Category: NHL

Sharks Douse Flames for 3-1 Win

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Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks

By Mary Walsh

SAN JOSE — The San Jose Sharks started a six-game homestand with a 3-1 win versus the Calgary Flames. Sharks goals came from Evander Kane, Joonas Donskoi and Joe Pavelski, who were on the same line. For San Jose, Martin Jones made 29 saves for the win. For Calgary, Mike Smith made 26 saves and their lone goal came from Sean Monahan. It was Logan Couture’s 600th NHL game.

50 seconds into the game, Joe Pavelski picked up a wandering puck as it made its way out of some confusion along the Calgary blue line. He turned with it and found Kane moving into the zone. Kane took his time and then the shot zipped over Smith’s outstretched glove. Assists went to Pavelski and Donskoi. That was Pavelski’s first assist of the season.

The Sharks outshot the Flames in the first period 12-8. The Sharks had one power play in the first, and it carried over into the second period without generating a goal.

At 1:28 of the second period, the same line of Kane, Donskoi and Pavelski scored again. Kane held the puck behind the Calgary net long enough for Donskoi to get to the front of the net, then made the pass to Donskoi under Mikael Backlund’s stick. It was Donskoi’s fourth goal of the season. Assists went to Kane and Pavelski.

Calgary struck back at 6:02 of the middle frame with a goal from Monahan. Erik Karlsson lost his footing just above the Sharks blue line, giving the puck up to Mark Jankowski, who was headed into the Sharks’ zone with Monahan right behind him. Monahan overtook him and Jankowski passed the puck up to him for an unobstructed shot. The lone assist went to Jankowski.

After that goal, Timo Meier left the ice with what appeared to be a cut on his leg. Kevin Labanc stepped into his spot with Couture and Hertl. Meier was not gone long and only missed the one shift.

The Sharks put a lot of pressure on the Flames late in the period. Marcus Sorensen had a nice breakaway with just under six minutes left in the second, but Mike Smith stopped his shot. The Sharks followed up with a two on one moments later, but couldn’t convert. With 2:45 left in the period, Evander Kane carried the puck in with Donskoi on a two on one. Kane passed and Donskoi shot, but Smith got across for a great save.

At the end of the second, the Sharks again led in shots, this time 11-8 for the period.

Just over three minutes into the third period, the teams played four-on-four after Sean Monahan was called for tripping Meier and Meier was called for embellishment. Neither team scored but the Sharks did put some pressure on the Flames, who were outshooting them 4-0 in the opening minutes of the period.

The Sharks got credit for their first shot of the period at 6:38. The shot came during a delayed penalty on Calgary, which sent Mark Giordano to the box for hooking. The Flames killed that penalty off just as they had the two previous Sharks power plays.

At 8:22 of the third, Martin Jones had to preserve the Sharks’ lead against a penalty shot awarded to Sam Bennet. Bennet was awarded the shot after Brenden Dillon was called for holding during Bennet’s breakaway chance.

As the clock ticked past the 15-minute mark of the third, the Flames were outshooting the Sharks 12-4. Logan Couture went to the locker room in the second half of the period with an injury.

With under a minute left, Pavelski scored into an empty net, securing the win despite the lack of effective Sharks’ offense in the third period. Hertl got an assist on the goal.

The Sharks next play on Tuesday against the visiting Nashville Predators at 7:30 PM PT.

NHL podcast with Matt Harrington: Jackets on a roll, get ninth win past Caps; Leafs with five-goal win, 6-1, over New Jersey; NHL matchups for tonight

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Photo credit: nhl.com/bluejackets

On the NHL podcast with Matt:

#1 The Columbus Blue Jackets (9-6-1) got by the Washington Capitals 2-1 Friday night. The Jackets got a goal from Oliver Bjorkstrand at 17:16 in the first period and Anthony Duclair got goal number seven of the season at 5:09. Not much offense from the Caps.

