That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: NHL…Toews’ Schedule?

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Photo credit: secondcityhockey.com

By Amaury Pi-González

Jonathan Toews is the Canadian-born captain of the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL). The 31-year-old veteran, whose in his 13th season with the Blackhawks, might be into something. He suggested an NHL schedule with fewer late-night flights and 3:00 AM bedtime. According to Toews, flying a long distance for a lone game day should be replaced with three-game series like in the MLB. Although not totally the same, since in baseball you have a 162-game schedule (81 home, 81 away) and sometimes you play a four-game series.

In the NHL, there are 31 teams (24 in the US and seven in Canada). Aside from teams playing home and away, like the Sharks would go to Los Angeles to play the Kings one night, and the next night, the Kings are in San José to play the Sharks, there’s no such thing as what Toews is suggesting. The total NHL season schedule consists of 82 games for each team (41 home, 41 road).

I asked veteran broadcaster Dan Rusanowsky, the Voice of the Sharks, about Toews’ schedule. Rusanowsky said that it would benefit the Eastern teams more than us, which would defeat the purpose of equalizing the impact of travel. It would also be hard to do it equitably without expanding the schedule beyond 82 games, which I don’t think anyone wants to do. But in the end, Rusanowsky added that the complicated idea is something to examine.

From personal experience, the Toews’ schedule makes a lot of sense. I traveled with the Warriors on their charter and the NBA schedule similar to the NHL as they traveled for one game in each city. At the same time, I have traveled with baseball team charter and the schedule is one that I’ve always called “the-you-can-unpack-your-suitcase-schedule” trip. There’s no doubt it’s easier for players and media to travel to a certain city to play three games than leave, maybe have a day off, and start another three games in another city, than just flying to Toronto on Monday to play on Tuesday, leave after the game and fly to New York to play the following night.

The Sharks will try to end their five-game losing streak this Tuesday when they host Toews and the Blackhawks at SAP Center at 7:00 PM.

Cal Bears podcast with Morris Phillips: With Washington State coming, will Bears be ready after the Utes experience?

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calbears.com: Cal Bears Bednarik Semifinalist Award candidate Evan Weaver (89) goes in for the tackle as Weaver and the Bears prepare for the Washington State Cougars Saturday, November 9th.

On the Cal Bears podcast with Morris:

#1 The Bears (4-4) were dismantled in their last game on both sides of the ball in Utah (7-1) 35-0, a shutout, a beating the Bears haven’t experienced this season.

#2 In the game in Utah, Bears quarterback Spencer Brasch threw 7-19 for 47 yards and the Bears simply didn’t get any yardage in the game in Utah.

#3 On the defensive side of the ball, the Bears defense was like butter for the Utes, who scored five touchdowns on the Bears in the first three quarters.

#4 In the fourth quarter, the Utes didn’t score a touchdown and played the bench. Was it their version of the mercy rule since the score was already 35-0?

#5 The Bears host the Washington State Cougars (4-4). It could very well be the Bears best chance at getting back in the win column. They haven’t won since Sept 21st against Ole Miss.

Catch Morris on the Cal Bears podcasts each Monday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Roadrunners bury Barracuda 5-3 with 3rd period outburst

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Photo credit: @sjbarracuda

By Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE, Calif. — For the second game in a row the San Jose Barracuda couldn’t hold a third period lead and it cost them dearly as the Tucson Roadrunners used a four-goal outburst to defeat San Jose 5-3 on Sunday afternoon at SAP Center.

It was the most goals San Jose has given up in the third period this season as they have lost two games in a row.

San Jose (4-4-0-1) jumped out to a fast start when Joel Kellman sent a pass over to Thomas Gregoire, whose shot was initially saved by Roadrunners goalie Adin Hill. The rebound jumped out into the middle of the crease where Joachim Blichfeld crashed in and cleaned up the rebound for his third goal of the season just 38 seconds into the game. It was the fastest goal to open a game for the ‘Cuda this season.

The ‘Cuda doubled its lead nine minutes later on the power play when Lean Bergmann bulldozed his way into the Roadrunner zone and had the puck roll over onto the stick of Danil Yurtaykin. The Russian forward then fed a wide open Anti Suomela in the slot and he fired a wrist shot past Hill for his first goal (and first point) of the season at the 9:35 mark.

