Category: San Jose Sharks

Sharks Lose 6-3 to Wild; Skid extends to 8 games

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Minnesota Wild left wing Marcus Foligno (17) puts the puck past San Jose Sharks goaltender Martin Jones (31) in the first period at SAP Center in San Jose (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks celebrated Patrick Marleau’s new record in NHL games played Saturday. It was the team’s first game at home since Marleau played his 1768th NHL game, surpassing Gordie Howe’s record, in Las Vegas last Monday. Family members were able to attend the game for the occasion. The Sharks all wore Marleau Jerseys for warm-ups. A pantheon of Sharks and NHL players and alumni spoke in a video presentation before the game. The only thing missing was an arena full of fans.

The Minnesota Wild won the game 6-3. Ryan Suter, Marcus Foligno, Jared Spurgeon, Kevin Fiala, Kirill Kaprizov and Nick Bonino all scored for the Wild. Kaapo Kahkonen made 27 saves for the win. Logan Couture, Evander Kane and Joachim Blichfeld scored for San Jose. It was Blichfeld’s first NHL goal. Josef Korenar made 15 saves during the second two periods, while Martin Jones made five in the first period. The win clinched a spot in the playoffs for the Wild. The loss was San Jose’s eighth in a row.

After the game, Sharks Head Coach Bob Boughner said: “The start was a disaster, right from the first shift, the first goal.” Boughner pointed out that there were several “new guys” in the lineup and this may have accounted for missed coverage and other errors during the game. He went on to say: “It’s no secret, you know, look at their lineup, look at our lineup, and, you know, we’re missing a little depth there. And you know, it got us early, let’s be honest, you know, second and third goal, that’s where it got us.”

The Sharks did have some unfamiliar faces on the bench Saturday. Greg Pateryn joined the defense in the absence of injured Radim Simek. It was his first game in teal since coming over from the Colorado Avalanche. He was on the ice for one goal against and one goal for the Sharks. Joachim Blichfeld was in the lineup for his sixth NHL game. He was also on the ice for one goal against and one goal for, which he scored. Neither player seemed to have an out-sized impact on the game. There were plenty of errors to go around.

As Boughner mentioned, the game did not start well for San Jose. Just 19 seconds in, Ryan Suter scored his second goal of the year, on the first shot of the game. Suter skated in with the puck and took a shot from the face-off circle. It whizzed by Martin Jones’s shoulder. An assist went to Jordan Greenway.

Moments later, Timo Meier collided with Kirill Kaprizov, Meier went to the bench but returned to play without missing much time.

Marcus Foligno added another 12 minutes into the first. Joel Eriksson-Ek carried the puck in in a two-on-one with Foligno. Eriksson-Ek made a pass at the last moment for Foligno the take the shot.

Jared Spurgeon made it 3-0 at 17:43 of the first. Spurgeon got by the Sharks defense and took a shot into the far corner. Ryan Hartman and Mats Zuccarello got the assists.

That first period saw the Wild out-shoot the Sharks 8-4. There was just one penalty called, a too many men on the ice call against San Jose. The Sharks penalty kill gave up no shots.

Josef Korenar was in the Sharks net to start the second period.

The score did not change again until the final minute of the middle frame. Marcus Johansson took a shot from the boards and created a rebound. Kevin Fiala was at the net to knock the bouncing puck in. Assists went to Johansson and Jared Spurgeon.

There were no penalties in the second period, and the Sharks led in shots 13-7.

Logan Couture got the Sharks on the board 1:19 into the third period. Couture passed the puck to Timo Meier as the skated to the net. Just as his pass got away, Couture was knocked down. As he slid, face-first, to the net, Meier’s rebound landed in front of him. He swept it into the net. Assists went to Meier and Rudolfs Balcers.

Kirill Kaprizov scored a power play goal to make it 5-1 at 4:28. Fiala swept the puck off the boards to the slot, where Kaprizov was ready for the shot. Assists went to Fiala and Nick Bonino.

Evander Kane scored for the Sharks at 4:47, when Nikolai Knyzhov took a shot from the blue line. Tomas Hertl knocked it out of the air and Kane cleaned it up for his 18th of the season.

Joachim Blichfeld scored his first NHL goal at 6:06. He took the shot from below the face-off dot. The puck went over Kahkonen’s glove and into the top corner.

Nick Bonino scored into an empty net at 19:38. An assist went to Ian Cole.

The Sharks took two penalties in the third period. The Wild’s power play got one shot on net during the period.