#2 The Toronto Maple Leafs (11-5-0) and the New Jersey Devils (6-7-1)  skated to a 6-1 five-goal Leafs victory Friday night. The Leafs scored four goals in the second period and they’re not slowing down.

#3 The Vancouver Canucks (10-7-1) are in Buffalo (9-6-2) tonight. How dangerous, how improved are these Canucks this season?  The Sabers won it by a goal 4-3 in a shootout beating a tough Canucks team after having a two goal deficit.

#4 The Chicago Blackhawks (6-7-3) face the Philadelphia Flyers (8-7-1) at the Wells Fargo Center. Is this an evenly matched game or do the Flyers have the home ice advantage when the puck drops tonight? The Flyers blanked the Blackhawks 4-0 for the Hawks seventh straight loss.

#5 Tonight, the Golden Knights (7-8-1) are in Montreal (8-5-3). Taking a look at the Knights’ offensive leaders: Jonathan Marchessault leads the team with 14 assists, seven goals, and William Karlsson eight assists, and for the Montreal Canadiens, Max Domi 19 points, nine goals, and Jeff Petry with 11 assists.

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

San Jose Sharks podcast with Len Shapiro: After disastrous two-game road trip, Sharks look forward to six-game homestand

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photo from vcstar.com: San Jose Sharks’ Timo Meier (28) is unable to score past St. Louis Blues goaltender Chad Johnson (31) as Blues’ Colton Parayko (55) and Vince Dunn defend during the first period of an NHL hockey game Friday, Nov. 9, 2018, in St. Louis.

On the Sharks podcast with Len:

#1 The Sharks lost both road games one in Dallas on Thursday and a shutout in St. Louis, this Sharks team has been an on and off again hockey club. Consistency and intensity high danger shots used to be called quality shots.

#2 St. Louis goals came from Alex Pietrangelo, Ryan O’Reilly, Jaden Schwartz and Alexander Steen in the Blues’ 4-0 win over the Sharks.

#3 Was this a matter of the Blues did their homework on Sharks goaltender Aaron Dell, who stopped 27 shots out of 3,  or Dell was just way off his game?

#4 The Sharks’ Joe Pavelski said he’s satisfied with the foundation, but not the team execution.

#5 The Sharks now head home after their disastrous two game road trip and open a six-game homestand starting Sunday against Calgary

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

Blues Shut Out Sharks 4-0

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Photo credit: @StLouisBlues

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks fell 4-0 to the St. Louis Blues at the Scottrade Center on Friday–their second loss in a row, both to Central Division teams. Goals came from Alex Pietrangelo, Ryan O’Reilly, Jaden Schwartz and Alexander Steen. Chad Johnson made 33 saves for the shutout. Sharks goaltender Aaron Dell made 27 saves on 31 shots for the Sharks.

Each team had four power plays, but all of the goals were at even strength. It was the sixth win of the season for St. Louis and the sixth loss for the Sharks.

After the game, Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer said: “I think yesterday we were reckless but we had energy. Today we were reckless without energy.”

Sharks captain Joe Pavelksi said: “We’re a better team than we showed the last two games. Just the simple breakdowns, kind of getting out of the system, we kind of see what happens. It can cost you.”

Asked about the Sharks’ defensive game, Pavelski said: “I’m fine with our foundation, you know, I’m really satisfied with that. It’s about us executing it a little bit better. And we need to be a little bit more committed to it.”

Asked if the breakdowns might be attributed to having new faces on the team this season, Sharks forward Logan Couture said: “We’re 17 games in. It’s almost a quarter of the season. You can use that excuse for one or two or maybe even three, you can’t use it for 17. So, we’ve got to figure it out.”

After the game in Dallas on Thursday, coach DeBoer made some line changes. Marcus Sorensen was with Joe Pavelski and Joe Thornton, while Evander Kane was on a line with Antti Suomela and Joonas Donskoi. Barclay Goodrow was on a line with Rourke Chartier and Melker Karlsson. With Tomas Hertl still out with concussion symptoms, Kevin Labanc was on the top line with Logan Couture and Timo Meier. On defense, Tim Heed stepped into Joakim Ryan’s spot with Brent Burns. Aaron Dell was in net, which was to be expected in the second game of back to backs.

