Category: NHL

Olympic Hockey podcast Lincoln Juarez: Canada jumps right in with 5-0 win over Czechia; plus more Hockey Olympic news

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Canada’s Bo Horvat scores the third goal against the Czech Republic’s goaltender Lukas Dostal in the prelimary round match of the men’s hockey at the 2026 Olympics on Thu Feb 12, 2026 in Milan Italy (AP News photo0

Olympic Hockey podcast Lincoln Juarez:

#1 Can Team Canada sustain its Olympic momentum after a dominant 5-0 win over Czechia? — Canada’s NHL-loaded roster delivered a statement performance in their Olympic opener, led by goaltender Jordan Binnington’s shutout and strong contributions from stars like Macklin Celebrini.

#2 How will fans and teams react to the controversial overturned goals in the USA-Latvia game? — The U.S. rallied for a 5-1 victory, but two early goals were wiped off, sparking debate about officiating in Olympic hockey.

#3 Who gets the nod in key Olympic goalie and lineup decisions? — Team USA announced Connor Hellebuyck as its starting goalie, marking a big strategic choice for America’s Olympic campaign.

#4 What is the status of NHL access and media content at the Olympics? — NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman says the league is getting broader access to Olympic hockey content in Milan and hopes for even more in future Games.

#5 Which international rivalries or matchups are shaping up next at the Olympics? — Teams like Finland and Sweden are renewing historic rivalries as the Olympic hockey tournament continues.

Join Lincoln Juarez for the 2026 Olympics Hockey podcasts Fridays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Utah Mammoth game wrap: Mammoth Clips Wings 4-1, Improves to 30-23-4 At Olympic Break

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Utah Mammoth center Nick Schmaltz (8) grabs the puck as the Detroit Red Wings defenseman Ben Chiarot (8) defends in the first period at the Delta Center on Wed Feb 4, 2026 (AP News photo)

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY– Detroit Red Wing goaltender Karel Vejmelka delivers inspired performance in honor of his uncle as Utah dominated Detroit 4-1 on both ends of the ice.

The Utah Mammoth (29-23-4) took to the ice Wednesday night for the final home game prior to the Olympic break against the Detroit Red Wings (33-18-6).  Prior to the game, Utah paid tribute to its four Olympians who will depart this week for Milan, Italy: Clayton Keller (USA), JJ Peterka (Germany), Karel Vejmelka (Czechia), and Olli Määttä (Finland).  Keller makes his Olympics debut after captaining Team USA to a gold medal at the 2025 IIHF World Championships, its first in 92 years.

Peterka is also making his Olympics debut, having previously won a silver medal at the 2023 IIHF World Championships, Germany’s first medal in 70 years.  Vejmelka is the third Mammoth player making his Olympic debut in Italy, having previously represented Czechia in the past four IIHF World Championships where he won the gold medal in Prague in 2024.

Lastly, Määttä makes his second Olympic appearance, having won the bronze medal for Finland at Sochi in 2014. Three members of the Detroit Red Wings are also traveling to Milan this week: Dylan Larkin (USA), Moritz Seider (Germany), and Lucas Raymond (Sweden).

Breaking from the team’s recent trend of slow starts, the Mammoth hit the scoreboard just 57 seconds into the contest when Detroit forward Andrew Copp attempted to clear the puck from behind his net to linemate Alex DeBrincat who fanned on the puck allowing Sean Durzi to one-time a snap shot from the dasher boards past John Gibson for his 5th goal of the season unassisted. 

Utah went on the power play at 7:50 when Red Wings forward Dylan Larkin went to the sin bin for slashing against Lawson Crouse. Nick Schmaltz, who has been on a hot streak of late, cashed it in just 21 seconds later for his 23rd of the season, tying his career-best high of 2021-2022 with the Coyotes, assisted by Barrett Hayton and Keller. His five power play goals this season tie him with Dylan Guenther for the team lead. 

During a TV timeout, Utah recognized future Hall of Fame forward Patrick Kane, who passed Mike Modano last week Thursday to become the highest-scoring United States-born player in NHL history with his 1,375th point on an assist against the Capitals. Kane was shown acknowledging the crowd on the Jumbotron as players from both teams tapped their sticks and fans saluted him with a standing ovation.