The Sharks next play on Monday against the Arizona Coyotes in San Jose at 7:30 PM PT.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Matt Harrington: Sharks hope to snap 7 game skid tonight

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The Vegas Knights Shea Theodore (27) reaches out for the puck as the San Jose Sharks Timo Meier (28) is right behind at the T Mobile Center in Las Vegas on Thu Apr 23, 2021 (AP News photo)

#1 The San Jose Sharks (18-23-5) enter tonight’s game at SAP Center against the Vegas Golden Knights (33-11-3)) on a seven game losing streak in the Sharks last game against the Vegas Golden Knights not even close another loss 5-2.

#2 What are some of the things that head coach Bob Boughner must be saying to the club right now going on a long losing streak and trying to find ways to break that long string.

#3 For Sharks goaltender Josef Korenar a tough night against Minnesota facing 39 shots and allowing four. Korenar had a good long run with the Sharks minor league team the San Jose Barracuda but this is the big leagues now how ready is he?

#4 Timo Meier and Tomas Hertl both had a goal each for San Jose it wasn’t enough but they’ve had some good offensive nights for the Sharks this season.

#5 The Sharks face off against the Minnesota Wild (27-13-3) tonight at the SAP Center. The Sharks have lost the last two meetings with the Wild by scores of 3-2 and 5-2 with the Sharks on the current losing streak could they have their hands full tonight?

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

Sharks Lose 5-2 in Vegas; losing streak swells to seven games

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The San Jose Sharks Ryan Danato tries to get the puck into the net sliding with Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury behind to defend on Wed Apr 21, 2021 at the T Mobile Center in Las Vegas (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks fell to the Vegas Golden Knights by a score of 5-2 Wednesday. Jonathan Marchessault (2), Mark Stone, Alex Tuch and Mattias Janmark scored for Las Vegas. Marc-Andre Fleury made 31 saves for the win. Timo Meier and Tomas Hertl scored for San Jose, with Josef Korenar making 35 saves in his second NHL start. The win was the eighth in a row for the Golden Knights, and the seventh loss in a row for San Jose. The Sharks have also lost seven in a row to Las Vegas.

Timo Meier scored the first goal of the game at 2:38. Joel Kellman’s shot went off of Meier skate while Meier was being swept through the blue paint between two Vegas defenders. Kellman got the assist.

Jonathan Marchessault tied the game at 6:51 of the period. He skated through a gap in the defense and was able to take a shot right in front of Korenar. Korenar stopped that one but Marchessault caught the tiny rebound and swept the puck around the goalie’s skate and in. Assists went to William Karlsson and Alec Martinez.

The Golden Knights outshot the Sharks 19-8 in the first period. Each team had one power play, and two minutes of four-on-four time. The two-minute Golden Knights power play had two shots and the ninety-second Sharks power play had one.

The Sharks took the lead again at 11:07 of the second with Tomas Hertl’s 14th goal of the season. He gathered up a rebound and shot it in from just below the face-off dot to Fleury’s right. Assists went to Patrick Marleau and Erik Karlsson.

Mark Stone tied the game back up at 12:52 with a power play goal. Max Pacioretty sent the puck down to Stone on the goal line and Stone swept the puck all the way around in front of Korenar and into the far side of the net. Assists went to Max Pacioretty and Shea Theodore.

Alex Tuch gave Vegas the lead at 19:10. He shot from the same spot on the goal line where Stone scored from, but he took the shot over Korenar. Assists went to Theodore and Marchessault.

The Sharks led in second period shots 12-10. They had one shot on their one power play. The Golden Knights had two power plays and got two shots in those.

Marchessault scored his second of the game 13:18 into the third period. Mattias Janmark was circling high in the face-off circle with his back to the net when he gave the puck to Marchessault, who was skating into the zone. Marchessault took the shot right away and beat Korenar before the goalie could adjust. Janmark got the assist.

Mattias Janmark made it 5-2 with a goal into an empty net at 19:04. Marchessault got the assist.

The Sharks got two shots in their third period power play and led 13-11 in shots during the final frame. The Sharks did show improvement in the face-off circle Wednesday, winning more than 50% in each period and 58% overall. All of the Sharks penalties were taken by defensemen: Brent Burns, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Mario Ferraro and Erik Karlsson.

