Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks
By Matthew Harrington
SAN JOSE–Joe Thornton passed Hall of Famer Teemu Selanne for 15th place all-time in career points, but there was very little else for San Jose Sharks fans to enjoy on a heart-and streak-breaking Valentine’s Day. The Stanley Cup Champion Washington Capitals scored five unanswered goals to end the Sharks’ winning streak at six games in a 5-1 drubbing. T.J. Oshie had two goals and an assist, Alex Ovechkin scored his 646 lifetime goal and Braden Holtby made 25 saves in net for the 2018 Champs.
Kevin Labanc scored his sixth goal in as many games with the Sharks. Erik Karlsson rejoined the team at practice but did not skate in the contest. Martin Jones made 24 saves in the loss.
After passing Mr. Hockey Gordie Howe in all-time assists during a four-game Canadian road swing, Jumbo Joe passed another all-time great and former Shark Selanne in points Thursday on a helper (naturally) on Labanc’s first period goal. In true Thornton fashion, Jumbo’s pass was one only he and few others have the ability to make. It was so perfect, it left Labanc facing an empty net for an easy goal and a 1-0 lead 2:06 into the first.
Oshie responded on the power play just 1:32 later than Jakub Vrana scored his 18th of the year with 8:27 in track meet of a first period. San Jose controlled most of opening minutes of the second, but Alexander Ovechkin did what he does best, sniping a one-timer from the dot 4:14 into the second. A missed chance with just under two minutes left in the 2nd by Evander Kane became an odd man rush the other way that Brent Burns bungled, allowing Oshie to dangle past Jones his second on the night and 18th of the year and a 4-1 Caps edge. Tom Wilson got the empty-netter for the 5-1 final.
Next up for the Sharks is a stretch of games at home against playoff hopefuls. Vancouver comes to the tank Saturday in a rematch of Monday’s Sharks blowout, then the Boston Bruins make a visit to SAP or the first part of the home-and-home season series against team Teal.
Category: San Jose Sharks
San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa Walsh: After successful road swing in Canada, Sharks look to do damage against Washington on Thursday
yahoo.sports photo: Vancouver Canucks goaltender couldn’t do anything with the San Jose Sharks in his rookie debut as the Sharks scored seven times on him. The Sharks’ Marcus Sorenson stands above him to the left.
On the San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa:
#1 The Sharks take a six-game win streak into the game with the Washington Capitals on Thursday night. The Sharks beat the Caps back on Tues., Jan. 22 to start this winning streak.
#2 The Caps had such a great run last season winning the Cup. They’ve currently have been playing .500 hockey, going 4-4 in their last eight games. Are they a .500 team or are they better than that?
#3 The Sharks will face Alex Ovechkin, who has set some records for a Russian player. Will Ovechkin be one player that can’t be contained or have the Sharks handled him pretty good in past games?
#4 The Sharks had a successful road swing through western Canada with wins over the Winnipeg Jets, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, and Vancouver Canucks.
#5 What has been working best for San Jose? Joe Thornton and his point-setting records, goals from that wild scoring contest Monday night in Vancouver by Evander Kane (2), Melker Karlsson, Kevin LeBanc, Timo Meier, Tomas Hertl and Joe Pavelski.
Mary Lisa does the Sharks podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com
Thornton’s Historic Night Leads Sharks to 7-2 Win
By: Joe Lami and Marko Ukalovic
VANCOUVER, BC–Jumbo Joe Thornton made history on Monday night passing Gordie Howe for ninth all-time in assists notching the 1,050th of his career in Vancouver as part of San Jose’s 7-2 blowout of the Vancouver Canucks.
The record-breaking pass came at 17:30 of the second period, as Thornton led a 2-on-1 breakaway finding Kevin Labanc, who slapped it past rookie goaltender Mike DiPietro making it 6-1. On the play, Jumbo Joe also tied Teemu Selanne for 15th in all-time points in the same game he moved into 15th all-time in games played with 1,540.
“There’s no words to describe being in a dressing room with a guy that’s ahead of Gordie Howe now. It’s pretty crazy, he’s a special player” said Logan Couture.
