Category: San Jose Sharks

NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs: Sharks Take 2-0 Series Lead, Beat Ducks 3-2

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Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks took a 2-0 series lead over the Anaheim Ducks in the NHL Playoff quarterfinals with a 3-2 win Saturday. Tomas Hertl, Logan Couture and Marcus Sorensen scored for the Sharks, while Martin Jones made 28 saves. For Anaheim, goals came from Jakob Silfverberg and Hampus Lindholm, with 32 saves from goalie John Gibson. It was the first time that Anaheim lost two home games in a row since November 24.

The Ducks started the scoring just 40 seconds in. Jakob Silfverberg had just carried the puck over the line when he took a long shot that must have surprised Jones, as it went right by him. Hampus Lindholm got an assist.

The first penalties went to Evander Kane and Jakob Silfverberg, matching roughing penalties at 6:12. Each team added a shot to their total but neither team scored four on four.

The Sharks tied the game up at 9:41 when Brenden Dillon’s blue line shot came off the boards behind the net and went right to Marcus Sorensen next to the goal mouth. He tapped it in for his first playoff goal.

Near the 15 minute mark, the Sharks were trapped in their own zone for long time, including two icing calls. Mikkel Boedker finally got the puck out and seconds after the much needed change, Melker Karlsson drew a hooking penalty from Brandon Montour at 13:37.

The Sharks took the lead at 14:41 with a goal from Logan Couture on the ensuing power play. Kevin Labanc caught Couture with a pass across the slot as Couture was skating hard for the net. Couture pulled the puck across the crease and away from Gibson’s poke-check before putting it away with a backhand. Assists went to Labanc and Joe Pavelski.

At the end of the period, the Ducks mustered sustained pressure against the Sharks, almost catching up on the shot clock. That count was 9-8 Sharks after the first.

That late-period pressure from the Ducks did not phase the Sharks as they jumped into the second period. Tomas Hertl scored with a back hand after skating by a couple of Ducks from the blue line to the net. Mikkel Boedker gave him the puck as he came fast through the neutral zone, earning the first assist on the 1:11 goal. Logan Couture got the secondary assist.

Shortly after the goal, Ryan Getzlaf caught a deflected puck to the face. He left the ice only briefly and returned with an ice pack for use between shifts.

Paul Martin was called for slashing at 6:30, giving the Ducks their first 5 on 4 power play of the game. Hampus Lindholm took advantage of Martin Jones being pulled off balance by Brenden Dillon’s skate as Dillon tried to get in front of the net to defend. Jones was helpless to stop the shot. Assists went to Ryan Getzlaf and Ryan Kesler.

The Ducks were back on the power play at 6:12 of the third period after Evander Kane’s clearing attempt went over the glass. The Sharks killed that off and got their own power play at 9:17 after Nick Ritchie tripped Marcus Sorensen in the neutral zone. Despite a number of good chances, the score remained 3-2 Sharks.

At 16:17, Corey Perry hit Melker Karlsson while he did not seem to have the puck, knocking his helmet off and spinning him around. He went to the box for interference. The Ducks started their penalty kill with a short-handed opportunity, but the Sharks pushed back and held the zone after that.

The Ducks pulled John Gibson with under two minutes left but the Sharks held them off for the win.

The Sharks finished with 35 shots on goal to the Ducks’ 30.

Game three will be Monday in San Jose at 7:30 pm PT.

NHL Stanley Cup playoffs/San Jose Sharks podcast with Matt Harrington: Sharks look like a different team at the start of postseason play

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@SanJoseSharks photo: Game one stats the power play was in effect for the Sharks at the Honda Center on Thursday night as the Ducks look to even the score and the Sharks hope to take two back to San Jose tonight

On the NHL Stanley Cup/SJ Sharks podcast with Matt:

#1 How different do the Sharks look coming out of the gate during Game 1 of the playoffs in Anaheim as opposed to the way they finished up the regular season?

