Category: NHL

Sharks Fall 8-7 to Wild in Minnesota Barn Burner, Celebrini, Smith Shine

Published on by M WalshLeave a comment

Minnesota Wild goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury (29) defends against a shot as San Jose Sharks center Cam Lund (46) pressures during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

By Mary Walsh

Marcus Johansson, Brock Faber, Joel Ericksson Ek and Kirill Kaprizov scored for Minnesota. Ericksson Ek scored four of the Wild’s goals and Kaprizov scored two. Marc-Andre Fleury made 24 saves for the win. Tyler Toffoli, Macklin Celebrini, Carl Grundstrom, Nikolai Kovalenko and Will Smith scored for San Jose, with Celebrini earning his first NHL hat trick and Smith earning three assists. Alexandar Georgiev made 36 saves in the loss.

Celebrini became the youngest Sharks player to score three goals in a game. He is also now the Sharks’ all-time rookie points leader, with 62. Pat Falloon had 59. Not far down that same list is Will Smith with 44 points.

After the game, Will Smith talked about the comeback and the loss. “I think it’s been our kind of model all year that we’re never out of it but it’s obviously tough in the end.” Celebrini also mentioned the team’s tenacity: “We kept going, we kept pushing, we never really gave up.”

Tyler Toffoli talked about the pressure on these rookies: “They are relied on already to be the cornerstones of the franchise. Really proud of them, the way they handled themselves tonight but they’re going to have to do that for the rest of my time here.”

Toffoli scored the first goal of the game at 12:11 of the first period. William Eklund, at the goal line, took a pass from Alexander Wennberg and then passed the puck to Toffoli for the shot.

Marcus Johansson tied the game at 14:16 with a shot from the point. Assists went to Frederick Gaudreau and Gustav Nyquist.

Brock Faber gave the Wild a lead at 18:48 with a shot from high in the slot and through traffic. An assist went to Matt Boldy.

The Wild outshot the Sharks 17-10 in the first period. The Sharks went through a prolonged spell without a shot in the later half of the period, though they mustered a flurry of offense in the final minute or two.

Macklin Celebrini tied the game at two with a wrist shot at 7:29 of the second period. Catching a pass from Jack Thompson, Celebrini rolled around the Wild defender and then slid the puck around Fleury on the stick side. Assists went to Thompson and Will Smith.

Less than 20 seconds later, Joel Ericksson Ek gave the Wild a 3-2 lead. Assists went to Marcus Foligno and Matt Boldy.

Carl Grundstrom tied it again less than a minute later. Grundstrom carried the puck through the neutral zone and over the line before dropping it to Cam Lund, who gave it back as Grundstrum arrived at the net.

Macklin Celebrini made it 4-3 Sharks at 12:28. He ad the puck near the boards and passed it behind the net to Smith, who sent it back out when Celebrini went to the slot. Assists went to Smith and Timothy Liljegren.

Kirill Kaprizov tied it at 4 with a power play goal at 17:02. Assists went to Mats Zuccarello and Joel Ericksson Ek. Ericksson Ek scored his second of the game on a power play at 19:48. Assists went to Marco Rossi and Matt Boldy.

In the second period, the Wild outshot the Sharks but only 15-14, reflecting a much closer period. The Sharks took two penalties and a third matching minor in the second period.

Joel Ericksson Ek completed his hat trick with a power play goal 1:02 into the third. Assists went to Kaprizov and Zuccarello. Ericksson Ek made it a haul just over a minute later. Assists went to Boldy and Foligno.

Nikolai Kovalenko scored for the Sharks at 4:44. The goal was the start of a surprising third period comeback by the Sharks. Assists went to Celebrini and Henry Thrun.

Celebrini completed his hat trick and brought the Sharks within a goal at 10:02 of the third. Assists went to Smith and Kovalenko.

Will Smith tied the game with the Sharks net empty and less than a minute left on the clock. He took the shot from the top of the face-off circle into traffic at the net. Assists went to Lijegren and Celebrini.

Kirill Kaprizov scored the game winner for Minnesota at 1:01 of overtime. Assists went to Zuccarello and Jared Spurgeon.

The Sharks next play on Friday in Edmonton against the Oilers at 6:30 PM PT.

