Category: NHL

Super Bowl LIX podcast with David Zizmor: Chiefs Mahomes can he get that threepeat?; Eagles will rely heavily on Barkley

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) will be slinging the football in Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans on Sun Feb 9, 2025 in his effort to get the Chiefs for their third Super Bowl win (AP News photo)

#1 Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has some amazing stats going into this Super Bowl for the 2024-25 regular season Mahomes was 3928 yards, 26 touchdowns, only 11 interceptions thrown. He’s no doubt been the back bone of the Chiefs efforts to get a third straight Super Bowl.

#2 Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley is noted to be the best running back for the 2024 season and has been the key player to help the Eagles get to the Super Bowl with 345 carries, 2005 yards, 13 touchdowns, and averaging 5.8 yards a carry.

#3 NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell during his press conference at the Super Bowl told the media that there is no favoritism toward the Kanas Chiefs by the officials.

David Zizmor is an NFL analyst for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Guenther Lights The Lamp At Overtime Buzzer For Utah HC 3-2 Home Victory Against Philadelphia

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Dylan Guenther scored a overtime game winner for the Utah Hockey Club against the Philadelphia Flyers at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Tue Feb 4, 2025 (Utah Hockley Club X photo)

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–Dylan Guenther made an immediate impact in his return to the lineup from injury with 2 goals and an assist including the overtime game winner with less than a second remaining on the clock.

Home ice has not been Utah Hockey Club’s friend for much of their inaugural season in Salt Lake City.  Coming into Tuesday night’s matchup with the Philadelphia Flyers, Utah’s home record was 8-12-6, so they hoped that the return of Dylan Guenther from injury would inject some energy into the team’s offense.  Entering the game, Guenther was tied for first in goals among NHL players 21 years old and under.

The Flyers quickly took the lead just two minutes into the first on a snap shot by Rodrigo Abols, his first NHL goal, assisted by Travis Sanheim.  Utah would put 13 shots on net in the frame, but Philadelphia goaltender Samuel Ersson stopped them all. 

Mikhail Sergachev evened the score at 3:32 of the 2nd period with his 10th goal, assisted by Guenther and Barrett Hayton.  Sergachev matched his career high for goals in a season, while Guenther registered his first point since January 2 at Calgary.  Less than a minute later, Tyson Foerster would tip in a shot by Sean Couturier to regain the lead for the Flyers.  Philadelphia seemed to make it 3-1 at 8:44 of the frame, but Utah successfully challenged for off sides, their third successful coaches challenge out of four attempts on the season.

At 8:40 of the 3rd period, Dylan Guenther scored his 17th goal, assisted by Barrett Hayton and Mikhail Sergachev, to even the score at 2 apiece.  At the end of 60 minutes, the score remained knotted up at 2.

With time expiring in overtime, Sergachev fed the puck to Guenther who drove to the net and fired the puck past Ersson with less than a second remaining on the clock to give Utah the home win as the fans erupted in cheers.  Both players factored into all 3 Utah goals on the night.  The Flyers challenged the game winner, hoping to negate it with an off side call, but Toronto confirmed a good goal and the locker room celebration was on. Utah registered 42 shots on goal, the most in the new franchise’s history.

First star of the game, Dylan Guenther, talked about his overtime goal.  “Just not a lot of time left. I was waiting for (Clayton Keller) to get off, and saw it go in and then I saw the clock was at zero, so it was just hoping that it got off in time and it did.” When asked about returning to the ice, the young forward said, “It feels good. I mean, it’s tough getting injured, and I’ve never really gone through that before, so it’s nice that the work that you put in paid off. Just have to keep it rolling here and try to get some more wins.” On the crowd reaction to the goal, Guenther beamed, “It was buzzing. The crowd was buzzing the whole game, even when they announced my name in the starting lineup. I think that feels really good as a player, and that makes you excited to play. It makes you excited to be here in Utah. The support of the crowd helps us win games. So it’s huge.”