#2 How much has Evander Kane got this team fired up? He had them fired up when he first got to San Jose and he’s got them fired in his very first career playoff game.

#3 Scoring two goals in a game one on Anaheim ice in a series where the Ducks have home ice, Kane didn’t look intimidated whatsoever.

#4 If San Jose can come away with a win on Saturday night’s game two, do you see them finishing the job in games three and four?

#5 The Sharks really have many weapons on this team besides Kane with Brent Burns, Logan Couture and Joe Pavelski.

Matt Harrington is covering the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs and is the beat writer for the San Jose Sharks listen to his podcasts each Saturday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

 

NHL Stanley Cup Playoff podcast with Joe Lami: After having a rough ending, Sharks look like a different team in Game 1 of playoffs

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Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks

On the Stanley Cup Playoff podcast with Joe:

#1 After having a rough ending to their regular season, the San Jose Sharks forgot all about that once the puck dropped for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Honda Center in Anaheim Thursday night in their 3-0 win.

#2 The Sharks’ Evander Kane played in his first playoff game, but got adjusted to the Stanley Cup postseason environment real fast after waiting over 574 regular season games before he got to play in his first Stanley Cup Playoff game, scoring twice to help lead San Jose to victory.

#3 Kane was a lighting rod for San Jose as soon as he came to the team he played in 17 regular games for the Sharks and scored 14 points for them in the closing weeks of the season.

#4 A look how head coach Peter DeBoer made Kane a big piece of the Sharks’ offense.

#5 Game 2 in Anaheim on Saturday this Saturday. If San Jose can grab the brass right they can go back to SJ 2-0 if they can pull off another win past the Ducks again.

Joe Lami does the NHL Stanley Cup Playoff podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa Walsh: Could Pavelski and Burns really light up the Ducks and lead Sharks to victory this round?

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Photo credit: nhl.com

On the San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa:

#1 Losing the last game at home of the regular season and dropping five out of their last six games, does that pose many questions on how the Sharks will do entering Thursday’s playoff game in Anaheim?

#2 The Sharks’ Evander Kane is excited to be in his first post season after playing some 574 regular season games. It’s a long time waiting for the former Buffalo Sabres star.

#3 Joe Pavelski and Brent Burns are expected to help lead the Sharks in this first round and to victory. Do you see that kind of prediction making sense?

#4 The top players on the Ducks: Richard Rakell 34 goals, 69 points, and Ryan Getzlaf with 50 assists for Anaheim.

#5 The first round is like a new season for the Sharks after having a tough ending to the regular season. Can they come out and have a break out in the first round?

Mary Lisa does the Sharks podcast each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

San Jose Sharks podcast with Len Shapiro: Sharks need to climb Stanley Cup Playoff mountain on Anaheim ice; Ducks have home ice through first round

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@sanjosesharks photo: Stanley Cup Playoff schedule for the San Jose Sharks and the Anaheim Ducks for the 2018 first round

On the San Jose Sharks podcast with Len:

#1 The Sharks lost five of their last six games to close the regular season. They lost a big game to the Minnesota Wild 6-3 on Saturday night at SAP Center. The Sharks’ team captain Joe Pavelski said the team is trying to find it’s identity and they believe in their road game too.

#2 The loss dropped San Jose to third place in the Pacific after winning eight straight then went into a four-game losing streak the Sharks lost a key game to the Wild to close out the season. Pavelski said that the Wild were on them for most of the game.

#3 The first period for San Jose was not a banner moment, taking only three shots and giving up two goals to start the game.

#4 The Ducks and what San Jose will be up against going into Anaheim for the first two games of the first round.

#5 Any chance that San Jose can regain some of that old magic again similar to what they went through during their eight-game win streak.

