SAN JOSE — The San Jose Sharks defeated the Los Angeles Kings 4-1 Friday afternoon at the SAP Center. Sharks goals came from Patrick Marleau, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Noah Gregor and Logan Couture. Martin Jones made 33 saves for the win. The lone Kings goal came from Kyle Clifford and Jonathan Quick made 18 saves in the game. Friday’s win came after an ugly 5-1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Wednesday.
The Sharks’ ability to rebound from losses has improved recently.
After the game, Sharks goaltender Martin Jones said: “Based on our record, I’d say yes. You know, we’ve got a lot of veteran guys in here, it’s nothing new. You go through it every year, tough stretches. It’s pretty important to get it turned around as quickly as you can, not let it spiral.”
One of the Sharks goals was a career-first.
Joe Thornton talked about Noah Gregor scoring his first NHL goal: “It changes your mindset when you get that first one. Confidence is such a big part of sports and you could see after he scored that, confidence just grew and hopefully it can grow from there.”
“It felt was awesome,” said Gregor. “It took, I think this is game 11? It took a bit but it was awesome to see the puck go in the net for the first time.” Of what the coaches have asked from him over this season, he said: “Just try to stay consistent in my game. Bring that speed. I think the speed is my biggest attribute, just try to bring that every single night. Also, my defensive game, always trying to improve it, be a little harder on pucks and plays a little bit quicker.”
The first goal came shortly after a Sharks power play, at 7:26 of the first period. Joe Thornton wrested control of the puck by the Kings net, carried it out to center and then found Marcus Sorensen on the wing. Sorensen convinced everyone that he was about to shoot, drawing defensive attention to him, and making Jonathan Quick come out to stop the shot. Instead, he sent a pass across the ice to Patrick Marleau, who was skating toward an open net. It was Marleau’s sixth of the season. Assists went to Sorensen and Thornton.
The second goal came from Marc-Edouard Vlasic at 13:14 during a delayed penalty. With two skaters lined up in front of Quick, Vlasic shot it in the short side, sneaking over Quick’s pad and through a narrow gap by the post. Assists went to Erik Karlsson and Timo Meier.
The Kings out-shot the Sharks 8-4 in the first period.
The Sharks resumed their scoring ways at 2:58 of the second period. Noah Gregor broke away through the neutral zone. He passed two Kings before catching a pass from Brenden Dillon and shooting on the fly. It was Gregor’s first NHL goal, in his 10th NHL game. Assists went to Dillon and Martin Jones.
The second goal of the second period came from Logan Couture at 14:42. Erik Karlsson sent a shot right down the slot. First it hit Barclay Goodrow’s stick, then Logan Couture’s right on the edge of the paint. Goodrow and Karlsson got the assists.
The Kings out-shot the Sharks 13-9 in the second period.
At 12:54 of the third, Antti Suomela collided with Kurtis MacDermid and had to leave the game. MacDermid was given a match penalty but after an official review that was downgraded to a minor interference penalty.
The Kings broke Martin Jones’ shutout bid with a couple of minutes left in the game. Matt Luff found Kyle Clifford in the slot with a pass from the boards. Clifford sent it in without hesitation and it went right by Jones.
The Kings out-shot the Sharks 11-8 in the third period. the Kings won 54% of the face-offs in the game.
The Sharks next play on Saturday in Glendale, Arizona against the Coyotes at 5:00 PM PT.
photo from sfgate.com: San Jose Sharks center Noah Gregor, center, celebrates with teammates on the bench after scoring a goal against the Los Angeles Kings during the second period of an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., Friday, Nov. 29, 2019.
On the Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa:
#1 Gotta be a thrill for the Sharks Noah Gregor to score his first goal for the season hitting it in the second period on a corner shot stick side of Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick
#2 Talk about Sharks goaltender Marty Jones getting the assist on the Gregor goal it doesn’t come often when a goal tender gets the assist on a goal.
#3 This team is taking each game by storm they picked up their ninth win out of their last 11 games today with a dominating win over the Los Angeles Kings.
#4 Sharks score two per period and in the second period it looked as if the Sharks had taken the wind out of the Kings sails.
#5 Sharks playing back to back head to Arizona to face the Coyotes who have won six of their last ten games talk about how you see this match up.
photo from sfgate.com: Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson runs against the Los Angeles Rams during the first half of an NFL football game Monday, Nov. 25, 2019, in Los Angeles.
On the SF 49ers podcast with Joe:
#1 The 49ers (10-1) had a bulldozer game against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football. The 49ers dominated the Packers on both sides of the ball.
