Category: NHL

Sharks Fall 3-1 to Bruins

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Boston Bruins left wing Taylor Hall (71) goes after the puck and San Jose Sharks defenseman Mario Ferraro (38) slides into the dash boards at SAP Center in San Jose on Sat Feb 26, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

SAN JOSE- The San Jose Sharks fell 3-1 to the visiting Boston Bruins Saturday night. The Bruins got two goals from Brad Marchand and one from Patrice Bergeron. Jeremy Swayman made 15 saves for the win. Timo Meier scored for San Jose and James Reimer made 34 saves in the loss.

The Sharks have not beaten the Bruins since 2016, and this year’s Boston team is clearly a contender. So the loss was not surprising. But it did highlight some ongoing issues for the Sharks. The Sharks had just 16 shots on goal in the game, a low for the season. Their power play, however, continues to produce at a good clip, with nine goals in their last nine games. But their inability to score first is looming large. They have given up the first goal in eight games in a row.

Defenseman Mario Ferraro had to be helped off the ice midway through the second period. The Sharks have used eleven defensemen this season. Nicolas Meloche is also out with injury now, and Erik Karlsson is still recovering from surgery.

Also in the troublesome injury category is the fact that James Reimer played his tenth game in a row Saturday, and may play his eleventh tomorrow. It would not be unreasonable to expect to see Zach Sawchenko in net Sunday, if Adin Hill is still not recovered from his injury. If ever there were a good reason to put an untested goalie in net, ten starts in a row would be it.

Brad Marchand gave the Bruins a lead at 14:24 of the first period. Jake Debrusk carried the puck in with Marchand two-on-one. Debrusk made the pass and Marchand put it past Mario Ferraro and Reimer for his 22nd of the season. Assists went to Debrusk and Erik Haula.

The Sharks tied it up at 12:50 of the second with a power play goal from Timo Meier. Brent Burns, midway up the slot, faked a shot before making a mass to Meier in the face-off circle. Meier’s one-timer beat Swayman on the glove side. Assists went to Burns and Logan Couture.

Early in the third period, Brad Marchand scored his second of the night to make it 2-1 Bruins. Taylor Hall made a backwards pass from the goal line to the left of the net across to the circle on the right side of the net. That is where the pass found Marchand for the game-winning shot. Assists went to Hall and Craig Smith.

Patrice Bergeron added another for the Bruins with just 40 seconds left in the game. David Pastrnak skated in as if to shoot, but then centered the puck for Bergeron. Bergeron put it past Couture and Reimer both for his 14th of the season. Assists went to Pastrnak and Marchand.

The Sharks next play on Sunday at 7:00 PM PT, in San Jose against the Seattle Kraken.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Marko Ukalovic: Sharks look for second win face Boston and Seattle in back to back games

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San Jose Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic, left, looks for the puck as a shot by New York Islanders left wing Anders Lee (27) is blocked by Sharks goaltender James Reimer (47) at the SAP Center in San Jose on Thu Feb 24, 2022 (AP News photo)

On the San Jose Sharks podcast with Marko:

#1 Seven loses in a row came to an end on Thursday night against the New York Islanders in a shootout how relieved are the San Jose Sharks?

#2  James Reimer made 44 saves for the win in his ninth start in a row.

#3 Logan Couture, Jasper Weatherby and Alexander Barabanov scored for the Sharks. Brock Nelson, Zach Parise and Adam Pelech scored for New York. Ilya Sorokin made 25 saves in the loss.

#4 James Reimer stopped all three shots in the shootout and Logan Couture scored. Ilya Sorokin stopped a shot from Tomas Hertl.

#5 The Sharks now play back to back games this weekend against the Boston Bruins and the Seattle Kraken at SAP Center how do you see the Sharks coming off snapping a seven game loss streak going into these games on back to back nights.