Tucson (8-3-0-0) cut the lead in the half on the power play late in the second period on what would be the start of four unanswered goals when Robbie Russo sent a pass over to Michael Bunting and he fired it home past ‘Cuda goalie Andrew Shortridge for his second goal of the season at the 17:11 mark.

“We take the penalty late in the second and they score on that, it’s 2-1,” said ‘Cuda head coach Roy Sommer. “We gave life to a team that was lifeless really.”

The Roadrunners dominated the third period with three straight goals. First, Lane Pederson scored his ninth goal of the season while Tucscon was on the power play at the 2:37 mark. Bunting and Jordan Gross received assists.

Then less than two minutes later, former ‘Cuda forward Jon Martin, who signed with Tucscon in the offseason, scored his third goal of the season and first against his old club from Jeremy Gregoire and Nate Schnarr at the 4:28 mark.

Brayden Burke scored Tucson’s third power play goal of the contest at the 11:12 mark of the final period with Hudson Fasching and Kyle Capobianco receiving assists on the goal.

“Unfortunately the game is 60 minutes and we only played 40 of it,” said Sommer.

The ‘Cuda cut the deficit to a one-goal game less than minute later when Radim Simek sent a cross ice pass over to Gregorie at the right point. Gregoire then threw a wrist shot toward the net that went past Hill, who was screened on the play by his own defenseman Cam Dineen, for his first goal of the season at the 12:20 mark. Bergmann was credited with the secondary assist.

Simek has registered points in his two games since the San Jose Sharks reassigned him for his conditioning rehab.

But that was as close as San Jose would get as Tucson’s Gregoire sealed the deal with a short-handed empty-net goal at the 18:46 mark. It was the center’s first goal of the season.

Hill finished 34 saves on 37 shots to earn the victory. Shortridge allowed four goals on 22 shots in suffering the loss.

GAMES NOTES: San Jose was 1/4 on the power play. Tucson finished 3/6.

Bergmann notched his first multi-assist game of his AHL career.

UP NEXT: The Barracuda travel down to Bakersfield to take on the Condors on Saturday, November 9 at 7:00 pm at the Rabobank Arena.

Kings down the Knicks 113-92 in the Garden

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NYC Fox
Fox to the bucket Photo: @SacramentoKings

By Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings took the opportunity to build off their first win on Friday night to put victory number two in the book by crushing the New York Knicks 113-92 on Sunday night in the Garden. Teams traveling to the East Coast from the West can sometimes suffer from fatigue and time disorientation in their first game of a road trip. That did not happen on Sunday night.

Fast start in Manhattan
The lead changed hands three times in the first quarter of the game. The third lead change came with 7:51 to go in the period. The Kings took a 10-9 lead off a Harrison Barnes finger-roll layup. Sacramento would never trail again in the game.

The Kings shot 52.2% from the floor in the first quarter and put in 5 of 12 attempts from behind the 3-point arc. When the buzzer sounded after the first 12-minutes were over, Sacramento held a 32-23 lead over the home team.

No let-up in the 2nd quarter
The Kings kept the pressure on the Knicks in the second period by continuing to shoot well and by playing tenacious defense. Sacramento made good on 11 of their 19 Field Goal Attempts (57.9%), hit 3 of 6 (50.0%) from downtown and went a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line.

The Kings defense held the Knicks to just 28.6% (6-for-21) shooting and limited New York to just 2 of 10 from 3-point range.

The Kings held a 61-41 lead at the half.

What would happen in the third quarter?
The Kings had not outscored an opponent in the third quarter of any of their previous six games. That had led to their demise in every contest except on Friday night versus Utah.

That all changed on Sunday night in NYC. The Kings outscored the Knicks 29-23 and broke the third quarter curse that seemed like it would never go away.

Again, it was a combination of good shooting and a strong defense that did the in the job for the Kings. One example of the defense is the fact New York went 0-for-7 from “downtown” in the period. Sacramento was up 90-64 after 36 minutes of play.

The Knicks didn’t roll over and play dead
Every player in the NBA is a proud professional. They all want to win and every one of them hates to lose. The Knicks tried to make the game competitive in the last period.

Kings head coach Luke Walton had to leave his starters in for over half the quarter because the pesky Knicks would not go away. It was a tremendous “chase-down” block that ended the New York comeback run.

The Kings won their second game of the season 113-92. Sacramento is 2-5 while New York drops to 1-6 on the young campaign.