The 37-year-old flashed some slick moves in the first period, but Vejmelka kept him off the scoresheet. The opening frame concluded with the Mammoth leading 2-0.  Gibson stopped 7 of 9 in the first, while Vejmelka turned away all 6 Red Wings shots on goal.

The second period was all defense, with Gibson denying 9 Mammoth shots on goal, while Vejmelka stopped 11 including some world class saves on the penalty kill.

Dylan Guenther, who leads all Mammoth players in goals on the season, gave Utah some additional breathing room at 4:40 of the third period when he won a puck battle at the blue line and then powered his way to the front of the net to put a wrist shot past Gibson for his 25th unassisted. 

Down 3-0 and with Nick DeSimone in the penalty box for a puck over the glass infraction, Detroit pulled its goalie for a 6-on-4 man advantage which succeeded in killing Vejmelka’s shutout when Dylan Larkin found the back of the net for his 26th of the season, assisted by James van Riemsdyk  and Moritz Seider. 

With fresh memories of surrendering 3 goals in 89 seconds against Carolina six days earlier, the Mammoth shut the Red Wings down the rest of the way, with Olympian Clayton Keller picking up his 17th goal of the season into an empty net at 17:42, assisted by Schmaltz and Crouse, sending dozens of fans wearing red sweaters to the exits.  Utah held on to win 4-1 and are now 12-4-1 since New Year’s Day.

The box score on Utah’s Olympians: Keller finished with a goal and an assist, Peterka played a solid game but was scoreless, and Vejmelka stopped 29 of 30 shots for his league-leading 27th victory.

Vejmelka had extra motivation to perform well in tribute to his uncle who just passed away. “Yeah, he was a big, big, sport. You know, he played tennis very well for a long time, so he taught me a lot. He was a great human being. This game was for him and I obviously performed for him tonight.” As Utah heads into the break, Veggie said, “I think we are moving in the right direction. We are hitting the right way and we need to keep that same mindset for the rest of the season. With using this break to rest our minds, but have that same mindset when we get back here.” With regard to the Olympics, Vejmelka added, “I believe I should try to keep the same mindset, obviously the ring will be the same size, maybe even a little smaller. So I don’t think it’s gonna be a big difference. I just try to focus on the next game, but this was a huge moment for us to get this win tonight.”

Dylan Guenther, speaking of the team’s overall confidence heading into the break, said, “It’s great. I think heading into the break while getting a couple wins, makes you feel good. It lets you relax a little bit. It’s not in the back of your head. So I’m just happy we got those two wins. And it’s nice to take the time off.” When asked about maintaining the team’s momentum when they return from the break, Guenther said, “I think just go have a good break, but stay in shape, while also taking advantage of this time. We played well coming back last year, but not good enough. St. Louis was hot, and a lot of teams are going to come out flying. So we need to make sure that we’re ready to go in the first game.”

Head Coach André Tourigny’s first words at the microphone after greeting the media following the game: “It was a solid game by our special teams. Our goalie was rock solid. It was a huge win for us. Hell yeah!”  The scoring was spread out throughout the lineup on Wednesday night, and Tourigny remarked, “You talk about the scoring, no doubt. But as well, I think everybody contributed. I think our fourth line was key tonight in the third period, especially. Big fight by (Brandon Tanev). In the third period, every time they were on the ice they got on the forecheck, they got the puck deep…I think they gave us some energy. That was really good. That’s one of our strengths that we have them (fourth line).” On the team’s best penalty killer in the crease, Tourigny said of Vejmelka, “It helps you win games, no doubt about it. I think he’s been on a good stretch, played a lot of hockey and is going to the Olympics. I’m happy for him. You never know how those guys going to the Olympics will be able to stay in the present. The three (Olympians) who played, they were rock solid today. JJ (Peterka) was really good. (Clayton Keller) was really good. And (Vejmelka) was really good. I’m proud of them and our team needed them. We all know the standings. But more importantly, we challenged ourselves to say ‘hey, you win that game, you finish before the break in a playoff spot. You lose, you may not.’ That was an important one for us.”

