NHL podcast with Daniel Dullum: Two different goals, Yotes-Isles battle it out Sunday; Chara hits 200 goal milestone; Hawks-Flyers open in Prague next season; plus more

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nhl.com file photo: The Arizona Coyotes and the New York Islanders in this Tue Dec 18th photo at Gila Arena in Glendale AZ played Sun Mar 24th at Nassau Coliseum at Uniondale N.Y.

NHL podcast with Daniel Dullum:

1 Coyotes, Islanders have key game today with different goals, and they’re playing at Nassau Coliseum

2 Bruins’ Zdeno Chara snags career goal No. 200

3 Blackhawks to open next season in Prague against Philadelphia

4 UFA’s Karlsson, Panarin, Bobrovsky can finish the season strong, then cash in

5 ‘Ron Burgundy’ joins Kings booth in LA game vs. Sharks

Hear the NHL podcasts each week with Daniel at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Kings make it two wins in a row with 112-103 win over Suns

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Photo credit: @NBCSKings

By: Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Sacramento Kings came into Saturday night’s game feeling good. After defeating the Dallas Mavericks two days ago, the Kings were looking to make it two in a row. The Pheonix Suns, who aren’t having a good season, have been playing better as of late and were looking to be a formidable opponent for the Kings. Tip-off was set for 7 PM Saturday night in Sacramento.

In the first quarter, it was all Suns. More specifically, it was all Devin Booker. Booker went on an absolute terror in the first quarter. He was 6-for-10 from the floor, scoring 15 points in the quarter. The next closest scorers were Nemanja Bjelica and Deandre Ayton with six points apiece. The Kings struggled to score all quarter, only putting up 19 points on 25 tries. On the other hand, the Suns scored 32 points on 24 attempts. The Kings didn’t seem to have much energy in the opening minutes of the game. In order to stay close, the Kings needed to pick up the energy going into the second quarter

In the early minutes of the second quarter, it appeared the Kings were headed for another disastrous quarter. However, with some key contributions from Buddy Hield and Harrison Barnes, the Kings were able to lead by three with 1:33 remaining in the half with the Suns on top 48-45 Suns. At this point, the Kings looked to get greedy and grab the lead before going into halftime. Unfortunately, the Kings were unable to do so. A couple of baskets from the Suns led to a 53-47 lead going into halftime.

The Kings had to play with more energy in the second half if they wanted to come back and win at home. The Kings did just that in the third quarter. They came out of the locker room looking energized. The Kings scored 32 points in the quarter compared to the Suns’ 22. The Kings appeared to have put their first-half woes behind them and were ready to battle the game to the end with the Suns. Going into the final quarter, the Kings were ahead 79-75.

In the fourth quarter, both teams seemed determined to come away with the win. The Kings and Suns went back-and-forth in the early minutes of the quarter. It was so close that it was 110-97 in favor of the Kings with only 2:40 remaining in the game. The Kings were less than happy with the referees in the final quarter. Notably, Marvin Bagley, who hacked on a layup attempt, but it was a no call. The Kings regrouped with roughly 90 seconds left and went back to work. The play that sent the crowd into a frenzy was De’Aaron Fox’s dunk in transition after he stole the ball on a pass attempt. The Kings won 112-103.

Up Next: The Kings travel to LA to take on the Lakers on Sunday at 7 PM PST.

Roadrunners edge the Barracuda 3-2 in OT

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Photo credit: @sjbarracuda

By: Ana Kieu

Two points were on the line for the San Jose Barracuda, who got themselves in a tussle with the Tuscon Roadrunners in the Tuscon Convention Center Saturday night.

San Jose’s starting lineup featured Francis Perron, Alexander True, Dylan Gambrell, Jacob Middleton, Thomas Gregoire and Josef Korenar.

The Barracuda apparently weren’t afraid of the Roadrunners’ terrors. The Cuda got on the board first as Gambrell scored a power play goal at 12:54 of the opening period. Jeffrey Viel and TJ Hensick were credited with the assists. The Roadrunners’ Hudson Fasching was penalized for high-sticking at 13:01 of the period.