#2 Looking to Sunday’s game in Baltimore, a game that could either be the 49ers’ best or worst of the season.
#3 The Baltimore Ravens (9-2) have home field. They’re also coming off a huge victory over the LA Rams from last week. They have home field against the 49ers and Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL.
#4 Do the Ravens have the pick of the oddsmakers? They’ve been favored by six points and this could be a rough afternoon for the 49ers.
#5 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo goes up against a pretty good pass rush. How does Joe see Garoppolo throwing against the Ravens?
When Ryan Beecher runs out of the tunnel into Stanford Stadium on Saturday for the last time, he’ll be met by water works.
It’s Senior Day against No. 15 Notre Dame, so Cardinal players will be recognized before the game and greeted by their families on the field. Emotional, but even more so for Jim and Julie Beecher, and their other children, Annabelle (’17) and Holden.
In December 2017, the night before the team was flying to the Alamo Bowl, Ryan was packing at his home in Fresno, Calif. when he received a phone call from Stanford Hospital. A pathology report had come back about a lump under his armpit and a biopsy revealed he had tested positive for Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma.
Scared and uncertain about his future, Ryan stayed home and sought an immediate diagnosis. Steve Schwartz, the father of teammate Harry Schwartz, arranged an appointment with a lymphoma specialist at UCLA. The family was told he had a treatable strain.
“The days before Ryan was officially diagnosed were some of the hardest days of my life,” said Julie. “Suddenly, my young, healthy son had this terrifying word, cancer, hanging over his head and we had no idea what that would mean for him.”
Teammates quickly rallied around Beecher. They signed his No. 43 game jersey and wrote messages, and it arrived at his home the day before the game. On game day against TCU, Beecher wore the jersey and watched the game on television with his family. Many Stanford players wrote his number on their arms and JJ Arcega-Whiteside pointed to it after catching a touchdown pass.
Photo credit: gostanford.com
“From Week 1, it was just an overwhelming amount of love and support,” Beecher said. “I will always be thankful to them.”
The official diagnosis was a rare form of lymphoma called “ALK-positive.” Beecher underwent six rounds of chemotherapy, lost his hair and considerable weight off his 6-1, 230-pound frame.
“The eyebrows took some getting used to,” Beecher said.
Teammate Lewis Burik cooked a big dinner for Beecher and his friends before his first round of chemotherapy. Kaden Smith helped him shave his head.
Beecher was unsure about his football future and missed spring practice and two quarters of school. He never complained and told his mom he wanted to climb Half Dome in Yosemite National Park.
Photo credit: gostanford.com
“Right before the Spring Game that year, Ryan was at a low point,” said Julie. “It was hard to get him to go because he was completely bald and pretty run down from months of chemotherapy. He decided to go, and as he was walking into the game, Coach (David) Shaw approached him and told him he was being put on scholarship. When Ryan told us after the game, it an was incredible moment. It still makes me cry to think about it.”
Photo credit: gostanford.com
Beecher was cleared to participate in fall camp in the summer of 2018 and hasn’t missed a beat.
“Getting back out on the field was a goal and dream of mine once it got taken away,” Beecher said. “Football was a huge motivator in the sense that it taught me a lot of mechanisms to respond to that type of adversity. I give a lot of credit to our training staff and coaches for instilling in us the sense of reacting to adversity and staying positive.”
Beecher was initially told to take it easy, especially during wind sprints, but he tuned out the strength and conditioning coach.
“I’m a stubborn guy and didn’t listen as much as I should have,” Beecher said. “I was pretty exhausted after that first workout. But let me tell you, it was so relieving after months and months — the doctors didn’t want me to go into any gym and expose myself to germs — being back. There’s a certain type of energy you get working out, especially with a group of guys you love.”
Cardinal team captain Casey Toohill said Beecher’s attitude and determination inspired everyone.
“The thing that impressed me the most was when he came back for summer runs after just doing the chemo, he made all the times, which is unheard of, because people miss the times anyway,” Toohill said.
Shaw, the Bradford M. Freeman Director of Football, wasn’t surprised Beecher sold out.
“Being through something similar with my brother the last couple of years, the appreciation of life is powerful,” said Shaw. “To come back from cancer and say all I have to do is run gassers? That’s it? I’m not going to pull back and I’m going to go as hard as I can and know my body is going to respond.”
Beecher, a former walk-on and now a fifth-year senior, played on special teams in 13 games in 2017 and 2018. This season, he has appeared in every contest and earned his first start against Colorado, collecting a career-high five tackles. Beecher has 16 total stops, one pass breakup and one quarterback hurry.
