Category: NHL

Sharks Win Game 3 in OT, Climb Back in Series

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By Mary Walsh

AP photo: San Jose Sharks Joonas Donskoi celebrates with teammates after scoring winning OT goal against the Pittsburgh Penguins at SAP Center on Saturday night

SAN JOSE–The San Jose Sharks defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final Saturday, by a score of 3-2. The Sharks now trail in the series 2-1. The game winning goal came in overtime from rookie Joonas Donskoi. Joel Ward and Justin Braun also scored for the Sharks, while their goaltender Martin Jones made 40 saves on 42 shots for the win. Ben Lovejoy and Patrick Hornqvist scored for the Penguins. It was the Sharks’ first overtime win this post season.

There was some talk about the Sharks being wide-eyed on their first trip to the Stanley Cup Final. There may be something lost in translation, but Joonas Donskoi, first-year NHL player, does not seem particularly nervous. Asked what it felt like to score probably the most important goal in Sharks history, he said: “I think I had a lot of scoring chances through the whole Final, and this was a good time to get it in.”

The game was the first time the Sharks won a majority of the faceoffs against the Penguins. The Sharks had three power plays and scored on none of them. Neither team scored on the power play. The Sharks won on the strength of their even strength play. It was an impressive change from Games 1 and 2.

The headliners for both teams were kept off the highlight reels Saturday. Of how Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Justin Braun handled Sindey Crosby’s line, Sharks head coach Pete DeBoer said: “I thought Vlasic and Braun… you have to mention Brauny when you mention Vlasic too, I thought those two were excellent tonight, both ends of the rink, Brauny got a goal, defending, playing big minutes, they were fantastic.”

Melker Karlsson started the game in Tomas Hertl’s spot with Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski, and the line had a good first shift. At 2:58 of the first, the Penguins were given a power play as a result of a call on Joel Ward for high sticking. Oddly, his stick did not appear above waist-high while the player he struck was bent down with his head low. It was odd because Ward took a stick to the face while falling that even drew blood in Pittsburgh, but that was not called.

The Sharks also seemed impatient with the penalty and went after the kill with determination. It was only after the Sharks killed the penalty that the Penguins scored off a shot from the blue line. The puck touched Roman Polak in front of the net. The goal was Ben Lovejoy’s.

As the ten minute mark approached, the Sharks still only had one shot on goal to the Penguins’ 8. They had not looked that bad. As if on cue, Justin Braun scored. He got the puck from Joe Thornton near the middle of the blue line, and with Melker Karlsson skating through the crease as a moving screen, Penguins goaltender Matt Murray never saw Braun’s shot coming. It sailed clean into the top right corner to tie the game. Assists went to Thornton and Marc-Edouard Vlasic.

The Sharks were not as bad as their shot count. Through the game, the Penguins blocked 38 shots. After the game, Joel Ward was asked about that number: “That’s a good sign. If you’re playing in the offensive zone, they’re blocking shots, you’re getting opportunities. So, just keep firing away.”

The Sharks were energized after Braun’s goal. The Penguins’ Phil Kessel had a breakaway shortly afterwards but Sharks goaltender Martin Jones stopped the shot and a defender came in fast to carry the puck away again.

The Penguins continued to outshoot the Sharks but in the final five minutes of the period, the Sharks racked up a good four shots and were generally looking stronger. The Penguins spent some time in the Sharks’ zone but both teams were doing a pretty good job of keeping the other to the outside and under heavy guard.

At the end of the first, the score was tied and the shots were 14-6 Penguins.

Early in the second, the game shifted gears for rougher terrain. Brent Burns took a punch to the face in the Penguins crease while trying to poke a puck past the goalie, and after that Justin Braun hauled a Penguin to the ice in the Sharks’ zone, but neither act was called as a penalty.

A little later, Chris Tierney and Joel Ward had a two on one chance but Penguins goaltender Matt Murray handled it. It served as a reminder that the Sharks had given up far too many two on ones in earlier games, and they seemed to be doing a better job of preventing them this time.