The Blues scored at 14:50 of the first period. The teams were playing four on four, with Joe Pavelski and Vince Dunn in the box for mutual slashing penalties. Ironically, no one was in the box for Alex Pietrangelo’s stick to Barclay Goodrow’s face, which sent the Sharks forward to the room for repairs.

Just over 30 seconds into the penalties, Pietrangelo caught a pass from Vladimir Tarasenko right in the slot. He had time to pick a spot and shoot over Dell’s shoulder. Assists went to Tarasenko and Ryan O’Reilly.

The Sharks ended the first period in the middle of a power play. That power play wound down without a goal to start the second period. The Blues extended their lead with a goal at 5:28 from Ryan O’Reilly. The Sharks had been outshooting the Blues 5-0 on the period, including some short-handed chances, but play went the other way and Tarasenko got the puck out from behind the Sharks net to Jaden Schwartz. Schwartz sent the puck across the slot to O’Reilly, who caught Dell moving across.

Almost ten minutes later, the Blues scored again. This time, the goal followed a prolonged assault from St. Louis. The Sharks were forced to ice the puck and the Blues took advantage of tired defenders. Jaden Schwartz went to the net an awaited a pass from Tyler Bozak to his right. the short pass set him up for a nice shot over a moving goalie. Assists went to Bozak and Alexander Steen.

The Blues ended the second period on a power play and started the third finishing it off. The Sharks got their third power play of the game at 8:11 of the third. The power play was not very strong and the Sharks gave up a short-handed breakaway to Bozak in the final seconds. Dell was able to prevent another goal.

At 12:21, Steen scored a fourth for the Blues while Sharks got tangled up with a flurry of Blues skaters in the slot. Steen skated around and through the traffic and put his shot over Dell’s pads. Assists went to Bozak and Colton Parayko.

Brent Burns took a tripping penalty moments later, putting the Sharks on the penalty kill. The Blues did not take chances with their power play and killed time, holding the zone. Dell made a good glove save on Parayko, but didn’t have to make many saves for that penalty kill.

The Sharks next play on Sunday back in San Jose against the Calgary Flames at 6:00 PM PT. That game will kick off a six-game homestand for Team Teal.

Shore takes game full circle as Stars top Sharks 4-3

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Photo credit: Jeffrey McWhorter/Associated Press

By Pearl Allison Lo

Devin Shore scored the first and final goal for the Dallas Stars as he broke the third period tie at American Airlines Center on Thursday versus the San Jose Sharks.

Both teams scored in each period and went scoreless on the power play, the Stars 0-for-1 and the Sharks 0-for-3.

Dallas’ Tyler Seguin broke a 12-game goalless drought and San Jose’s Evander Kane ended an 11-game scoreless drought.

The Stars outhit the Sharks 24-9 and San Jose in turn outshot Dallas, 36-22. The Sharks had double-digit shots in each period, while the Stars were held to under 10 per period.

San Jose’s Joe Thornton became the 19th player to play in his 1500th NHL game and nearly re-tied the game with time winding down in the third period.

Sharks’ coach Peter DeBoer called it “a strange game” and captain Joe Pavelski commented on “shot blocking. We can be more desperate about our d-zone. There’s no question about our goaltending.”

Valeri Nichushkin passed back to his right, Seguin across and Shore shot up to his right to form somewhat of a triangle, as Dallas made it 1-0 at 8:57 of the first.

The red hot Timo Meier later tied the game up with his 12th NHL-leading goal. He shares this statistic with three others. Logan Couture made a short pass up ice in the left faceoff circle to Kevin Labanc, who made a sharp pass to Meier in the crease. Meier converted in the open spot to the right of goalie Anton Khudobin at 14:18.

In the second, the Stars turned the game into a 3-1 game with goals under a minute apart.