The Sharks next play on Saturday against the Minnesota Wild in San Jose at 6:00 PM PT.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Len Shapiro: Sharks trying to figure out how to put end to six game loss steak

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The San Jose Sharks Patrick Marleau (12) skates to get to the puck against the Vegas Golden Knights on the night of his record setting 1768th game the most by any NHL player on Mon Apr 19, 2021 at the T Mobile Center in Las Vegas (AP News photo)

Len Shapiro on the Sharks podcast:

#1 Another tough loss for the San Jose Sharks on Monday night to the Vegas Golden Knights in a 3-2 shootout. The Knights down 2-1 at one time during the game came back to tie it up 2-2 and force a shootout where they picked up the game winner.

#2 The Sharks goaltender Martin Jones whose had his share of tough nights in front of the net stopped 38 shots out of 40 during regulation. Does Jones lack the defensive protection up front or are some of the shots he facing been some tough chances?

#3 The Sharks got goals in the first period from defenceman Nikolai Knyzhov in the first period at 9:27 and center Noah Gregor who scored in the second period at 0:29.

#4 It wasn’t the Sharks night but it sure was Patrick Marleau’s who was congratulated for setting the all time record for most games played at 1,768 passing Mr. Hockey Gordy Howe.

#5 The Sharks are back to the drawing board facing the Golden Knights again tonight at the T Mobile Center. The Sharks would like nothing more than to snap their six game losing streak than tonight.

Join Len every Tuesday morning for the Sharks podcasts at http://www.sportsrasdioservice.com

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa: Marleau plays more games than any other in NHL history

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The San Jose Sharks Patrick Marleau acknowledges the crowd at SAP Center in San Jose after eclipsing Gordy Howe for the all time games played record in the NHL on Mon Apr 19, 2021 (AP News photo)

On the SJ Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa:

#1 The San Jose Sharks Patrick Marleau on Monday night at the T Mobile Center in Las Vegas set the NHL all time most games played record at 1768 surpassing former record holder and hockey great Gordy Howe who held the record of the most games played at 1767.

#2 The game played in Vegas the fan at the T Mobile Center gave Marleau a rousing standing ovation during the pre game warm up skate

#3 Marleau’s wife Christina and four son’s were at the game on Monday night which would not be allowed in San Jose due to strict Covid 19 protocols where fans are not allowed inside SAP Center. Marleau said he couldn’t have done it without Christina and the boys all these years.

#4 Marleau is 41 and has made 1596 appearances with the Sharks, 164 with the Toronto Maple Leafs and eight with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

#5 The Sharks (18-22-5) took a tough shootout loss on Monday night 3-2 to the Las Vegas Golden Knights (32-11-2) and once again Sharks goaltender Martin Jones suffers another loss saving 38 and allowing three goals.

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

Marleau Passes Howe in Sharks SO Loss to Golden Knights 3-2

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The San Jose Sharks Patrick Marleau acknowledges the crowd at the T Mobile Center in Las Vegas before the start of the game against the Vegas Golden Knights on Mon Apr 19, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks and the NHL celebrated Patrick Marleau’s 1768th game on Monday in Las Vegas. With that game, Marleau passed Gordie Howe and became the all-time leader for NHL games played. The Sharks wore a patch with a silhouette of Marleau against a background of the number 12. Martin Jones wore a mask specially designed for the occasion. After the first stoppage of play, the game was paused for some words from NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman to Marleau:

“You don’t get to play in one game, let alone 1,768 just because you’re a good guy or a positive role model and beloved by fans, though you are all of those things. To earn a precious spot in an NHL lineup, night after night, year after year, you have to earn it every single game.”

The Sharks lost to the Golden Knights Monday, by a score of 3-2 in the shootout. Mark Stone scored both regulation goals for Vegas and Alex Tuch scored the shootout winner. Robin Lehner made 29 saves for the win. Nikolai Knyzhov and Noah Gregor scored for San Jose and Martin Jones made 38 saves in the loss. The game extended the Golden Knights’ winning streak to seven and the Sharks’ losing streak to six.

Sharks defenseman Nikolai Knyzhov scored at 9:27 of the first. His shot from the point whistled through traffic and over Lehner’s blocker. It was Knyzhov’s second goal of the season.

The shot count for the first was 11-11. The Sharks took two penalties in the first and their p.k. gave up three shots. Tomas Hertl left the ice hastily during the period but returned to finish the game.

Noah Gregor made it 2-0 29 seconds into the second period. Gregor turned and fired from just above the face-off circle and the puck went through Lehner and over the line. That was Gregor’s fourth goal of the season.

