Category: San Jose Sharks

Sharks add drama to their cruise in 5-4 win over the Avalanche

Published on by smallforceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @PR_NHL

By Pearl Allison Lo

The San Jose Sharks were clicking on all cylinders, but the slumping Colorado Avalanche (0-4-2 in last six) added bite to their game in a close match at the end at the Pepsi Center Wednesday.

The Sharks kept up their four goals apiece in their last four games and held Colorado to just one goal until 16:49 of the third. San Jose also scored twice on the power play and kept Colorado scoreless in three chances until 16:36 of the third.

However, in the morning, the Sharks announced that Radim Simek was diagnosed with a concussion following the hit he incurred Monday night. San Jose went down another defenseman in the first when Justin Braun fell and went to the lockers with what looked like a hurt right leg. There might be hope though, as Paul Gackle, @GackleReport on Twitter, tweeted: ‘…Braun walked out of #SJSharks room without help. Says he tweaked his right knee. Doesn’t think it’s serious, will get it looked at tomorrow.’  

The 2019 NHL All-Star Game participants were released before the game and the home team will be represented by Erik Karlsson, Brent Burns and Joe Pavelski.

Getting back to Wednesday night’s game, San Jose spread out the scoring between five players. Pavelski and Burns each had one goal and two assists, giving them points in four straight games, Joonas Donskoi’s goal earned him a four-game points streak, Evander Kane a three-game and Lukas Radil scored his second goal in as many games. For the Avalanche, Tyson Jost had two goals.

Just over one minute into the game, the Sharks received a power play. Colorado blocked two shots before Pavelski went top left corner from the middle of the right circle to kick off the scoring.

After, the Avalanche outshot the Sharks 5-0 before racking up a goal themselves. Matt Calvert went top right corner from the inner left circle at 8:20.

It would be four goals later though, until Colorado scored again.

 With San Jose already on the power play again at 15:52 of the first, the advantage moved to 5-on-3 with 3:27 left when Pavelski drew a high stick. The Sharks eventually capitalized. After a pass from Karlsson on his right, Burns struck net to push San Jose ahead.

Carl Soderberg had a shorthanded breakaway chance with seconds left, but was denied.

In the second, Tyson Barrie was first to the puck but missed the touch. Kane retrieved the disk as he joined the party at 4:15.

Just over two minutes later, Donskoi made it 4-1 with a wraparound goal and also retired goalie Phillip Grubauer, bringing in a fresh opposing goalie in the form of Pavel Francouz. It was his second NHL game. His last time in net was December 22.

The Sharks got their biggest lead when Radil put in his second goal in as many games at 16:33, but Jost took it back just 16 seconds later.

The Avalanche’s momentum continued when Karlsson took a tripping call in less than 30 seconds, but San Jose was able to keep them at lengths. The tension did not end there though, as Barclay Goodrow also took a penalty when the horn blew, to give a boost starting out in the third frame.

A Joakim Ryan turnover led to Barrie’s goal at 12:12 of the third and Jost redirected a shot from the point on the power play at 16:36 to pull the game to within one. With the extra attacker from an empty net, Nathan MacKinnon made a last ditch effort right at the buzzer.   

Up Next: The Sharks fly back home for three contests, beginning with a later than normal start 8:00 pm game on Saturday versus the Tampa Bay Lightning.  

Flames ring in the New Year with goals to beat the Sharks 8-5

Published on by smallforceLeave a comment

Photo: (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP)

By: Pearl Allison Lo

Both teams combined for 13 goals as the Flames Calgary was the victor in an 8-5 match versus the San Jose Sharks at Scotiabank Saddledome Monday on New Year’s Eve.

The Flames started and ended the game the same way with three goals in the opening and closing periods. Except for San Jose’s one goal in the first, both teams had multiple goals in each period.

Calgary maintained their lead atop the Pacific Division, now separating themselves from the Vegas Golden Knights in points with 52.