Seguin’s goal came when he intercepted Brenden Dillon’s pass to Erik Karlsson in the defensive zone at the top of the faceoff circles. Seguin followed by racing down the slot to score past goalie Martin Jones at 6:57.

Dallas’s third goal came when Jason Dickinson traded passes with Miro Heiskanen before passing to Gemel Smith, who tapped the puck over Jones’s right leg.

The Sharks got one goal closer at 11:17. Thornton made a sweet pass to Brent Burns who shot from the point. A kneeling Joe Pavelski then redirected the puck to make it 3-2.

30 seconds later, Radek Faksa received a four minute high sticking minor. San Jose had three shots on goal. Former Shark Roman Polak also blocked a shot.

San Jose broke even with the Stars for the second time at 7:46 of the third. Antti Suomela won the faceoff, sending the puck to Burns. Burns also made a sweet pass to Kane, whose shoulders dropped in relief after tallying.

For the final goal, Blake Comeau passed down ice to Dillon Heatherington. Karlsson blocked Heatherington’s shot, the puck rebounding to Shore, as he potted the puck at 14:13.

As the Sharks chased the game again, there were several close chances which Jones avoided, including a Mattias Janmar breakaway with 3:10 left.

With 1:03 left, Thornton got alone in front of Khudobin, but Khudobin closed the five hole as Thornton shot to make a crucial save.

Up Next: San Jose has scored three goals apiece in their last three games and are 2-1-0. All have been 4-3 games. The Sharks conclude their two-game road trip versus the Saint Louis Blues on Friday at 5 pm PT.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa Walsh: Sharks coming off some close games and a win against Minnesota last Monday

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Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks

On the Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa:

#1 The San Jose Sharks are coming off a Tuesday night win to the Minnesota Wild 4-3. The Sharks had some good flow at the start of the game.

#2 The Sharks’ Tomas Hertl was the difference scoring the game-winner. How big has Hertl been for the offense?

#3 Talk about some of the offensive work the Sharks have been getting out of Joe Thornton, Joe Pavelski, Erik Karlsson, Evander Kane and Brett Burns.

#4 The Sharks have 17 points and are just two points behind first place Calgary.

#5 It’s off to Dallas and St. Louis for this Friday and Saturday. How do you see these two matches coming up?

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

Third Line Steps Up With Hertl Out, Sharks Beat Wild 4-3

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@SanJoseSharks photo: The San Jose Sharks kept Minnesota Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk (40) busy all night long at SAP Center in San Jose

By Jerry Feitelberg

A late goal from Barclay Goodrow proved the difference-maker for the San Jose Sharks at the SAP Center Tuesday night, with team Teal beating the Minnesota Wild 4-3 after blowing a 3-1 lead. Two’s were wild for San Jose with four different players scoring their 2nd goals of the young season. A newly-formed third line of Joe Thornton, Barclay Goodrow and Marcus Sorensen combined for six points in the win.

With Tomas Hertl out of the lineup, the Sharks (8-4-3) needed some of their depth players on the lower lines to step up and start contributing. Tuesday they did just that, starting with Marcus Sorensen. Sorensen netted the first goal of the contest just under five minutes into play after Brent Burns’ masterful pass left Wild netminder Devan Dubnyk out of position. Sorensen tapped the puck into the empty net for the 1-0 lead. Burns’ assist was his 400th career point as a Shark.

Thornton continued his hot streak in the second period, netting his second goal in as many games since returning to the lineup after his knee infection kept him sidelined for most of the year. The goal was originally credited to Sorensen, who fired a perfect shot, but review showed that it glanced off Thornton’s shoulder and in for a 2-0 lead 5:36 into the second period.

The goal was Thornton’s 399th of his career on a night in which he tied American hockey legend Mike Modano for 19th all-time in games played with 1499. This was one of the first times since joining the Sharks that Thornton didn’t appear in the team’s top six forwards, instead centering the third line between Sorensen and Goodrow, who each assisted on Thornton’s goal.

Zach Parise scored with 7:04 left in the middle period before Antti Suomela added to the Sharks lead with just under three minutes left in the period. Sorensen picked up his third point of the game, assisting on Suomela’s tally.