Utah Hockey Club game wrap: Utah HC Offense Unleashes On Kraken In 7-1 Rout

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck (37) makes a save with his skate against Utah Hockey Club center Nick Schmaltz (8) in the first period at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City Sat Apr 5, 2025. Utah clobbered the Seattle Kraken at the Delta Center on Tue Apr 8, 2025. (AP News photo)

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–Seven different players lit the lamp for Utah HC in a lopsided 7-1 victory over Seattle.

Nearing the end of their inaugural season in Salt Lake City, Utah Hockey Club entered Tuesday night’s showdown with the Seattle Kraken still mathematically surviving in the Wild Card race with five games remaining on the schedule.

Utah wasted no time opening up a first period lead when defenseman Mikhail Sergachev increased his career high in goals with his 15th of the season, assisted by Kevin Stenlund and Sean Durzi. At 12:54 of the first period, with Seattle’s Jamie Oleksiak and Brandon Montour in the penalty box, captain Clayton Keller recorded his 27th goal of the year with a wicked wrist shot which whizzed past Kraken netminder Joey Daccord on the 5-on-3 power play, assisted by Sergachev and Dylan Guenther.

With Oleksiak remaining in the sin bin due to a high-sticking double minor against Kailer Yamamoto, Yamamoto cashed it in with a slap shot with six seconds remaining on the power play to make it 3-0, his second goal of the season, assisted by Josh Doan and Logan Cooley. For his part, Karel Vejmelka stopped all four shots he faced in his 21st consecutive start in goal for Utah.

The second period began much as the first period ended. Just 16 seconds after the puck drop, Lawson Crouse fired the puck from almost the identical spot as Sergachev’s first period goal, the middle of the ice at the distance of the top of the faceoff circle, to beat Joey Daccord unassisted for his 12th goal of the season.

Before the period was halfway over, Logan Cooley harpooned the Kraken with his 23rd goal of the season, assisted by Guenther and Keller. If Ron Popeil were at Delta Center, one might hear him exclaim, “But wait, there’s more!” With Ryker Evans committing Seattle’s sixth penalty of the evening for holding against Lawson Crouse, the Utah power play scored for the third time in the game, on this occasion with Nick Schmaltz poking in a smooth pass from Guenther at the side of the net for his 18th of the season, with the additional assist going to Sergachev.

But Utah still wasn’t done slaying the Kraken. With less than two minutes remaining in the frame, Michael Carcone launched a shot at the hapless Seattle netminder which made its way into the back of the net for his seventh of the season, assisted by Michael Kesselring and Kevin Stenlund, sending both teams to the locker room with the scoreboard showing Utah up by a touchdown over sleepless Seattle. Vejmelka turned away all seven shots faced in the period.

The Kraken opened the third period on the power play due to an interference penalty against Ian Cole as time expired in the second. Seattle forward Jared McCann ended the shutout 23 seconds into the man advantage to make the score 7 -1, which was the final tally as the horn sounded at the end of the game. Vejmelka saved 18 of 19 shots overall.

In the Utah locker room, Mikhail Sergachev addressed his squad’s defense which held the Kraken to a single goal. “I think we defended well, at least in the first two periods. Everybody came back, we didn’t turn the puck over on the lines, and we just got it deep and always got it back, so that’s an improvement.” When asked whether they talked about continuing to hit the gas after taking a 3-0 lead in the first, Sergachev responded, “Yeah, whenever you have a three-nothing lead after the first, you still have 40 minutes to play. Especially if they’re going in, you want to go and pressure and try to get more shots and more pulls, but obviously, looking back, and not giving up goals. So I think that’s what guys did in the second.”

Forward Kailer Yamamoto was asked about scoring against his former teammates. “It’s awesome. Obviously, I owe them one. They didn’t want me, so I came in with a little bit of a vengeance, but it’s a good one for us, for sure.” When asked what he adds to the lineup looking toward his next contract, Yamamoto commented, “Just work ethic and trying to make plays. Obviously, my linemates are phenomenal players, so fitting in with them has been very easy. I’m just trying to work hard and make some plays.”

