Category: NHL

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa Walsh: At 4-10-2 and with the bad taste of home cooking Sharks trying anything to shake the bug-a-boo

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On the podcast with Mary Lisa the San Jose Sharks penalty killing is hurting the team as they were down by a goal 3-2 going into the third period of Monday night’s game and melted down when the Colorado Avalanche poured it on with three goals to win it 6-3.

The Sharks woes continue at home as they are 4-10-2 with the worst home record in the NHL and are looking to improve the record as they have four more home games left starting with Philadelphia Wednesday night followed by Winnipeg, Detroit, and Toronto.

As far as head coach Peter DeBoer is concerned the team is trying everything they can to win games, in the Sharks dressing room they have mural paintings of the team action and players, pictures of different players, quotes and quotations of players and motivational speakers anything to try and snap the Sharks out of this home loss funk.

photo credit: AP Colorado’s Calvin Pickard stops shot of San Jose’s Tommy Wingels in Monday’s game at SAP Center

Mary Lisa covers the SJ Sharks and does the Sharks podcast each week right here at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Poor Penalty Killing Slays Sharks in 6-3 Loss to Avs

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By Matthew T.F. Harrington

photo credit: zimbio.com Colorado Avalanche vs. SJ Sharks

SAN JOSE, Calif. – The San Jose Sharks must have wished they were anywhere but home for the Holidays this year. After teams took a few days off for the Christmas break, the Sharks woes at the SAP Center continued Monday night in a penalty-filled 6-3 loss to the Colorado Avalanche. San Jose (17-16-2) is now 13-6-2 on the road but a dismal 4-10-0 within the Santa Clara County borders.

“It was the penalties,” said Sharks coach Pete DeBoer. “But also everything ended up in the back of our net.”

“Our penalty kill lacked an attention to detail,” added Sharks forward Tommy Wingels. “A couple days off will do that , but that’s not an excuse.”

The Colorado Avalanche (18-15-2) scored 4 of 6 goals on the power play, with forward Nate MacKinnon collecting a hat trick for the visitors from the Rocky Mountains. Carl Soderberg had a goal and two assists to join MacKinnon with three points. Patrick Marleau, Melker Karlsson and Tomas Hertl all scored for San Jose. Colorado netminder Calvin Picard made 35 saves for his first win of the season.

Colorado picked up its first goal of the night with Joe Thornton in the penalty box for a trip after killing off a Tomas Hertl infraction earlier in the period. MacKinnon took a perfect feed from Carl Soderberg and put the one-timer past Martin Jones for a 1-0 8:46 into the game. Before the goal San Jose had controlled most of the possession.

“When you’re taking hooking, tripping, holding penalties, you’re not moving your feet,” said DeBoer. “I liked our start. Our penalty kill took us out of the game”

The Sharks would again take control of the possession game and found the equalizer just 1:21 later in the period on a Joel Ward rush. Ward hit the trailing Marleau with a drop pass down the center lane that Marleau easily ripped over Pickard’s glove for his 14th goal of the season.

The Sharks found themselves down a man once again 24 seconds after their goal, but managed to kill off Brendan Dillon’s minor penalty. They wouldn’t be so lucky when Paul Martin was caught with a blatant hook to Jack Skille at the 13:31 mark for San Jose’s 4th penalty of the period.

Working into the slot 47 seconds into the power play, the Swedish Soderberg managed to position himself perfectly to tip a Francois Beauchemin shot past Jones for his 6th goal of the year. Soderberg’s strike, assisted by John Mitchell as well, put Colorado up 2-1.

The calls going against San Jose started to fall for them in the 2nd period. A Blake Comeau hook and a bench minor for too many men gave the Sharks their first two of three power plays of the game in the first 10 minutes of the frame. Despite peppering Pickard with shot after shot, they couldn’t find the equalizer. Instead it was Matt Duchene scoring on a no-look back-hander that gave the Avalanche a 3-1 edge with 8:41 left in the period.

After starting the game on the fourth line, Melker Karlsson earned his way up to the top line, joining Joe Pavelski on Joe Thornton’s wing. The European export lit the lamp for the 4th time this season after taking one of Thornton’s patented passes from behind the net, burying the shot glove-side at the 13:58 mark of the frame.

“Five on five we were really good,” said San Jose defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic. “We had a lot a of chances. Now we have to bear down on some of our chances.”

