Category: NHL

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Walsh: Sharks hope to pick up first win against Karlsson and Penguins tonite in San Jose

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San Jose Sharks goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen (36) was pelted with six goals against by the Vancouver Canucks on Thu Nov 2, 2023 at SAP Center in San Jose (AP News photo)

On the SJ Sharks podcast with Mary Walsh:

#1 Mary, the San Jose Sharks continue their skid on Thursday they took a beat down from the Vancouver Canucks at SAP Center in a 10-1 loss it was their ninth consecutive defeat.

#2 The Canucks Quinn Hughes had himself a night scoring a goal and four assists and eight Canucks scored in the lopsided affair.

#3 Brock Boeser had two goals and an assist, Anthony Beauvillier scored twice in Beauviller’s 500th career game.

#4 The Sharks goaltenders saw the red lamp lit behind them quite a few times for starting goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen he faced 19 shots and allowed six goals and relief goaltender MacKenzie Blackwood saw 14 shots allowed and allowed four goals.

#5 This might be the Sharks best chance to get their first win of the season as they host the Pittsburgh Penguins at SAP. The Penguins are 3-6-0. They have lost their last two games. Former Shark Erik Karlsson returns to San Jose for the first time since being dealt to the Penguins.

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

Sharks Drop To 0-9-1 After A Devastating Loss To Vancouver 10-1

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The San Jose Sharks left winger Anthony Duclair (10) attempts to put the puck on net against the Vancouver Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko (35) in the third period at SAP Center in San Jose on Thu Nov 2, 2023 (AP News photo)

Thursday, November 2nd, 2023

By Troy Ewers

San Jose, CA – The San Jose Sharks are back home and they are coming off a winless opening month of hockey and they hope to start the month of November off with a win. That will come with a challenge though as they face off against the Vancouver Canucks who are looking like one of the best teams in the Western Conference this early in the season. 

The first period for San Jose was why they’re projected to be not only the worst team this season, but one of the worst teams in NHL history. Two and a half minutes into the game, the Canucks scored a power play goal after Nico Sturm’s high sticking minor.

The goal was scored by Brock Boeser (assisted by Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes) on a great slap shot that followed elite passing, 1-0 Vancouver. Not even two minutes later J.T. Miller scored the second goal, still on the power play, but this time when Boeser cleared the puck it ricocheted off the boards and Miller scooped it and backhanded it past Kaapo, 2-0 Vancouver.

The spiral continued four minutes later after another was scored, but this one is attributed to sloppy defense from the Sharks. The goal was scored by Hughes, who at this point had three points (1 goal and 2 assists) and the building might as well have been here for drinks and atmosphere.

Thatcher Demko of Vancouver stopped all six shots the Sharks brought his way, but the story here was the Sharks defense never leaving the starting blocks. A Mario Ferraro tripping penalty gave the Sharks their second penalty, but more importantly it gave Boesar his second goal of the game (assisted by Andrei Kuzmenko and Miller) and by the end of the opening period, the Sharks made their way back to the locker room down 4-0. 

The second period was even worse for the Sharks and it felt like the end of the road for San Jose. One minute in the period and Vancouver immediately jumped on the Sharks with a one time goal by Ilya Mikheyev (assisted by Soucy and Pettersson), 5-0 Canucks.

The next goal for Vancouver was not only bad, because it added to the avalanche of goals, but Kaapo Kahkonen was injured during the goal. Andrei Kuzmenko scored with assists by Pettersson and Mark Friedman to make it 6-0, but the damage was done.

Kahkonen was out with an injury and Mackenzie Blackwood was in, but the scoring didn’t stop. Sam Lafferty would add to this with a wrap-around goal and it was 7-0.

The fourth goal of the period for the Canucks was by Pius Suter for his first of the season, but on this goal Quinn Hughes got the assist and by the end of this second period, Hughes had five points in an 8-0 lead as the we were in the second intermission.

Sharks fans booed and some walked out, but it was clear that air was taken out of the building. This is Coach David Quinn’s 300th game and this might be the game where fans call for his job. The stats show that it’s not his fault this Sharks team is this bad, but don’t tell that to these fans. 

The final period wasn’t any different from the rest of the game if anything it was David’s nightmare. “Fire Quinn” chants began after Anthony Beauvillier scored on a power play to make it 9-0 and we were only three minutes into the period.

 Beauvillier scored his second goal eight minutes after his first and at this point it was 10-0 and the Canucks had scored more goals in one game than the Sharks have all season. By the end of this game the Sharks scored one goal by Fabian Zetterlund and the crowd that was still in attendance popped for it, but the game was more than over, it was a goal for Quinn.

