Category: NHL

NHL podcast with Joe Lami: Ducks Horcoff suspended 20 games for PED use; Hawks Bowman gets 3 yr extension; Sharks up for the task vs. Aves tonight

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On the NHL podcast with Joe Lami, The NHL has suspended Anaheim Ducks forward Shawn Horcoff 20 games for PED use. Horcoff explained that he used the PEDs for faster recovery for a fall he took last fall, “although I was unaware that this treatment I was not permitted under NHL rules, that’s no excuse whatsoever. I have should have done my research and I have should have checked with the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing doctors. I accept full responsibility for my actions and Iam sorry.” said Horcoff told the AP.

The Chicago Blackhawks have extended the contract of their general manager Stan Bowman three years, Bowman is the son of former great Detroit Red Wing head coach Scotty Bowman. Bowman and the Hawks lead the NHL Western Conference with 70 points, are three points behind the Washington Caps for the President’s Trophy.

Joe Lami has much more on the podcast click below to hear more NHL headlines news at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

photo credit: pinterest.com–Anaheim forward Shawn Horcoff will be wearing street clothes for the next 20 games due to PED use

Categories NHL

Sharks Fall to Kings in Overtime

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By Mary Walsh

AP photo: SJ Sharks goaltender Martin Jones gets in front of the puck for a save following a shot from the LA Kings Anze Kopitar Sunday night at SAP Center

SAN JOSE- The Los Angeles Kings defeated the San Jose Sharks in overtime by a score of 3-2. The game was very close, despite periods of dominance by each team. Sharks goals were scored by Joe Pavelski and Logan Couture, with Kings goals from Drew Doughty, Vincent LeCavalier, and the game winner from Marian Gaborik. Sharks goaltender Martin Jones made 29 saves on 32 shots, while Kings goalie Jhonas Enroth made 30 saves on 32 shots.

Both the Kings and the Sharks had played on Saturday, but the Kings game was later in the day and on the road, so the Sharks had a small edge in the fatigue department. Milan Lucic was out due to a one game suspension, Jordan Nolan was in. Backup goaltender Jhonas Enroth was in net, possibly due to the back-to-back situation, possibly due to his excellent record against the Sharks. Sharks head coach Pete DeBoer opted to put Martin Jones in, though he had also played the day before.

The first few minutes of the game were harrowing for Sharks fans, as the Kings took shot after shot, only to be stopped by the post. In those first three minutes, the Kings led in shots by 4-1, but a comparison of zone time was even more lop-sided in the Kings’ favor. The Sharks had a couple of one-and-dones while the Kings took their time hammering away in the Sharks’ zone. Past the ten minute mark, the Sharks had spent a little more time in the offensive zone but the shot count still favored the Kings at 7-2.

Just before the 12 minute mark, the Sharks were short-handed as Brenden Dillon went to the box for high-sticking. Compared to their even strength play, the Sharks looked very efficient on the penalty kill, and the Kings chose to dump the puck in instead of carrying it over the line. It was an interesting choice, since Los Angeles opted to carry the puck in five on five.

The Sharks’ first power play came in the final minutes of the first period, with 2:46 remaining. Brayden McNabb went to the box for interference on Melker Karlsson. While the Sharks did not add many shots, their power play was better than it has been lately. They held the zone better and seemed to be adhering to a plan.

The Sharks were back on the penalty kill early in the second period. This time it was Joe Thornton in the box for tripping. The Sharks handled the kill thriftily. The penalty killers had just cleared the puck down the ice as the penalty expired, and Thornton exited the box at full speed. He chased the puck down in the Kings’ zone with Joe Pavelski and Thomas Hertl closing behind. Thornton passed the puck to Hertl in the slot, and Hertl sent it to Pavelski who was on the left side with an open net. He buried it just 14 seconds after the penalty ended. Assists went to Hertl and Thornton.

