Category: San Jose Sharks

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: MLB and Players Union to meet Thursday January 13

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MLB union chief Tony Clark, right, and lead union negotiator Bruce Meyer at a press conference last Thu Jan 6, 2022 in Arlington. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, Clark and Meyer hope to solve the lockout as MLB and the Players Union meet Thu Jan 13, 2022 (AP News photo)

MLB and Players Union to meet Thursday January 13

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

Commissioner Rob Manfred on behalf of MLB announced the current lock-out on December 2, 2021.

Here some of the most interesting issues they are hope to address and eventually come to agreement.

1-Minimum salary: A rookie at the end of 2021 salary was $570,000. The players union is looking for a raise that could go for a minimum of between $700,000 to $750,000 and there could be a compromise here. Today baseball rookies have the lowest salary among the four top pro-sports league. Here are the others: NBA: $925,000, NHL: $775,000, NFL $660,000. While MLS is $81,000. (All players have to pay taxes and a fee to their respective agents)

2-Free Agent: Today a rookie becomes a free agent when he reaches his sixth year of service. The MLBPA thinks it should be five years, not six. Unlike the minimum salary this one could be tougher to come to an agreement as the owners do not see it the same way as the players. You cannot ‘split the baby’ here, is either one or the other. The owners always want to keep a player under control for as long as they can.

3-Expanding the Playoffs: This one is about the owners wanting to have 14 teams in the playoffs, while the players want 12. Of course with 14 teams there will be more revenues. But some say it diminishes competition, the season is already a long 162 game campaign. But, do you want a team with 75 wins to be in the Playoffs? However, there is Money here and never bet against money. Television loves this. I think there is a good chance this makes it to the owner’s delight of 14 playoff teams.

4-NBA Style Draft Lottery: If above is approved and the postseason expands to 14 teams then the remaining 16 teams in MLB would enter a draft lottery like in basketball.

5-Universal Designated Hitter: There is plenty to chew here. I know many fans and regular media people that are split on this and I have heard all sides. One: Why should David “Big Papi” Ortíz be a Hall of Famer, he was a one-dimensional player, a hitter. The other side: Yes, true, but he played for 20 years and hit 541 home runs and was a leader. For those that forgot already, as a rookie in 1997 Ortíz played 15 games at first base for his first team, the Minnesota Twins. Like it or Not, the DH is going to the National League, just like the Umpires used to wear different garb in the AL and the NL and for decades now they all wear the same.

Other topics: Revenue Sharing, Salary Arbitration, Remove Qualifying Offer and like always some tax matters than are way too boring even for some very bored accountants.

Finally: Like any negotiations of this magnitude, no one side is going to get everything they want. My father used to say “a half loaf of bread is better than no bread at all”. Let’s hope that they can come to something of an agreement that would satisfy both owners and players. For the good of the game.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez does News and Commentary podcasts each Tuesdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa Walsh: Kane’s trip to Vancouver violating Covid protocols led to his release; Sharks edge Red Wings 3-2 Couture shoots for game winner;

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San Jose Sharks center Logan Couture (39) is jubilant after scoring the game winning goal in overtime with Brent Burns (88) and Jonathan Dahlen (76) against the Detroit Red Wings on Tue Jan 11, 2022 at SAP Center in San Jose (AP News photo)

On the Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa:

#1 Former Shark Evander Kane released for going to Vancouver during the holidays after testing positive while being on Covid 19 protocols pretty much was his last chance if any while playing on the Sharks AHL affiliate the San Jose Barracuda.

#2 The San Jose Sharks (20-16-5) got a win over the Detroit Red Wings (16-16-5) in an overtime win 3-2 on Tuesday night the Sharks got clobbered by the Red Wings 6-2 in their last meeting back on Jan 4th.

#3 Logan Couture is the game hero scoring the game winning goal in overtime, Couture was coming off the five day Covid protocol list a remarkable game for Couture considering he was away for five days.

#4 A fan threw a octopus on the ice near Couture and he asked the official to remove it and when the puck was dropping starting play Brent Burns sent the puck up towards the Red Wings net and Wings goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic stopped it right but juggled the puck which fell on the goal crease and Couture came around and knocked it into the net.

#5 Mary, the Sharks are becoming a good overtime team they have a perfect record 6-0 and just somehow have confidence in overtime and last night being no exception picked up another crucial win.

#6 The New York Rangers (23-10-4) are in San Jose on Thursday night who were defeated by the Los Angeles Kings (18-13-5) 3-1. The Rangers are not be underestimated with that 23-10 record one of the toughest teams in the NHL. Tell us how you see this match up for Thursday night at SAP?

