Category: NHL

NHL Podcast with Daniel Dullum: Wings Witkowski suspended for 10 games fighting; Matthews doesn’t miss a step upon return scores two goals; Happy Anniversary NHL

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Linesman Scott Driscoll (68) keeps Detroit Red Wings right wing Luke Witkowski (28) away from the Calgary Flames during the third period of an NHL hockey game, Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2017, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

On the NHL Podcast with Daniel:

1 NHL suspends Red Wings’ Luke Witkowski 10 games for fighting

2 Toronto’s Auston Matthews lights the lamp twice in return to action

3 Arizona Coyotes beat Senators in OT, beat Canadiens in Montreal on Thursday for first regulation win of the season

4 Bruins, Blackhawks to meet in 2019 Winter Classic at Notre Dame Stadium

5 This week 100 years ago: NHL is created

Daniel does the NHL Podcasts each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Categories NHL

Sharks Fall to Bruins 3-1, Power Play Struggles

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Photo credit: San Jose Sharks

By M. Walsh

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose Sharks fell to the Boston Bruins 3-1 on Saturday. Boston goals came from Peter Cehlarik, Jake DeBrusk, and Danton Heinen. Bruins goaltender Anton Khudobin made 36 saves for the win, while Sharks goaltender Aaron Dell made 17 saves. The lone Sharks goal came from Timo Meier.

The Sharks played well in many short bursts, but they could not generate second chances or sustain pressure for very long. After the game, Sharks captain Joe Pavelski said:

We’ve got to be a little bit harder around the net. We had some good chances tonight, it’s just we’re one play off, it feels. You come back to the shift and it’s one play, whether it’s in your d-zone or the neutral zone or the o-zone. It just feels like it’s one play right now.

In Saturday’s loss, the Sharks extended their power-play goal drought to 22. Perhaps more improbable, they saw a fourth consecutive coach’s challenge go against them. Brent Burns continues to shoot without scoring. He now leads the Sharks with 75 shots this season.

Just 1:02 in, the Sharks seemed to have ended their 63-minute goalless streak. Joe Thornton held the puck briefly near the goal line and then passed it back in front of the Bruins net. Out of a crush of players in front of the goalie, the puck found its way over the line off of Joonas Donskoi. The Bruins challenged it and won the challenge. Instead of ending their scoring drought, the Sharks now had three consecutive goals disallowed.

Undaunted, the Sharks went back to work and did get a goal at 4:50, this time from Meier. Danny O’Regan wrested control of the puck behind the Bruins net and guided it to Meier across the goal mouth. Khudobin could not get across in time to stop it. A secondary assist went to Joel Ward.

Moments later, the Bruins came back with a goal of their own. The puck went over the line after Boston’s Jake DeBrusk slid into Aaron Dell and pushed him into the net. The Sharks challenged the play for goaltender interference. The goal held up and was credited to Peter Cehlarik. DeBrusk got an assist for his trouble. It was the fourth consecutive challenge to go against the Sharks.

Of the decision, Pavelski said: “I don’t know. They say he was tripped in there. He was already kind of going down, I think.”

The first power play of the game went to the Sharks at 8:43. Riley Nash went to the box for tripping Joe Thornton. The Bruins penalty kill was effective. It was so effective that, just as Dell was tapping his stick to signal the end of the penalty, DeBrusk broke away and scored to give Boston the lead. Assists went to Charlie McAvoy and Sean Kuraly.

By the end of the first period, the score was 2-1 Boston, though the Sharks were outshooting the Bruins 17-5.

Near the midpoint of the second, Joe Thornton was called for tripping David Pastrnak. The Sharks penalty kill started well, with Melker Karlsson and Chris Tierney leading a merry chase at Boston’s end. The Bruins got no shots with that man advantage and really had no opportunity to do so.

The next penalties called were offsetting minors at 10:46, an interference call against Zdneo Chara and an embellishment call against Jannik Hansen. The Sharks dominated the four on four play but did not change the score.