Fan favorite Liam O’Brien, who dropped the gloves with Nicolas Deslauriers in the first for his 4th fighting major of the season, also addressed the media.  “I think there’s just so many different plays in a game that creates momentum, whether it’s a defensive play, drawing a penalty, big hit. Those are important plays. So I think we had a lot of those tonight throughout our whole team.” Asked about the fight, he said, “I try to fight at the right time. I felt like tonight was the right time. Sometimes you just want to get the energy going, and that’s what I tried to do tonight.”

Head coach André Tourigny was asked about the impact of Guenther’s return, but he was quick to credit the entire team.  “I think it was a team effort. We were happy about a lot of our games even if we didn’t get the result. We were not happy about our game against St. Louis. I loved the answer (tonight). Not just the score; obviously the score is huge (and) that’s what we’re playing for. But the intensity, the battle level, the number of battles we won, the way we reload, the way we went at the net, the drives to the net we had, I think everybody did their part.”  Talking about what the win does for momentum on the coming road trip heading into Four Nations, Tourigny said, “(Tonight’s win) was absolutely huge. We still very much believe. We don’t look at scores elsewhere, but we know Calgary lost. We know Vancouver is up by one after two. The point is…we know at this point we’ll need a bit of help (to make the playoffs). We didn’t take the straight line. But we can make it and we’ll fight for it. Now we’ll need to go on the road and have a helluva road trip.” Asked about what he told the team during the 30-second timeout near the end of overtime, Bear commented, “They were tired…That’s the only thing I wanted; I wanted to calm the pace a little bit and get a chance for (Mikhail Sergachev, Michael Kesselring and Dylan Guenther) to be at their best. There was 46 seconds left; there was no need to save the timeout for nothing. They were at the end of their gas tank. Just talking for 30 seconds was a welcome addition. Then (Kevin Stenlund) won the draw. That’s another thing; we had a really good overtime. We had a lot of possession, a lot of chances. It started with (Stenlund). He won every draw. You start with the puck 3-on-3, that helps a lot.”

Utah now hits the road for games against Columbus, Carolina, and Washington prior to the 4 Nations Faceoff break. Utah defensemen Olli Määttä and Juuso Välimäki will represent their native Finland in the tournament. The next game at Delta Center will take place January 23 against the Vancouver Canucks.

Sharks Let Another One Go Against the Habs 4-3

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Sharks players celebrate the tying goal over Montreal on Tuesday Feb 4 at SAP Center in San Jose (AP Photo)

As the rain pours heavily in the Bay, so does it for the Sharks in another Tuesday night action

A new month at the tank, and the San Jose Sharks could not get it done losing by a goal to the Montreal Canadiens 4-3 at SAP Center in San Jose on Tuesday night. The Sharks hosted the Montreal Canadiens, trying to start off the new month with a victory after a rather grey week for the team in teal following the horrible defeat in Seattle last week. The Sharks have been having recent activity with the departure of Grandlund and Ceci for Dallas, and now trying to find a win.

The Sharks started the game with a goal by Macklin Celebrini on a powerplay assisted by Tyler Toffoli, who would later also have his moment of glory, and William Eklund.

During the first 20 minutes it seemed that the path to a good night would be on the Sharks’ side.

In the second period, Montreal regained strength and its key character, Nick Suzuki, on a powerplay scored the first goal for the Habs who are also coming off a season full of setbacks in the Atlantic division.

That still wasn’t enough, Montreal made it 2-1 with a goal scored by Alex Newhook assisted by Dach and Carrier.

With that 2-1, the Sharks looked to recover before going to the second intermission, and that’s how they managed to tie it with a goal by Colin Graf to give some breath and life with a tie approaching the last 20 minutes of hockey.

For the third period, Montreal, like in the second period, was a different team and had a different dynamic and took the lead with a 3-2 goal scored by Brendan Gallagher.

Desperately, the Sharks team looked for ways to solve the problem. Tyler Toffoli solved it by tying the match again ten minutes before the end of the match.
Everything seemed to indicate that the match would go to overtime but things decided to take a different turn.

Joel Armia put the Canadiens ahead 4-3 on a powerplay and the night would end with that score, giving the Sharks another loss and again in a one-goal tie.

This Thursday, the Sharks will be hosting the Vancouver Canucks who are coming off a 3-0 win against Colorado.