Len Shapiro does the SJ Sharks podcasts each Mondays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

 

Sharks Lose 6-3 to Wild, Will Start Playoffs On Road in Anaheim

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photo from at mnwild: San Jose Sharks Timo Meier (28) tries to put the puck on net is defended from behind from the Minnesota Wild’s defenceman Jonas Brodin (25) while the Wild’s goaltender Devan Dubnyk (40) watches

By Mary Walsh

SAN JOSE– The Sharks lost 6-3 to the Minnesota Wild for their final regular season game of 2018. Goals for Minnesota came from Matt Cullen, Jonas Brodin, Mikael Granlund, Eric Staal, and two from Jason Zucker. Sharks goals came from Joe Pavelski, Brent Burns, and Timo Meier. Devan Dubnyk made 27 saves for the win. Martin Jones made 14 saves on 19 shots before being replaced by Aaron Dell, who made 4 saves on 4 shots for San Jose.

The loss puts the Sharks in third place in the Pacific, so they will start the playoffs on the road in Anaheim. The Sharks came close to falling into a Wild Card spot, but the Los Angeles Kings lost to the Dallas Stars Saturday. Of starting the playoffs on the road, Sharks Captain Joe Pavelski said:

I mean, home ice is always nice. It’s not do or die by any means for us, for this group. We’ve always believed in our road game here, we’ve backed it up. We have some results, past results. But this is a new team and this is a team that has to find that identity each and every night. You know, that’s what it takes to win on the road, is just a hard-nosed detailed game. And it’s not something I don’t think we’re up to the challenge for.

The Sharks stumbled through the first period, getting only three shots on goal while giving up two goals to Minnesota. After the game, Pavelski said: “Obviously, they were on us. We weren’t very good the first ten, twelve, fifteen minutes. It was really good to see the guys settle down and get a couple, answer right back. It felt light we had a lot of momentum at that point.”

The first Minnesota goal came at 10:53 from Joan Brodin. Charlie Coyle evaded the Sharks defense along the boards until he could get the puck to Brodin at the blue line. Brodin’s shot went right by Sharks goatender Martin Jones. Assists went to Coyle and Tyler Ennis.

Four minutes later, Matt Cullen put the Wild up by two. A scramble around the net drew attention away from Cullen as he moved away from the crowd and shot into an almost open net. Assists went to Tyler Ennis and Louie Belpedio.

The period looked like a complete loss until Brent Burns cut the lead in half with a shot from the blue line. Dylan Gambrell helped win the puck along the boards in the offensive zone and went to the front of the net. He may have screened Burns’s shot, and at first it looked like he had tipped it in. One review, the goal went to Burns with assists going to Marcus Sorensen and Joel Ward.

With just 3:28 left in the period, Pavelski tied it up. Mikkel Boedker, under defensive pressure, sent the puck in Pavelski’s direction as Pavelski skated in from the blue line. Pavelski caught the pass with his skate and moved it to his stick for a quick shot, beating Dubnyk on his glove side.

At the end of the period, the shot count was 12-5 Minnesota, with the score tied at 2.

The score remained tied until 11:19 of the second when Mikael Granlund made it 3-2, using Dylan DeMelo as a screen. Assists went to Jordan Greenway and Nick Seeler.

Jason Zucker made it 4-2 just 29 seconds later. Niederreiter caried the puck in on a quick entry and made a made across the slot to Zucker. Zucker was moving across in front of Jones and his backhand shot caught Jones moving. Assists went to Neiderreiter and Matt Dumba.

Zucker went on to make it 5-2 3:22 later. Zucker and Eric Staal escaped the Sharks zone with the puck and went in against Justin Braun two on one. Assists went to Neiderreiter and Belpedio.

The shot tally was even during the second period, just seven shots from each team.

Aaron Dell replaced Martin Jones for the third period. The Sharks pushed hard, ultimately outshooting the Wild in the third 18-5. Still, most of the period was scoreless.

In the last two minutes of the period, Kevin Labanc took a slashing penalty during a Sharks power play. The teams played for almost a minute four on four, and when that time expired, Pete DeBoer pulled Dell. With the net empty, playing five on five, a Dylan DeMelo shot was tipped by Timo Meier, bringing the score to 5-3. Assists went to Dylan DeMelo and Brent Burns.

