Category: San Jose Sharks

Blues Beat Sharks 7-6 in 13 Goal Barn-Burner

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Photo credit: @StLouisBlues

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks lost 7-6 to the St. Louis Blues Saturday. Blues goals came from Marco Scandella (2), Sammy Blais, Brayden Schenn, Zach Sanford, Mackenzie MacEachern and Ryan O’Reilly. Jordan Binnington made 15 saves in 30:34 of ice time, and Ville Husso made 19 saves for the win. Sharks goals came from Timo Meier (2), Evander Kane (2), Logan Couture, and Kevin Labanc. Devan Dubnyk made 24 saves in the loss.

After the game, Sharks forward Evander Kane said:

“Any time you score six goals you usually feel you should win the hockey game. I think we gave them a lot, I’d say probably four of those seven goals, we literally gave them the puck. So that was disappointing. And when you make that many mistakes through the course of a game, you know, sometimes scoring six isn’t going to get the job done.”

Sharks Head Coach Bob Boughner talked about the four leads the Sharks earned and lost again in the game: “We couldn’t get any momentum going, after we got up, after we got those leads. So.. I mean it’s tough to build momentum when the next shots goes in the net every time.”

Timo Meier scored with the first shot of the game seven seconds in. Meier caught a puck just as it came of the boards and took the shot without hesitation. It deflected off of a defenseman and bounced past Jordan Binnington for Meier’s third of the year. Assists went to Rudolfs Balcers and Dylan Gambrell.

Marco Scandella tied the game at 6:08 with a shot from the middle of the blue line. The puck went past three skaters and into the net on Devan Dubnyk’s glove side.

Evander Kane took the lead back for the Sharks with a power play goal at 10:11. Logan Couture tried to get a shot off from close in but the puck rolled away. Binnington could not corral it and it ended up on Kane’s stick for a tight angle shot. Assists went to Couture and Brent Burns.

At the end of the second, the shots were 12-6 Sharks, with three of those Sharks shots coming on the power play. The face-offs heavily favored the Blues at 63%.

Sammy Blais tied it again 3:34 into the second period. A failed clear by Kevin Labanc ended up on Vince Dunn’s stick for a quick shot from the blue line. Blais collected the puck before it got to the goaltender and swept it around and in with a backhand. Assists went to Dunn and Ryan O’Reilly.

Meier scored again to give the Sharks their third lead of the game at 6:43. With the Sharks on the power play, Meier kept the puck in at the line, carried it down the boards as far as the face-off circle, and shot the puck into the top corner. Kevin Labanc got the assist.

The Blues came right back with another tying goal at 7:28. David Perron had the puck up high in the slot. With a number of skaters to choose from, he found Brayden Schenn coming in late and wide open. Schenn’s shot beat Dubnyk on the glove side.

Kane scored his second of the game at 10:34. Kane got control of the puck in the neutral zone and carried it in with one defenseman to contend with. He took a shot from the top of the face-off circle. the Blues made a goaltending change and put Ville Husso in the game. Binnington made a stop at the Sharks bench and then another to give Dubnyk a shove on his way off the ice.

Zach Sanford tied it up again with 1:44 left in the period. Sanford came up with the puck below the goal line, skated to the net and poked it past Dubnyk. Assists went to Jordan Kyrou and Torey Krug.

The Sharks led in shots again in the second, 20-16, with six shots coming on the power play. They had three power plays in the period and one penalty kill. The Sharks lost ground on already bad numbers in the face-off circle, winning only 21% of them.

The third period saw three goals in the first 3:20. Mackenzie MacEachern gave the Blues their first lead of the game 1:17 into the third period. The Sharks were on the power play when MacEachern and Zach Sanford broke away in a two-on-one for a short handed goal.

Kevin Labanc tied it back up at 2:13. John Leonard made a nice back-hand pass from almost behind the net to set up Labanc for the shot. Assists went to Leonard and Meier.

Ryan O’Reilly scored the eleventh goal of the game at 3:20. Justin Faulk’s hard shot from the top of the circle created a rebound through traffic for O’Reilly to nudge in, reaching through a thicket of bodies.

Logan Couture tied it up again at 6:31. Brent Burns took a shot from the blue line and it deflected off of Couture half way down the slot. It bounced and spun over Husso. Assists went to Burns and Mario Ferraro.

Oskar Sundqvist gathered the puck up behind the net and sent it past two Sharks to Marco Scandella coming in on the other side of the blue paint. Scandella directed it in by the post for the seventh Blues goal at 7:14.