Utah HC Sings The Blues in 2-1 Loss To St. Louis

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

St Louis Blues center Dylan Holloway (81) and Blues center Brayden Schenn (10) with Utah Hockey Club left win Matias Maccelli (63) battle for the puck at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Sun Feb 2, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–Utah had defeated St. Louis in each of the two previous matchups, but the Blues take Game 3 of the season series.

The St. Louis returned to the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Sunday night for their third encounter with the Utah Hockey Club this season. Utah prevailed 4-2 in each of the previous two games both at home and on the road.

Alexandre Texier got things going for the Blues at 17:41 of the first period with a wrist shot for his 4th goal of the season, assisted by Radek Faksa and Alexey Toropchenko.

Goaltenders Jordan Binnington and Connor Ingram both defended their nets in the second period to prevent further scoring.

At 3:27 of the third, Utah defenseman Michael Kesselring tied things up with his 6th goal of the season, assisted by Nick Bjugstand and Kevin Stenlund. Unfortunately for the home squad, Blues forward Jordan Kyrou regained the St. Louis lead at 7:13 of the frame with his 22nd goal of the season, assisted by Robert Thomas and Pavel Buchnevich. The 2-1 lead would hold up as the Blues broke out of a four-game losing streak while Utah went down to defeat for the fifth consecutive game, and 15 of the last 20.

After the game, Utah’s lone goal-scorer Michael Kesselring talked about his squad’s struggles. “It’s tough, we just got to get more pucks than that, and bodies and bang away. It’s a tough situation. We got to get out of those situations. … Obviously the break is coming up, but these are playoff games for us. We need to win, we need to push. I know we have some injuries, but there’s no excuses. Like I said, it’s the NHL, so we have to find a way here.” Talking about whether the team is getting frustrated, Kesselring responded, “Honestly, the mood is pretty good. Maybe tonight was (not) our best game, but I thought we were playing really well before this. So you have to get over it quick. Watch some video, make some adjustments, but we have to be ready to go next game.”

Defenseman Ian Cole talked about the problem with shot lanes. “They (St. Louis) did a good job. You know, they were coming back to the middle and, off their forecheck through the neutral zone, into their D zone. And then, you get the puck, look up all you really see are white jerseys. So they did a good job with it, so kudos to them. But that being said, we did get good chances when we got pucks down there, so we need to do that.” Cole agreed with Kesselring’s comments about every game at this stage being a playoff game for the team. “I think that’s an accurate assessment in terms of they are playoff games. We’re playing for our playoff lives right now. And (I) didn’t love our first, thought we responded better as the game went on, but again, kind of lost it. Lost it in the third a little bit.”

Head coach André Tourigny addressed his team’s difficulties at producing when pulling the goaltender for an extra attacker. “I think we’ve gotten better lately. I think early on, on 6-on-5, we gave up a lot of goals. We could not sustain a lot of possessions…I think we need to simplify at 6-on-5. … I think (sometimes) we were trying to make too good of a play. The middle was clogged; it’s really tough. Like I said, the last two or three (extra-attacker opportunities) we had shots, we had opportunities. We hit the crossbar today. We’re almost there.” The coach was asked about the importance of finishing strong in the final games leading up to the break for the 4 Nations Faceoff. “It’s super important. For us, we’re in a sprint. I talked before, it’s a race. Every step is important. It’s an extremely huge game for us (Tuesday) against Philly. We need the two points; we need to finish the homestand at least at .500, hit the road and have a helluva road trip before the break. There’s no doubt about it.”

Utah wraps up the four-game homestand on Tuesday with a 7:00pm tilt against the Philadelphia Flyers, after which they will hit the road for games against Columbus, Carolina, and Washington prior to the 4 Nations Faceoff break.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa: Sharks hope to catch struggling Habs for a win on Tuesday night

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

San Jose Sharks center Colin White (16) and goaltender Alexander Georgiev (40) eye the puck against the Seattle Kraken left wing Brandon Tanev (13) in the second period at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle on Thu Jan 30, 2025 (AP News photo)

On the San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa:

#1 Brandon Montour scored two of four of the Seattle Kraken second period goals and the Kraken picked up a convincing victory over the San Jose Sharks 6-2 at Climate Pledge Arena on Thursday night.

