Oilers Rout Sharks 9-2, McDavid Earns 100th Point of Season

The San Jose Sharks William Eklund (72) taking a shot that was blocked by the Edmonton Oilers Evan Bouchard (2) in the third period at Rogers Place in Edmonton on Mon Apr 16, 2024 (The Canadian Press via AP)

By Mary Walsh

Connor McDavid, Adam Henrique, Warren Foegele, Dylan Holloway, Corey Perry, Cody Ceci, Evan Bouchard scored for the Oilers. Stuart Skinner made 19 saves for the 9-2 win over the San Jose Sharks at Rogers Place in Edmonton. Connor McDavid earned his 100th assist of the season in the game, only the second Oiler and the fourth NHL player to do so.

Danil Gushchin and Fabian Zetterlund scored for the Sharks. Mikael Granlund extended his point streak to 12 games with an assist. Devin Cooley made 14 saves on 22 shots before being pulled in the second period. Georgi Romanov made 15 on 16 shots saves in his NHL debut.

For the third time this season, the Sharks allowed nine or more goals. After the game, Sharks Head Coach David Quinn said: “We never looked like we were really… thought we had a chance. That’s kinda what it felt like. We were slow, very slow in everything that we were doing. We were losing a lot of battles and it was a lot of hesitation in our game.”

Sharks defenseman Mario Ferraro said: “That was really what I thought went wrong today, is we maybe looked at the lineup on the other end and we played scared in the first period. And obviously it was a snowball effect.”

Sharks center Luke Kunin talked about the disappointing game and how the team let goaltender Devin Cooley down: “We didn’t help him out at all. With the odd-mans, how many looks he was getting, with the way that we started the game. You know, try to say a few things to him, obviously he’s a competitive guy as well, it wasn’t his fault by any means.”

Connor McDavid started the scoring just 53 seconds into the first period. McDavid carried the puck into the zone at speed and as he approached the goal line, he centered the puck for Zach Hyman. The pass did not get through. Instead, it hit Marc-Edouard Vlasic and went into the net. An assist went to Darnell Nurse.

Adam Henrique made it 2-0 at 4:01. Catching a Brett Kulak pass from the blue line, Henrique settled the puck down in traffic before lifting it over Cooley for the goal.

Warren Foegele added another at 10:40. Skating in two-on-one with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Foegele scored with a wrist shot from inside the faceoff circle. An assist went to Leon Draisaitl.

At this point, the Sharks still only had one shot on goal. By the end of the period, they had six shots ot the Oilers’ 10.

At 19:35, Dylan Holloway tipped in the fourth Oilers goal off a shot from Adam Henrique. Assists to Henrique and Nurse.

The Sharks got on the board at 1:58 of the second period. Danil Gushchin took a shot from the goal line that snuck between the Skinner and the post. An assist went to Thomas Bordeleau.

Less than three minutes later, Foegele scored his second of the night to make it 5-1. Foegele redirected a shot from Nugent-Hopkins. Cooley stopped that but the puck got away from him and Foegele followed up and poked the puck over the line. Assists went to Nugent-Hopkins and Draisaitl.

Corey Perry made it 6-1 near the midpoint of the period. Evan Bouchard went for the shot and Cooley came out to stop it. But the puck went past him and Perry was lurking by the other post to poke the puck in. Assists went to Bouchard and Holloway.

Cody Ceci made it 7-1 at 13:18. Trailing the play and then going ot the net, Ceci redirected a pass from Henrique. Assists went to Henrique and Hyman.

Evan Bouchard made it 8-1, just 31 seconds later. In a play almost exactly like the prior one, Corey Perry sent the puck across the ice for Bouchard to redirect past Cooley on the glove side. Assists went to Perry and Holloway.

The Sharks pulled Cooley after that one and put rookie Georgi Romanov in net.

A little less than a minute later, Zach Hyman scored to make it 9-1. In another two-on-one, Connor McDavid and Hyman skated in. McDavid a short pass for Hyman to nudge in. Assists went to McDavid and Nurse.