By the midpoint of the period, the shots were 15-11 Kings, thanks in part to a Sharks power play at 9:04. the Sharks followed that power play up with several good long stays in the offensive zone, closing the gap in shots and keeping the Kings on their heels.

With 3:13 left in the second, Chris Terney was tripped by Brayden McNabb along the boards. McNabb went to the box and Tierney went to the room. The power play did not produce, but the final seconds of the period featured an excellent set of saves by Martin Jones as the Kings attacked. Jones stopped two quick shots from Jeff Carter to keep the Sharks in the lead.

At the end of the second period, the shots were 20-18 Kings, the score still 1-0 Sharks.

The Sharks overtook the Kings in shots before the five minute mark of the third. The Sharks offense was surging and the Kings looked disjointed. At 5:25, the Kings caught a break in the form of roughing penalty to Mike Brown. The Kings took the opportunity for all it was worth and, 1:01 into the penalty, a Drew Doughty shot tied the game. Assists went to Jake Muzzin and Anze Kopitar. It was the Kings’ second shot on that power play.

The Sharks repaired the damage but it took them a little over five minutes. Joonas Donskoi won a puck battle behind the net and made a quick pass up to Couture in the left faceoff circle. Couture’s one-timer blew by Kings goaltender Jhonas Enroth for the second Sharks lead of the game.

The next power play went to the Sharks, with Drew Doughty in the box for slashing. The power play was not going very well, and then 1:11 in, Donskoi was called for interference. The Kings found some energy in the short power play but could not score. The Sharks responded with a very good push and seemed to have the game completely in hand but in the final seconds, the Kings pulled Enroth and scored through a flurry of activity at the Sharks net. The goal was Vincent LeCavalier’s, with assists to Tanner Pearson and Dustin Brown. The time of the goal was 19:47.

Overtime, like the third period, seemed dominated by the Sharks. But the one shot that the Kings had was the game winner. Marian Gaborik escaped his zone, noticed too late by Donskoi. His shot from near the goal line beat Jones at 4:06. An assist went to Tyler Toffoli.

The Sharks next play on Tuesday at 7:00 PT against the visiting Colorado Avalanche.

Sharks Win 4-3 Over Wild

Published on by M WalshLeave a comment

By Mary Walsh

AP Photo: San Jose Sharks Joonas Donskoi is congratulated by the conga line after scoring in the second period of Saturday’s game

SAN JOSE– The San Jose Sharks defeated the Minnesota Wild by a score of 4-3 Saturday. Joe Pavelski scored the game winner with less than 90 seconds remaining in overtime. It was his 23rd of the season. Tomas Hertl scored his ninth, Joonas Donskoi scored his seventh, and Joel Ward scored his 23rd of the season. Joe Thornton earned his 930th career assist, putting him in 16th place on the NHL’s all time assists leaders.

With Saturday’s win, Sharks have earned points in eight of their last ten games, winning seven of those. They have won five of their last eight home games. The Sharks may have put their home ice woes behind them. The team’s confidence and optimism have returned. After Saturday’s win, Joe Pavelski said:

Felt really good. I like these day games. I think we had the energy right away, the fans were there. It’s exciting to play like that and the guys responded well in the first. I know we came in down 2-1 but it felt like we get that early goal and the energy’s there and we’re all over them we just didn’t find that next one. We let them back in but the guys stuck with it.

The Sharks wasted no time going after the first goal. Tomas Hertl took the puck to the net and tried once with a backhand, then got the puck back and took it around behind the net. Joe Thornton caught the puck in the corner and sent it in front of the net for Joe Pavelski, whose deflection went wide. Hertl got the puck again and put it in the net with a couple of whacks. Assists went to Pavelski and Thornton at 1:33.

The Sharks also took the first penalty of the game, a minor to Melker Karlsson for closing his hand on the puck at 11:24 of the first. The Wild power play started well, and by rights should have scored early, but a bounce here and there kept the puck just out of the net. Sharks goaltender Martin Jones also kept it out.