The point was DeMelo’s 20th, making him the fifth Sharks defenseman to reach the 20 point mark this season.

Eric Staal scored into the empty net to make it 6-3 Minnesota at 19:34.

In the last couple minutes of the third period, Logan Couture was struck by a Brent Burns shot in the wrist. He left the ice briefly but did return to the game. He said later that he had gotten the all clear from the doctor before returning.

San Jose Sharks-Anaheim Ducks playoff schedule:

#1 Thu Apr 12 @ Anaheim

#2 Sat Apr 14 @ Anaheim

#3 Mon Apr 16 @ San Jose

#4 Wed Apr 18 @ San Jose

#5 Fri Apr 20 @ Anaheim (if necessary)

#6 Sun Apr 22 @ San Jose (if necessary)

#7 Tue Apr 24 @ Anaheim (if necessary)

 

Sharks Hit 100-Point Mark With 4-2 Win Over Avs

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Photo credit: nhl.com/sharks

By Matthew Harrington

The San Jose Sharks chose the perfect time to pull out of a four-game losing skid, winning game No. 81 Thursday night at the SAP Center to keep Southern California foes Los Angeles and Anaheim at bay. San Jose topped the visiting Colorado Avalanche, a team clinging to the final Western Conference playoff spot by a point, 4-2 to stay two points ahead of the Kings for second place in the Pacific Division with just one game left to play in the regular season.

Justin Braun, Logan Couture, Joonas Donskoi and Tomas Hertl scored for San Jose and Martin Jones made 23 saves for his 30th win of the season. Mikko Rantanen and Blake Comeau scored for the Avs.

Braun opened the scoring in the first with a point shot that beat netminder Jonathan Bernier for a 1-0 lead 2:58 into the game. Braun’s fifth goal of the season, a career-high, would be the only action from either team until the third period.

The two teams traded power play goals, with Rantanen (4:43) and Couture (6:00) scoring on cross passes that resulted in open nets. Couture leads the Sharks with a career-best 34 goals.

Donskoi would add the game-winning goal 10:14 into the period after picking up a Dylan Demelo point shot rebound and backhanding it in the crease past Bernier. Comeau would score to pull Colorado within one with just under seven minutes left, but Tomas Hertl’s empty netter with two seconds left iced the game.

Game Notes: With a Kings overtime win Thursday, San Jose sits two points ahead of the Kings with one game to play. The Kings hold the tie-breaker with 43 regulation or overtime wins to San Jose’s 40. Anaheim (97 points) is three points behind San Jose, but has two games in hand and will face the Dallas Stars and Arizona Coyotes.

Los Angeles also draws the Stars who will wind up being one of the first teams out of the playoff race with only 90 points. The California team with the most points will host the first round, while the last place team will likely face division winning Vegas in the first round.

If San Jose wins Saturday night against Minnesota, they will host a first round match up.

Up Next: The Sharks host the Minnesota Wild this Saturday, April 7th at 7:30 pm PT.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa Walsh: Sharks drop four straight back into playoffs after LA defeats Colorado

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Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks

On the San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa:

#1 Four straight loses as the Sharks who blew a 2-0 lead; coughed up four unanswered goals one in the second period and three goals in the third period.

#2 The Sharks couldn’t maintain, Jamie Benn, who scored a hat trick, which included a goal at 3:06 remaining in the game and then later at 24 seconds he scored a empty-netter to get the hat trick.

#3 The Sharks backed into the playoffs, clinching second place after the Los Angeles Kings beat the Colorado Avalanche 3-1 on Monday night.

#4 It’s most likely the Sharks will have home ice for the first round of the playoffs.

#5 The Sharks have two games left Thursday against Colorado and Minnesota on Saturday.

Mary Lisa is a Sharks beat writer for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Stars Score Four Unanswered, Stun Sharks 4-2

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Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks

By Jerry Feitelberg

Through two periods Tuesday night, the San Jose Sharks were a juggernaut. Unfortunately, there are three in a game, and a three-goal third period by the Dallas Stars sent the stunned Sharks down with a 4-2 loss at the SAP Center.