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

Sharks Beat Red Wings 3-2 in OT; Fifth win out of last eight for SJ

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San Jose Sharks center Logan Couture (39) gets the puck past Detroit Red Wings goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic (39) as Nick Leddy (2) defends for the game winning goal in overtime at the SAP Center in San Jose on Tue Jan 11, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

SAN JOSE– The San Jose Sharks beat the Detroit Red Wings 3-2 in overtime in San Jose on Tuesday. Timo Meier, Jeffrey Viel and Logan Couture scored for San Jose. Adin Hill made 17 saves for the win. Tyler Bertuzzi and Nick Leddy scored for Detroit and Alex Nedeljkovic made 37 saves in the loss.

The Sharks played Red Wings just a week ago in Detroit, and lost 6-2. That was the game when Jacob Middleton was injured in a hit from Givani Smith. The Sharks responded by giving up two short-handed goals in the ensuing five minute major. Early in the first period on Tuesday, Jeffrey Viel and Givani Smith fought and went to the box.

The Sharks took a 1-0 lead at 14:24 with a power play goal from Timo Meier. Jonathan Dahlen carried the puck almost to the goal line before making a backhand pass, through traffic, across the slot to Timo Meier right in front of the goal. Nedeljkovic could not get across in time to stop Meier’s 15th goal of the season. Assists went to Dahlen and Brent Burns.

The Sharks had two power plays in the first period, and had three shots and the goal. Their penalty kill gave up no shots in their one kill.

The Red Wings tied it at 19:38 of the second period, with a two man advantage. Filip Hronek sent the puck to the net from the blue line and Tyler Bertuzzi deflected it in. Assists went to Hronek and Mortiz Seider.

In the second period, the Sharks had one power play and got two shots. Their three-man penalty kill gave up the one shot that went in the net.

The Red Wings took the lead at 1:48 of the third with a goal from Nick Leddy, who carried the puck from one end of the ice to the other and then took a shot around Ryan Merkley. The puck went over Hill’s shoulder for Leddy’s first NHL goal. Assists went to Hronek and Bertuzzi.

Jeffrey Viel tied it back up at 3:18. Viel was chasing the puck to the net when he lost his footing with some help from a defender. He ended up sliding into the net himself and making some contact with the goaltender. An assist went to Brent Burns.

The Sharks pressed hard in the final minutes of the period, but Nedeljkovic held his ground and the game went to overtime.

Logan Couture scored with the Sharks’ only overtime shot. Brent Burns took a shot from the left side of the net and the puck went under the goaltender, coming to rest just above the goal line. Logan Couture was falling down on the other side of the net after fighting for space. He was able to reach across with his stick and nudge the puck over the line. Assists went to Burns and Dahlen.

After a lengthy review in Toronto, the goal was allowed. The review was for off-side and may have also been about the octopus that was thrown onto the ice during play.

The Sharks out-shot the Red Wings 40-19, and did so in each period, 12-6 in the first, 14-6 in the second and 13-6 in the third. The Sharks also led in the face-off circle, winning 52% of the draws.

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

Sharks Beat Flyers 3-2 in OT With Hertl Hat Trick

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The San Jose Sharks Tomas Hertl is jubilant after nailing the game winning goal in overtime against the Philadelphia Flyers at the Wells Fargo Arena in Philadelphia on Sat Jan 8, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 in overtime, again, on Saturday. It was the same score as on December 30 in San Jose. Tomas Hertl scored all three Sharks goals and Adin Hill made 29 saves for the win. Brent Burns had 3 assists and led the team with 29:35 TOI. James van Riemsdyk scored both Flyers goals and Martin Jones made 44 saves in the loss.

Logan Couture and Lane Pedersen are still out on the COVID list. Erik Karlsson, James Reimer, Rudolfs Balcers and Jacob Middleton are all out with injuries.

After the game, Sharks Head Coach Bob Boughner talked about how Tomas Hertl helped balance out those absences:

“What I loved about it, even when we got down 2-0, even in the last two games, he’s taken on a huge void, leadership role, And he’s saying ‘it’s alright, we’re still in this, we’ve got this, let’s keep going, let’s keep working. We’re playing well.’ So Tommy was just more than being the player of the game, you know, he was pretty inspirational in the locker room and on the bench tonight.”