As the period came to a close, the Sharks still trailed 2-1, and still led in shots, now 25-14.

Fans in the third period saw the Sharks start slowly. It was near the midpoint of the period before they had their first shot on goal. Their game picked up after that, but so did Boston’s game. At 14:59, Danton Heinen scored his third of the season against the Sharks, catching a well-timed pass from Kevan Miller for a breakaway. Too many Sharks were too deep in the Boston zone to catch him.

The Sharks had another power play in the last two minutes of regulation, but it didn’t make a difference.

The Sharks will have a chance to repair their game on Monday when they host the Anaheim Ducks at 7:30 pm PT.

Sharks See Pair of Goals Overturned, Fall to Panthers 2-0

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Photo credit: San Jose Sharks

By Matthew Harrington

SAN JOSE, Calif. – In the battle of mentor vs. student, score one for the student. In the first head-to-head meeting between teams, former assistant coach Bob Boughner and his Florida Panthers scored a 2-0 victory over Peter DeBoer and the San Jose Sharks. Colton Sceviour and Nick Bjugstad scored for the Panthers while DeBoer protégé Boughner challenged not one, but two Sharks goals, proving victorious on both to help give netminder Roberto Luongo the 35-save shutout for career win number 457.

With neither team looking in sync with a number of passes not connecting throughout the game, it was clear if any team was going to score, it wasn’t going to be a highlight reel strike. Colton Sceviour lit the lamp one minute into the second period, using a gritty effort to jam home a wraparound and beat Martin Jones for his fourth goal of the season. Sceviour had circled the cage after taking a Connor Brickley feed, while Vincent Trotcheck added the secondary assist on the game-winner.

Tim Heed appeared to have the answering tally 4:37 into the middle period, plucking a puck off the blue line for a blistering slap shot that beat Luongo to the glove side. Boughner challenged that the puck came out of the offensive zone, risking taking a penalty if the call on the ice was not overturned. The replay officials determined the puck did come out of the zone, wiping out the tying goal for what would have been the Swede’s third marker of the year.

Another defenseman posited the theoretical tie-breaker 5:16 into the 3rd when Marc-Edouard Vlasic jammed a puck off Luongo’s left pad into the net in a goal mouth scramble. Boughner again challenged the play after his goalie jumped up incensed and making a shoveling motion with his stick. The officials agreed with Bobby Lou, saying that his pad was pushed over the goal line illegally. The goal was washed out.

The turnovers finally caught up to the Sharks with 7:37 left in the third after Tim Heed turned the puck over in the offensive end to Radim Vrbata, Vrbata passed the puck to ex-Shark Jamie McGinn who whirled a backhander cross-crease to Nick Bjugstad. Bjugstad had no trouble beating Jones for his fourth goal of the year and a 2-0 Cats lead.

DeBoer tried to create some offense as the game wore on, moving Joonas Donskoi down to the second line and auditioning Timo Meier and Melker Karlsson as the other wing on the top line with Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski. Karlsson ultimately stuck, with Kevin Labanc finding himself on the fourth line but the Sharks couldn’t crack the stingy Panthers defense. Neither could the two Sharks power plays where they generated six shots on goal.

The Sharks have the opportunity to bounce back when they welcome the depleted Boston Bruins to the SAP Center Saturday night. The Bruins may be without Brad Marchand, David Krejci, Torey Krug, Anders Bjork, Adam McQuaid and David Backes, who all are nursing injuries.

San Jose Sharks Podcast with Mary Lisa Walsh: Sharks can also play come back hockey on the road after shut out win on Saturday

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San Jose Sharks center Melker Karlsson, left, scores past Los Angeles Kings goalie Jonathan Quick, right, while Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty looks on from the rear during the third period of an NHL hockey game, Sunday, Nov. 12, 2017, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Danny Moloshok)

On the Sharks Podcast with Mary Lisa:

The games In Los Angeles with the Kings was quite impressive as the San Jose Sharks got off the mat and got a come back win 2-1 scoring two goals in the third period for the win after trailing most of the game Sunday night 2-1. It didn’t seem like the Sharks were going to pull that one out. The Kings have been playing well for the fact that they held San Jose just to one goal for that long.