Mark Stone cut the lead in half on a power play at 1:22 of the second. Stone tipped a shot from Shea Theodore, sending it into the top corner. Assists went to Theodore and Max Pacioretty.

Each team had one power play and one shot on the power play in the second period. The shot count was 14-7 for the Golden Knights.

Mark Stone tied the game with another power play goal at 3:25 of the third period. Stone brought the puck up from the goal line and lifted it over Jones’ pad. Assists went to Pacioretty and Theodore.

The shot total for the third period was 11-10 Sharks. The Sharks took two penalties and the Golden Knights one. Each power play had one shot in the period. The Sharks won 46% of their face-offs in the game.

The Sharks got credit for two shots in an almost non-stop overtime period. The Golden Knights had five overtime shots.

Patrick Marleau shot first for San Jose. Lehner made the save. Alex Tuch shot first for Vegas and scored. Ryan Donato shot second for San Jose and he was stopped too. Chandler Stephenson shot second for Vegas and missed. Logan Couture shot third for San Jose and he was stopped too.

The Sharks next play on Wednesday, again in Las Vegas against the Golden Knights at 6:30 PM PT.

Marleau Ties Howe Record, Sharks Fall 5-2 to Wild

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The Minnesota Wild center Nico Sturm gets the wrap around the goal post to score a second period goal against the San Jose Sharks on Sat Apr 17, 2021 at the Target Center in St Paul (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

Patrick Marleau tied Gordie Howe’s record of 1,767 NHL Games Played record in St. Paul on Saturday. The Minnesota Wild made a special announcement for the occasion and, on the ice, the Minnesota players congratulated Marleau. It was a tremendous accomplishment, well-worth celebrating, but somewhat at odds with the loss Marleau’s team suffered the same night.

The 5-2 loss to the Wild was the Sharks’ fifth loss in a row. The Wild got goals from Mats Zuccarello, Joel Ericksson Ek, Zach Parise, Kirill Kaprizov and Nico Sturm. Three of those goals were scored in 72 seconds. Kaapo Kahkonen made 26 saves for the win. Brent Burns and Joel Kellman scored for the Sharks. In the Sharks net, Martin Jones made 19 saves before being replaced by Josef Korenar, who made 4 saves in the third period.

After the game, Marleau talked about reaching this milestone in the midst of a losing streak: “Obviously you want things to be going well, you want your team to be winning, all the time, regardless of milestones or not. Be nice to get back on track, get in the winning books, and feeling good about ourselves as a club.”

Sharks defenseman Brent Burns talked about Marleau’s accomplishment:

“I think at this point to play a game like that any night, obviously what he’s doing is special and, you know, it’s beyond one game. So tonight’s obviously big for him, it’s big for all of us to be a part of something like that. It’s incredible, it’s bigger than one game.”

Brent Burns started the scoring with a blast from the point that beat Kahkonen glove side at 12:02. Assists went to Rudolfs Balcers and Tomas Hertl.

A little over two minutes later, Zuccarello scored a power play goal. Marcus Johansson made a back-hand pass form below the goal line for Zuccarello to tap in. Assists went to Johansson and Ryan Hartman.

36 seconds later, Martin Jones knocked Jordan Greenway’s shot away but it went off of Joel Ericksson Ek’s chest and into the net. Assists went to Greenway and Marcus Foligno.

36 seconds after that, Zach Parise made it 3-1 with a shot off the rush that beat Jones on the blocker side. Assists went to Jonas Brodin and Nick Bonino.

Minnesota out-shot the Sharks 17-9 in the first period. The Wild had 7 shots on 3 power plays, including some five-on-three time at the end of the period. The Sharks had no power play time in the first.

Kirill Kaprizov made it 4-1 1:14 into the second period with a goal in the final second of a power play. Mats Zuccarello made a pass from the boards to the slot. The pass went through Kevin Fiala who took a swing at it and missed. That gave Jones and the defense pause, before the puck landed on Kaprizov’s stick for the real shot.

Nico Sturm made it 5-1 at 19:11 of the second. Jones was down on the side of the net when Sturm went for the wrap-around on the other side. Carson Soucy got the assist.

It looked as if Sturm and Jones locked skates for a moment before the goal, but the challenge was unsuccessful.

San Jose out-shot Minnesota 8-7 in the second. The Sharks took one penalty in the second period, the unsuccessful challenge of the Sturm goal. The Wild had one shot on that power play.