The Roadrunners tied the game 1-1 with 2:06 left in the period. Lane Pederson came in clutch and scored his team-leading 17th goal of the season. Jeremy Gregoire and Cam Dineen were credited with the assists.

The score was 1-1 after 20 minutes of play.

Cuda captain John McCarthy lifted the Cuda to a 2-1 lead with a short-handed goal just 2:16 into the second period. However, Tuscon tied the game once again. Pederson scored his second goal of the game to make it a 2-2 game with 8:39 left in the period. Brayden Burke and Robbie Russo were credited with the assists.

The score was 2-2 after 40 minutes of play.

No goals were scored on either end of the ice, which meant that the score remained in a 2-2 deadlock after 60 minutes of play, so the game went into a 4-on-3 overtime, but it wasn’t in favor of the Cuda. Pederson netted a hat trick with his third goal of the game just 59 seconds into overtime. Pederson now has 19 goals on the season. Russo and Michael Chaput were credited with the assists. The Roadrunners edged the Cuda 3-2 in overtime.

Adin Hill stopped 20 saves on 22 shots and allowed two goals in the Roadrunners’ win. Korenar allowed three goals and made 30 saves on 33 shots in a losing effort for the Cuda. Korenar played well, and so did the other Cuda players, but they were sort of overwhelmed in the third period.

Notes: The Sharks reassigned defenseman Nick DeSimone and center Dylan Gambrell to the Cuda Saturday morning.

Up Next: The Cuda conclude their weekend set with game two against the Roadrunners on Sunday at 4:05 pm.

Mavericks pound the Warriors 126-91

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Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

Oakland- The Dallas Mavericks, who have the second-worst record (28-44) in the Western Conference, started strong and wiped the floor with the Golden State Warriors. The Mavericks led from start to finish as they beat the Warriors on both ends of the court. They dominated on offense and dominated on defense. They made 21 three-point shots, one shy of the franchise record 22, and held the Warriors to four. That was the game in a nutshell. The Mavs’ 63-12 point advantage won the game for them.

To be fair, the Warriors were without Steph Curry, Andrew Bogut, and Shaun Livingston. The Warriors needed someone to step up and fill the void left by Curry not playing. That did not happen as Klay Thompson had a terrible shooting night and exited the contest with eight points.

The Mavs pounded the Warriors in the first 24 minutes of playing time. They led the Warriors 74-46. Kevin Durant with 18 and DeMarcus Cousins with 14 were the only Warrior players in double figures. Klay had 4, Draymond Green, and Quinn Cook each had 3. Jonas Jerebko, Alfonzo McKinnie, and Andre Iguodala failed to put a single point on the board. The Mavs’ 40-year old wonder, Dirk Nowitzki, who is retiring at the end of the season, tallied 10. Luka Doncic, who will be named Rookie of the Year at the end of the season, knocked down 15, and Maxi Kleber had 16. The Mavs shot 59% from the floor, and they were 13-for-27 from three-point range. The Warriors made two threes in 17 tries, and shot 36.7% from the field. Those numbers will not win games for a team.

It was a horrible first half for Golden State. As mentioned above, they had no offense, no defense, and players that needed to step up their game, failed to do so.

The Mavs kept their mojo going in the third period. The Warriors fell behind 102-65 when Warriors head coach Steve Kerr raised the white flag of surrender. It reminded me of the time many years ago when Roberto Duran stopped his fight by yelling to the referee “No Mas.” There were two minutes and 29 seconds left in the third period. The bench players finished the game, and they didn’t do much except run out the clock. The Mavs won 126-91.

Game Notes and Stats: With the loss, the Warriors fall 1/2 game behind the Denver Nuggets for the best record in the Western Conference and home-court advantage. The Warriors have played better on the road than at home, and it may not be a problem. The Houston Rockets had the advantage last season, but the Warriors were able to beat the Rockets twice in Houston after trailing in the series 3 games to 2.