It was good to them get those two wins in a row that’s two divisional wins last weekend with Vancouver 5-0 Saturday and the Sunday win with the Kings. It was the first half of the game that the Kings had some impressive defense and held the Sharks 1-0 until that third period when they got offensive deliverance from Melker Karlsson and Joel Ward.

The Sharks next game is Thursday night at SAP Center at 7:30PM

Catch Mary Lisa each Wednesday for the San Jose Sharks podcast at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

San Jose Sharks Podcast with Len Shapiro: Sharks on two game streak carrying momentum into Thursday’s game with Florida

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San Jose Sharks center Melker Karlsson, right, controls the puck while Los Angeles Kings right wing Dustin Brown, left, defends him during the third period of an NHL hockey game, Sunday, Nov. 12, 2017, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Danny Moloshok

On the Sharks podcast with Len:

1 Nothing like home sweet home where the San Jose Sharks went 4-1 in the last homestand and then went out on Sunday and edged the Los Angeles Kings at Staples Center 2-1. The Sharks have won two straight coming off a 5-0 shutout win past the Vancouver on Saturday night.

2 For the Sharks goals from Joel Ward and Melker Karlson were enough to get the Sharks a big win on the road

3 The Sharks picked up those two goals at the end of the game in the third period, one of the goals the game winner went off Karlson’s leg and into the goal. Karlson did not make any kicking motion that would disqualify the goal.

4 LA Kings Dustin Brown started the game  in the first period at 8:30 with his eighth goal of the season to try and set the tone. Sharks goalie Aaron Dell shut down the Kings offense with 26 saves and Brown’s goal would be the only one for LA all night.

5 The Sharks return back to San Jose on Thursday against the struggling Florida Panthers who are 5-9-2

Len does the SJ Sharks podcast each Monday and Mary Lisa Walsh each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Sharks grab lead in the third hold for 2-1 over Kings

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~ Photo – The Associated Press

~ By Pearl Allison Lo

~ LOS ANGELES– In a tight game between the NHL’s top two defenses, San Jose prevailed over the Kings Sunday with a 2-1 win in the second of a back-to-back.

Los Angeles led for the majority of the game but the Sharks scored two in the third to mount a comeback. According to Elias Sports, that is just the third time the team has won trailing after two in Southern California.

Both San Jose’s Melker Karlsson and Joel Ward scored their third goals. The Sharks were backed by goalie Martin Jones, who stopped 26 of 27 shots.

San Jose took the lead when Ward (back to the net)’s left skate scored off a shot by Barclay Goodrow at 12:50. Regarding the fourth line, Coach Peter DeBoer remarked, “Yeah they give us momentum, they get over the boards. They play big, they play heavy, they play hard, and they tilt the ice in our favor…even when they’re not scoring. The goals are a bonus, and a big one tonight…”

The Kings had two power plays to one and scored on their first opportunity. After a bit of give-and-go between Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty, Kopitar shot from inside the faceoff circle and Dustin Brown tipped the puck into the net at 8:30. It was Brown’s second goal and third point in three games.  

The second period saw double-digit shots for both teams, the Sharks edging 15-11. Los Angeles had more power plays again though.

San Jose evened up power play opportunities at 2:19 but it was cut short and the teams played 4-on-4 when Joe Pavelski was called for tripping. ‘

The Kings then had a fresh two minutes when Ward was called for goaltender interference. The game’s first scuffle followed.

Los Angeles’ Tyler Toffoli and the Sharks’ Brenden Dillon and Mikkel Boedker each had three shots and seven more players got involved for San Jose with the attack versus four for the Kings.

The Sharks’ top line started the game with a new combo of Logan Couture, Tomas Hertl and Pavelski but went back to Kevin Labanc, Joe Thornton and Pavelski in the third.