The Sharks pulled their goaltender at the end but could not tie it up again. The Sharks improved somewhat in the face-off circle during the third period, winning 47% which still put the Blues ahead. The Blues had two shots through two power plays and led in shots for the period 9-8.

The Sharks next play on Monday in San Jose, against the Colorado Avalanche at 7:30 PM PT.

Tomas Hertl was out for COVID-19 quarantine, which triggered the rescheduling of Thursday’s game. Erik Karlsson and Radim Simek both returned from injury for Saturday’s game. Karlsson had six shots on goal and Simek had one. The team wore throwback jerseys from the 90s, with the wide grey stripe.

Sharks Hertl tests positive for Coronavirus; Vegas-San Jose match canceled for tonight

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The San Jose Sharks Tom Hertl tested positive for Coronavirus forcing tonight’s game at SAP Center versus the Vegas Golden Knights to be postponed. Hertl in this Wed Jan 20, 2021 photo against the St Louis Blues in St Louis will quarantined. The Blues and Sharks game for Fri Feb 26, 2021 has also been postponed (AP News file photo) 

By Mary Walsh

Wednesday afternoon, the San Jose Sharks and the NHL announced that Thursday’s game against the Vegas Golden Knights would be postponed under the league’s COVID-19 protocol. The NHL also announced the game for Fri Feb 26th between the visiting St Louis Blues and the Sharks also has been postponed. The press release read, in part:

“Despite having only one player (Tomas Hertl) currently impacted, the decision to cancel the team’s practice and training activities on Wednesday, and postpone the game on Thursday was made out of an abundance of caution.”

It is the first time a postponement has been triggered by the Sharks.

The San Jose Barracuda, the Sharks’ AHL affiliate, have also postponed their Thursday game in Bakersfield against the Condors.

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

 

San Jose Sharks podcast with Len Shapiro: Will Sharks need to change their defensive strategy after getting shelled on Monday night

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The biggest fight all night for the San Jose Sharks it seemed was when the Sharks rookie Nikolai Knyzhov (71) fought the Minnesota Wild’s Marcus Foligno (17) on Mon Feb 22, 2021 in the first period at SAP Center in San Jose (photo from Bay Area News Group)

On the Sharks podcast with Len Shapiro:

#1 Len, Monday night’s game in San Jose with the Sharks and Minnesota Wild a four game win streak for the Wild. Sharks coach Bob Boughner can only make so many plays and diagrams but it’s up to the defense and goaltender Martin Jones to stops shot from becoming goals.

#2 Len, describe those first two periods the Wild were able to control the puck and the offense. Basically had their way on offense with two goals in the first period and adding three more in the third period the Sharks had to get a sense after the second period this game had got away from them.

#3 The Wild’s Marcus Foligno notched a Gordie Howe hattrick, Mats Zuccarello had three points in just his fourth game this season.

#4  The Wilds’ rookie Kaapo Kahkonen made 31 saves for the Minnesota (9-6-0) win.

#5 The Sharks have won five out of their last nine games and host the Vegas Golden Knights (6-3-3) Thursday night. The Knights had three game postponements prior to losing two of their last three games. How do you see this match up on Thursday night.

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

San Jose Sharks podcast with Len Shapiro Wed Feb 24, 2021 by Sports Radio Service | Free Listening on SoundCloud

 

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa Walsh: Jones and Sharks defense let down big in 6-2 loss to Minnesota

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The San Jose Sharks Marc Eduard Vlasic defenceman (44) on defense against the Minnesota Wild’s center Mike Bonino (13) on Mon Feb 22, 2022 at SAP Center in San Jose (AP News photo)

Mary Lisa on the SJ Sharks podcast:

#1 How much do you fault the Sharks (7-7-2) defense or goaltender Martin Jones for allowing the amount of goals against in the Minnesota Wild’s (8-6-0) 6-2 win at SAP Center last night.

#2 The Wild didn’t have too much trouble figuring out Jones with two goals in the first period and three in the second.

#3 On the Sharks offensive side of things a struggle the Wild keep them screened and frustrated the Sharks could only score one goal in each of the first and second periods from Logan Couture and Brent Burns and that was all for the evening.

#4 The Wild goaltender Kappo Kahkonen stopped saw 33 shots and stopped 31 Kahkonen performed nice work between the pipes with defense that helped in the four goal win for the Wild.