Before the Sharks could carry over the momentum of the goal and a 17-9 2nd period shot advantage, they found themselves facing another penalty kill in the 3rd. Despite boasting the 6th best penalty kill unit in the NHL, the Sharks showed why they ware 21st in the league on the PK at home. Blake Comeau blasted a shot past Jones for the 4-2 advantage 7:09 into the period with Brent Burns in the sin bin.

Hertl pulled San Jose within one after curling around the Avs net and fire a turnaround wrister that through Pickard’s pads under a minute later. Again though, penalties turned the tide for the Sharks.

“It’s the flow of the game,” said WIngels. “I thought we did some good things but ultimately when you take too many penalties, when your attention to detail slips on the penalty kill, you get burned.”

Just 16 seconds after the Sharks’ third goal, Tommy Wingels would get the gate for hooking Duchene. MacKinnon punished the Sharks for their 6th infraction of the game, roofing a cross-ice feed from Soderberg for his second goal of the game 8:44 into the third. He would add an empty net goal to complete the hat trick.

“You’re playing with fire any time you take that many penalties,” said DeBoer. “Obviously they had 4 power play goals. That was the difference of the game.”

When the Sharks welcome the Philadelphia Flyers to the SAP Center Wednesday they’ll be hoping to find what has eluded them so far at home this season.

“There’s no reason why you shouldn’t be dominant at home,” said Wingels. “Your schedule is the same. There’s no excuses. We’ve tried some things. We’ve got to change it up. Ultimately it’s a mindset of getting it done.”

“If we knew what was wrong, we’d fix it,” stated Vlasic. “We’ve got to do it soon before we drop down even more.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NHL podcast with Joe Lami: Habs and B’s get ready for Winter Classic; Canucks call up Cannata, Markstrom to start; Sharks need this game in LA

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On the NHL podcast with Joe the construction of the ice rink for the 2016 Winter Classic at Gillette Stadium on New Year’s day for the game between the Montreal Canadiens and the Boston Bruins.  A highly anticipated games by both teams and the fans in Boston.

Vancouver Canucks goalie Ryan Miller is suffering from a lower body injury which take him out of Tuesday night’s game in Tampa Bay at Amalie Arena. The Canucks have called up back up goalie John Cannata from AHL affiliate Utica. Cannata will back up starter Jacob Markstrom.

The Sharks who lost in their last game in Chicago last Sunday 4-3 get set to face the Los Angeles Kings at Staples Center on Tuesday night. The Sharks used a number of young players in the loss to the Blackhawks and might have a struggle with their rival the Kings Tuesday.

photo credit: barstoolsports.com Gillette Stadium site of the 2016 NHL Winter Classic Montreal vs. Boston

Joe Lami does the NHL podcast each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com click below to hear the podcast

 

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa Walsh: Sharks end road trip in LA then host two next week

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On the Sharks podcast Mary Lisa talks about the Sharks coming off a four game road trip which they split in the first two games winning in Montreal and Toronto. They then played in Ottawa and Chicago and lost those two games. In Chicago they played with mainly younger players and despite losing according to Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer they played much better then on Friday night.

On Sunday the Sharks had their big boppers out shooting at the net and four goal who scorers came through Joonas Dunskoi, Tommy Wingels, Joe Pavelski, and Marc Edouard Vlasic who scored his 200th point and played his 700th career game.

photo credit: jacklima@prohockeynews.com San Jose Sharks Marc Edouard-Vlasic

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

 

 

Sharks Earn “Good Point” in 4-3 Loss to Blackhawks

Published on by M WalshLeave a comment

By Mary Walsh

photo credit: nhl.com San Jose Sharks Marc Edouard-Vlasic

The San Jose Sharks fell 4-3 to the Chicago Blackhawks in overtime Sunday. It was the Sharks’ second loss in a row on this road trip, but it was a much better performance from the Sharks than we saw on Friday. Without several key players, the Sharks took the lead twice and hung in there against a formidable opponent. With this loss, the Sharks fell to 3-7-1 in their last 11 games against Chicago.

Sharks goals were scored by Joonas Donskoi, Tommy Wingels and Joe Pavelski. Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic scored his 200th career point in his 700th career game. Blackhawks goals came from Artem Anisimov, Patrick Kane, Andrew Shaw and the game winner was scored by Jonathan Toews. Chicago’s Corey Crawford made 33 saves on 36 shots.

After the game, Sharks captain Joe Pavelski said:

We gotta stay with it. We gotta stay with it ’cause we played a pretty good game. You know, it wasn’t good enough, that’s a good team over there and they find ways and we needed to find a way tonight and we didn’t.

