Category: NHL

Eagles edge Barracuda 4-3 in OT

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Photo credit: @sjbarracuda

By Marko Ukalovic

The Colorado Eagles gave up a two-goal lead, but found redemption in overtime for their first overtime win of the season in a 4-3 victory over
the San Jose Barracuda at the Budweiser Event Center on Friday evening. Colorado has won two games in a row. It was the third road loss in a row for San Jose.

Scott Kosmachuk, who blew an earlier breakaway overtime attempt, scored the game-winning goal when he was set up by Logan O’Connor and was able to bury the puck top-shelf on the short side of the net for his sixth goal of the season at the 3:30 mark. Anton Lindholm received the secondary assist.

Colorado (8-7-3-0) drew first blood early in the first period. Dominic Toninato made a toe drag move to get off a back handed shot that Tyler Lewis tapped in a deflection past Cuda goalie Antoine Bibeau (4-2-1) for his third goal of the season at the 4:22 mark. Ryan Graves received the secondary assist.

San Jose (10-3-1-1) scored the equalizer four minutes later after putting on relentless pressure Eagles goalie Pavel Francouz (7-4-1). Alexander True collected a rebound from a Thomas Gregoire shot from the point and fired the puck into an empty net for his third goal of the season at the at the 8:17 mark.  He has score in back-to-back games since he was goalless in 10 straight games. Jon Martin received the secondary assist.

Andrew Aggozino continued to stay hot as he gave back the Eagles the lead on the power play at the 12:17 mark. Aggozino sent in a wrist shot past the five-hole of Bibeau for his ninth goal of the season. With the unassisted goal, Aggozino now has 11 points in his last 12 games.

Colorado finished the first 20 minutes with a two-goal lead, thanks to Jean-Christophe Beaudin. A.J. Greer won a battle along the board and sent over a pass and Beaudin rewarded Greer’s work with his fifth goal of the season at the 19:33 mark. Michael Joly received the secondary assist.

Manny Weiderer gave momentum back to the Cuda in the second period when he scored San Jose’s second short handed goal of the season. With Francis Perron in the sin bin, Wiederer received the puck off a turnover and skated all alone on a breakaway. He snapped a shot inside the near post past Francouz for his fourth goal on the season at the 12:59 mark. 

Perron tied the game up early in the third period. He was left all alone by the Colorado defense and snapped home a shot past Francouz for his team-leading ninth goal of the season at the 4:28 mark.

Francouz made 31 saves on 34 shots to earn the victory. Bibeau finished with 39 saves on 43 shots, in another solid performance in the net, suffered the loss.

GAME NOTES: San Jose was 0/4 on the power play. Colorado was 1/3.

Colorado is now 1-3 in overtime games. San Jose is 0-1.

FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT! San Jose and Colorado exchanged fisticuffs twice in the game. Kyle Wood and Travis Barron tangoed with each other in the second period. Jeffery Truchon-Viel and Mason Geertsen battled in the third period.

The announced attendance was 5,289.

UP NEXT: The Barracuda take on the Eagles on Saturday, Nov. 24 at 6:05 pm PT at the Budweiser Events Center.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa Walsh: Hitchcock and Oilers changed game plan on Sharks; Sharks host Vancouver Friday

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Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks

On the Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa:

#1 How surprised were you that Edmonton Oilers (10-10-1) head coach Todd McLellan was fired before Tuesday night’s game in San Jose?

#2 McLellan served as head coach for the San Jose Sharks (11-7-1) from 2008-2015. What mistakes did he make with the Oilers?

#3 The Oilers called former NHL coach Ken Hitchcock out of retirement at 66 years old. He led the Oilers to an overtime win past the Sharks 4-3.

#4 Sharks’ Joe Thornton tied former Pittsburgh Penguin Mario Lemieux for 11th in all-time goals at 1,033.

# 5 The Sharks host Vancouver Friday night then go on the road for five games. How tough will the road be for the Sharks?

Mary Lisa does the Sharks podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Thornton Passes Lemieux, but Sharks Fall in OT 4-3 in Hitchcock’s Oilers Debut

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Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks

By Matthew Harrington

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose Sharks expected to see a familiar face behind the Edmonton Oilers’ bench Tuesday night, but an early morning firing led to a shakeup in leadership for the visiting team. Todd McLellan, Sharks coach from 2008 to 2015, was relieved of his duties as coach of the oilers, giving way to an unretiring Ken Hitchcock. The change paid immediate dividends, with Edmonton  (10-10-1) erasing three deficits for a 4-3 overtime win over San Jose.