In the tenth minute of the period, the Sharks held the Penguins pinned in their zone for a long enough spell to draw a tripping penalty from Carl Hagelin. This gave the Sharks their first power play of the game. The Penguins killed it, but not without giving up a few more shots.

After 10 minutes, the Penguins had two shots on the period. After 15 minutes, they still had two. The Sharks had eight in the first fifteen minutes.

Just after the announcer proclaimed that there was one minute left in the game, Ben Lovejoy picked up a puck that looked like it was going out and threw it back at the net to regain the lead. The puck went off of Patrick Hornqvist, with assists to Ben Lovejoy and Olli Mattaa. It was the Penguins’ sixth shot of the period.

Almost five minutes into the third period, Nick Bonino caught Joe Thornton with a high stick and drew blood. It took the Penguins almost ninety seconds to clear the puck the first time. The power play seemed to lose energy after that and with 1:19 left in the penalty, DeBoer took his time out and gave his top power play unit a rest. That helped them a little but they still could not convert.

The second unit came on with seconds left in the penalty. The Penguins cleared the puck to the neutral zone. The Sharks stopped it short and went the other way. Joel Ward took the puck up the slot. With a Penguin between himself and the goalie, he took what must have been a deceptively hard shot. The puck went over Murray’s left shoulder, bending his glove back and tying the game just as the penalty expired. It was Ward’s seventh of the post season, with assists going to Joonas Donskoi and Joe Thornton.

At the end of regulation, the score was tied at two and the shots were 33-22 Penguins.

The first seven minutes of overtime went back and forth with grueling suspense. The Penguins were outshooting the Sharks 5-1. The Sharks lines seemed jumbled, whether by incomplete line changes or actual line adjustments. In any case, Chris Tierney, Melker Karlsson and Joonas Donskoi were in the Penguins zone stirring things up behind the net and along the boards. At 12:18, Donskoi carried the puck behind the net and came out the other side, then spun and shot in a quick motion. The game winner was Donskoi’s sixth goal of the playoffs. An assist went to Chris Tierney.

For Game 4, the teams will return to SAP Center in San Jose. Game time is 5:00 PT.

NHL Stanley Cup Final Game 3 Preview: First Home Game in Franchise History

Published on by Matthew HarringtonLeave a comment

By Matthew T.F. Harrington

AP photo: The Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Matt Murray can’t stop the OT game three winning goal of the San Jose Sharks Joonas Donskoi on Saturday night

SAN JOSE–Tomas Hertl Out: While San Jose Sharks fans have waited their whole lifetimes for a home game in the Stanley Cup Final, they would normally have hoped for it to come under different circumstances. The Sharks take the ice Saturday trailing the Pittsburgh Penguins 2-0 in the series and now face the proposition of having to find a replacement for the most productive player of late on their top line.

After missing Friday’s practice for undisclosed reasons, Tomas Hertl has officially been ruled out for game three Saturday night with a lower body injury. It is likely that Danius Zubrus will return to the Sharks lineup with either Zubrus or Melker Karlsson skating on the left wing of the top line alongside Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski. Hertl has 11 points (6 g, 5a) in 20 postseason contests and was the most effective player for the Sharks in games one and two.

Aside from the top and fourth lines changing, coach Peter DeBoer expects to ice the same second and third lines that starting game 2. Joel Ward jumped from the third line wing initially to the second line while Patrick Marleau moved from second line wing to third line center in the final period. Ward took the faceoff against Sidney Crosby that ultimately led to Connor Sheary’s overtime goal in game two.

Couture Cries Foul on Crosby: One aspect to watch will be how the officials monitor Penguins captain Sidney Crosby on faceoffs. Sharks forward Logan Couture was vocal after the game two loss about how Crosby receives star treatment at the faceoff dot. Will the officials take a closer look now that eyes will be watching more closely?