Sharks head coach Pete DeBoer said:

That’s a good point for us, considering the circumstances. Coming in here, Karlsson went down just before the game, so we’re a little shorthanded. Played a lot of, you know, gave the young guys a lot of good minutes and they held up.

Of the team’s resilience after the second tying goal, he said: “We played a real solid game, I was real proud of our group and the effort top to bottom.”

The Sharks went into the game without forwards Joel Ward and Melker Karlsson. Joel Ward’s injury occurred in the final minute of Friday’s game in Ottawa, when Mark Borowiecky pushed him into the boards. Ward has historically been a very durable player, so for him to be injured bodes ill. After the game, DeBoer said that Karlsson had the flu.

Of Ward’s absence, Tommy Wingels said:

He’s a guy that plays big minutes for us, big situations, plays power play, penalty kill and a lot of five-on-five minutes. I think the guys did a good job of filling his minutes but we’ll see and we hope that he’s ready to go for the next game.

Still without Logan Couture, the team dressed seven defensemen after sending Barclay Goodrow back to the AHL Sunday. Just off of injured reserve, Ben Smith was in the lineup to face his old team. Dylan DeMelo was also dressed to fill out the bench, though the Sharks were still short one forward.

Of all the missing players, DeBoer said:

It’s not just Joel Ward. You know, Joel Ward’s a big missing piece, but when you add Couture and Karlsson to that, it’s a… you know… a second… first/second line for us that’s out of the lineup. It’s a big hole for us but I thought everybody stepped up and did a good job.

The Blackhawks were without forward Marian Hossa and had played the night before.

The Blackhawks took an early lead when Paul Martin lost the puck much too close to the Sharks net. Martin was hooked, causing him to bobble the puck instead of clearing it out of danger, but the officials did not agree. Really, Patrick Kane used his stick in such a way that had the hook on MArtin’s hands been missed, it could have beena tripping call since the stick that touched Martin’s hands was also between Martin’s legs, prying up one knee. The goal went to Artem Anisimov at 4:18.

Joonas Donskoi tied the game just over three minutes later, Patrick Marleau won a faceoff in the defensive zone, kicking the puck to Marc-Edouard Vlasic by the goal line. Vlasic tapped it to Justin Braun, who gave it right back as Vlasic went behind the net. Vlasic carried it around behind the net and sent a pass almost to the Chicago blue line, where Donskoi caught it for a breakaway. Donskoi escaped two pursuers and drew Chicago goaltender Corey Crawford out of position, then put the puck home to tie the game.

At 8:25 of the period, Mike Brown and Brandon Mashinter had a scrap. While they sat in the box, Andrew Shaw was called for interference, giving the Sharks the first power play of the game.

The first unit of Marleau, Pavelski, Hertl, Burns and Thornton did not have much luck, but the second unit of Donskoi, Wingels, Vlasic, Nieto and Marleau gave the Sharks a lead. A pass from Vlasic at the point got to Vlasic aboe the faceoff circle. Wingels sent a shot through traffic, including a good screen by Donskoi, right into the top corner. Assists went to Vlasic and Donskoi.

The lead did not last long. Under two minutes later, Duncan Keith took a shot from the Sharks’ blue line. Martin Jones stopped it, and then stopped another shot from Dennis Rasmussen. He could not stop Patrick Kane as he picked up the puck by the post and bounced it gently off of Jones’ back, into the net. The Sharks challenged the play as offside, but the goal held up and the Sharks lost their timeout. Assists went to Rasmussen and Keith.

The first ended with some minutes of back and forth, all chances being snuffed out early. Neither team managed to get very close to the other’s net.

About six minutes into the second period, Joonas Donskoi blocked a Duncan Keith slapshot with his right kneee and was slow to get up. He stayed on the ice, finally got to his feet and moments later blocked a Niklas Hjalmarsson shot with his left ankle. That got the puck out and he was finally able to get off the ice.

After that, Tomas Hertl took a shift in Donskoi’s spot on a line with Marleau and Nieto. Hertl turned up on various lines throughout the game, as the most-moving piece with only eleven forwards available.

With 5:15 left in the second, Paul Martin took a shot from the blue line, which Joe Thornton slowed down with a touch of his stick. The puck carried on towards the net, where Joe Pavelski stopped with his stick. This aloowed him to slide the puck around the goaltender for his seventh point on the road trip. Assists went to Joe Thornton and Paul Martin.

