Category: NHL

Tightly contested game between Sharks and Canucks ends with Vancouver on top 4-3

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Photo courtesy of San Jose Sharks Twitter. Matt Benning gets ready before the game against Vancouver.

By Titus Wilkinson (@TitusWisme)

At the SAP Center the Sharks and Canucks battled it out in a back-and-forth affair that needed overtime but in the end the Canucks won by a final of 4-3.

The opening period was a close checking period with very few stoppages and quick play on both sides of the puck.

At the 7:26 mark though Kyle Burroughs would break the silence with a one time bomb from the point that made it 1-0. The assists on the goal going to both Bo Horvat and J.T. Miller.

After the goal it continued to be a tightly played game with the shots at the end of the period only slightly favoring the Sharks at 11-7.

Heading into the second the game continued to be played very similarly with Kevin Labanc breaking up the pace by taking a tripping penalty. Though the Canucks would threaten the PK unit for San Jose came through and killed the PP off.

A little over ten minutes after the PK the Sharks would get a fortuitous goal that bounced in off the back Luke Kunin out in front off a wrist shot from the point by Matt Benning. Nick Bonino also got an assists on the goal as it bounced off of him as well.

The period would end in a tie at 1-1 with the Sharks still leading in shots at 16-13.

In the third period at the 13:00 minute mark Burroughs would take a cross-checking penalty to give the Sharks their first power play of the game.

Only five seconds into said PP San Jose struck with a one time ripper from Logan Couture that beat Thatcher Demko. Erik Karlsson and Alexander Barabonov also got assists on the goal.

For the Sharks their lead would be short lived as a little over a minute later Ilya Mikheyev scored on a one timer in the slot to tie things back up at two. Both Andrei Kuzmenko and Elias Pettersson got assists on the goal.

Looking to end the game the Canucks kept up the pressure and scored again this time Pettersson got his 11th of the season on tip out front that beat Kaapo Kahkonen. Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Mikheyev got assists on the goal.

With the pressure on them San Jose would not fold as instead they pressed back and got some good looks of their own.

With a little less than seven minutes left in the game the teal-and-white converted on a look with Kunin netting his second of the night. It was another one timer beautifully set up by Karlsson with Nick Bonino assisting on the play as well.

Despite some good chances late in the third for Vancouver overtime would be necessary for this matchup.

For the Canucks it would not take long for them to end it as just 1:12 into OT Kuzmenko found himself alone on a breakaway and sniped a shot past Kahkonen. Miller and Quinn Hughes got assists on the goal.

At the end of the game the shots finished in favor of the Sharks at 35-20.

“Pretty good I mean I felt good throughout the whole game obviously just frustrating way to end this game,” Kahkonen said after the OT loss.

The Sharks next game will be against the Montreal Canadians on Tuesday at the Bell Centre at 4 p.m.

NHL podcast with Matt Harrington: CBJs-Predators game postponed in Nashville; Leafs extend point streak to seven; plus more

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Toronto Maple Leafs right wing Mitchell Marner (16) and Minnesota Wild left wing Matt Boldy (12) go after the puck during the first period at the Excel Energy Center in St Paul on Fri Nov 25, 2022 (AP News photo)

On NHL podcast with Matt Harrington:

#1 A very unusual NHL occurrence as today’s game between the Columbus Blue Jackets and Nashville Predators has been postponed due to a water main break at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. The report says the break had significantly impacted the building and can’t service fans or even the players at the Nashville rink. The Jackets, Predators, or the NHL have not announced a make up date yet.

#2 The Toronto Maple Leafs have extended their point streak to seven games with a 4-3 win over the Minnesota Wild at the Excel Energy Center in St Paul. The Leafs Mitchell Marner extended his point streak to 15 games with a goal. The Leafs have now won two straight games and got 25 saves from goaltender Matt Murray.

#3 The Montreal Canadiens Kirby Dach has an eye for the backend of the net during shootouts. Dach scored his second consecutive game winning shootout goal getting the Habs a 3-2 win over the visiting Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center in Chicago.

#4 Can’t hold a good team down as the Boston Bruins won their 12th consecutive game which is a NHL record for home victories getting the win over the Carolina Hurricanes 3-2. The Bruins David Pastrnak scored on a power play goal at 3:19 in the overtime stanza for a one timer after a pass from Brad Marchand.

#5 The Pittsburgh Penguins Ryan Poehling scored scored two goals which help contribute to a 4-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. The Pens Teddy Blueger had three assists, Josh Archibald got a goal and an assist, good enough for their fifth straight win.