For the Flames, Matthew Tkachuk and Johnny Gaudreau each had two goals and two assists, Mikael Backlund had two goals, Elias Lindholm had a goal and two assists and Sean Monahan led all with a whopping five assists. Joonas Donskoi had two goals for the Sharks.

Each team had at least one power play goal and traded goals except for two straight to end the first period and three straight in the third.

Backlund started the party early at home, just 1:10 into the game, finding goalie Aaron Dell’s open left side. Michael Frolik got the second assist after the puck hit him when Brent Burns was trying to clear.

Lukas Radil tied it up at 6:53.

However, Backlund, Frolik and Tkachuk struck again at 10:55, with Backlund at the helm once more to make it 2-1. Frolik and Tkachuk switched places with the assists.

Calgary created their first two-goal lead when Tkachuk scored off the game’s first power play at 17:24.

Burns tallied the match at 3-2 with Joe Pavelski, also on the power play, at 3:55 of the second.

Tkachuk played spoiler though at 10:47 with his second of the game.

The last two goals of the second came with under two minutes. Donskoi earned his first goal at 18:22 and in return, Lindholm potted the puck at 19:33.

Both sides saved the most goals for last with a total of five in the third period.

Donskoi’s second goal 48 seconds in marked the beginning.

The Flames then scored three straight goals in just under 3:30. James Neal scored at three minutes and then Gaudreau scored his 20th and 21st goals at 5:48 and 6:29.

Joe Thornton made sure to at least end the game with a San Jose goal, as he put the puck past goalie David Rittich at 13:15. This was the Sharks’ second power-play goal.

That was not all however. With less than 30 seconds in the game, Calgary’s Sam Bennett committed a controversial hit on Radim Simek before fighting Barclay Goodrow.  

Up Next: The Sharks’ first game of the New Year will come January 2 versus the Colorado Avalanche at 6:30 pm.

Sharks Win 7-4 Over Oilers: Two Karlssons score three goals

Published on by M WalshLeave a comment

Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks defeated the Edmonton Oilers 7-4 at the Rogers Place Saturday. Sharks goals came from Joonas Donskoi, Tomas Hertl, Logan Couture (2), Erik Karlsson and Melker Karlsson (2). Erik Karlsson, returning from his two game suspension, garnered four points in Saturday’s game. San Jose’s Martin Jones made 22 saves for the win. For the Oilers, goals came from Connor McDavid (2), Caleb Jones and Leon Draisaitl. Cam Talbot made 33 saves for Edmonton.

After the game, Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer said: “It was a good game for us, I think we took advantage of a team with some depth issues on defense and some young guys playing in key spots there. But, to our credit, we showed up and took advantage of what we needed to take advantage of. I thought we did a good job of playing in their end and putting some pressure on them.”

The Oilers scored first in Saturday’s game. It was a strange play, involving an early signal from the official, a review by the NHL, and a goal that came after the official had signaled a goal. At 6:26 of the first period, Ty Rattie took a shot that Martin Jones just barely stopped. While the official was waving a goal there and the goal horn was blaring, Connor McDavid knocked the puck in around Jones. The NHL reviewed the first shot to determine that it was not a goal but said nothing about the official’s gesturing before the whistle. Assists went to Ty Rattie and Leon Draisaitl. Time of the goal was 6:28.

Down 1-0, the Sharks carried on to score at 6:44. Joonas Donskoi went into the Oilers zone three on one with Erik Karlsson and Tomas Hertl. The three exchanges passes until Donskoi was almost at the goal line, when he took the shot and beat Cam Talbot over the pad. Assists went to Karlsson and Hertl.

The Sharks took the lead at 10:13 with a goal from Tomas Hertl. Hertl caught the pass from Burns, spun around in front of the net, looking like he might backhand it and drawing Talbot to the left side of the net. Instead, he kept turning and shot into the other side. Assists went to Brent Burns and Erik Karlsson.