That was it for the Oilers. The Sharks scored one in the third period. Mikael Granlund carried the puck in two-on-one with Fabian Zetterlund. Granlund took a shot while skating through center ice. Skinner stopped that. William Eklund got a stick on it but it did not go in. The puck bounced around in the blue paint before Zetterlund got his stick on it and scored with a backhand shot. Assists went to Eklund and Granlund.

The Sharks will play their final game of the season at 6:00 PM PT on Thursday in Calgary against the Flames.

San Jose Sharks Lose Final Home Game Of The Season 6-2 To Minnesota Wild

San Jose Sharks goaltender MacKenzie Blackwood (29) is laid out as the Minnesota Wild left winger Liam Ohgren (28) scores his first NHL goal in the second period at SAP Center in San Jose on Sat Apr 13, 2024 (AP News photo)

Saturday, April 13th, 2024

By Troy Ewers

SAN JOSE – Final home game of the season for the San Jose Sharks (19-52-9) and it’s a sold out night as the Sharks host the Minnesota Wild (38-33-9). The crowd for fan appreciation night anticipating on a Sharks win was in for a disappointment has the Wild landslided the Sharks 6-2 at SAP Center.

Game recap: In the first period the energy was high and that wasn’t just from the fans in the arena, it was with the teams too. Wild were on the board first, a rebound shot from Matt Boldy, his 28th of the season. 1-0 Wild. Sharks tied it up with a blue line slap shot from Jan Rutta. Granlund got his 45th assist this season with the apple to Rutta, 1-1. With three minutes left in the opening period, Minnesota took the lead after a laser wrist shot from Declan Chisolm, 2-1 Wild and at intermission the crowd was ready for more action.

Not much in the second period until the final six minutes. Liam Ohgren scored his first points of the season in a Wild sweater with a clean up rebound shot, 3-1 Minnesota. Mario Ferraro closed the gap with a one timer goal, 3-2 Wild still up. In the final minute Kirill Kaprizov scored two goals and the first one went off the skate of Mackenzie Blackwood, but the second one was a power play goal that wasn’t debatable. At the final intermission Wild lead 5-2. 

Third period the Wild put the nail in the coffin when Marcus Johansson scored his third goal in 29 games, 6-2 Wild. 

Game notes: Last game on Thursday the Sharks got a big 3-1 victory against the Kraken in Seattle. Devin Cooley made a career-high 49 saves, second-most by a Sharks goaltender this season and third-most by a NHL netminder in his first career road win since 1955-56. Luke Kunin (1g, 0a) netted his second goal in the past three games. Kyle Burroughs (1g, 0a) and Fabian Zetterlund (1g, 0a) each also lit the lamp in the win. Mikael Granlund (0g, 1a) became the first Sharks forward since 2015-16 to post a 10-game point streak. William Eklund (0g, 2a) tallied his sixth multi-point game of the season and Henry Thrun (0g, 2a) added his second multi-point effort in the past three games. It was the Sharks’ first-ever road win at Seattle. SJS Goals: Kunin (11), Burroughs (2), Zetterlund (22). 

Next game for the Sharks will be April 15th in Edmonton against the Oilers.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Troy Ewers: Cooley’s 49 saves keys Sharks in win in Seattle

The San Jose Sharks goaltender Devin Cooley tries to reach for the loose puck as the Sharks defenseman Jon Rutta (84) and defenseman Mario Ferraro (38) look on in the third period at SAP Center in San Jose on Fri Apr 12, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the San Jose Sharks podcast with Troy Ewers:

#1 Troy, what an event, what trip to Seattle no one would have expected the San Jose Sharks (19-51-9) to come away with a win at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle against one of the Sharks toughest foes the Seattle Kraken (33-32-13) and yet the Sharks came away with a two goal in 3-1.

#2 Troy also the Sharks took advantage of the Kraken mistakes scoring twice 51 second apart and something like capitalizing on a team’s mistakes can help you win games.

#3 It was the Kraken’s last home game in Seattle for the regular season the Kraken had been playing .500 hockey winning five of their last ten games. The Sharks meanwhile had been struggling they have lost five of their last ten games.