The Mavs had five players in double figures. Doncic led the onslaught with a triple-double. He had 23 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists. He made four threes. Nowitzki finished with 21, and with the Basketball Hall of Fame in his future, made 5 threes. Kleber had 16, Ryan Broekhoff 17, and Try Burke 13. The Warriors’ Kevin Durant had 25, and Marcus Cousins was second with 19. Draymond Green 6, Quinn Cook 7 and Kevon Looney 12. The rest of the bench added just 14, and most of the points came in garbage time.

The Warriors, winners of four of the last five and playing superior defense, looked like a team from the era when the Warriors were so bad and barely won 18 or 19 games in a season. They did not look like a championship team Saturday night. They have lost to two teams that they should have beaten. They lost to the worst team in the conference, the Phoenix Suns, on March 10th. It was by four points, but it still was a shocking loss. They lost to the team with the second-worst record, but this time it was by 35 points.

Up Next: The Warriors have to regroup as they play the Detroit Pistons Sunday night. The Pistons beat the Warriors in Detroit earlier in the season. The Pistons currently hold the sixth spot in the Eastern Conference. They are led by Andre Drummond and Blake Griffin. Game time will be at 5:30 pm.

Monterrey takes down Earthquakes 2-1 in friendly

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Photo credit: @SJEarthquakes

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose Earthquakes have yet to find their identity under new head coach Matias Almeyda. Things weren’t any better against the Monterrey Rayados. The Mexican League club jumped out to an early lead and then held on for a 2-1 victory on Saturday afternoon at Avaya Stadium in an international friendly match.

The Rayados drew first blood just six minutes into the game. A defensive breakdown by Jimmy Ockford led to a break where Rogelio Funes Mori ended up one-on-one with Quakes goalie Andrew Tarbell and the Argentinian forward chipped the ball past him for a 1-0 Monterrey lead.

Monterrey kept the pressure on as Funes Mori sent in a shot over defender Florian Jungwirth, only to have Tarbell make a terrific save by batting the ball over the net.

Monterrey doubled their lead in the 24th minute. Once again, a lack of coverage left open Maximiliano Meza, who received the ball from 10 yards out, stumbled, regained possession and kicked the ball into the upper left corner for a 2-0 Rayados lead.

The closest the Quakes came to getting on the scoreboard in the first half came at the 35th minute when captain Chris Wondolowski’s header attempt from a centering cross pass was knocked away to the right by Rayados goalie Marcelo Barovero.

Monterrey had two quality chances to extend their lead in the first five minutes into the second half. First, in the 48th minute, Funes Mori’s shot from 12 yards out just sailed wide of the net. Then, two minutes later, Dorlan Pabon’s shot from 25 yards out was knocked away by Tarbell.

San Jose had a golden attempt to cut the lead in half at the 56th minute when Magnus Eriksson centered a perfect crossing pass over to Wondolowski, whose point-blank header was knocked over the net by back up goalie Luis Cardenas, who came in as a substitution for Barovero to start the second half.

The Quakes finally got on the scoreboard in the 61st minute. Tommy Thompson dribbled the ball near the end line then sent crossed the ball right into the middle of the box, where 15-year old Cade Cowell, who made his debut for San Jose, one-timed the ball into the right corner of the net to cut the deficit to 2-1 for his first professional career goal. Both players came in as substitutes in the second half.

San Jose gained momentum off of Cowell’s goal as they spent the next 15 minutes playing inside Monterrey’s zone creating chances that were deflected away by Rayado defenders.

The Quakes had a chance for the equalizer late in the match when they earned a free kick just outside the D-box in the 84th minute. Jungwirth’s shot was stoned away by a diving Edson Resendez, who came on a substitution for Cardenas, as well as Thompson’s rebound attempt from the right corner end line.

GAME NOTES: Paul Marie received a yellow card in the 49th minute on a tackle from behind.

UP NEXT: The Quakes return back to MLS action as they host LAFC on Saturday 3/30 at 12:30 pm at Avaya Stadium.