The Wild answered back with a ferocious start to the final frame, scoring two goals in the first 4 minutes, with Jared Spurgeon and Matt Dumba beating Martin Jones to tie the game 3-3.

Goodrow scored the winning goal on the Sharks second strike, thanks to traffic in front of Dubnyk. Burns kept the puck in at the blue line and fired it on net, with Goodrow grazing the grease and tipping the puck past Dubnyk for a 4-3 lead 7:25 into the third.

Martin Jones would hold on to the lead in the Sharks net making 23 saves in total. San Jose didn’t go on the power play, but killed three Minnesota power plays. Dubnyk made just 18 saves in the loss. Eric Staal missed the game for the Wild (8-4-2) due to illness, ending his iron man streak at 330 straight games.

The Sharks head to Dallas to take on the Stars on Thursday, November 8 at 5:30 pm PT.

Sharks Sink Flyers in Overtime 4-3

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Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks

By Mary Walsh

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose Sharks defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 in overtime Saturday. In the process, Timo Meier scored two goals, breaking Patrick Marlowe’s team record by scoring 11 goals in the first 14 games of the season. Goalie Martin Jones played his 200th game with the Sharks, the third goaltender to do so. He made 23 saves for the win. Joe Pavelski and Joe Thornton also scored for the Sharks. For the Flyers, Nolan Patrick, Jordan Weal and Jakub Voracek scored, while their goalie Calvin Pickard stopped 31 shots.

For the first time in 10 games, the Sharks gave up the first goal just 37 seconds in. Philadelphia’s Nolan Patrick carried the puck through the neutral zone, passed it to Oskar Lindblom on his left, who passed it back across behind Patrick to Travis Konecny on the right wing. Konecny found Patrick at the edge of the blue paint, and Patrick pulled the puck across in front of Jones, putting it under Jones as Jones moved left. Assists went to Konecny and Lindblom.

Meier tied the game at 3:15. Vlasic sent the puck in around the boards, where Hertl caught it behind the net. He carried it back over the goal line and made a pass almost behind him. Meier met the puck right in front of the blue paint and took the shot before Pickard could get across. Assists went to Hertl and Vlasic.

The Flyers took the lead again at 16:40 of the period with a goal from Jordan Weal. Wayne Simmonds brought the puck out from behind the net and centered it for Weal. Weal turned and took the shot quickly, with Dale Weise screening the goalie.

The Sharks started the second period with eleven seconds of penalty yet to kill. They had a second penalty to kill at 2:47. Midway through the kill, Brenden Dillon started an impressive short-handed attack with Couture and Burns. They created some good chances but did not score during the Flyers power play.

The Sharks tied the game at 10:35 of the second, on the power play. Kevin Labanc made a pass that looked enough like a shot for the goalie to commit to stopping it. Pavelski, below the faceoff circle across the ice from Labanc, caught the pass and took the shot too quickly for Pickard to get across. Assists went to Labanc and Burns.

A few minutes later, Hertl took a hit from Christian Folin and looked shaken up. Folin and Hertl appeared to have bumped helmets. There was was no call on the play and Hertl did not return to the game. Melker Karlsson took Hertl’s spot with Meier and Couture.

Jakub Voracek gave the Flyers another lead with just 30 seconds left in the second. Brent Burns had just taken a penalty and the Flyers were playing with delayed penalty time. Lindblom sent the puck up from below the goal line to Voracek high in the slot. Voracek took a quick shot and beat Jones glove side. Assists went to Lindblom and Ivan Provorov.

The Sharks had a power play early in the third period. The Sharks showed some urgency but the Flyers penalty killers were very aggressive and made it hard for the Sharks to come through the neutral zone or do much in the offensive zone. The Sharks made amends for that power play a few minutes later with an impressive shift in the Flyers’ zone. They kept the Flyers scrambling for what seemed like minutes. They got credit for two shots in that spell.

