Category: San Jose Sharks

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa Walsh: Ducks crash the net open up first period with three goals in 4-0 win

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The San Jose Sharks Evander Kane (9) puts the puck on net as the Anaheim Ducks goaltender Anthony Stolarz (41) makes the deflected save in the first period at SAP Center in San Jose on Mon Apr 12, 2021 (AP News photo)

#1 The Anaheim Ducks (13-23-7) opened the first period of play scoring three unanswered goals and it carried them the rest of the way to defeat the San Jose Sharks (18-19-4) in a 4-0 shutout.

#2 Sharks goaltender Martin Jones was met by a barrage of shots in the first period allowing the three goals but settled down the rest of the way allowing one more goal in the third period stopping 21 shots.

#3 Offensively the Sharks simply couldn’t get anything going it seems ever since they lost in their last meeting with the Ducks last week Tuesday the team has been snake bitten losing three of their last four.

#4 The Ducks goaltender Anthony Stolarz the number one star of Monday night’s game with the shutout stopped 46 shots which the Sharks just couldn’t get past him.

#5 Sharks will try it again at SAP Center in San Jose against the Ducks with home ice after a bitter 4-0 loss will the Sharks be charged up for Wednesday night’s contest?

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

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa Walsh Tue Apr 13, 2021 by Sports Radio Service | Free Listening on SoundCloud

Stolarz’s 44-Save Shutout Leads to 4-0 Ducks Win Over Sharks

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San Jose Sharks center Ryan Donato (16) jumps to get out of the way of Anaheim Ducks goaltender Anthony Stolarz (41) in the second period at the Honda Center in Anaheim on Mon Apr 12, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Matthew Harrington

After mostly keeping the band together after Monday’s trade deadline, the San Jose Sharks missed out on a prime opportunity to move closer to the final playoff spot in the West Division Monday night. Team Teal fell to the visiting Anaheim Ducks 4-0 after seeing that the Coyotes (ahead of San Jose by two points) fell to the Avalanche early in the night. Ducks third-string netminder Anthony Stolarz made 44 saves, Max Comtois had two points and Alexander Volkov scored a pair of goals in the penultimate contest between the California rivals.

The Ducks (first goal came after Radim Simek failed to clear the puck out of the Sharks end and partner Christian Jaros likewise failed to advance the puck. After sustained offensive pressure, Comtois was able to redirect a shot-pass from Derek Grant just 1:59 into the first period.

Alexander Volkov then took advantage of slow reactions by Tomas Hertl who had the puck in his own end facing Martin Jones in net. Volkov hit Hertl’s stick, forcing the puck on net and past Jones for his first goal of the game 8:12 into the first. Volkov added his second of the period 12:19 into the period for a 3-0 lead.

Rickard Rakell, a player identified as a prime trade target heading into Monday’s trade dealine, wound up staying put with the Ducks. He rewarded his team’s inactivity by capping off the win with 3:26 off the clock in the third period.

“Even at 3-0 we knew that they played last night,” said Sharks coach Bob Boughner. “We felt in the second period that we were grinding them down, they were starting to turn pucks over. We were getting a lot of offense off that.”

“We thought this game was far from over,” added Boughner. “We couldn’t solve Stolarz and that fourth goal probably capped it off.”

Whether the Ducks had scored one goal or 100 wouldn’t have mattered with how Anthony Stolarz performed in net. The Ducks tender turned away 44 Sharks shots, a career high for the 27-year-old net minder. He came one save away from matching the Ducks franchise record for saves in a shutout in just his 30th career NHL game dating back to 2017.

The Sharks offense turned it on after a dismal first period that saw them outscored 3-0 despite outshooting Anaheim 14-13. They held the Ducks to just six shots on goal over the final two periods, but couldn’t crack Stolarz on 32 shots in the final pair of periods.

“I think it’s our job as a staff to get in there and address the situation,” said Boughner after his team’s third loss in four games. “To make the proper changes and adjustments. To show them the things we did well, but to continue to harp and teach on the things we didn’t do well.”

“It’s a funny game,” said Bougner. “Last week we were on top of the world and all the sudden you hit a couple games like this and you start gripping the stick tight. Maybe over thinking things. We need to get back to our structure.”

The Sharks get a chance to rebound against the Ducks (and presumably not Stolarz in net unless Ducks coach Dallas Eakins chooses to ride the hot hand) Wednesday night at San Jose. Boughner didn’t have an update on Tomas Hertl after the game, he headed to the dressing room late in the third period with an injury. There will surely be more on him in the coming days.

