Category: NHL

Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) crashes into San Jose Sharks goalie Martin Jones, rear, and defenseman Justin Braun (61) during the second period of an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., Thursday, March 9, 2017. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

By Jerry Feitelberg

SAN JOSE–When the calendar flips to March for NHL, playoff-bound teams look to test their mettle against the best of the league’s bunch. Thursday night at the SAP Center, the San Jose Sharks passed the test with flying colors.  The Sharks beat the Eastern Conference leading Washington Capitals 4-2 on the of two power play goals and a strike just seconds after a four-minute man-advantage. Logan Couture scored a pair of goals, while the Joes Thornton and Pavelski added one apiece. Jannik Hansen picked up an assist in his debut with the Sharks and Brent Burns added a trio of helpers as well.

Former Shark Daniel Winnik opened the scoring after Jay Beagle’s seeing-eye backhanded pass from below the goal line connected with Winnik’s skate. Winnik pulled the puck to his stick, beating netminder Martin Jones for a 1-0 lead 5:26 into play.

Freshly minted with gifts to commemorate his 1,000^th career assist, Joe Thornton decided to instead score Thursday drawing the Sharks even 8:43 into the period. Hansen, playing in his first game in teal after Visa delays, fed Thornton with a perfect one-timer, allowing the future Hall-of-Famer to beat Braden Holtby for his 6^th goal of the season.

The Capitals opened the second period down a man after Brooks Orpik’s double-minor in the final 1:28 of the first period. While the Sharks power play, struggling at just 17.2 percent, didn’t capitalize on the opportunity, they did score immediately after. Pavelski picked up his 24^th goal of the season as Orpik’s minor expired in typical fashion, tipping a Brent Burns point shot past one of the front-runners for the Vezina Trophy winner in Holtby.

San Jose’s goal at 2:23 would give them a short lead before Brett Connolly would even the score late in the second period. Connolly played give-and-go with Washington’s trade deadline acquisition Kevin Shattenkirk, redirecting Shattenkirk’s shot pass for his 14^th goal of the season.

The Sharks would again find themselves on the power play in the closing moments of a period after Jay Beagle went to the sin bin for tripping 2:02 left in the second. The Sharks took advantage this time, scoring just six seconds into the power play. Burns would rip a wrister in the slot with the rebound bouncing back to the defenseman’s backhand. Couture, however was on Burn’s hip and picked up the loose puck ripping a shot over Holtby’s left shoulder for his 2^nd goal of the year and a 3-1 lead.

Couture struck again in the third, scoring on a perfect redirect on a shot-pass from Burns 8:05 into the period on the power play. Burns fired the puck right to Couture’s stick with the forward waiting on the far post for the easy deflection goal and his second of the game.

The Sharks won the special teams battle, going 2-for-5 on the power play while holding Alex Ovechkin and the Caps power play to an 0-for-5 night. They’ll look for the luck to continue in a rematch of last year’s conference semifinals when the Nashville Predators visit SAP for the Sharks second of six-straight home games.

 

March 06, 2017: Capitals goalie Braden Holtby (70) watches the replay of a Dallas goal during the game between Washington Capitals and Dallas Stars at Verizon Center in Washington, District of Columbia. Scott Taetsch/CSM (Cal Sport Media via AP Images)

The Washington Capitals who come to SAP Center in San Jose have only won twice in the last 20 years of playing in San Jose.  Caps Goaltender Braden Holtby won the Vezina Trophy for best goaltender last season and he’s on his way to another one he has a 1.98 goals against average. The Sharks will be up against a top notch goalie on Thursday night coming off a loss to Minnesota on Sunday and a one goal win over the Winnipeg Jets on Monday.

The Cap on the other hand just don’t seem like they’re able to play on SAP ice they’ve floundered around and get beat pretty badly but at home they have a 20-7-4 record. Their goal differential they scored 212 goals and allowed 139 for a plus three goal differential which by far the best in the NHL.