San Jose’s other nifty goal came when Karlsson picked up a rebound off Hertl from Couture to tie the game up at 5:42.

The Sharks were the only one with a power play in the final period as they outshot Los Angeles 14-8.

Game notes: The rivalry is now tied 1-1. Labanc, who was recalled Sunday, had two shots on goal and one hi. San Jose next hosts the Florida Panthers Thursday at 7:30pm.

NHL Podcast with Daniel Dullum: Sharks get big win over division rival Canucks, Bettman tells Ottawa to move and build arena downtown; also tells players no Olympics in their future

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San Jose Sharks goalie Aaron Dell, right, stops a shot in front of Vancouver Canucks’ Sam Gagner (89) and Bo Horvat (53) during the third period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Nov. 11, 2017, in San Jose, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

On the NHL Podcast with Daniel:

1 Sharks blank Vancouver, fifth win in last six games

2 Ottawa beats Avalanche in OT in Sweden in Matt Duchene’s first game since trade

3 After leaving Las Vegas, Shipachyov signs contract in KHL

4 Gary Bettman says it’s ‘hard to envision’ the NHL ever returning to the Olympics; tells Ottawa to build a new downtown arena

5 Sharks broadcaster takes leave of absence

The NHL Podcast with Daniel Dullum is heard each Sunday  at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Categories NHL

Sharks Shut Out Canucks 5-0; Dells stops 41 as Couture and Tierney combine for four goals

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San Jose Sharks’ Logan Couture (39) scores past Vancouver Canucks goalie Jacob Markstrom during the second period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Nov. 11, 2017, in San Jose, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

by M. Walsh

SAN JOSE– The San Jose Sharks defeated the Vancouver Canucks by a score of 5-0 Saturday. Sharks goaltender Aaron Dell stopped 41 shots in his second NHL shutout. Tomas Hertl scored first, while Logan Couture and Chris Tierney each scored twice. Vancouver netminder Jacob Markstrom made 26 saves on 29 shots.

The win stood in sharp contrast to the Sharks’ previous game, a 5-1 loss. Of the 5-0 win, Sharks head coach Pete DeBoer said: “It’s a huge divisional game. Deller was our best player, which is, you know, why we have him. He was great and we found a way. ” As the Sharks’ backup goaltender, Aaron Dell has only started four games this season. Of his performance Saturday night, Sharks forward Logan Couture said:

We believe in him in this room. And 40 saves or whatever it was tonight is pretty impressive. He was tracking pucks well, he’s been great every time we put him in so we have a lot of confidence in him.

Tomas Hertl finished the game with a goal and two assists. After the game, Couture said of Hertl:

He’s been good, he’s had so many chances over these past six or seven games where you just figured he was going to get an ugly one and, you know, we need goals so we hope that this is the start of something.

In all, the Sharks scored at even strength, short-handed, into an empty net and on a penalty shot. The only thing missing was a power play goal. Couture described that missing piece as an ongoing source of frustration:

Our power play’s really draining the energy from us. I mean it’s just getting frustrating. Us guys on the power play, we can’t let that happen. We need to create some energy instead of deflating our team.

The Canucks came to San Jose after an unexpectedly good start to their season, winning eight of sixteen games and adding a couple of points for overtime losses. Those 18 points are good for third in the Pacific right now. Their scoring leader is Derek Dorsett, who has met his second best season total in just 16 games. He has seven goals in this his tenth NHL season. His career best was 12 in 2011-12. Second in scoring for Vancouver is Bo Horvat, now in his fourth NHL season. He has six goals, putting him on track to easily eclipse last season’s 20.

The Sharks scored just 48 seconds into the game, a point shot from Justin Braun that went off of Tomas Hertl in front of the net. A second assist went to Melker Karlsson.

At 11:07, Timo Meier had a very good chance during a delayed Canucks penalty. His shot went just under Markstrom’s glove but hit the far post and bounced out. During the power play, the Sharks had just two shots. The powerplay units were Brent Burns, Tim Heed, Logan Couture, Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski, then Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Mikkel Boedker, Joonas Donskoi, Tomas Hertl and Joel Ward.