The next game for San Jose is against some familiar foes when they face off against the Pittsburgh Penguins and this is Erik Karlsson’s first game back in San Jose with his new team and this doesn’t look good for the Sharks as analysts project another loss for the Sharks, but that seems like the what whole regular season is projected at this point.

NHL podcast with Len Shapiro: Senators sports wagering scandal forces Dorion out as GM; Wild’s Boldy back in line up for Thursday night; plus more NHL news

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Pierre Dorion was fired by the Ottawa Senators on Wed Nov 1, 2023 by owner Michael Andlauer (photo from NHL.com)

On the NHL podcast with Len Shapiro:

#1 Ottawa Senators fired general manager Pierre Dorion. The firing came under new Senators owner Michael Andlauer who as owner within his first 30 days had a inherited a sports wagering scandal. Shane Pinto was suspended for 41 games for sports wagering. The suspension started Oct 26th. The Senators also lose a first round draft pick and the trade for Evgeni Dadonov was invalidated. Steven Staios has been named as the new general manager.

#2 Minnesota Wild forward Matt Boldy is expected to get back in the line up for Thursday night against the New Jersey Devils. Boldy had been out with an upper body injury since Oct 14 on the second night of the regular season against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Boldy said getting hurt in the second game of the year stinks.

#3 The Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Carter Hart is out with an upper body injury. Hart sustained the injury against the Buffalo Sabers at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on Wednesday. It was Hart’s eighth start in ten games.

#4 For the Chicago Blackhawks Connor Bedard says he’s getting used to the NHL life. Bedard so far has four goals and two assists and hoped to see a lot more action. Bedard said that he looks forward to an exciting NHL season.

#5 Len, the Carolina Hurricanes Paul Stastny is retiring from hockey after 17 years. Stastny has not filed any retirement papers but said in September he would be done after this season. Stastny came in as a second pick (44) in 2005 by the Colorado Avalanche. Stastny has 822 career points (293 goals and 529 assists).

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

Sharks Lead for two periods, Lose in third 3-1 to Capitals

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Washington Capitals right wing TJ Oshie (77) tries to skate around San Jose Sharks center Tomas Hertl (48) in the first period at the Capital Center in Washington on Sun Oct 29, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks lost their final game of this road trip, falling 3-1 to the Washington Capitals. Dylan Strome, Tom Wilson and Evgeny Kuznetsov scored for the Capitals. Darcy Kuemper made 30 saves for the win. Luke Kunin scored for the Sharks, and Mackenzie Blackwood made 39 saves on 41 shots in the loss. This leaves the Sharks still winless after nine games this season.

The Sharks held a 1-0 lead until the third period, and had their second-highest shot count of the season. Still, they lost and were badly out-shot by the Capitals. “Yeah, listen, we’re really snake-bitten. Tonight we actually had chances,” Sharks Head Coach David Quinn said after the game. “Right now we have such a thin margin for error. You know, usually if you only give up two goals, you like your chances.”

Luke Kunin scored that one goal for the Sharks at 11:40 of the first period. He gathered up the puck as it bounced off the back boards and tucked it between the goalie’s skate and the post. Ty Emberson and Mario Ferraro got the assists. The point was Emberson’s first in the NHL.

Dylan Strome tied the game 2:18 into the third period. His shot went through a line of skaters and under Blackwood. Nick Jensen and Hardy Haman Aktell got the assists.

Tom Wilson gave the Capitals the lead at 15:15 of the third. His centering shot bounced off of San Jose’s Kyle Burroughs and into the net. Alexander Ovechkin and John Carlson got the assists.

Evgeny Kuznetsov scored into the empty net to make it 3-1 at 19:02. Ovechkin and Carlson got the assists again.

The Sharks had no power plays but their penalty kill was perfect, killing all three of their penalties. In the face-off circle, the Sharks had their second-worst game of the season, winning just 47.5% of the draws. The shot count was nearly even until the third period, when the Capitals jumped ahead for a 31-42 final count.

The Sharks next play on Thursday in San Jose at 7:30 PM PT against the Vancouver Canucks.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa: Pressure is on Sharks to get first win; San Jose faces Capitals in DC Sunday

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San Jose Sharks goaltender Kappo Kahkonen (36) at the bottom gets a stick on the puck as the Carolina Hurricanes Seth Jarvis (24) and Sebastian Aho (20) try to force the puck in first period action in Carolina on Fri Oct 27, 2023 (AP News photo)

On the SJ Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa:

#1 San Jose Sharks continue what some predicted an O-For start and it’s extended into eight games with their most recent loss to the Carolina Hurricanes 3-0.