Listen to Len’s SJ Sharks podcast below and every week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Minnesota Wild center Mikael Granlund (64), of Finland, and goalie Devan Dubnyk (40) celebrate after winning an NHL hockey game against the San Jose Sharks, Sunday, March 5, 2017, in St. Paul, Minn. The Wild won 3-1. (AP Photo/Hannah Foslien)

San Jose Drops Contest To The First Place Wild— 3-1

By Barbara Mason

The San Jose Sharks took the ice against the Minnesota Wild Sunday afternoon at Xcel Energy Center. Both teams have not skated since last Thursday with the Wild coming in off a loss while the Sharks won their last outing against the Vancouver Canucks. San Jose still sits atop their division and hope to add two more points to their record in this game. The Wild are a tough team especially at home with a great power play defense and a solid offense. The Sharks will have their work cut out for them against Minnesota.

The first period was all Wild as they put up two goals to take a 2-0 lead with less than two minutes left in the period. At 11:06 Zach Parise scored his 15th goal of the season to take the lead 1-0. Eric Staal would extend that lead at 15:24 scoring his 18th goal of the season. The Wild very nearly took that 2-0 lead into the locker room at the break had it not been for the San Jose fourth line. At 18:26 Melker Karlsson scored his ninth goal of the season to cut the Wild lead in half. He was assisted by Justin Braun and Michael Haley. Despite letting two goals past him goalie Martin Jones held off what could have easily been a third goal for Minnesota. Jones fended off a wild puck that landed inside his jersey keeping his body outside the net preventing the goal. Just another heads up play by the incomparable goalie.

The Sharks came into the second period with a tough task from the start. The Wild were looking at a four minute power play off a double minor and a great chance to extend their lead. The San Jose defensive effort was flawless denying the Wild another score. The Sharks would now concentrate on tying up the game. Sharks were 0 for 3 on the power play through two periods in this game having a miserable drought of late. The Wild would come into the third period with 1:30 left on yet another power play.

With 1:49 left in the third period an unfortunate turnover by San Jose gave Eric Staal his 19th goal of the season scoring an unassisted empty net goal and his team a 3-1 lead. That would be the final.

It was a disappointing game for San Jose. The Wild are plain and simple a very good and talented hockey team. They take away passing lanes with great speed and they also have a great goaltender. It was not a great showing for the Black and Teal as their power play continued to struggle. The Sharks found themselves defending for most of the game only managing 21 shots on goal.

“We had some chances. Our penalty kill was solid. It wasn’t our best game though. We are going to have to be better next time,” said captain Joe Pavelski.

The Sharks will continue on the road with a match-up against the Winnepeg Jets Monday night. The puck drops at 5:00.

 

 

 

 

 

 

San Jose Sharks’ Marcus Sorensen (20) eyes the puck next to Vancouver Canucks goalie Ryan Miller during the first period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, March 2, 2017, in San Jose, Calif. San Jose won 3-1. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

By Matthew T.F. Harrington

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Thursday Night against the Vancouver Canucks one San Jose Shark player hit a major career milestone. No, Joe Thornton didn’t collect assist number 1,000 in the Sharks 3-1, but rookie Marcus Sorensen netted the game-winner for his first goal of his National Hockey league career. Logan Couture added a goal and an assist and Mikkel Boedker potted a power play goal to give the Sharks their third straight win. The Canucks received a goal from all-star Bo Horvat.

About the easiest thing Sorensen did on his goal during the shift was push the puck into the net 9:28 into the second period. The Swedish rookie, playing in just his fourth NHL game, kicked the puck to his stick at one point, batted down a puck mid-air with his stick and generally wowed with the kind of stick handling an NHL vet would normally own.

“Speed, skill,” said Couture of Sorensen’s talent. “He skates well. He’s a smaller guy with a lower center of gravity. He’s stronger than he looks. I’ve talked to (Barracuda coach) Roy Sommer, (development coach) Mike Ricci. I took him a little bit to get used to the ice here. They said he’s turned a corner. We see it up here, he’s definitely an NHL player.”