It was after the power play expired that Chris Porter tied the game, with a quick shot off of an offensive zone faceoff. A pass across the slot had Jones moving left to right but not fast enough to stop Porter’s shot. Assists went to Marco Scandella and Erik Haula at 13:00.

Joel Ward went to the the box in the final two minutes of the first, for tripping. The Wild scored in the final 30 second of the penalty, after a mad scramble to get a puck that Jones had slowed down but not controlled. Pete DeBoer challenged the goal on the basis of goaltender interference. In the scramble at the crease, the Wild player’s stick knocked Jones’ stick loose, but Jones brought his stick around behind and put it over the Wild stick, not the other way around. The goal stood up and the Sharks lost their timeout. The power play goal was Charlie Coyle’s, with assists to Niederreiter and Jared Spurgeon.

At the end of the first, the score was 2-1 Minnesota and the shots were 10-9 Minnesota.

Chris Tierney drew a tripping penalty on Marco Scandella at 8:39 of the period. The trip spoke to Tierney’s persistence in the Minnesota zone as he and the fourth line made life difficult for the Minnesota defense. The Sharks could not convert on the power play but they had another chance just a few seconds after that one expired. Jared Spurgeon went to the box for hooking Logan Couture. As in the prior power play, the Sharks had a difficult time finding good shots. The Wild penalty killers read the Sharks skaters well and efficiently blocked shooting and passing lanes.

Midway through this power play, Tomas Hertl went to the bench after being struck in the back of the neck by a Brent Burns shot. After the game, he commented that he was “just a little bit sore, and maybe if he hit harder I may be in hospital now because he has really hard shot and I’m okay.”

After Hertl went to the bench, the second power play unit came out and with a couple of passes found that chance the first unit had been missing. A pass from Joel Ward reached Donskoi near the left goal line. Donskoi’s one-timer went through a small hole between Kuemper and the post to tie the game. Assists went to Ward and Pavelski.

Many of those same players were on the ice again when the Sharks skated in later at even strength, outnumbering the Wild. Couture carried the puck up the middle, passed it to Donskoi who just missed to the right of the net. His shot went of the back boards and into Couture’s skates in the corner. Couture sent it back above the goal line, where Joel Ward caught it and put it in the net. Assists went to Couture and Donskoi.

At the end of the second, the score was 3-2 Sharks and the shots were 23-18 Sharks.

The third with a hooking penalty to Joe Thornton just 23 seconds in. The Sharks killed the penalty off, and Chris Tierney even led a short-handed rush but the score remained the same.

With 7:50 left in the third, the Wild tied it up on a goal from Jarret Stoll. Jonas Brodin took a shot from high in the slot, which Jones stopped, but Stoll picked up the rebound while fighting off Brent Burns right in front of the blue paint.

The game was starting to look like overtime with the score tied late. With 1:23 left in the period, Joe Thornton won an offensive zone faceoff and Joe Pavelski picked up the puck behind him. He took a couple of strides to the middle and shot it past Kuemper for the lead.

The Sharks next play on Sunday at 7:00 PT against the visiting Los Angeles Kings.

Sharks dominate play in win over Coyotes

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By DANIEL DULLUM
Sports Radio Service
Thursday, January 21, 2016

photo credit: zimbio.com  San Jose’s Tommy Wingels who scored two goals against Arizona Thursday night

GLENDALE, Arizona – The shots on goal for each team reflect a much closer game between San Jose and Arizona than the 3-1 verdict enjoyed by the visiting Sharks Thursday.

San Jose outshot the Coyotes 24-23, but dominated play most of the evening in a building that usually gives them problems.

“We’ve been a good road team all year, and I was comfortable that we would show up here and play a good game,” Sharks Coach Peter DeBoer said. “It’s nice when you win on the road, because this isn’t an easy place to play and the Coyotes have a very good team.”

