Category: NHL

Sharks Start Season with 4-3 Shootout Win Over Coyotes

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The San Jose Sharks Tomas Hertl (48) jubilant after scoring against the Arizona Coyotes he is joined by Evander Kane (9), John Leonard (right of Kane), and Nilolai Knyzhov (71) in the first period (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks started the 2021 season with a 4-3 shoot-out win in Arizona against the Coyotes. Tomas Hertl scored twice, John Leonard got two assists in his first NHL game. Evander Kane scored the Sharks’ third goal and Logan Couture scored the game-winner in the shootout. Conor Garland, Clayton Keller and Phil Kessel scored for Arizona. Martin Jones made 34 saves for the win, while Darcy Kuemper made 32 saves in the loss.

After the game, Logan Couture said: “I thought we were sloppy at times but I thought we did a lot of things really well. We had some speed through the neutral zone and that one line, Tommy Hertl’s line, created some nice goals. And Joner made some big-time saves when we had those breakdowns.”

Martin Jones did a lot of work during the long layoff and looked good Thursday. After the game, he said: “I think I took full advantage of the time and I put in a lot of work. So, it was nice to be able to play well in the first game but, you know, it’s one game, we gotta keep working at it here. There’s a lot of things that we can clean up.”

Couture gave a post-game nod to the rookie Sharks, saying: “Some guys played their first NHL game tonight, I thought they were terrific tonight.” Those first-timers were John Leonard and Nicholas Meloche. Leonard had two assists in his 13:14 of ice time. Meloche was a +1 in his 5:43 on the blue line.

Tomas Hertl scored twice in the first period for the Sharks, the first a power play goal at 12:43. Logan Couture took a shot from the boards, which bounced arond in the crease before Hertl put it away. Assists went to Evander Kane and Couture.

The second goal came with just over three minutes left in the period. John Leonard had just thrown the puck to the net, creating a rebound for Hertl to put away. Assists went to Leonard and Kane.

The Coyotes rallied in the second, Conor Garland scored for the Coyotes on a power play at 16:51 of the second period. Joel Kellman was in the box for tripping Derick Brassard. It was the Sharks’ third penalty in a row. The Coyotes were able to move the puck cross-ice several ties before Christian Dvorak’s shot found Garland’s tick for a tip in front of the net. Assists went to Dvorak and Jakob Chychrun.

Going into the third period, Evander Kane had two assists. With an aggressive charge to the net, and a Coyote on one arm, he scored the Sharks’ third goal a little past the midway point of the third period. Assists went to John Leonard and Tomas Hertl.

The 3-1 lead held up well into the third period.

Clayton Keller scored for the Coyotes’ with just 3:30 left in the third. Finding himself alone in the high slot, he caught the puck as it came out of a skirmish in front of the net and put it over Jones’ right shoulder before the goalie could get across. Assists went to Garland and Chychrun.

Phil Kessel tied the game up with just four seconds left in regulation. Under a lot of pressure with the Coyotes net empty, Martin Jones made a couple of good saves before it got by him. The Coyotes had three skaters in front of him and they all got a shot before Kessel’s went in. Assists went to Alex Goligoski and Clayton Keller.

The Sharks got a power play at 3:13 of overtime, when Clayton Keller was called for tripping Kevin Labanc. The Sharks OT power play started with Logan Couture, Brent Burns, Erik Karlsson and Tomas Hertl. After a shot went over the glass, Kane came onto the ice with Timo Meier and Ryan Donato, with Karlsson staying on. Neither unit scored before time ran out, in the power play and the period.

Each team scored on their first shot in the shootout, first Arizona’s Nick Schmaltz and the San Jose’s Ryan Donato. After that, Martin Jones stopped Clayton Keller and Conor Garland missed. Logan Couture scored to close it out.

The modified season has the Sharks playing against the Coyotes again on Saturday before moving on to St. Louis.