#2 For the Sharks Carl Grundstrom and Tyler Toffoli each scored and they were all the scoring that the Sharks would get all evening.

#3 The loss for the Sharks is their sixth in their last seven games. When you look at the loses piling up how much pressure how much work and how many drills during morning skates will head coach Ryan Warsofsky have to push to get the club in the win column.

#4 There was no doubt that when the Sharks dropped the puck against the Kraken they came into a buzz saw as the Kraken have now won 12 out of their last 13 games with at least four goals per game.

#5 The Sharks will try it all over again on Tuesday night against the Montreal Canadiens. The Habs have struggled they have lost four in a row and have not won in six of their last ten games. This could be the Sharks best chance to get back in the win column. The Sharks have lost eight of their last ten games.

Mary Lisa does the Sharks podcasts each Saturday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Utah HC Surrenders 2-0 Third Period Lead As Columbus Comes From Behind For 3-2 Overtime Victory

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

It’s the thrill of victory for the Columbus Blue Jackets as they celebrate Zach Werenski’s overtime goal to defeat the Utah Hockey Club at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Fri Jan 31, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–Utah goes 5-6-3 for January and closes out month on four game losing streak with overtime loss to the Blue Jackets.

The Utah Hockey Club welcomed the Columbus Blue Jackets to Delta Center on Friday night for the first of their two matchups this season.

Utah spent much of the opening frame putting maximum pressure on goaltender Danil Tarasov to no avail as he turned away all 13 shots. For his part, Karel Vejmelka stopped all 9 attempts from the Blue Jackets.

The second period began with Utah having just under a minute remaining of a power play resulting from Kent Johnson tripping Michael Carcone near the end of the first. Forward Nick Schmaltz was able to convert it 41 seconds into the period for his 11th goal of the season, assisted by Barrett Hayton and Clayton Keller. Vejmelka turned away another 6 shots during the frame, while Tarasov stopped 9 of 10.

A half minute into the third, Alexander Kerfoot put Utah up 2-0 with his 7th goal of the season, assisted by John Marino and Clayton Keller. Unfortunately for Utah, two goals is never a sufficient third period lead and Columbus would find the back of the net with goals by Kirill Marchenko and Kent Johnson to square things up and send the contest to overtime.

Barely a minute into the overtime period, Utah fans felt that sinking feeling once again as Zach Werenski completed the Blue Jackets comeback victory with his 17th of the season, assisted by Cole Sillinger, to send everyone scrambling to the exits.

Captain Clayton Keller was asked in the locker room about the pattern of third period letdowns. “I don’t know. I get some different bounces there on the one and kind of let them back in the game. 60 minutes, they’re going to have a push. I thought they pushed hard in the third and they made it harder on us. It’s frustrating, for sure. I think we’ve talked about it, we’ve had the right mindset. Just got to keep going, learn from it, having confidence, believe you can make the play in the third. So I think that’s next up. … [We]had a discussion just about our third period, and our mindset, and how we have to play for a full 60. I think it has been better, our attitude on the bench, just our third period in general. I think we’re definitely making strides and it’s hard to win in this league, and it’s hard to do it every night and that’s something we’re still figuring out.”

When asked if the team believes it can still make the playoffs, Keller responded, “Yeah, for sure. There’s never any doubt in this room. There’s a lot of games left in the season. We’ve gotten hot this year before and it takes a game or two and your confidence is at an all time high…you squeeze out some wins that maybe you shouldn’t. We just got to stay confident and keep going. Like I said, there’s a lot of games left and that’s when we have to play our best, is these last games.”

Head coach André Tourigny spoke about his team’s opportunities during the game. “I think it was 15 grade-A chances and 11 B. We had the puck a whole lot. There were really unfortunate stakes in the third period there, out of three scoring chances they scored twice. So it’s the second time in two games, a little bit of the same story. We played much better in the third, we had seven scoring chances against three. It’s tough to swallow.”

Next up on the homestand is a Sunday tilt against the St. Louis Blues at 5:00pm.