The win snapped a tie for second place in the NHL Pacific Division between San Jose (24-18-3, 51 points) and Coyotes (22-19-5, 49 points) in the first meeting this season between the two clubs. The Sharks have won six of their last seven games, while Arizona is on a four-game losing skid and tumbled to fourth place in the Pacific.

“We needed these two points,” DeBoer said. “You look around the league and everybody seems to be winning games, so it’s important to hold serve, so to speak.”

For most of the first two periods, the Coyotes had trouble moving the puck out of their own zone, and San Jose capitalized with two goals by Tommy Wingels and Chris Tierney in the first period.

“I think we were trying to be above them all night, and we were pretty tight on them,” Tierney, recalled from AHL San Jose on Jan. 8, said. “We tried to eliminate their speed, go for the puck rink-wide, and that worked for us.”

“It was good to come in on the road and get two goals early,” Wingels said. “When you go up by two goals, it’s tough to come back from that, so we were happy with that.”

Wingels, recalled from AHL San Jose on Jan. 8, opened the scoring at 6:23 of the first period with his fourth goal. While he was spun around in the high slot, Wingels, with his back to the net, gloved the puck and sent a blind, low shot past Coyotes goaltender Louis Domingue off a deflected pass from Justin Braun.

“I just tried to get a puck on the net as quickly as I could,” Wingels said. “Sometimes, they’re going to be really pretty, sometimes not. Sometimes, you get lucky. I couldn’t tell if it was tipped, or if there was a screen, but we’ll take those goals any way we can.”

A scrum in front of the Coyotes’ net provided San Jose with its second goal. Tierney found a low opening on Doningue’s glove side on a shot deflected off Coyotes defenders Boyd Gordon and Nicklas Grossman. San Jose’s Melker Karlsson was knocked off balance in the crease, but the puck crossed the goal line before the net was bumped off it moorings. Braun had the primary assist at 9:56 of the first period.

“After I came back up, I just wanted to re-start, have a fresh mindset, come in to work every day,” Tierney said. “I got a lot of ice time down there (in the AHL), and hopefully I can score a lot more now.”

Though games between San Jose and Arizona tend to be physical affairs, the first penalty of the game didn’t come until the Sharks’ Joe Ward was whistled for high sticking at 1:47 of the third period. The Coyotes, scoreless in their last 11 power-play opportunities, failed to capitalize.

Arizona battled back and cut the Sharks’ lead to 2-1 at 11:24 of the third period when Brad Richardson converted his own rebound off his initial shot on a feed from Shane Doan. Richardson’s backhander in the slot beat San Jose goaltender Martin Jones to the stick side.

After Domingue was pulled in favor of a sixth attacker, Patrick Marleau popped in an empty netter with :52 remaining in the game for his 15th goal of the season, accounting for the final margin.

“It was a good group effort tonight,” Wingels said. “We got contributions from all of the lines, and we can feel good about ourselves.”

Even with a Pacific Division rival in town, attendance at Gila River Arena was 12,251 – many of them donning Sharks teal attire, including the San Jose dads making their annual road trip with their sons,

Doan was honored before the game with a brief ceremony recognizing his franchise-leading 380 career goals. He’s the last remaining Coyote who played with the team in Winnipeg before the original Jets moved to the Valley in 1996.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa Walsh: Despite shootout loss on Monday Sharks show a lot of improvement on home ice

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On the Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa Walsh the San Jose Sharks ended their win streak on Monday night dropping an overtime shootout loss to the Ottawa Senators. The Sharks during their win streak had shown improvement in the power kill and we cover the other points of improvement on the podcast.

