San Jose Barracuda podcast with Marko Ukalovic: Barracuda took early lead; Knights just too good catch up and win

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

The San Jose Barracuda forward Alex True (70) and the Henerson Silver Knights forward Jonas Rondbjerg (46) face off on Sat Mar 20, 2021at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas (@sjbarracuda photo)

On the Barracuda podcast with Marko:

#1 The Barracuda (6-4-4-0) win on Wednesday to the Bakersfield Condors (9-6-0-0) 4-3 was a close contest it might have been a different outcome if not for the fine goaltending of Josef Korenar who stopped 37 shots.

#2 The Barracuda led in the first period but it got away in Saturday afternoon’s game against the Henderson Silver Knights (12-2-0-0).

#3 The Barracuda’s Alex True extended his point streak to five games after scoring with just one second left in the first period.

#4 Marko, talk about Maxim Letunov who hadn’t score in five games but found the back end of the net in the first period

#5 The Barracuda lost today by three points 5-2 have another shot at the Knights on Sunday at noon another matinee what will the Barracuda need to work on most their offense or defense against a very talented Knights team.

Join Marko Saturday nights for the Barracuda podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sharks Fall 2-1 to Blues in Shootout

Published on by M WalshLeave a comment

Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks lost to the St. Louis Blues by a score of 2-1 in a shootout Friday. Tyler Bozak scored for the Blues and Jordan Binnington made 30 saves for the win. Ryan Donato scored for the Sharks and Martin Jones made 33 saves in the loss.

After the game, Sharks Head Coach Bob Boughner said:

“I think we had seven or eight missed chances, missed the net, and the rest were blocked. I thought we had a ton of opportunities, especially rush chances in the slot. We looked to pass it or we got blocked or, like I said, we missed the net. So they hit the net on theirs. They’re a good team, a good offensive team and I thought Jonesy gave us a chance to win there.”

Ryan Donato scored for the Sharks at 15:08 of the second period. Hertl started the puck out and passed it to Sorensen in the neutral zone. As he crossed the blue line, he dropped it to Donato. Donato hesitated until a defenseman went down to block the shot, and then took the shot from the slot. Assists went to Sorensen and Hertl.

The two penalties in the first two periods both went to the Sharks and they were both for too many men on the ice. After the game, Sharks captain Logan Couture said: “Tonight the first one was on the forwards and the second one was on the d-men. I believe the first one, guys just heard the wrong line that was called and obviously that can’t happen. And the d-one, I’m not sure, I’m not down at that end.”

The Blues had two shots during the first power play and one in the second. The Blues outshot the Sharks in both periods, 12-9 and 12-7.

The Blues tied the game at 6:22 of the third period with a short-handed goal. Kyle Clifford took a shot that went off of Tyler Bozak’s shinpad, making it Bozak’s first goal of the year.

There were two penalties called in the third period, an interference call against Zach Sanford of the Blues and a misconduct against Kurtis Gabriel of the Sharks. Neither team registered a shot on the power play in the third. The Sharks improved a little in shots, leading 11-10 in the third.

The Sharks had all the shots in overtime with four, and they had some power play time as well.

The shootout was concluded in three rounds. David Perron’s shot was stopped by Martin Jones. Donato shot wide. Brayden Schenn scored over Jones’ shoulder on the glove side. Logan Couture scored over Binnington’s blocker. Vladimir Tarasenko scored by outwaiting Jones and sneaking the puck behind the goalie. Kevin Labanc tried the same thing but Binnington’s skate got in the way for a save.

The Sharks’ face-off numbers were not good, with a 38% win percentage. Tomas Hertl and Dylan Gambrell both won fewer than 25% of their draws. Both players have been taking a lot of draws and until recently put up good numbers.

The Sharks next play on Saturday at 6:00 PM PT, against the Blues again in San Jose.

Holmes, Kings defeat Celtics 107-96

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @NBA

By Jeremiah Salmonson

The Sacramento Kings were back in action on Friday night. The Kings season has been “stuck” for lack of better terms in the middle of the pack in the Western Conference. The Kings have a very narrow path to the postseason, and with every passing game, that road gets narrower. However, the Kings continued to keep that door slightly open with their winning as of late. The Kings took on the Boston Celtics on Friday night and won by the final 107-96 at the TD Garden in Boston.