San Jose State football showcased their skills in Saturday scrimmage

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Photo credit: @AnaKieu

By: Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — A lot went on this week for San Jose State Spartans football, including the 2019 SJSU Spartans Coaches Clinic, where the Spartans’ coaching staff connected and talked ball with over 100 coaches from the State of California. The Spartans, however, wrapped up the busy week with a scrimmage in CEFCU Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Last week, big plays highlighted SJSU’s first scrimmage. This week, SJSU was back at it for their second scrimmage, which was fairly low-key as there were fewer fans in attendance.

Classic rock, R&B, pop, and electro house blasted out of the speakers in CEFCU. The players took the field, practiced their runs, and created big plays. Last season, SJSU was unskilled in running the ball in some key situations against the Wyoming Cowboys and Nevada Wolf Pack, just to name a few Mountain West teams.

The position groups huddled and talked during the unofficial halftime of the scrimmage. After 10 minutes or so, the groups returned to their respective spots on the field.

It wasn’t long before SJSU got a first down and kept possession of the ball. Though, it was an arguable first down because the play was whistled dead by the officials. But I’m going to let you make your own call on the play.

A notable highlight was when a defensive player caught a ball that was initially kicked several feet into the air and stopped a potential scoring play by the offensive unit. Both the players and fans erupted in cheers as all eyes were on the field.

Shortly after, the defense forced the ball out and forced a turnover, which flipped the script. But let’s not forget that this scrimmage was purely spring ball. It’s clear the defense has improved, but they’ll need more than sacks. SJSU will face a tough test in its home opener against the Northern Colorado Bears on August 29th. Northern Colorado’s an FCS team, but they won two games in the 2018 and had one more win than SJSU. So SJSU has to make more than one solid defensive secondary play to hold off Northern Colorado.

NHL podcast with Len Shapiro: Injuries impacting Sharks on current skid; Hope to break out Monday against Detroit

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photo from thestate.com: Anaheim Ducks’ Rickard Rakell, right, celebrates his goal with teammates during the first period of an NHL hockey game Friday, March 22, 2019, in Anaheim, Calif.

On the Sharks podcast with Len:

#1 The Sharks lost their fifth straight game in Anaheim the Sharks were able to tie the game but the Ducks’ Jakob Silfverberg capped off a three-point night with the game-winner 38 seconds into extra time in the 5-4 loss.

#2 Evander Kane, who lost his unborn daughter, was out for seven games and has been trying to get his concentration back into hockey.

#3 Radim Simek ended his season with a knee injury on March 12th. The Sharks have Brett Burns on defense but they are one player away from pooling from their minor league affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda.

#4 The big hurt is the loss of Joe Pavelski. Pavelski suffered from a hard hit on March 16th against Nashville resulting in a leg injury and has missed three games.

#5 The Sharks are coming off getting swept on back-to-back nights in the Southland and get ready to play the Detroit Red Wings Monday night, who have been struggling. The Sharks have home ice and it might be their best chance to snap their skid.

Len does the Sharks podcasts each Saturday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sharks lose to Ducks 4-3 in OT

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~ AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez

~ By Pearl Allison Lo

~ ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Ducks ended up with a winning homestand, as they scored 38 seconds into overtime to snuff out San Jose Friday 4-3.

Back and forth on the power play was the name of the game in the third period. Three of the four penalties resulted in goals. By nature of this overtime though, there was no chance for a comeback after a score. Jakob Silfverberg capped off a three-point night with the game-winner 38 seconds into extra time.

The last time Anaheim played an overtime game was January 13. The Sharks had played to an overtime win March 9 and are now on a five-game losing streak. Despite the results, it was the closest game San Jose had been in and the third period especially, showed the grit and competitiveness of both teams. The season series ended in a 2-2 tie, with each team winning a game in the extra period.

The teams traded goals all the way throughout the game.

Timo Meier, speaking about the loss, noted, “we might face a lot of adversity now, but we’re gonna learn out of this…playoffs are close, so you’d rather go through a slump like that now, learn out of it, get stronger as a team, get tighter as a group, and learn…‘cuz there’s gonna be a lot of ups and downs coming up, so…we gotta react the right way.”

The Ducks’ Rickard Rakell also had a three point game. For the Sharks, Marc-Edouard Vlasic had two assists and Meier, Justin Braun and Kevin Labanc each had goals.