Kings Defeat Sharks 4-2

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The Los Angeles Kings right winger Dustin Brown (23) tries to control the puck behind the net as the San Jose Sharks defenseman Nikolai Knyzhov (71) on Sat Apr 10, 2021 at SAP Center in San Jose (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks lost 4-2 to the Los Angeles Kings Saturday. Kings goals were scored by Jeff Carter, Andreas Athanasiou, Alex Iafallo, and Dustin Brown. Jonathan Quick made 26 saves for the win. Sharks goals were scored by Dylan Gambrell and Timo Meier. Martin Jones made 15 saves in the first two periods and Josef Korenar made 7 saves in the third period for the Sharks.

After the game, Sharks Head Coach Bob Boughner said:

“Some nights, when things aren’t going your way and it’s a back-to-back situation, you simplify your game. And it didn’t look like we were ready to simplify that. We looked like we were still trying to play a skilled game and make plays through people and mismanage the puck and not take control of the game on our power play.”

He also pointed out that the team had some trouble shooting: “The biggest issue for me is we missed the net. In the second period we didn’t get a five-on-five shot on net. We had one power play shot and two short-handed shots. We had eight attempts and we missed the net on every one of them.”

The Kings struck first, with a Jeff Carter goal 11:43 into the game. Los Angeles had just successfully killed a penalty when Carter came out of the penalty box. The Kings held the Sharks up in the neutral zone and went on the attack. Mikey Anderson’s shot from the point hit Andreas Athanasiou and bounced over Martin Jones. It landed in the blue paint where Carter could nudge it across the line.

The Sharks tied it up at 16:54 with a goal from Dylan Gambrell. The Kings had killed off another Sharks power play moments before when Christian Jaros took a shot from the boards. It went off of John Leonard and Jonathan Quick thought he had it. Instead, it trickled out in front of the net and Gambrell swept it in.

The Sharks out-shot the Kings 12-6 in the first period, and had two shots in two power plays.

Athanasiou gave the Kings their lead back at 2:28 of the second period. Jeff Carter looked like he was going to carry the puck to the net from the point and instead made a pass to Anthanasiou for a deflection right in front of the net. Assists went to Carter and Olli Maatta.

Alex Iafallo made it 3-1 Kings less than two minutes later. Anze Kopitar passed the puck between Nikolai Knyzhov’s legs and Iafallo caught it on the far side of the net. Jones moved to cover the shot but Iafallo instead kept moving and used a backhand to put it around him. Assists went to Kopitar and Dustin Brown.

Dustin Brown scored a power play goal at 19:52 to give the Kings a three-goal lead. Three Sharks were in the offensive zone on a short-handed bid and had to hussle back when Brown caught the puck in the neutral zone and went the other way. He took a shot past Radim Simek to beat Jones on the short side. It was Brown’s 16th of the season.

The Kings out-shot the Sharks 13-4 in the second period, including five shots in three power plays. The Sharks had one shot in two power plays.

The Sharks changed goaltenders for the third period, putting Josef Korenar in net for his first NHL appearance. Boughner talked about putting 23-year old Josef Korinar in goal for the third period:

“I think he did great. I think good time to put him in. Our team was completely flat in the second period. You know, they got one goal late in the period there and it looked like we just needed some kind of injection of some energy. And I was hoping that, you know, kid being in his first game, we’d play a little harder around him and maybe rally around him a little bit.”

Timo Meier trimmed the Kings’ lead with a power play goal at 12:31 of the third. Brent Burns took a shot from the slot and Quick got in front of it but could not control the puck. Meier dug it out of a scramble above the crease and pushed it around the goalie for his eighth of the season.

The Sharks out-shot the Kings 12-7 in the third, including three shots on one power play. The Kings had three shots in two power plays. The Kings won 52% of the face-offs in the game. Tomas Hertl won 70% of his face-offs but he was the only Shark to take more than five draws and win more than 42%.

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

San Jose Sharks podcast with Matt Harrington: Sharks deal Dubnyk to Colroado; Get 5-2 win over Kings on Friday

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Former San Jose Sharks goalie Devan Dubnyk has been traded to the Colorado Avalanche for defenseman Greg Pateryn and a fifth-round pick in the 2021 draft. Dubnyk is seen here defending the net on Mar 15, 2021 in Las Vegas against the Golden Knights (AP file photo)

On the podcast with Matt:

#1 Up 3-2 with just over three minutes left the San Jose Sharks (18-17-4) picked up two insurance goals in the third period and got a three goal victory over the Los Angeles Kings (15-18-6) at SAP Center in San Jose on Friday night 5-2.

#2 After the Sharks had some inconsistencies before getting on this run what would you attribute to head coach Bob Boughner and the recent turn around of the club?