#5 The Sharks welcome the Vegas Golden Knights (11-4-1) on Thursday night the Knights have lost two of their last three before that they had three games postponed. The Sharks have been playing around .500 hockey winning five of their last nine games.  Mary Lisa how do you see this game on Thursday.

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

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa Walsh Tue Feb 23, 2021 by Sports Radio Service | Free Listening on SoundCloud

 

Sharks Beat Blues 5-4

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Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks beat the Blues 5-4 in St.Louis on Saturday. Sharks goals came from Evander Kane, Logan Couture (2), Rudolfs Balcers, and Patrick Marleau. Sharks goaltender Devan Dubnyk made 28 saves for the win. The Blues goals were scored by Brayden Schenn, Zach Sanford, Ryan O’Reilly and Jordan Kyrou. Jordan Binnington made 22 saves in the loss.

Despite allowing another four-goal second period to the Blues, the Sharks persisted for the win. After the game, Sharks Head Coach Bob Boughner talked about coping with penalties and questionable calls: “We stuck with it and we had some great kills, character kills, and we found a way to get three points out of these two games. It could have easily been four.”

Evander Kane ended a four-game goal drought at 7:24 of the first, giving the Sharks the first lead of the game. Logan Couture tried to move the puck from the boards to Kane but it went to Zach Sanford instead. Sanford turned it right over to Kane, with some help from Kevin Labanc. Kane was ready to spin, settle the puck and shoot before Binnington could get set.

Couture doubled the lead at 10:10. Kane chased the puck down behind the net and sent it up ice to Kevin Labanc, who found Couture in front of the net with a quick pass. Couture tapped it right in.

The first period ended with the Sharks leading in shots 10-9, and in the face-off circle at 54%. The Sharks took one penalty in the first, and the Blues had one shot on that power-play.

The second period was much busier than the first. The Sharks added to their tally at 3:48. Rudolfs Balcers scored his first as a Shark by stopping above the blue paint and waiting for a pass from Tomas Hertl, who was below the goal line. Despite the Blues defense around him, Hertl got the pass cleanly to Balcers for a one-timer past Binnington.

The Blues scored at 4:45. Jordan Kyrou, with Marc-Edouard Vlasic blocking his path, bounced the puck off of the post from below the goal line. It went right to Brayden Schenn for a shot past Devan Dubnyk on the blocker side. Assists went to Jordan Kyrou and Mike Hoffman.

Patrick Marleau gave the Sharks a three-goal lead at 8:18. Evander Kane sent the puck under a leaping Matt Nieto to Marleau on the far side of the net. Marleau tapped it in behind Binnington.

The Blues came right back with their second goal at 8:37. Torey Krug took a shot from the Blue line that went off of Zach Sanford. The goal was reviewed for a high stick but was allowed. Assists went to Krug and Schenn.

Ryan O’Reilly’s one-timer from just above the goal line cut the Sharks lead to one at 15:30. The Sharks were short-handed as Mario Ferraro left the ice abruptly after losing his helmet. Assists went to Hoffman and Kyrou.

Kyrou tied it up ith just 1:19 left in the second. Kyrou skated in, two-on-one with David Perron. Perron drew the defensive attention so Kyrou took the shot and beat Dubnyk on the glove side. Assists went to Perron and O’Reilly.

The Blues led on the second-period shot clock, 15-10, and in the face-off circle, at 54%. As in the first, the Sharks took one penalty but the Blues didn’t get any shots out of it.

Couture, just on the ice after a line change, gave the Sharks a new lead at 11:51 of the third. His shot from the face-off circle slipped through traffic at the net before Binnington could find it.

The Blues pulled their goaltender with just over a minute left but the Sharks held on. The Blues took their first penalty in the third period, but it was offset by a penalty to the Sharks as well, for some four-on-four play. The Sharks took a second penalty in the third, but their penalty kill did not allow any shots. The final shot count was 32-27 Blues, and the face-offs went to the Blues 52% of the time.

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

Sharks Lose to Blues 3-2 in OT

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Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks lost 3-2 in overtime to the Blues on Thursday in St. Louis. Mike Hoffman, Brayden Schenn and David Perron scored for St. Louis. Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington made 30 saves for the win. Noah Gregor and John Leonard scored for the Sharks and Martin Jones made 42 saves in the loss.