Join Matt for the NHL podcasts Saturdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Kings skate past Sharks 5-2; Fourth loss in last five games for SJ

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San Jose Sharks goaltender James Reimer can’t stop the puck as it sails glove side for one of five Los Angeles Kings goals at SAP Center in San Jose on Fri Nov 25, 2022 on California Golden Seals throwback sweater night (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The San Jose Sharks (7-13-3) hosted the Los Angeles Kings (12-19-2) Friday night at the SAP Arena in San Jose. The Kings, coached by Todd McLellan, skated past his former team and won the game 5-2.

The Kings scored the first goal of the night with 8:55 played. The Kings Jaret Anderson-Dolan beat goaltender Sharks James Reimer for the tally. Anderson-Dolan’s snapshot got by Reimer on the short side of the net. Blake Lizotte and Drew Doughty assisted. The Sharks evened the score when Kevin LaBanc put the puck over Kings’ goalie Jonathan Quick.

It was LaBanc’s fourth goal of the year. Tomo Meier and Tomas Hertl assisted. With 3:53 left in the period, Radim Simex was sent to the penalty box for tripping. The Sharks almost killed the penalty, but Phillip Danault scored the Kings’ second goal of the game. Assists went to Viktor Arvidsson and Sean Durzi. The Kings lead 2-1 after the first period.

The Kings dominated play for most of the second period. With 4:39 played, Arvidsson’s wrist shot got through Reimer’s pads and trickled into the goal for the tally. Kevin Fiala and Sean Durzi recorded assists. The Kings lead 3-1. Things were not going well for the Sharks until late in the period.

The Sharks’ power play, with 4:41 left, was killed by the Kings. It appeared the Kings would go to the locker room leading by two. However, as the fans know, things can change in the blink of an eye. Sharks’ forward Alexander Barabanov intercepted a Kings’ pass in front of the net. Barabanov’s wrist shot beat Quick for the Sharks’ second goal. LA leads 3-2 after two periods of play.

The Kings scored twice in the third period to win the game. With 2:51 played, Rasmus Kupari’s shot broke through Reimer’s pads for the score. Reimer appeared to block the shot, but the puck somehow squirted through Reimer’s legs. The Sharks could not get anything going in the third period.

They went on a power play with 5:38 left. The Kings’ penalty killers did their job. The Sharks pulled Reimer with more than three minutes left to play. The six-on-five Sharks attack failed when Anze Kopitar put the puck into an empty net to give the Kings a 5-2 advantage.

Game Notes and Stats: With the loss, the Sharks are 7-13-3. San Jose has won only one game at home so far this year. Reimer, at home, is 0-8-3. The Sharks remain in seventh place in the Pacific Conference. The Kings improved to 12-9-2 to remain in third place in the Pacific Conference. They trail the Seattle Kraken by one point for second place.

The Kings had a goal waved off early in the first period. Adrian Kempe put the puck past Reimer 42 seconds into the game. Shark’s coach Dan Quinn challenged the call. After a review, the call was overturned as the Kings were offside.

The Sharks host the Vancouver Canucks at the SAP Arena on Sun Nov 27th. With a faceoff at 5 pm.

17,950 fans watched the Sharks lose for the 13th time this year.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Len Shapiro: Kraken pile on Sharks in second and third periods in 8-5 win; Host LA Kings tonight at SAP

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Seattle Kraken defenseman Jamie Oleksiak (24) shoots the puck past San Jose Sharks goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen (36) for a goal in the second period at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle on Wed Nov 23, 2022 (AP News photo)

On the Sharks podcast with Len:

#1 Len the Seattle Kraken (11-5-3) spared no one in Wednesday night’s contest at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle as the San Jose Sharks (7-12-3) fell victim to the Kraken 8-5.

#2 The Sharks started of the first period with two goals to take the lead over the Kraken from Logan Couture number 11 and Timo Meier 10 for the season.

#3 Seattle wasted no time getting back into it getting goals from Vance Dunn (3), Ryan Danato (2), and Jamie Oleksiak (4).

#4 The Kraken added four more goals in the third period and that pretty much sank the Sharks who lost by three goals in a shootout in Seattle. Sharks goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen stopped 19-26 shots and allowed seven. Sharks head coach David Quinn had some things to say after Wednesday’s game.

#5 Sharks try it all over again as they host the Los Angeles Kings at SAP Center in San Jose on Friday night. Sharks are looking for another win after defeating the Ottawa Senators last Monday night.