#3 One of the improved things about the Sharks is the improved play of goaltender Martin Jones on Friday night against the Kings Jones made 32 out of 34 saves to hold the Kings to a three goal loss.

#4 Matt, talk about the Sharks getting goal help from Tomas Hertl, Patrick Marleau, Rudolfs Balcers, and Kevin LaBanc and Dylan Gambrell.

#5 The Kings and Sharks go at it again in their last five meetings the Sharks have won all five games against the Kings and they both meet again tonight at SAP Center for a 7:30p face off tell how you see this upcoming game tonight. Goaltender Devan Dubnyk was traded to the Colorado Avalanche Saturday. Dubnyk was the back up goalie for Jones and most likely will be the back up goalie for Phillip Grubauer.

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

Sharks Trounce Kings 5-2

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The Los Angeles Kings left winger Austin Wagner (27) tries to skate around San Jose Sharks goaltender Martin Jones (31) behind the net at SAP Center in San Jose on Fri Apr 9, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks beat the Los Angeles Kings 5-2 Friday at the SAP Center in San Jose. Kevin Labanc, Patrick Marleau, Rudolfs Balcers, Dylan Gambrell and Tomas Hertl all scored for San Jose. Brent Burns had three assists and Martin Jones made 32 saves for the win. Alex Iafallo and Jaret Anderson-Dolan scored for Los Angeles and Calvin Petersen made 24 saves in the loss.

After the game, Sharks Head Coach Bob Boughner said:

“It was a good team win, it was a good team effort. They really came at us in the second period. We obviously didn’t like our second and I thought that, you know, they pushed hard and we didn’t really respond very well. But Jonesy was our best player tonight. And he’s in the zone, he’s seeing the puck and he made some big saves at the right time.”

Los Angeles scored first, at 2:27 of the first. Alex Iafallo, just arrived in front of the net, caught Dustin Brown’s quick pass from the boards and redirected it past Martin Jones. Assists went to Brown and Anze Kopitar.

The Sharks tied it up at 8:01. The Sharks had just finished killing a penalty, and won a defensive zone face-off. They broke out with Kevin Labanc carrying the puck. He carried it all the way down and took the shot. It went in. Assists went to Brent Burns and Mario Ferraro.

Patrick Marleau gave the Sharks the lead at 13:50 when Brent Burns sent the puck to the net and it went off of Marleau’s skate. Assists went to Burns and Marcus Sorensen.

Rudolfs Balcers made it 3-1 at 17:17, following Timo Meier on a breakaway. Petersen stopped the shot but Balcers was there to put the rebound away. Assists went to Meier and Erik Karlsson.

The Kings out-shot the Sharks in the first, 13-11. Each team had one power play. The Los Angeles power play had four shots on one power play and the Sharks power play had one in one.

In a scoreless second period, the Kings led again in shots, 11-8. They also led in penalties, taking two that resulted in a power play for San Jose. The Sharks took two shots in those two power plays. The Sharks had one penalty to kill and the Kings got one shot out of that. There were also two fights, which added a total of twelve penalty minutes on the score sheet. Jeffrey Viel fought Kurtis MacDermid and Marcus Sorensen fought Andreas Athanasiou. Sorensen and Athanasiou fought again at the final buzzer.

The Kings came to within one goal 1:02 into the third period, moments after a Sharks penalty expired. Jaret Anderson-Dolan scored, unassisted, by throwing the puck at the net from a sharp angle. The puck went from below the goal line, behind Jones’ near skate, off of his far skate and in.

Dylan Gambrell scored a short-handed goal at 17:00. Gambrell and Evander Kane broke away for a two-on-none. Gambrell passed first, then Kane passed it back, forcing Petersen to move in the crease. Gambrell took the shot. Assists went to Kane and Burns.

Tomas Hertl made it 5-2, shooting it down the ice into and empty net at 18:41. Assists went to Kane and Logan Couture.

The Kings won 58% of the face-offs through the game. The final shot count was 34-29 Kings.

The Sharks will play the Kings again on Saturday in San Jose at 7:30 PM PT.

Ducks Beat Sharks 5-1, Snap Four-Game Winning Streak for San Jose

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San Jose Sharks center Ryan Donato (16) chases Anaheim Ducks center Isac Lundestrom (48) in the third period at SAP Center in San Jose on Tue Apr 6, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Matthew Harrington

The San Jose Sharks failed to keep pace with the team above them in the West Division, dropping Monday night’s home contest against the visiting Anaheim Ducks 5-1. Patrick Marleau scored the lone goal for San Jose who failed to bridge the five point gap between the fourth place Arizona and themselves with the cellar-dwelling Ducks (12-21-7) in town. John Gibson made 34 saves for Anaheim and Adam Henrique, Maxime Comtois, Isaac Lundestrom, David Backes and Nicolas Deslauriers lit the lamp for the Ducks.