After the game, Sharks defenseman Brent Burns said: “There were definitely parts of that game where we were in control of that game.” The team does seem to have shed it’s second period troubles, and is also playing better five-on-five. On that topic, Sharks Head Coach Bob Boughner said:

“We did some good things five-on-five tonight. And, you know, if it’s not one thing, it’s another. Now it’s our penalty kill allowed that first goal in, took some momentum away from us. But we’re doing some better things and we’re working at it every day.”

St. Louis scored the only first period goal, on the power play at 6:12. Oskar Sundqvist tried to jam the puck under Martin Jones but was rejected. The rebound, however, went out to Mike Hoffman who had an open net to shoot into. Assists went to Sundqvist and David Perron.

St. Louis outshot the Sharks 12 to 10 in the first period. In the face-off circle, the Blues also prevailed with a 53% win percentage. The Sharks had one power play and one shot on that power play. The Blues had two power plays and got three shots in, including the goal.

Noah Gregor tied the game at 8:27 of the second period. The Sharks had been in their own zone for too long when Gregor carried the puck out. He maneuvered around the Blues defense and took a shot. That did not go but the Sharks got it back and eventually Nicolas Meloche got another shot in, this time from a bad angle. The shot rebounded to the other side of the net, where Gregor was ready to shoot it back in for his third of the season. Assists went to Meloche and Gambrell.

John Leonard scored his second NHL goal to give the Sharks the lead at 14:31. Ryan Donato fanned on a shot from close in, then and spun around and sent the puck down to Leonard who was by the post. Leonard’s quick shot beat Binnington as the goalie tried to get back in position. Assists went to Donato and Patrick Marleau.

San Jose outshot the Blues 12-8 in the penalty-free second period. The Sharks also improved in the face-off circle, winning 58% of the draws.

The Sharks held onto that lead until 19:20 of the third, when Brayden Schenn tied it up to force overtime. The Blues net was empty for the extra skater. Mikke Hoffman shot the puck at the net from just above the goal line, hitting Jones in the shoulder pad. Schenn was on the spot to catch the rebound and knock it in. Assists went to Hoffman and David Perron.

The Blues dominated the face-off circle in the third, winning 72% of the draws.

David Perron scored the game-winner 4:00 into overtime. Patrick Marleau was called for hooking Ryan O’Reilly, giving the Blues a power play that started with 1:36 left in the period. As the Blues entered the zone, Torey Krug held the puck just below the blue line long enough for Perron to get to the net. The Shrs penalty killers were nowhere near Perron and he took a quick shot from the face-off circle. Assists went to Krug and Jordan Binnington.

The Blues out-shot the Sharks 10-1 in the overtime period.

The Sharks next play on Saturday at 4:00 PM PT, again in St. Louis against the Blues.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Len Shapiro: Sharks open two game series with Blues Thursday night in St Louis

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The San Jose Sharks goaltender Martin Jones (31) stopped 26 shots and allowed two goals against the Anaheim Ducks on Mon Feb 15, 2021 at SAP Center in San Jose (AP News photo)

On the Sharks podcast with Len:

#1 It was a close nip and tuck game between the Sharks and Anaheim Ducks on Monday night at SAP Center no one was giving in edgewise in a one goal game where the Sharks winning 3-2.

#2 The Sharks did get some defense with Marty Jones in goal and didn’t allow a goal in the second period and scored twice to get a two goal lead 3-1 going into the third period.

#3 For Jones in net he stopped 26 shots and allowed two goals. The Ducks down two goals tried to equalize but were able only to score once and without going into a shootout or overtime the Sharks were able to win in regulation.

#4 Sharks defencemen Radim Simek and Erik Karlsson (both injured Saturday against Vegas) were out for Monday night’s game in Anaheim.

#5 The Sharks are in St Louis for two games starting on Thursday night the Blues have lost four of their last six games and lost a razor close game on Monday night 1-0 to the Phoenix Coyotes. The Sharks meanwhile have been playing .500 hockey and have won four out of their last eight games.

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

San Jose Sharks podcast with Len Shapiro Wed Feb 17, 2021 by Sports Radio Service | Free Listening on SoundCloud

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa Walsh: Sharks-Ducks played with lots of intensity; Sharks open 2 game series Thursday in St Louis

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The San Jose Sharks center Ryan Danato (16) takes a jump over teammate Dylan Gambrell (left) getting out of the way of a shot at Anaheim Ducks goalie John Gibson (36) at SAP Center in San Jose on Mon Feb 15, 2021 (AP News photo)

On the Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa:

#1 The Sharks were down two defensemen  in Radim Simek and Erik Karlsson (both injured Saturday against Vegas) and the Sharks still had good defense against the Anaheim Ducks in the 3-2 win on Monday night at SAP Center.