Turn Up the Tank: To celebrate the first ever Stanley Cup game at the Shark Tank, the Sharks will once again give out t-shirts to all fans in attendance. The teal shirts feature a play on the cult movie “Sharknado” with the Sharks logo at the base of a whirling dervish of Sharks. Fans will also receive the interactive light bracelets that will synch up to create a light show before and during the game. There will doubtlessly be other theatrics on display for this historic meeting.

Braun Back with Team: After taking a leave of absence from the team, defenseman Justin Braun was back with the team on the ice for practice. Braun’s father-in-law, former NHLer Tom Lysiak, passed away on the eve of the Stanley Cup. Braun was attending his funeral in Atlanta Thursday following game two Wednesday night. Braun scored the Sharks lone goal in the contest.

Sharks Without Hertl for Game 3

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By Mary Walsh

AP photo: San Jose Sharks Tomas Hertl who sat out game three vs. the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Stanley Cup Finals

SAN JOSE–Sharks head coach Pete DeBoer has confirmed that Tomas Hertl will not play in Saturday’s Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final. He described Hertl’s injury as a lower body one. Of Hertl’s performance so far, DeBoer said:

He’s arguably been our best player for the first two games but injuries are no excuse this time of year, we’ve got someone who will go in for him and we’ll roll out there and be ready to play.

As for who will draw into the lineup, there is little mystery. When Matt Nieto returned to the lineup for Game 2, Dainius Zubrus was the odd man out. He will most likely be back in. On the subject of who will play in Hertl’s spot on the top line with Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski, DeBoer said:

We’ve got a couple guys that’ve played in that hole before. Melker has before, and so has [Zubrus] played there before. I think the one thing that those two guys… you’ve got a guy that’ll hound the puck and work for it. Those two guys pretty much take care of the rest. I think we’ve got a lot of options there because of who we’re sticking them in with and I think it should be fairly seamless.

Sharks captain Joe Pavelski also weighed in on how Hertl has contributed to the team in the playoffs:

He’s been a big part of this team, especially the second half. You saw the smile on his face the last few rounds. He’s really enjoyed playing, he brings that energy. It’s tough to miss a guy like that if you have to. But somebody steps in, we’ve done it, we’ve done it for a while. We still expect a great effort from whoever comes in in a good role. We haven’t had a ton of injuries so there’s been somebody always ready to step in.

A the dust settles from Logan Couture’s comments on faceoffs, there remains the fact that the Sharks have not been very good in the faceoff circle. Among playoff teams, they have consistently been at the bottom in faceoff win percentage. It begs the question, what does the team do to still win the game, or 12 games, despite rarely starting with the puck? Logan Couture explained: “Get it back right away, put it in good places so we can forecheck and hold on to the puck in their end. There’s a few things you can do off a faceoff or forecheck that can turn the puck over.” So far, the Sharks have not been able to do any of those things very well against the Penguins. They will get another chance tonight.

Something else they will get a chance to do tonight is get back to their game. Apart from moving the puck quicker with simpler plays, thereby improving their execution, their forwards could probably backcheck more aggressively. Some time ago, I asked Sharks defenseman Paul Martin what it is about the Sharks that make them effective defensively:

[Jones] playing the puck, our forwards come back and support us and we rely on them to get out of the zone. I think everyone’s capable on our d-corps. When Roman [Polak] came over he kind of solidified that last pair and Brenden Dillon’s had  a break out year and he’s been great and he continues to improve. And the top four have been around for a while now. As far as experience, with [Vlasic] obviously, he’s a world class player, along with [Burns] they can bring something else that a lot of guys can’t.

I think we all can skate and get around the ice, and the ability to make that first pass out of the zone is big and I think we all understand the way we want to play. We all get along and so that’s big. The chemistry that we have is important.

Ironically, the formula Martin described there, with the forwards being as crucial to defense as defensemen are, pretty well describes how the Penguins have been playing. One has to wonder if it is even possible for two teams to play that way at the same time, or if they must first defuse their opponent’s arsenal.

The fact that Pete DeBoer has been here before, with the New Jersey Devils against the Los Angeles Kings, can only give fans so much comfort: his team forced a Game 6 but did not win the series. Is he hunting with a bigger boat this time?