Postgame thoughts
Kings head coach Luke Walton had a number of thoughts after the win:

  • Walton said he told his team this game would set the tone for the road trip.
  • He said the key to the victory was the reduced number of turnovers and competition for rebounds. The Kings turned the ball over just 13 times and outrebounded New York 49-39.
  • Walton was happy that his team won the 3rd quarter but emphasized the team did not talk about the problem during halftime of the last two games – both victories.
  • He also mentioned a sitdown that he and De’Aaron Fox had on the plane just to review video clips and plays. Fox scored a team-high 24 points and dished out six assists in the win. That was some productive coach-player time.
  • When asked by a New York reporter about the playoffs, Walton replied that he’s not worried about the playoffs. He said he is interested in getting better every day.

Top performances

  • All of the Kings starting five scored in double figures.
  • Richaun Holmes had another double-double game scoring 14 points and grabbing 10 rebounds (four off the offensive glass).
  • Buddy Hield found the bucket again. He put 22 points in the book shooting 8-for-16 overall and hitting 5 of 11 from long range.
  • Harrison Barnes enjoyed his night in the Garden putting up 19 points.
  • Nemanja Bjelica recorded 10 points, made eight rebounds and distributed six assists in his 24-minutes on the floor.
  • The Knicks were led by Marcus Morris Sr. with a game-high 28 points and rookie RJ Barrett who added 22 points in 40-plus minutes of playing time.

Up next
The Kings head up “North” to face the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night. The Raptors will be much tougher competition, but the Kings have won in Exposition City before.

The Knicks will also return to action on Wednesday night when they travel to Detroit.

Takeaways from the Raiders’ win over the Lions

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Photo credit: freep.com

By Joe Hawkes
SRS Contributor

OAKLAND, Calif. — The Raiders returned home from their whirlwind tour in which they logged over 20,000 miles with a gutsy, 31-24 victory over the visiting Detroit Lions on Sunday that pulled the team to the .500 mark at 4-4.

Quarterback Derek Carr threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to rookie wide receiver Hunter Renfrow with 2:05 left in the game, cementing Oakland’s win in the team’s first game at home in seven weeks.

Carr’s clutch throw to Renfrow for the win got the Raiders off on the right foot, as they enter a critical three-game homestand that will be key in Oakland’s playoff chances this season. The Raiders face the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday Night Football on a short week, then host the Cincinnati Bengals at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on Nov. 11.

Check out my takeaways from the Silver and Black’s win against the Lions:

Josh Jacobs is the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year without question

As much as Oakland’s win can be credited to its signal-caller (Carr completed 20-of-31 passes for 289 yards and 2 TDs), Jacobs’ performance was instrumental.

The rookie running back found gaping holes in Detroit’s defense, rushing for 120 yards and two scores on 28 carries. It was Jacobs’ third game this season in which he’s rushed for 120+ yards with 20+ carries.

With a 16-yard rush late in the first-half, Jacobs broke Marcus Allen’s franchise rookie record for rushing. Jacobs now has rushed for 740 yards and through eight games, breaking Allen’s mark of 697 set in the nine-game, strike-shortened 1982 season per Elias Sports Bureau.

Not only does Jacobs leads all rookies in rushing, but his six touchdowns and runs of 20+ yards (5) and 40+ yards (2) are tops among the group.

Raiders’ defense is opportunistic

Lions quarterback did have a big day against the Raiders’ suspect secondary, throwing for 406 yards and three touchdowns, but Oakland did capitalize on two Detroit turnovers in the first half to take a 17-14 lead.

Defensive tackle Maurice Hurst recovered a fumble deep inside Oakland’s territory after Stafford botched a handoff to running back JD McKissic on Detroit’s opening drive of the game. The Raiders would turn that into an 11-play, 68-yard drive in 5:32 that culminated in Jacobs’ first score of the game, a 2-yard run that put Oakland ahead 7-0.

After the Lions took a 14-10 lead following a 59-yard touchdown pass from Stafford to wide receiver Kenny Golladay, Stafford tried to hookup with Golladay again, but Raiders cornerback Daryl Worley made a terrific play on the football by intercepting Stafford in the end zone.

The Raiders would turn that takeaway into points, with Jacobs capping off a 12-play, 80-yard drive in 5:14 with his second score of the game from 3-yards out to put Oakland ahead 17-14 going into halftime.