A reporter for KSL-TV asked Bear about the team’s recent results despite several key injuries including Logan Cooley and Alexander Kerfoot. He responded, “That’s a good question and deserves a good long answer. But the big thing is, we have depth. But we have guys that are really good in their own ways. If you look at, for example, Jack McBain, he’s a really good player in his own style. If you look across the league to get a guy who plays with that kind of pace, that kind of drive, who can make plays with the puck, who can win big draws, play on special teams and stuff like that. That’s an example. It’s the same thing for Barrett Hayton, or if we go with (Kailer Yamamoto) who’s depth; but he can play at any moment in our top six or our top nine and generate offense and win battles. If I went throughout our lineup like that, we have that in our lineup. We don’t have guys who are just OK at a little bit of everything. They all have something that they bring; energy, physicality…Kevin Stenlund is one of the best (penalty kill) players in the league, so on and so forth. All of them, they have something (that is) really good…NHL good. That’s why we’re capable of being successful even if we’re missing very good players.”  Up in the press box I asked Cooley if he was good to go when play resumes at the end of the month and he gave a thumbs up.

For Utah’s players without travel plans during the Olympic break, they will have been able to spend the entire month of February without leaving home thanks to a schedule which resumes for three games at Delta Center beginning February 25th against the top team in the NHL, the Colorado Avalanche, which is also projected to mark the return of star forward Cooley (14g, 9a, 23pts in 29 games) from the Injured Reserved list. Utah went 16-11-1 during Cooley’s absence.

Sharks Fall 4-2 to Avalanche, Losing Streak at 4 Going Into Olympic Break

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

San Jose Sharks left wing William Eklund (left) puts a shot on Colorado Avalanche goaltenter MacKenzie Blackwood in the second period at Ball Arena in Denver on Wed Feb 4, 2026 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks lost 4-2 to the Colorado Avalanche Wednesday. Artturi Lehkonen, Josh Manson and Brock Nelson scored for the Avalanche. MacKenzie Blackwood made 23 saves for the win. Timothy Liljegren and Philipp Kurashev scored for the Sharks. Yaroslav Askarov made 38 saves in the loss. The loss and the three before it saw the Sharks plummet out of a playoff position.

In the final Sharks game before the Olympic break, Kiefer Sherwood made his debut in teal. He finished the game with one shot, one blocked shot, four hits and two penalty minutes. After the game, he discussed the team’s failure to start on time, despite a good effort in the third period: “The League’s too unforgiving to not play a full 60. So we’ll take the lesson and move on and be ready to get our work boots on the second half.”

Of the upcoming break, Sherwood said: “Our team needs a break. Obviously it comes at a good time. I know that was my first game so obviously I wish we’d get more. We’ll light the fire during break and come ready to rage in the second half.”

In a scoreless first period, the Avalanche outshot the Sharks 14 to 5. Each team took two penalties. The second period was Artturi Lehkonen’s time to shine. He scored the first goal at 1:05, a deflected shot from Valeri Nichushkin. An assist also went to Cale Makar.

His second goal came at 15:47, a snap shot from the top of the faceoff circle. Assists went to Nathan MacKinnon and Nichushkin.

Colorado outshot San Jose 17-8 in the second period, with one penalty to each team.

The Sharks tied the game early in the third period. Timothy Liljegren scored with a slap shot just 43 seconds in. Assists went to Alexander Wennberg and John Klingberg.

Philipp Kurashev tied it at 3:34 with a wrist shot after taking the puck from the neutral zone to the net.

During four-on-four play with Macklin Celebrini and Brent Burns in the box, Josh Manson scored with a slap shot at 12:44. Assists went to Nichushkin and MacKinnon.

Brock Nelson scored with a backhand into an empty net at 18:43.

After the NHL returns from the Olympic break, the Sharks will host the Calagry Flames on February 26 at 7:00 PM PT.

San Jose Sharks podcast Len Shapiro: Lehkonen’s scores twice to help it away for Aves over Sharks; SJ drops 4th in a row

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Colorado Avalanche left wing Artturi Lehkonen goes for a victory skate after scoring a second period goal against the San Jose Sharks at Ball Arena in Denver on Wed Feb 4, 2026 (AP News photo)

San Jose Sharks podcast Len Shapiro:

#1 How did Artturi Lehkonen’s two goals influence the Avalanche’s momentum and eventual 4–2 win over the Sharks?