Dallas trailed 2-0 up until the final half minute of the second period and were being outshot 30-11 then the Stars reeled off four unanswered goals.

Jamie Benn potted a hat trick for Dallas, Mike McKenna subbed in for Kari Lehtonen midgame and picked up the win and John Klingberg picked up his 57th assist. Brent Burns tied Klingberg for second in defenseman scoring on a pair of assists (65 points apiece). Logan Couture scored his career-high 33rd goal of the year and Timo Meier scored his 20th of the year but the Sharks failed to put space between themselves and the Los Angeles Kings in the race for home-ice advantage to open the playoffs.
One game after an abysmal showing by the power play, the man advantage proved a benefit. Logan Couture used a perfect screen from Tomas Hertl to beat Lehtonen 9:21 into play for his 33rd goal of the year. Timo Meier added to the lead 2-0 with 4:44 left in the first after he drove to the net on a Burns point shot, scooped up a rebound and beat Lehtonen from the sharp angle for his 20th goal of the season.
The Sharks would continue to bombard Lehtonen until he exited the game 15:54 into the second period on a stinging shot. In stepped Mike McKenna, Dallas’ third string goalie dressed thanks to a Ben Bishop injury. McKenna hadn’t played in the NHL since his lone appearance in the 2014-15 season, a 5-2 loss as a member of the Arizona Coyotes against the Colorado Avalanche on February 16th, 2015. McKenna was perfect in his return to the show Tuesday, stopping 17 Sharks shots for his first win since December 23rd, 2013.
The Stars, out of the playoffs in a disappointing finish to a season they thought they were all in on, rallied back after the appearance by McKenna. Klingberg fired a perfect shot-pass from the point to Benn who was crashing the Sharks net on the far post. All Benn had to do was redirect the puck past Sharks goalie Martin Jones, something the former Hart Trophy candidate did with ease with just 31 seconds left in the second period.
Gemel Smith scored Dallas’ second goal of the game with 5:18 left in the third after Devin Shore lost the puck while driving to the net and trying to place the puck on his backhand. The puck slid out to Smith waiting on the halo for the faceoff dot. Smith hammered the puck past Jones before he could recover from Shore’s attempt to tie the game.
It didn’t take long for Dallas to break the Sharks down. Benn scored his second goal of the game after Tomas Hertl turned the puck over at the Sharks blue line. Hertl was skating out with the puck, but Benn managed to poke the puck off his stick then finish off the breakaway with a backhander to beat Jones. Benn finished off the hattrick on a empty-netter from the boards in his own end to pick up his 32nd goal of the year.
Though the Sharks clinched a playoff berth while in active Monday night, San Jose now sits just two points ahead of the Kings with two games remaining on the schedule for both teams. The winner of the standings race would get home ice in the probable first round playoff meeting.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Len Shapiro: Will Vegas turn out to be the Sharks’ toughest gamble going into the Stanley Cup Playoffs?

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Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks

On the San Jose Sharks podcast with Len Shapiro:

#1 The Vegas Golden Knights have a lot of speed and you can’t take a night off with them, according to San Jose Sharks forward Chris Tierney.

#2 The Sharks got goals on Saturday night in Vegas from Joe Pavelski and Marc Edouard Vlasic, but it wasn’t enough for the Sharks, who were confronting and who could be the best team in the NHL’s Western Conference. The Knights were not caving in whatsoever in the 3-2 win.

#3 The Knights got offensive help from Shea Theodore, Oscar Lindberg, and William Karlsson who each scored and who has been a big help for the Knights all season.

#4 Knights goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 29 shots to keep Vegas in the game.

#5 The Sharks, after losing three straight including the recent loss Saturday night in Vegas, open a three-game homestand starting Tuesday night.

Len Shapiro does the SJ Sharks podcasts each Monday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com