NHL podcast with Mary Lisa Walsh: Flyers Patrick back from migraine issues; Wild’s Rossi out indefinitely with upper body injury; plus more

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The Philadelphia Flyers Nolan Patrick in this Mon Mar 19, 2019 file photo has missed 21 months due to suffering a migraine disorder will return on opening night against the Pittsburgh Penguins this Wed Jan 13, 2021 (AP file photo)

On the NHL podcast with Mary Lisa:

#1 The Philadelphia Flyers Nolan Patrick who suffered migraine disorder says he’s ready to return and has waited 21 months to get back. Patrick says he’s feeling better and wants to get back in the line up against the Pittsburgh Penguins for this Wednesday’s opener.

#2 It was reported that the Minnesota Wild’s Marco Rossi will be out indefinitely due to an upper body injury. Wild head coach Dean Evason said the 19 year old Rossi will not be available. Rossi signed a three year contract with the Wild on Oct 23, Rossi scored 100 points (39 goals and 81 assists) he did it in an impressive amount of time in just 56 games.

#3 At the San Jose Sharks training camp: John Leonard who played for the University of Massachusetts at forward. Leonard was drafted sixth in the NHL entry draft and is expected to make his NHL debut against the Arizona Coyotes on Wednesday night. At Amherst Leonard in Division I Leonard led the division with 27 goals, 10 assists. That all ended when Coronavirus shut down the league back in March.

#4 Former Chicago Blackhawks goalie 36 year old Corey Crawford has announced his retirement from hockey and the New Jersey Devils this weekend. Crawford had not practiced with New Jersey since Jan 1st and in a statement said that he’s given everything he could to the game but it was time to retire.

#5 The New York Islanders have signed Matthew Barzal for a three year contract. The agreement was made on Saturday. In 68 games last season Barzal led the Islanders with 60 points, 19 goals and 41 assists. Barzal has led the Islanders in scoring in each of the last three seasons with the team and has played in the NHL All Star game in the last two seasons.

Join Mary Lisa for the NHL and San Jose Sharks podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NHL podcast with Mary Lisa Tue Jan 12, 2021 by Sports Radio Service | Free Listening on SoundCloud

NHL podcast with Len Shapiro: Six Stars players out for Covid-19 tests, New Jersey goalie Crawford takes indefinite leave; plus more

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The Dallas Stars training facility in Frisco, Texas is shutdown as the Stars first two games to open the season has been postponed. This photo was taken on Wed Jan 6, 2021 and the facility shutdown on Friday. (AP News photo)

On the NHL podcast with Len Shapiro:

#1 Len, six Dallas Stars players and two staff members have tested positive for Covid-19 forcing both opening games on Jan 14th and 15th back to back games to be postponed and that the Stars facilities were closed and will not be projected open any earlier than Jan 19th.

#2 Len, New Jersey Devils 36 year old goaltender Corey Crawford has requested to take an indefinite leave. Crawford did practice with the team on Dec 31 and Jan 1st before asking for two more days off including Friday making it three days off. Crawford reportedly is taking the indefinite time off due to personal reasons.

#3 The Columbus Blue Jackets said on Friday that 19 players missed practice on because of Covid 19 protocol issues and the Jackets said this was done of caution. Jackets head coach John Tortorella said out of 40 healthy players 21 skated Friday morning.

#4 Washington Capitals goalie Hendrik Lundqvist is recovering from open heart surgery and Lundqvist’s recovery is coming along well, “”Day three surgery went really well, about five hours to get it all taken care of. Really appreciate the great staff here at the Cleveland Clinic.” said Lundqvist.

#5 Pittsburgh Penguins broadcaster Mike Lange will not start the 2021 season until a successful vaccine is ready. Lange who has broadcasted the Penguins for 46 years is 72 years old and said he wants to wait until the vaccine is distributed before coming back.