“He’s making a case to stick around,” said Sharks coach Peter DeBoer.

Couture added a goal 4:20 later, taking a pass from Patrick Marleau and ripping it over Canucks goalie Ryan Miller’s glove for a 3-1 lead. Brent Burns also picked up an assist on the insurance marker to add to his now seven game point streak. Couture, the Sharks Player of the Month for February, now has 21 goals on the year.

With Miller pulled in the closing minutes, Joe Thornton went for his 1,000 assist. The forward’s attempts were all turned away though, with Jumbo often turning down a chance to score to get the milestone out of the way.

“I’m sure he’ll get it next game,” said Couture.

Despite the Sharks having 32 shots on goal to Vancouver’s 18, the inexperienced Canucks looked like the better team early on. The Sharks went on the power play 3 minutes into the game, but failed to score. Instead, the visitors scored on the man advantage, with Horvat one-timing his 19^th goal past Aaron Dell for his 19^th of the year and a 1-0 Vancouver lead7:38 into play. Dell would make 17 saves on the night with the expectation that he will be making more starts down the stretch.

“Our plan is to play him,” said DeBoer. “There’s going to be a fine line there with how much we play him, how much we play (Martin Jones). We’ll definitely play him more than we played him earlier in the year.”

The Sharks answered back on Boedker’s 8^th goal of the year after Couture fed him with the perfect cross-crease one-time pass. Paul Martin also assisted on the goal with 4:15 left in the first period.

While the Sharks came away with the win, they didn’t do so unscathed. Defenseman David Schlemko sat out most of the second and all of the third period with an injury. While his status is unknown, Dylan Demelo did take the ice with the team in warm-ups, a sign his close to returning from a broken wrist. DeBoer will have a decision to make on whether Schlemko, Demelo or potential call-up Tim Heed will be the sixth defenseman when the Sharks face the Wild in Minnesota Saturday.

 

 

AP file photo: Former Vancouver Canucks right wing Jannik Hansen (36) fights for control of the puck with San Jose Sharks center Chris Tierney (50) during first-period NHL hockey game action Vancouver, British Columbia, Saturday, Feb 25, 2017. Hansen turned Shark in a deal that sent him to San Jose on Tuesday night (Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press via AP)

By Matthew T.F. Harrington

SAN JOSE–There was a moment Tuesday night where the only good news from the San Jose Sharks was the acquisition of Jannik Hansen from the Vancouver Canucks for Nikolay Goldobin and a conditional draft pick. While the mid-game trade made waves, it was Tomas Hertl’s game-winning goal with 1:24 left in regulation to give the Sharks the lead over the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs 2-1. Joe Pavelski would add an empty netter for a final score of 3-1, with Joe Thornton picking up his 999^th career assist in the National Hockey League. Calder trophy favorite for rookie of the year Auston Matthews scored for the Leafs in the loss. Martin Jones made 20 saves to hand Toronto its third loss in a row.

Matthews ever so briefly gave the Leafs a 1-0 lead in their lone visit to the SAP Center this year, beating Martin Jones on the power play 6:41 into the second period for his 31^st goal of the season, the leading total for a rookie this season. The Sharks would answer back though, with Brendon Dillon ripping a rocket past Toronto’s Frederik Andersen, his second goal of the year. Sharks rookie Kevin Labanc and Pavelski assisted on the goal.

The Sharks dominated the third period, peppering Andersen with 15 shots to just 4 in the visitors’ favor, making it a matter of time before San Jose would convert. Despite the shot advantage, Hertl’s shot was anything but a beauty. The forward beat Andersen on his short side over the shoulder after taking a pass from Patrick Marleau. Marleau had fought off three Maple Leaf defenders to feed the trailing Hertl for the game winner with 18:36 gone in the period.

Pavelski added the insurance goal 23 seconds left in regulation after previously being denied by Andersen on a grade-a opportunity in the game. Thornton, with his helper on the goal, now sits on the threshold of 1,000 assists, 16 back of Joe Sakic for 12^th all-time.