Head coach André Tourigny was so pleased with the team’s performance that he simply smiled at reporters and dispensed with his usual opening statement to take questions. The first had to do with seven different skaters registering a goal. “If you remember in training camp, we talked about our depth. A season has a lot of chapters, and we were in the trenches in January. It was a really tough situation, and we didn’t have that depth scoring and we knew our team was depending on that. Since then, we have had that depth scoring and you can see the result. In every game our offense can come from everywhere, like tonight. The power play was really good, but we also had scoring from other lines. That made a difference.” Tourigny praised Yamamoto who has split his season between Utah HC and the Tucson Roadrunners of the AHL. “He’s a really good player. His hockey IQ, his give-and-go game, and his experience as well, you can see the NHL is not new for him. It’s not like he’s a guy who is trying to break into the NHL, he’s already been here. His playmaking defensively and under pressure are really good.”

With four games remaining on the schedule, Utah is still mathematically in contention for the final Wild Card spot, albeit it would require a perfect storm of failure by Minnesota, Calgary, and Vancouver to pull off the miracle comeback. On Thursday the Nashville Predators which close out the final regular season homestand at Delta Center, after which Utah will finish out the season on the road in Dallas, Nashville, and St. Louis.

Sharks Let Another One Get Away Lose To Flames 3-2

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Sharks Celebrate goal over Calgary at SAP Center in San Jose on Apr 7 (Sharks Media)

By: Fernando Abarca

The losses continue to mount for the Teal team, which suffered another defeat at the hands of the Calgary Flames 3-2. In this game, the team that scored first failed to take advantage of its numerical advantage.

For Calgary, it was necessary to get wins as they remain in the fight for a Wild Card playoff spot, and the Alberta team knows every point counts. For our Sharks, all that remains is to close out the year with a win, in what was their penultimate home game before closing out the season against Edmonton.

It’s also important to offer our sincere condolences to a colleague in the hockey world. During the game, it was announced the passing of Greg Millen, former NHL player and analyst for Hockey Night in Canada for the Canadian network Sportsnet where the Canadian network did not produce the game for Canadian viewers and broadcasting the Sharks’ NBC Sports broadcast instead.

During the first period, the Sharks took the lead near the end of the first period with a goal by Will Smith, assisted by Nikolai Kovalenko and Macklin Celebrini, both assisting players tried to score another goal in Calgary’s goal.

Georgie Romanov was in charge of the goaltending duties, recording 29 saves. However, the stats seem to go against him as he recorded his fourth loss in six games with the Sharks.

The Sharks tried to gain control of the puck and possession during the second period, but the period remained scoreless and still having the Teal ahead by one.

The nightmare came in the final period, something the home team hadn’t anticipated. Calgary took a three-goal lead starting eight minutes into the third period, with Adam Kapla tying the score.

At the last minute, Jonathan Huberdeau put Calgary ahead 2-1, and then Matt Coronato closed the scoring for the visitors, leaving the Sharks at 3-1.

The game-winning goal came at the last minute, thanks to a power play by Will Smith, who left the score at 2-2 for the Sharks.

With this result, the Sharks are down to 20-47-10. The Sharks will travel on the road to Minnesota to try to avoid furthering the Wild’s playoff hopes, and then head to Canada.

The Sharks will be home on April 16 when they host the Edmonton Oilers for the final time this season, concluding the Sharks’ NHL campaign for the year.

Sharks fall 5-1 to Kraken in final matchup

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

San Jose Sharks vs Seattle Kraken on Saturday April 5th at SAP Center (via sanjosesharks/)

By Madison Montez

SAN JOSE–The Seattle Kraken scored three times in the second period and buried the San Jose Sharks 5-1 at SAP Center. The Kraken got the first lead of the game, with five minutes left of the first, Jared McCann scored his 19th of the season. They extended their lead to two, three minutes later, when Andre Burakovsky scored his tenth goal of the season. San Jose cut into that lead when Will Smith scored his 14th of the season. With the assists, Celebrini and Toffoli extend their point streaks to back to back games.

The Kraken extended their lead three times during the second period. The first was when Chandler Stephenson scored his 13th of the season at 7:39 of the second period. They extended their lead even further when Jaden Schwartz scored his 24th of the season. After letting in four goals, the Sharks brought in backup goaltender Georgi Romanov. Romanov let in his first goal at 18:07 of the second, Jared McCann with his 20th of the season, second of the night, putting him on hat-trick watch.

