 lead instead 2-0 or 3-0 lead. And that (would) have separated us. Instead of that, they stayed in it and scored a goal in their power play and scored another goal in their power play, and then they get a tip at the end of the game.”

One highlight for the home team was finishing with a season-high 34 shots after averaging 25.9 shots per game over the previous 16 matches.

Utah still has a chance to wrap up its three game homestand on a winning note on Monday as Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals make their first NHL visit to Salt Lake City for a 7:00pm (MST) matchup.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: Kings face Timberwolves at Golden One tonight; Sac coming off win against Phoenix

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The Phoenix Suns guard Tyus Jones (21) figures the only way to stop the Sacramento Kings forward DeMar DeRozan (left) is by hanging onto his jersey in the first half at Golden One Center in Sacramento on Wed Nov 13, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah:

#1 On Wednesday night Sacramento Kings beat the short handed Phoenix Suns 127-101 on at Golden One in Sacramento. The Kings took advantage of the Sun short handedness with DeAaron Fox scoring a team leading 29 points.

#2 The Kings Kevin Huerter contributed with a season high 22 points. Donmantas Sabonis finished with 11 points, ten rebounds, and seven assists which helped the Kings win their second game in four days.

#3 Jeremiah, talk about how the absence of the Suns Kevin Durant has impacted their games. Durant has missed three straight due to a strained calf. The Suns really struggled in this one.

#4 The Kings had a wide gap on the Sun in the fourth quarter with a 26 point lead before the Suns scored five points making it 93-88 but the Suns were a few points and a few players short. The Kings have now won three of their last five games.

#5 The Kings host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night. The Timberwolves are coming off losing to the Portland Trailblazers in a two game sweep. Will the Kings be able to keep the momentum going and will the Timberwolves come back from the double loss to Portland at Golden One?

Jeremiah Salmonson covers the Sacramento Kings at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Mason Miller named to All-MLB second team; Continues To Rock the Baseball World

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Athletics pitcher Mason Miller was dealing all season long finishing 2024, 2-2 ERA 2.49, with 28 saves and being named to the All-MLB second team (AP file photo)

By Barbara Mason

WEST SACRAMENTO–We watched him all season long and from that first pitch, we all knew that relief pitcher Mason Miller was something very special. Major League Baseball has rewarded that excellence by naming him to the All-MLB Second Team. He is one of just nine rookies to have won this honor since its inception.

He clocked 104 strikeouts which was second among every major league reliever and of those 104 strikeouts by a reliever this was a tie for sixth place in A’s history. Of his 1024 pitches almost half of them were 100 miles per hour or more.

The Oakland A’s had improved significantly offensively and defensively this past season and had even improved their season record by 19 games. There were a handful of players that were responsible for this encouraging sign but none more promising than the performance we saw game after game from Mason Miller.

When he took the mound it evoked fear in opposing batters and thrilled Athletic fans who gasped at the proficiency, speed and power of his pitches. His appearances on the mound were not to be missed.

It was a real shift for the young pitcher who switched from the rotation to the bullpen. Suffering from elbow concerns he was challenged making this change and it fit him like a glove. Miller missed four months in 2023 after spraining his ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow.

He adapted beautifully and became a dominant closer; a closer that struck out the best of the best in baseball. His fast ball is like no other and it always came as a surprise when a batter was able to connect. This did not happen too often as he saved 28 games.

He actually threw a 103.6 mile per hour pitch in this year’s All-Star Game. In that one inning he struck out Shohei Ohtani and Trea Turner back to back. He owned players of this caliber all season long. This guy is practically unhittable.

He won award after award last season. He was named Rookie of the Year, MLB reliever of the Month, the Dave Stewart Award and the Roberto Clemente Award. Quite a feat for a guy who came into a season in a new role, a role that he worked hard to perfect.

With all of this success, the fear is the top target that this guys is going to be as far as the dreaded “trade”. This has struck fear in the hearts of Athletic fans year in and year out. It has happened with such regularity that while it’s horribly disappointing, it is expected with this organization.

With the history that we have seen with the Athletics, the outstanding players that we have seen come and go, it seems that for the right price the trades will continue but we are holding onto the hope that next season sees Mason Miller listed on the Athletics roster.

There had been rumors in the final months of the last season of teams, high caliber teams, who were more than interested in Miller. Thankfully he was able to finish the season as a Athletic. If this team wants to build on the progress they made last season one of the first steps would be to continue to groom players like Mason Miller, Lawrence Butler, Brent Rooker, JJ Bleday, Abraham Toro, Tyler Soderstrom and Miguel Andujar and the list goes on.

Keeping this team intact would be a breath of fresh air. With the changes to start the last season the team had to learn to become a unit. It took months and there was obvious growing pains before they really got onboard. They have become a unit now and keeping them together next year would be key to a successful start to a new season. And that’s how you build a good baseball team.