“When you pass Gordie Howe on any list, I don’t care what list it is, that’s the story of the night. It’s an unbelievable accomplishment, unbelievable career and that’s something that should be celebrated, and our whole group is excited to be here to witness it” added Peter DeBoer.
The pair of Thornton and Labanc has been incredible of late as the two have connected for three of Labanc’s four goals in the last two games.
With the win, the Sharks have swept Western Canada and have extended their win streak to six games jumping into first place in the Pacific Division.
The Sharks dominance of Western Canada continued early, as they quickly went up 3-0 on Vancouver before the Canucks could even get a shot on net halfway through the first period.
Timo Meier welcomed DiPietro to the NHL by scoring on the first shot he would see for his 20th goal of the season. Meier became the fifth Shark to hit 20 goals this season, making San Jose the only team in the NHL to have five 20-goal scorers. In just their 57th game of the year, it’s the fastest San Jose has reached the mark in franchise history.
“Tonight, we knew they were in a tough spot starting [DiPietro] and we wanted to jump on him early. We scored on the first couple of shifts and were in control all night” mentioned Couture.
The Sharks continued their dominance with Evander Kane and Melker Karlsson finding the back of the net before the halfway mark. Kane’s 25th of the season came on a fluttering puck from the right point off the backhand that hit Ben Hutton before going in. Karlsson tipped a Brent Burns wrist shot at 8:48 to make it 3-0.
Vancouver finally got their legs going late in the first and registered their first shot at the 12:24 mark. They made it 3-1 right before the final buzzer thanks to a fantastic play by rookie sensation Elias Pettersson who gained the zone and threw a no-look pass to the top of the right circle finding Bo Horvat for an easy one-timer goal with six seconds remaining in the period. Horvat slapped his 20th of the season to the top right corner of the net.
The Sharks didn’t let the late first period goal come back to bite them as they completely dominated the rest of the way. With no backup available for Vancouver, they continued to pound the puck past the 19-year old with Kane scoring his second, Tomas Hertl, Labanc, and Joe Pavelski all jumping in on the scoring.
Vancouver jumped on the board once again in the third to make it 6-2, as Derek Pulliot slotted his third goal of the season thanks to a beautiful pass from Zack MacEwen, recording his first point in his first NHL game.
Pavelski netted his 30th of the season on a deflection play late in the third to make it 7-2. It’s the fifth time in his career Pavelski has hit 30 goals, as the captain continues his career pace.
Most impressively, the Sharks saw all four lines get on the scoring sheet as they dominated five-on-five. Their powerplay was the one weak spot going 0-for-3 and only generating three shots.
Martin Jones was steady in net for the Sharks stopping 25 of the 27 shots sent his way. He continues to lead all goaltenders since the start of December with a record of 18-5-1 and has allowed two goals or less in ten of his last 15 starts.
San Jose returns home as one of the hottest teams scoring at least five goals in the last three games, including four of the previous six. They host the Washington Capitals on Thursday to kick off a three-game homestand.
Sportstalk Radio podcast at Sandbar Restaurant in downtown Vancouver on Sunday, February 10, 2019
photo from bing.com: Tables line the view of the bay at Sandbar restaurant with beautiful bay views and of the downtown skyline
Cast: Joe Lami (host and NHL Analyst), Marko Ukalovic (San Jose Sharks reporter), Torben Rolfsen (TSN Radio Vancouver), and Lee Leonard (producer) podcasting from the beautiful Sandbar Restaurant in downtown Vancouver at Creekhouse 102-1535 Johnston St on Granville Island (604) 669-9030.
On the podcast, a look at the San Jose Sharks, who conclude their road trip on Monday, February 11 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver against the Vancouver Canucks. After playing Winnipeg, Calgary and Edmonton, the Sharks return back to San Jose on Thursday, February 14th to host the Washington Capitals.
Our thanks to our hosts at Sandbar, General Manager: Eduardo Tolentino, Assistant GM: Kenny Foufas, Manager: Christian Nowak, Manager: Matthieu Grimaud, Manager: Nouria Gange, Event Coordinator: Theresa Lim, Master Sushi Chef: Hoshi Tsutomu, Sous Chef: Aman Dhaddey, Sous Chef: Mel Belrose, Server Raina Cameron, and Sous Chef: Patrick Guay.
