Category: NHL

~ (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)

~ By Pearl Allison Lo

~ LOS ANGELES– It was a jam packed day with the last day of the NHL Fan Fair, the only day it fell on a day with no work, Media Day, the Celebrity Shootout, Skills Competition and more.

The Pacific Division made it all the way to the Discover shootout, Brent Burns and Joe Pavelski welcomed the crowd’s boos, Arizona Coyotes’ Mike Smith scored 20 points for the Pacific, Burns scored from center ice, Justin Bieber made headlines and Anaheim Ducks’ Ryan Kesler’s son, Ryker, scored against the Montreal Canadiens’ Carey Price.

Media Day consisted of Eastern and Western Conference broken up by head coaches and the NHL/NHLPA Learn to Play Press Conference. Learn to Play is an effort to introduce first-time participants to hockey and will be in effect next season (LearntoPlay.NHL.com).

When Coach Pete DeBoer was asked about his staff, he said, “I wish they could be here. They belong here. I think the three players that are here and for sure myself would say that this is a team accomplishment and while they’re not here with us, they’re here in spirit, because we all know that we’re here because of the people that aren’t here.”

Asked the best and worst thing about playing in the NHL, Martin Jones said “hockey, because it’s my job” and for “worst thing is probably travel and the time away from home.”

On his first All-Star selection, Jones replied, “It’s great. It’s pretty exciting to be in the mix here. It’s going to be a lot of fun getting on the ice with all these guys.”

Regarding the Breakaway Challenge from last year, which was taken out this year, Pavelski and Burns’ kids were still eager.

Pavelski said, “Yeah, I think it’s pretty cool. It was a fun event, having J or Nate out there, for him to experience it. We were leaving the house today, and he was like, ‘Well Dad, do I got to bring my gear with? He has high expectations I guess, but these weekends are fun, obviously it’s a lot of fun, the whole experience with your family and a couple teammates, it’s really nice.”

Burns – “He keeps asking me if he gets to shoot on a goalie this year and I said, ‘Sorry buddy, you broke his ankle last couple weeks ago so’…he doesn’t get to shoot on a goalie, but those are special things for him to be a part of and he doesn’t really realize who he’s getting to meet, but as he gets older, those are things you can look back on and remember.”

On talking with favorite players

Pavelski – “Growing up, my favorite player was Brett Hull. I met him, talked to him a little bit. I always loved the way he could shoot the puck and score goals.”

Burns – “I haven’t seen those two (Steve Yzerman and Mark Messier). Those are two of the guys that were my heroes growing up and I mean, there was lots of them last night. I got to see Fedorov today, just stumbling out of the elevator. This is a guy that’s such an incredible player that I always looked up on growing up. I always wanted the white skates because he was wearing them. I saw Borak yesterday and it’s just incredible to see a guy like that. I think when you randomly see these guys in the hotel, it’s kind of embarrassing, because you don’t even know what to say, and they meant so much to you as a kid growing up and it’s a really special weekend for those guys and I think the weekend belongs to those guys. We’re all here because of them and it’s a cool honor to be here and a part of that.”

A little bit of football

Pavelski – “It’s tough to bet against the Patriots. I have a feeling Atlanta could do it, but I’m going with the Patriots.”

Jones – “I’m a pretty casual football fan, but it’s hard to bet against Brady and the Pats, but I think I’m gonna take the Falcons.”

On Burns in the hardest shot competition –

Pavelski – “Good. I think so. Have to look at everybody. Got Weber out there. Everyone knows how hard he can shoot it, so he’s probably the front-runner, but as far as competition goes, we’ll see where it goes.”

Jones joked, “I don’t like him. He’s got nothing.”

Burns – I think I’m a space taker for Webs. It’s crazy to see his shot everyday and see what he does. I just don’t think there’s a guy who can compete with his shot. I don’t get to see Hedman that much, so I don’t know how hard his shot is, so maybe he can, I don’t know, but Webs’ is ridiculous, so I know I’m not going to be able to compete with that. I just get to go and take…two or three shots, so hopefully my stick doesn’t break and I fall and…the game plan is, but maybe I’ll try a wrister and just see what it is.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman made himself available to the media.

The All-Star Celebrity Shootout was next. The charity game benefiting Echoes of Hope also honored Alan Thicke with special patches Team (Wayne) Gretzky and Team (Mario) Lemieux wore. During the game, Bobby Orr was announced as another assistant coach.