#2 The Carolina Hurricanes Teuvo Teravainen did all the heavy lifting with a hat trick and goaltender Annti Raanta stopped 20 shots.

#3 The Sharks goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen made 37 saves on 40 shots in the loss. Kahkonen started in goal as MacKenzie Blackwood in Tampa Bay saw a rain of pucks and red lights behind the net in last Thursday’s 6-0 loss.

#4 The Sharks simply are not getting offense they have now been shutout in two straight games and head coach David Quinn is looking for answers just to get a puck in the net.

#5 The Sharks conclude this four game road trip in Washington against the Capitals. The Caps have gone 3-3 in their last six games and are 2-3-1. They beat the New Jersey Devils in their last game on Wednesday 6-4. New Jersey is a pretty decent team so that transcends the Sharks could see a barrage of shots on goal and possibly another lopsided game.

Mary Walsh does the San Jose Sharks road games for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sharks Shut Out 3-0 by Hurricanes, Teravainen’s Hat Trick

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Carolina Panthers goaltender Annti Raanta (32) stops the San Jose Sharks Fabian Zetterlund’s (20) first period shot in Carolina on Fri Oct 27, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks extended their losing streak to eight with a 3-0 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday. Teuvo Teravainen scored all three of the Carolina goals and Antti Raanta made 20 saves for the shutout win. San Jose’s Kaapo Kahkonen made 37 saves on 40 shots in the loss.

Sharks center Luke Kunin was in the box for high-sticking when Teravainen scored his first goal of the game, at 6:10 of the first. Seth Jarvis gathered up a rebound and made a pass to Teravainen for the shot before Kahkonen could get across. Assists went to Jarvis and Sebastian Aho.

Teravainen’s second goal came at 15:10, a slap shot off of Dmitry Orlov’s cross-ice pass. Assists went to Orlov and Jalen Chatfield.

After a scoreless second period, Teravainen completed his hat trick at 6:06 of the third period. His third goal looked a lot like his second goal, with a cross-ice pass setting him up for a snap shot over the Sharks’ prone goalie. Assists, again, went to Jarvis and Aho.

The Sharks were out-shot in every period for a total count of 40-20 Hurricanes. The worst shot discrepancy was in the third period, when Carolina out-shot them 14-4. The Sharks did pretty well yet again in the face-off circle, winning 55.7%. They killed three of four penalties and had two unsuccessful power plays.

Center Ryan Carpenter returned to the lineup Friday, called up from the AHL Barracuda. It was his first game with the Sharks since 2018. In the interim, he played with the Golden Knights, the Blackhawks, the Flames and the Rangers. Marc-Edouard Vlasic was back in the lineup, but Logan Couture still has not played this season and Alexander Barabanov is still out with injury.

The Sharks next play on Sunday in Washington against the Capitals at 2:00 PM PT.

NHL podcast with Len Shapiro: Hurricanes Pesce out with lower body injury; Could Sharks be worst NHL team of all time?; Plus more NHL news

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Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Jonas Johansson (31) stops the puck in the first period while defenseman Darren Raddish (43) and the San Jose Sharks defenseman Jacob Peterson (24) anticipate the rebound at Amalie Arena in Tampa Bay FL on Thu Oct 26, 2023 (AP News photo)

On the NHL podcast with Len Shapiro:

#1 The Carolina Hurricanes lost Brett Pesce for two to four weeks with a lower body injury. Pesce has missed the last two games due to the injury. Pesce last played for the Canes on Oct 19th against the Seattle Kraken. Pesce has one goal and one assist through five games.

#2 This season no one expected the San Jose Sharks (0-6-1) to be a world beater and no one is really surprised that the NHL world is beating up on the Sharks who have now lost six games and are still looking for their first win of the 2023-24 season. The Sharks had problems in their expansion years in the early 90s but oddsmakers now are saying they could be one of the worst team in hockey history.

#3 Streaks: Vegas Golden Knights is 7-0, Boston Bruins 6-0-1 tied for all time best start in 100 years and lost in OT tonight 4-3, In Pittsburgh, the Avalanche have won 15 in a row on the road over two seasons and that’s an NHL. Penguins ended the Aves streak in shutout 4-0. Tristin Jarri goaltender for the Pens stopped 31 shots.

#4 More bad news for the Edmonton Oilers they have lost their star forward Connor McDavid for one to two weeks due to a upper body injury. McDavid has two goals six assists. McDavid got hurt last Saturday against the Winnipeg Jets in 3-2 overtime loss.