Utah HC Naming Notes: Immediately following Wednesday night’s first round of fan voting for the new team name, the Utah Hockey Club announced that it was withdrawing the proposed “Utah Wasatch” option and replacing it with Utah Outlaws. The team posted the announcement to their social media on Thursday: “Hey Utah hockey fans! We listened to your feedback and dug into all the Qualtrics data from last night’s survey. For the team name, it’s clear Outlaws should be in the mix instead of Wasatch, so we’re swapping it out. Surveys will continue at the arena Friday, Sunday and Tuesday for you to vote for the options Utah Mammoth, Utah Hockey Club and Utah Outlaws. Excited to see the votes roll in.”

At the arena, fans at the voting areas are required to hand over their mobile phones before receiving a tablet device to cast their votes in order to ensure that no one captures images from the voting. The opening display provides a brief background of each name and then fans are asked their initial preference. They are then shown the logo options and indicate their preference. The logos are then shown on various merchandise items, and the fans are asked on a scale of 1-10 if they would be inclined to purchase the merch. At the conclusion, having now seen all of the options, they are asked again which name with logo they prefer, after which they return the tablet device and retrieve their personal phones. Utah HC will know the outcome following next Tuesday night’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers, but the club is not expected to make any announcements in the near future.

NHL podcast with Len Shapiro: Jets Ford scores first NHL goal; Wild goalie Fleury shuts out Habs 4-0; plus more NHL news

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Winnipeg Jets center Vladislav Namestnkov (7) puts a backhanded shot in the net past the Boston Bruins goalie Joonas Korpisalo (70) in the first period at TD Garden in Boston on Thu Jan 30, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the NHL podcast with Len Shapiro:

#1 Winnipeg Jets Parker Ford who grew up rooting for the Boston Bruins as a kid scored in his NHL debut against the Bruins as well as the Jets scoring a total of four straight goals in the third period in a four goal 6-2 win over the Bruins.

#2  Minnesota Wild goaltender 40 year Mark Andre Fleury stopped 19 shots and recorded his 76th NHL shutout for the Wild’s third straight win 4-0 over the Montreal Canadiens. Fleury picked up his first shutout since March 14th. This could very well be Fleury’s last game in Montreal as he is retiring after this season. Fleury who grew up a Canadiens fan lived in Sorel, Quebec just an hour from Montreal.

#3 The Washington Capitals Alexander Ovechkin scored his career 876th goal and needs 19 to surpass former Los Angeles Kings NHL goal leader Wayne Gretzky who has 894 career goals. Despite the Ovechkin goal the Caps lost to the Ottawa Senators 5-4 at Canadian Tire Center in Ottawa on Thursday.

#4 Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andre Vasilevskiy stopped 28 shots in the Lightning’s 3-0 shutout over the Los Angeles Kings at the Amalie Arena in Tampa Bay. For Vasilevskiy this was his third shutout for the season and his 37th career shutout. The Lightning got two goals from Brandon Hagel and a goal from Anthony Cirelli.

#5 Mikko Rantanen scored his first goal since joining the Carolina Hurricanes in their 3-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks at Lenovo Center on Thursday night. Rantanen who came over to Carolina from the Colorado Avalanche that involved a three trade deal that included the Blackhawks forwards Martin Necas and Jack Drury and a 2025 second round NHL draft pick.

Len Shapiro does the NHL podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Kraken Sink Sharks 6-2, Montour Scores Twice

Published on by M WalshLeave a comment

The Seattle Kraken defenseman Brandon Montour celebrates scoring his second goal against the San Jose Sharks in the second period at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle on Thu Jan 30, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks fell 6-2 to the Seattle Kraken on Thursday. Chandler Stephenson, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Brandon Montour (2 goals), Jaden Schwartz, and Eeli Tolvane scored for Seattle. Joey Daccord made 26 saves for the win. Carl Grundstrom and Tyler Toffoli scored for San Jose. Yaroslav Askarov made seven saves on 11 shots before being replaced by Alexandar Georgiev, who made 20 saves in the loss.

The Kraken took an early lead at 3:55 of the first period. Chandler Stephenson got a break away courtesy of a series of good passes to get the puck out of Seattle’s zone. By the time the puck got to Stephenson, he was almost at the Sharks blue line and there was no one between him and Askarov. The shot went by Askarov on the glove side. Assists went to Oliver Bjorkstrand and Eeli Tolvanen.