Joe Thorton picked up career assist 1033, tying Mario Lemieux for 11th all-time. Joonas Donskoi and Marcus Sorensen scored for San Jose (11-7-4), Logan Couture scored for the first time in 11 games and Martin Jones made 19 saves for the Sharks. Oilers superstar Connor McDavid picked up three points while Leon Draisaitl scored the game-winner, though not at first blush.

Draisaitl took a pass from McDavid on the goal line that was deflected up, turning his skate while directing the puck past an out-of-position Jones. The referees huddled for a brief reviewing, ultimately ruling the Oilers 4-3 winners 51 seconds into overtime.

McDavid played a monstrous game for his new coach, seeing 23:57 off ice time. He also picked up the primary assist on the game-tying goal. Tomas Hertl, returning to the lineup for his game since November 13th, turned the puck over in the neutral zone, allowing Draisaitl to break into the offensive zone on a a 3-on-2. He pass cross ice to McDavid, who feathered a pass to Drake Caggiula for the easy strike and a 3-3 tie game 3:32 into the third.

The Sharks entered the final period in full control after erasing the Oilers momentum. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored as an Oilers penalty expired on a 2-on-1 that Brent Burns played indecisively 1:46 into the second period to tie the game at 2.

Logan Couture’s slump-buster with 56 seconds left in the period put San Jose back on top though, and what a goal it was. Couture carried the puck on his forehand on the left wing before pulling it to his backhand, deking Adam Larsson in the process. He then beat Oilers goalie Mikko Koskinen for his seventh goal of the year.

Joonas Donskoi put the Sharks up 1-0 45 seconds into the game on a backhand of a rebound in the crease. McDavid turned on the burners 8:09 into the frame to beat Jones for his 13th goal of the season. Marcus Sorensen took a perfect feed from Joe Thornton at the 10:32 mark and beat Koskinen for his 4th goal of the year. Thornton is now just seven points away from breaking into the top ten in career assists behind Marcel Dionne and is 16 behind Gordie Howe for 9th place.

The Sharks continue a season-high six-game homestand Friday night at 6:00 pm PT against the Vancouver Canucks before a five-game road swing that sees San Jose head to Las Vegas before departing for a four-stop east coast trip.

NHL podcast with Daniel Dullum: Players get compensation on concussion issue; Karlsson gets first goal with SJ; B’s Chara out with knee injury; plus more

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sportingnews.com photo: Boston Bruins Zdeno Charo will miss 4-6 weeks due to a knee injury the Bruins reported on Saturday night 

On the NHL podcast with Daniel: 

1 NHL the big winner in battle with ex-players over concussion compensation

2 Karlsson gets his first goal for Sharks

3 Bruins’ Zdeno Chara out at least 4 weeks with knee injury

4 Habs’ Max Domi off to fast start

5 45 years ago, Bobby Orr had NHL’s first 7-point game

Daniel has your NHL podcast each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com 

Sharks Shut Out Blues 4-0, Erik Karlsson Scores

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Photo credit: @nbcbayarea

By Mary Walsh

SAN JOSE — In an unusual twist, the San Jose Sharks defeated the St. Louis Blues 4-0, a mirror image of their loss in St. Louis eight days ago. Joe Pavelski scored twice, with additional goals from Erik Karlsson and Evander Kane. It was Karlsson’s first goal as a Shark. Logan Couture had assists on three of those goals. Aaron Dell, who was also in net on the eighth in St. Louis, made 30 saves for the shutout. Blues goaltender Chad Johnson made 25 saves in the loss.

After the game, Sharks captain Joe Pavelski said:

Tonight was kind of classic Shark hockey and that’s good, that’s what we were striving for. No breakaways, that was nice. I don’t know if they had any two on ones, you know there was a couple of breakdowns here and there and Deller was great for us. But we got the offense off of being smart and it comes if you do it right, for the most part. Tonight was a good bounce back game for us.

Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer credited the team’s attention to detail: “I thought our attention to detail was much better. It helped getting the lead and getting a couple goals and playing out in front. I thought Deller made a couple saves at the right time. There were some scrambles there where, you know, if we let one in maybe the game swings a little bit, but I thought overall our attention to detail all over the ice was the best it’s been in probably a week or so.”

The first period was contentious, with the teams exchanging good chances without many whistles. The Blues had a power play very early in the period, a tripping call against Couture 48 seconds in. The Sharks killed that off and had their own power play start in the final seconds of the period. David Perron went to the box for interference at 19:38. The Sharks had the lead in shots 14-9, but overall, the period did not favor either team.