Join Len Shapiro does San Jose Sharks podcasts Fridays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Kraken Sink Sharks 8-5 Despite Meier Hat Trick

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Seattle Kraken center Matty Beniers (10) sends the puck past San Jose Sharks goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen (36) for a goal at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle on Wed Nov 23, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Matthew Harrington

The San Jose Sharks will be thankful Wednesday night’s game is behind them when they gather around their respective tables on Thanksgiving. The Sharks lost to the Seattle Kraken 8-5 at Climate Pledge Arena despite a Timo Meier hat trick. Logan Couture and Alexander Barabanov also scored for the Sharks and Erik Karlsson notched his 30th point of the year, but three-point nights from Matty Beniers and Andre Burakovsky and a pair of goals from Jaden Schwartz pushed Seattle ahead.

Former Shark Martin Jones made 21 saves for the win while Kaapo Kahkonen saved 19 of 26 shots he faced. James Reimer did not travel with the team, sitting out with a lower body injury.

San Jose entered the second period up 2-1 after Couture scored on a redirect of a Nick Cicek shot 4:11 into play, Burakovsky converted on a 5-on-3 9:44 into the first and Meier scored his first of the night on a 4-on-3 power play with 1:07 left in the opening frame.

Seattle scored three-straight in the second period with Vince Dunn, ex-Shark Ryan Donato and Jaime Oleksiak all scoring in the first ten minutes and change of the period. Meier cut Seattle’s lead to 4-3 after beating Jones with 6:21 left in the period.

Barabanov scored a minute into the third to tie the game 3-3, giving the Sharks hope but Oliver Bjorkstrand responded almost immediately, beating Kahkonen at the 2:48 mark. Schwartz scored his first of the game 59 seconds later. Meier responded with a tip-in at the 8:58 mark for the hat trick and his team-leading 12th goal of the year but a Beniers tally at the 15:16 mark and a Schwartz empty netter iced the game for the Kraken who sit second in the Pacific Division.

The Sharks return home for a Friday contest against the Los Angeles Kings. They’ll be wearing their California/Oakland Seals inspired Reverse Retro jerseys for the first time when they hit the ice the day after Thanksgiving.

Sharks play well dominate Senators 5-1

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Ottawa Senators center Mark Kastelic (47) punches San Jose Sharks defenseman Nick Cicek during the second period at SAP Center in San Jose on Mon Nov 21, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

Monday night’s game between the San Jose Sharks (7-11-3) and the Ottawa Senators (6-11-1), was a matchup of two teams struggling to get something going this season. The Senators entered the game with a record of six wins, ten losses, and one tie, good for 12 points. They found themselves in last place in the Atlantic conference. The Sharks’ record before Monday’s game was six wins, 11 losses, and three ties. The Sharks’ 15 points landed them in seventh place in the Pacific conference.

Sharks’ coach Dan Quinn was not happy with his team’s performance last Saturday night when they lost 2-1 to the visiting New York Rangers. Quinn wanted his team to be more physical Monday night. Quinn was hoping the Sharks could find a way to win, as they had won just once at home in 11 games. They didn’t do well in the first period, but they dominated the next two periods to get the win. The Sharks made Quinn’s wish come true as they played one of their best games to beat the Senators 5-1.

The Senators dominated play in the first period. They had 13 shots on goal, and the Sharks had three—however, shots on goal don’t count. The Sharks’ Noah Gregor had a breakaway, but the shot hit the bar on the top of the goal and went into the corner.

The Sharks found a way to get the puck back to Gregor. Gregor’s wrist shot beat Ottawa’s veteran goalie, Cam Talbot, for the tally. Gregor’s shot went over Talbot’s left shoulder. The time of goal happened with 13:38 left in the period. It was Gregor’s first goal of the year. Luke Kunin and Matt Benning assisted. The Senators evened the score with 6:46 left. Tim Stutzle beat Kaapo Kahkonen for the tally. Brady Tkachuk recorded the assist. Stutzle recorded his seventh goal of the season.

The Sharks went on a power play late in the period. The Senators were able to kill the penalty. The referees called Kevin LaBanc for tripping with 1:52 left in the period. The Senators failed to score but have eight seconds left when the second period starts. The score is tied 1-1.

The Sharks thoroughly outskated the Senators in the second period. The Sharks scored three times to end the second stanza leading 4-1. San Jose had 19 shots on goal and held the Senators to eight. Timo Meier tallied with just 1:!8 played. Meier’s scored two seconds after Talbot blocked his last shot. Eric Karlsson found Meier to Talbot’s right. Meier had the smallest of cracks on the left side of the goal. His wrist shot found the opening to put the Sharks ahead 2-1.