The Sharks goaltender Alex Stalock was battling position on Monday night first Stalock left the net to go after a loose puck but it got picked up by the Senators Max McCormick who took it and scored. Then Stalock saw the Senators Bobby Ryan score on him at 5:40 of the second period to double the Sens pleasure. Later the Sharks Tomas Hertl whose been on a tear with eight goals. Added one to his collection as he took a pass from Joe Thornton and redirected for a score.

photo credit: pinterest.com San Jose Sharks goaltender Alex Stalock who worked in goal on Monday night

The Sharks lost it 4-3 in the shootout but were competitive on their home ice which they were looking for.

 

NHL Podcast with Joe Lami: Nashville gets set to host NHL All-Star game; Candiens lost without goalie Price; Sens Hoffman injured had to leave game in SJ

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On the NHL podcast with Joe Lami the NHL All-Star is being hosted in Nashville and Joe goes over why Nashville is one of the most preferred cities to visit by NHL teams and why the city is so successful and in getting awarded the All-Star game.

The Montreal Canadiens need to be back on track real soon as they’ve lost four their last five games and without All-Star goalie Carey Price whose absence has effected the team. Joe discusses when Price should be back and how it’s effected the team on the ice and in the dressing room.

The Ottawa Sentators forward Mike Hoffman was injured in the second period in Monday night’s game in San Jose. Hoffman at 5:40 of the second period collided with Sharks goaltender Alex Stalock, Hoffman’s momentum drew him into the goal post and Hoffman lost his helmet in the collision and had to leave the game.

Joe Lami take a look at the NHL headline each week listen to the podcast below.

photo credit: Nashville Predators–2016 NHL All-Star logo

 

Sharks winning streak ends at five

Published on by Ivan MakarovLeave a comment

by Ivan Makarov

photo credit: Ottawa Citizen smartphone app–Sens were protecting in front of their net to help narrow their game against the Sharks

SAN JOSE, CA — Coming into the game on a five game winning streak, Sharks looked to continue building on all good things they have been doing lately. But the streak came to an end when it was visiting Ottawa Senators that skated away with a 4-3 victory in the end, with the game ending in a shoot out.

The game went back and forth between two teams, so it was only logical that it ended how it did.

The visiting team scored the first goal in the game in the second half of the first period. The puck was dumped into Sharks zone and was rolling towards the goal off the boards. Sharks’ net minder Alex Stalock left his net to intercept it but miscalculated the distance and Ottawa’s Max McCormick beat him to it and put the puck past Stalock.

The Senators doubled their lead at the start of the second period when Bobby Ryan scored a power play goal, catching Stalock out of position on the play and having his closest corner of the net wide open.

Sharks responded right back on the very next shift when Tomas Hertl scored his eighth goal of the season redirecting a pass in front of the net which came from the corner from Joe Thornton.

The tying goal came at the start of the third period when Logan Couture scored on a great individual effort inside the Senators zone when he picked up what looked like a loose puck, paused and shot it over two defensemen and into the net, making it 2-2.

Sharks took their first lead in the game half way through the third period and that goal was a beauty.

This time it was Matt Nieto who got himself on the scoreboard. Joonas Donskoi broke through a couple of players with a nifty move, and passed the puck to Nieto who was skating towards the net with full speed. Neito got a hold of it, and put it above Anderson’s pads right as he was falling down, scoring his sixth goal of the season.

With seven minutes to go in the game, Sharks were awarded their first power play of the game. This could have been the time when they put the game away, but instead they let the Senators come back. Zack Smith stole the puck in the neutral zone and took away on a breakaway. Brent Burns tried to catch him but couldn’t and his stick tripped Smith right in front the net, giving the Senators a penalty shot. Smith did not miss on his try – although not without controversy and video review that followed, as he seemed to have stopped right before taking a shot. But the puck kept moving, so it was ruled a good goal.

The game went into overtime. Sharks had the best chances during 3-on-3 format, but got an even better oportunity when Bobby Ryan tripped Brent Burns behind Anderson’s net, giving the Sharks 4-on-3 power play for the last two minutes of the overtime. Sharks controlled the puck, but could not find an opening in Anderson’s net, with Ottawa also playing good defense and clearing the puck several times, and not allowing the Sharks to move too much.