San Jose had trouble staying out of the box in tonight’s game, the Sharks committed three penalties while Seattle only committed two. Each team’s power-play was put to the test but neither team could capitalize. Both teams weren’t top ten in power-play rankings. San Jose is 22nd in the league and Seattle is 25th in the league.

Seattle dominated in nearly every aspect of the game. They registered 22 shots, had a 54.9 faceoff percentage, had ten penalty minutes, 14 blocked shots, and six steals. While Seattle had those stats, San Jose registered 24 shots, had a 45.1 faceoff percentage, 15 blocked shots, and three steals.

Alexander Georgiev was Saturday night’s starting goalie. After sitting out due to an injury, Georgiev’s first game back ended in a loss. In the loss, his record now moves to 7-18. For Seattle, Joey Daccord was Saturday night’s starting goalie. Daccord recorded the win, making 23 saves on 24 shots.

THREE STARS OF THE GAME:

  • 1. Jared McCann, 2G, 1A
  • 2. Shane Wright, 1A
  • 3. Joey Daccord, 1 GA

The Sharks will be back in action on Monday April 7th hosting the Calgary Flames for the final time this season.

Utah HC Shoots Down NHL Leading Jets 4-1 Keeping Wild Card Hopes Alive

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Utah Hockey Club center Clayton Keller (9) shoots and scores on the Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck (37) in the first period at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Sat Apr 5, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–Utah took a 3-0 lead into the 3rd period and held off the league’s #1 team to remain mathematically in the hunt for the final Wild Card spot for a 4-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets.

If you ask Utah head coach André Tourigny or any of the players, they will emphatically tell you that every game is a playoff game and that there is no quit in this team. Saturday afternoon they had a chance to prove it against the top squad in hockey, the Winnipeg Jets.

Utah grabbed an early power play opportunity just a few minutes into the game when Winnipeg defenseman Dylan Samberg went to the box for tripping against Dylan Guenther. Just 7 seconds later, the Jets turned over the puck behind their own net and Barrett Hayton fed it to captain Clayton Keller who cashed it in for his 26th goal of the season. With 11 seconds remaining in the frame, Winnipeg forward Mark Scheifele went to the sin bin for holding against Sean Durzi which set Utah up with another power play to begin the second period.

Less than a minute into the middle period, Keller fired off a cross-ice pass to linemate Dylan Guenther who immediately found the stick of Hayton in front of the net who knocked the puck in for his 19th of the season. At 16:57 of the second period, Utah defenseman Mikhail Sergachev sent a pass from the defensive blue line to Kevin Stenlund who received it at the offensive blue line and smashed a shot over the shoulder of Jets netminder Connor Hellebuyck from the top of the faceoff circle for his 13th goal of the season to make it 3-0 for the home team heading into the final frame.

Nearly two minutes into the third period, Utah cracked open the door for a Winnipeg comeback when Olli Määttä was whistled for hooking against Nino Niederreiter. On the ensuing power play, Utah goalie Karel Vejmelka turned away two rapid fire shots from Kyle Connor and Cole Perfetti, but was out of position when Mark Scheifele drove home the final rebound for his 38th goal of the season, closing the gap to 3-1. Vejmelka, playing his career high 20th consecutive start, closed the barn door the rest of the way, saving 32 of 33 shots overall for his 23rd win of the season. At 17:19 of the third, Nick Bjugstad would put the game away for good collecting his 6th goal of the season into an empty net, assisted by Stenlund and Määttä.

In the locker room, Stenlund talked about defeating his former club, the top-ranked team in the NHL. “It shows how good of a team we are when we play the right way, play our way. It was a good game.” With regard to the third period, Stenlund said, “[Winnipeg] pushed a bit into us early, but I think we controlled it pretty well. We got one goal and I think they had some chances, but not many.”

Captain Clayton Keller was asked about scoring his 500th career NHL point during the game. “It’s cool. I honestly had no idea coming into the game, so I was a bit surprised. Lots of hard work and sacrifice. So many people in my life sacrificed for me to get to this level so I’m just super thankful for everything that they’ve done for me, my teammates, and my coaches. There are so many people that have helped me get to where I am. I still feel like I have a lot more to give, and I’m just getting started.” About playing the NHL’s top team, Clayton said, “We had a good start and we played with a lot of speed. They’re a great team, tough to play against, and they have great players. The third maybe got away from us a little bit, but [Vejmelka] was unreal as usual, kept us in the game, and made key saves at the right times. It’s a good feeling to win at home.”