During the last 12 seconds of the period, Patrick Marleau was called for interference after he skated backwards into Corey Crawford.

The Sharks killed off the penalty, most of it in the third period. 2:15 into the third, Matt Nieto drew a holding the stick penalty. The Sharks did not convert on the power play, and had another chance at 4:35. Patrick Kane went to the box for high-sticking Vlasic, as he followed Vlasic into the corner.

Again, the Sharks did not score and just seconds after the power play expired, Andrew Shaw tied the game. After thwarting a three on one, the Sharks saw Shaw escape Paul Martin in the corner and then put the puck up over Jones’ shoulder.

The second half of the third period was so fast as to make overtime seem redundant. They went to the three-on-three session anyway, since no one scored in the mad scramble that was then end of regulation.

The overtime period was a good one. Where the first overtimes were helter-skelter, and some of the later ones have been too conservative, this one struck a nice balance of speed and defensive awareness. It was still a setting for unexpected situations, like the one that ended the game. The period saw several two-on-ones at both ends, until finally Matt Nieto was the one against Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews. Kane had just come on the ice as Toews crossed the blue line. The pair made two passes to get around Nieto and then Toews beat Jones on the far side.

Joe Pavelski led the Sharks in hits with 11. Patrick Marleau led in shots with 9. Martin Jones made 28 saves on 32 shots.

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

Sharks Fall to Senators 4-2

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By Mary Walsh

AP photo Sens Kyle Turis pushes the Sharks Marc Edouard-Vlasic during first period battle for the puck in Ottawa

The San Jose Sharks lost the third game in their current road trip, falling to the Ottawa Senators by a score of 4-2. As they had the night before in Toronto, the Sharks scored first and then gave up the lead. Unlike the Toronto game, they followed up on a weak second period with a worse third. The Sharks gave the swift Senators too many opportunities, odd-man rushes and power plays. That translated into four goals, three scored in the third period. Those goals were scored by Bobby Ryan, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Chris Wideman and Erik Karlsson. The Sharks’ goals came from Joe Thornton and Brent Burns.

The first period went by scoreless, with just two penalties called in the final five minutes. Both went against Ottawa, but their penalty kill kept the Sharks off the board. In their first power play, a hooking call against Kyle Turris, the Sharks recorded no shots. The closest they came was a Thornton shot that went off off Joel Ward in front of the net. The second power play carried over to the second period, the result of a tripping call against Mark Stone at 19:18. It is worth noting that the penalties were drawn by Joonas Donskoi and Melker Karlsson. After the first period, the Sharks had a slight lead in shots at 13-12.

Ottawa and San Jose both tend to win when they score first, so the first goal was eagerly anticipated, if misleading. It came 29 seconds into the middle frame, during the carry over penalty time. Though they lost the opening faceoff, the Sharks regained control quickly. The top power play unit established themselves in the offensive zone and a quick pass from Brent Burns near the right faceoff circle found Joe Thornton on the opposite side. Thornton’s shot was quick and went through the traffic cleanly into the net. Assists went to Brent Burns and Joe Pavelski.

Just over a minute later, Tomas Hertl was called from tripping, giving the Senators the first of three power plays in the second period, including a five on three. The Sharks killed the penalties but gave up an even strength goal at 4:46. Justin Braun caught a puck in the defensive zone and seemed to be trying to pass it off the boards to Marleau. Bobby Ryan was quicker to the puck than Marleau. He skated in and around Braun and then beat Stalock to tie the game.

It was a bad spot in Stalock’s game, which did have some bright spots. Near the end of the second period, Brent Burns had a puck jump by him on the Senators blue line, allowing Ottawa defenseman Dave Dziurzynski and forward Alex Chiasson to go the other way, with only Paul Martin in position to defend. Martin stayed with Dziurzynski but could not prevent his pass below the faceoff circle. Alex Stalock read the play perfectly and came to the top of his crease to reach out and block the pass with his stick. He caught the puck up and tapped it in the direction of Brent Burns, who by now had come back to help out. It was a good indication of alertness and confidence from a goaltender who has not played a lot of games this season.

The game remained tied through until 8:19 of the third period. After a shot by Diurzinsky went off of Stalock’s mask, Pageau picked up the rebound and put a shot through Stalock. Stalock sensed that it was behind him, and turned to try to catch it, but it got by. Assists went to Dziurzynski and Cody Ceci.

Stalock made a quick trip to the bench after, where heStalock got a new mask. Evidently the shot to the head did some damage to his armor.