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: The first cup is always memorable

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by Amaury Pi Gonzalez
photo by arenanetwork.net: SAP Center in San Jose main entrance for the NHL 2016 Stanley Cup Finals
SAN JOSE–It only took 25 years for the San Jose Sharks to make it to the finals of their league. The Stanley Cup (French: La Coupe Stanley) is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff winner. Originally commissioned in 1892 as the Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup, the trophy is named for Lord Stanley of Preston then–Governor General of Canada, who awarded it to Canada’s top-ranking amateur ice hockey club, which the entire Stanley family supported, with the sons and daughters playing and promoting the game. The first Cup was awarded in 1893 to Montreal HC and subsequent winners from 1893 to 1914 were determined by challenge games and league play.
The Sharks are playing the Pittsburgh Penguins. In the animal kingdom, a Penguin is a mid-day snack for a Shark, like a little piece of chocolate at the office at 3PM. But this is not the animal kingdom, it is The National Hockey League. I covered the Sharks 25 years ago when they first began playing in the NHL in 1991. I remember their first game”home”(while they were building their San Jose Arena)and it took place at the Cow Palace in Daly City, on October 5, 1991 and they lost to the Vancouver Canucks 5-2.
The night before(October 4)they played their very first game in their history in Vancouver, B.C. Canada. It has been a long ride on the ice for the franchise, who has been solidly supported by their loyal fans, who regularly fill the SAP Arena during the season. It has been a long way, plus half-dozen of General Managers for Telemundo since those days when with a camera person I did “on site”reports, and live shots from the place where they were building that arena, just across the street from the San Jose train station. Here we are today, 25 years later, with the Sharks in the Stanley Cup.
The Sharks lost their first two games in Pittsburgh and now the attention turns to San Jose, and the Sharks could be without their first-line forward Thomas Hertl for Game 3 the Stanley Cup tomorrow 5PM (our time)at the SAP Arena. Hertll skated briefly and slowly, but then left when practice began. The problem? – his lower left leg. Game three, right now is crucial for the Sharks, and if they loose, they could be eliminated on Monday(Game 4, also in San Jose). This would not be a good ending for their season, specially if they are eliminated at home. The SAP Arena will be rocking tomorrow and also next Monday. The Bay Area which now is the epicenter of the sports world, with the Warriors just some 35 miles north of highway 880 going for their second consecutive NBA title.
For the San Jose Sharks it is their very first time, just like when you buy a new car, that great smell of new, something that you never forget. Good friend, hockey legend and one of the real hockey pioneers in the Bay Area Len Shapiro probably never thought that the Stanley Cup would be played in the Bay Area. Len was with the Oakland Seals of the the National Hockey League, who became the California Golden Seals in 1970. They played their home games at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena(in those days most venues did not have names of companies). Len Shapiro would tell you all the problems that the Seals had at the gate, they were really never successful and eventually moved to Cleveland in 1976 to become the Cleveland Barons. Many times Len and I were seated together at the Sharks press box and as he remembered the Seals, he told me they could only dream of drawing 17,000 plus for every game. Of course during those days San Jose was a little town, on the way to Los Angeles. Not anymore, San Jose is Silicon Valley, it is the center of technology in the world, and the most prosperous area in Northern California.
Congratulations to the San Jose Sharks for making it to the prestigious Stanley Cup, now, if they could comeback and win it…
For me this is the first Stanley Cup I am covering.
Amaury Pi Gonzalez is covering the NHL Stanley Cup Finals for Telemundo Telenotcias San Jose and does News and Commentary each week for http://www.sportsradioservice.com
  

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San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa Walsh: No one is surprised by this Penguins team as Sharks have backs to the wall in game three

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AP photo: The Pittsburgh Penguins Sid Crosby talking with NHL Official Wes McCauley during game two in Pittsburgh on Wednesday night

On the Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa, It’s kind of surprising but I’m not the only one that’s not surprised the Pittsburgh Penguins like the Sharks are not hot picks no matter what they did in one series most people kept thinking they’d lose the next series. Their were people thinking the Sharks would not get this far this would go back to their blue line and people don’t think their blue line is as strong but their fine and their getting their forwards are playing aggressive up front.