It was an understandably slower paced game as music played throughout. All penalties automatically led to penalty shots. The game featured two 21 minutes halves with a two minute intermission.

Team Gretzky won 5-3, which included goals from Teemu Selanne, Eric Lindros, Ron MacLean from a helmet-less Peter Stastny, Joe Sakic, Scott Niedermayer, Cuba Gooding Jr. and Bieber.

Bieber had an empty net goal, an assist and two penalty shots. Before the second penalty shot though, he was smashed against the glass by Chris Pronger, an image that went viral on social media.

The pop stars’ determination throughout the game did not go unnoticed though. Gooding Jr., who had the game winning goal, exclaimed, ““Twenty-five shots later, he finally made it. I was shocked how well he could play!”

Celebrities and retired players both were interviewed at the benches.

E! News’ Ken Burns stated he had “an upper and lower body injury, a hangover.”

Selanne said, “I don’t know who’s the goalie there. He’s like a wall.“ before later scoring against him on a penalty shot that he paused before making.

Regarding the game, Gretzky replied, “It’s nice that so many people love the game of hockey.”

Gooding Jr. who was the most colorful player on the ice with a blue helmet and pads, later revealed by stripping, that “these are my Wayne Gretzky pants given to me by him during his tournament in Vegas that I skated in.”

The final round of events for the night was the All-Star Skills Competition. Beforehand, Snoop Dogg, spun the beats for the introductions. After almost the players were on the ice, the captains were introduced. Six events occurred. Players who were not participating at the moment knelt or sat on the ice on two white benches.

In the Gatorade NHL Skills Challenge Relay, Heat 1 went to the Central, Pavelski, who was a one-timer, did exactly that with his first shot. Heat 2 went to the Metropolitan and they also got another point, for being the fastest with 1:21 seconds.

During the Four Line Challenge, which was the new event, there was embellishment from the Sharks regarding the crowd’s boos. Pavelski cupped his hand to his ear as if he could not hear them. He went 0-2 from the first line. Burns traced his Sharks logo before hitting the top corner on his second attempt, earning the Pacific 3 points. He “Felt the love from the LA crowd, it was great.” Only the Atlantic did not earn points. Smith’s 20 points and won the event for the Pacific as he hit the 5-hole from the other goal line. He still said though, there’s “less pressure in a game than it is here tonight.”

Normally, Los Angeles Kings games are known for the Kiss Cam, but Kraft Heinz featured a Kids Cam.

The Atlantic division got their first point in Match 1 of Accuracy Shooting. Match 2 saw Connor McDavid win one for the Pacific. In Match 3, Auston Mathews from the Atlantic posted the fastest speed so far with 12.28 seconds but then Sidney Crosby knocked down the targets faster even faster, in 10.73 seconds. In Match 4, Pavelski was one of the passers to Jeff Carter who earned the Pacific another point.

For the group fastest skater competition, Race 1 and 3 went to the Atlantic. Race 2 initially went to the Pacific according to the timer, but was reversed upon review and given to the Central. Bo Horvat loss narrowly,13.43 seconds to Patrik Laine’s 13.42. McDavid won Race 4 for the Pacific and got them the bonus point as the fastest skater with 13.02, putting them in the lead. Then he did the individual fastest skater competition by lapping around the ice in 13.31 seconds, just a little shy of Dylan Larkin’s record.

Weber once again won the hardest shot competition, making it 12 of the past 13 events where the winner was 100+mph. He recorded 102.8. In Match 1, Laine got Central the point against Burns, whose two shots were 96.1 and 97.7. Match 2 went to Metropolitan, Match 3 to the Pacific and Match 4 Weber’s Atlantic, who also got a bonus point.

By the time of the final event, the Pacific had won for the Western Conference. The Atlantic and Metropolitan were in a tie for the Eastern, which was broken by the fastest shot. Therefore, the Discover Shootout pitted the Atlantic versus Pacific. Crosby and Kane were Discover Picks, meaning if they scored, their team would earn 2 points. With 10 players apiece, the Pacific faced goalies Carey Price and Tuukka Rask. The Atlantic faced Smith and Jones. Kesler, the younger one, was the only one to score for the Pacific, scoring against Price. The elder Kesler had also substituted Ryker for one of his shots in the Four Line challenge. The only goal Jones gave up was to Crosby. Pavelski shot second and Burns shot second to last. He made a stylistic shot that hit the post.