The Sharks added to the lead at 6:39 of the third period. Logan Couture pulled the puck off the boards away from McDavid, who was tangled up with a prone and sliding Joe Pavelski. He found Joe Thornton behind the net with a pass. Thornton held the puck there until Couture was in a good shooting position above the goal line. Couture’s shot slipped under Talbot and trickled over the line after a short delay. Assists went to Thornton and Pavelski.

Erik Karlsson added another goal and his third point of the game at 18:45 of the second. The Sharks had just completed a distinctly lackluster power play and the Sharks were having a heck of a time holding the zone. They pulled themselves back together after disorderly spell. Joonas Donskoi was in the offensive zone with Barclay Goodrow and Marcus Sorensen. The trio caused some havoc around the net and Goodrow got the puck to Karlsson at the point. Donskoi was battling with Caleb Jones in front of the goalie, creating a good screen for Karlsson’s shot. Assists went to Goodrow and Donskoi.

Melker Karlsson scored the Sharks’ fifth goal at 2:41 of the third period. He tipped a Brent Burns shot from the point, with Goodrow creating a screen in front of Talbot. Assists went to Burns and Kevin Labanc.

Couture added a sixth goal, this one short-handed, at 8:25. Timo Meier was in the box for high-sticking. Evander Kane beat the Oilers defense to the puck and took it away from the goalie, who was up at the half-boards. Kane carried the puck around behind the net (tended by Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse) and found Couture coming to the net. Couture’s shot went under Talbot as he was getting back into position.

The Oilers got one back as Caleb Jones scored his first NHL goal at 10:40. Ty Rattie made a pass around a sliding Brenden Dillon to get the puck in front of the net, where Jones was ready to take the shot. He put the puck past Martin Jones as he slid across to follow the pass. Assists went to Rattie and Drake Caggiula.

Melker Karlsson scored a second time at 14:09. Erik Karlsson took the puck off the faceoff and carried it at high speed behind the net. Instead of going around the net, he made a last-second pass to the front of the net, where Melker Karlsson was waiting to knock it in. Assists went to Karlsson and Goodrow.

Leon Draisaitl scored the Oilers’ third goal at 16:53. Draisaitl carried the puck through the neutral zone, skating around Justin Braun and beating Martin Jones over the shoulder. An assist went to Milan Lucic.

Connor McDavid added a fourth goal for the Oilers at 19:54. McDavid tipped a shot from Chris Wideman and it bounced up in a high arc over Martin Jones. Assists went to Wideman and Rattie.

During the second period, Marcus Sorensen took a high hit that went unnoticed by the officials, even though he was pushed into one official in the process. He left the game for a time but did return. He sat during the final five minutes of the game as well, for precautionary reasons per Coach DeBoer.

The Sharks will next play on Monday, New Year’s Eve, in Calgary against the Flames at 6:00 PM PT.

In Division ranking, the Sharks are currently tied at 49 points with first-place Calgary, but the Flames have two games in hand. Those 49 points are good for third in the Western Conference right now, behind Calgary and Winnipeg.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Len Shapiro: Sharks coming off win; face Oilers, who are on a four-game losing streak

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

sportingnews.com file photo: The Edmonton Oilers Connor McDavid (right) and the Washington Capitals Alex Ovechkin (left) share pleasantries. McDavid and the Oilers host the San Jose Sharks today in Edmonton.

On the San Jose Sharks podcast with Len Shapiro:

#1 The San Jose Sharks are in Edmonton today at Rexall Center to face the Oilers, who started out with a 9-2-2 record under head coach Ken Hitchcock, but have since lost four straight games. What has been the reason for the slight drop?

#2 Hitchcock, a noted successful coach in previous tilts with other NHL clubs. This has to be just as much as surprise for him as anyone else, but teams do go in a funk, but it’s not a good wear for him.

#3 The Oilers can rebound though they have some potent players and Connor McDavid is no exception with six goals and 20 points in the month of December in 11 games.

#4 The Sharks are coming off a much-needed win against the Anaheim Ducks last Thursday at SAP Center. The Sharks before Thursday had a three-game losing streak going.