Head coach André Tourigny opened his post-game media session by saying, “We played rock solid. (Karel Vejmelka) again was really solid. But I think as a team, we played really solid. I think in the third (period), we got on our heels a little bit. But I won’t let that reflect on our game because we played against a really good team and we played a hell of a game. I’m really proud of the guys.” He offered particular praise for special teams. “Both were really good. (Winnipeg’s) power play is excellent, so the way our PK played (was good). Our power play produced; but more than that, they gave us momentum. They played, they attacked, they were under their toes. They played really solid. I think (Clayton Keller’s) play, not just on the power play but 5-on-5 play; he had a rock solid game. Captain; showed up; huge in a big game.” When asked about what he learns when playing a team like Winnipeg, Bear continued, “I like the fact that we’re not scared. We’re taking it the right way: ‘OK, let’s get at it.’ We want that and we believe in ourselves. We have no complex against those teams. We beat Winnipeg twice this year; how we played against Dallas, how we played against L.A., how we played against Colorado. All those games were hard-fought games. I think that showed the character of our team and the leadership of our team. That’s why we love our team.”

About those playoff chances, Tourigny said of his team, “They don’t want to hear anything. They just want to play, and play good. They are locked in. They’re straight on in what we have to do and play and win games. That’s it. They’re the easiest team to coach in the league right now. They’re tuned in, they’re locked in. We just need to lead a plan and they’re tuned in. They’re great.”

Next up for Utah is a visit from the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday night at 7:00pm.

San Jose Sharks podcast Charanbir Mahal Sat Apr 5, 205: Sharks fell short against a short handed Oilers on Thursday; San Jose hosts Seattle tonight at SAP

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

San Jose Sharks center Noah Gregor (9) collides with the Edmonton Oilers defenseman Jake Walman (96) in the first period at SAP Center in San Jose on Fri Apr 4, 2025 (AP News photo)

San Jose Sharks podcast Charanbir Mahal Sat Apr 5, 2025:

#1 The Edmonton Oilers Jeff Skinner scored on a tip that broke a 2-2 deadlock against the San Jose Sharks in the latter part of the second period that eventually got the Oilers the 3-2 win.

#2 Skinner’s goal came after Leon Draisatil left the game with an undisclosed injury. Draisaitl never returned and head coach Kris Knoblauch that he had no update to Draisaitl’s injury.

#3 The Oilers Connor Brown and Viktor Arvdisson scored to give the Oilers their third straight win. Goaltender Calvin Pickard save 27 shots.

#4 The Sharks are on a four game loss streak and are in dead last place in the Western Conference and have lost the first of three games against the Oilers with two weeks left in the season.

#5 The Sharks host the Seattle Kraken on Saturday. Seattle are 32-38, they are seventh in the Pacific Division and have been playing .500 hockey losing four of their last ten games. Face off Saturday at 7:30pm PDT. How do you see this match up.

Charanbir Mahal does the San Jose Sharks podcasts from SAP Center in San Jose on game days at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose Sharks podcast Mary Lisa: Sharks try to put an end to 4 game loss streak Saturday against Seattle

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Edmonton Oilers left wing Zach Hyman (18) dives after the puck next to San Jose Sharks defenseman Henry Thrun (3) during the second period at SAP Center in San Jose on Thu Apr 3, 2025 (AP News photo)

San Jose Sharks podcast Mary Lisa:

#1 The Edmonton Oilers Jeff Skinner scored on a tip that broke a 2-2 deadlock against the San Jose Sharks in the latter part of the second period that eventually got the Oilers the 3-2 win.

#2 Skinner’s goal came after Leon Draisatil left the game with an undisclosed injury. Draisaitl never returned and head coach Kris Knoblauch that he had no update to Draisaitl’s injury.

#3 The Oilers Connor Brown and Viktor Arvdisson scored to give the Oilers their third straight win. Goaltender Calvin Pickard save 27 shots.

#4 The Sharks are on a four game loss streak and are in dead last place in the Western Conference and have lost the first of three games against the Oilers with two weeks left in the season.