Flashback Wednesday: In the Kings’ previous game, they took on the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night. The Kings played a well-rounded good game. However, things got dicey in the last quarter. The Kings took a comfortable lead into the fourth quarter, but the Wizards came all the way back. The Kings were fortunate that Russell Westbrook threw the ball out of bounds to seal the Wizards’ fate against the Kings. The Kings won the ball game 121-119. 

Friday Night Recap: On Friday, the Kings took on the Boston Celtics in Boston at 4:30 PM PST.

In the first half, the Kings outplayed the Celtics all the way. The Kings managed to outscore the Celtics in the first quarter 28-22. The Kings defense was on display as they held the Celtics to a modest 22 points. In the second quarter, the Kings continued to play good defense. As we know is true with the Kings, the Kings’ defense led to offense. The Kings held the Celtics to 23 points in the second quarter and 45 points at halftime. The Kings took a 55-45 point lead into the half, looking to build on that and take a win from the Celtics.

In the second half, it was a very up-and-down game. In the third quarter, the Kings played one of their worst quarters of the season coming out of halftime. The Kings weren’t able to carry any first half momentum over and were outscored 36-27 in the quarter. The Kings needed to get the defense back on track if they wanted to win the game. In the fourth quarter, the Kings’ defense held the Celtics to 15 points as they outscored Boston 25-15 in the fourth quarter. The Kings won the game 107-96.

It was a great win in Boston, a place the Kings haven’t won a game since 2007. The Kings look to keep their momentum going having won their last two games on Saturday. De’Aaron Fox led the Kings with 29 points, while Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 19 points. 

Up Next: The Kings will travel to Philadelphia to take on the 76ers on Saturday, March 20 at 5 PM PST.

Warriors, behind Andrew Wiggins’ fantastic performance, romp past Grizzlies 116-103

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Photo credit: @TheNBACentral

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors faced a daunting task Friday night as they found themselves down three players against the Memphis Grizzlies. Their superstar, Steph Curry, was injured Wednesday in Houston. He suffered a contusion on his tailbone and was not able to play. James Wiseman and Eric Paschall were exposed to someone with the coronavirus, and by NBA protocol, they could not play. They will miss two more games. Kelly Oubre, Jr. was also injured in the Houston game, but he was able to play. Jordan Poole started in place of Curry. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr knew hoped someone would step up and help propel the Warriors to a win. That someone was Andrew Wiggins. Wiggins had a season-high 40 points to lead the Warriors to an easy 116-103 win over the young Memphis Grizzlies.

Jordan Poole continued to play well since his return from the G-League. He has found his game and has shown the Warriors that he was not another first-round draft pick that was a bust. Poole knocked down 25 points and connected on three threes from downtown. 

The Warriors played well on both ends of the court. They had great ball movement all night long. They recorded 31 assists on 44 made baskets. Their defense was outstanding as they held the Grizzlies’ budding superstar, Ja Morant, to 14 points. The Warriors stole the ball 13 times, blocked six shots, and forced 20 turnovers. They scored 30 points off the 20 Memphis turnovers.

The teams played a very competitive first quarter. Memphis led 23-18 about two thirds through the period. The Warriors, behind Wiggins, Poole, and Damion Lee, finished the first 12 minutes of play with a 16-3 run to lead 34-26. Wiggins tallied 12 points, and Poole had eight points.

The Warriors continued to run and attack. Wiggins scored 15 more points to pace the Warriors to a 67-48 halftime lead. Wiggins finished with a career-high 27 points. It was the most points that he had ever scored in any half of basketball in his career. Poole finished the half with 17 points.

The Grizzlies failed to cut the deficit in the third quarter. The teams each scored 24 points in the period. The Warriors led by 19 after three periods 91-72. Kevon Looney, Damion Looney, and Wiggins all played well.

The Grizzlies won the fourth quarter 31-25. Most of the points came well after the game had been decided. The Warriors won 116-103.