The Sens stretched their lead with just over seven minutes left. Dennis Wideman took a shot from the blue line, while Chris Neil blocked Stalock’s view. Two Sharks and another Senator were also in the goaltender’s line of sight, so he probably did not see the shot at all as it flew by into the top corner. Assists went to Curtis Lazar and Shane Prince.

Ottawa added to the lead when some offensive zone action from the Sharks left the ice open for another two on one against, this time by Karlsson and Hoffman, with Brenden Dillon trying to defend. Hoffman drew Stalock to the right, then sent a pass around Dillon to Karlsson. 4-1 Senators. Assists went to Hoffman and Bobby Ryan.

With 2:24 left, Brent Burns got one back for the Sharks. Hertl, Goodrow and Wingels got the play started and Burns skated in to finish it up with a shot from in front of the net.

The Sharks had a 20 second power play when Mark Borowiecki was called for boarding Joel Ward. It was not long enough to make a difference.

Final score: 4-2 Senators.

Goalie Craig Anderson made 31 saves on 33 shots for the Senators. Alex Stalock made 31 saves on 35 shots for the Sharks.

Brent Burns led the team by a significant margin with seven shots on goal. Joel Ward had four hits and four shots. The Sharks were outshot by the Senators 35-33.

Some of the Sharks lines looked different Friday. Dainius Zubrus skated with Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski again, while Tomas Hertl skated with Barclay Goodrow and Tommy Wingels. Measuring by ice time, that second group made up Friday’s fourth line. Matt Nieto was promoted to the line with Marleau and Ward. As previously mentioned, Chris Tierney centered Melker Karlsson and Joonas Donskoi. Despite their stats in Friday’s game, that line looked pretty good. They drew penalties and showed promise as a unit.

The Sharks next play on Sunday in Chicago against the Blackhawks at 4:00 PT.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa Walsh: Couture out, was the $40 M well spent in off season; Sharks trying to fill holes

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On the SJ Sharks podcast in the last six games that the Sharks have lost Mary Lisa looks at what led up to reasons for this loss streak and can they turn it around at the start of this road trip. The Sharks in the off season spent $40 million to upgrade the team, critics asked when the payoff will be happening.

When the Sharks won six straight in November were they a different club and with the Sharks who have lost six straight what were the differences of that team in November as oppose to December. The Sharks Logan Couture after eight weeks from an October injury for a right fibula fracture he is scheduled to miss this entire five game road trip after having surgery from a bleeding artery in his right leg.

photo credit AP Sharks Logan Couture

Mary Lisa does the Sharks podcast each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com click below to listen to the podcast

NHL podcast with Joe Lami: Chicago and Pittsburgh make big trade; Ducks Thompson suspended for illegal head check; ex-Shark coach McClellan a winner in Edmonton

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On the NHL podcast with Joe how important was it for the Chicago Blackhawks to pick up defenseman Rod Scuderi sending defenseman Trevor Daley to Pittsburgh. Also the Anaheim Ducks Nate Thompson suspended for three games without pay for an illegal check on the head of the Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Justin Faulk. Thompson was hit for elbowing at 6:25 in the first period of that game.

The Edmonton Oilers are on a six game win streak and are the hottest team in the NHL with former San Jose Sharks head coach Todd McClellan standing behind the bench leading the way. The Oilers are getting help from goaltender Cam Talbot and Taylor Hall who leads the team in three categories on offense goals, assists and points.

Edmonton Journal photo of Edmonton head coach Todd McClellan

Listen to the latest on the NHL with Joe Lami click below at http://www.sportsradioservivce.com

 

Wild Hand Sharks Sixth Straight Loss

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By Mary Walsh

photo credit: espn991.com Minnesota Wild Zach Parise

SAN JOSE–The Sharks lost their sixth in a row to the Minnesota Wild on Saturday. Generally, the game was close, with the 2-0 score including an empty net goal during the final minute of play. The goals were scored by Zach Parise and Mikko Koivu. Minnesota goalie Darcy Kuemper made 25 saves in the shutout, while the Sharks’ Martin Jones played an excellent game too, making 28 saves on 29 shots.

As the Sharks attempted to end their losing streak, head coach Peter DeBoer mixed his forward lines, with more frequency than he has done this season. Every single line was different from the last game, and all but one line changed within the game. It did not change the result, as the Minnesota Wild handed the Sharks their straight loss.