“To play as well as he’s played, stepping up and contributing at inside linebacker, it’s been amazing to watch,” Toohill said. “I’m just proud to be his friend.”
Shaw said, “He’s a tough guy. And tough guys like being around tough guys. To see a guy fight through what he fought through and be able to get in there and grind with his brothers on the field makes you feel like you’re around someone special.”
Photo credit: gostanford.com
Beecher isn’t the biggest, strongest or fastest player on the team. If you walked by him on campus, he looks more like a history major — which he is — than a football player.
Looks can be deceiving. Beecher started 32 consecutive varsity games at San Joaquin Memorial High School and made 232 tackles, leading the league in 2013.
“All he thinks about is his job and what he can do,” said Shaw. “His teammates appreciate that. Every time he makes a tackle or a play, the sideline goes crazy. They’re always cheering and rooting for him. To be able to coach a guy like Ryan Beecher makes you feel good about what you do on a daily basis.”
Beecher is cancer-free, but will need follow up scans for the rest of his life.
“Going through something like that, you take things a little more serious now,” Beecher said. “Definitely happier and more thankful for everything … my family, my friends and everyone who was in my corner supporting me. It’s just really easy when you have a bad day to kick yourself out of it because you’ve had worse days for sure.”
INJURY UPDATE
Connor Wedington, K.J. Costello, Paulson Adebo and Malik Antoine will not play against Notre Dame.
PERSEVERANCE LEADS TO PROMINENCE
Donald Stewart caught his first career touchdown pass last week against Cal, and it was a feel-good moment for everyone. He has overcome injuries, dipped on the depth chart and has spent much of the season working with the scout team. He never complained, went full speed, remained positive and stepped up last week when Connor Wedington was injured on the opening kickoff.
“Donald has had the entire college football experience from playing early, playing well, from not playing much, playing more and making big catches,” Shaw said. “He’s probably grown as much as anybody on the football team.”
Shaw continued to remind him that nothing is set in stone. If you put in the work, it’ll pay off.
“I commend Donald for trusting us,” Shaw said. “We put him back in the rotation and for the last month, Donald has been ready. It was great in a big moment in a Big Game for him to be open and that was a tough catch. Great to see that for him and guys celebrating for him.”
MAKING MILLS
Davis Mills will make his sixth career start at quarterback against the Fighting Irish (9-2). Due to injuries, he didn’t play in 2017 and saw brief action in one game last season.
“Technically, in my book, you’re still a freshman until you play 12 games,” said Shaw. “We’re still technically in Davis’ freshman year. He’s capable of extreme highs.
SHAW ON HIS DEFENSE
“We’ve had outstanding effort and consistent play from a handful of guys, led by Casey Toohill,” Shaw said about the unit’s showing against Cal. “The guy just pours his heart out every single play. Everybody that stepped out on the field played well.”
Shaw also praised the efforts of Andrew Pryts, Curtis Robinson, Thomas Booker and Jovan Swann.
“As injured as we are, we have the guys on the field that can make the plays,” said Shaw. “And now it’s when we make those plays. If it’s late fourth quarter, we make to make those plays. The same thing about us offensively.”
TIGHTEN UP
Containing mobile quarterbacks remains a challenge. Stanford will encounter another quick, athletic and explosive player in Ian Book on Saturday.
“That’s been a difficult thing the entire year, understanding the integrity of where you need to be,” Shaw said. “The rush lanes containing the quarterback are vital. We’ve struggled with that and must improve.”
SENIOR RECOGNITION
Shaw commended the leadership of his seniors for never letting down this season.
“Even after a couple tough losses, the guys come out and are flying around, practicing hard and pushing each other in a positive way,” said Shaw. “That credit doesn’t go to our coaches; that credit goes to our seniors and our leaders.
“These guys have been outstanding in a year when most people are understandably talking about the record and it’s not what we want it to be. But there have been some moments this year at any point in time where these guys could have packed it in, and their teammates wouldn’t allow them to.”
MUTUAL ADMIRATION
Lynn Swann grew up in Michigan and is not a Notre Dame fan. That being said, he respects what the program has accomplished and knows they are benchmark for success.
“It means a lot to strap up and go against a team like that,” Swann said. “People have dislike for them because they are such a great program. I just happened to be born in Michigan.
“I think they’re a great team and we have a great challenge ahead of us and I’m excited to play against them because when you make plays against teams like that it shows you are a real team and can compete against some of the best in the nation. And I think that’s our mentality this week to play to the best of our ability.”