The 4-1 win for the Atlantic meant they got to choose who they played in the All-Star Game and when. They chose Metropolitan and to go second, which means at 12:30pm we will see the Pacific versus Central.

Notes: Gretzky got a second coaching job when he was chosen to replace John Tortorella’s Metropolitan Division spot in the All-Star game.

~ (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

~ By Pearl Allison Lo

LOS ANGELES~ January 27, 2017, the rest of the NHL100 were revealed at Los Angeles’ Microsoft Theatre.

January 1, 2017, the first 50 years of players who played primarily from 1917-1966, were named in Toronto at the Centennial Classic.

So it was technically 67 legends, who played mostly ironically from the year 1967-present, who were announced Friday evening. GEICO & Emmy Award Jon Hamm presented as the athletes were grouped by position in decade.

The six current players put on the list were Jaromir Jagr, Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith and Patrick Kane.

The Sharks

Named to the NHL100 were former Shark Teemu Selanne and Larry Robinson, team director of player development. Robinson commented, “It’s a pretty humbling experience.” Amalie Benjamin tweeted, “Teemu Selanne was playing golf when he got the call about #NHL100. “I’m looking, Gary Bettman calling. What’s going on here?”

A lot of people felt Joe Thornton was snubbed.

Robinson, who played for the Kings, joined fellow former Kings Luc Robitaille and Marcel Dionne. Dionne stated, “Never forget where you came from” and “Never get too cocky.”

Before the game, the NHL100’s Bobby Orr, Mario Lemieux and Wayne Gretzky entertained the media at LA Live’s JW Marriott. They unanimously agreed the late fellow NHL100 Gordie Howe was the ‘best ever’.

About the NHL100 experience, Gretzky replied, “We’re like little kids. We’re having more fun than anybody. In a full circle thread later, when talking about his eagerness of Orr to Orr’s former teammate when he was younger, Gretzky stated, “We’re fans as kids and we’re fans as players too.”

In an it would be nice to see scenario, Gretzky included the two men to his left, “the three of us would be pretty good at” 3-on-3 overtime.

Talking about the League, Orr commented, “…I don’t think there’s another sport where the number of players come back and continue to do things within the sport to make it better.”

A bit on the entertainment side

John Ondrasik from Five for Fighting played “100 Years” while honoring 24 players of the NHL100 now departed. Wayne Gretzky did a short introduction beforehand where he mentioned the late hockey fan Alan Thicke. Singer Robin Thicke was originally slated to honor his father. Thicke will also not be an assistant coach at the Celebrity Shootout anymore. Other assistant coaches not mentioned earlier are now Hockey Hall of Famer Billy Smith (Gretzky) and Echoes of Hope co-founder Stacia Robitaille (Lemieux). Kane and pop superstar Justin Bieber are also now playing in the charity game.

 

Edmonton Oilers’ Cam Talbot (33) stops a shot against the San Jose Sharks during the third period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Jan. 26, 2017, in San Jose, Calif. Edmonton won 4-1. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

By Matthew T.F. Harrington

SAN JOSE, Calif. — San Jose Sharks General Manager Doug Wilson joined rarified air Thursday night, joining the elite club of former plays to appear in 1,000 NHL games and serve as general manager for another 1,000. While the feat is a nice accomplishment for Wilson, he’d surely have preferred a better outcome, with the Sharks seeing a 6-game win streak snapped with an 4-1  loss to the visiting Edmonton Oilers. Edmonton (28-15-8) pulled even with the Pacific Division leaders San Jose (31-17-2) but the Sharks hold the advantage with a game in hand and 29 regulation and overtime wins to Edmonton’s 24.
“It’s tough after a game like this to feel good,” said Sharks coach Peter DeBoer. “But it’s been a hell of a month. I’m really proud of the group and how we’ve dug in and handled the adversity of injuries and travel and schedule.”

Cam Talbot made 32 saves in net for the Oilers, while Logan Couture scored his second goal in as many games in the final game before Sunday’s NHL All-Star game. Tomas Hertl returned to the lineup for the first time since reinjuring his knee November 17^th. The winger had no shots on goal or points, registered 4 hits and was a -1.