The Sandbar serves up the freshest Seafood in a warm sophisticated atmosphere with offerings, such as our fresh oyster bar, wood burning grill and very own in house Hoshi Sushi bar. Located in the heart of world-famous Granville Island, perched over the water front with views from every seat.
Sharks Win 5-2 in Edmonton, Thornton Ties Howe
Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks
By Mary Walsh
The San Jose Sharks defeated the Oilers 5-2 win in Edmonton Saturday while adding a couple of milestones. Joe Thornton earned his 1,048th and 1,049th assists to tie Gordie Howe for ninth in the NHL. That last point came on Kevin Labanc’s third goal of the game for his first NHL hat trick. Two more Sharks goals came from Evander Kane and Tomas Hertl. Sharks goaltender Aaron Dell made 21 saves on 23 shots. Edmonton got goals from Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zack Kassian, while goaltender Cam Talbot made 26 saves on 31 shots.
Of their success in Edmonton this season, and of Labanc’s hat trick, Sharks Captain Joe Pavelski said:
Yeah, first one, that’s awesome, they were nice goals too. He shot the puck really well tonight, you know, quick, accurate, hard. He made some good plays out there. It was big for us. That’s what I was talking about, up and down the lineup, when we’ve come in here we’ve had guys step up and have big nights and, you know, Kevin had a good one for us tonight.
Kevin Labanc gave the Sharks a 1-0 lead 10:39 into the first. Catching a pass from Joe Thornton as he came into the zone at a good clip, Labanc took a quick shot that went off of an Edmonton skate and into the net. Assists went to Thornton and Marcus Sorensen.
Evander Kane added to that lead at 12:15. Tomas Hertl carried the puck over the blue line, then made a backwards pass to Joonas Donskoi who had just entered the zone behind him. Donskoi found Kane as he arrived in front of the net, undefended. Kane did not hesitate and put the puck by Talbot on the near side. Assists went to Donskoi and Hertl.
The teams skated four-on-four after Barclasy Goodrow and Leon Draisaitl exchanged penalties, crossing-checking for Goodrow and interference for Draisaitl. Neither team scored.
At the end of the first period, the Sharks led 2-0 and 12-5 in shots.
The Sharks had an early power play in the second period, when Zack Kassian went to the box for tripping Evander Kane. With 22 seconds left in that penalty, Adam Larsson was called for delay of game after the puck went out of play.
The two man advantage had expired before the Sharks scored again. Evander Kane moved as if to carry the puck behind the net but instead sent the puck to the front. Timo Meier was there but he could not get his stick on it. The puck went off of his skate and out to Labanc who was at the edge of the faceoff circle. He dragged the puck closer to the slot, encouraging the goalie to move off the post. As Talbot started to move across, Labanc took the shot. Assists went to Meier and Kane.
The Sharks got another chance at 9:06 with Oscar Klefbom in the box for interference against Tomas Hertl, but that was cut short by half a minute when Timo Meier was called for tripping Brandon Manning. The Sharks penalty had 28 seconds left in it when Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored for Edmonton. Aaron Dell had fought off a couple of shots and was down when the puck popped out to Nugent-Hopkins away from the net crowd. Nugent-Hopkins took the shot and it went through traffic and in at 12:00 of the second. An assist went to Alex Chiasson.
At the end of the second period, the Sharks led 3-1. Despite the power play time for San Jose, Edmonton still had 13 shots to the Sharks’ 7 for the period. Whatever accounted for that imbalance, it did not go unnoticed by the Sharks during intermission. They came out with renewed energy to start the third period.
Kevin Labanc completed his hat trick just 1:36 into the final frame. Much like his first goal of the game, he took a pass from Joe Thornton off the rush and his shot went through traffic. This time, it did not hit anything and went into the net clean as a whistle. Assists went to Thornton and Brenden Dillon.
Tomas Hertl made it 5-1 at 4:24 of the third. He carried the puck into the zone, looked away like he was going to pass across the ice, snatched the puck away from an Edmonton stick, then shot it through the short side. Talbot was unable to predict that.