#2 What role did Nathan MacKinnon’s performance (including reaching his 700th career assist) play in Colorado’s offensive success?

#3 How effective were each team’s goaltenders — Mackenzie Blackwood for Colorado and Yaroslav Askarov for San Jose — and in what moments did their saves matter most?

#4 What turning points in the third period allowed the Avalanche to take and maintain the lead after the Sharks tied the game early in the frame?

#5 What overall trends (shot differential, possession, special teams) can be identified from this matchup that reflect each team’s performance heading into the Olympic break?

Len Shapiro does the San Jose Sharks podcast each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Utah Mammoth game wrap: Schmaltz Smokes Canucks In 6-2 Mammoth Victory

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Utah Mammoth center Nick Schmaltz (8) falls against the Vancouver Canucks right wing Jonathan Lekkerimaki (23) in the first period at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Mon Feb 2, 2026 (AP News photo)

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–Utah forward Nick Schmaltz recorded a hat trick and an assist as the Mammoth dominated the hapless Vancouver Canucks 6-2.

The Utah Mammoth (28-23-4) hosted the Vancouver Canucks (18-31-6) on Monday night for the second of three home games prior to the Olympic break. Utah hoped to bounce back from Saturday’s 3-2 loss to the Dallas Stars while Vancouver hoped to bounce back from the entirety of 2026 where they have lost 14 of 16 since the ball drop on New Year’s Eve.

Repeating the opening miscues from Saturday night, the Mammoth took an early too many men on the ice penalty at 1:24 of the first period to give the Canucks a quick man advantage. Not repeating from Saturday night, Utah killed the penalty, and as Jack McBain was sprung from the box the Mammoth had an odd-man rush as Nick Schmaltz netted his 20th goal of the season ten seconds later on a wrist shot, with John Marino and Barrett Hayton picking up the assists. Schmaltz has now tallied 20 or more goals for five consecutive seasons and for the sixth time overall in his career.

At 7:04 Vancouver tied things up with Liam Öhgren’s fourth goal of the season, assisted by Conor Garland and Teddy Blueger. The PA announcer barely mentioned Öhgren’s goal when 33 seconds later Schmaltz picked up his second goal of the night and 21st on the season to put Utah up 2-1, assisted by Sean Durzi. Kevin Lankinen stopped 7 of 9 shots in the frame, while Karel Vejmelka turned away 5 of 6.

Vancouver gave Utah a power play opportunity at 8:29 of the second period when Evander Kane went to the sin bin for tripping against Jack McBain. 16 seconds later, Mammoth defenseman Mikhail Sergachev launched one of his signature blasts from the blue line past Lankinen for his ninth goal of the season, assisted by Schmaltz and Dylan Guenther, to make it 3-1.

Utah forward Lawson Crouse made it 4-1 for Utah when a shot by John Marino deflected off of him, then off the skate of Elias Pettersson, and into the Canucks goal. The goal, which was originally credited to Lawson Crouse, and then credited to Marino before being restored to Crouse, was his 14th of the season, with Marino and Clayton Keller picking up the assists.

With just under four minutes to play in the period, Utah forward JJ Peterka got into the action with a slap shot which got past Lankinen for his 20th of the season, assisted by Kailer Yamamoto and Marino, to give the Mammoth a commanding 5-1 lead. Peterka joins Guenther and Schmaltz with 20 or more goals on the season which is tied for the most among NHL teams.

Marino’s three assists were the third time in his career that he has registered a three-point game, and with Monday night’s points he now has a new career high of 28 points on the season, surpassing his rookie point total with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2019-2020. Teddy Blueger got one back for Vancouver with 71 seconds left in the frame, his fifth goal of the season, assisted by Garland and Marcus Pettersson, to end the period with a score of 5-2.

Nick Schmaltz, who already had two goals and an assist heading into the third period, his second assist of the night having been taken away when the Crouse goal was restored from Marino, made it a four point night with a hat trick at 12:22 for his 22nd goal of the season, assisted by Keller and Crouse.

Schmaltz previously registered a three-goal, one-assist night on October 17 against the San Jose Sharks. Vejmelka stopped 21 of 23 shots in recording his league-leading 26th victory. Veggie is 8-1-0 in his last nine starts at home. Vancouver has now lost 15 of 17 in 2026.