The Sharks (17-17-4) entered play Monday night with four consecutive wins in their pockets and newfound swagger that they could be in the playoff chase. While the box score will make the contest look close, San Jose came out flat, a surprise given they had two days off in a season filled back-to-backs and three games in five night scenarios.

 Just 5:55 into play the Ducks caught San Jose flat-footed. Henrique worked his way into the center lane unmarked, took a Danton Heinen pass and beat Martin Jones for his 11th goal. If that wasn’t an indicator the Sharks didn’t have “it” Monday night, the Ducks 31st ranked power play struck 24 seconds into the second period on Comtois 11th of the year.

Marleau answered with a Sharks power play goal of their own on some pretty passing just over a minute later to make it 2-1 Anaheim, but in a sequence where the Sharks thought the puck was frozen put Jones never had possession of it, Lundestrom was able to take the puck behind the net and put it in on the other side 2:44 into the second.

Emblematic of the night San Jose was having, Ducks pugilist Nicolas Deslauriers had a Troy Terry shot bounce off a Sharks defenseman horizontally and land perfectly on his stick. Even a player known for what his hands do off the stick more than on it could finish this play with the gaping net, so in it went for Deslauriers’ fourth with 4:41 left in the second. David Backes scored an empty netter early in the third period for the final score.

If the rest made the Sharks rusty, then their next contest may be of concern. The Sharks are off until Friday when they welcome the Los Angeles Kings to town for a Friday-Saturday set. The two games will be the final two before Monday’s trade deadline.

Notes: Marc-Edouard Vlasic was out of the line-up Monday, Christian Jaros took his place and made his Sharks debut…Jeffrey Viel and Anaheim’s Desluariers dropped the gloves at the 13:51 mark of the first period…Sharks coach Bob Boughner was aggressive with the goalie pull, pulling Martin Jones with over seven minutes left trailing by three…Noah Gregor returned to the lineup, his first game action since March 6th.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa Walsh: Sharks on four game win streak face off in Anaheim tonight

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The San Jose Sharks Evander Kane who scored one of the three goals against the Los Angeles Kings on Sat Apr 3, 2021 (file photo from sportsnet.com)

#1 The Sharks (17-16-4) after some struggles looks as if they have righted the ship and are on a four game win streak what would you say are some of the key reasons for their improvement?

#2 Taking a look at the Sharks most recent win against the Los Angeles Kings (14-16-6) in a close 3-2 victory the Sharks got goals in each of the first, second and third periods.

#3 One of the three goals was scored by left winger Evander Kane who scored his 16th goal in 37 games and has been a huge asset to the Sharks offense.

#4 The win last Saturday over the Kings got the Sharks within one point of a playoff spot, the Sharks have won six of their last eight games and are on a four game win streak head coach Bob Boughner says he’s happy where the team is right now.

#5 The Sharks face off against the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (11-21-7) in a few moments the Ducks have struggled in their last three games losing to the Colorado Avalanche (23-8-4) and their last two games to the Arizona Coyotes (18-15-5) it’s another home game for the Sharks how do you see tonight’s match up at SAP Center in San Jose.

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

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa Walsh Tue Apr 6, 2021 by Sports Radio Service | Free Listening on SoundCloud

San Jose Sharks podcast with Len Shapiro: Sharks hoping to extend winning streak in Anaheim

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The San Jose Sharks goaltender Martin Jones (31) makes a glove save on the Los Angeles Kings Dustin Brown’s (32) shot on Sat Apr 3, 2021 in the second game of the two game series at Staples Center in Los Angeles (AP News photo)

#1 The San Jose Sharks head coach Bob Boughner is no surprisingly relieved or happy as the Sharks take a four game win streak into Tuesday night’s game against the Anaheim Ducks.

#2 The Sharks on Friday night got a shutout from goaltender Martin Jones in a 3-0 win over the Los Angeles Kings at Staples Center and won the 2 game series on Saturday night with a win over the Kings 3-2 in close contest.

#3 The Sharks host the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday night at SAP Center in San Jose and this should be a game that the Sharks should win on their home ice.

#3 In other hockey news Len up to 20 Vancouver Canucks players on protocol list, the list includes Thatcher Demko and Bo Horvat. The Canucks have had four games postponed, Mar 31, Apr 3, 4, 6. The Canucks are concerned about the new variant and just bad timing during the season.