Barbara Mason is an A’s beat writer at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NHL podcast with Len Shapiro: Tampa Bay’s Vesilevskiy fastest goalie to reach 300 wins; New Jersey’s Bratt gets hat trick defeat Panthers 6-2; plus more news

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The Tampa Bay Lightning’s defenseman Victor Hedman (77) congratulates goaltender Andrei Vesilevskiy (88) after he picked up his 300th career NHL win in Tampa Bay on Thu Nov 14, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the NHL podcast with Len:

#1 The Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vesilevskiy became the fastest goalie to reach 300th win as the Lightning defeated the Winnipeg Jets 4-1 at Amalie Arena in Tampa Bay on Thursday night. It was the Jets second loss in 15 games.

#2 The New Jersey Devil’s Jesper Bratt’s hat trick help beat the Florida Panthers 6-2. It was Bratt’s second career hat trick. New Jersey got goals from Stefan Noesen who scored twice, Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes picked up a goal a piece in the win.

#3 The Philadelphia Flyers Matvei Michkov scored a game winning overtime goal to defeat the Ottawa Senators 5-4 in at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa on Thursday. Michkov’s game winner was a sharp angle shot that went past Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark with just enough daylight to get the Flyers the win.

#4 For the New York Rangers Mika Zibanejad the nine game drought without a goal has ended as Zibanejad scored off a rebound on Adam Fox’s shot at 11:41 in the second period that tied up the game 1-1. The Rangers would add two more goals for a total of three goals in the second period that was all the scoring they would need to edge the San Jose Sharks 3-2 at Madison Square Garden.

#5 The Buffalo Sabres edged the St Louis Blues Thursday night 4-3 in overtime. Tied 3-3 in the overtime stanza the Sabres Rasmus Dahlin scored at 1:33 on a power play goal to lift Buffalo to victory. It was a back in forth game that saw the Sabres score twice in the first period to make it 2-1, the Blues came right back with two goals to take the lead 3-2, the Sabres would score in the third period to tie it and get the win in the overtime.

Len Shapiro does the NHL podcasts each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Rangers 3 goals was all they needed to edge Sharks 3-2 at Madison Square Garden

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The New York Rangers Vincent Trocheck (right) battles with the San Jose Sharks William Eklund (left) for the hockey puck in the first period at Madison Square Garden on Thu Nov 14, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Jessica Kwong

NEW YORK. — The San Jose Sharks played one of their best first periods of the season, but could not keep it up in the second and fell to the New York Rangers 3-2 at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night.

New York scored three unanswered goals in the second period, and the Sharks failed to make a comeback in the third.

“I think our first period was obviously our identity and the way that we need to play. We’ve got to do that more often,” said Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky. “Hope this is a learning moment.”

Timothy Liljegren made the first goal of the game at 17:09, when the puck went off a few players and he got it past Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin to put the Sharks up 1-0. Liljegren was assisted by Luke Kunin and Nico Sturm.

“Just a lot of people in front, in front of the net, so just tried to get it there and had the lucky bounce so good to see it go in,” said Liljegren.

The Sharks played fast and got pucks deep and got them back, but got away from that in the second and third periods.

In the second, Mika Zibanejad scored a goal at 8:19 assisted by Adam Fox and Reilly Smith to tie the game at 1-1. Then at 6:45, Jimmy Vesey made a goal assisted by Sam Carrick to put the Rangers up 2-1. A few minutes later, Vincent Trocheck scored assisted by Artemi Panarin and Alexis Lafrenière to boost New York up 3-1.

“I think our first period overall was really good and then obviously it was tough to follow it up in the second,” said Sharks right wing Barclay Goodrow. “We were just playing simple. Playing the game we have to play to be successful.”

In the third period, the Sharks did too little too late. Fabian Zetterlund scored on a power-play with 27 seconds remaining, assisted by William Eklund and Tyler Toffoli, to cut the Rangers’ lead to 3-2.

“If you give these guys too many chances they’re going to score and that’s what they did,” Liljegren said. “So, got to learn from it and play more of a 60-minute game like we played in the first.”

Shesterkin had 25 saves, helping the Rangers notch their fourth win in six games and improve to 10-4-1.

During a stop in the first period when Goodrow was shown on the jumbotron, the crowd gave him an ovation. Goodrow spent three seasons with the Rangers and had six goals during the playoffs last spring.

“It was good,” he said. “Obviously, would’ve been nice to get the win, but yeah it was good to be back.”

The Sharks (5-10-3) finish off their four-game road trip facing the Pittsburgh Penguins (6-9-3) on Saturday. The puck drops at 4 p.m. PT.