Minnesota recorded their first shot almost five minutes into the first period. It was a good, clean shot from the faceoff circle that Jones gobbled up without any fuss. The Sharks had four shots by then, but they looked like a team working out new lines, which they were. During the first period, the forward lines were: Pavelski-Hertl-Marleau, Wingels-Thornton-Karlsson, Donskoi-Tierney-Ward, and Brown-Carpenter-Zubrus. Every single line had been changed since the loss in Edmonton.

The Sharks had a power ply at 9:35 of the period, when Mikael Granlund went to the box for holding. The power play did not accomplish much, as the Sharks could not stop turning the puck over in the neutral and offensive zones.

At 16:06, some negligence from the Sharks defense allowed Tomas Vanek to get out of the neutral zone with the puck, and make a break for the Sharks’ zone. Jones stopped the shot and kept the game in a scoreless tie. Jones had to make another, tougher save in the final two minutes on Mikko Koivu, who also had too much time to plan and take his shot.

As the period wound down, the shots were tied as well, and the Minnesota took the lead. It was not on the scoreboard but it was a symptom of a momentum shift. The Sharks did have a few moments of offensive zone time at the end of the period, but Minnesota seemed to be getting stronger while the Sharks idled.

The Sharks’ Patrick Marleau drew a tripping penalty early in the second period, a result of a much stronger start for the Sharks. Their power play looked a little more organized as well, with more passes connecting and a very good chance for Joe Pavelski in the slot.

Coach DeBoer mixed up the lines a bit in the second, moving Karlsson to the Tierney-Ward line, and Donskoi to the Thornton-Wingels line. The latter had one of the best chances of the period, when Wingels and Donskoi followed a Thornton shot to the net and caused a pile up in the paint that the officials had to untangle after the whistle.

At the end of the period, Thornton, Pavelski and Marleau made an appearance on the ice together, suggesting yet more line juggling from the coach.

With 1:45 left in the second, Mike Brown was called for boarding, giving the Wild their first power play of the game. During the penalty kill, Joel Ward blocked a shot and was a little slow to get up.

The Sharks trailed in shots by just one at the end of the second, with the score still 0-0.

To start the third, Thornton was on the ice with Wingels and Pavelski. Then Marleau, Donskoi and Karlsson came on as a line. Then Ward, Tierney and Hertl. Only the fourth line remained intact, as it had throughout the game. To the credit of that line, they had been very effective at gaining the zone and creating chances, just not enough so to score.

The Wild finally broke the tie, after Jones had already made several tough saves. Zach Parise was left wide open in front of the net. Donskoi was the only Shark skater in the vicinity and he was a little too slow to react. Assists went to Mikael Granlund and Jason Pominville.

An empty netter for Mikko Koivu put the game away, but not until the final minute.

The Sharks’ shot leader was Joonas Donskoi with four. The hits leader was Tommy Wingels with seven. Wingels also had three shots to go with those hits.

The Sharks made a number of roster moves before Saturday’s game. Marc-Edouard Vlasic returned to the lineup, but Logan Couture was out again, this time with a small arterial bleed in his upper leg. There is no new timetable for Couture’s return, but in a press release, Doug Wilson said: “At this time, there is no projected time frame for his return to the ice but we do not expect this to be a long-term recovery. Fortunately, this injury is completely unrelated to his previous ankle injury.”

Dylan DeMelo played as Brenden Dillon’s partner. Forward Ben Smith was assigned to the San Jose Barracuda on a conditioning assignment. Forward Ryan Carpenter was called up. Matt Tennyson and Matt Nieto were scratches.

One other note: the Shark head stayed in the rafters Saturday. The Sharks did not skate through it on their way onto the ice.

The Sharks next play on Tuesday, December 15, in Montreal at 4:30 PT.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa Walsh: Couture finally happy to be back looking for a great return with Sharks

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On the podcast with Mary Lisa the return of the Sharks Logan Couture after missing eight weeks of action due to a freak injury on October 13th during the morning skate in New Jersey he caught his skate in a divot and fractured his right fibula. Couture said he was dying to get back to seeing action and with Marc Edouard Vlasic out with an injury Couture’s timing to return couldn’t have come at a better time.

The Sharks who have lost three of their last four and will start a long road trip playing seven of their next eight including Tuesday night in Calgary. The Sharks have struggled after their last big road trip when they won six straight but came home and lost those three of four. With Couture back in the line up the Sharks have some confidence that they might have some strength to rely on with his line.

photo credit: bing images of SJ Sharks Logan Couture

Mary Lisa does the SJ Sharks podcast each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com click below to listen to the podcast