“I think there were a lot of great plays by some guys finding me,” said Schmaltz in the locker room following the game. “There was a fortunate bounce on one of them. But I was super excited to get a hat trick and help the team win.” Of Marino, who assisted on Schmaltz’s first goal, he added, “He’s a great player. I think he’s very underrated. He’s got a lot of poise with the puck. He wades off defenders and makes a lot of good plays in the middle of the ice. Super great player and I’m very happy to see him having success.” Schmaltz also noted how many different guys are contributing from game to game. “It’s awesome to see. That’s a good sign of a good team. I think that (in) depth scoring, guys are going to step up on different nights. You’ve got to do that in this league. Eighty-two games is a lot of games and you’re not going to have your best every night. So you’ve got to have a deep team that can step up and guys (that) can make plays when it matters.”

Defenseman Mikhail Sergachev praised Schmaltz’s dominant night. “It’s obviously great to see when Schmaltzy gets five.” [One of the assists was later removed.] “It’s a big night, and we’re all happy for him. And Johnny too, I think he got three points. Tonight was big and it shows that guys can make plays, create and finish. So we need more of that for sure.” Speaking of the previous two losses, Sergachev said, “The first one against Carolina, we obviously lost that game in the last three minutes. And then for Dallas, we didn’t have a good start, and that’s what left a bad taste. But tonight we had a better start, and played better overall.” On his laser beam shot from the blue line, he said, “yeah, I just took the shot. There was no screen, which was not great, but it went in. It was kind of lucky, but it was a big goal for a power play that made us confident we could shoot and go get rebounds to score.”

Head Coach André Tourigny opened his post-game remarks saying, “A big night for our special teams. I liked our PK a lot, obviously our power play as well. Even on the first power play, the way we attacked. We had the intensity. We recovered loose pucks. I liked our special teams. We were really opportunistic. We found a way to score a big goal at a key moment early in the game and throughout the game. That’s what I think of the game.” On his two offensive stars of the game, he added, “I think Schmaltzy was really good everywhere. He was good defensively, stripped pucks, and his body position was good. I liked his game a lot. Marin’s as well. I think Marin was solid in his game. His puck decision was good and made really good plays, produced, all of it.” What was different from the previous couple of contests? “I think we played well at the beginning of the game. I think we played solid. When we scored a few goals, I’ll be honest, not sure we played as well. From four minutes left in the second, we had a tough time finishing the period, and had a tough start to the third. Afterwards, we played well. Most of the game we played well. It’s just we had little spots. I think we were confident offensively, and like I said, we scored big goals at key moments. We didn’t have a lot of volume, but we had quality chances.”

Utah (29-23-4) has a shot at winning 30 games before the Olympic break when they wrap up the three-game homestand on Wednesday night against the Detroit Red Wings (33-18-6)

Sharks Fall 6-3 to Blackhawks, Just One Shot in First; Slumping San Jose drops their third in a row

Published on by M WalshLeave a comment

Ryan Donato erupted in the Blackhawks’ 6-3 win over the Sharks on Monday (Michael Reaves/Getty Images file photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks fell 6-3 to the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday. Connor

Bedard, Connor Murphy, Ryan Donato, Sam Rinzel and Ilya Mikheyev scored for Chicago. Spencer Knight made 24 saves for the win. Will Smith, Macklin Celebrini and Shakir Mukhamadullin scored for San Jose. Yaroslav Askarov made six saves on ten shots and Alex Nedeljkovic made five saves in relief.

This was the most lopsided loss for the Sharks since January 11, when they lost 7-2 to the Tampa Bay Lightning. After the game, Sharks forward Macklin Celebrini said: “After that first period, I thought we did a really good job of staying on top of them. Just a couple mistakes, a couple of chances we give up and they just put it away. When it’s going like that it’s tough to … bounce back.”

Sharks defenseman Vincent Desharnais said: “Our D-zone is clearly not good enough. Our forecheck too, I think that’s one of our biggest strengths, when our forecheck is going I feel like all three zones are going well. And it’s been a couple games now that our forecheck is not going or it’s going ten minutes out of sixty. So you gotta play a full game.”