#4 Troy the two goals in the third period were key for the Sharks and Cooley kept the Kraken out of the net. The Sharks got a rare road win and the last time the Sharks and Kraken met was back on Mon Apr 1st when the Kraken got a 4-2 win in San Jose.

#5 The Sharks face off against the Minnesota Wild (37-32-9) for a 7:30pm PDT here at SAP Center to close out the Sharks regular season. The Sharks would like nothing more than to close out the home season with a win at SAP Center.

Troy Ewers covered the 2023-24 San Jose Sharks for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa: Sharks home finale tonight against Wild; Celebrini favored to join Sharks as top draft pick

Seattle Kraken defenseman Jamie Oleksiak (24) tries to put the puck in the net as the Sharks goaltender Devin Cooley (1) look back in the second period at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle on Thu Apr 11, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa:

#1 Mary Lisa, Macklin Celebrini’s father Rick made it clear that he’s excited that Celebrini has a great shot at going to the San Jose Sharks as the number one draft pick. Fans in San Jose are excited about the prospect of Celebrini joining the Sharks and possibly changing the direction of the team who has struggled the last two seasons.

#2 The Sharks had a long long season finishing like last season in last place. They play their last home game of the season tonight against the Minnesota Wild at SAP Center and it’s another off season to regroup and see what direction their going for next season.

#3 You look at the job that goaltender Devin Cooley has done in net with a win he stopped the mighty St Louis Blues back on Apr 6th in overtime with 34 saves and allowed two goals in the Sharks one goal win 3-2.

#4 Mary Lisa, in Seattle last Thursday Cooley once again kept the Sharks in it with some great work between the pipes stopping 49 shots and allowing just one goal. Cooley once again impresses in his second outing.

#5 Last home game for the Sharks with the Wild game is a sell out. The Wild are sixth in the NHL Central at 37-33-9 and have lost their last two games. The Sharks are looking to start MacKenzie Blackwood in net tonight talk about how you see this match up.

Join Mary Lisa Saturdays and Len Shapiro Thursdays for the NHL Stanley Cup podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

#2

#1

Sharks Beat Kraken 3-1, Devin Cooley Makes 49 Saves

San Jose Sharks goaltender Devin Cooley (1) is congratulated by teammate defenseman Kyle Burroughs (right) after the Sharks defeated the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle on Thu Apr 11, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks defeated the Seattle Kraken 3-1 on Thursday at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle. Luke Kunin, Kyle Burroughs and Fabian Zetterlund scored for the Sharks. Devin Cooley made 49 saves for the win. Brian Dumoulin scored for the Kraken. Joey Daccord made 20 saves in the loss.

This was Devin Cooley’s fourth NHL game, his second win and his first road win. After the game, Sharks defenseman Mario Ferraro talked about the goaltender’s performance: “Obviously they got a lot of shots tonight, they got a lot of grade A chances and without him in net who knows what the result of the game would have been.”

Sharks Head Coach David Quinn said:

“Outstanding. I mean he was unbelievable. Especially in the first period. I think we got better as the game went on but they certainly set the pace and the tempo for the most part tonight. We were very opportunistic but our goalie was outstanding. There’s really not much more to talk about really.”

Luke Kunin opened the scoring to give the Sharks a lead at 8:07 of the first period. Kunin redirected Henry Thrun’s shot from the left point. Assists went to Thrun and Klim Kostin.

Brian Dumoulin tied the game at 9:22. Catching a pass as he skated through the faceoff circle, Dumoulin slipped between the Sharks defense and beat Devin Cooley with a quick wrist shot. Assists went to Jordan Eberle and Jaden Schwartz.

Despite having the only power play in the period, the Sharks were outshot by the Kraken 20-11.

The Sharks had just one shot on goal at the midpoint of the second period, while the Kraken had 12. The Sharks had their second shot of the period at 12:51.

With their third shot of the period, the Sharks took a 2-1 lead at 14:46. Kyle Burroughs entered the zone late and caught a pass from William Eklund in the slot. Burroughs sent the puck through traffic into the far top corner.