The shoot out did not go in Sharks favor, with Joe Pavelski, Joonas Donskoi and Logan Couture failing to score on their chances, while Mika Zebanejad scoring the game winning shot for the Senators.

While it was not the two points the Sharks were hoping for in this game, they played well enough to earn them, and the loss of a single point should not affect their confidence too much going into their next game when they face Arizona Coyotes in Arizona on Thursday.

Sharks Beat Stars 4-3, Home Win Streak at 3

Published on by M WalshLeave a comment

By Mary Walsh

photo credit: San Jose Sharks facebook page: Sharks Tomas Hertl scores and celebrates the game winner over the Dallas Stars on Saturday

SAN JOSE- The San Jose Sharks defeated the Dallas Stars 4-3 Saturday, in overtime. The Sharks finally came back to win after giving up the first goal, on home ice. The Sharks’ record when giving up the first goal on home ice was 0-18-1 going into Saturday’s game. The Sharks now have a three-game winning streak on home ice. It is possible that the 2015-16 Sharks have found their groove at last. Their power play got perfect results, as did their penalty kill.

Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic scored two goals Saturday, while Tomas Hertl scored the overtime game winner and Chris Tierney gave the team its first lead by scoring a power play goal in the second period. The Sharks’ two power play goals broke another recent pattern of icing a feeble power play. Joe Thornton earned his 926th assist, tying him with Stan Mikita for 17th place on the NHL’s all-time assists list.

The Sharks and the Stars played an almost perfectly balanced game. In shots, faceoffs, blocked shots, and goals, the Sharks and the Stars stayed neck and neck from start to finish. The teams traded one-goal leads, their shot counts were very close, and where one led in the second period, the other team led in the third. the Sharks led in hits and takeaways, but

The game started with plenty of offense. The teams stayed neck and neck on the shot clock until past the eleven minute mark, when an unfortunate bounce gave the Stars that critical shot: the first goal. Dylan DeMelo was trying to clear the puck out along the boards but instead it bounced out into the slot, where Ales Hemsky waited to put it past Martin Jones. Assists went to Mattias Janmark and Antoine Roussel. It was Dallas’ tenth shot of the game, where the Sharks had nine.

With 3:19 left in the first, the Sharks took the first penalty of the game, a goaltender interference call to Joonas Donskoi. It was an odd incident. Donskoi lost his balance just enough so that the lightest push from a Dallas defender caused him to fall over Antti Niemi. The Sharks killed it off, and by the end of the period the teams were still close in shots, with the Sharks leading 15-13. Many of those shots went off the post, on good chances, but the score was still 1-0 Dallas.

The teams started the second with the same energy as they started the first, keeping the goalies busy and everyone’s feet moving. It was on the Sharks’ 17th shot of the game that Marc-Edouard Vlasic scored on a nice rush from Tomas Hertl and Joe Thornton. Hertl caught up to the puck just as it came into the Dallas zone, protect the puck long enough to find Thornton on his way to the slot. Instead of taking a shot, Thornton made a pass to Vlasic, who was coming down the left side. Vlasic wasted no time as the puck came to him and put it under Niemi’s left pad. It was Vlasic’s sixth goal of the season, with assists to Thornton and Hertl.

Near the midpoint of the game, Alex Goligoski was called for interference on Tomas Hertl, giving the Sharks their first power play of the game. The power play was as anemic as it has been lately, including one very confident pass to an empty corner. Seconds before the penalty expired, Matt Nieto skated into the Stars zone, avoiding defenders with some nifty stick handling. He got the puck to Tommy Wingels, who handed it off to Chris Tierney. Tierney did not dawdle and put it over Niemi’s shoulder. It was Tierney’s of the season. Assists went to Wingels and Nieto.

The second period ended with the Sharks leading 2-1 and 30-21 in shots.