The games was scoreless for 40 minutes. The shots were close, 15-13 Flyers in the first, 13-10 Sharks in the second. Each team had one power play. The Sharks power play had two shots and their penalty kill gave up one. With the teams so close in so many aspects, it was no wonder they were tied at 0 going into the final frame.

The Sharks had some good chances in the first minute of the third, but, just as that minute expired, James van Riemsdyk got around Marc-Edouard Vlasic and broke away for a shot from the face-off circle. The puck went by Adin Hill and into the top corner. Assists went to Oskar Lindblom and Kevin Hayes.

The Flyers scored again at 6:47, this time on the power play. Cam York sent the puck to the net and it went off of van Riemsdyk, then bounced over Hill. Assists went to York and Cam Atkinson.

Tomas Hertl got one back for the Sharks at 7:47. Timo Meier made a quick back-hand pass from just above the goal line. Hertl was at the net ready to put it away. Assists went to Meier and Brent Burns.

Hertl put the puck in the net again at 14:29. In the midst of net-front traffic, he kicked the puck to his stick for a backhand past Jones on the far side. Assists again went to Meier and Burns.

The Sharks out-shot the Flyers 20-5 in the third period. Each team had a power play. the Sharks had two shots on theirs and the Flyers got one that went in.

Hertl completed his hat trick with the Sharks’ first shot in overtime, 24 seconds in. Brent Burns won the puck in the corner at the Sharks’ end and got the puck to Hertl. Hertl carried it the other way, and by the time he reached the Flyers blue line, Timo Meier was there for a two-on-one.

The face-off battle went back and forth from period to period. The Sharks won 61% in the third, but the Flyers won 52% in the first and 75% in the second, and the only face-off in overtime.

The Sharks next play on Tuesday in San Jose against the Detroit Red Wings at 7:30 PM PT.

In other news, the Sharks announced that they have put Evander Kane on unconditional waivers for the purpose of terminating his contract. The statement specified that this was “for breach of his NHL Standard Player Contract and for violation of the AHL COVID-19 protocols.”

If that termination goes through, the Sharks will be free from all salary obligations to Kane and his salary will come off of their salary cap.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Len Shapiro: Kane out as a Shark will he get picked up by another team?

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San Jose Sharks center Scott Reedy (54) and Buffalo Sabres center Mark Jankowski (17) make an attempt to get possession of the hockey puck in the first period of action at the Key Bank Center in Buffalo on Thu Jan 7, 2022 (AP News photo)

On the San Jose Sharks podcast with Len:

#1 Len, after playing three out of four games and giving up six or more goals and ending a two game losing streak on Thursday night in Buffalo do the San Jose Sharks (18-16-1) have it right after beating the Buffalo Sabers (10-18-6) in a narrow 3-2 contest.

#2 Len, it was a close game on Thursday night as the Sharks goaltender Adin Hill stopped 37 shots allowed two goals but stood on his head long enough to help the Sharks get the one goal win.

#3 Len, in those three games that the Sharks gave up more than six goals they seemed to have settled down on Thursday in Buffalo getting Hill some protection up front and Hill was able to stop a lot of shots that could have got this game going the other way.

#4 In the game Thursday the Sharks got scoring help from Matt Nieto and Timo Meier and strong defense after they gave up 14 goals in two straight games and 28 goals in five games.

#5 Len it’s the Philadelphia Flyers (13-15-6) next up for the Sharks, the Flyers got crushed in their last game by the Pittsburgh Penguins (20-8-5) 6-2 on Thursday night and the Flyers are on a four game losing streak on of those loses came against the Sharks in San Jose on Thu Dec 30 in close game 3-2. How do you see these two clubs matching later on tonight?

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

Sharks Win in Buffalo, Beat Sabres 3-2

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San Jose Sharks goaltender Adin Hill stops one of the 37 shots he saved against the Buffalo Sabers this one in the first period in Buffalo on Thu Jan 6, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks defeated the Buffalo Sabres 3-2 Thursday. It was just the Sharks’ fourth win in Buffalo in franchise history. Matt Nieto, Timo Meier, and Tomas Hertl scored for the Sharks. Adin Hill made 36 saves for the win. Jeff Skinner and Zemgus Girgensons scored for the Sabres. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 18 saves in the loss.

The Sharks were again without Logan Couture and Jonathan Dahlen but defenseman Mario Ferraro returned to the lineup from the COVID-19 list. Goaltender James Reimer was also unavailable due to a lower body injury of unspecified severity. This puts some pressure on Adin Hill to return to form as the starter.