The conclusion of that Sharks’ power play started the second period. San Jose did not score, but the Blues could not clear the puck either. The Sharks did not even get a chance to change units until the penalty expired. Just as it did, Kevin Labanc was tripped, giving the Sharks another power play.

As the final seconds of the second power play wound down, the Sharks gained the zone and a Couture shot rebounded right up the slot for Karlsson. Karlsson picked a corner over Johnson’s shoulder and scored his first goal as a Shark. Assists went to Couture and Kane.

The Blues responded with furious energy in their offense. They got a three on one shortly after the goal, and then spent a long spell in the Sharks zone, thwarting efforts to clear the puck. They did not, however, get many shots on goal. It was the Sharks who scored next.

Pavelski went into the zone 2-on-1 with Timo Meier. He passed it to Meier for the shot, but Johnson stopped that. Pavelski got to the rebound just as he reached the goal line and muscled a shot past Jay Bouwmeester by the post. Assists went to Meier and Couture. It was Pavelski’s 12th goal of the season.

The Sharks did not wait long to stretch out their lead. 1:14 later, a pass off the rush from Karlsson found Kane in the slot as both skaters moved to the net. Kane took the shot for his seventh goal of the season. Assists went to Karlsson and Antti Suomela.

At the break that followed the third goal, the shots for the period were 11-2 San Jose. That count shifted a little as the period went on, with some important saves from Dell. The Blues in their own zone a couple of times, wearing them down so that a stop by Dell was the only option for relief. By the end of the period, the shots were 13-10 for the Sharks, or 7-2 Blues for the second half of the period.

That shot disparity carried on through the third period, with the Sharks only getting credit for two shots in the final frame. The Blues got 11 shots during the third, but the only goal was scored by Pavelski. Couture pushed his way across the blue line with the puck and created a two on one opportunity with Pavelski. Couture’s timely pass found Pavelski inside the faceoff dot with the goaltender still coming across the goal mouth. It was Pavelski’s 13th of the season. Assists went to Couture and Meier.

The Sharks next play Tuesday against the visiting Edmonton Oilers at 7:30 PM PT.

NHL podcast with Matt Harrington: Kings’ Peterson plays the most fun game of his life; Blues come to SJ after win in Vegas; Leafs too hot to handle, get by Ducks 2-1; plus more

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Chicago 5 Sports photo: The Los Angeles Kings Nate Thompson (44) congratulates Kings goaltender Calvin Peterson (40) following Friday night’s game at the United Center in Chicago against the Blackhawks

On the NHL podcast with Matt Harrington: 

#1 For the Los Angeles Kings goaltender Calvin Peterson, it was a homecoming facing the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday night at the United Center. Peterson was a player with the Chicago Young Americans of the Midwest Elite Hockey League; played at the United Center when he was with Notre Dame during the Frozen Four. Peterson stopped 34 shots in the Kings victory over the Hawks 2-1.

#2 The St Louis Blues who come to SAP Center tonight against the San Jose Sharks picked up a huge victory at T Mobile Center on Friday in a 4-1 victory against the Vegas Golden Knights. Goals from Ryan O’Reilly–two of them help pace the Blues to victory.

#3 The red-hot Toronto Maple Leafs who have won six of their last seven including a win last Thursday over the San Jose Sharks defeated the Anaheim Ducks 2-1. The Leafs Morgan Reilly scored an overtime breakaway goal for the winner. It was Reilly’s ninth goal of the season and 26th point.

#4 The Washington Capitals’ Nicklas Backstrom didn’t waste any time scoring a power play goal 22 second into overtime to help edge the Colorado Alvalanche 3-2. The Caps’ Alex Ovechkin and Devante Smith-Pelly also scored.

#5 The Dallas Stars shutout the Boston Bruins behind Jason Dickinson’s goal a rebound at 1:34 in overtime. The Stars’ Ben Bishop stopped 23 shots. Big win for the Stars and tough loss for the Bruins.

Matt Harrington does the NHL podcast each Saturday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose Sharks podcast with Len Shapiro: Sharks to face Blues sniper O’Reilly tonight at SAP Center

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photo from newstimes.com: The Toronto Maple Leafs Kasperi Kapanen (31) went upper glove side on the San Jose Sharks goaltender Martin Jones (31) for a first period goal last Thursday at SAP Center in San Jose 

San Jose Sharks podcast with Len Shapiro:

#1 The St Louis Blues who are coming to SAP in San Jose tonight are coming off a big victory against the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday 4-1 Will it be a game of momentum for St Louis or will they be exhausted coming into San Jose for back to back nights.