#5 The Sharks host the Seattle Kraken on Saturday. Seattle are 32-38, they are seventh in the Pacific Division and have been playing .500 hockey losing four of their last ten games. Face off Saturday at 7:30pm PDT. How do you see this match up.

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

NHL podcast with Len Shapiro Fri Apr 4, 2025: Caps Ovechkin 3 goals away to catch the Great One: Canadiens push to make post season since 2021 win 3rd straight game; Senators Ullmark saves 31 shots in 3-1 win over Lightning; plus more news

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Montreal Canadiens left wing Juraj Slafkovsky (20) and the Boston Bruins defenceman Ian Mitchell (14) push each other as linesman Jonathan Deschamps (80) intervenes in the first period at the Belle Centre in Montreal on Thu Apr 3, 2025 (Canadian Press via AP photo)

NHL podcast with Len Shapiro Fri Apr 4, 2025

#1 It’s been a long time coming for the Montreal Canadiens as their push for a Stanley Cup Playoff birth continues. The last time the Habs were in the post season was in 2021. The Canadiens defeated the Boston Bruins 4-1 for their third straight win at the Belle Centre on Thursday night. Brendan Gallagher and Nick Suzuki scored a goal a piece and an assist. Sam Montembeault had 18 saves. The win gives Montreal a two point lead over the New York Rangers for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference.

#2  Linus Ullmark stopped 31 shots for the Ottawa Senators and put an end to the Tampa Bay Lightning’s four game win streak. The Senators came up with a 3-1 win on Thursday night at the Canadian Tire Centre. The Lightning’s Brandon Hagel tried to score on a short handed break away but Ullmark stopped the shot at 5:58 in the third period to keep the score at the time to 2-1.

#3  Cale Makar had himself an evening for the Colorado Avalanche scoring his 30th goal and picking up two assists in a 7-3 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena in Columbus Thursday. Makar became the ninth defenseman to score 30 goals in a season since the Washington Capitals defenseman Mike Green had 31 in 2008-09.

#4  The red hot St Louis Blues tied a franchise record with their 5-4 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Enterprise Center on Thursday night. Robert Thomas scored at 2:12 in the overtime stanza for the winning goal. The win ties the Blues with the Stanley Cup Champions Blues who won 11 in a row between Jan 23-Feb 19 2019.

#5 The Dallas Stars Wyatt Johnson got a goal in his sixth game in a row and the Stars won their seventh game in a row with a 5-1 win over the Nashville Predators at American Airlines Center in Dallas on Thursday. In the NHL Johnson’s streak is the longest active run. The Stars Jake Oettinger saved 28 shots in the win.

Join Len Shapiro for the NHL podcasts Fridays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Utah Hockey Club game wrap: Los Angeles Kings Rule 4-2 Over Utah HC With Wild Card Slipping Away

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Los Angeles Kings right winger Adrian Kempe (9) fights with Utah Hockey Club’s center Logan Cooley (92) in the second period at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Thu Apr 3, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–The Kings scored twice in a 44-second span in the third period to take control of a tight game which they would go on to win 4-2.

Utah HC entered Thursday night’s tilt against the Los Angeles Kings nine points out of the final Western Conference Wild Card slot with seven games to go in the regular season. Mathematically it isn’t impossible for Utah to make the playoffs, but they are running out of race track. The Kings had all but officially punched their ticket to the postseason, entering the matchup in second place in the Pacific Division behind the Vegas Golden Knights.

The two squads kept each other off the scoresheet in the first period, with Karel Vejmelka turning away all three shots which got past his defensemen, and Darcy Kuemper fending off 16 shots from the Utah offense. Vejmelka made his 19th consecutive start in front of the net for Utah, extending his career high.

At 6:56 of the second period, Los Angeles forward Andrei Kuzmenko shot the puck at the Utah net as Logan Cooley pushed Adrian Kempe into Vejmelka, deflecting the puck over the goal line to give L.A. a 1-0 lead.

At 12:21 of the frame, Utah forward Lawson Crouse found an impossibly small gap between Kuemper’s shoulder and the upper corner of the net for his 11th goal of the season, assisted by Josh Doan and Jack McBain to even things up at 1-1.

Early in the third period, Utah defenseman John Marino gave the puck away in front of the Utah net to Kevin Fiala who knocked it past Vejmelka unassisted for his 29th of the season. In frustration, Marino swung his stick at the goal post, his stick blade joining the puck in the back of the net.