Marko was filling in for Len Shapiro for the Sharks podcast at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NHL podcast with Matt Harrington: Ovechkin addresses the war in Ukraine; Kyrou is the difference in the Blues win; plus more

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The Washington Capitals Alexander Ovechkin addresses the media over questions regarding the Russian invasion into the Ukraine on Fri Feb 25, 2022 (photo from Russian Machine Never Breaks)

NHL podcast with Matt Harrington:

#1 Washington Capitals Alexander Ovechkin said that the war in Ukraine is hard for both countries and that Ovechkin said he has friends in both Russia and the Ukraine and said that he hopes for peace soon.

#2 The St Louis Blues were able to continue their six game win streak with a 5-3 win over the Buffalo Sabers on Friday night. The Blues Jordan Kyrou scored twice to help St Louis get a two goal win.

#3 The Montreal Canadiens Andrew Hammond made 30 saves Sunday in his Habs debut against the New York Islanders in a 3-2 shootout win. Hammond gets the nod to start tonight against the Ottawa Senators. How big of a difference do you see Hammond making for the Canadiens?

#4 Montreal goaltender Carey Price whose been going through knee rehab since January is said to be making improvements but is not ready to hit the ice just yet. He had knee surgery back in July and his recovery was expected to be 10-12 weeks but is still in rehab.

#5 The New York Islanders Zdeno Charo broke the NHL record for games played by a defenseman he set the record at 1652 games surpassing Chris Chelios by one game.

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

Sharks Beat Islanders 4-3 in SO, End Losing Streak

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New York Islanders defenseman Zdeno Chara (33) tries to get his stick and arms around San Jose Sharks right wing Timo Meier (28) at SAP Center in San Jose on Thu Feb 24, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

SAN JOSE- The San Jose Sharks defeated the New York Islanders 4-3 in a shootout Thursday night. The win ended a seven-game losing streak for the Sharks. James Reimer made 44 saves for the win in his ninth start in a row. Logan Couture, Jasper Weatherby and Alexander Barabanov scored for the Sharks. Brock Nelson, Zach Parise and Adam Pelech scored for New York. Ilya Sorokin made 25 saves in the loss.

After the game, Sharks Head Coach Bob Boughner talked about James Reimer’s iron man streak in the Sharks net:

“Yeah, it’s a lot of hockey he’s played. Traditionally, if you look at [Reimer]’s career, he’s been such a good goalie in this league for a long time. But playing, I don’t know how many it is now, let’s call it eight, nine, ten in a row, you know, he’s not necessarily been in that position a lot. And, you know, he’s coming up with timely saves and he’s battling just as hard as everybody else and finding ways.”

Brock Nelson opened the scoring at 14:56 of the first. With almost all of the skaters on the left side of the ice, Scott Mayfield sent the puck all the way around the boards to an undefended Nelson. Nelson’s shot went over Reimer’s shoulder on the far side. Assists went to Mayfield and Kieffer Bellows.

Alexander Barabanov tied it up with a power play goal at 15:55, just six seconds into the man advantage. His shot came from above the face-off circle and went through traffic. Assists went to Brent Burns and Tomas Hertl.

Jasper Weatherby gave the Sharks a lead at 17:32. Holding the puck along the boards as if looking for a pass, he opted to send it to the net where it found its way in. An assist went to Jeffrey Viel.

Zach Parise tied it back up at 12:48 of the second period. Sebastian Aho carried the puck down below the goal line before making the pass to Parise just above the blue paint. Aho and Matthew Barzal got the assists.

Logan Couture made it 3-2 on the power play at 16:31. Couture’s shot went through traffic and past Sorokin on the stick side. Assists went to Ryan Merkley and Tomas Hertl.

Adam Pelech tied it again just 19 seconds later, shooting from the slot through a mass of bodies. Assists went to Barzal and Parise.

Half way through the third period, the shots were 10-0 Islanders. At 13 minutes in, it was 12-0. There were fewer than six minutes left by the time the Sharks got a shot on goal. Overall, the Sharks were outshot after the first period 30-13. The Sharks had one shot in overtime to the Islanders’ four.