Zack Kassian got one back for Edmonton at 4:03 of the third. His shot from the blue line bounced off of a skate and went up in their over Dell before landing across the line. Adam Larsson got an assist.
In the end, the Sharks got one power play goal in five chances, and the Oilers scored on their only power play of the game. The Sharks won 60% of the faceoffs.
At 4:57 of the first period, San Jose’s Melker Karlsson carried the puck into the zone and attempted to protect it against Milan Lucic and Kevin Gravel behind the Edmonton net. Gravel pushed Karlsson into the boards and he started to loose his footing. As he started to fall, Gravel pushed him again and Karlsson went down with what appeared to be a shoulder injury. Karlsson left the game.
In the final seconds of the first period, Edmonton’s Ty Rattie blocked a Tim Heed shot with his ankle and he left the ice with assistance. He did not return.
The Sharks next play on Monday in Vancouver against the Canucks at 7:00 PM PT.
San Jose Sharks podcast with Len Shapiro: Sharks do crazy things–win by three, 7 penalties, and still win in Calgary
nbcsports.com: Elias Lindholm (28) of the Calgary Flames tries to get ahold of the San Jose Sharks Justin Braun (61) in a made scramble last Thursday in Calgary at the Saddledome
On the San Jose Sharks podcast with Len:
#1 In last Thursday’s game in Calgary, the San Jose Sharks (32-16-7) made seven penalties, but got the 5-2 win. That means they were on top of their penalty kill.
#2 The Sharks also got help from goaltender Martin Jones, who stopped 36 shots.
#3 With the win, the Sharks move within two points of the Calgary Flames (34-15-5) for first place.
#4 Joe Thornton received his 1000th point with the Sharks and Tomas Hertl and Evander Kane scored two goals and an assist apiece.
#5 The Sharks face off against the Vancouver Canucks (24-24-7) on Monday night at Rogers Place. Len takes a look at this contest.
Len does the San Jose Sharks podcasts each Saturday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com
Jones, Sharks keep Flames at bay with 5-2 win
Photo credit: @BrodieNBCS
By Pearl Allison Lo
Despite San Jose’s seven penalties, goalie Martin Jones had 36 saves backed up with goal power, as the Sharks won over the Flames 5-2 Thursday.
As the top two teams in the Western Pacific came to a head, the result was San Jose moving two points closer to the Flames and now two points away from the lead position.
Joe Thornton received his 1000th point with the Sharks and Tomas Hertl and Evander Kane scored two goals and an assist apiece.
San Jose scored three goals in a span of 1:24 and never trailed after.
“Coming from Winnipeg, big win, you don’t want to let it down,” noted Thornton.
The beginning half of the first was marked by a goal from Mark Jankowski at 4:36 as he deflected Mark Giordano’s shot. Calgary also had a power play chance.
The second half started when Dalton Prout was called for interfering with Kane at 10:55. The Sharks’ first power play was cut short by a slash from Hertl, but San Jose capitalized 4-on-4. Thornton earned his 1000th point with the primary assist after a turnover by Johnny Gaudreau on the other end. Kane’s shot looked like it was blocked, but it slowly slid between goalie David Rittich’s legs at 12:39.
The Sharks then scored shorthanded with the Flames’ remaining time on the man advantage. Brent Burns stole the puck with Rittich moving to the top of the right faceoff circle to clear. However, it was Burns who won the battle, as he made his way past Rittich to score second in the empty net.
This prompted a goalie change from Rittich to Mike Smith.
But San Jose was not done yet. Smith was no less immune as the Sharks’ third goal was scored 5-on-5 with Hertl tipping Radim Simek’s shot from the point.
Calgary came out gunning in the second period with six shots on goal and five blocked shots in the first six and a half minutes. A wraparound attempt by Gaudreau inspired a sprawled out toe save along the post by Jones after he stopped the puck on the other side off teammate Justin Braun’s stick. The Flames earned a power play at 6:33, during which the Sharks were luckily able to avoid a goal. It took two other Sharks besides Jones in net to achieve that.
It took until 16:27 for more scoring action. Kane earned his second goal on his second attempt to give him two goals twice in four games. Joonas Donskoi made a nice pass up ice beforehand.