Sharks Head Coach Bob Boughner mentioned that Adin Hill had his swagger back in Thursday’s game, and the team fed off of that confidence. He summed up the team’s performance as: “We weren’t perfect but we were a lot better and it’s a good sign.”

Sharks forward Matt Nieto talked about scoring a goal with his line-mates Andrew Cogliano and Nick Bonino: “We haven’t really created offense the way we would like to. We think we’ve gotten a lot of chances so it’s nice to get one tonight. Hopefully more start coming.”

Nieto started a brief first-period flurry of scoring for the Sharks at 12:27. Andrew Cogliano sent the puck up from the goal line to Nieto inside the face-off dot. Nieto took the shot from an awkward angle but got it by Luukkonen on the blocker side. Assists went to Cogliano and Nick Bonino.

Timo Meier made it 2-0 at 13:44. Tomas Hertl got the puck across the line and then dropped it to Meier. Meier took a quick shot from the point and rang it off the post and in. Assists went to Hertl and Mario Ferraro.

Tomas Hertl made it 3-0 at 17:24. Alexander Barabanov cleared the puck out of the Sharks zone and then chased it down to carry it into the Sabres zone. He dropped it to a trailing Hertl who took the shot from the slot for his 17th of the season.

Jeff Skinner scored for Buffalo at 7:56 of the second. Skinner pulled the puck out of a board battle and carried it to the slot before taking the shot. The puck went over Hill’s stick, off the post and in. Victor Olofsson got the assist.

Zemgus Girgensons made it 3-2 with a power play goal at 18:14 of the third. Tage Thompson took a shot from the point that went off of the bar and came back out to bounce down Hill’s shoulder before landing behind him. Before Hill could find it, Girgensons swept it in. Assists went to Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin.

The Sabres pulled their goaltender with 92 seconds left and made a good push but the Sharks held on.

The Sabres out-shot the Sharks in every period for a shot total of 39-21, and in the third period they out-shot the Sharks 22-5. The Sabres also beat the Sharks in the face-off circle, winning 60% of the draws. The Sharks only had one power play but had no shots on that one. The Sabres had three power plays in which they had seven shots and a goal.

The Sharks’ next game is on Saturday in Philadelphia against the Flyers at 4:00 PM PT.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa Walsh: Red Wings were just Red Hot against Sharks; Third game in last four SJ gives up six goals or more

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Detroit Red Wings defenseman Filip Hronek (17) has San Jose Sharks right wing Timo Meier (28) on his back in pursuit of the puck at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Tue Jan 4, 2022 (AP News photo)

SJ Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa:

#1 Third straight game the San Jose Sharks (17-16-1) have given up over six goals in a game. The first one was when they edged the Arizona Coyotes 8-7 on Tue Dec 26, then they gave up six goals in a first period surge at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh on Sunday 8-5 in a loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Then there’s Tuesday night when the Detroit Red Wings (16-15-3) scored three goals in the second period and wound up with a 6-2 victory at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.

#2 James Reimer started the game in goal for San Jose giving up four goals facing 24 shots in the first two periods of the contest. Adin Hill started the third period giving up two goals on seven shots.

#3 Logan Couture and Lane Pederson on the COVID-19 list, and Marc-Edouard Vlasic out as a healthy scratch, the Sharks were short-handed even before they lost Jacob Middleton to an injury in the first period.

#4 The Sharks defenseman Brent Burns said things just have to get better and guys just have to start executing. Something that hasn’t happened in the last three out four games,  “It’s just gotta be better. At the end of the day you’ve gotta figure it out, put the next guy in a good spot, you gotta start executing, doing things on the same page. Obviously it’s not good enough.”

#5 The Sharks head to Buffalo and face off with the Buffalo Sabers (10-17-6) the Sabers who have lost 11 of their last 13 games. The Sabers have not played since New Years day in a loss to the Boston Bruins 4-3 in overtime at TD Garden in Boston. Sharks and Sabers Thu Jan 6th a 4:00 pm PST face off.

Join Mary Lisa for the Sharks podcasts on Wednesdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sharks Fall to Red Wings 6-2

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San Jose Sharks defenseman Brent Burns (88) and Detroit Red Wings center Robby Fabbri (14) scramble for the puck at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Tue Jan 4, 2022 (AP New photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks (17-16-1) fell 6-2 to the Red Wings (16-15-3) in Detroit on Tuesday. Pius Suter (2), Tyler Bertuzzi (2), Dylan Larkin, and Robby Fabbri scored for Detroit. Alex Nedeljkovic made 24 saves for the win. Jasper Weatherby and Alexander Barabanov scored for San Jose. James Reimer made 20 saves on 24 shots in the first two periods, and Adin Hill made 5 saves on 7 shots in the third.