QUOTE
“Growing pains are called growing pains because they hurt.” — David Shaw on using 20 freshmen this season.
espn.com photo: Derek Carr hasn’t won in five games at Arrowhead Stadium, with most of those games being lopsided.
On the Raiders podcast with Joe Hawkes:
#1 Oakland Raiders head coach Jon Gruden says that playing in Arrowhead Stadium is one of the coolest places to play. Gruden said he absolutely loves going there.
#2 On the other hand, for Raiders quarterback Derek Carr, Kansas City is like a house of horrors for him.
#3 Carr is 0-5 in five of his last six games at Arrowhead.
#4 Carr knows how the turf feels like in Kansas City as he’s been sacked 17 times in the those last five games at Arrowhead.
#5 Carr said after last Sunday’s loss to the New York Jets “I want to win now” Carr also said “we haven’t won there (in Kansas City) yet”.
On the Stanford Cardinal podcast with Jerry Feitelberg:
#1 Jerry, talk about the Big Game last Saturday against Cal at Stanford Stadium. For Cardinal quarterback David Mills, he gave it his best, but Stanford fell in a very narrow game.
#2 Cal was able to play successfully on both sides of the football and come up with two touchdowns in the four quarter to get by Stanford by four points in one for the ages as Cal has not won in Stanford since 2009.
#3 In Stanford men’s basketball: A tough loss for Stanford men’s (7-1) fall in their first loss of the season after winning seven straight games to the Butler Bulldogs (7-0) 68-67, a one-point loss.
#4 It seems like Butler can beat up on the big schools with a perfect record so far. Is it fair to say look for them in March?
#5 UNC Wilmington (5-3) is next to face the Cardinal on Sunday at Maples Pavilion. Jerry talks about how he sees this game.
photo from sfgate.com: Winnipeg Jets right wing Patrik Laine (29) is congratulated by teammates after scoring a goal against the San Jose Sharks during the first period of an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2019
By Jerry Feitelberg
The San Jose Sharks felt the absence of Tomas Hertl especially hard Wednesday night, losing to the Winnipeg Jets 5-1 at home while going 0-for-6 on the power play. Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck made 32 saves in a spectacular performance, with only Melker Karlsson solving the one-time Vezina trophy winner. Aaron Dell wasn’t sharp in net, allowing 4 goals on 25 shots, but his defense didn’t do him many favors either, with Winnipeg scoring 5 unanswered goals. Patrik Laine, Kyle Connor and Blake Wheeler all had multi-point nights for the victors.
Melker Karlsson opened the scoring 9:28 into the game, netting his second goal of the year after taking a Joe Thornton feed and beating Hellebuyck for the 1-0 lead, but the Sharks would take their foot off the gas pedal after that.
Patrik Laine (1g, 2a) evened things up on a one-timer with a Shark in the penalty box with 6:45 left to play in the period, then Dell (and Erik Karlsson) were victimized by rookie David Gustafsson. Gustafsson skated right past Karlsson then beat Dell on what could be considered a soft goal 1:51 from the first intermission. Gustafsson’s first NHL goal pulled the Jets ahead 2-1.
San Jose didn’t do itself any favors early in the 2nd period when Mark Scheifele was left unmarked in the slot. Kyle Connor connected with him for the point-blank chance, which Scheifele buried for his 9th goal of the year. Jack Roslovic chipped a rebound home with 4:59 left in the second to give Winnipeg the 4-1 edge and Kyle Connor scored the empty-netter with 5:13 left in the game for the 5-1 final.
The Sharks power play, despite a number of opportunities without linchpin Tomas Hertl in the lineup still recovering from a lower body injury. They barely generated any shots on goal, accounting for 8 over the 6 man advantages. Even dressing 7 defensemen, a tactic that had been successful in some of the previous games, didn’t help things click. The Sharks will hope to have Hertl back for the Black Friday matinee against the Los Angeles Kings, a team the Sharks had beat Monday night in LA after originally blowing a 3-0 lead.
The Sacramento Kings wrapped up their four-game road trip in Philadelphia on Wednesday on a “low note”. The 76ers Joel Embiid exploded for a game-high 33 points and 16 rebounds to lead his team to a 97-91 victory.
Embiid really was in need of a good game after being held scoreless in his team’s loss to the Raptors on Monday night. Embiid said he didn’t feel any pressure to have a “statement game”, but he was happy his team came away with the “W”.
3rd Quarter letdown
After trailing by just one point at halftime, the Kings put themselves in a great position to steal this game on the road. After starting a bit slow in the third period, Sacramento came alive and kept the score close until midway through the quarter.