Mary Lisa Walsh does the San Jose Sharks podcast each week for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

 

NHL Stanley Cup Finals podcast with Joe Lami: Sharks need to attack and find the back end of the net early

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westwoodonesports.com photo: The Pittsburgh Penguins Nick Bonino celebrates after scoring on the San Jose Sharks Paul Martin (center) and goalie Martin Jones in the third period Monday in game one at Energy Center

On the NHL Stanley Cup Finals podcast Joe takes a look at a Pittsburgh Penguins team who has quite the ability to break this series wide open. On the other hand the Sharks have every skill and talent to even the series up and get right back in it again similar to what they were able to do when they played their earlier rounds with Nashville and St Louis.

The Penguins while noted for their speed can be offset by the Sharks which was demonstrated in the second period of Monday’s game one. Although the Sharks didn’t get the win in game one just one quick flaw costed the Sharks when Brett Burns dropped his stick and the Pens Nick Bonino took full advantage of a open section of the net for the go ahead goal in the third period.

Joe lays it out for you on the NHL Stanley Cup Finals podcast right here on http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa Walsh: Game one first period was just one big inattemptive thing for Sharks

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photo by USA Today: Pittsburgh Penguins Nick Bonino scores on San Jose Sharks goaltender Martin Jones at 2:33 in the third period for the go ahead goal on Monday night in game one of the NHL Finals

On the Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa the game one loss on Monday night at Energy Center was a tough loss for the Sharks. The dropped stick by the Sharks Brett Burns was not only bad for Burns but worse for the goal just because the Sharks Paul Martin who was in front of the net with the Pittsburgh Penguins Nick Bonino Martin was kind of focusing on that corner where Burns was playing without a stick the puck was over there and that’s how it got around all of them in the open net.

Listen to Mary Lisa’s Sharks podcast for all the latest from the Stanley Cup Finals at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Stanley Cup Final Preview: Sharks and Penguins

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By Mary Walsh

design presented by penguins.nhl.com: Pittsburgh Penguins and San Jose Sharks digital preview design

In their first appearance in the Stanley Cup Final, the San Jose Sharks are in a good position to win, and so are the Pittsburgh Penguins. Not surprisingly, the two teams accumulated were very similar numbers on their way to the Final. Perhaps those are just the kind of numbers winners needed this year. Perhaps they are as irrelevant as statistics from the regular season. The Sharks and the Penguins could play each other four times or seven times, and it won’t add up to the number of games they played getting here. Games, and by association the series, can still be won or lost on a bounce. Either team could have trouble adjusting to a new sort of opponent, a heretofore unseen weakness could be exposed. This is why they play the games, because the NHL can’t award the championship based on past performance. Still, the likeness is uncanny.

Statistically, the Sharks and the Penguins are pretty even when you balance offensive and defensive numbers. The Sharks’ power play has a slightly higher success rate at 27%, with he Penguins scoring just 23.4% of the time. But balanced against the penalty kill, where the Penguins have been slightly better than the Sharks (83.4%-80.4%), the power play difference is even more negligible than 3.6%.

In shots per game, the Penguins have 35.1 where the Sharks have 28. San Jose’s Joe Pavelski and Brent Burns have taken 60 and 61 shots respectively, but Pittsburgh’s Phil Kessel has thrown a whopping 73 shots at the net. Again, put next to the shots against per game, it evens out. The Sharks have allowed an average of 27.1 while the Penguins averaged 29.7.

In goals, the numbers are so close (Sharks at 3.5 and Penguins at 3.22) that a counterbalance is hardly necessary, which is a good thing for Pittsburgh since the Sharks have allowed an average of 2.28 while the Penguins allowed 2.39. That gives a tiny edge to the Sharks in the area of goal differential.