For as much as the takeaways led to 14 points for Oakland, those weren’t the biggest plays in my book by the defense in the game.

With Detroit inches away from scoring and facing a fourth down, the Raiders defense looking to preserve a 31-24 lead, Karl Joseph’s pass breakup of the potential game-tying touchdown in the back of the end zone was the biggest play made by the defense on the day.

Quote of the game

“I love this place. It’s special. To come home in front of them and get a win, especially the way we did it. It would be nice to win something 40-0 some time. But when you win one like this, it does so many good things for a team.” – Derek Carr talking about the feeling he gets playing in Oakland in front of Raider Nation.

The Raiders are playing their final season in Oakland this year, before moving to their new 65,000-seat home, Allegiant Stadium, in Las Vegas in 2020.

Thursday night’s matchup against the Chargers (4-5) should make for an enticing game.

The Chargers will enter the game fresh off the heels of a 26-11 victory over the visiting Green Bay Packers at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, Calif.

Running back Melvin Gordon scored two touchdowns, and kicker Michael Badgely booted four field goals for the Chargers, who snapped a three-game home losing streak and handed the Packers (7-2) their second loss of the year.

Raiders return home and get huge 31-24 win over Lions

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Photo credit: detroitnews.com

By Jeremy Kahn

OAKLAND-What did former WWE competitor Dwayne The Rock Johnson always says when he returned to his hometown of Miami, Finally, The Rock has come home.

Well, after an odyssey that saw them travel nearly 20,000 miles and to the United Kingdom for a game, Finally, the Oakland Raiders have come home.

Derek Carr found rookie Hunter Renfrowe for a nine-yard touchdown pass with 2:04 remaining in the game, as the Raiders defeated the Detroit Lions 31-24 at the Coliseum.

Karl Joseph came up with the defensive play of the game, as he batted down in the end zone with three seconds remaining in the game, as the Lions drove the length of the field with the help of a pass interference penalty; however, the Lions could punch it in for the potential game-tying touchdown and the Raiders evened their record at 4-4.

This was the Raiders first game in the Coliseum since losing to the Kansas City Chiefs on September 15.

During that stretch, the Raiders played four games on the road and a game against the Chicago Bears in London during the time away.

Carr also threw a touchdown to rookie tight end Foster Moreau, and rookie running back Josh Jacobs continues to shine, as he two touchdowns. This is the first time since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970 that the Raiders got four touchdowns from rookies in the same game.

Matthew Stafford attempted to find Logan Thomas for that potential game-tying touchdown, but Joseph got his hands in the way and the Raiders walked away with a huge win in the opener of a three-game home stand.

Jacobs, the rookie out of Alabama gained 120 yards and scored two touchdowns in helping the Raiders to even their record at 4-4 on the season.

Throughout the first three quarters of the game, neither team punted and the Raiders retook the lead 24-17 in the opening moments of the fourth quarter, as Carr found Moreau for a three-yard touchdown pass.

The Lions tied up the game with just 5:16 remaining in the game, as Stafford found L.J. Mikissic for a 26-yard touchdown pass.

Carr went 20-for-31 for 289 yards and two touchdowns on the afternoon. Renfrowe led the Raiders with six receptions for 54 yards, while Jalen Richard caught three passes for a team-leading 56 yards.

Jacobs led the Raiders in rushing with 126 yards on the ground on 28 carries and those two touchdowns.

One of the biggest plays of the game will not appear in the box score, as the Raiders went for a fake punt and Derek Carrier scrambled 27 yards for a first down. Unfortunately, the fake punt went for naught, as Daniel Carlson missed a 45-yard field goal that would have extended the Raiders lead up to six.

I was pretty nervous. I was pretty nervous. We faked one versus Chicago. We faked one today. We felt we had a chance to pull it off and credit to (assistant head coach/special teams coordinator Rich) Bisaccia. Hes one of the best special teams coaches in football. I wish we had made the field goal and gotten something out of it, said Jon Gruden.

On the ensuing series, the Lions drove down to the five-yard line, but the Raiders defense held the Lions out of the end zone and Matt Prater kicked a 23-yard field goal to tie up the game.

Stafford went 26-for-41 for 406 yards, three touchdowns and an interception.

McKissic was the leading ground gainer for the Lions, as he carried the ball four times for 32 yards. The running back was on the receiving end of a Stafford touchdown.