It was announced early in the contest that San Jose had dealt their 2014first-round pick (27^th overall) as well as a conditional fourth round draft pick to the Vancouver Canucks for Danish forward Jannik Hansen. Hansen, a 9^th round pick by the Canucks in 2004, has scored 235 points (105 g, 130 a) over 565 games, all with Vancouver. The 30-year-old winger has 13 points in 28 games this year.

AP file photo FEBRUARY 25: Toronto Maple Leafs center William Nylander (29) skates up ice with the puck during the third period in a game against the Montreal Canadiens on February 25, 2017, at the Air Canada in Toronto, Ontario Canada. The Montreal Canadiens won 3-2 in overtime. (Photo by Nick Turchiaro/Icon Sportswire) (Icon Sportswire via AP Images)

The Toronto Maple Leafs Austin Matthews comes to town along with Willie Nylander and Mitch Marner not sure if Marner is going to be seeing action tonight at SAP Center against the San Jose Sharks he was questionable in the last couple of games. We get to see some the rookies in the NHL the Leafs did pick up Brian Boyle from that bolstered their fourth line. A few of the guys are a little raw as they say in the trade Marner and Nylander are not physical players.

The Leafs need a physical player that would compliment Marner and Nylander. The Sharks have won three of their last five games and they are in front in the Pacific and they have managed to lengthen the lead here over Anaheim and Edmonton to five points going into tonight’s game.

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

 

San Jose Sharks center Chris Tierney (50) fails to get a shot past Vancouver Canucks goalie Ryan Miller (30) as Canucks center Henrik Sedin (33) and center Brandon Sutter (20) watch during the second period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Feb. 25, 2017, in Vancouver, British Columbia. (Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press via AP)

By Barbara Mason

The San Jose Sharks now have 60 games under their belt with 22 left in the 2017 season before they head into the playoffs as they beat the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Centre 4-1 in Vancouver. Saturday night they took on the Vancouver Canucks their first game after the bye week they are just coming off of. It should prove to be an interesting game considering what has transpired in the Vancouver locker room this week. Five of the regulars on this Canuck team are suffering with the mumps or symptoms of the mumps. While hovering near the bottom of the division, Vancouver is still a dangerous team although there will be some new faces on the ice tonight for the Canucks. The two questions in this game will be; how will San Jose respond after the break and secondly how will the Canucks fare without five of their regulars able to play.

The first period ended with neither team able to score. The Canucks had some nice opportunities but the Sharks goalie Martin Jones denied them every time. It took the Sharks a few shifts to get back to speed after the layoff but mid-way through the period they began to build up some momentum.

At 3:31 in the second period San Jose was able to score off the stick of Tomas Hertl, his seventh goal of the season. He was assisted by Joel Ward and Chris Tierney to take the 1-0 lead. At 12:02 the Canucks Daniel Sedin tied up the game scoring his 13th goal of the season. With less than one minute left in the period Patrick Marleau scored his 503rd career goal to take back the lead 2-1. He was assisted by Chris Tierney and David Schlemko. Vancouver has been a great destination for Marleau since this is where he celebrated his 500th career goal. It would be on to the third period with Joe Thornton two assists away from the thousand mark.

Mid-way through the 3rd period San Jose’s Mikkel Boedker scored his 7th goal of the season unassisted to extend their lead 3-1. The Sharks were getting better as the night grew longer. Total domination by San Jose was evident when at 14:20 Logan Couture scored his 20th goal of the season. He was assisted by Brent Burns and Joe Pavelski. It was a slow start for both teams but San Jose was finally able to take advantage of the depleted Canucks squad.

“We can get better. After the first ten minutes we began to get going. In the second and third period we finally got going. We are hungry, hungry to win, and hungry to get points,” said Chris Tierney after the game.

San Jose will next take on the Toronto Maple Leafs on Fat Tuesday back home at SAP. The puck will drop at 7:30.