“It was different,” said Hertl. “The last couple months I was practicing by myself. I think it wasn’t bad but I need to keep working.”

Couture remains red hot for the Sharks, picking up his 7^th point in 5 games after beating Talbot for his 17^th goal of the season 4:05 into the game. The 1-0 goal was a display of passing that would make the Golden State Warriors proud with Patrick Marleau and Mikkel Boedker both passing up good shots from opposite wings to give Couture the dead-to-rights snipe from the low slot.

Much like Winnipeg Tuesday night, the Oilers had a late-period answer, scoring with 5.6 seconds left in the period. After sustained possession in the offensive zoned, defenseman Andrej Sekera potted his 6^th goal of the season. The Czech used a screen from Patrick Maroon to slip the puck past Jones and tie the game 1-1. Connor McDavid picked up an assist on the goal, good for his league-leading 58^th point.

The Sharks held the Oilers without a shot over the first 15 minutes of the second period but couldn’t capitalize on a power play advantage.

“Historically with where this group has had this power play,” said DeBoer when asked if the struggling power play was of concern heading into the break. “With what a weapon it has been. And it hasn’t been. We have to find a way.”

The Oilers would seize their chance after Brent Burns was sent to the box for slashing with 3:40 left in the period. Sekera, not known for his proclivity to light the lamp, proved otherwise Thursday night. After tying the game in the first period, Sekera would hand the Oilers a 2-1 lead with a point shot throw a crowd of skaters. The shot would miss Milan Lucic and find its way into the back of the goal with 2:51 in the period. It was the second two-goal game of Sekera’s career and his first since November of 2013.

The Sharks fell victim to a similar fate in the 3^rd period. Despite earning a four-minute power play on Adam Larsson’s hi-sticking double minor on Joe Thornton just 56 seconds into the period, San Jose would cede the next goal. Drake Caggiula would put Edmonton up 3-1 with 8:29 left in regulation on just Edmonton’s second shot of the period and first since the 9:56 mark of the period. Caggiula would block Joe Pavelski’s shot in the defensive end then take the puck on a breakaway. The forward would fire a snap shot over Jones’ glove-side for his 4^th goal of the season.

“Their first two goals were weird bounces,” said Sharks defenseman Brent Burns. “The third goal was another close little bounce. We’ve been on the other end of those the last 5 or 6. That’s usual the difference in hockey. It’s pretty small.”

Captain Connor McDavid would pick up his second point of the game on an empty-netter with 1:52 left in regulation, his 17^th goal of the year.

“It wasn’t the defense that lost us this game,” said DeBoer. “It was not scoring.”

The Sharks will send 4 representatives to Sunday’s All-Star festivities in Los Angeles. Defenseman Brent Burns, Captain Joe Pavelski and goalie Martin Jones all earned honors. Behind the bench for the Pacific Division squad will be Sharks coach Peter DeBoer. After the lights dim in Hollywood, it’s back to work for San Jose. The Sharks take on Chicago at home Tuesday night.

“It’s good, you get a little break here,” said Burns. “Then you come back, get your game back quick then get a nice break again to look forward to. Then you rest up and look forward to the final push.”

~ Photo credit: @NHL Twitter

~ By Pearl Allison Lo

~ The 2017 NHL All-Star game and all its surrounding festivities has arrived, and while the celebrations are not in the Bay Area, it is still in good old California. Hockeywood or Hockey goes Hollywood is taking place in Los Angeles’ Staples Center today through Sunday with giant pucks and other decorations.

The activities started with the NHL Fan Fair which runs from Thursday through Sunday. Once you get tickets online, make sure to go to http://nhl.com/FanFairPass or the NHL booth to book a picture with Lord Stanley’s Cup, try for prizes and more! The amount of experiences at the fair are immense and include a Q&A with the Keeper of the Cup Friday at 6pm, interactive experiences, the NHL Mascot Showdown and a ton of photo opportunities. Also available are autographs with Hall of Fame and NHL Alumni and for Kings fans, members of their team.

Friday afternoon, the NHL and LA Kings will showcase the NHL All-Star Legacy Project. It will show the renovations made at the Crenshaw Family YMCA.