James Reimer stopped all three shots in the shootout and Logan Couture scored. Ilya Sorokin stopped a shot from Tomas Hertl.

Thursday, Zdeno Chara surpassed Chris Chelios for the most games played by an NHL defenseman. He marked the occasion by fighting Jeffrey Viel. After the game, Sharks defenseman Jacob Middleton said: “What he’s done for so long in this league is just so impressive. Still, at 44 he’s someone, night in and night out, is a presence and plays the right way and the leader he is. Everything he does is impressive.” Of Viel’s fight, he said: “That’s pretty impressive. Chara asked him too, from the sounds of it. So, for Viel to say yes, and go with a guy who’s that big, it just did give us some life on the bench, that’s for sure.”

Nicolas Meloche was injured late in the first period during a board battle with Zach Parise. He left the ice favoring his right side and did not return to the game.

The Sharks next play on Saturday at 7:00 PM PT at home against the Boston Bruins.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa: Sharks hope to snap 7 game skid Thursday against Islanders

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Anaheim Ducks left wing Rickard Rakell (67) puts the winning goal on net against San Jose Sharks goaltender James Reimer (47) in the overtime shootout at the Honda Center in Anaheim Tue Feb 22, 2022 (AP News photo)

On the SJ Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa:

#1 The San Jose Sharks lost to the Anaheim Ducks 4-3 in a shoot-out. It was their seventh loss in a row. Derek Grant and Rickard Rakell scored for Anaheim, with two goals from Rakell. Anthony Stolarz made 40 saves for the win.

#2 Brent Burns and Logan Couture scored for San Jose, with two goals from Couture. James Reimer made 26 saves in his seventh start in a row.

#3 The Ducks took the lead at 3:38 of the first period. Derek Grant scored on a two-on-0 after the Ducks picked off a neutral zone pass. Assists went to Sam Carrick and Nicolas Deslauriers.

#4 A scoreless overtime period saw the Sharks get seven shots on goal, three of those on a power play. The Ducks had no shots in overtime. In the shootout, Stolarz stopped Logan Couture and Tomas Hertl missed the net. For the Ducks, Trevor Zegras and Rickard Rakell scored, and Reimer stopped Troy Terry.

#5 The Sharks next play on Thursday night at 7:30 PM in San Jose against the New York Islanders (19-20-7). The Isles are coming off a 5-2 win over the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday night.

Join Mary Lisa for the Sharks podcasts each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sharks Fall 4-3 in SO to Ducks, 7th Loss in a Row

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San Jose Sharks left wing Alexander Barabanov (94) loses his balance in front of Anaheim Ducks goaltender Anthony Stolarz (41) and Ducks’ Kevin Shattenkirk (22) at the Honda Center in Anaheim on Tue Feb 22, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

ANAHEIM- The San Jose Sharks lost to the Anaheim Ducks 4-3 in a shoot-out. It was their seventh loss in a row. Derek Grant and Rickard Rakell scored for Anaheim, with two goals from Rakell. Anthony Stolarz made 40 saves for the win. Brent Burns and Logan Couture scored for San Jose, with two goals from Couture. James Reimer made 26 saves in his eighth start in a row.

After the game, Sharks Head Coach Bob Boughner discussed the Sharks power play in overtime and one of the differences between the two teams:

“We did have a couple good looks. You know, our big guys were tired, at the end of the game, let’s be honest. We took a lot of penalties and they killed a lot of penalties and, you know, Anaheim has got some guys that are fourth line that do some killing for them and I think that makes a big difference for ice time.”

The Ducks took the lead at 3:38 of the first period. Derek Grant scored on a two-on-0 after the Ducks picked off a neutral zone pass. Assists went to Sam Carrick and Nicolas Deslauriers.