The counterbalance actually comes from the fact that the Penguins have shown greater depth in scoring. The Sharks have more goals but they have come from fewer players. The Sharks have seven skaters with five or more goals in these playoffs, and four more with two to four goals. That gives them eleven skaters with more than one goal. The Penguins have just five skaters with five or more goals but eight with two to four goals, for a total of thirteen skaters with more than one goal. It is not a big difference, but neither is the difference between how many goals the teams have scored on their way to the Final.

The Penguins may have an edge in experience because they do have some players who have competed for and won a Stanley Cup in the past. Only the Sharks’ goaltender Martin Jones can say that, though he did so as the backup goaltender. The Sharks have plenty of players with enough mileage that, if they do not know what it takes to win at this level, they will probably learn quickly. I would not put a lot of stock in the “been there” factor.

In goal, the teams have fairly similar situations. Both teams, coaches and players, have talked about how calm and unflappable their young goaltender are. Martin Jones has more NHL starter experience but he is still in his first season. He has not been replaced during the playoffs, he has started every game for the Sharks. Jones put together a .919 save percentage through the first three rounds, with the full demonstrable confidence of his coach and his team.

The fact that the Penguins’ Matt Murray came onto the scene later than Jones should not be held against him. Marc-Andre Fleury was the presumptive playoff starter for most of the season. That Murray had to earn his spot very recently could be an asset if he is still trying to establish himself. The Penguins did experiment, having Fleury start a game in Murray’s place, and Zatkoff started a game before Murray did. Even if any of that undermined Murray’s confidence, he still played well enough to help his team win. His save percentage has been .875. Jones seems to have the edge over Murray there, but those numbers can change quickly.

Ultimately, few of these comparisons matter. All of the games played to this point were conference exclusive. The Sharks’ numbers were against western teams, the Penguins’ against eastern. The Sharks had to defeat a recent Cup winner, and then defeat the team that defeated another recent winner. It would not be outrageous to say that it is harder to score a goal, or prevent one, in the west. But it would be pure speculation since the Final is the only time East meets West. Both teams earned their spot in this series, and the odds are good that they will both bring their best games yet.

NHL Stanley Cup Finals podcast with Daniel Dullum: Nothing but speed and two evenly match teams in the Finals

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AP file photo: Martin Jones San Jose Sharks goaltender will be depended on to stop the offensive speed and attack of the Pittsburgh Penguins shots in the NHL Stanley Cup Finals starting on Monday night in game one

On the NHL Stanley Cup Finals podcast with Daniel the San Jose Sharks have forward Matt Nieto returning after suffering an upper body injury and will be available for game one in Pittsburgh on Monday night. Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer says that Nieto is one of the faster skating forwards in the league and with these two teams speed is what the Sharks want. This series statistically has the Pens and Sharks evenly matched. With the Penguins Sid the Kid Crosby and Matt Murray in net and the Sharks Martin Jones in goal with Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton skating up front the odds makers are saying this Finals could be one for the ages.

Daniel has the Stanley Cup Finals covered listened in on the podcast here at http://www.sportsadioservice.com

 

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa Walsh: Sharks first game in the Finals on Monday night

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AP photo: San Jose Sharks go into celebration mode after clinching their first NHL Finals in franchise history on Wednesday night at SAP Center

On the Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa the San Jose Sharks are really a special group this season and you would like to think it indicates a change in the league in the way you build your teams because it’s so much about speed and skill and not so much about that other stuff. It’s very exciting and there are five or six guys on this team who were in those games in the western conference finals a long time ago in hockey years when they played the Chicago Blackhawks and the Vancouver Canucks.

These guys have a lot of history together, they kind of done everything, lost, not made it, come close, fell short if you push through all of that you kind of develop mental toughness. The Sharks six years ago just didn’t have it so those loses and those top successes they got close and then they found what it takes to go beyond that.

Mary Lisa covers the San Jose Sharks and podcasts on the Sharks weekly at http://www.sportsradioservice.com