#5 The Sharks (20-12-7) are in Edmonton today against the Oilers (18-16-3). How do you see this matchup as the Oilers should be fired up after losing four straight games?

San Jose Sharks podcasts with Len Shapiro are heard each Saturday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sharks take down Ducks 4-2; Burns scores game-winner

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks

By Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE, Calif. — On the night where Brent Burns played his 1000th NHL game (including 428 in a row), it was only fitting the defenseman would follow script and score the game-winning goal as the San Jose Sharks defeated the Anaheim Ducks 4-2 on Thursday evening at SAP Center.

Burns’ fifth goal of the season came while the Sharks had sustained pressure inside the Ducks’ defensive zone. Burns received the puck at the point from Brendon Dillon and fired a slap shot off the left post into the back of the net with 9:39 remaining in the third period.

Anaheim (19-15-5) drew first blood on their second power play of the game. Josh Mahura slapped in a shot from the point that hit off Nick Ritchie. Jacob Silfverberg collected the rebound and was able to tap home the puck past Sharks goaltender Martin Jones (15-8-4) behind the goal line for his 10th goal of the season at the 10:33 mark.

San Jose (20-12-7) came back to tie it up late in the period on a cycle play by their fourth line. Barclay Goodrow sent the puck around the boards behind the net to Joonas Donskoi who backhanded the puck right in front of the crease, where Melker Karlsson beat Carter Rowney to the puck and slid it past Ducks goaltender John Gibson (15-12-4) for his fourth goal of the season at the 18:05 mark.

If not for Gibson, the Sharks would have had the lead at the end of the first 20 minutes. Joe Thornton had an empty net to shoot at off a rebound and Gibson robbed him with his stick half way through the first period. Justin Braun and Lukas Radil had point-blank chances earlier on, only to come up with what the bird left on the rock.

Gibson was replaced in the net by backup goalie Chad Johnson to start the second period as he was injured in a collision with Sorensen earlier in the first period.

San Jose grabbed the lead early in the second period, thanks to another cycle play this time by their top line. A shot from the point by Joakim Ryan was deflected onto captain Joe Pavelski’s stick and he tried jamming home the puck repeatedly on Johnson. Marcus Sorensen crashed the net and cleaned up the rebound into the net for his seventh goal of the season at the 5:44 mark.

Evander Kane had a short-handed breakaway with just over 10 minutes remaining for the Sharks, but his attempt to slide the puck between Johnson’s five-hole was denied.

Speaking of great saves, Jones made a fantastic save on Silfverberg, who was all alone to the right of the crease, and his shot was stoned by a diving Jones with 2:25 left in the middle frame.

Jones almost shot the puck into his own on the next shift when he was attempting to clear the puck behind the net. It hit the right post and caromed out in front of the net where Rowney had a chance at an empty net only to have Jones recover and make the save.

Anaheim received a power play toward the end of the period and put a flurry of shots on net including Jones fighting a shot from the point off of his shoulder that hit the cross bar, but stayed out of the net as the Sharks survived the final minute to head into the intermission up by a goal.

The Ducks tied it back up early in the third period. A battle along the right board was won by Josh Manson. Rowney then centered a pass over to Kifer Sherwood, who gathered possession of the puck between the face off circles and snapped a wrist shot that trickled past Jones for his fifth goal of the season at the 3:53 mark.

Tomas Hertl sealed the game with an empty-net goal with 22 seconds left in the game as Anaheim had pulled Johnson for an extra attacker with a minute left in the game. Goodrow would get his third assist on the evening.

Jones made 25 saves on 27 shots to earn his 15th victory. Gibson only played the first period and suffered the loss, stopping 14 of the 15 shots he faced. Johnson made 20 saves on 23 shots in relief.

GAME NOTES: San Jose was 0/3 on the power play. Anaheim was 1/4.

This was the second game of Erik Karlsson’s two-game suspension that resulted from a hit on Los Angeles Kings’ Austin Wagner.