Calgary was not left out though. Tim Heed took a slashing call at 17:19 and 23 seconds later, T.J. Brodie scored on the power play from the point through traffic. His shot went off Braun to give the Flames a 4-2 goal.
In the third, San Jose’s Brenden Dillon took a penalty at 2:42.
Later, both goalies exchanged tripping penalties with Smith charged at 10:10 and Jones charged at 12:35. Right before Smith, Thornton had an attempt clang off the post.
Kane got a cross checking minor at 15:45. The Flames’ chance at an advantage were then interrupted with interference on Giordano over a minute later, during which the Sharks scored their final goal on a power play. Hertl’s goal came at 18:37.
Up Next: San Jose go for five straight wins and a 3-0 Canadian road trip when Game Three starts on Saturday versus the Edmonton Oilers at 4 pm.
San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa Walsh: Pavelski plays real key for Sharks; Jets a contender in the Western Conference
Photo credit: @PR_NHL
On the San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa:
#1 The SJ Sharks’ Joe Pavelski scored his 29th goal of the season in overtime to lead the Sharks to a 3-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets.
#2 The loss snapped the Jets’ three-game win streak and the Jets’ seven-game win streak at home.
#3 The Sharks went five for the last five games on the penalty kill after going 8-15 in games.
#4 The Jets are no easy customers for them to win seven in a row at home, but the Sharks are no easy customer either and these two could very well be Western Conference challengers.
#5 The Sharks continue this Canadian road swing next win Calgary on Thursday. The puck drops at 6:00 PM.
Mary Lisa does the Sharks podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com
Sharks make up for mistake with third overtime win 3-2
~ Photo credit: Trevor Hagan/The Candian Press via AP
~ By Pearl Allison Lo
~ San Jose’s styling in the extra period came shorthanded as they won their third straight, 3-2, halting the Winnipeg Jets Tuesday.
Brent Burns created a turnover and initiated the pass to Joe Pavelski as he went top shelf at 2:49. Coach Pete DeBoer called both plays “world class”.
Pavelski was leaving the ice and Evander Kane entering as they took a penalty for too many men on the ice at 1:20.
The Jets were on a three game winning streak and a longer seven-game one at home.
“I think PK won that game for us,” replied Pavelski with Logan Couture agreeing “the kill getting it done,” and Justin Braun echoing the same.
Winnipeg went scoreless through their five power play advantages. “We got fortunate on the first one. Laine had 3-4 open looks,” DeBoer asserted.
The Jets’ Blake Wheeler kicked it off with his second in as many games at 3:08 of the first.
Couture then scored from the slot 13 seconds into Jacob Trouba’s tripping penalty to even the score at 10:54. It continued a now four-game point streak for Couture.
Winnipeg’s Mathieu Perreault retook the lead with his second point in as many games, this goal just under a minute into the second.
At 9:35, it looked like the Jets would take on an even bigger lead courtesy of Mark Scheifele. However, “Danny in the video room made a great call,” as video coach Dan Darrow noted Winnipeg was offsides and DeBoer was successful in his coach’s challenge. Thinking about the alternative, Braun commented, “going down 3-1 in this barn is tough.”
It was not until 2:35 of the third that Marcus Sorensen then pushed to re-tie the game before almost tripping over goalie Connor Hellebuyck.
A joint penalty was called at 11:51 to Perreault for interference and Timo Meier for embellishment.
Up Next: The Sharks continue toward game two of their Canadian road trip with their next opponent, the Calgary Flames, Thursday at 6 pm.
Sharks Beat Coyotes 3-2 in OT
Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks
By Mary Walsh
SAN JOSE — The San Jose Sharks returned from their post-All Star break to beat the Coyotes 3-2 in overtime. Sharks goals came from Kevin Labanc, Joe Pavelski and Brent Burns. Coyotes goals came from Josh Archibald and Conor Garland. Sharks goalie Martin Jones made 31 saves in the win, while Coyotes goalie Darcy Kuemper made 32 saves in the loss.