The first goal of the game came at the seven minute mark of the first. Connor Bedard scored with a snap shot on the power play. Assists went to Teuvo Teravainen and Tyler Bertuzzi. That was the only goal of the first period. The Sharks had only one shot on goal but the Blackhawks only had four. To the Sharks’ credit, they killed two of three penalties.

The Blackhawks doubled it up at 2:14 of the second period. Connor Murphy scored with a wrist shot from the top of the faceoff circle. Assists went to Matt Grzelcyk and Ryan Donato.

Donato scored his first of the night at 9:35 with a wrist shot. Assists went to Ilya Mikheyev and Jason Dickinson.

Sam Rinzel scored a minute later with a slap shot high in the slot. The assist went to Mikheyev.

The Sharks pulled Askarov after that goal and sent in Nedeljkovic.

Will Smith got the Sharks on the board at 12:05. His snap shot came from low in the faceoff circle. Assists went to Macklin Celebrini and Collin Graf.

Ilya Mikheyev scored less than a minute later, tipping a shot from Dickinson. Ryan Donato also got an assist.

Macklin Celebrini scored at 15:11 with a wrist shot from inside the faceoff circle. Tyler Toffoli got the assist.

The Sharks outshot the Blackhawks 12-9 in the second. There was a single penalty against each team in the middle frame.

Shakir Mukhamadullin scored with a backhand at 2:13 of the third period. Assists went to Philipp Kurashev and Vincent Desharnais.

Ryan Donato scored his second of the night at 14:41 of the third. Assists went to Mikheyev and Murphy. In all, Donato had four points on the night.

The only penalties called in the third went against the Blackhawks. The shots were 14-4 Sharks.

The Sharks next play in Colorado against the Avalanche on Wednesday at 6:00 PM PT.

Defensive Dereliction Dooms Mammoth In 3-2 Loss To Dallas

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Utah Mammoth Mikhail Sergachev and the Mammoth lost a close contest to the Dallas Stars on Sat Jan 31, 2026 (photo from the Utah Mammoth X)

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–Kailer Yamamoto was a bright spot with two goals, but the Dallas Stars (31-14-9) capitalized on Utah (28-22-4) penalties to defeat the Mammoth 3-2 to open the last pre-Olympics homestand on Saturday night.

The Mammoth returned to Delta Center on Saturday night to face the Stars for the first of three games at home prior to the Olympic break. Utah began the 2026 portion of the season with an 8-1-1 record prior to embarking upon a four game Southeast road trip which saw a few streaks snapped for better and worse.

Opening the road trip with a 5-2 victory over the Nashville Predators, Mammoth netminder Karel Vejmelka won his NHL-leading 25th game of the season while winning his 5th consecutive start. Two days later, Vejmelka’s win streak would come to an end in Tampa Bay where the Lightning shut Utah out 2-0.

The next day against the Florida Panthers, backup goalie Vítek Vaněček snapped a 10-game losing streak in a 5-4 victory. Vaněček’s previous victory had been October 26 against the Winnipeg Jets. Vejmelka returned to the net on Thursday against the Carolina Hurricanes where the Mammoth enjoyed a 4-2 lead with 1:59 remaining in the third period when Veggie surrendered three goals in 89 seconds to give Carolina a shocking 5-4 regulation win, sending Utah home with a split of the four games on the road.

The Mammoth put themselves in an early hole in the first period, with Sean Durzi and Jack McBain each taking delay of game penalties for putting the puck over the glass, and Dallas converting both power play opportunities for goals by Thomas Harley (his fourth) and Wyatt Johnston (his 29th).

Utah got one back at 10:23 of the first on Kailer Yamamoto’s eighth goal of the season, assisted by JJ Peterka and John Marino. The goal was challenged by the Stars for goaltender interference, but the call on the ice stood as the Mammoth halved the Dallas lead 2-1.

On the assist, Peterka registered his 100th career assist. With a little more than three minutes remaining in the frame, the Stars regained their two-goal lead on Matt Duchene’s ninth goal of the season, assisted by Jamie Benn and Sam Steel. The squads headed to the locker room with Casey DeSmith stopping 5 of 6 Mammoth shots and Vejmelka turning away 7 of 10.