Joel Kellman scored for San Jose at 17:45 of the third. Labanc made a tidy pass from below the goal line, jus as Kellman arrived in the slot. Assists went to Kevin Labanc and Ryan Donato. It was Kellman’s first of the season, in his fifth NHL game of the season.

Minnesota took two penalties in the third period, giving the Sharks power play one shot on goal. The Sharks out-shot the Wild 11-4 in the final period.

The Sharks next play on Monday against the Golden Knights in Las Vegas at 7:00 PM PT.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Matt Harrington: Sharks lose close game to Wild 3-2 on four game losing streak

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The San Jose Sharks Rudolfs Blacers, left tries to reach around the Minnesota Wild’s Kirill Kaprizov, right, to get a piece of the puck at the Target Center in St Paul on Fri Apr 16, 2021 (AP News photo)

On the Sharks podcast with Matt:

#1 The Sharks (18-21-4) in Minnesota lost in a close game 3-2. The Wild (26-13-3) held a 3-1 lead for most of the game but the Sharks just couldn’t get enough offense to tie the game up.

#2 The Sharks got goals from Tomas Hertl and Evander Kane but it wasn’t enough. Hertl and Kane have been consistent on offense.

#3 Wild goaltender Cam Talbot stopped 20 shots and faced 22 talk a Talbot’s performance in holding the Sharks to two goals and a one goal win for the Wild.

#4 Sharks goalie Martin Jones stopped 15 shots and allowed three goals Jones allowed two goals in the second period and pretty much that was the difference.

#5 Jones had another rough period in the first period Saturday he surrendered three goals which turned out to be a huge lead for the Wild.

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

Sharks Fall to Wild 3-2

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The Minnesota Wild Nick Bonino (3) goes for victory skate after scoring a goal in the first period against the San Jose Sharks at the Target Center in St Paul on Fri Apr 16, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh.

The San Jose Sharks lost 3-2 to the Minnesota Wild at the Xcel Energy Center Friday. Nick Bonino, Mats Zuccarello and Zach Parise scored for Minnesota, and goaltender Cam Talbot made 20 saves for the win. Tomas Hertl and Evander Kane scored for the Sharks and Martin Jones made 15 saves in the loss.

The Sharks did not play a terrible game, but a loss at this point in the season is disheartening. After the game, Sharks Head Coach Bob Boughner said: “Tough to break down that game and say that we didn’t come out, we didn’t respond and we didn’t play well. I thought all those things happened.”

Sharks captain Logan Couture said:

I thought defensively we were pretty good. We didn’t give up much but there wasn’t much out there offensively. But we gotta find a way to do more. We only scored two, three goals over the last two games, or three games, so we need to find some more offense.

Evander Kane had a penalty-free game as well as a goal, despite several tense scrums throughout the night. After the game, Boughner said, of Kane:

“He plays hard, he kills penalties, he’s on the power play, he’s playing against the top lines, he’s been a good player for us all year. He’s still involved, he’s still trash-talking a little bit, he’s still throwing the body around but he’s staying within himself and I think that’s helped his five-on-five game for sure.”

The Sharks were on the board first, at 3:32. Tomas Hertl skated through the neutral zone and in the Wild zone, with some help from a stick lift by Patrick Marleau near the blue line. Hertl took the shot from the face-off dot and beat Talbot on the short side. Assists went to Radim Simek and Marc-Edouard Vlasic.

Nick Bonino tied it up at 9:30. A turnover right in the slot gave him a clear line to the net and he took it. It was unassisted.

The first period was penalty-free. The Sharks outshot the Wild 8-4 but won just 33% of the face-offs.

The Wild took the lead 2:15 into the second period with Mats Zuccarello’s goal. Right off an offensive-zone face-off, Zuccarello shot it under Jones. Viktor Rask got the assist.

Zach Parise scored what would be the game-winner just over a minute later. Matt Dumba made a pass across the slot to a waiting Parise at the net corner. Assists went to Matt Dumba and Nick Bonino.

The Wild outshot the Sharks 7-4 in the second. Each team had a power play. The Wild had three shots on theirs and the Sharks had one. The Sharks won just 31% of the second period face-offs.

Evander Kane scored a short-handed goal at 13:43 of the third period, bringing the Sharks to withing one. Kane knocked the puck free from Kevin Fiala at the point, then chased it down and shot it by Talbot on the glove side.

The Sharks had two penalties to kill in the third period, and out-shot the Wild 10-7. The Sharks penalty kill had two shots on goal and the Wild power play had two as well. The Sharks improved in the face-off circle to 50% for the third.