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

NHL podcast with Len Shapiro Sun Jan 10, 2021 by Sports Radio Service | Free Listening on SoundCloud

NHL podcast with Matt Harrington: Sharks Couture confident Sharks can make post season; Bruins Rask says he doesn’t want to play anywhere else; plus more

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The San Jose Sharks Logan Couture (39) says the Sharks will make post season and the players believe in themselves coming into this 2021 NHL season (AP News photo)

On the NHL podcast with Matt:

#1 San Jose  Sharks Logan Couture says that he believes the Sharks will make the playoffs for the first time since 2015. Couture said there is belief in the room and confidence that the Sharks have the players that it takes to make the post season.

#2 Boston Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask said that he has no intention to play anywhere else except in Boston. Rask 33 has an eight year $56 million deal with the Bruins. Rask 28-8-6 last season, lead the NHL with 2.12 goals against, and a .929 goal save percentage.

#3 Matt talk about the Philadelphia Flyers’ Shayne Gostisbehere who says he’s taking a clean slate into his seventh NHL season after having a good heart to heart talk with head coach Alain Vigneault. Gostisbehere has a tough time with injuries last season and told Vigneault that he feels healthy and and he’s feeling good right now.

#4 The Tampa Bay Lighting’s goaltender Andrei Vasilsevskiy said that he has a new face mask that has glowing eyes. Vasilsevskiy’s masks have always been original, artful and innovative but it will feature those scary glow in the dark eyes.

#5 The NHL has sold the naming right to all four West, South, North, and East divisions emblems which will feature sponsors, Honda, Nova Scotia Bank, Mass Mutual, and Discover. There is little doubt for the need of extra revenue because of no fans and no concessions and marketing the NHL agreed to use their naming rights to work with corporate sponsors.

Join Matt for the NHL podcasts each Saturday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NHL podcast with Matt Harrington Sat Jan 9, 2021 by Sports Radio Service | Free Listening on SoundCloud

NHL podcast with Mary Lisa Walsh: Outdoor hockey opens up the NHL season at Tahoe; How ready is NHL travel plans to stay safe?

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Taking in the view at Lake Tahoe where the NHL is scheduled to play featuring the Colorado Avalanche vs. Vegas Golden Knights and the Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers the next day. (AP News photo)

On the NHL podcast with Mary Lisa:

#1 Mary Lisa welcome back on your first NHL podcast of the 2021 season. The NHL has plans to open the season up with outdoor hockey in Lake Tahoe. It will consist of two games that will not involve the San Jose Sharks nor fans.

#2 How ready and how good is the plan that the NHL has to make this season safe for the players. The teams will be traveling within their own divisions can they pull it off like they did in post season last year?

#3 The San Jose Sharks are opening their first ten games on the road. They’ll play two games in five different cities. Is this format a good adjustment in terms of the Sharks won’t have to play just one game and try and catch a flight but just stay in a town a couple nights before leaving for the next road game?

#4 The newest acquisition of the Washington Capital Zdeno Charo will be playing a bigger role with the Caps. Charo who left the Boston Bruins says he will get more playing time and will be able to contribute as much or more like when he was the Bruins.

#5 Mary Lisa talk about Patrick Marleau who comes back to the San Jose Sharks for third time after playing in Toronto and last season with Pittsburgh. What does his return mean for the Sharks and for Marleau personally?

Mary Lisa Walsh is a San Jose Sharks beat writer at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NHL podcast with Mary Lisa Walsh Tue Jan 5, 2021 by Sports Radio Service | Free Listening on SoundCloud

San Jose Sharks podcast with Matt Harrington: NHL to open two outdoor games in Tahoe; How the Sharks opening up first 10 games on the road will work

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The San Jose Sharks forward Patrick Marleau in this Feb 22, 2020 photo skating against the New York Islanders will be doing a long tour of duty as the Sharks will open their first of ten games of the season on the road starting in Arizona on Jan 14, 2021 in Glendale (AP News photo)

On the Sharks podcast with Matt:

#1 Matt, Welcome back to another addition of the NHL season and hope your off season was great. Just wanted to start with the NHL considering opening the season up with two outdoor games in Lake Tahoe that won’t involve the San Jose Sharks and with no fans.