The Kings went into a 3:04 scoring drought at the end of the third quarter which allowed the Sixers to outscore them 29-19. Philly led 76-65 after 36 minutes of play and the Kings would never be able to catch up.
SAC outscored the 76ers in the final quarter but it was too little too late. The Sixers (12-6) won the game 97-91.
Spotlight on the Kings
Looking at the final box score there is one glaring stat that jumps off the page. The Kings (7-10) went to the free throw line only nine times on Wednesday night and converted just four of those opportunities. An NBA team is not going to win a game going to the charity stripe just nine times.
To give you a comparison, the 76ers went to the line 24 times in the game – a very acceptable number. They went 20-for-24 (83.3%) from the stripe which helped them to win the game.
Ironically, the Kings outscored the Sixers in the paint 40-38 even though they were facing Embiid, Al Horford and Tobias Harris.
The biggest lead for Sacramento in the game for SAC was one point. The 76ers held a 17 point lead in the fourth quarter.
The Kings also had a tough night from “downtown”. They shot just 9-for-34 (26.5%) from beyond the 3-point line.
Sacramento scoring:
Buddy Hield was the team’s high scorer putting 22 points in the book. He had a tough night shooting going 9-for-24 overall and 3-for-12 from 3-point land.
Dewayne Dedmon came off the bench to put up 18 points and grab six rebounds.
Bogdan Bogdanovic added 17 points hitting 7 of 15 shots.
Harrison Barnes scored 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds.
Focus on the Sixers
Embiid had a big game @ Philadelphia 76ers
The 76ers blocked 10 Kings shots in the game while SAC blocked just three of the Sixers shots.
Philly scoring:
Matisse Thybulle came off the bench to score 15 points. He went a perfect 5-for-5 from the field and hit 3 of 3 from behind the 3-point line.
Forward Tobias Harris scored 14 points.
The veteran Al Horford scored 12 points and hauled in seven rebounds.
Point guard Ben Simmons recorded a double-double putting up 10 points and grabbing 14 rebounds.
Up next
The Kings return home and will host the Denver Nuggets on Saturday afternoon at the Golden 1 Center.
The Sixers will face the Knicks on Friday night at the Garden.
The San Jose Barracuda did something that hasn’t happened very often in their five-year history. The ability to come from behind in a hostile environment. They exorcised those demons with a 3-2 overtime victory over the San Diego Gulls on Thanksgiving Eve at Pachenga Arena in San Diego.
San Jose has won two games in a row and are currently tied with San Diego, who have lost two in a row but earned a point going for going into overtime, for last place in the Pacific Division as both teams currently have 15 points on the season.
It didn’t look good for San Jose late in the third period until Evan Weinger rescued his team with his fifth goal of the season with under four minutes left in regulation. Nick DeSimone and Joel Kellman set up Weinger’s equalizer that came at 16:33 mark.
Then, it only took just over two minutes into the extra session when Maxim Letunov set up Jayden Halbewachs for the game winner. Halbgewachs fired a shot past Gulls goaltender Anthony Stolarz for his fourth goal of the season at the 2:08 mark.
San Diego (7-8-1-0) drew first blood late in the first period when Chris Wideman scored his seventh goal of the season at the 17:31 mark. Isac Lunderstrom and Scott Moldenhauer assisted on Wideman’s tally.
Despite outshooting the Gulls by a 2-to-1 margin 12-6, the ‘Cuda found themselves down 1-0 after the opening 20 minutes.
San Jose (7-10-0-1) tied it up with their hot power play of late. Alexander True sent a pass over to Jonny Brodzinski and the Minnesota native’s shot went into the back of the net for his third goal of the season at the 3:14 mark. Joachim Blichfeld received the secondary assist.
The Gulls regained the lead just over five minutes later when Alex Dostie scored his fifth goal of the season at the 8:28 mark. Dostie has now scored in two consecutive games against the Barracuda. Daniel Sprong and Moldenhauer were credited with the assists, giving Moldenhauer a multi-point game.
‘Cuda goalie Josef Korenar finished a light evening, stopping 14 of the 16 shots he faced to earn his sixth victory of the season. Stolarz, in contrast to Korenar had a very busy night, making 38 saves on 41 shots in the losing effort.
GAME NOTES: San Jose was 1/3 on the power play. San Diego was 0/2. The ‘Cuda have scored four goals with the man advantage in their last two games.
The announced attendance was 5,444.
UP NEXT: The Barracuda return home to host the Bakersfield Condors on Friday, November 29 at 6:00 pm at SAP Center.