The Sharks have given up six or more goals in three of their last four games. In two of those, they scored five or more goals, but the Sharks’ defensive game is struggling. After the game, Brent Burns talked about the power play and the game in general: “It’s just gotta be better. At the end of the day you’ve gotta figure it out, put the next guy in a good spot, you gotta start executing, doing things on the same page. Obviously it’s not good enough.”

Logan Couture and Lane Pederson on the COVID-19 list, and Marc-Edouard Vlasic out as a healthy scratch, the Sharks were short-handed even before they lost Jacob Middleton to injury in the first period. Sharks Head Coach Bob Boughner talked about the absence of key players and how it may be undermining the team’s confidence:

“You worry about team confidence. That’s what we need to get back here. You know, I think losing [Couture], and not having Mario [Ferraro], and having [Rudolfs Balcers] out for a while, we’re thin, we’re a little bit thin. Some teams can miss three or four players and they don’t miss a beat. And they’re better teams in the league, they’re elite teams. We’re not and that means we’ve got to come together and play a little smarter and a little harder.”

At 13:02 of the first, Tyler Bertuzzi threw the puck to the net from below the goal line. It went off of James Reimer’s stick and into the net. Assists went to Gustav Lindstrom and Dylan Larkin.

Late in the period, Red Wings forward Givani Smith received a five minute major and a game misconduct for boarding Sharks defenseman Jacob Middleton. Middleton left the ice and did not return to the game.

The Sharks started the second period with more than three minutes left on the power play. Instead of scoring, they gave up two short-handed goals. Prior to the game, the Red Wings had gone 100 games without a short-handed goal.

Pius Suter scored the first, after breaking away while Alexander Barabanov tried to chase him down from the other side of the ice.

Tyler Bertuzzi scored his second of the game less than 40 seconds later, also short-handed. This time, the Red Wings left the Sharks power play behind with a two-on-one. Assists went to Carter Rowney and Moritz Seider.

Jasper Weatherby got one back at 4:03. Weatherby deflected a Brent Burns shot while cutting through in front of the net. Assists went to Burns and Jeffrey Viel.

Pius Suter scored his second of the game at 9:32. Michael Rasmussen set him up with a back hand from the goal line and Suter’s quick shot beat Reimer on the glove side. Assists went to Rasmussen and Nick Leddy.

The Sharks put Adin Hill in net to start the third period.

Alexander Barabanov had a Tomas Hertl shot go off of his skate at 1:40 of the third, for his sixth goal of the season.

A couple of minutes later, Dylan Larkin skated around the Sharks defense and shot the puck past Adin Hill for his 16th goal of the season. Assists went to Lucas Raymond and Gustav Lindstrom.

Robby Fabbri scored his ninth of the season at 5:01. He picked off a Brent Burns pass and shot it right into the far side of the net.

Midway through the third, a scrum erupted in front of the Detroit net, ending with two more game misconducts, one to Jeffrey Viel and one to Tyler Bertuzzi. They also received roughing minors, creating two minutes of four-on-four.

The Sharks were out-shot by the Red Wings 31-26. The Sharks prevailed in the face-off circle, winning 52% of the draws. It was Burns’ 631st consecutive game.

The Sharks’ next game will be Thursday in Buffalo against the Sabres at 4:00 PM PT.

Sharks Lose 8-5 to Penguins; Pens open up six goal surge on SJ in first period

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Pittsburgh Penguins’ Evan Rodrigues (9) celebrates his hat trick with Bryan Rust (17), the Penguins scored six goals in the first period at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh on Sun Jan 2, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks started 2022 off on the road, losing 8-5 to the Pittsburgh Penguins. The victory marked the Penguins’ eighth win in a row. Evan Rodrigues and Bryan Rust each came away with hat tricks for the Penguins.

Kasper Bjorkqvist and Jake Guentzel scored the balance of the Pittsburgh goals, while Casey DeSmith made 22 saves for the win. Alexander Barabanov, Brent Burns, Matt Nieto, Jacob Middleton and Logan Couture scored for the Sharks. James Reimer made 11 saves on 17 shots in the first period before being replaced by Zach Sawchenko, who made 20 saves on 21 shots.