#2 Sharks rookie John Leonard picked up his first NHL goal and Kevin LeBanc broke a scoreless ten game streak and Logan Couture scored his seventh goal.

#3 The Sharks goalie Martin Jones stopped 26 Ducks shots after giving up goals to the Ducks earlier. The Sharks Brent Burns logged the most ice time with 26:46.

#4 Sam Steele and Maxime Comtois scored for the Ducks (6-7-3).Pressure was high for San Jose entering the game and you feel the intensity in this close game for all three periods.

#5 The Sharks are in St Louis Thu Feb 18th for the first of a two game series. The Blues have won six out of their last ten games how do you see this match in St Louis on Thursday night?

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

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa Walsh Tue Feb 5, 2021 by Sports Radio Service | Free Listening on SoundCloud

Down A Pair of D-men, Sharks Beat Ducks 3-2

Published on by Matthew HarringtonLeave a comment

The San Jose Sharks John Leonard (43) is fired up after scoring a first period goal against the visiting Anaheim Ducks at SAP Center in San Jose on Mon Feb 15, 2021 (AP News photo) 

By Matthew Harrington

The San Jose Sharks (6-7-1) bounced back from the dismal 3-1 loss to Vegas in their home opener Saturday night, beating the Anaheim Ducks 3-2 Monday night for their first home win of the season.

Rookie John Leonard picked up his first career goal, Kevin Labanc broke a ten-game scoreless streak and Logan Couture added to his team lead with a 7th goal and added an assist.

Martin Jones made 26 saves after an early stumble and Brent Burns lead the Sharks with 26:46 minutes on ice. Sam Steele and Maxime Comtois scored for the Ducks (6-7-3).
Pressure was high for San Jose entering the game.

Not only were they without two key defensemen in Radim Simek and Erik Karlsson (both injured Saturday against Vegas), their head coach called out the team for a lack of response particularly after Simek went down to a cross-check from Jonathan Marchessault that warranted, but didn’t receive a physical response.

While the game wasn’t filled with hard hits or a parade to the penalty box, a win is ultimately the best response. The short-handed Sharks defensive corps looked like it would be in trouble early after it’s arguable top pair fumbled their way into the opening goal.

Mario Ferraro, blocking an incoming rush from Anaheim’s Sam Steele, wound up heel-kicking the puck past Jones for a 1-0 visitors lead 50 seconds into the game.
Just under halfway through the period on the power play, Leonard broke through for his first goal and first point since the season opener, curling just below the faceoff dot to Anaheim netminder John Gibson’s left.

Leonard waited for Ryan Donato to screen the Ducks goalie before wristing the puck past Gibson. Leonard’s former UMass-Amherst teammate Mario Ferraro assisted on the tying goal at the 9:43 mark of the period.

After taking a team-friendly deal last season, Labanc signed a four-year, $18.9 million deal in the offseason with the expectation that he’d be a key contributor on offense. Entering play Monday, he hadn’t lit the lamp since January 18th against St. Louis, his only marker on the year. Sometimes getting off the skid takes creativity.

4:48 into the 2nd period Labanc caught a rebound from an Evander Kane shot in mid-air brought it down to the ice, took a shot in the slot, followed his rebound and banked the puck off Gibson from below the goal line to give the Sharks the 2-1 lead.

Couture picked up the secondary assist on the goal, setting him up for a multi-point night later in the period. The Sharks captain capitalized on a Ryan Getzlaf turnover with 8:45 left in the 2nd period for his team-leading seventh goal of the season in what was one of the Sharks better periods of the season.

San Jose out-shot Anaheim 13-4 and outscored them 2-0 in the frame.
Maxime Comtois put the pressure on the Sharks to hang on to the win early in the third period, scoring his seventh goal two minutes into the final frame. The puck once again was deflected off Ferraro. Anaheim outshot the Sharks 9-6 in the period but never found their equalizing goal.

The Ducks won’t be confused for contenders in the West division this season as they continue to restock their cupboards with talent, but the Sharks need to stack up the wins against the teams they’re expected to beat in order to nab the final division playoff spot over Arizona, Los Angeles, Minnesota and Anaheim.