San Jose scored their third of the night 3:35 later. Matt Nieto tipped Matt Bennings’ wrister from the point for the score. Nieto’s goal was his fourth of the season. Benning and Alexander Barabanov assisted. The Senators’ coach, D.J. Smith, replaced Cam Talbot in goal with Alex Forsberg.

Talbot allowed three goals on seven shots. With 5:59 left in the period, the Senators’ Travis Hamonic went to the penalty box for two minutes for tripping. The Sharks capitalized with just six seconds left on the power play. Tomas Hertl tipped in his fifth goal of the year to make it 4-1. Logan Couture and Eric Karlsson assisted on the goal. Sharks’ coach Dan Quinn saw his team play one of the best periods of play this season.

Ottawa knew they had to get some goals to get back in the game. The Sharks’ defense, along with Khakonen, had other thoughts. The Sharks held the Senators scoreless over the last 20 minutes of the game. With about three minutes left, the Senators pulled their goalie. They controlled the play, but the defense and the Sharks’ goalie did not fold. With 58 seconds left, Logan Couture sent the puck the length of the ice into the Senators’ goal to make it 5-1. The game was over.

Game Notes: The Sharks had Kaapo Kahkonen make his sixth start of the year. Kahkonen’s record was one win, four losses, and one tie before tonight’s win. Kahkonen was a force in goal as he made 37 saves. Eric Karlsson, the Sharks’ outstanding defenseman, assisted on two goals. Karlsson tallied 19 points this month and has 30 for the season. He trails the NHL scoring leader, Conor McDavid, by five points. 

Gregor, Timo Meier, Matt Nieto, Tomas Hertl, and Logan Couture scored for San Jose. Couture also had an assist.

Tim Stutzle scored Ottawa’s only goal. Brady Tkachuk assisted. Brady Tkachuk’s father is a former NHL great, Keith Tkachuk.

The Sharks scored one for three on the power play. The Sharks killed both of Ottawa’s power plays.

There was a fight in the second period between the Sharks’ Nick Cicek and Ottawa’s Mark Kastellic. Kastellic’s shoulder hit Cicek in the head. Tempers flared, and after a relatively short battle, both players were penalized five minutes for fighting.

The Sharks are on their way to Seattle to face the Kraken Wednesday night. San Jose returns home to play the Los Angeles Kings Friday night at the SAP center.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Chiranbir Mahal: After winning 3 straight and dropping their last two which is the real Sharks?

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The New York Rangers center Mika Zibanejad (93) is airborne as the puck goes past the side of the net to the relief of San Jose Sharks goaltender James Reimer (right) on Sat Nov 19, 2022 at SAP Center in San Jose (AP News photo)

On the San Jose Sharks podcast with Chiranbir Mahal:

#1 Chiranbir, Who are these guys in teal are they the team who have lost their last two games or the team that won three in a row before these last two loses?

#2 The San Jose Sharks (6-11-3) on offense have been getting plenty of good offensive help by Timo Meier, Thomas Hertl, and Erik Karlsson but no matter they’ve been a question mark in past game in the third period, overtime or even in the shootout?

#3 That last game on Saturday night they battled with the New York Rangers (9-6-4) in a game that went right down to the third period once again. The Sharks scored a goal that they would hope that would stand up but all for not as the Rangers answered right back with two goals for the 2-1 win.

#4 Chiranbir, talk about goaltender James Reimer the Sharks count on him so much and the last game against the Rangers was no exception he allowed only one goal the other Ranger goal was an empty netter. Reimer faced 42 shots and stopped 41. Try as hard as you can that was an extraordinary effort by Reimer on Saturday night.

Chiranbir Mahal is a correspondent for INDTV/USA and covers the Sharks home games and contributes on the Sharks podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Two late goals lift Rangers past Sharks 2-1

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The New York Rangers defenseman Ryan Carpenter (22) puts a hold on the San Jose Sharks center Logan Couture (39) who looks for the puck, in front Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin (31) at the SAP Center in San Jose on Sat Nov 19, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Daniel Dullum
Saturday, November 19, 2022

A goal by Julien Gauthier late in the third period broke a scoreless tie, eventually helping the New York Rangers earn a 2-1 win over the San Jose Sharks Saturday at SAP Center.

It was the Rangers’ third win in their last five games, going 3-1-1 in that span.

Gauthier lit the lamp with 6:03 remaining in the third period, tipping a shot by Jacob Trouba from the point and steering it past Sharks goaltender James Reimer. It was Gauthier’s third goal of the season.