Whereas the opening period resulted in four goals, the second period was a hard-fought scoreless draw, with DeSmith stopping 5 shots and Vejmelka turning away 11 as the score remained 3-1 in favor of the Stars.

Kailer Yamamoto gave Utah some life with his second goal of the game and fourth in the past two games with his 9th of the season at 6:41 of the third period, assisted by Peterka and Barrett Hayton, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the early defensive miscues as the Mammoth went on to lose 3-2. Vejmelka stopped 29 of 32 shots while registering his third consecutive loss.

Utah forward JJ Peterka said in the locker room after the game, “I feel like throughout the whole game, they made really good plays; they put a lot of pressure on us, especially D-zone draws for us. We had trouble executing and getting out of that zone. You have to give them credit for that.”

Yamamoto, who now has seven points in his last five games (5g, 2a), has been getting more ice time recently after having been a healthy scratch for a number of contests. He said, “I think just getting back into the lineup, obviously, is a huge confidence (boost). I haven’t played too many games here. Playing with JJ and Hayts, they’re amazing players too. They make plays with the best of them. They are very easy to read off and stuff like that. They were both fine to me.”

Head Coach André Tourigny, speaking of the performance of Barrett Hayton’s line, said, “Well, I think they work really hard and they simplify their game. I don’t think they did anything complicated. A big topic for us in the last month or so is to play the game that is in front of you. There’s some nights where there’s plays to be made. There’s some other nights, where there’s no play to be made. There was nothing tonight. There was no seam or easy possession. They played really well. So in those situations, you need to go with broken plays, with quick attacks from the forecheck or shot volume and bodies on the net. We had a little bit of stubbornness in ourselves tonight, of trying to play the game we wanted to play instead of playing the game that’s in front of us. I’m not blaming our guys, in the sense of Dallas played a hell of a game. They didn’t give us anything, but we need to learn and on those nights where maybe you don’t have your A game, you don’t have your execution, and the opponent plays well, we need to find a way to simplify and get the dirty goals.”

Tourigny acknowledged the team’s bad start, saying “We didn’t play well from the beginning in terms of, we’re not skating, if you look at those two pucks, we have time and space, so why are we not moving our feet and playing with pace. That just kind of illustrates our start and and even on the PK, we’re playing well. They have two shots and three goals on their first two power plays. It’s not like it was a shooting gallery with a lot of opportunities. They’re really good at the way they score and that’s the way they scored. They get tips and sticks on rebounds and stuff like that. We knew it, and they’re the second best power play in the league, for a reason, we need to stay out of the box in any way, shape or form. We need to find a way.”

On his team’s current anemic power play, Tourigny commented, “No doubt about it, I don’t think we have any swagger. I don’t think we have any kind of execution. At some point in this league, if you feel sorry for yourself, everybody will step in your throat, and nobody will let you get back up. So there’s no feeling sorry for yourself. You’re the best players on the team. You have an opportunity to be a difference maker, and you need to do it, and you need to hone your confidence, and you need to hone your play, and we need to be better in those situations. I think there’s a lot to be thought, to be brainstormed, maybe about that, but we need to find a way, because our five on five game is top five in the league, and right now we’re fighting for our life. We need to get our special teams, special situations, up to par.”

Next up for Utah (28-23-4) are the Vancouver Canucks (18-31-6) on Monday followed by the Detroit Red Wings (32-18-6) on Wednesday, after which the Mammoth will begin their Olympic break. When the break concludes, Utah will resume action on February 25 with another 3-game homestand, meaning they will not have played a single road game in the entire month of February with the exception of the team’s Olympians who will have been on the road in Italy.

San Jose Sharks podcast Lincoln Juarez: Flames break deadlock beat Sharks 3-2; San Jose’s second straight loss

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Calgary Flames Matt Coronato is at the doorstep as San Jose Sharks goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic defends in front of the net at the Scotiabank Bank Arena in Calgary (Photo by: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images)

San Jose Sharks podcast Lincoln Juarez:

#1 Joel Farabee scored a short handed goal at 6:53 in the third period to break a 2-2 tie game which turned out to be the gamer to defeat the San Jose Sharks 3-2 on Saturday night at Scotiabank Arena.

#2 The Flames Morgan Frost and Matvei Gridin each scored their 12th goals this season and helped the Flames to a 3-2 win that snapped their five game losing streak.