Game Notes and stats: The Warriors won their second game in a row to improve to 22-20 for the season. Memphis dropped to 18-20.

Andrew Wiggins had quite a night with 40 points, eight rebounds, and four assists. He was 12-for-24 from the floor, and he connected on six threes in 11 tries. It was Wiggins’ best game as a Warrior. Jordan Poole’s line was 25 points, two rebounds, and two assists. He made 10 buckets in 15 attempts. He made three threes. Damion Lee, coming off the bench, also played well. Lee finished with 21 points, and knocked down four threes. Kevon Looney tied his season-high with 11 points.

Ja Morant and Grayson Allen led the Grizzlies with 14 points each. Their big center, Jonas Valanciunas, had a double-double with 10 points and 16 boards. Brandon Clarke, coming off the bench, had 13 points.

Up Next: The Warriors face the Grizzlies again Saturday night in Memphis. The game will start at 5 pm PST.

San Francisco Giants podcast with Michael Duca: Kapler working on starting rotation; Giants hitters providing some offense

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Former Cincinnati Reds pitcher Anthony DeSclafani seen throwing against the Pittsburgh Pirates last season on Sep 5, 2020 is expected to be in the San Francisco Giants starting rotation this season (AP Sports file photo)

#1 Michael, talk about the starting rotation a little bit, Johnny Cueto, Kevin Gausman, and Anthony DeSclafani. Giants manager Gabe Kapler said the rotation isn’t written in stone yet.

#2 Cueto on Tuesday night struggled in his last outing he and catcher Joey Bart were not on the same page with some of the pitches, pitcher Kevin Gausman got hit more than in his first outing does Kapler have any reason to be concerned at this juncture of spring training?

#3 Kapler is really counting on Gausman who was the Giants number one starter last season and the club signed him up for this year for a qualifying offer of $18.5 million.

#4 The Giants Wednesday had a big offensive day with 15 hits, Alex Dickerson had three hits which included a home run in the eighth inning to centerfield. Austin Slater had two hits and Jason Krizan went 3-3. They can swing in this line up.

#5 Michael, talk about outfielder Mike Yastrzemski who hit .297 with 39 runs, 57 hits and 35 RBIs last season and this spring is hitting .300 with four runs, six hits and a home run.

Join Michael Duca for the Giants podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Francisco Giants podcast with Michael Duca Fri Mar 19, 2021 by Sports Radio Service | Free Listening on SoundCloud

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: Kings road trip doesn’t get easier, tip off with Boston tonight

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Guard De’Aaron Fox of the Sacramento Kings (5) takes the winning shot over the Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal (left) during the final seconds of Wed Mar 17, 2021 game in Washington (AP News photo)

#1 The Sacramento Kings (15-24) won by just two points on Wednesday night against the Washington Wizards (14-24) 121-119 in a game that was all hands on deck for the Kings six scorers finished in double figures and every point counted to win this game.

#2 De’Aaron Fox went all out scoring 28 points to lead the Kings and getting the winning basket at the end of Wednesday night’s game. Fox has led the Kings in scoring and without a presence like Fox the Kings would offensively be left in bad shape.

#3 Harrison Barnes and Richaun Holmes both finished second in scoring with 18 and they’ve had some good outings for Sacramento this season.

#4 The Kings have won four of their last ten games during that run that included wins against Detroit Pistons, Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets and the Wizards.

#5 Next up the start of a three game road trip starting in Boston on tonight against the Celtics (20-19) it isn’t easy winning in the NBA but the Kings have won some surprising games. The Celtics have been playing .500 ball much like the Kings of late and their coming off a 117-110 loss in Cleveland (14-25) on Wednesday night. Jeremiah how do you see these two teams matching up tonight at the Boston Garden?

Join Jeremiah Salmonson for the Kings podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson Fri Mar 19, 2021 by Sports Radio Service | Free Listening on SoundCloud

 

Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Romo and Bum share a laugh when meeting; Puk starts a good game against KC

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

A’s pitcher AJ Puk goes two innings on against the Kansas City Royals and is expected to be a big part of the A’s starting rotation (Oakland A’s file photo)

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry F:

#1 Oakland A’s releiver Sergio Romo stepped off the pitchers mound on Tuesday afternoon to smile a bit before facing his longtime friend and former teammate the Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Madison Bumgarner. The two played together on the San Francisco Giants and won three World Series titles together.

