Category: Uncategorized

By Pearl Allison Lo

(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

LOS ANGELES– San Jose Sharks’ Captain Joe Pavelski scored two power play goals in the third period to complete a 5-3 comeback against the Los Angeles Kings Tuesday.

The Sharks wrapped up the 3-2 road trip with a bow heading into the holidays.

Pavelski had two goals, the game winner in both games at Staples Center this season and both of those goals power plays.

DeBoer stated, “There’s a reason he’s the captain. He was just willing us to win.”

San Jose had five unanswered goals in Los Angeles’s home opener and four in this one.

Both Pavelski and Joe Thornton had three point nights.

The 36 shots faced (21 of them in the first, a season-high for the team for a period) and 33 saved were the second-highest total for Sharks goalie Martin Jones this season.

Outshooting, outhitting and outperforming the San Jose on the faceoff, the Kings took the first period early, but the Sharks managed a goal midway through the period.

Pavelski stated, “…every time they pulled ahead a little bit, we were able to get that goal to keep us in the game…”

It was a similar start to the teams’ season opener with an early goal against Jones.

On Los Angeles’s second shot of the game, Tyler Toffoli, the third player to touch the puck off the faceoff, scored through Justin Braun’s legs, as the puck went to the left side of Jones. Tanner Pearson and Jeff Carter got the assists at 1:40.

Then, less than three minutes later, almost right after another faceoff, this one to Jones’ left, Trevor Lewis deflected Dustin Brown’s shot in shortside on the Kings’ fifth shot of the game. Alec Martinez got the second assist at 4:32.

San Jose made it 2-1 on their fourth shot on goal. After Brendon Dillon’s shot, it went to Pavelski and then to Thornton at 12:12.

Less than a minute later, the Sharks’ Tommy Wingels got a double minor.

The second was the power play period with a pair of goals and a sideshow of glass.

San Jose had two power plays less than four minutes apart.

Then the Sharks committed two holding penalties, one for holding the stick.

During the first of those penalties, at 9:07, Los Angeles’s Brayden McNabb’s hit on Matt Nieto caused a section of glass above the boards to pop out.

The goals came at even strength.

San Jose’s Brent Burns lost the puck, which led to a goal as Tanner Pearson passed cross ice to Toffoli at 17:48.

Burns then redeemed himself less than a minute later, as Thornton found Burns along the boards and he scored through traffic from the blue line.

The Sharks’ Melker Karlsson had five blocked shots in the period.

With 14:47 left in the game, Karlsson had a breakaway chance against goalie Jonathan Quick, but was denied.

The two power play goals by Pavelski came as the Kings committed two penalties 39 seconds apart.

Pavelski tied the game 3-3 at 6:06 four seconds after the first penalty, tipping in Burns’ shot.

The second penalty, a slash on Burns by Milan Lucic, was the most controversial in the game. The uproar got louder when Pavelski converted midway into the man advantage. Thornton got the assist.

Regarding coming back to win and special teams play, Pavelski replied, “We know it’s a sixty-minute game…There’s a lot of parts to the power play that need to be well. Entries are one of them, face-offs, and all that type of stuff. We didn’t have it in the first couple [periods] but we stayed with it.”

Burns made it 5-3 on an empty netter with 1:10 left.

Game notes: San Jose now is five points behind Los Angeles. This was the closest game out of the three the teams have played so far this season. Regarding personnel, the Sharks were without Joel Ward again, Karlsson returned and Vlasic, a game-time decision, played a team-high 26:09. After the Winter Break, San Jose starts a five-game homestand, hosting the Colorado Avalanche Monday at 7:30pm.

By Pearl Allison Lo

(Photo credit: LUCAS OLENIUK / TORONTO STAR)

~ After squandering a 2-0 lead, San Jose finally came from behind to win over the Toronto Maple Leafs, 5-4 Thursday in overtime.

The Sharks lost the lead 4:50 into the second and were down 4-2, after Michael Grabner scored just 1:59 into the third.

A quick reaction by Marc-Edouard Vlasic though, put San Jose right back into the game, as the Sharks then slowly chipped away at the Maple Leaf’s lead.

It was an all too familiar scene for Toronto, who on Tuesday against the Tampa Bay Lightning, had a lead going into the second, lost it in the third, made it to overtime, but lost by the identical score of 5-4.

San Jose had a season-high 21 shots in the first period, one game after reaching a season-high 20 shots during Tuesday’s game. Against the Maple Leafs, the Sharks had a game-total 42 shots, 2 shy of their season-high total.

San Jose’s shot domination in the first was 21-9, as the line of Brent Burns, Joe Pavelski and Patrick Marleau were able to cash in on their two power play opportunities.

Pierre-Alexandre Parenteau was called for tripping 1:55 into the game. That led to a power play goal six seconds later. Pavelski had his second goal in as many games, aided by Burns and Marleau.

30 seconds into their second power play at 11:32, Marleau followed Pavelski’s footsteps with his second goal in as many games. Pavelski got the first assist and  Burns the second.

Toronto coach Mike Babcock had no choice but to put in goalie Jonathan Bernier after rookie Garret Sparks then left with a lower body injury.

The Maple Leafs still managed to score a goal in the period at 14:48. Peter Holland scored, helped by Daniel Winnik.

In the second, the Sharks committed two penalties but were able to avoid a goal as a result of them.

Toronto tied the game 2-2 when their goal leader Leo Komarov won the faceoff and got the puck back. He led goalie Martin Jones to the side and was able to slide the puck in between Jones and the post. Nazem Kadri got the puck after the faceoff and Frank Corrado got his first assist.