Joakim Ryan returned to the lineup after being a healthy scratch the last 11 games.

Burns is the 4th ever Shark to score a goal on his 1000th game. The others were Gary Suter, Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau.

UP NEXT: The Sharks head out on the road to take on the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday, December 29 at 1:00 pm.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa Walsh: Sharks host Ducks in hopes to snap three-game losing streak on Thursday

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

nbcsports.com file photo: The San Jose Sharks host the Anaheim Ducks Thursday night at SAP Center

On the Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa:

#1 The Sharks, before getting into this current three-game skid, had won five games straight. What’s the reason for the change?

#2 The Sharks have to be one of the most frustrated teams in the NHL right now. They’ve lost three straight going into tonight’s game in San Jose and are expected to be one the toughest postseason teams in the NHL.

#3 How bad is it that all three of those consecutive losses came from playing on home ice?

#4 Their loses have come on close games by one goal and last game on Sunday was no exception. They lost to the Arizona Coyotes by a goal 4-3.

#5 Mary Lisa tells us who she likes in this match tonight between Anaheim and San Jose. The puck drops at 7:30 pm at SAP Center.

Mary Lisa has the Sharks podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sharks fall to the Coyotes in a shootout 4-3

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks

By: Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose Sharks had lost two straight game before Sunday’s tilt versus the Arizona Coyotes at the SAP Center. In case you missed, San Jose lost to Los Angeles 3-2 in overtime at the SAP Center Saturday.

Prior to the faceoff, Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer made a swap of the Swedes. Tim Heed was in for Erik Karlsson. Karlsson was suspended for two games for an illegal hit to Austin Wagner’s head Saturday. When it comes to starting goaltenders, the Sharks’ Aaron Dell got the nod, while the Coyotes’ Darcy Kuemper was in net.

The opening period was an action-packed, back-and-forth affair between the two teams.

The Sharks went on the power play after Oliver Ekman-Larsson elbowed Kevin Labanc with 6:27 left in the opening period. Tim Heed scored on the power play for his first goal of the season and a 1-0 lead with 4:49 left. Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Joe Thornton received the assists. With the assist, Thornton moved into the 10th spot on the NHL’s all-time assists leaders list with 1,041.

But the Sharks’ lead was short-lived as the Coyotes quickly tied up the score 1-1. Just 20 seconds later, Alex Galyenchuk scored the equalizer for his fourth goal of the season. Clayton Keller received the lone assist.

The score was tied 1-1 at the end of the first. Shots were 11-10 in favor of the Coyotes. The Sharks, however, played fairly consistent defense that helped them stand their ground.

Of course, a Pacific Division matchup wouldn’t be possible without a bitter fight, and that was exactly what happened in the second period. Both teams dropped the gloves, and as a result, the officials handed out penalties to Brenden Dillon and Niklas Hjalmarsson for roughing and Conor Garland for hooking.

Joe Pavelski was called for slashing Ekman-Larsson with 9:55 left in the second. The Coyotes went on the power play and Galchenyuk scored for his second goal of the game (and fifth goal of the season) on a 5-on-3 to give his team a 2-1 lead with 7:39 left in the second. Keller and Nick Schmaltz received the assists.

The Sharks trailed the Coyotes 2-1 at the end of the second. Shots were 21-16 in favor of Arizona. San Jose’s lackluster effort affected them and that’s why they fell behind in the stanza.

The Sharks tied the game 2-2 just 4:17 into the final period. Tomas Hertl unleashed his Hertl power for his 11th goal of the season. Vlasic and Justin Braun received the assists.

But the Sharks’ lead disappeared in the blink of an eye. Just 1:49 later, Conor Garland scored his second goal of the season to help the Coyotes to a 3-2 lead. Richard Panik and Jakob Chychrun received the assists.

Hertl, however, tied the game 3-3 with his second goal of the game (and 12th goal of the season) with 6:07 left in the third. Braun and Evander Kane received the assists.