Kenny Golladay caught only four passes on the afternoon, but gained a whopping 132 yards and a touchdown for the Lions, while former CAL star Marvin Jones, Jr., caught eight passes for 126 yards and a touchdown.

The Raiders benefitted from two big Lions turnovers, as Stafford fumbled on the Lions opening series and it was recovered by Maurice Hurst. The second turnover came with the Lions leading 14-10 in the second quarter, and the Lions on the Raiders 20-yard line, Staffords pass was intercepted in the end zone by Darrell Worley.

We scored a touchdown off a takeaway, but we had to go 80 yards. It wasnt like we were knocking on the door. We love the takeaways. We think thats a winning edge in football, said Gruden.

UP NEXT: The Los Angeles Chargers come to the Coliseum on Thursday night, as the longtime division rivals face off against one another.

5 Stanford MBB Players You Should Get to Know

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Photo credit: gostanford.com

By Ana Kieu

Stanford men’s basketball is just around the corner. The Cardinal open the regular season on Wednesday, November 6 at 7:00 pm PST versus the Montana Grizzlies. The Grizzlies are a Division I team and are members of the Big Sky Conference.

So, with that said, here are five Stanford men’s basketball players you should get to know.

1. Isaac White

Photo credit: gostanford.com

What are you most excited about this season?
Winning games with my brothers. These offseasons seem way too long, and so I am itching to get on the court and go to battle with this team.

What part of your game did you work on most this offseason?
My all round body shape and conditioning, and my shooting off of the move. I have a good understanding of my role on this team and did everything I could to ensure that I will be prepared to contribute come November 6 and beyond.

What’s one thing most people don’t know about you?
I am a romantic.

Do you have any nicknames?
Zay, Zaytoven, Zaytiggy.

Is there any significance behind your jersey number?
13 was taken by Oscar. 1+3 = 4. No brainer.

2. Kodye Pugh

Photo credit: gostanford.com

What’s your favorite class at Stanford?
“Controlling the Narrative” which was taught by Grammy award-winning artist Lecrae.

Do you have any nicknames?
I don’t even know if I can say “KP” because some people actually believe that’s my real name!

Is there any significance behind your jersey number?
My number through high school used to be 10, but that was taken when I got here (thanks Mike Humphrey). At the same time, my sister had to change her number from number 5. So, I got 5 and she got 10.

Favorite TV show right now?
“Power.”

What’s a fun fact about one of your teammates?
Rod and Trev wouldn’t know how to live without me.

3. Spencer Jones

Photo credit: gostanford.com

What are you most excited about this season?
Taking everything I’ve learned so far into competition and playing in a college atmosphere.

What part of your game did you work on most this offseason?
My shooting, defense, physicality, and being able to contribute efficiently on both sides of the ball.

What’s your favorite class at Stanford?
My “Thinking Matters” class about the definition of love.

Do you have any nicknames?
“Jonsey.”

You’re stranded on a deserted island and can only listen to one album for eternity. Which album do you pick?
“2014 Forest Hills Dr.” by J. Cole.

4. Tyrell Terry

Photo credit: gostanford.com

What are you most excited about this season?
To grow with my teammates.

What’s one thing most people don’t know about you?
I’m a huge soccer fan.

You’re stranded on a deserted island and can only listen to one album for eternity. Which album do you pick?
“Views” by Drake.

Favorite TV show right now?
“How I Met Your Mother.”

What’s a fun fact about one of your teammates?
I’m older than Bryce.

5. Bryce Wills

Photo credit: gostanford.com

What are you most excited about this season?
Excited to turn some heads. Everyone is doubting us as a team and our individual talents due to some of the important players from last year that have moved on from the team, but we’re excited to get out there and make our mark.

What’s one thing most people don’t know about you?
I was pretty musically talented up until high school. I tried out the violin, saxophone and piano in elementary and middle school and used to sing.

What’s your favorite class at Stanford?
I’m really liking “Intro to Finance and Investment” so far because I feel like it can apply to me now and do wonders for me in the future.

Who or what inspires you and why?
Being here at Stanford inspires me every day. I am surrounded by some of the most intelligent and intellectual people in the world as everyone here is unique in their own way. Whether someone speaks 6 languages, or graduated high school at 16 and attends school here, or whatever the case may be, it amazes me everyday. When you put it into perspective, Everyone here is one of the best from wherever they come from and learning from them is even a blessing in itself.