#3 This was the second loss in a row for the Sharks who lost to the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday by another one goal loss 3-2.

#4 San Jose’s Will Smith scored on a power play goal and Adam Gaudette scored but it wasn’t enough as the Sharks end the month of January 7-5-1. Sharks goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 39 Calgary shots.

#5 It’s off to Chicago and the Blackhawks at the United Center Monday night. The Blackhawks have done their own share of struggling losing five in a row as of Saturday night.

Join Lincoln Juarez for the San Jose Sharks podcasts Fridays at http://www.sportsadioservice.com

Sharks Fall 3-2 to Flames; Sharks head to Chicago on Monday night

Published on by M WalshLeave a comment

The Calgary Flames Joel Farabee (86) scores on San Jose Sharks goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic (33) as John Klingberg (3) looks on at Soctiabank Arena in Calgary on Sat Jan 31, 2026 (Canadian Press via AP photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks fell 3-2 to the Calgary Flames Saturday, ending the Flames’ five game losing streak. Morgan Frost, Matvei Gridin, and Joel Farabee scored for the Flames. Dustin Wolf made 23 saves for the win. Will Smith and Adam Gaudette scored for the Sharks. Alex Nedeljkovic made 39 saves in the loss.

After the game, Sharks Head Coach Ryan Warsofsky said: “We just couldn’t get ‘er going at all. Second period we really struggled.”

The Sharks scored early, on a power play just 3:11 in. Skating to the net, Alexander Wennberg made a quick little pass across the slot to Will Smith. Smith’s snap shot beat Wolf as the goaltender tried to come across.

Morgan Frost tied the game at 14:44. The tying goal was also on the power play, a five-on-three. Nedeljkovic stopped a shot from Matt Coronato but put a rebound out in front, which Frost jumped on. Assists went to Coronato and Jonathan Huberdeau.

The Flames outshot the Sharks 15-11 in the first. The Sharks had two power plays, one that carried over to the second period. The Flames’ two power plays overlapped in the middle of the period.

The Sharks took another lead with a goal from Adam Gaudette at 1:21 of the second period. After three blocked Sharks shots and a save by Wolf, Gaudette’s wrist shot made it through. William Eklund and Michael Misa got the assists.

Matvei Gridin tied it again at 6:59. a cross-ice pass from Frost set him up for a snap shot. Assists went to Frost and MacKenzie Weegar.

The Flames outshot the Sharks 17-6 in the second period. The Sharks took two penalties and the Flames took none.

Joel Farabee scored the game-winner short-handed at 6:53 of the third period. Farabee was right by the goal when the puck came off the backboards, ready for a tidy backhand shot. Assists went to Mikael Backlund and Kevin Bahl.

In the third, the Sharks took three penalties, including a 10-minute misconduct to Barclay Goodrow and a too many men on the ice. The Flames took two.

With just over three minutes to go, Nedeljkovic seemed to leave the game with what looked like a lower body injury. Instead, he walked it off during a tv timeout and did not miss a shift. After the game, he said: “I just needed to get off the ice. My leg was starting to bug me. Thankfully it was the tv time out so I was able to get things under control.”

In other injury news, Philipp Kurashev returned to the lineup for the first time since December 13.

The Sharks next play on Monday at 5:30 PM PT against the Blackhawks in Chicago.

San Jose Sharks podcast Mary Lisa: Sharks battle Flames in Calgary for Saturday matinee

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

From left to right the San Jose Sharks Macklin Celebrini, Mario Ferrerao, and Collin Graf celebrate a goal in the first period at Rogers Place in Edmonton on Thu Jan 29, 2026 (Canadian Press via AP)

San Jose Sharks podcast Mary Lisa:

#1 Can Macklin Celebrini continue his offensive surge Saturday?

#2 How will Will Smith contribute to San Jose’s attack against the Flames’ defense?

#3 What kind of impact could William Eklund have on the scoreboard in this road game?

#4 Will the Sharks’ goaltending situation with Yaroslav Askarov be a difference-maker?

#5 Can Collin Graf continue to be a spark up front for San Jose?

Catch the San Jose Sharks podcasts with Mary Lisa Saturdays at ⁠http://www.sportsradioservice.com⁠