Logan Couture tied it up at 7:10. Brent Burns took a shot off of an offensive zone draw. Stolarz stopped it but Couture jumped on the rebound for his 16th of the season.

Matt Nieto found Burns on his way into the zone to give the Sharks a lead at 17:22. Burns dropped to one knee for the one-timer and got the puck past Stolarz for his first goal in 16 games. Assists went to Matt Nieto and Timo Meier.

At 7:00 of the second, Rickard Rakell tied it up when a shot from Trevor Zegras created a rebound. Assists went to Zegras and Cam Fowler.

Logan Couture scored his second of the night on the power play at 13:44. Once again, Brent Burns took the shot and Couture cleaned up the rebound. Assists went to Burns and Meier.

At 16:09, Rickard Rakell tied it up again with a shot from the face-off circle into the short side. An assist went to Adam Henrique.

A scoreless overtime period saw the Sharks get seven shots on goal, three of those on a power play. The Ducks had no shots in overtime. In the shootout, Stolarz stopped Logan Couture and Tomas Hertl missed the net. For the Ducks, Trevor Zegras and Rickard Rakell scored, and Reimer stopped Troy Terry.

The Sharks out-shot the Ducks 43-29, though the teams were very close in the second and third periods (14-14 and 9-8). They had 14 shots on goal in four power plays. Their penalty kill gave up seven shots and had one short-handed shot in three penalties. The Sharks won 61% of the face-offs.

Ryan Dzingel made his debut with the Sharks after being acquired on Monday. He saw time on the power play (2:31) and skated in overtime. He had two shots in the game and drew the overtime penalty on a break away. Jonathan Dahlen was a healthy scratch Tuesday.

Defenseman Erik Karlsson and goaltender Adin Hill have both started skating but there is still no confirmed return date for the injured players.

The Sharks next play on Thursday back in San Jose against the New York Islanders at 7:30 PM PT.

Curry’s 50 Points Propels Team LeBron To All-Star Win 163-160

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Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry, right, shoots for three as Memphis Grizzlies’ Ja Morant tries to block the shot at Quick and Loans Arena in Cleveland during the NBA All Star Game on Sun Feb 20, 2022 (AP News photo)

Curry’s 50 Points Propels Team LeBron To All-Star Win 163-160

By Barbara Mason

Sunday evening the NBA All-Star game got underway and as always it was a star-studded event. Team Durant and Team LeBron took on each other in Cleveland in this wonderful charity event. Team LeBron is playing for the I Promise Program and team Durant will be playing for the Cleveland Food Bank. On top of that the NBA and State Farm will donate $1900 for every assist made during the game which will be divided between the two team’s charities.

On Team Durant the starters were Andrew Wiggins, Jayson Tatum, Joel Embiid, Trae Young and Ja Morant. For Team LeBron Giannis Antetokounmpo, LeBron James, Demar Derozan, Nikola Jokic and Stephen Curry. Team LeBron is favored by 5.5 points. With lineups like this it doesn’t get any more star-studded than this

It was a first quarter of long balls and crazy dunks by both teams and with 3:49 left in the first 12 minutes the score was 34 points apiece. It was very obvious that both teams were having a lot of fun playing but the fact remained that $100,000 were on the line for the winner of the first quarter.

Team LeBron won the first quarter 47-45 and the $100K for the Kent I Promise Program. High score for Team LeBron was the man himself with nine points and for Team Durant was Joel Embiid with 11 points the only player in the quarter with double digits.

The second quarter went to Team Durant winning 300K for their charity 49-46. The Warriors Curry had finished the half with 24 points and was eight of 11 from downtown. The all-time 3 point shooter certainly was living up to his reputation. The game score at the half was 94-93 in favor of Team Durant.

Halftime was a celebration of 75 years of the NBA. It was a celebration of family, of love and a celebration of all the players who have stepped foot on the court as an NBA player and all they have contributed to the game.