#2 Bumgarner during the at bat was smiling the who time he was in the batters box facing Romo, It was the first time Romo saw Bumgarner smile on a baseball field in the whole time they played with and against each other.

#3 Bumgarner struck out on a looking fast ball third strike turned and said a word to plate umpire Adrian Johnson before walking back to the dugout. Romo had struckout his old teammate.

#4 Matt Olson seeing the ball well got a home run on Wednesday against the Kansas City Royals pitcher Jake Newberry. After the rake on Jake, Newberry got angry and struck out the next three hitters.

#4 In his start against the Royals A’s pitcher AJ Puk threw for two innings, two hits, two earned runs, one walk and four strike outs.

#5 Jerry everybody has been waiting to see how A’s pitcher Trevor Rosenthal and how he will perform he relieved Puk going one inning, two hits, one earned run, one walk, and one strike out. The A’s are expecting big things from Rosenthal this season.

Join Jerry every Thursday for the Oakland A’s podcast at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Francisco Giants podcast with Morris Phillips: Could LaStella wind up winning the first base job?; Longoria to play at third Sunday

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Former Oakland A’s second baseman Tommy LaStella seen completing the double play against the Houston Astros Alex Bergman (2) in game 4 of last season’s American League Division Series on Oct 8, 2020 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Now with the possibility of becoming the San Francisco Giants first baseman (AP file photo)

#1 With Brandon Belt out with on the injured the list the Giants are using Tommy LaStella at first base and plan on using him at the position while Belt is out. Giants manager Gabe Kaplan said LaStella has had a nice career and could see him winning the starting job there at first base.

#2 The Giants Wilmer Flores has been also been playing first base which Flores says that’s his best position but Kapler is leaning towars using LaStella at first base.

#3 Kapler plans to use Donavon Solano at third base when Evan Longoria takes a day off. Kapler will have Solano at third base, when LaStella and Flores are in the line up.

#4 San Francisco pitcher Johnny Cueto had shaken off second year Giants catcher Joey Bart to the point that they were taking too much time agreeing on what pitch Cueto was to throw. Cueto said the two are always lost and not a ringing endorsement for Bart who most likely will be sent down to Triple A Sacramento at the beginning of the regular season.

#5 Longoria didn’t play at third on Tuesday because of an inflamed heel, but he can swing a bat and he hit homers from the left and right sides. Kapler said Longoria most likely will get to see action as third baseman on Sunday afternoon.

Join Morris for the San Francisco Giants podcasts Mondays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Francisco Giants podcast with Morris Phillips Thu Mar 18, 2021 by Sports Radio Service | Free Listening on SoundCloud

Kings get most needed road victory over Wizards 121-119

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @NBA

By Jeremiah Salmonson

The Sacramento Kings (16-24) continue to wallow in the middle of the pack of the teams not in position to make the postseason. After a day off on Tuesday, the Kings were set for action on Wednesday, and this time, they had a break out game and defeated the Washington Wizards (14-25) 121-119 for a road victory in DC at Capital One Arena.

Flashback Monday: The previous game on Monday, didn’t end the way the Kings would have liked. The Kings were in town to face the Charlotte Hornets on Monday. A game the Kings were looking to win to get some momentum going in the second half of the year. Unfortunately, the Hornets won by a final of 122-116. It was a close game, but once again, the Kings offense couldn’t put pace a struggling defense.

Wednesday night recap: The Kings were set to take on the Washington Wizards in Washington as the jump was scheduled for 4:30 PM PST.

In the first half, the Kings and Wizards took place in a good old-fashioned track meet. Both teams were pretty much getting whatever they wanted on offense as neither team seemed to want to play defense. The Kings were outscored by the Wizards 38-34 in the first quarter. That was followed, but by the Kings outscoring the Wizards 32-28 in the second quarter. At this point, going into the half with a 66-66 tie, whichever team played better defense would come out with the win.