Fabian Zetterlund made it 3-1 at 15:37. Mikael Granlund centered the puck from the goal line and Zetterlund was on hand to lift it into the net. Assists went to Granlund and Eklund.

The score remained unchanged through the third period. The Sharks were outshot again, 16-7 in the period. The final shot count was 50-23 Kraken.

The Sharks next play on Saturday in San Jose against the Minnesota Wild at 7:30 PM PT.

San Jose Sharks Lose 3-2 In Overtime To Calgary Flames

San Jose Sharks head coach David Quinn stands behind bench with center Kim Kosin (10) and center Mikael Granlund (64) sitting in front at SAP Center in San Jose on Tue Apr 9, 2024 (Bay Area News Group photo)

Tuesday, April 9th, 2024

By Troy Ewers

San Jose, CA – The San Jose Sharks (18-51-9) welcome the Calgary Flames (35-37-5) to SAP Center for their second meeting of three this season, the only one in San Jose on Tuesday night. Last game against the Flames, Sharks won 6-3. Sharks come off a 5-2 loss to the Arizona Coyotes, but one big positive from the game is Mikael Granlund (0g, 1a) extended his season-long point streak to eight games (2g, 7a). Granlund enters the contest against Calgary having tallied 25 points in his past 25 games played (7g, 18a). 

The Sharks who had a 2-2 tie with the Flames let it get away in overtime for a 3-2 loss. The Sharks have now lost 13 of their last 15 games.

First period was exciting for SJ fans even though it wasn’t anywhere near a sell out in the SAP Center. Coach Quinn started the “Lund” line, William Eklund, Fabian Zetterlund, and Granlund and seven minutes and 22 seconds into the period, that line got the first goal of the night.

Zetterlund leads a 2 on 1 breakaway with Eklund and after a crisp pass from Zetterlund, Eklund scored with a backhand shot past the Calgary goalie Dustin Wolf. 1-0 Sharks.

Granlund continued his point streak to nine games and the goal was both Eklund and Zetterlund’s 40th point on the season so far. The whole period was a trade of hits between both clubs, one nasty hit specifically resulting in a boarding penalty for Martin Pospisil when he hit Calen Addison. The Sharks didn’t convert on the power play, but the message was received by the Sharks. San Jose goes into the first intermission up 1-0. 

Second Period was more on the side of Calgary and that’s because the Sharks defense couldn’t keep track of the Flames. San Jose extended their lead early in the second period when Mike Hoffman stole the puck, passed to Jacob MacDonald for a backhand goal, 2-0 Sharks.

Flames come back though as Rasmus Andersson scored after shots on goal were blocked, but with no one in teal picking up the puck on a rebound, Andersson hits the third shot past Blackwood for Calgary’s first goal, 2-1.

The Flames weren’t done capitalizing on San Jose as Nazem Kadri gathered the puck that the Sharks defenders lost in the mix and scored off a snap shot to tie the game up. This was a power play goal coming off a Vlasic tripping call. 2-2 headed into intermission. 

Third Period it appeared Calgary tried to bully the Sharks and it was evident when a couple of times the Flames tried to be aggressive, they got penalized. Miromanov tripped Eklund and set up a power play and then in the last 2 minutes of the game, Coleman cross checked Kyle Burroughs and that earned the Sharks a power play that even bled into overtime.

The Flames killed off their penalty in OT, but it was a Mario Ferraro holding penalty that led to Ilya Solovyov to score in a mix up in front of the net, power play goal, 3-2 Flames and Calgary wins.

Next game for San Jose will be in Seattle against the Kraken, Thursday, April 11th.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Troy Ewers: Sharks and Flames battle at SAP Center tonight

San Jose Sharks defenseman Henry Thrun (3) and the Arizona Coyotes right wing Dylan Guenther (11) battle for the puck in the second period at SAP Center on Sun Apr 7, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the San Jose Sharks podcast with Troy:

#1 Lawson Crouse, Nick Schmaltz and Clayton Keller of the Arizona Coyotes (33-39-5) each had a goal and an assist apiece in which contributed in defeating the San Jose Sharks (18-51-8) 5-2 on Sunday.