It ended with a too many men on the ice call as the Sharks slipped up trying to change. The Sharks made another short-handed attempt right at the start of that penalty kill, keeping the Flyers busy in their own zone for nearly a minute. They finished the kill off in a more traditional manner.

Thornton tied the game again with a strong shot from above the faceoff cirle, his first goal since January. An assist went to Labanc, who had carried the puck across the blue line and into the slot. His path blocked, he made the pass across to Thornton for the shot. The second assist went to Dillon.

At the end of regulation, the Sharks led in shots 34-25, though the big difference there came in the first period. In the second and third, the Flyers had just one less shot than the Sharks.

Meier ended the game just 13 seconds into overtime. Logan Couture bulled his way by Voracek to bring the puck into the offensive zone where he found Meier skating down the slot. Meier took the pass and the shot without hesitation.

Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer made some line adjustments prior to Saturday’s game. The successful trio of Couture, Meier and Hertl was reunited. Antti Suomela sat out while Rourke Chartier came in on the third line with Labanc and Joonas Donskoi. On defense, Erik Karlsson started with Dillon while Vlasic was paired with his partner of many seasons, Justin Braun.

The Sharks next play on Tuesday at 7:30 PM PT, hosting the Minnesota Wild.

NHL podcast with Matt Harrington: Canucks continue to roll–hold onto first place with 18 points; Panthers-Jets split Helinski series; Coyotes win fifth straight–their best since 2013

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Photo credit: @theScoreNHL–The Florida Panthers goaltender Robert Luongo had a hot hand on Friday night in Helinski, stopping 32 Winnipeg Jet shots as the Panthers and Jets split a two-game series in Finland.

On the NHL podcast with Matt:

#1 The Vancouver Canucks in a back-and-forth game that was semi-reminiscent of an NHL All-Star game got a one-goal victory over the Colorado Avalanche on Friday night. The Canucks’ Derek Pouloit got an overtime goal at 4:38 as the Canucks win 7-6. Right now, the Canucks lead the Pacific Division with 18 points.

#2 In the Helinski, Finland series between the Florida Panthers and the Winnipeg Jets, the Panthers got a split with a 4-2 win over the Jets on Friday night. The Panthers’ goaltender Roberto Luongo stopped 32 shots coming off a knee injury. The Panthers were down 2-1 and came through to win the game, picked up their first win in regulation and third win in 11 games.

#3 The Arizona Coyotes are hot. They picked up their fifth straight win in a one-goal victory over the Carolina Hurricanes when the Yotes’ Michael Grabner scored an overtime goal at 1:17. The win marks the Coyotes’ longest winning streak since October 26th to November 5th 2013.

#4 The NHL plan to play more games in Europe in Prague, Stockholm, Germany, and Switzerland. The question that has been raised most often does NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman intend to expand the NHL into one or multiply countries? The players are already exhausted from domestic travel in North America. Will adding a European team further tax the players?

#5 The San Jose Sharks (6-4-3) and Philadelphia Flyers (6-7-0) face off tonight at the SAP Center. The Sharks are coming off two straight losses to the New York Rangers in overtime and a three-goal loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night–all home ice losses.

Matt Harrington reviews the NHL each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose Sharks podcast with Len Shapiro: Sharks couldn’t solve Bobrovsky on big shooting night; Sharks try to break 2-game skid tonight

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Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks

On the San Jose Sharks podcast with Len:

#1 The third period was brutal for the San Jose Sharks. Down 3-1, the Sharks couldn’t get any offense going as the Columbus Blue Jackets’ goalie Sergei Bobrovosky stopped 44 of 45 shots on Thursday night.

#2 The Jackets’ Bobrovosky got in front of everything, making him the top player of Thursday’s game.

#3 It was the first time San Jose lost in regulation since October 14th in New Jersey.

#4 The Sharks could have really took advantage with all the shots they had, but as Joe Pavelski said it didn’t feel like a 45 shots night.

#5 The Sharks host the Philadelphia Flyers Saturday night. Len sets up the contest.

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