The Sharks next play on Saturday at 5:00 PM PT against the Wild, again in Minnesota.

Sharks Drop 4-1 Decision to Ducks, End Homestand 1-4

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Anaheim Ducks goaltender Anthony Stolarz (41) stops a shot from the San Jose Sharks right wing Kevin LaBanc (62) as he’s defended by the Ducks center Adam Henrique (14) at SAP Center in San Jose on Wed Apr 14, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Matthew Harrington

A closed door meeting Tuesday. Shuffling of lines. Players inserted back into the lineup after for their first game action in weeks. The first career start for Josef Korenar. A last place opponent starting their third-string goalie. Both teams ahead in the standings losing. Everything was point to a make-or-break performance from the San Jose Sharks against the Anaheim Ducks (14-23-7) Wednesday night at home.

Instead, the Sharks (18-20-4) were nearly shut out for the second time in as many games by Anthony Stolarz, falling to the Anaheim Ducks 4-1. Korenar made 23 saves in his maiden start (he appeared in one other game in mop-up duty earlier this week for his pro debut).

The Sharks sit four points back of the final West Division playoff spot once again, but after Wednesday’s contest, that gap could feel like a chasm for Sharks fans. Stolarz wasn’t as busy as he was Monday in a 46-save effort, making just 27 stops in his 21st career start.

After scoring a pair last game, Alexander Volkov scored once and assisted on another Ducks goal. Ryan Getzlaf and Derek Grant also scored for the Ducks to hand the Sharks their third-straight defeat against a Southern California rival. San Jose has now gone 1-4 in their recent homestand.

“I don’t know if we hit rock bottom,” said Sharks coach Bob Boughner when asked. “It’s funny, we were on top of the mountain a few weeks ago. Now we’re scraping the bottom of the barrel. We knew that, we talked about that the last few days. This is a tough feeling because the games are so important. Everybody around us that we’re chasing is losing as well so it’s a squandered opportunity.”

Switching Rudolfs Balcers to the top line with Logan Couture and Evander Kane, moving Kevin Labanc to line two with Tomas Hertl and Timo Meier didn’t produce a goal, nor did inserting Nicolas Meloche, Noah Gregor or Frederik Handemark but there were some signs of life for the Sharks.

Defenseman Radim Simek picked up a roughing minor for a scuffle with Troy Terry, then fought Max Comtois, a Shark killer who picked up an assist earlier in the game. Dylan Gambrell stepped up after Sam Steele pushed a puck under Korenar’s pad into the net, punching up a weight class or two against the Ducks Josh Manson, but the effort as a team was mostly missing, highlighted by an 0-for-3 power play night.

On Anaheim’s first goal, Erik Karlsson went in the corner for a failed dump in as the Ducks attempted to change. His clearing reverse died on the boards, allowing Troy Terry to scoop up the puck and dish it to cagey veteran Ryan Getzlaf for his 278 career goal 8:08 into the first.

“Without picking one guy or another guy, I think we need to play better as a team,” said Boughner. “But if you ask (Karlsson) you’d hope that he’d be honest that he’s got better than that. Especially in those crucial situations, we have to make better decisions with the puck and we have to manager our game better. I think he’s guilty of that and it gets contagious.”

Grant scored 2:29 into the second after the Sharks couldn’t advance the puck through the neutral zone. Volkov worked through Ryan Donato entering the zone, hit the brakes to shake Simek then past the puck to Manson at the point before Donato could close the gap. Manson’s shot was tipped by Grant for a 2-0 lead.

The Ducks second goal of the period followed a scramble that saw Korenar make a tremendous in-close toe save Comtois only to be asked to do it again against Volkov. He couldn’t stop the Ducks trade acquisition to put the Sharks down 3-0 with 26:20 left in regulation.

The Sharks broke Stolarz’s goalless streak at 117:44 when Erik Karlsson’s point shot beat him with the extra attacker on the ice and 2:16 remaining in regulation to pull within two 3-1. Jakob Silfverberg scored in the dying seconds on the power play to twist the knife one last time.

Perhaps the Sharks could do well with a change of scenery. They’ll hit the road for a pair in Minnesota. While the scoreboard watching may be a subplot, the main story in the State of Hockey from a Sharks’ perspective is Patrick Marleau’s quest for the all-time games played mark. #12 would tie Mr. Hockey Gordie Howe with 1,767 games played, more than any other person in the National Hockey League’s history in game two of the series.