#2. The Blues Ryan O’Reilly scored twice in the Blues 4-1 win in Vegas it seems like he’s got a hot hand

#3 On Thursday the red hot Maple Leafs came to San Jose and Kasperi Kapanen scored twice that made a difference as Toronto won it by two goals.

#4 Kapanen had a break away goal in the second period at 7:54 when he took a pass from Mitch Marner. Kapanen’s goal put Toronto in front for the rest of the game.

#5 The Sharks host the St Louis Blues tonight Len talks about how he sees this match up. 

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

Kapanen’s Pair of Goals Caps 5-3 Leafs Win Over Sharks

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Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks

By Matthew Harrington

SAN JOSE–Concerns about the San Jose Sharks team defense weren’t alleviated Thursday night with the Sharks dropping a 5-3 contest to the Toronto Maple Leafs (13-6-0) at SAP Center on Thursday night. San Jose offseason target John Tavares scored, Kasperi Kapananen netted a pair and Frederik Andersen made 42 saves to seal a Maple Leafs win. Erik Karlsson picked up a pair of assists while Kevin Labanc, Joe Pavelski and Marc-Edouard Vlasic scored for San Jose (10-7-3).

Just like in Tuesday’s game, the Sharks had the lead after a strong 1st period, but unlike the comeback win against Nashville Tuesday, the Sharks couldn’t finish the job Thursday. Toronto scored three unanswered goals in the second and third periods for the win.

Practically every goal could be linked back to a lapse in decision making that made the Sharks vulnerable defensively. The game-tying goal 2:31 into the second came with two Sharks below the Maple Leafs’ goal line and another two along the faceoff dots. That left only Joakim Ryan back as the defender of a 2-on-1 when Brent Burns’ pass was picked off by Tyler Ennis. Ennis fed Josh Leivo, who ripped a shot over Sharks goalie Martin Jones’ blocker for his second of the year.

The game-winning goal proved another egregious play, amplified by the Sharks being on the power play. Pavelski chose a soft backhand chip up the boards from the blue line that Mitch Marner read and picked off easily. His co-winger Kapanen knew his teammate had it and fled the defensive zone, leading to an academic pass and breakaway goal with 7:54 left in the second. The game-winning goal was Kapanen’s 8th of  the year and second of the game.

Mitch Marner tacked on the dagger goal with 6:06 left in the third, taking a stretch pass from his goalie Andersen right at San Jose’s blue line. From there Marner curled to the outside, wrongfooting Jones before firing a shot few in the NHL could save. The Sharks fired a salvo on Andersen, especially with their net empty, but none of their 15 third period shots could tickle the twine.

The goal outage for San Jose was strange after their ability to score at will in the first. The two teams combined for 28 shots and five goals in the first, with the goals coming in all varieties.

First came Tavares’ goal 2:10 into the game. The Sharks aggressively pursued Tavares in the offseason before he inked his seven-year, $77 million deal with Toronto, which led to a chorus of boos every time he touched the puck Thursday. A even louder boo erupted from the crowd after Tavares banked a puck from behind the net off Vlasic’s skate and into the Sharks net for a 1-0 Maple Leafs lead.

The puck luck evened out for the Sharks after Labanc scored 5:28 into the game. Andersen misplayed a dump-in, thinking the puck would carom out the opposite side of the dump instead of following the puck as it came back on the same side. It came right to Labanc for the tap-in and a tie game.

Kapanen’s first goal came on another case of puck mismanagement after Evander Kane tried to peel back while entering the Toronto zone but lost the puck instead, flinging it back after a Johnny Dermott pokecheck. Patrick Marleau picked up the puck and fed Kapanen for the one-time finish and a 2-1 Leafs lead with 8:13 left in the first.

Pavelski scored the Sharks’ lone power play goal in three opportunities after Burns’ shot-fake pass hit the captain on the far post for the soft-touch redirect. Marc-Edouard Vlasic added a one-timer for his first goal of the year with 1:39 left in a highly entertaining first period.