#1 The San Jose Sharks are scheduled to open their first ten games on the road because of San Jose and Santa Clara County has a shutdown ban and a ten day quarantine for anyone coming in and out of the County.

#2 Matt, talk about the advantages and disadvantages of playing away from your home rink for the first ten games of the season.

#3 The first ten games to open for the season is none too easy as it would be for any NHL that would open it’s season on the road, the Sharks will play two sets of games Jan 14 and 16th in Arizona, 18th and 20th in St Louis, 22 and 24th in Minnesota, and the 26 and 28th in Colorado.

#4 Last season for the post season the NHL held a very successful bubble in Toronto and Edmonton they won’t be doing anything like that this season because they won’t be able to see their families for a good six months in a bubble format like that. However where safety is concerned will travel put games and players at risk this season?

#5 In terms of getting these games going and getting players on and off planes and all the physical contact with each other in games will this still be a bigger undertaking as opposed to the way things were handled in the bubble during post season in Canada?

Matt Harrington is a beat writer for San Jose Sharks hockey at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose Sharks podcast with Matt Harrington Sat Jan 2, 2021 by Sports Radio Service | Free Listening on SoundCloud

 

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast: Padres Clevinger out for 2021; Hall of Fame balloting as Bonds and steroid era players try again; plus more

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San Diego Padre pitcher Mike Clevinger leaving game 1 of the NLDS on Oct 6, 2020 at Arlington will have Tommy John surgery for his elbow and will miss the 2021 season (AP News file photo)

On That’s Amaury:

#1 Amaury how shocking is it that San Diego Padres pitcher Mike Clevinger is now out for the 2021 season after having Tommy John surgery on his elbow. He was a big value pitcher coming over from Cleveland during the season.

#2 Amaury bolloting for the 2021 MLB Hall of Fame saw Mark Buehrle, Torii Hunter, Nick Swisher and Barry Zito enter as candidates while high vote getters from the steroid era Curt Schilling, Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds are also in the running.

#3 Former Los Angeles Dodgers manager Tommy LaSorda has been admitted into ICU at an Orange County Hospital. LaSorda 93 had a heart attack when he was Dodgers manager in 1996 and had attended game 6 of the 2020 World Series between the Tampa Bay Rays and Dodgers. LaSorda’s reason for being in the hospital was not disclosed.

#4 Turning to hockey Amaury, The San Jose City Council had a meeting on Monday at San Jose City Hall regarding the planning of development around SAP Center which include 65 new buildings on 84 acres surrounding SAP Center and BART also plans to develop right across the street. The Sharks had been opposed to BART coming to SAP Center and tried to go stop it in court in 2017. Their fear was too much traffic, too much congestion. The City plans another meeting on Dec 3rd regarding street closures and the Sharks said if there is sufficient gridlock and their parking revenue is cut they will consider moving out of downtown San Jose.

#5 Amaury is there any future consideration for Sharks on Spanish radio as you might recall last season Jesus Zarate called the play by play on the Sharks original flagship station 910 ESPN Deportes. Fans received a “Los Tiburones” t shirt for Hispanic Heritage night at SAP Center and it was former San Jose Mercury News columnist Mark Purdy who coined the “Los Tiburones” name. Will the Sharks return on Spanish radio again for the new season?

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the Major League Baseball Hispanic Heritage Museum Hall of Fame vice president and does News and Commentary each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

San Jose Sharks podcast with Len Shapiro: Will Google and BART development give Sharks no choice but to leave San Jose?

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SAP Center as it looked for the 25th Anniversary of the San Jose Sharks franchise the team might consider moving out of San Jose if Google, BART and other developments take over their parking, traffic, and parking concerns cut into their fan base. (file photo from NHL.com)

On the SJ Sharks podcast with Len:

#1 The San Jose Sharks say that parking and construction from the nearby Google project will cut into their parking lot. The Sharks who wrote a letter to their fans saying that they had concerns about Google taking part of the Sharks parking lot would cut into the team’s revenue.