With 5:06 left in the first, Donskoi drew a hooking penalty to give the Sharks another power play chance. The sharks only mustered one shot during those two minutes, and a few seconds after the power play expired, the Canucks had their own chance with the man advantage. Timo Meier was called for slashing at 17:02. The Canucks bolstered their shot count by four but did not score. Though the Sharks led the Canucks in shots 11-4 in the middle of the period, the Canucks had closed the gap to 14-10 by the end of the period.

The Sharks had a third power play early in the second period, but it was cut short just 37 seconds in by a penalty to Joe Pavelski for hooking. During the four on four, a Brent Burns shot from the blue line hit the top bar and left the defenseman still waiting for his first goal of the year.

The Sharks drew a fourth power play at 9:30 of the second, an interference call against Alex Biega. The Canucks managed to thwart the Sharks on almost every entry, forcing them to mostly dump it in and never get set up. The Sharks did not get a shot on goal in that fourth power play. Brent Burns and Tomas Hertl were able to get in with self-passes off the boards but they were quickly stripped of the puck and sent back out by the penalty killers.

That penalty kill seemed to energize the Canucks and they put pressure on the Sharks for several shifts, racking up shots and wearing out the San Jose defenders. That push took a toll on the Sharks and resulted in a slashing penalty to Joel Ward at 15:30. The power play started with a short-handed chance for Couture and Hertl but Markstrom gloved Couture’s shot away.

That short-handed chance foreshadowed another chance for the same pair just seconds later. Hertl chased the puck down along the boards in the Sharks zone and nudged it in Couture’s direction near the Sharks blue line. Couture had enough speed to evade pursuit and take another shot at Markstrom. This time it went in. Hertl received the only assist.

The Canucks led the Sharks in shots during the second period, 14-6, but the Sharks still had the 2-0 lead where it counts.

The Canucks came out fast and furious in the third, firing five shots on goal in the first two minutes. The shot imbalance evened out as the period went on, until the Sharks scored three times in the final two minutes. Logan Couture scored into an empty net at 18:19. Assists went to Joel Ward and Tomas Hertl.

In the final two minutes, Timo Meier was charged with elbowing and given a five minute major and game misconduct.

With the net still empty, Chris Tierney scored twice in 20 seconds. The first was into an empty net and the second was on a penalty shot. It was his first NHL penalty shot goal.

The Sharks next play on Sunday in Los Angeles against the Kings, at 7:30 PM PT.

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: Lightning struck the Sharks with Russian collusion

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Tampa Bay Lightning’s Yanni Gourde shoots against the San Jose Sharks during the first period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2017, in San Jose, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

By Amaury Pi Gonzalez

SAN JOSE–Hard for me to believe the San Jose Sharks are on their 26th season in the National Hockey League, I remember covering their very first game at the Cow Palace in Daly City (1991-92 season) while they were building their current home. Since 1993, the SAP Center in San José when I remember taking Telemundo cameras to film the construction of their current home in San José. It was then a big deal, because professional hockey was returning to the Bay Area. Prior to the 1967-68 season the NHL underwent their single biggest expansion in their history. Joining the league were the Oakland Seals, Pittsburgh Penguins, Philadelphia Flyers, Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota North Stars, and the St.Louis Blues.

My good friend Len Shapiro, (he regularly covers the Sharks here on this site and is the guy with the most hockey expertise in the Bay Area) was with the executive office of the Oakland Seals and he always reminds me of the lack of attendance to the Seals games at Oakland those years. But the Sharks have enjoyed solid support from a very loyal fan-base since they began play in San José. Of course this is not the San José of the late 1960’s it is one of the most affluent markets in the country, with Silicon Valley as their shinning star. The South Bay economy is one of the most dynamic economies in the country.

I covered my first game this season on Wednesday night November the 8th as they host the Tampa Bay Lightning.