#5 The New Jersey Devils Jake Hughes has been exceeding expectations and is considered one of the best NHL players this season. Last Saturday Hughes had four assists becoming the first player with at least 14 points in the first five games of the season since the Pittsburgh Penguins Mario Lemieux did it with 17 points in the 1992-93 season.

Join Len Shapiro for the NHL podcast each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sharks Shut Out 6-0 by Lightning; San Jose remains winless at 0-6-1

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The San Jose Sharks goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen (36) replaces Sharks starting goalie MacKenzie Blackwood in the second period at Amalie Arena in Tampa Bay on Thu Oct 26, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks, still winless after seven games, fell to the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-0 in Thursday. Brayden Point, Michael Eyssimont, Steven Stamkos, Brandon Hagel, Nicholas Paul and Luke Glendenning scored for the Lightning. Jonas Johansson made 31 saves for the shutout win, his second shutout in a row. Mackenzie Blackwood made 16 saves on 21 shots before Kaapo Kahkonen replaced him in the net. Kahkonen made 9 saves on 10 shots.

Though not their first loss of the season, this was the first time the Sharks were shut out. After the game, Sharks defenseman Mario Ferraro said: “Not good, not good at all. Weren’t hard enough to play against, too much time and space for them. It wasn’t a good game for us. No, we’re not happy about that one, there’s nothing positive to take out of that.”

When asked what the team needs to do to improve offensively, Ferraro said: “I think we just as a team have to stop worrying about that.” He later elaborated on that:

“I think maybe we’re thinking too much on what we got to do offensively and how to create and I think just narrowing it down to the little things, our compete and being good teammates and working hard every night. Until we’re consistent with that, we can’t worry about scoring.”

Brayden Point scored the first of the game at 1:41 of the first. Mikhail Sergachev made a pass from the left side of the blue line down tot the right circle and Point shot it to the far side over Blackwood’s shoulder. Assists went to Sergachev and Nick Perbix.

Michael Eyssimont scored next, at 6:03, tipping a blue line shot while falling in front of the net. That shot came from Calvin deHaan. Perbix also got an assist.

Steven Stamkos made it 3-0 with a goal in the final minute of the period, during a 5-on-3 power play. Assists went to Nikita Kucherov and Mikhail Sergachev.

Brandon Hagel made it 4-0 with a break away goal at 4:01 of the second period. Assists went to Alex Barré-Boulet and Victor Hedman.

Nicholas Paul added another at 7:29, with a back-hand on a rebound in traffic. Assists went to Stamkos and Hedman.

The Sharks pulled Blackwood after that goal and sent Kaapo Kahkonen into the net.

The sixth goal of the game came from Luke Glendenning at 5:44 of the third period. Connor Sheary’s shot was deflected by Glendenning and then went off of Matt Benning and Kyle Burroughs before bouncing into the net. Assists went to Sheary and Darren Raddysh.

The Sharks had just seven shots in each of the first two periods and nine in the third. They had two unsuccessful power plays and killed three of four penalties. The Sharks won 61.5% of the faceoffs. The Sharks were again without Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Alexander Barabanov was out due to injury.

The Sharks next play on Friday at 4:00 PM PT in Raleigh against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Sharks Fall 3-1 in Florida, Still Winless After six games

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Florida Panthers center Sam Reinhart (13) is floored by his goal on San Jose Sharks goaltender MacKenzie Blackwood (29) at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise on Tue Oct 24, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks fell 3-1 to the Florida Panthers in Sunrise on Tuesday. Carter Verhaeghe, Sam Reinhart and Kevin Stenlund scored for Florida and Anthony Stolarz made 27 saves for the win. Fabian Zetterlund scored for San Jose and Mackenzie Blackwood made 32 saves in the loss.

After the game, Sharks forward William Eklund talked about his linemate, Tuesday’s lone goal-scorer, Fabian Zetterlund: “He’s always first in the corner, always first on the puck, always hitting guys, you know, creating chances for us, so I think he’s played really great today.”

Sharks Head Coach David Quinn talked about the good he saw in the Sharks’ game: “I thought our third period was our best period,.. I thought as the game went on we started finding our footing and did a better job on break outs and establishing some forecheck, just too little too late.” The bad, Quinn described as: “I just though we kept giving the puck away, I didn’t think we were committed in our battles, and against a team like that you’re gonna spend a lot of time in your end and give up chances and that’s kinda what happened. But as the game went on, that happened less and less.”

The first goal of the game came at 8:30 of the second period. Panthers defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson went to the penalty box for holding Tomas Hertl. With just five seconds left in the power play, Zetterlund scored with a wrist shot off a reverse pass from Eklund behind the net. Assists went to Eklund and Thomas Bordeleau.