San Jose will have a better idea of how they’ll withstand the shortage of healthy d-men over the next nine games after moving out of the division cellar Monday. They’ll face St. Louis for four, Vegas for three and Colorado for two before facing the Ducks on the road in back-to-back games on the 12th and 13th of March. The aforementioned three clubs are near-locks to be playoff squads, if not Stanley Cup contenders.

Notes: The Sharks took warm-ups in jerseys honoring Black History Month….Fredrik Claesson made his San Jose debut being signed as a free agent on January 11th, playing 9:01 with one shot on goal and one hit registered…..The Sharks second power-play unit had a youthful feel with Rudolfs Balcers, John Leonard and Ryan Donato all on board…Logan Couture has scored in all three games against Anaheim this season.

Join Matt every Saturday night for the San Jose Sharks podcast at http://www.sportsradioservice.com 

Sharks Lose 3-1 to Golden Knights

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Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks lost their first game back in San Jose, a 3-1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. Power play goals were scored by Jonathan Marchessault, Mark Stone and Chandler Stephenson. Vegas goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury made 24 saves for the win. Tomas Hertl scored the Sharks goal, and Martin Jones made 23 saves in the loss.

Despite some lackluster seasons, the Sharks have maintained a respectable penalty kill. Not since 2009 have the Sharks allowed three or more power play goals in consecutive games, as they did in their last two games. On the season so far, the Sharks are 21st in the league with a 76.9 penalty kill percentage.

After the game, Sharks defenseman Brent Burns talked about what the Sharks need for a better penalty kill:

“In a pk, when it’s successful, you’re just pressuring hard, working, things are hitting you, blocking, you’re just disrupting things and, you know, I think we gotta get a little bit of that back. Taking time and space away, within our system, and making it difficult for them to create stuff. I think it looked a little too easy for them in the last couple games.”

Sharks Head Coach Bob Boughner talked about the Sharks’ game even-strength: “We won the five-on-five game. I liked our five-on-five game. I think, you know, obviously I’d like to score more than one but you know, on the other hand we didn’t give them anything five-on-five.”

At 13:13 of the first period, Jonathan Marchessault scored his team’s first power play goal of the afternoon. The puck was bouncing in front of Martin Jones, and went over his head. Marchessault managed to get a stick on it in the air and tap it in. Assists went to Chandler Stephenson and Alec Martinez.

The Sharks had two power plays in the first period, and had two shots in those power plays. In total, the Sharks outshot Vegas 11-7 and came out even in the face-off circle. Vegas had just the one power play and got three shots before scoring.

Mark Stone scored the second Vegas power play goal at 9:56 of the second. Stone was next to the net when Jones moved forward to try to cover a rebound. When it got away from him, Jones was too far out to get back and prevent the goal. Assists went to William Karlsson and Cody Glass.

Tomas Hertl scored his goal at 18:39 of the second. Rudolfs Balcers took a pass from Marc-Edouard Vlasic and carried the puck down the ice two-on-one with Hertl. Balcers made a tidy pass from one face-off dot to the other so Hertl could score with a one-timer. Assists went to Balcers and Vlasic.

The only penalty in the second was the one that led to the Vegas goal, a delay of game penalty for sending the puck over the glass. The Golden Knights again had three shots on the power play before scoring. Vegas edged the Sharks in the face-off circle 55%-45%, and on the shot clock 10-7.

Chandler Stephenson finished the scoring off of his skate at 6:45 of the third, again on a power play. The Golden Knights had just enered the zone and didn’t need to get set up when Alex Tuch’s pass across the slot hit Stephenson’s well-angled skate, sending the puck behind Jones and in. Assists went to Tuch and Martinez.

Each team had two power plays in the third period, with the Sharks giving up three shots and a goal, and Vegas giving up just two shots. The Golden Knights took over the face-off circle, winning 76% of the thirs period draws. Much of that success can be attributed to Chandler Stephenson and William Karlsson, who took the lion’s share of the draws for Vegas. Both of those players won more than 60% of the time. In the end, the Golden Knights won 59% of the draws on Saturday.

Sharks defenseman Radim Simek left the game early in the second period after being cross checked in the mid-section by Jonathan Marchessault. The Sharks shared no further information on his status after the game.

Erik Karlsson’s game also ended early, not playing in the final 11 minutes. After the game, Bob Boughner said “lower body. He’s on the trainer’s table now just getting working on. So I don’t think it’s anything crazy serious. I think he just tweaked something.”

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