You’re stranded on a deserted island and can only listen to one album for eternity. Which album do you pick?
“2014 Forest Hills Drive” — J. Cole

NHL podcast with Daniel Dullum: Sharks’ slow start, Wild in the basement, Ottawa’s Sabourin to the hospital, Sad story about 1980 Miracle on Ice player…

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photo sfgate.com: San Jose Sharks goaltender Aaron Dell (30) stops a shot by Vancouver Canucks center Tim Schaller (59) during the second period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Nov. 2, 2019, in San Jose, Calif.

This is Daniel Dullum’s first NHL podcast of the season for Sports Radio Service. Topics covered include:

1 Sharks lose to Winnipeg and Vancouver, adding to early woes

2 Senators’ Sabourin taken to hospital after collision

3 Wild and Black Hawks in the NHL Central basement

4 Sad story concerning 1980 Miracle on Ice player

5 What ever became of the WHA, the Minnesota Fighting Saints and why did they ever fold? The millennials are curious.

Daniel Dullum does the NHL podcasts each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose State comes up just short in 52-42 loss to #21 Boise State

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Photo credit: @SanJoseStateFB

By Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — San Jose State football left West Point, N.Y. with a win over the Army Black Knights. Fast forward to Saturday night, where the Spartans returned home to the South Bay to host the then #21 Boise State Broncos. The Broncos represented the Mountain Division in the 2018 Mountain West Championship Game in which they lost to the Fresno State Bulldogs.

The Spartans hosted Dick Tomey Night in honor of the late head coach Dick Tomey (1938-2019). Tomey was diagnosed with lung cancer in January 2019 and died from complications in May 2019. Tomey coached at San Jose State from 2005-09 and finished his tenure with a 25-35 record at SJSU.

San Jose State got on the board first, thanks to DeJon Packer. Packer ran for a 1-yard touchdown for an early 7-0 lead at 10:58. The Spartans followed up with a Josh Love 4-yard touchdown. Yes, Love ran for his own touchdown. Boise State, however, cut the lead in half with 15 seconds left. The Broncos came up with a huge stop on the third down, the Spartans punted for 49 yards and Avery Williams returned it for a 66-yard touchdown. The Spartans led 14-7 at the end of the first quarter.

San Jose State and Boise State exchanged scores in the second quarter. Matt Mercurio hit a 35-yard field goal to put the Spartans ahead 17-7 at 12:01. George Holani ran for a 1-yard touchdown to bring the Broncos within three with 7:58 left. Josh Love threw a pass to Isaiah Hamilton for a 16-yard touchdown and a 10-point lead with 1:13 left. Eric Sachse hit a 30-yard field goal to bring the Broncos within seven with 24 seconds left. The Spartans took a 24-17 lead to the locker room at the halftime break.

The exhilarating action ensued in the third quarter. San Jose State made the first score, once again. Matt Mercurio hit a 35-yard field goal to put the Spartans up by 10 at 10:27. Boise State scored two touchdowns to take a 31-27 lead. George Holani ran for a 6-yard touchdown to bring the Broncos within three with 9:13 left. Chase Cord ran for a 8-yard touchdown to put the Broncos ahead by four with 3:28 left. DeJon Packer ran for a 3-yard touchdown to put the Spartans up by three with 53 seconds left. The Spartans led 34-31 after three.

The fourth quarter was a thriller, but unfortunately, it was close, but it was “close, but no cigar” for the Spartans. George Holani ran for a 6-yard touchdown — his fourth rushing touchdown of the game — to put the Broncos ahead 38-34 at 11:31. Andrew Van Buren ran for a 32-yard touchdown to put the Broncos up by 11 with 6:24 left. Josh Love threw a pass to Bailey Gaither for a 9-yard touchdown and the Spartans’ two-point conversion was good, which brought them within three with 3:56 left.

However, the 3:56 turned out to be meaningless after Benton Wickersham intercepted a Josh Love pass with 1:25 left to seal the deal for the Broncos. The Spartans were competitive, but fell short in a 52-42 loss.

San Jose State fell to 4-5, 1-4 Mountain West. Boise State improved to 7-1, 4-0 Mountain West.

The Spartans head to Aloha Stadium to face the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors on Saturday, November 9 at 8:00 p.m. PST.