In the evening, a Red Carpet show will be held at Microsoft Theatre, the NHL100, revealing the 100 greatest NHL players with the biggest gathering of hockey greats, 67 of the 100 present. Celebrity fans and the All-Star Players will join John Legend, Robin Thicke and more with tributes as well.

Saturday will feature the pregames before the actual event. This consists of the 2017 NHL All-Star Celebrity Shootout before the NHL All-Star Skills Competition. The Celebrity Shootout, which will pit Team Wayne Gretzky versus Team Mario Lemieux, will benefit the charity Echoes of Help, which serve the youth.

The All-Star Game on Monday will also feature musical performances by Nick Jonas, Fifth Harmony and Carly Rae Jepsen.

Some changes that were reported Thursday for the All-Star roster surround the Metropolitan Division and the Columbus Blue Jackets. Cam Atkinson will replace Evgeni Malkin and who will replace Coach John Tortorella has yet to be announced.

For you San Jose Sharks fans, the #8’s (Joe Pavelski and Brent Burns (#88)) will be joined by newcomers. Goalie Martin Jones and Coach Pete DeBoer will be making their first All-Star appearance.

If you cannot make the events in person, NBCSN will show the NHL100 Friday at 6:30pm PST, the All-Star Skills Competition Saturday at 4pm PST and the All-Star Game Sunday at 12:30pm PST.

 

San Jose Sharks left wing Patrick Marleau, second from left, is congratulated by defensemen David Schlemko, from left, Paul Martin and center Joe Pavelski as hats shower on to the ice after Marleau scored his third goal against the Colorado Avalanche in the third period of an NHL hockey game Monday, Jan. 23, 2017, in Denver. The Sharks won 5-2. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

By Matthew T.F. Harrington

The San Jose Sharks didn’t need four third period goals from Patrick Marleau, they just needed the one game-winner to beat the Winnipeg Jets 4-3 Tuesday night at the MTS Centre. Brent Burns and Logan Couture lit the lamp for the Sharks while Melker Karlsson scored just the second short-handed penalty shot goal in franchise history for the team’s sixth-straight win and a Division-leading 64 points.

Aaron Dell 31 saves, starting the game in place of number one goaltender Martin Jones who picked up a win against Colorado Monday night. The Jets received goals from Bryan Little (2) and Andrew Copp but surrendered a 3-2 third period lead for the loss.

Marleau’s game-winner game came with 4:33 left in regulation on a perfect feed from rookie Ryan Carpenter. Carpenter wheeled the puck  across the slot from deep in the corner just past the goal line, threading the needle to Marleau on the opposite post for the easy tap-in. Brenden Dillon also picked up an assist on Marleau’s 17th goal and fifth in two games.

Karlsson put Marleau in position for his 97th career game-winning goal, sixth-most in NHL history, by converting on a short-handed bid. With Kevin Labanc in the box for tripping, Karlsson found himself on a breakaway with only goalie Ondrej Pavelec in the way. Defenseman Jacob Trouba tried to chase down Karlsson but couldn’t close the gap, hooking the forward to stop him from converting the breakaway 9:37 into the third.

Karlsson was awarded his first penalty shot of his career, joining Jonathan Cheecho as the only Sharks to earn the penalty shot with a teammate in the box. Karlsson skated in on Pavelec, opened up and fired the shot over Pavelec’s glove for his 6th goal of the year and a  3-3 tie.

Before the Sharks could come back, the Jets would erase a 1-0 and 2-1 lead. Brent Burns wasted no time in opening the scoring, scoring a power play goal on a one-timer in the high slot for his 21st of the year. Logan Couture assisted on the goal 3:59 into the game for his first of two points on the night. Thornton also assisted.

Bryan Little potted his first goal with 8:02 left in the first after beating Dell on a backhand slipped under the pads. Logan Couture would answer back with his 16th goal of the year just 28 seconds into the second period after Mikkel Boedker hit him with a pass similar to Carpenter’s game-winning assist for a 2-1 lead.

While the Sharks would score early, the Jets would answer late with Andrew Copp scoring from just off the right boards on a rising shot that ate Dell up with 1:59 left in the period. Little would push Winnipeg ahead 3-2 four minutes into the third on his 12th goal of the year.

The Jets nearly scored in the waning minutes of the game after a scramble in the Sharks net. With Dell lying on his back, Dustin Byfuglien pushed the puck into the net after it appeared Dell had smothered the puck. The referee judged that Dell had in fact covered the puck and the Jets defenseman had pushed the puck in well after the whistle to preserve the 4-3 lead.