On a rainy night, most people were not even yet at their seats, when with 25 seconds into the game Joonas Donskoi scored the first goal. The Sharks were winning 1-0. But little did we knew then, that was going to be all the scoring for the home team. For this night in San José there was proof of Russian collusion as Tampa Bay’s, Russian right wing Nikita Kuchenov scored his 15h goal of the season to tie the game in the first period, he leads the NHL in goals scored. In the second period the visitors iced the game scoring three goals, two of those by Russian center Vladislav Namestnikov. Slater Koekkoak also score for the Lightining. The Sharks now have a record of 8-6 loses, while Tampa Bay leaves San José on their way to play the Kings in Los Angeles, with a 12-2-2 record .

This season is just warming up, and hopefully this Sharks team can return to the Finals of the Stanley Cup as they did two seasons ago, I was there covering for Telemundo and the Sharks (although they lost to the Penguins )put on a memorable show for all in attendance.

The Sharks next game is this Saturday at the SAP Center against the Vancouver Canucks

Amaury Pi Gonzalez hosts the honorees for the Bay Area Radio Museum with Hockey analyst Len Shapiro and introduces inductees into the Hall of Fame wing of the Radio Museum and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sloppy Sharks See Streak Snapped at four; Lightning light the lamp with 5-1 win

Published on by Matthew HarringtonLeave a comment

Tampa Bay Lightning’s Vladislav Namestnikov, front left, is greeted by teammates after scoring against the San Jose Sharks during the third period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2017, in San Jose , Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

By Jerry Feitelberg

To be on the verge of a five-game win streak, many things have to go right for a hockey team. To lose that elusive fifth game in a blowout, lots have to go wrong.

The San Jose Sharks saw their four-game victorious run come to an end Wednesday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning, 5-1, thanks in large part to a number of self-inflicted wounds.

Twice, the Sharks negated power plays by committing penalties on the man-advantage, they lost their defensive assignments and even yielded a goal on an even-strength situation that saw only four skaters in teal on the ice. Even net-minder Martin Jones wasn’t immune, surrendering a goal that top level goalies are expected to make with ease on a nightly basis.

The game opened with the Sharks showing the same traits they had over their winning ways, including taking an early lead. Joonas Donskoi scored his fifth goal of the season, sitting one shy of last season’s total, after picking up the Puck and depositing it past Andrei Vasilevskiy. Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski assisted on the goal just 25 seconds into the game.

The Lightning would score the next four unanswered, starting with Defenseman Jake Dotchin’s first career goal 7:17 into the first. Dotchin was able to pick up a rebound hanging by the far point and beat Jones cleanly on a slap shot to tie the game.

Tampa Bay’s second goal 44 seconds into the second period came just seconds after a Sharks penalty kill when Vladislav Namestnikov pulled the four Sharks skaters on the ice to Jones’ left side. That allowed him to connect on a pass to countryman Nikita Kucherov in the slot. Kucherov doesn’t miss from there often, and he didn’t this time potting his 15th goal of the year. The Sharks were originally on the power play but saw their edge negated after poor backchecking forces a scramble net front and resulted in a holding the stick penalty on Martin Jones.

Jones again found himself at the center of a Tampa goal after Slater Koekkoek was forced to the outside on a rush 9:21 into the second. Koekkoek took a low percentage shot from a hard angle, but this time he was successful with Jones failing to close off the five-hole with one leg parallel to the post and the other flat on the ice.

The worst offense of the night came with the Sharks not recognizing they were playing with just four skaters. Joel Ward hopped onto the ice but Namestnikov still punished San Jose for the Bolts third second period goal and a 4-1 lead with 8 minutes left in the period.

Aaron Dell relieved Jones in the third, but it failed to create a spark for the home team. Instead, Namestnikov scored Tampa’s first powerplay goal of the game 6:14 into the third for his second goal of the game and seventh of the season.

The Sharks get a shot at redemption Saturday when they face the Vancouver Canucks at home as part of a back-to-back weekend. They then travel to Los Angeles for a Sunday tilt.