Carl Grundstrom tied the game at 17:55. Grundstrom skated to the net from the right side, passing back and forth with Will Smith, before taking the shot. Assists went to Smith and Mikael Granlund.

The Sharks outshot the Kraken 11-8 in the first period. There were no penalties called in the first.

Oliver Bjorkstrand made it 2-1 at 2:03 of the second period. Bjorkstrand scored from just outside the blue paint off a pass from Chandler Stephenson. Assists went to Stephenson and Vince Dunn.

Brandon Montour scored the third Seattle goal less than a minute later. S Wright stole the puck from the Sharks and passed it over to Montour, who was just skating into the zone. Montour took the shot from high in the slot and beat Azkarov on the glove side.

Jaden Schwartz made it 4-1 at 5:58. Jamie Oleksiak’s pass found Schwartz breaking away at the Sharks’ blue line. No one got in front of him as he skated in and shot at the puck past Askarov.

The Sharks pulled Askarov after that one and put Georgiev in net.

Brandon Montour scored his second of the night on a power play at 7:52. Montour caught a cross-ice pass from Jared McCann before shooting from the hash marks into the far side of the net. Assists went to McCann and Chandler Stephenson.

In the second period, several calls gave the Kraken two power plays and the Sharks one. The Kraken outshot the Sharks 17-9 in the second.

Tyler Toffoli got one back for the Sharks at 8:06 of the third period. Macklin Celebrini got a pass through to Toffoli in the center of the ice. Toffoli got a wrist shot through traffic in front of the net for his 18th of the season. Assists went to Celebrini and Henry Thrun.

Eeli Tolvanen made it 6-2 at 12:18. The Kraken took the puck from the Sharks on a zone entry and went to the other way. Tolvanen used Cody Ceci as a screen for his shot, Ceci being the only Shark to catch him as he skated into the zone. Joshua Mahura got an assist on the goal.

The Sharks next play on Tuesday back in San Jose against the visiting Montreal Canadiens at 7:30 PM PT.

Utah HC Takes Mammoth Step Toward Team Name But Falls to Penguins 3-2 In Overtime

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Pittsburgh Penguins center Syd Crosby (87) and Utah Hockey Club’s left wing Michael Carcone (53) battle for the puck in second period at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Wed Jan 29, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–Utah inched closer to a new team name on Wednesday, but Sid Crosby’s overtime goal delivers another home ice loss.

The Utah Hockey Club announced on Wednesday that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office had rejected various proposed names and logos that the team had sought as possibilities for the 2025-2026 season and beyond, including what had been the odds-on fan favorite “Yetis,” which turns out to be heavily trademark protected by Yeti Coolers LLC. As a result, the team announced that fan voting would take place at Delta Center during the next four home games where attendees would be able to choose between the current Utah Hockey Club name, the Utah Mammoth, or the Utah Wasatch, which is the name of the mountain range flanking Salt Lake City and the surrounding region.

The announcement was enthusiastically received by two particular fans, Richard Latimer and Nick Finlayson, who have actively campaigned for the Mammoth name from the beginning and who have been seen at many games and on television news programs sporting their now familiar Mammoth attire. Though not technically permitted to advocate at the arena’s polling booths where fans lined up for the opportunity to weigh in on the new name, Latimer and Finlayson nevertheless hung out near one of the voting sites prior to Wednesday night’s tilt against the Pittsburgh Penguins to draw attention and occasionally break into a “Let’s Go Mammoths” chant. Finlayson said, “When they announced the names that you could vote for, Mammoth stuck out immediately.” Latimer added, “We knew it was Mammoth from the beginning. As soon as it was announced we got a hockey club we knew we had to be the Mammoth. … We came to game one, opening night, dressed as mammoths.” The two friends have even taken their costumes on the road to a game against the Vegas Golden Knights. Spencer Joseph of the local Fox 13 affiliate surveyed a number of fans about their preferences, and Utah Mammoth was the clear fan favorite thus far.

Out on the ice, Utah defenseman Mikhail Sergachev returned to the lineup from injury after a five-game absence and gave his squad a 1-0 lead at 14:51 of the first with his 9th goal of the season, a snap shot on the power play, assisted Nick Schmaltz and Logan Cooley. Utah goaltender Connor Ingram turned away all four Pittsburgh shots in the period, while Penguins netminder Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 11 of 12.