One of those leads evaporated in the first minute of the third period. 37 seconds into the period, Tyler Seguin caught the puck in his skates on a failed clear by the Sharks, then beat Martin Jones from the slot. Assist to Jamie Benn.

The Stars kept coming after that, and had the Sharks in such a fluster that they took a too many men on the ice penalty at 1:49. They killed the penalty off, despite a pretty well-orchestrated power play from Dallas. Martin Jones was especially sharp.

The Sharks took another lead at 7:51 of the period. Jamie Benn went to the box for interference on Joe Pavelski. Vlasic, on the second power play unit, put the puck over Niemi’s arm during the second minute of the penalty. Assists went to Dylan DeMelo and Joonas Donskoi.

The goal was challenged by Stars coach Lindy Ruff, for a missed offside call. The goal stood up and 12 seconds after the announcement, Jason Spezza tied it back up with a spin-o-rama off a pass from Jamie Benn. Assists went to Benn and Seguin.

The teams continued tied up until overtime, when the Sharks’ second three-man unit ended the game. Overtime was probably the only time in the game when one team dominated the other, but it only lasted one minute and 12 seconds, so perhaps it did not break pattern. The goal came after Vlasic made a try for a hat trick, shooting into Niemi’s pads from near the goal line. The shot was well-timed and placed, because he was able to collect his own rebound and take it around behind the net for another try. But it was not to be, as Tomas Hertl scored the game-winner, bringing an end to the “score first or lose” home ice curse that has haunted the Sharks since the start of the season. Assists went to Vlasic and Logan Couture.

The Sharks will finish this home stand on Monday, against the visiting Ottawa Senators at 7:30 PT.

Donskoi’s Deke Spoils SAP Homecoming for McLellan, Oilers

Published on by Matthew HarringtonLeave a comment

By Matthew T.F. Harrington

AP photo: The Sharks Joonas Donskoi tries to get one past Oilers goalie Cam Talbot in the first period

SAN JOSE, Calif. – Former San Jose Sharks Todd McLellan made it difficult for his former charges Thursday night in his first trip to the Shark Tank at the helm of the Edmonton Oilers. McLellan’s youthful Oilers gave his replacement Peter DeBoer and San Jose all they could handle, but the Sharks (22-18-2) pulled out the 2-1 shootout victory to extend their win-streak to 4 games after playing their first home game into overtime on the year

“It’s been a long time,” said DeBoer on his team’s regulation streak at home. “I can’t believe we’re halfway through the season and it’s the first time we’ve had one.”

After leading San Jose to 311 wins from 2008-15, McLellan was familiar with the majority of the Sharks roster, but it was a pair of players not as his disposal during his tenure in Silicon Valley that made an impact in the upheaval of the Oilers (17-23-4).

Offseason trade acquisition Martin Jones made 24 saves in regulation for the Sharks, then managed to stop the potent duo of Jordan Eberle and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins in the skills competition for his 19th win of the year. Joonas Donskoi scored the deciding goal in the shootout on a masterful deke of an otherwise solid Oilers goalie Cam Talbot.

“It was an up-and-down game,” said DeBoer on the game’s pace. “Goaltending was excellent at both ends. It was a great hockey game.”

Donskoi, a known commodity to European Hockey aficionados and Youtube browsers, remains a mystery to North American scouts and coaches. Thursday was his first attempt at a shootout, and it produced a dandy.

“It was a no-brainer to throw him out there,” said DeBoer. “You don’t know how guys are going to react to the pressure but he delivered.”

The Finnish import forced Talbot to his right after pulling the puck to his backhand then transferred it back to his forehand in the blink of an eye to deposit it in the 72×48-inch vacancy.

“He’s got a few moves,” said Captain Joe Pavelski. “They can’t just be prepared for that one. It’s a situation he’s very strong at.”

“He’s got some nice hands on him to say the least,” added Sharks forward Joe Thornton.”