The score remained in a 3-3 deadlock at the end of regulation, so the tilt went into overtime to determine a winner.

The Sharks were on the power play after Garland served a Coyotes penalty for too many men on the ice, but they were unable to capitalize with the man advantage, so the game went to down to the wire in the form of a shootout. In the first round, Galchenyuk fired, while Pavelski missed. In the second round, neither team succeeded. And, frankly, the third time wasn’t a charm as Logan Couture missed and the Sharks fell to the Coyotes 4-3 in a shootout. San Jose lost its third game in a row. Dell made 23 saves on 26 shots in a losing effort for the Sharks.

Kuemper made 35 saves on 38 shots en route to a Coyotes victory.

The Sharks return to action on Thursday, Dec. 27 at the Honda Center against the Ducks. Faceoff set for 7:30 pm PT on NSCA and PRIT.

Sharks Fall to Kings 3-2 in OT; Kovalchuk Scores 2 Goals

Published on by M WalshLeave a comment

By Mary Walsh

SAN JOSE — The San Jose Sharks lost 3-2 in overtime to the visiting Los Angeles Kings Saturday. Ilya Kovalchuk, just returned from a 10-game absence, scored twice for Los Angeles, including the overtime game-winner. Alex Iafallo also scored for the Kings, while goaltender Jonathan Quick made 29 saves in the win. For the Sharks, goals came from Lukas Radil and Joe Pavelski, and goaltender Martin Jones made 28 saves in the loss.

The Sharks’ special teams were both defeated by the Kings, though each team only had one power play in the game. The faceoffs were fairly even through the game at 51% to 49% for the Sharks. It is worth noting that the Kings blocked 29 shots to the Sharks’ 11.

The first goal for Los Angeles came on a power play at 4:28 of the first from Ilya Kovalchuk. Timo Meier was in the box for hooking Jake Muzzin when Brendan Leipsic carried the puck behind the Sharks net to send it back up to Alex Iafallo at the point. His pass found Jake Muzzin in the slot, but he didn’t have a clear shot. So he passed it to Kovalchuk at the bottom of the faceoff circle, and his shot beat Jones on the short side. It was Kovalchuk’s sixth of the season, with assists going to Muzzin and Iafallo.

The Kings led the Sharks in shots in the first period, 15-8.

At 8:09 of the second period, Oscar Fantenberg had a goal taken away for goaltender interference by Dustin Brown. Brown was in the blue paint, behind the Sharks’ Brenden Dillon. He could have argued that Dillon kept him in the paint, crowding Jones, but he got into that paint on his own.

The Sharks had a power play opportunity near the end of the second period, but did not score. The Los Angeles penalty kill did an excellent job of controlling the puck and play in general.

The Sharks did outshoot the Kings during the second period, 13-6, but still trailed 1-0 to Los Angeles.

The Kings started the third period mostly playing keep away from the Sharks, to good effect. For good measure, they scored a second goal at 5:15. Dustin Brown carried the puck below the goal line, then sent it to Iafallo for a perfect shot over Martin Jones. It was Iafallo’s eighth of the season, with assists to Brown and Nate Thompson.

The Sharks finally got one by Jonathan Quick at 10:18 of the third period. Lukas Radil, skating across the goal mouth, deflected Timo Meier’s shot from the boards. The puck went over Quick’s shoulder and off the crossbar for Radil’s third goal of the season. Assists went to Meier and Erik Karlsson.

San Jose left the tying goal until the final minute. With the Sharks net empty, Erik Karlsson passed the puck to Brent Burns, waiting just below the blue line. He sent the puck to the net, where Joe Pavelski was waiting to deflect it in. It was Pavelski’s 23rd goal of the season, with assists to Burns and Karlsson.

The overtime period lasted 2:29, at which point Kovalchuck put the puck behind Jones to end the game.

Erik Karlsson could possibly hear from the Department of Player Safety regarding a hit he made on Austin Wagner during the second period. Wagner did not return to the game after that hit.