The show highlighted the legends of the past 75 years and it was amazing. A few of the names included of course the late great Kobe Bryant. Michael Jordan, Jerry West, Isaiah Thomas, Steve Nash, Magic Johnson, Charles Barkley, and Shaq O’Neill and the list goes on and on were present. What an incredible gathering of greats from the world of basketball

Curry took over the third quarter with a flurry of threes. The crowd was going crazy, the commentators were going crazy; it was insane. These shots were long and not just barely outside the arc, they were closer to mid-court than anything else. It was pure magic! His 15 shots were the most scored in an All-Star game in three quarters; seven of them in the third quarter. This guy just continues to break records.

The third quarter ended dead even at 45. The game score was 139-138 in favor of Team Durant. It was the Curry show with 45 points and 15 of 21 from downtown.

The fourth quarter target score was 163 points and the winner would earn an additional $150,000 for their charity. We saw more defense in this final quarter with a number of penalties. This game went down to the wire with Team LeBron winning 163-160. It was James himself who hit the winning shot. Curry would finish with 50 points and 16 from downtown.

The redesigned Kobe Bryant trophy was awarded to Curry this years MVP. There could not have been a more deserving, talented or humble guy to receive this award. This year’s All-Star game was a very special one with the diamond anniversary of the NBA being celebrated. Some very important charities will be on the receiving end of this game as well.

The beautiful Kobe Bryant trophy that went to the MVP was also an incredible highlight. So all in all this years All-Star game was one that we will not see for another 25 years.

Sharks Fall 4-1 to Golden Knights; Sixth consecutive loss suffered by San Jose

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San Jose Sharks center Lane Pederson (18) foreground, and goaltender James Reimer (47) collide inside the net against the Vegas Golden Knights at the SAP Center in San Jose on Sun Feb 20, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

SAN JOSE– The San Jose Sharks fell 4-1 to the Vegas Golden Knights Sunday. Keegan Kolesar, Jack Eichel, Max Pacioretty, and Chandler Stephenson scored for Vegas. Logan Thompson made 35 saves for the win. Nick Bonino scored for San Jose and James Reimer made 31 saves in the loss.

After the game, Sharks Head Coach Bob Boughner described the game as: “Another first period where we’re chasing and we’re down two-nothing, it’s a couple, I would say, soft kind of goals on us and it’s no recipe for success.”

Sharks Captain Logan Couture talked about how frustration mounts for players as the losses pile up:

“Guys are trying to bear down. Everyone in there wants to score. You don’t come to the rink and say ‘oh, I can’t wait to get a chance tonight and then miss.’ You know, you’re trying the best you can. It’s deflating, obviously, guys get frustrated, disappointed. You know, you go one long streaks without scoring, trying to keep positive.

You know, it’s so easy to say ‘well I’m getting chances, it’s gonna go in, it’s gonna go in.’ Until you actually see the puck go in the net, you don’t feel that relief. I’m sure there’s a lot of guys in there who feel like there’s an extra ten, twenty pounds on their shoulders right now, the puck’s not going in.”

The first goal came at 10:14, shortly after a successful four-minute penalty kill from the Sharks. The penalty was on Rudolfs Balcers, and though the damage was done with the injured players’ own stick, it was aided by a stick lift from Balcers. Then, after the Sharks killed that off, Keegan Kolesar’s shot went in, off of Marc-Edouard Vlasic’s stick. It was Kolesar’s fifth of the season, assists went to Bret Howden and Shea Theodore.

The second Vegas goal came at 14:34, on the power play, off of Jack Eichel’s stick. It was Eichel’s first goal as a Golden Knight. Assists went to Chandler Stephenson and Alex Pietrangelo.

The Sharks were outshot 16-8 in the first period. Their penalty kill allowed six shots and mustered three short-handed shots. The Sharks won just 39% of the face-offs.

The third Vegas goal came early in the second period, a truly strange bouncer that crossed the line then bounced back out and required video review to be confirmed. That goal went ot Max Pacioretty, with assists to Theodore and Eichel.