#2 Did the City of San Jose have a hand in the planning because the Sharks are certainly a huge part of the South Bay sports community particularly in the San Jose city limits where they and the San Jose Earthquakes play and they would be a huge void if they left.

#3 Sharks president Jonathan Becher said the team supports development but said that the neighborhood shouldn’t have to be suffocated by a rash of 65 new buildings on 84 acres nearby the Caltrain station and BART station across the street from where the Sharks play. BART is expected to move in by 2030.

#4 Gridlock is a huge concern for the Sharks in the neighborhood with Google, fans coming to SAP Center, an expected 30,000 workers and 5,900 apartments for new housing.

#5 If the Sharks do get frustrated and move elsewhere they can’t move to Chase Center in San Francisco because they don’t have ice and in Sacramento at Golden One Center who also doesn’t have ice. The only place they can go to is the Oakland Coliseum Arena where they can fit ice but will the Sharks want to go Oakland and leave a downtown location?

Len Shapiro does the Sharks podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

SJ Sharks report: Joe Thornton Signs with Toronto Maple Leafs

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Former San Jose Shark Joe Thornton joins the Toronto Maple Leafs after more than 15 seasons with the Sharks. Thornton who makes his home in San Jose in the off season left for Toronto Friday to sign with the Leafs (file photo from mercurynews.com)

By Mary Walsh

Joe Thornton signed a one year contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs Friday. The contract is worth $700,000. Currently, Thornton is in Switzerland, playing with HC Davos of the Swiss National League. He expects to be ready to go when the NHL starts the new season.

Thornton’s absence will be noticeable in San Jose. Whether he wore the Captain’s C or not, Thornton was a leader in the Sharks dressing room. His play and his experience helped guide many younger players over many seasons. Fans came to consider him very much the face of the franchise, even if he was not drafted by San Jose. The Sharks team Twitter account said simply: “Going to log off for a bit. Brb. Maybe.”

Evander Kane tweeted : “Man I’m going to miss ya, but feel very fortunate to play with you and become great friends. So many fun memories in a short period of time. I’ll make sure to keep your seat next to me at the back of the plane vacant until you come back.”

Brent Burns tweeted: “Daaaamn…. going to miss a lot more then just laughing with this guy… ultimate teammate, friend and guy to learn from..@MapleLeafs got a great one coming!”

Joining the Maple Leafs is more than leaving San Jose for Thornton. A Toronto Sun headline today reads: “Greybeard Joe Thornton comes home to join Maple Leafs.” The Maple Leafs are iconic to the hockey world, but Thornton was born in London, Ontario, so Toronto means family and a return to his roots.

Thornton is the leader among active players in points with 1,509. He scored 1,055 of those with San Jose over 15 seasons. He won the Hart Trophy and Art Ross Trophy in 2006, for his performance during season that saw him traded from Boston to San Jose.

Patrick Marleau tweeted (by way of his wife’s account):

For more than two decades, Jumbo and I have been friends, with the vast majority of those years being teammates, too. I now consider him a brother. Toronto has gained a tremendous influence, and we will miss his presence here in San Jose. Good luck in TO! -PM

Marleau has just signed a one year contract with San Jose. Three seasons ago, he signed with Toronto and played two seasons there. According to NHL.com, Marleau said at that time that it was possible Thornton would sign with Toronto as well. Marleau had a three-year contract with Toronto, a deal that San Jose was unprepared to match.

One would think that the Sharks would have been willing to offer $700,000 for one more year of Thornton. Whether they did make that offer or not, Thornton’s absence signals significant changes to come in San Jose. After recent disappointments, that is probably a good thing in the long run. Whatever the future holds, the Sharks family will miss Jumbo Joe Thornton.