The Sharks continue the homestand, welcoming the St. Louis Blues to the Shark Tank Saturday. They’ll hope to be with Tomas Hertl in the lineup again after he sat out Thursday’s game due to an injury sustained in the the Tuesday tilt with Nashville.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa Walsh: Sharks and Leafs could be a hard fought memorable game tonight at SAP

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Photo credit: @BrodieNBCS

On the Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa:

#1 On Tuesday night, the San Jose Sharks (10-6-3) won it on Joe Thornton’s 400th career goal. The Sharks, who were in front after the first period 3-0, lost the lead after the Nashville Predators (13-4-18) came back and score twice in the second period and once in the third period on Tuesday night to tie it 3-3.

#2 The Sharks have now won four of the last six games and their second straight with the win over the Predators 4-3 on Tuesday night at SAP Center. The Sharks’ Marcus Sorenson and Annti Suomela both scored to help the Sharks to start out in the their first period three-goal stanza.

#3 The Nashville Predators are no easy customers. They have the most points in the NHL at 27 pounded on the Sharks all Tuesday eveningm but the Sharks banged right back in getting a game-winning goal by Thornton in the third period.

#4 The Predators got two goals from Filip Forsberg plus an assist in a game where there was no give up.

#5 The Toronto Maple Leafs (12-6-0) are in San Jose Thursday night. The Leafs are going so well. They’re coming off a 5-1 win against the LA Kings on Wednesday night. The Leafs with just two more wins than San Jose. This could be one for the ages on Thursday night.

Mary Lisa does the Sharks podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Thornton Joins Elite Company, Scores Game-Winner 5-4 Over Nashville

Published on by Matthew HarringtonLeave a comment

Photo credit: @Sharkfan20

By Jerry Feitelberg

The San Jose Sharks won a seesaw tilt Tuesday night at the SAP Center, seeing a 3-0 lead dissolve into a 4-3 deficit before rallying for a pair goals and 5-4 win. Joe Thornton scored his 400th goal, Joe Pavelski scored twice, Marcus Sorensen had a three point night. Erik Karlsson and Tomas Hertl also notched milestone assists for San Jose’s second win in as many games at home.

The game-winning flurry began with just under seven minutes left oimregulation and the Sharks trailing 4-3. Joe Pavelski netted his second goal of the game and 10th of the year to pull the game even, then Joe Thornton netted the game-winner just 13 seconds later, his 400th NHL goal.

“Jumbo” became just the seventh player to record 400 goals, 1,000 assists and appear in 1,500 games, accomplishing the third feat earlier this season. He joins Jaromir Jagr, Mark Messier, Gordie Howe, Ray Bourque, Ron Francis and Steve Yzerman as the only players to do so. Six of those players are in the Hockey Hall of Fame, with number 19 set to join them when he hangs up his skates.

San Jose led 3-0 after a first period they dominated, out-shooting the Predators 18-5, but the roles were reversed in the second.

Craig Smith scored on a deflection off his skate 4:43 into the period, then a turnover spring Filip Forsberg for a breakaway that he buried just 40 seconds later. Forsberg would beat Jones five-hole with 2:08 left in the period to tie the game heading into the final frame. Nashville pulled closer in the shot differential category after outpacing the Sharks 18-6.

Rocco Grimaldi scored 2:43 into the third period, challenging Joakim Ryan for a Puck at the Predators blue line. The forward picked the puck up and worked Ryan off his back, finishing the play with a back-hand fore-hand deke and his first goal of the year after getting called up in late October to give the Preds a 4-3 edge over a then-lifeless Sharks side.

It looked like San Jose would continue their strong home at and early in the contest after beating the Calgary Flames Sunday. Marcus Sorensen scored 5:09 into the game, outwaiting Predators goalie Juuse Saros, who committed to the butterfly with the forward in the crease. Sorensen was able slide to the side for an open net and his third goal of the year.

Joe Pavelski scored his ninth goal of the year on a power play tip 7:05 into the first, but the assists were the real milestones. Erik Karlsson picked up his 400th career assist, the fifth-most by an active defenseman, and Tomas Hertl’s secondary helper marked his 100th of his career in his second game back from an injury.

Antti Suomela netted his fourth goal on some puck luck thanks to a gaffe from Forsberg. Forsberg went to pass the Puck to a teammate in the defensive end but his rocket hit the boards and bounced dead-center in the slot. Suomela was waiting for it on the forecheck, ripping it over Saros’ glove for a 3-0 edge with just over three minutes left in the first.

The Sharks had their opportunities often, going on five power plays, but only scoring on the one try. Martin Jones made 31 saves in the game. The Sharks continue the homestand Thursday against old friend Patrick Marleau, new enemy John Tavares and the Toronto Maple Leafs.