The Sharks return home Thursday looking for a seventh-straight win against the Edmonton Oilers. They’ll wrap up play before the All-Star break with a game against the Blackhawks at home Tuesday.

Post game notes: Forward Tommy Wingels was dealt to the Ottawa Senators as announced right after the Sharks visit in Edmonton on Tuesday night. According to Ottawa Senators general manager Pierre Dorian the team was looking for depth and that’s what Dorian saw in Wingels. The Senators wanted to fill the void as the Sens lost winger Clarke MacArthur to post concussion syndrome.

The Sharks will get the Senators seventh round draft pick and forwards Zach Stortini and Buddy Robinson. The Sharks will pay 30% of Wingels contract as the Senators will pick up the balance of the $2.475 million salary. Wingels has 51 career goals in 337 games.

“We feel that Tommy brings experience. Someone that was part of a team last year that went to the Stanley Cup final,” said Dorion on a conference call. “He’s a quality role player, someone that can play on the penalty killing.

“The attributes that we were really interested (in) are someone who has really good speed, tenacious. He gets on the forecheck and a lot of the qualities that (coach) Guy (Boucher) seems to enjoy for his role players. Adding a player of Tommy’s calibre is something we’ve been looking to do for awhile.”

~ (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

~ By Pearl Allison Lo

~ San Jose’s Patrick Marleau decided three goals was not enough, as he scored four in the third to power the Sharks over the Colorado Avalanche 5-2 Monday.

Marleau, chasing 500 goals, changed a 1-1 game drastically, with his avalanche of goals 494-497. It was his first four goal game in his 19 year career, as he became the oldest NHL player to score that number in a period, per Elias Sports. The ever humble Marleau’s analysis was, “Everything seemed to click there in the 3rd. Some really good plays from a lot of different players. Was able to finish them off.”

Not to be forgotten, this was after a line change before the final frame which dropped Marleau to the second line.

San Jose now has the longest active NHL streak with five games won, while Colorado tied a season-high six game losing streak.

Logan Couture finished the game a +5, Marleau and Mikkel Boedker a +4 and Marc-Edouard Vlasic a +3. Couture, Vlasic and Brent Burns each had a pair of assists.

The game started with unexpected absences. The Avalanche’s Matt Duchene fell ill and Colorado had no replacement. The recently returned Joonas Donskoi took a hit from Andreas Martinsen midway into the period and never came back to the ice.

Before the first period ended, the puck traveled from left to right along the boards and Burns took the puck between the boards and the left faceoff circle. His ensuing side diagonal shot became the first goal of the game at 19:00.

Jarome Iginla tied the game midway into the game and second period. He did it through a hard shot from the left faceoff circle on the power play at 10:02.

Marleau’s hat trick was uninterrupted.

His first goal came by way of Vlasic’s blue line shot, which he tipped into the net at 2:53.

Just over three minutes later, goal number two came as Marleau took the puck from Couture at the blue line and sped to singlehandedly jam in a wraparound goal.

Number three came even after Marleau ended in the penalty box. From a turnover, Burns got the puck to Marleau who raced out of the box and on a 2-on-1, Pavelski provided the hat trick assist.

Martinsen broke up Marleau’s goals as he got in on the action. The goal was initially challenged though, before it stood upon review.

The final Marleau goal came full circle, as Vlasic sent the puck past two blue lines to Marleau on a breakaway.

Game notes:  Both teams equaled or surpassed the first two period shot totals in the third period, with 13 for San Jose and 15 for the Avs. The Sharks play the second of a back-to-back Tuesday at 5pm.

Winnipeg Jets’ Jacob Trouba (8) reaches for Edmonton Oilers’ Dillon Simpson (79) as Oilers’ Patrick Maroon (19) and Jets’ Patrik Laine (29) hold them back during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Edmonton, Alberta, Sunday, Dec. 11, 2016. (Amber Bracken/The Canadian Press via AP)

The Sharks start this five games in eight day swing tonight in Denver against the Colorado Avalanche the Sharks are looking at three games in four days and it’s just amazing what the schedule was doing these days. Colorado is on for tonight and the Avalanche was “handled” by the Sharks 3-2 in overtime last Saturday at SAP Center.