Sharks Report: Sharks Sign Marleau, Other Familiar Faces

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Returning for the third time the San Jose Sharks Patrick Marleau is back after playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins last season. Marleau also played for the Toronto Maple Leafs after leaving San Jose the first time. (image from @SAPSports)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks have been busy signing and re-signing familiar players. Patrick Marleau and Matt Nieto return from their 2020 pandemic playoff teams. Kevin Labanc and Stefan Noesen were resigned. The Sharks also added a goaltender, trading a 2022 fifth round pick to the Minnesota Wild for Devan Dubnyk and a 2022 seventh round pick.

Of Dubnyk, the Sharks press release said: “Over his 11-year NHL career, the three-time NHL All-Star (2016, 2017, 2019) has appeared in 520 NHL games, earning a 247-195-52 record with a 2.58 GAA, .915 save percentage and 32 shutouts. He has also appeared in 26 Stanley Cup Playoff games, all with Minnesota, earning an 8-18 record with a 2.72 GAA and .904 SV% with two shutouts.” Minnesota retained 50% of Dubnyk’s salary. This is the last year of that contract.

Sharks General Manager, Doug Wilson said: “Devan has been one of the League’s top goaltenders for many years and after playing so many years in the Western Conference, is someone our hockey staff is very familiar with. As we head into what will surely be a unique season, his acquisition gives us a high-quality and experienced tandem of netminders.”

Patrick Marleau resigned a one-year contract with San Jose after playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins from the last trade deadline through a 2020 playoff run. Last season, Marleau joined the Sharks after the season started and had a good start, which faded along with the rest of the 2019-20 Sharks team. Despite that, he reached a number of milestones in 58 games with the Sharks. The team press release ennumerated them:

“In his first game back in teal, Marleau scored two goals to become the eighth player in NHL history to score a goal in his teens & 40s with the same franchise on Oct. 10 at Chicago. On Dec. 12, 2019 vs. the New York Rangers, he and Joe Thornton became the first set of teammates in NHL history having 1,600 regular-season games to their resume to play in the same game. Marleau appeared in his 1,700th NHL game on Jan. 11 vs. the Dallas Stars to become the fifth skater to reach the mark and scored his 100th career game-winning goal as a Shark the same night. On Jan. 27, he collected his 1,100th point as a Shark, achieving his 22nd consecutive season of at least 10 or more goals.”

Matt Nieto has also returned after playing 70 games with the Colorado Avalanche, including a playoff run in the Edmonton bubble. Nieto as drafted by the Sharks in 2011. Of the move, Doug Wilson said in a press release:

“Matt’s a player we’re obviously familiar with having been here for our Stanley Cup Final run in 2016 and he plays with speed and energy. His quickness and defensive responsibility made him one of the top penalty killers on Colorado and we feel that those assets, along with his decision making and playmaking, will bring a lot of elements to our team. We’re excited to have Matt back in San Jose.”

Kevin Labanc was re-signed to a four-year contract. Per ESPN, Labanc’s contract is worth an annual $4,725,000. Wilson said of the young forward:

“Kevin brings a rare level of offensive skill and creativity to our line-up and has established himself as a top-six forward in our league. His Game 7 playoff performance last season is one of the most iconic moments in Sharks history and is a perfect example of the impact he can have on a hockey game. Kevin has shown a consistent ability to perform at a high level in both the regular season and the playoffs and he will be a big part of our club in the coming years.”

Stefan Noesen was also re-signed from last year’s roster. Last season, Noesen joined the Sharks December 19 after being claimed off waivers from Pittsburgh. In the foreshortened season with San Jose, Noesen scored seven goals and to assists, and took 32 penalty minutes. He was the first Sharks player since Timo Meier to score a goal in his team debut.

Of Noesen’s return to the team, Wilson said:

“Stefan came in here last season and made a pretty seamless transition both on and off the ice. He plays the game with a high tempo and energy and isn’t afraid to stick up for his teammates. We think he fits well with how we want our team to play and are happy he is returning to San Jose.”

One very familiar face is still missing from next season’s roster: Joe Thornton. He has not yet signed with an NHL team, but is playing in Davos, Switzerland to prepare. He has not ruled out coming back to San Jose, but it is far from certain at this time.