With Reimer pulled in favor of a sixth attacker, Adam Fox picked up an empty-net tally at 18:53, giving the Rangers a 2-0 lead.

Logan Couture scored for the Sharks at 19:43, breaking up Igor Shesterkin’s bid for a shutout. Couture was positioned at the right of the crease, where he took a pass from Tomas Hertl and beat Shesterkin with a wrist shot for his ninth goal.

Shesterkin stopped 21 of 22 San Jose shots, while Reimer made 42 saves.

San Jose forward Nico Sturm left the game late in the first period after being boarded by Rangers defenseman Ryan Carpenter, but returned in the second period. Carpenter received a 2-minute minor for the infraction.

Former San Jose forward Barclay Goodrow of the Rangers made his first appearance at SAP Center since the Sharks traded him to Tampa Bay in February of 2020. And Sharks defenseman Mario Ferraro reached the personal milestone of 200 NHL games played.

The Sharks host the Ottawa Senators on Monday nigh for a 7:30 pm.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Maddie Dutra: Karlsson and Grier on same page not likely to make a trade

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Erik Karlsson (56) skates against the Florida Panthers on Nov 3, 2022 at SAP Center in San Jose. Karlsson says that he and general manager Mike Grier are on the same page and Karlsson wants to stay in San Jose (AP file photo)

On the SJ Sharks podcast with Maddie Dutra:

#1 San Jose Sharks (6-10-3) defenseman Erik Karlsson continues to find the back end of the net as he picked up a goal on four shots against the Detroit Red Wings (8-5-4) on Thursday night.

#2 The Sharks had a brief lead on the Red Wings 2-1 after the first period but caved in in the second period when the Red Wings added two unanswered goals making 3-2.

#3 The roof further caved in the third and final period after the Red Wings scored four goals and pretty ran away with a three goal 7-4 win at SAP Center on Thursday night.

#4 Sharks goaltender James Reimer faced 20 shots saving 14. Was this game for Reimer a game where the Red Wings picked up on his skill set and he ended up facing a barrage of goals that just couldn’t stop or he just simply didn’t get any help up front?

#5 The New York Rangers who had their own set of struggles comes on into SAP Center on Saturday night. The Rangers are 5-3-2 in their last ten. The Rangers know when they step out on the ice it’s not going easy to win games much like the Sharks who had their share of struggles.

Join Maddie for the San Jose Sharks podcasts Fridays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NHL podcast with Matt Harrington: Buffalo suffering from key injuries; NHL teams inquiring about a Karlsson trade with San Jose; plus more news

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Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin (26) checks Ottawa Senators right wing Mathieu Joseph (21) as they skate after the puck through the crease of Sabres goaltender Eric Comrie (31) during the second period at the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa on Fri Nov 18, 2022 (AP News photo)

On the NHL podcast with Matt:

#1 The Buffalo Sabers are suffering from key injuries the Sabers report that goaltender Eric Comrie has suffered a lower body injury and is expected to be out for multiple weeks. Buffalo defenseman Rasmus Dahlin rammed Ottawa right winger Mathieu Joseph into Comrie at 9:43 in the second period. Comrie stayed 14 seconds longer and allowed a goal and was pulled after the goal.

#2 San Jose Sharks general manager Mike Grier said that he is entertaining offers from other NHL clubs who would be interested in defenseman Erik Karlsson’s services. Karlsson right now leads all NHL defenseman in goals scored with 11 goals. Grier says that Karlsson and his family is happy in San Jose and Grier would speak with Karlsson before anything is decided.

#3 For the Dallas Stars goaltender Scott Wedgewood a scary moment when he was carted off the ice with an upperbody injury during Thursday night’s game against the Florida Panthers at FLA Arena in Sunrise. Wedgewood ended up holding the Panthers center Anton Lundell on a breakaway Wedgewood’s back locked up and he was laid out only to get stretched off. Stars head coach Peter DeBoer said that Wedgewood later was walking around in the dressing room after the game and that he should be fine.

#4 The Minnesota Wild goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury is out with a upper body injury. Fleury has an upper body injury the report says that Fluery had contact in net likewise his counter Nashville goaltender was bumped around quite a bit. Fleury is listed day to day. Fluery is getting treatment from the doctors.

#5 Matt it’s been a very special week as the NHL and NHLPA are in joint initiative to raise cancer awareness for Hockey Fights Cancer. This is the 24th season the NHL and NHLPA are doing Hockey Fights Cancer. It’s been a humbling but yet special week for the players all that have been involved.

Matt does the NHL podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com