The Sharks out-shot the Golden Knights 14-9 and improved a little in the face-off circle, wining 45% of the draws. There was only one penalty in the second period, and it went to Vegas. The Sharks power play got two shots on goal.

The Sharks finally got on the board midway through the third period. Nick Bonino scored the goal after Andrew Cogliano centered the puck from below the goal line. Assists went to Cogliano and Jake Middleton.

Chandler Stephenson scored into an empty net with 33 seconds left in the game. Assists went to Pacioretty and Nicolas Roy.

The Sharks next play on Tuesday in Anaheim against the Ducks at 7:00 PM PT.

NHL podcast with Matt Harrington: Stars pull off win after going 0-0 in regulation; Bettman upholds Marchand suspension; plus more

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Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, left, can’t stop the Dallas Stars center Jacob Peterson who scores the game winning shootout goal at the United Center in Chicago on Fri Feb 18, 2022 (AP News photo)

On the NHL podcast with Matt Harrington:

#1 Matt, as you know there are no ties in hockey and the Dallas Stars (27-19-2) and Chicago Blackhawks (18-25-8) played to a 0-0 in regulation and then a shootout which the Stars pulled it off with the score tied 1-1 and the Stars Jacob Peterson scoring the game winner.

#2 NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman upheld the six game suspension of the Boston Bruins Brad Marchand in which he hit Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry in the jaw while Jarry was down on his knees freezing a puck and later after an official was escorting Marchand off the ice Marchand took his stick and hit Jarry in the chin with it in the Feb 8th game.

#3 Matt, talk about the Edmonton Oilers Jesse Puljujarvi who is out with an lower body injury. Puljujarvi was injured Thursday in Anaheim at Rogers Place. Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft said Puljujarvi got tangled up and it wasn’t a dirty play and not an impact injury.

#4 Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Marc-Andre Fluery says there is a lot of time between now and the March 21st trade deadline. Fluery wants to play one more year and hopes to finish up in Chicago. Matt do you see Fluery able to get his wish and finish up with the Blackhawks.

#5 The Philadelphia Flyers Claude Giroux is considering a trade and is discussing it with team general manager Chuck Fletcher. Giroux has a no trade clause in his contract. Fletcher said it’s Giroux’s decision and with the trade deadline coming Fletcher will waiting to hear from Giroux.

Join Matt Harrington for the NHL podcasts each Saturday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose Sharks podcast with Len Shapiro: Will Sharks keep or deal Hertl before NHL deadline?

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The San Jose Sharks Tomas Hertl has been key for their offense this season and is looking for a contract extension. Sharks general manager Joe Will says the Sharks are looking to negotiate a deal with Hertl and they are not considering trading Hertl. (AP file photo)

On the San Jose Sharks podcast with Len:

#1 Len, tough going for the San Jose Sharks (22-21-45) of late they have lost five games in row with tough loses against Florida, Carolina, Tampa Bay, Edmonton and their last game against the Vancouver Canucks (23-21-6) last Thursday.

#2 The Canucks caught a break after allowing a tying goal in the third period and the Sharks thought they could get some daylight after tying the game at the last second. The Canucks however pulled off a win when JT Miller scored at 2:21 in overtime for the 5-4 final.

#3 The Canucks head coach Bob Boudreau was pretty upset to give up the tying goal at the last second in regulation and got the win in overtime. Boudreau said he’d take the two points even though he thought they didn’t deserve it.

#4 The Sharks goalie James Reimer faced 27 shots and five of those went for goals do you see some adjustments needing to be made in net for the Reimer and the Sharks.

#5 Will the Sharks sign center Tomas Hertl or will he be in a different uniform by the trade deadline. Hertl has said he wants to remain in San Jose but will the Sharks be looking for some players for their future?

Join Len Shapiro for the Sharks podcasts each Saturday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com