Sharks Lose 5th in a Row, Fall 5-2 to Canucks

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photo from sfgate.com: Thatcher Demko (35) goaltender for the Vancouver Canucks goes into the defensive posture against the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center in San Jose on Saturday night. Demko stopped 24 San Jose shots for the Sharks second consecutive home stand loss.

By Mary Walsh

SAN JOSE — The San Jose Sharks lost 5-2 to the Vancouver Canucks Saturday at the SAP Center. This was the first road win for the Canucks in San Jose since March 31, 2016, and it added a fifth to the Sharks’ second four-loss streak of the season. Canucks goals were scored by Brandon Sutter, Elias Pettersson, Jake Virtanen and Adam Gaudette. Vancouver goaltender Thatcher Demko made 24 saves for the win. The Sharks goals were scored by Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Evander Kane. Goaltender Aaron Dell made 23 saves for the Sharks.

After the game, Sharks captain Logan Couture talked about the question of confidence during a losing streak:

For a lot of us, we’ve done some really really good things in this league, we’ve been successful players in this league for a long time. I think we need to get that swagger, that confidence back that we’ve had here for so many years. You know, it’s tough when you’re losing, it is very very difficult to feel confident when you’ve got the puck to make that play when you’ve got the extra second.

Are the Sharks losing patience with each other in the midst of this lousy start? After the game, Sharks defenseman Brenden Dillon warned that that was a danger, but then said: “It’s pretty easy to look at the guy next to you instead of looking at yourself. Again, we’ve got a lot of skill on this team, a lot of talent. Guys that have been here for a long time… know what it takes to win. I think everybody, if we can believe back in that and just get into that we’re going to be okay.”

Vancouver’s Brandon Sutter started the scoring at 4:17 of the first period. Josh Leivo took a shot from above the faceoff circle. Dell stopped that, but came out a ways to do so and then kicked out a rebound. Sutter picked up the rebound and got it in the net before Dell could get back in position. It was Sutter’s fourth of the season.

Elias Pettersson doubled up Vancover’s lead with a goal at 12:46. Brock Boeser’s pass came out to center above the hash marks, where Pettersson was ready for it. Dell and Brendand Dillon did not seem ready for it and Pettersson’s shot went right through them. It was Pettersson’s fifth of the season. Assists went to Boeser and Bo Horvat.

The Sharks’ penalty kill held the Canucks to one shot on their first period power play. Vancouver still outshot the Sharks 14-8.

Jake Virtanen added a third goal for the Canucks, just 45 seconds into the second period. His shot went right into Dell and then over his leg. Dell went down and had the puck in his legs, and the on ice official called it no goal. After an official review, the call was overturned. Assists went to Alexader Edler and Tyler Myers.

At 5:11, Adam Gaudette scored Vancouver’s fourth on a broken tic-tack-toe play that drew Aaron Dell and two defenders to the right side of the net, allowing the puck to get by on the left. The goal came during a delayed penalty against the Sharks. The puck seemed to be on its way to Troy Stecher as he closed on the net behind the mass of bodies to one side. Instead, it went off of one of those bodies and into the net.

The Sharks had two power plays in the second period, and got six shots with the man advantage. the teams were tied for shots in the second period at eight apiece.

At the end of the second, Joe Thorton was called for cross-checking Jay Beagle, putting Vancouver on the power play to start the third period. The Canucks did not get a shot during that power play. The Sharks had their own power play chance at 2:38, in which they got two shots, but no goal.

The Sharks finally got on the board with a short-handed goal from Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Barclay Goodrow. They broke away and were able to go in two-on-one and score at 10:51.

The Canucks power play turned into a two-man advantage not long after that, when Joe Thornton was boxed for unsportsmanlike conduct. The Sharks survived that, but after the first penalty expired, they gave up a fifth goal. It was Pettersson’s second of the night, with an assist to JT Miller.

Evander Kane added the Sharks’ second goal with just 22 seconds left in regulation. He skated into the zone with Tomas Hertl and went around the Canucks defense to shoot. His first shot came back as a rebound, but he picked it up and put it away. Assists went to Kevin Labanc and Erik Karlsson.

The Sharks next play on Tuesday against the Chicago Blackhawks at 7:00 PM PT in San Jose.

Lukas Radil was in Saturday, with Jonny Brodzinsky back out of the lineup.