In the second half, the Kings came out of the hate strong in the third quarter. The Kings outscored the Wizards 36-27 in the quarter to take a nine-point advantage into the final 12 minutes. The Kings would look to capitalize on the advantage. In the final quarter, the Kings nearly blew the lead. The Wizards outscored the Kings 26-19 as the comeback just fell short by a final of 121-119.

Bradley Beal led the way for the Wizards with 29 points, while De’Aaron Fox led the way for the Kings in victory with 28 points. It was a win the Kings needed to get done against a team that is struggling. They will look to keep the momentum going in their next game.

Up Next: The Kings will continue their six-game road trip as they travel to take on the Boston Celtics at 4:30 PM PST on Friday.

Barracuda edge Condors 4-3, snap two streaks

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @sjbarracuda

By Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose Barracuda had a pair of two-goal leads before hanging on to defeat the the Bakersfield Condors 4-3 on Wednesday evening at SAP Center.

A pair of streaks came to an end with the Barracuda’s 4-3 win. The Condors’ nine-game winning streak and the ‘Cuda’s three-game winning streak ended in dramatic fashion.

There was no scoring in the penalty-free first period as Bakersfield outshot San Jose 9-6. Both Josef Korenar and Condors backup goalie Olivier Rodrigue stood their ground, stopping the 15 combined shots on net.

San Jose (6-4-4-0) finally drew first blood early in the second period. Stefan Noesen made a pretty, no-look centering pass from behind the net out to Joel Kellman, who buried the puck past the five-hole of Rodrigue for his second goal of the season at the 1:22 mark.

The Barracuda doubled its lead late in the middle frame to take a 2-0 lead heading into the second intermission.

Sasha Chmelevski led an odd man rush into the Condors zone. Chmelevski sent a cross ice pass to a trailing Jeffery Viel, who snapped home a wrist shot to the short side of Rodrigue for his second goal of the season at the 18:05 mark. Noesen collected his second point of the game, receiving the secondary assist.

Bakersfield (9-6-0-0) cut the lead in half early in the second period. ‘Cuda killer Cooper Marody sent a pass up to Tyler Benson, who was behind the bet. Benson skated out and banked a shot off Korenar for his fifth goal of the season at the 2:40 mark.

The Barracuda scored two unanswered goals in a 4:05 span midway through the third period that proved to be more than just insurance.

Nicholas Meloche sent a cross-ice pass from the right point over to Jacob Middleton. The veteran defenseman’s initial shot was blocked by a Condors defender before Middleton followed up on his own rebound and slid a backhander underneath Rodrigue for his goal of the season at the 7:19 mark.

San Jose went up 4-1 when Kellman led a 2-on-1 odd man rush with Joachim Blichfeld. Kellman sent a cross-ice pass over to Blichfeld, who lasered a one-timer past Rodrigue for what turned out to be the game-winning goal, his team-leading ninth of the season at the 11:24 mark.

The Condors did not go down quietly as they responded just 25 seconds later. Adam Cracknell intercepted a clearing attempt by Viel and skated to the left faceoff circle, rifling a wrist shot to past Korenar to the short side for an unassisted goal, his fourth of the season.

Bakersfield made it a 4-3 game 28 seconds later when Cracknell centered a pass from behind the ‘Cuda net to an open Seth Griffith, who buried a one-timer past Korenar for his third goal of the season at the 12:17 mark.

The Condors’ last ditch effort to get the equalizer was washed away when Korenar robbed Marody of a wide-open chance off a backdoor feed with 10 seconds remaining in the game.

Korenar finished the game with 37 saves on 40 shots to earn the victory. Rodrigue made 21 saves on 25 shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose was 0-for-1 on the power play. Bakersfield went 0-for-4.

The Three Stars of the Game were: 1) Kellman 2) Noesen 3) Korenar

UP NEXT: San Jose travels out to the desert to start a two-game series with the Henderson Silver Knights on Saturday, 3/20 at 1:00 pm PST at Orleans Arena.