That question will be answered before the Sharks next play, on Sunday at 5:00 PM PT, when they will host the Arizona Coyotes.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Len Shapiro: After winning five straight, were Sharks tired or just slipped up against Jets?

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks

On the Sharks podcast with Len:

#1 The San Jose Sharks (19-12-5) came into SAP Center with a five-game win streak, but took a 5-3 two-goal loss to the Winnipeg Jets (23-10-2) on Thursday night.

#2 The Jets’ Nikojai Ehlers got a hat trick and scored the tie-breaking goal to help the Jets get a road win in one of the toughest places to play in the NHL, San Jose.

#3 The Sharks’ Evander Kane said after the game Thursday that the Sharks made a couple of mistakes that they would like to take back.

#4 San Jose outshot Winnipeg 34-13 and the Sharks outshot the Jets in the  period 14-4, but still the Sharks couldn’t figure out the Jets goaltender Conner Hellebuyck, who stopped 41 of 44 shots in the 5-3 Jets win.

#5 The Sharks have a matinee at SAP Center with the Los Angeles Kings (12-20-3), a 1 PM start. The Sharks will be coming off a tough loss and will battle to get back in the win column.

Len Shapiro does the SJ Sharks podcast each Saturday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Jets Bounce By Sharks 5-3

Published on by Matthew HarringtonLeave a comment

Photo credit: @hockeynight

By Matthew Harrington

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose Sharks’ five-game win streak came to an end at the SAP Center on Thursday night, with the Winnipeg Jets beating their hosts 5-3. Joe Thornton tied Marcel Dionne for 10th all-time in career assists, Joonas Donskoi picked up his 100th career point and Evander Kane had a pair of points in the loss to his former team. Reigning Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck made 41 saves and Nikolaj Ehlers had a hat trick to give the Western Conference leaders their 48th point of the year.

The Jets scored first in a wild first period that saw a combined five goals, starting on a miscue by Brent Burns. The defenseman’s point shot went right into defenseman Dustin Byfuglien’s shin pad, resulting in a breakaway. The burly blueliner buried the puck for his 4th goal of the year just 51 seconds into the game.

San Jose tied the game after Joe Thornton and Evander combined on alittle give and go 45 seconds later, with the former Jet Kane scoring to knot the score at 1-1. Thornton’s assist was career assist 1040 for Jumbo, moving him into a tie with former Los Angeles Kings great Marcel Dionne for 10th place all-time in assists.

Joe Pavelski would tip a Kevin Labanc shot past Hellebuyck on the power play 11:27 into the period, his team-leading 22nd goal of the season scored from just outside the crease.

The Jets would again prey on the Sharks luck after a dump-in by Blake Wheeler caromed off the stanchion harmfully back into the slot, where Ehlers could score the easy tally with 7:28 left in the first. Mason Appleton gave his team the lead with a drive-by goal just 1:12 later for his first of the year.

The Sharks looked like they were back on the comeback after Donskoi scored his 6th of the year with just seconds left in the period on a opposite side redirection from a Kane pass. The Sharks’ forecheck forced Hellebuyck to turn the puck over behind his net, and Kane’s hard work on the boards pried the puck loose. Kane was potent all evening against his former team, firing 10 shots on goal to go with four hits. He played for Atlanta and Winnipeg from 2009 to a midseason trade to Buffalo in the 2014-15 season, playing in 361 games and amassing 222 points.

The Jets would put the dagger in the Sharks with just over three minutes left in regulation after a turnover on a breakout put the puck on the stick of a Jets forward on a 2-on-0. Martin Jones played the puck aggressively, allowing Ehlers to score his second of the night. He also would add the hat-trick after being awarded an empty net goal after a Sharks player impeded with his path to the vacant cage. Blake Wheeler assisted on all of Ehlers’ goals.

The Sharks look to get back to their winning ways with a pair of home games before the holidays, with the Los Angeles Kings and Arizona Coyotes coming to town for Saturday and Sunday tilts, respectively.