The first penalty of the game went to San Jose at 3:53, a slashing penalty to Brenden Dillon. The Sharks killed that off efficiently and came out of it with some energy. Offensive pressure from the Sharks produced a Coyotes penalty at 7:30, a holding penalty to Ilya Lyubushkin. The power play did not produce much
In the last three minutes of the first period, Evander Kane had a great chance which he pretty much created with his speed on the way to the net. Kuemper stopped most of the shot but it did slip underneath him. It would have gone in had the goaltender not spun around, spotted the puck and swatted it away.
In the final five seconds of the period, Arizona’s Oliver Ekman-Larsson was called for interference on Joe Pavelski. As a result, the Sharks finished the first and started the second period on a power play.
At the end of the first period, the shot count was 10-8 Sharks.
Tim Heed was carrying the puck out from behind the Sharks net when Christian Fischer came up behind him and knocked the puck off of his stick. The loose puck was snatched up by Conor Garland, who caught Martin Jones out of position for the first goal of the game. That was 9:56 into the second period.
The Sharks responded at 12:09. Kevin Labanc and Joe Thornton converged on the Coyotes net while Marcus Sorensen carried the puck around the boards. Sorensen gave the puck to Brent Burns in the middle of the blue line. Burns took a shot which got to Thornton but did not go in. Labanc found it as it came out on the other side of the goal mouth and knocked it in from a tight angle. Assists went to Thornton and Burns.
They added a second goal just 44 seconds later. Timo Meier attacked the net after Logan Couture poked the puck through the neutral zone for him. Meier’s shot did not go in but Joe Pavelski was a few strides behind Meier and he arrived in position just in time to shoot the rebound in. Assists went to Meier and Couture.
The Coyotes scored under 30 seconds later, but the goal was called back after a standard review for whether or not the net was off its moorings (it was not), followed by a coach’s challenge for goaltender interference. Richard Panik, the shooter, did make significant contact with Jones, pushing him into the net.
Tim Heed was called for holding with just over five minutes to go in the second. The Coyotes had an extended delay on the penalty, before Barclay Goodrow finally blocked a shot and disrupted the unrelenting Arizona possession. The Sharks penalty kill was very aggressive, not giving the Coyotes any time to speak of in the o-zone. At 18:47, Justin Braun was called for holding, and that penalty kill was a little less effective. The Coyotes were able to set up and spend some time on the attack. The power play would carry over into the third period.
The shot count for the second period was dead even at 14 each.
The Sharks killed the rest of that penalty off but at 1:46, Brent Burns was called for high sticking. While he was trying to knock down a high puck, he caught Josh Archibald with the heel of his stick. With all but 40 seconds of that killed off, a line change between Logan Couture and Evander Kane caused a too many men penalty to the Sharks and a brief 5-on-3 power play for Arizona.
As the two man advantage ended, Brent Burns came out of the box at speed and caught a pass for a short-handed breakaway. Not long after, Couture and Hertl had a two on one short handed chance but they didn’t score either.
The ensuing even strength play tilted gradually in Arizona’s direction. Their fourth line finally broke through to tie the game with a goal from Josh Archibald at 7:10. Assists went to Mario Kempe and Lawson Crouse.
Arizona kept the pressure on and the Sharks had their hands full on defense for some shifts. As the period wore on, the game moved faster until the final couple of minutes during which there was so much north-south movement it almost looked like three on three. If that was an attempt to avoid overtime, it failed.
Arizona outshot San Jose in the third 11-9.
To start overtime, the Sharks seemed to have trouble making their passes connect. Luckily for San Jose, the Coyotes did not have much better luck in that regard. Finally, both teams tightened up, but it was San Jose who made it count. Tomas Hertl dropped the puck to Brent Burns, who pulled the puck in to draw the goalie to him, then pushed the puck back out in front of him and put it in the net off the far post. Hertl got an assist on the goal. The time of the goal was 3:14.
Marc-Edouard Vlasic returned to the lineup paired with Tim Heed, while Justin Braun was with Brenden Dillon. Vlasic had 23:59 of ice time, one shot on goal and finished a minus one in the game.
The Sharks will now head out for a four game road trip, starting on Tuesday in Winnipeg against the Jets at 5:00 PM PT.
Sports Radio Service 