#2 In the third period with the score 2-2 tied the Coyotes broke it wide open with three goals from Dylan Guenther, Nick Schmaltz, and Keller which made it 5-3.

#3 The Sharks got a goal a piece in the first and second periods from Luke Kunin and Henry Thrun. It was all the Sharks would get in their scoring efforts for the afternoon.

#4 The Sharks goaltender MacKenzie Blackwood was spent after facing numerous shots and giving up three goals in the third period allowing five and saving 23 shots in loss.

#5 Sharks host the Calgary Flames (34-37-5) tonight here at SAP Center. The Flames have lost three straight games and have lost eight of their last ten games. Meanwhile the Sharks have now dropped 12 of their last 14 games. How do you see this match up tonight?

Troy Ewers is a San Jose Sharks beat writer for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose Sharks Lose 5-2 To Arizona Coyotes; Sharks have lost 12 of last 14 games

San Jose Sharks goaltender MacKenzie Blackwood can’t stop an Arizona Coyote goal in the third period at SAP Center in San Jose on Sun Apr 7, 2024 (AP News photo)

Sunday, April 7th, 2024

By Troy Ewers

SAN JOSE–In Day 2 of back to back games, the San Jose Sharks (18-51-8) lost to the Arizona Coyotes (33-39-5) 5-2 at SAP Arena on Sunday afternoon . The Sharks were coming off a huge day, in their last game Saturday against the Blues that not only saw an overtime win 3-2, but historic firsts for the locker room. 

William Eklund (3g, 0a) netted his first career hat trick, his first NHL multi-goal game and sixth-career multi-point effort, to lead the Sharks to a season sweep of the St. Louis Blues. He extended his home scoring streak to 10 games (6g, 7a), the 10th time in team history that a Shark has found the score sheet in 10 consecutive games on home ice. Mikael Granlund (0g, 1a) pushed his point streak to seven games (2g, 6a), a season-long. Devin Cooley earned his first career win, making 34 stops on 36 shots faced, and Collin Graf made his NHL debut in the game. 

Game recap: First period was interesting to say the least for Henry Thrun. Thrun started the game with a delay of game which led to a power play goal for Arizona. Lawson Crouse hit a one timer in the slot for an opening goal, 1-0 Arizona.

A interference penalty for Arizona led to a power play goal from Henry Thrun. A slap shot from the blue line ties up the game and Granlund, who got an assist, extends his point streak to eight games making it 1-1.

Lawson Crouse ended up in the penalty box after elbowing Thrun and even though nothing was capitalized on for the Coyotes, it was a wild period for Thrun. Liam O’Brien scored a go ahead goal for Arizona that seemed to be knocked in by a Shark, but it didn’t matter, 2-1 Coyotes. 

Second period Luke Kunin evened it out with a wrist shot, but the highlight was the scuffs that the Sharks were engaging in. By the second intermission it was 2-2 and San Jose had a lot of energy approaching the final period. 

Third period the wheels fell off for San Jose as the Coyotes scored three straight goals to end the game. Dylan Guenther scored the first goal with a quick wrist shot past Mackenzie Blackwood, 3-2 Coyotes. Crouse got his second point of the day with an assist on that goal. Clayton Keller made it 4-2 with a big slap shot, assisted by Nick Schmaltz through the legs. Final goal for Arizona came from an empty netter by Schmaltz that ended the game at 5-2. Coyotes win.  

Next game for the Sharks will be on Tuesday April 9th against the Calgary Flames at SAP Center in San Jose.

Eklund’s Hat Trick Secures 3-2 Victory For San Jose Sharks Over St. Louis Blues

San Jose Sharks left winger William Ecklund (72) wearing the Hat Trick hat is surrounded by his happy teammates at SAP Center in San Jose for defeating the St Louis Blues on Sat Apr 6, 2024 (AP News photo)

Saturday, April 6th, 2024

By Troy Ewers

SAN JOSE– The St. Louis Blues faced off in the Tank against the San Jose Sharks in this weekend showdown. The Sharks defeated the Blues to end a nine game win streak back on Sat Mar 30. The Sharks once again who had lost 11 of their last 12 defeated the Blues 3-2 at SAP Center in San Jose on Saturday.