44 seconds later, Trevor Moore took advantage of a Utah miscue in their offensive zone and raced across the length of the ice to put the Kings up 3-1 with his 18th of the season, assisted by Quinton Byfield. With Vejmelka pulled for an extra attacker, veteran L.A. defenseman Drew Doughty scored into an empty net at 18:10 to put the game out of reach.

As fans headed for the exits, Utah went on the power play when Brandt Clarke was whistled for tripping against Alexander Kerfoot with 27 seconds remaining. Utah controlled the faceoff and Jack McBain cut the deficit in half with 20 seconds left on the clock with his 13th goal of the season, assisted by Kailer Yamamoto and Sean Durzi, but it wouldn’t be enough to change the outcome.

With the loss, Utah remains nine points out of the Wild Card picture with just six games remaining.

In the locker room, Lawson Crouse spoke about his team’s effort. “Yeah, frustrating. … We were in the driver’s seat for the first two periods, and unfortunately, what happened on the four on four and they capitalized on two chances. That’s how quick the game can get away from you, and we were playing catch up from there.”

Forward Dylan Guenther, who played with a transparent cage after breaking his nose in the previous game, commented, “I honestly thought we played pretty well. Maybe get inside a little bit more and try to create more secondary chances. I think we know that they were pretty good in the neutral zone. They had more speed, but we just need to find a way to score more goals.” When asked what the team is learning at this point of the season, Guenther added, “I think how every play matters. Every shift, no matter what happens, all you can do is go out there and try to win your shift so just take it a step at a time.”

Head coach André Tourigny said, “I think we played a really solid game, I think there’s a few broken plays which made the difference in the game, but I think the guys were ready and we were really structured. We didn’t give up much. Unfortunately, a few breakdowns made the difference.” With regard to Guenther’s broken nose, Tourigny commented, “there’s not many guys in any locker room in the NHL at this point of the year who don’t have something wrong. You know that’s for sure. When you have a cage and a bubble and you have a broken nose and everybody sees it, but there’s a lot of it… it’s a tough sport, and there are tough players and they go through a lot, and they demand a lot from their bodies. It’s 82 games, and that’s the way it is. And I think I have tons of respect for all of them who battle through and manage their life 24/7 to make sure they’re capable of keeping playing at the elite level. So Gunner and others, tons of respect.”

Utah returns to the ice for the third game of the homestand on Saturday afternoon against the division leading Winnipeg Jets.

Sharks lose third straight game bow to Ducks in shootout 4-3

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Anaheim Ducks goaltender Lukas Dostal center, San Jose Sharks center Tyler Toffoli (73) and defenseman Radko Gudas (7) defending in the first period at the Honda Center in Anaheim on Tue Apr 1, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

Anaheim Ducks Mason McTavish scored what would be the game winner and the only shootout goal scored in the stanza that stood up to defeat the visiting San Jose Sharks 4-3 at the Honda Center in Anaheim.

The Ducks Trevor Zegras and Sam Colangelo helped out scoring a goal a piece and delivering with an assist each. Jackson LaCombe scored a goal and McTavish had himself a game adding three assists. The Ducks goaltender Lukas Dostal saved 28 shots and the effort helped Anaheim win their fourth out of their last six games.

The Sharks got goals out of Alexander Wennberg, Shakir Mukhamadullin and Marc-Edouard Vlasic. Sharks goaltender Alexandar Georgiev stopped 34 shots but the Sharks fell short and picked up their third loss in a row.

In the shootout stanza McTavish scored during the third round which stood up to be the game winner. Tyler Toffoli in the shootout shot wide right in San Jose’s last attempt at trying to score falling short.

The Sharks had a valiant effort as they were down by two goals after 20 minutes into the third period. Vlasic got the Sharks within a goal at 4:08 remaining in the game. For Vlasic it was his 1315th career game and 19th goal of the season.

Thursday night the Edmonton Oilers come to SAP Center. The Oilers are third in the Pacific Division at 43-26-5. The Oilers have won six of their last ten games and have won their last two games. This is a gritty club. The Sharks who are struggling have now lost eight of their last 11 games and are last in the Pacific Division. Faceoff between the Oilers and Sharks is at 7:30pm PDT.