The Sharks controlled the game pretty well and they gave the goalie from Colorado a workout pelting him with shots overall it looked like the Sharks were going to win the game overall and they did so in overtime. Tuesday night they travel over to Winnipeg and the big news for Winnipeg is that Patrik Laine is starting in that game and he’s been out eight games with a concussion and he’s knocking at the door waiting to get back on the ice.

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

 

San Jose Sharks’ David Schlemko (5) scores the game-winning goal past Colorado Avalanche goalie Spencer Martin, bottom center, during overtime in an NHL hockey game Saturday, Jan. 21, 2017, in San Jose, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

By London Marq

SAN JOSE–The bottom ranked Colorado Avalanche (13-29-2) travel into SAP Center to take on the Sharks (29-16-2) who sit behind only Anaheim in the Pacific Division standings. Entering play, they were only three points out of first place. Though they were .500 over there last ten games the Sharks come into this matchup winners of the previous three games. They looked to continue the trend and defend home ice.

Colorado seemed determined to play better than their record would suggest, while San Jose played to a lesser caliber than what they are accustomed. It made for a fun to watch physical and sloppy game.

The first goal came from Joel Ward, his fifth of the season with just under five and a half minutes left in the first period. Though they seemed to have the edge talent wise, the Sharks seemed to be content making the flashy play instead of the smart one. This allowed Colorado to stick around and make some plays of their own.

Each team scored a goal apiece in the second period, Mikhail Grigorenko for Colorado, and Melker Karlsson for San Jose. This gave the Sharks the edge 2-1 going into the third. But the inability of the Sharks to keep possession would lead to a second game tying goal from Francois Beauchemin of Colorado at the midway point of the third period. There would be no more games before the end of regulation.

The skill of the San Jose Sharks players really showed in the overtime period. The Sharks quickly dispatched the Avalanche with a goal from David Schlemko, who tallied his second goal of the season. The Avalanche never even held significant possession in the very short overtime and it goes down as a win for the Sharks.

Sharks def. Avalanche 3 – 2

 

San Jose Sharks goalie Aaron Dell deflects a shot on goal by the Tampa Bay Lightning during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, Jan. 19, 2017, in San Jose, Calif. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The San Jose Sharks picked up their fourth point in half as many days Thursday night, beating the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 at home after topping the Los Angeles Kings 3-2 in Southern California on Wednesday. Aaron Dell earned First Star honors after making 24 saves while Ryan Carpenter and Logan Couture scored for San Jose. Jonathan Drouin netted the Bolts lone tally.

The Sharks looked jetlagged in the first, throwing just 7 shots on Tampa netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy, but Ryan Carpenter changed the Sharks fortunes in the 2^nd period. The rookie, playing in his second game since a call-up last week, beat Vasilevskiy after his wrist shot deflect off Vladislav Namestnikov’s shin pad 5:01 into the period. Paul Martin and Brent Burns picked up the assists on Carpenter’s second goal of the season.

Tampa Bay would answer back after Jonathan Drouin’s individual effort on the power play 1:50 later into the period. Drouin took the loose puck in the neutral zone, slid it to his backhand and worked his way around Mikkel Boedker into the Sharks zone. From there he work down the right wing, driving the net before pulling the puck back to his forehand while crossing the crease. From there, it was an easy tap in for the 14^th goal of Drouin’s season and a 1-1 tie.

Logan Couture, absent from the lineup Wednesday in LA with an illness, made an impact in his return to the ice. The Sharks center scored the game-winning goal just 22 seconds into the third period, pulling out of a scrum along the boards to find the puck in the slot, beating Vasilevskiy five-hole for his 15^th goal of the season. Joonas Donskoi, returning to the ice after missing the previous 4 games with an upper body injury, picked up an assist in his first game back. Rookie Kevin Labanc also collected a helper on the play.

Dell sealed the deal, turning aside a bid by Valterri Filpula that was labeled for the back of the net. The Sharks D corps also stood tall in the third period, allowing only five shots to the visitors in their lone visit to Northern California.

The Sharks welcome Matt Nieto and the Colorado Avalanche to the Shark Tank Saturday night. The last-place Avs lost in Anaheim after appearing on the verge of an upset following a 4-shot first period. The Ducks scored two goals in the third period to add to Colorado’s struggles.