Game recap: The first period was scoreless, but it was an even time seemingly in possession. The Sharks pressured the Blues as much as possible. 

The Sharks in the second period took the lead in the second period, thanks to “Slippery Pete” himself, William Eklund. Eklund scored two goals, both of them in power plays. He at this point had 14 goals on the season and the Sharks themselves had the most dangerous lead in hockey, a two goal lead. 

The wheels came off for San Jose in the third as the Sharks let two goals sneak past them. First one from Jordan Kyrou on a power play early in the third period, 2-1 with the Sharks still up. Later in the period, Brayden Schenn scored his 18th goal of the season and the tying goal of the game. 2-2 and we would see overtime. 

Overtime went all the way down to the final minute, but Eklund would make a moment in his career he would never forget as he would score his third goal of the night, securing a hat trick, 15 goals on the season, and a win for San Jose. 3-2 Sharks. 

Post game notes: Last game the LA Kings beat San Jose 2-1 in the SAP Center on Thursday night, Klim Kostin (1g, 0a) lit the lamp for the second consecutive game and third time in the last five contests. Mikael Granlund (0g, 1a) extended his scoring streak to six games (2g, 5a), tying his seasonlong. William Eklund (0g, 1a) pushed his home point streak to nine games, three shy of the Sharks’ team record. Jack Studnicka played in his 100th career NHL game.

Next game for the Sharks is Sunday Apr 7th against the Arizona Coyotes a 3:00pm PDT matinee and the second of back to back games at SAP Center. Coach Quinn can be proud of his young sniper, WIlliam Eklund for a big win.

San Jose Sharks Lose 2-1 At Home To The Los Angeles Kings

Los Angeles Kings right winger Adrian Kempe (9) scores on San Jose Sharks goaltender MacKenzie Blacwood (29) in the first period at SAP Center in San Jose (AP News photo)

Thursday, April 4th, 2024

By Troy Ewers

SANJOSE–Even though the San Jose Sharks were the hosts, there were an abundance of Los Angeles Kings fans in the house and the Kings gave that portion of the Tank something to cheer for edging out the Sharks 2-1 at SAP Center. Adrian Kempe scored the opening goal on a breakaway, his 25th of the season, 1-0 Kings 11 minutes into the game.

Shortly after the Kempe goal, Akil Thomas scored his first points of the season and the second goal of the game with a wrist shot while embracing a hit, 2-0 Kings. The cheers for the Kings from their fans overshadowed the boos from the Sharks fans in attendance and the 1st period ended with a 2-0 score and the Kings in the middle of a power play. 

A better second period for the Sharks, but only because the Sharks were more physical. A fight between Luke Kunin and Andreas Englund had a fight that woke the crowd up including the home fans. No goals this period, but a sign of hope as San Jose got more chances and had better possession time.

Third period was a nothing period as the Kings played the clock and the Sharks looked defeated as soon as the period started. Klim Kostin scored a goal that gave fans some sense of hope, but it was too little too late, 2-1 Kings to end the game.

Game notes: Two division rivals on opposite sides of the coin face off as the last place in the Pacific Division San Jose Sharks host the 4th place in the Pacific Division Los Angeles Kings. Last game for the Sharks was a 4-2 loss to the Seattle Kraken on April Fool’s Day. Fabian Zetterlund (1g, 1a) netted his team-leading 21st goal of the season, a power play tally to open the home team’s scoring in his ninth multi-point game of the season.

Klim Kostin (1g, 0a) scored his fourth goal with the Sharks, his seventh of the season. Mikael Granlund (0g, 1a) extended his point streak to five games (2g, 4a) with an assist on Zetterlund’s goal, and William Eklund (0g, 1a) pushed his home point streak to eight games (3g, 6a) with the secondary helper on the same score. SJS Goals: Zetterlund (21 pp), Kostin (7) . 

Next game for the Sharks will be at home Saturday against the St. Louis Blues.