James van Riemsdyk then gave the Maple Leafs the lead with a short side goal, falling while approaching the goal from behind. He was assisted by Parenteau and Tyler Bozak. It was a hot line with van Riemsdyk’s third goal in as many games. Parenteau and Bozak now have points in four straight games.

With .9 seconds left in the second, Toronto’s Joffrey Lupul had a clear chance, but hit post. After, more time was added to the clock for a shot. The shot went to Lupul, but this time Jones stopped it point blank.

The third period had different excitement.

Grabner’s goal to pad the lead was aided by Holland and Winnik.

Vlasic’s timely reply came just over a minute later, as the Sharks responded for the first time since the opening period. His shot came from the blue line, helped by Justin Braun.

At 5:06, San Jose’s Chris Tierney’s breakaway turned into a penalty shot when he was hooked.

The Maple Leafs had a 2-on-1 after, but Jones was able to avoid the score.

Then at 11:49, Matt Nieto sent the game to overtime with a gritty goal. He fell initially and after getting up, he scored while falling down when he got the puck back. Nieto was assisted by Tierney and Joonas Donskoi.

Burns scored the game winner 2:13 into overtime, aided by Thornton and Pavelski.

Game notes: The Sharks’ Tomas Hertl made his return to the team. San Jose will play a back-to-back for their third game of the road trip. They face the Ottawa Senators Friday at 4pm.

By Pearl Allison Lo

(Photo by RYAN REMIORZ / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

~ San Jose kicked off their five game road trip with their first win of December, defeating the Montreal Canadiens, 3-1 Tuesday.

The Sharks avoided a shutout like last game, and even more so, ended their six-game losing streak in strong fashion.

Three goals were enough this time, as San Jose achieved all even strength goals halfway through the game with an efficient 12 shots. They ended up with 18 shots.

The Sharks are now 12-0 when leading after two, as Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News mentioned they were 11-0 during the game.

Meanwhile, the scoring woes continued for the Canadians, as they were held to two goals or less for the eighth straight game.

Barclay Goodrow, who was recalled before the game, got into a fight at 16:44 of the first, with former Shark Torrey Mitchell, who returned from injury.

A 2-on-1 with Joel Ward and Patrick Marleau led to San Jose’s first goal at 17:34. Justin Braun had the second assist.

Shots were 10 to 3 in favor of the Canadiens after one.

Initially credited to Braun, Joe Pavelski made it 2-0, 36 seconds into the second period.

Dainius Zubrus continued his success in Montreal and got his first goal with the Sharks by tricking goalie Dustin Tokarski at 9:19. Zubrus was aided by Pavelski and Joe Thornton. That goal spelled the end for Tokarski as he left for goalie Mike Condon.

The Canadiens got their goal late in the second period at 17:24, after Dale Weise’s shot deflected off Marc-Edouard Vlasic.

The third period was similar to the first as Montreal had nine shots while San Jose was held to two shots and the Canadiens had another power play.

Game notes: The Sharks outhit Montreal 38-18 and outblocked them 28-11, Vlasic with five of those blocks. Vlasic also had the most ice time for San Jose with 23:59. San Jose’s Tommy Wingels had a game-high seven hits. The Sharks’ Tomas Hertl did not play due to a lower body injury. San Jose will play the second game of their road trip at 4:30pm Thursday versus the Toronto Maple Leafs.

By Pearl Allison Lo

~ The Edmonton Oilers and former San Jose Coach Todd McLellan won their fifth straight home game for the first time in seven and a half years, beating the Sharks 4-3 Wednesday.

Edmonton is now on a season high four game win streak. They have scored at least two goals in each.

Meanwhile, San Jose’s season-high losing streak continued, now at five games. Without a top-four defenseman, they are now 1-7. When starting the third behind, they are now 1-11.

The Sharks’ Logan Couture was injured midway in the second period and never returned, due to a lower body injury.

Two of the Oilers’ top-20 draft picks, Taylor Hall and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins contributed. The Sharks’ Patrick Marleau, Edmonton’s Jordan Eberle and Hall each had a goal and assist and Nugent-Hopkins had two assists.

The Oilers had a 2-on-1 in which they nearly scored in the first period.

Shots were 9-7 in the first in favor of San Jose in a physical first.  Darnell Nurse, Hall and former Oiler Mike Brown each had two shots apiece.

After the second, it was 1-0. Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl scored easily at 6:22, aided by Teddy Purcell and Hall.

Each of the first two periods featured a fight.

This was followed by a five-goal flurry in the third.

The teams traded goals, starting with Justin Braun’s first goal of the year at 3:56. He was helped by Marleau and Joel Ward. Curtis Pashelka of the Mercury News noted Braun’s goal snapped a 68-game scoring drought.

Eberle made it 2-1 at 8:21, assisted by Jujhar Khaira and Nugent-Hopkins. Peter DeBoer tried challenging based on goalie interference, but was unsuccessful.

Starting at 11:07, Marleau and Captain Joe Pavelski then scored solo goals one and a half minutes apart to take the lead for the first time. Pavelski came from behind the net and positioned himself perfectly before Joonas Donskoi found him. This time there was a review after by the NHL.  

The Sharks’ lead lasted until 15:23, when Iiro Pakarinen was aided by Eberle and Nugent-Hopkins to send the game to overtime.  

Hall became the hero, scoring the game winner with 1:01 left in OT.

Game notes: Thursday for San Jose will be spent helping 39 underserved families celebrate during the Holiday Assist Party. They then spend one game at home, host to the Minnesota Wild Saturday at 7:30pm.