The Penguins scored four goals in the first 6:09 of the game, and went on to score two more before the end of the first period. “It snowballed on us. We couldn’t stop it. We tried to call time out, we tried to switch things out, but it was ugly,” said Sharks Head Coach Bob Boughner after the game. He summarized the game as: “You score five goals on the road, you should at least come out with a point. So I think that speaks to a couple things on our side.”

Boughner praised his rookie goaltender, Zach Sawchenko:

“Young guy, never played a [NHL] game before, you know, going in to a 6-1 game in a building like this against a team like this. I thought he showed a lot of character, I thought he battled hard for us, and he gave us a chance to come back.”

Sawchenko allowed just one goal, and that one on the power play, in his two periods in net.

The first Pittsburgh goal, at 1:09, came from Evan Rodrigues. The Penguins had a two-on-one into the zone. Rodrigues got around Radim Simek and took a shot between the defenders that got by Reimer on the stick side. Assists went to Marcus Pettersson and Danton Heinen.

Jake Guentzel scored at 3:12. Rust made a pass across the ice, through the blue paint and Guentzel sent it right back to the net. Assists went to Rust and Sidney Crosby.

Rodrigues scored his second at 4:11. On another odd-man rush, Rodrigues carried the puck all the way to the net before lifting it in with a backhand shot. Assists went to Heinen and Dominic Simon.

Bryan Rust scored at 6:09. He took the shot from low in the slot. There was some traffic in front of the net, but no one between Reimer and Rust. Assists went to Kris Letang and Brian Dumoulin.

Barabanov scored one at 15:33. Timo Meier sent the puck to the net aloft. Barabanov knocked it out of the air and the slipped it around the goaltender. Assists went to Meier and Marc-Edouard Vlasic.

Kasper Bjorkqvist scored his first NHL goal at 16:29. Radim Zohorna sent the puck into a mass of bodies at the net. The puck went to Bjorkqvist who had dropped to a knee and was ready to nudge it back in. Assists went to Zohorna and Sam Lafferty.

Rust scored his second of the game at 19:32. He took the shot from the blue line into net traffic. It bounced over Reimer on the stick side. Assists went to John Marino and Marcus Pettersson.

The Sharks replaced Reimer to start the second period, putting rookie Zach Sawchenko into his first NHL game with the team down 6-1.

Brent Burns scored the only goal in the second period, with a blast from the blue line. The goal came on the power play at 14:27. Assists went to Nick Bonino and Noah Gregor.

Matt Nieto scored just 20 seconds into the third period with a carom off the end boards that went off of DeSmith and in. Assists went to Jacob Middleton and Andrew Cogliano.

Jacob Middleton scored at 3:01 with a redirection of an Erik Karlsson shot from the point. Assists went to Karlsson and Meier.

Logan Couture brought the Sharks within one goal at 4:09. Meier centered the puck out of traffic along the boards and Couture was ready to shoot it in.

Evan Rodrigues scored his third of the night at 17:59 on the power play. Rodrigues’ shot went past Erik Karlsson and between Jake Guentzel’s skates before getting to the net. Assists went to Kris Letang and Bryan Rust.

Bryan Rust scored into an empty net at 19:49. Assists went to Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel.

The Sharks were out-shot 39-27 in the game. They won 66% of the face-offs. The Sharks penalty kill allowed four shots and two goals. Their power play had one shot and one goal.

The Sharks next play on Tuesday in Detroit against the Red Wings at 4:30 PM PT.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Len Shapiro: Sharks getting best offensive production from Hertl and Meier and goaltending from Reimer

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San Jose Sharks goaltender James Reimer, middle, is congratulated by defensemen Radim Simek, left, and Jacob Middleton (21) after stopping 23 shots against the Philadelphia Flyers at the SAP Center in San Jose on Thu Dec 30, 2021 (AP News photo)

On San Jose Sharks podcast:

#1 Len, the San Jose Sharks (17-14-1) Tomas Hertl really upended the Philadelphia Flyers (13-12-6) goaltender Felix Sandstrom 3-2. Hertl scored the game winner on Sandstrom’s Philadelphia debut.

#2 Sandstrom has quite a game standing on his head against the Sharks facing 43 shots and allowing three goals in the close contest.

#3 Hertl extended his best points streak to eight games as the Sharks picked up a 8-7 in overtime.

#4 The Sharks Logan Couture and Brent Burns scored and Sharks goaltender James Reimer stopped 23 shots.

#5 The Sharks battle the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Igloo at PPG Paints in Pittsburgh talk a little about Sunday’s upcoming game.

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