The lead lasted less than two minutes, when Carter Verhaeghe scored a very similar goal, off a pass from below the goal line. The shot went into traffic, and may have gone off of a Sharks skate. Assists went to Matthew Tkatchuk and Eetu Loustarinen.

The Panthers scored again on a power play late in the period. It was a chaotic power play with a second penalty called in the first minute, delayed more than ten seconds. The teams played 5-on-3 for about four seconds before the Panthers were called for hooking. It was during the 4-on-3 that Sam Reinhart scored off a bouncing rebound. The assists went to Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Evan Rodrigues.

Though unable to score, the Sharks and their goalie delayed the Panthers’ third goal until the final seconds of the game, when Kevin Stenlund scored into and empty net to make it 3-1.

The Sharks were again out-shot, 35-28. Their face-off numbers were excellent, winning 62% of the draws. They killed three of four Florida power plays and scored on one of three power plays.

Veteran Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic was a scratch Tuesday, and defenseman Jan Rutta missed the second part of the first period with an undisclosed injury. Rutta returned for the second and third periods.

The Sharks next play on Thursday in Tampa at 4:00 PM PT against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Sharks Start Road Trip With 5-1 Loss to Predators

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The Nashville Predators center Tommy Novak (82) smiling is congratulated by his teammates after scoring a second period goal. All the San Jose Sharks goaltender MacKenzie Blackwood (29) can do is look on the celebration at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on Sat Oct 21, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks extended their start-of-season losing streak to five games with a 5-1 road loss to the Nashville Predators. Nashville goals came from Samuel Fagemo, Kiefer Sherwood, Luke Evangelista and Tommy Novak, who scored twice. Juuse Saros stopped 31 shots for the win. San Jose’s Tomas Hertl scored his first of the season, preventing a shutout. Mackenzie Blackwood made 29 saves in the loss.

After the game, Tomas Hertl said:

“I think we played a pretty good game, you know, and in the second like we stopped playing for one minute and it kind of changed the game. But even after that I think the 20 minutes in the second period we got pretty good looks, we should score some goals. You know, power play finally looks better. but still it’s not enough. I just don’t like the last ten minutes because we just left [Blackwood] alone.”

Nico Sturm said: “I think our inability to execute for 60 minutes is pretty apparent. We do a lot of good things but we don’t do it the whole game. That costs you in the National Hockey League.” He went on to describe the frustration the team is facing during this bad start to the season:

“Sometimes it feels like we’re taking one step forward and two steps back. It’s a little bit… obviously, it’s tough. I wish I had the magic formula. But we’ll stick together, show up for practice. That’s the biggest thing is not letting these things drive us apart as a group and everything else hockey-wise we’ll sort out.”

The first Nashville goal of the game came late in the first period. Alexandre Carrier caught the puck on the blue line and sent it back down to Gustav Nyquist on the boards. Nyquist passed it quickly across the ice to Samuel Fagemo for the shot.

Nashville’s second and third goals came in quick succession early in the second period. Roman Josi carried the puck into the Sharks zone where Nico Sturm knocked him down. The puck came loose to Kiefer Sherwood high in the zone. He passed it down and across the ice to Tommy Novak who tipped it in at 2:06.

12 seconds later, Sherwood scored another. Tyson Barrie won a race to the puck and sent it up the ice to Luke Evangelista. His quick pass back down the ice found Sherwood in the faceoff circle for the shot.

Novak scored his second on a power play at 2:47 of the third period. Nyquist caught the puck near the goal line and dropped back while Novak got to the front of the net for a close-in shot. A secondary assist went to Juuso Parssinen.

Tomas Hertl got the Sharks on the scoreboard with a goal at 10:33 of the third. Mario Ferraro sent a shot from the blue line past the net and off the boards for a bank pass to Hertl, who was closing on the net and shot it in easily. A secondary assist went to Nikolai Knyzhov.

Luke Evangelista made it 5-1 at 13:26 with a break away goal. Dante Fabbro got the assist.

Sharks Head Coach David Quinn described it as “a game of extremes. You know, I thought there were some really good things going on for a while, then, you know, when we’re bad we’re bad.” Nonetheless, the Sharks improved on previous games by staying close on the shot clock, with 32 shots to Nashville’s 34. The Sharks power play went 0/2, but they killed three of five Nashville power plays. The Sharks won 56.1% of their faceoffs.

The Sharks next game will be at 4:45 PM PT on Tuesday in Sunrise against the Florida Panthers.