Pittsburgh defenseman Marcus Pettersson evened things up at 6:40 of the second period with his 3rd goal of the season, assisted by Sidney Crosby and Matt Grzelcyk. Utah would respond two minutes later and regain the lead as Michael Carcone netted his 4th of the season, assisted by John Marino and Nick Bjugstad.

At 6:17 of the third period, Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson took advantage of a misdirected pass in the Utah defensive zone and blasted a shot past Ingram to ties things up again with his 5th goal of the season, unassisted, and the two teams ended regulation play knotted up 2-2.

With a little more than a minute remaining in the overtime period, Penguins star Sid Crosby gave Utah fans a glimpse of his Hall of Fame credentials with the game winner for Pittsburgh, his 16th of the season, assisted by Cody Glass and Rickard Rakell. Crosby commented after the game about playing for the first time in Salt Lake City. “It was great. The atmosphere was great, it was a lot of fun to play here. I can tell that the people are excited here to have a team and can support them.”

In the Utah locker room, Mikhail Sergachev was asked what it will take to learn from the losses. “Time. Tough loss, tougher than the ones that we had before. Honestly, I don’t know. I don’t know what it’s going to take. I think the leadership group and the coaches are doing everything we can to try to turn it around. And we can’t be too negative about it, but we can’t be just ‘whatever next one.’ Can’t be like that. So we’re going to talk about it tomorrow, for sure.”

Head coach André Tourigny praised Sergachev’s growth as a leader. “He has a lot of character. He takes ownership, and he doesn’t shy away from responsibility. He’s a winner, he won before so he knows what it takes, and he believes in (the) group and he wants to win.”

Utah HC returns to home ice on Friday when they host the Columbus Blue Jackets at 7:00pm.

Sharks Take on Crosby and Win 2-1 it on Monday Action; Victory snaps San Jose’s six game skid

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Sharks Players celebrate their first win against the Penguins at SAP Center in San Jose on Monday, Jan 27, 2025 (Sharks Media)

By Fernando Abarca

This Monday night, the San Jose Sharks pulled off a thrilling 2-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins, keeping fans on the edge of their seats at the SAP Center. Not only was this matchup crucial in the fight for points in the season, but it also highlighted both teams’ tenacity and competitive spirit as both teams have struggled throughout the season

From the start of the match, the Sharks showed renewed energy after the dreadful loss against the Stanley Cup Champions, Florida Panthers, fueled by the unconditional support of their home crowd. In the second period, the home team took the lead with an early goal that fired up the crowd from Mikael Granlund assisted by Will Smith. A precise turnover from the blue line found its way to the net, thanks to an excellent job to fight for the puck. This first goal not only set the tone for the game, but also gave the Sharks confidence.

The Penguins, known for their responsiveness, were quick to react. They began to press harder throughout the second period, creating several scoring opportunities. However, the Sharks’ defense held firm, with their goalie making some key saves that maintained the lead. Despite Pittsburgh’s best efforts, the score remained 1-0 at the end of the second period.

The third period brought with it even greater intensity. The Penguins finally managed to equalize the score with a goal that came after a series of quick and precise passes. The visiting fans erupted in jubilation, and the match became even more exciting. However, the Sharks did not let themselves be discouraged. With time running out, they stepped up their game and began to go for the win.

The Sharks found their opportunity. With a well-crafted play, they managed to regain the lead with a second goal that left the Penguins with no answer. The combination of speed and precision in attack was key to sealing the fate of the match. Maklin Celebrini and Sidney Crosby got their points.

With the final score at 2-1, the Sharks celebrated a much-needed victory, while the Penguins walked away with their heads held high, but with an unpleasant flavor. This game was not only a testament to the talent of both teams but also to the passion that ice hockey inspires in its fans, especially when you have the caliber of players of the likes of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin,

The San Jose Sharks add up their first win since January 18, and fans are looking forward to seeing more standout performances in the upcoming games after a disappointing month of January, concluding the first month of the year in Seattle against the Kraken on January 30th.