#5 The Canucks have the worst recorded cases of Covid 19 in professional sports so far with over 20 players and coaches it was also reported that family members of the Canucks have also caught the virus. The Canucks as a team could end up having more than four games canceled.

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

San Jose Sharks podcast with Len Shapiro Mon Apr 5, 2021 by Sports Radio Service | Free Listening on SoundCloud

Sharks Beat L.A. 3-2; SJ on four game winning streak

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The Los Angeles Kings defenceman Mikey Anderson (left) tries to disrupt the San Jose Sharks left winger Evander Kane’s puck control (right) at Staples Center in Los Angeles on Sat Apr 3, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks won 3-2 against the Kings in Los Angeles Saturday for their fourth win in a row. Sharks goals came from Kevin Labanc, Evander Kane and Dylan Gambrell. Martin Jones made 35 saves for the win. Dustin Brown and Trevor Moore scored for the Kings and Jonathan Quick made 20 saves in the loss.

This four game win streak has brought the Sharks within one point of a playoff position. After the game, Sharks Captain Logan Couture said:

“Definitely happy with how we’ve played this last stretch. I could be wrong, but I think we won six of eight. So, playing pretty good hockey, playing our brand of hockey that the coaching staff wanted us to play. Took us a little while to get here, but with new systems it does take a while sometimes. So, happy with where we’re at right now.”

He is not wrong. The Sharks have won six of their last eight. Their goaltender, Martin Jones, has won seven of his last ten starts.

The Sharks scored early again, with a goal at 4:37 of the first period. Kevin Labanc took a shot into a mass of bodies in front of the net. The puck bounced around in the traffic before going in off of a defender. Assists went to Nikolai Knyzhov and Evander Kane.

Dustin Brown tied the game at 6:55. Anze Kopitar sent the puck to the net from the boards and Brown tipped it in before jumping over Jones. Assists went to Kopitar and Alex Iafallo.

Marc-Edouard Vlasic sustained an upper body injury during the first period and he did not return for the second or third. The injury may have occurred early in the first and Vlasic only played about six minutes. Bob Boughner said that the defenseman would be reassessed in the morning.

The Kings outshot the Sharks 18-5 in the first. They got a little help there from one power play but that was only worth two shots to them. The Sharks were good in the face-off circle, winning 53% of them.

Evander Kane gave the Sharks their second lead of the night at 15:04 of the second period. Couture’s backhand feed from below the goal line found Kane going to the net. Kane held onto the puck with defenders closing in him. He waited until the last moment, with the puck almost out of reach ahead of him, them swept it in at a bad angle with Quick at the top of the blue paint. Assists went to Couture and Labanc.

Trevor Moore tied it back up for the Kings with a short-handed goal. With under a minute left in the period, Moore battled for the puck in the neutral zone and won the battle. He slowed by the net and managed to poke it in after his first shot rebounded back to him.

The shots were near even at 11-10 Sharks in the second. The teams each had a power play in the second but neither penalty kill allowed a shot. the Kings won the face-off battle 60%-40% in the period.

Dylan Gambrell scored the game winning goal at 15:23 of the third. John Leonard sent the puck deep into the o-zone and Jonathan Quick went behind the net to collect it. He found himself under more pressure than anticipated and wound up turning the puck over to Leonard, who sent it right up to Gambrell who had an open net. That was Gambrell’s third goal of the season.

There was just one penalty in the third period, and it went to Los Angeles. The Sharks power play got two shots on the net but were still out-shot by the Kings 9-7 in the period. The Sharks finished the game with a 53% face-off win percentage.

The Sharks next play on Tuesday against the Anaheim Ducks back in San Jose at 7:30 PM PT.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Matt Harrington: Jones delivers shutting out Kings 3-0

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San Jose Sharks goaltender Martin Jones (31) stopped 30 shots against the Los Angeles Kings on Fri Apr 2, 2021 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles (AP News photo)

#1 The San Jose Sharks (16-`6-4) goaltender Martin Jones stopped all 30 Los Angeles Kings (14-15-6) shots in a 3-0 shutout at Staples Center to open up the two game series.

#2 Matt it was a game where the Kings just couldn’t get any offense going and they were throwing at the net all night but just couldn’t light the lamp.

#3 Sharks got goals in each of the three periods from Rudolf Balcers, Tomas Hertl, and Timo Meier.

#4 The win got the Sharks closer to a playoff spot in the NHL Western Conference and it’s the Sharks third straight win in a row.

#5 The Sharks and Kings battle again tonight at Staples Center tell us how you see this match and will Jones get the call between the pipes again?

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