San Jose outshot the Oilers 37-25, but could only solve Talbot once in regulation, then had all 4 shots turned aside in sudden death overtime. Pavelski also scored in the first round of the shootout to help extend Team Teal’s winning ways after playing a quartet of contests in just 6 days.

“It hasn’t been too bad,” said Jones. “We’ve taken advantage of some days off and gotten ready to play for games. Everybody goes through the same thing.”

The Sharks all but guaranteed two points by hitting the score sheet first 11:29 into the game on a Marc-Edouard Vlasic goal. They entered play Thursday night 17-2 when scoring first, while Edmonton was just 4-15-2 when after going down 1-0.

Center Joe Thornton initiated the play after he flipped a puck on his backhand from the Sharks defensive end up to the neutral zone. From there, a waiting Melker Karlsson corralled the puck before tapping it to a rushing Vlasic. Vlasic slid into the slot to Talbot’s right and ripped a wrist shot over the netminder’s blocker for his 5th goal of the season.

“We had a day off yesterday, we have a day off tomorrow,” said Vlasic. “You get your rest and keep your energy for the game. We want to play tight defensively, but if the chance is there to join the rush, join the rush.”

Vlasic nearly netted his second of the game 8 minutes into the 2nd period, but the exchange would result in a 1-1 tie instead of a 2-0 lead. Vlasic’s shot at a gaping net on a one-timer missed the mark, allowing Oilers defenseman Justin Schultz to shovel the puck to a pair of rushing Edmonton forwards with a lone Sharks defenseman playing back.

The puck was slowed in linesman Trent Knorr’s skate, but Lauri Korpikoski still managed to pick the puck up for a 2-on-1 chance. Korpikoski managed to slide the puck just under Justin Braun’s stick to connect with Nail Yakupov. The top pick in the 2012 Entry Level Draft converted for just his 3rd goal of the year amidst a campaign marred by struggles.

“It was an unlucky bounce,” said Pavelski. “It was nice to see the guys keep working. We didn’t let them beat us.”

The Sharks get to continue to build momentum at home, a place where they’ve struggled this season to a 7-12-0 record. They welcome the Dallas Stars to town Saturday night then host the Ottawa Senators Monday evening.

“You just understand how hard it is,” said Pavelski of playing at home in the NHL for any team. “Teams are good on the road. We know what we can do on the road, so we have to expect teams to do the same.”

The Sharks feel like they are finally hitting stride with a relatively healthy roster. It appears Logan Couture may finally be fully back after peppering Talbot with 11 shots on goal Thursday. His presence has allowed for comfortability amongst the San Jose forward lines.

“I think it’s no secret that as Couture comes back and starts to get back to a good place,” said DeBoer. “When he does, our game starts to come around again.”

“It helps being healthy,” added Jones. “The last 6, 7 games, even ones we didn’t win, I thought we were taking steps in the right direction. We’re starting to get some results now.”

NHL podcast with Joe Lami: Another Hockey Night in Canada this time in sub 20 Winnipeg for Sharks

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by Joe Lami

photo credit: flickr.com outdoor hockey in downtown Winnipeg where temps are in the minus 20s

The San Jose Sharks are coming off back to back wins against Toronto and Calgary. They play in Winnipeg tonight and  it’s cold as hell in Winnipeg it’s minus 20 for tonight’s game at the MTS Center. It should be an interesting game you look at the Sharks and how they played that game against Toronto.

That 7-0 win at SAP Center over the Leafs helps out their confidence. The Leafs were coming off their third game in four days and they already played the Kings and the Ducks in LA and Anaheim then they came into San Jose on Saturday and get blown out by the Sharks.

Then on Monday night the Sharks in Calgary had almost gave up the game in the second period where they had a horrible penalty kill and then they Sharks were able to retake the game in the third period. That’s what really was the most impressive from the game last night.

Joe Lami does the NHL podcast each week for http://www.sportsradioservice.com take a listen below