The game’s first goal occurred when San Jose’s Brent Burns lost the puck to Ryan Getzlaf in the Sharks’ end. Silfverberg passed back left to Rakell, who pinpointed the top shelf left corner at 7:58.

It was Anaheim’s third shot of the game and first goal since 15:17 in the third period of Sunday’s game.

Later, San Jose had power play opportunities at 9:40 (two shots) and 15:46 (one shot blocked). The Ducks had a power play that started at 19:39.

The Sharks had 10 giveaways compared to three for Anaheim in the opening period.

To start the second, the Ducks finished out their power play and Kevin Labanc scored at 2:29 with a diagonal shot versus goalie John Gibson to even the game. The play was set up with crisp and timely passing from Marcus Sorensen and Vlasic before reaching Labanc.

San Jose had another power play at 12:34.  

The Sharks ended up outshooting 11-4 in the middle period. One of Anaheim’s shots came shorthanded. San Jose had 11 of their attempts blocked.  

The visitors began the third with a penalty at 1:05 and the home team capitalized. Troy Terry passed between two Sharks to Adam Henrique who had a Shark himself in front, as the puck squeezed between goalie Aaron Dell’s legs at 2:41 to make it 2-1.

San Jose had another chance to make waves of their own when the Ducks were called for slashing at 4:36. The visitors did indeed capitalize, as Joe Thornton shot from the top of the left faceoff circle. It looked like Gibson saved the puck, but it ended up going over his left pad and Meier was there to finish the play off, re-tying the game.

Anaheim’s Hampus Lindholm was called for interference at 8:19 and then the Sharks’ Melker Karlsson for holding at 14:14. Karlsson’s penalty resulted in the period’s third power play goal as Rakell struck again, this time from the top of the left faceoff circle as he hit a similar area to his first goal.

San Jose then scored the only even strength goal of the period. Vlasic began the play with a shot from the top of the left faceoff circle. As the puck went around the back of the net, his former defensive partner Braun picked it up in the right faceoff circle to end the third period with the game’s third tie at 17:20. It was Braun’s 600th career game and also…

The Sharks had one out of three players that missed Thursday’s game back. Logan Couture returned after missing last game with flu-like symptoms. Those who were out for multiple games already though, remained that way. Erik Karlsson was out for his eleventh straight game (groin) and Joe Pavelski was out for the third straight game (lower-body injury).

Up Next: San Jose finishes off March with a four game homestand, taking off with the Detroit Red Wings first, Monday at 7:30 pm.  

NHL podcast with Joe Lami: Most consecutive losses this season, Sharks on five-game skid; Flames turn up the heat, now five points up; plus more

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Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks

On the NHL podcast with Joe Lami:

#1 The San Jose Sharks dropped their fourth straight game to the Los Angeles Kings 4-2 Thursday night and took another loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Friday night in a one goal loss for their fifth straight loss. The Sharks also dropped five points behind first place the Calgary Flames in the Pacific Division.

#2 Meanwhile, the Flames got a four-goal win over the Ottawa Senators 5-1. For the Flames, Andrew Maniapane, Garnet Hathaway, Matthew Tkachuk all scored a goal.

#3 William Karlsson and Reilly Smith scored two goals each as the Vegas Knights shutout the Winnipeg Jets 5-0. Vegas goalie Malcom Subban stopped 20 shots.

#4 Tampa Bay (58-13) is a beast in Carolina in a three-goal win over the Canes. The Canes’ Ryan Callahan scored a tie-breaking goal in third period.

#5 Oilers get a three-goal win 4-1 over the CBJs. The Oilers’ Connor McDavid got a goal and an assist and Leon Draisaitl had three assists.

Joe does the NHL podcast each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Francisco Giants podcast with Michael Duca: Joey Bart is all the rage, just how soon will he come up to the show?

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sfgate.com photo: San Francisco Giants catcher Joey Bart has already established himself for his hitting but needs to polish up on some defensive catching. He could very well get called up during the Giants regular season.

On the San Francisco Giants podcast with Michael Duca:

#1 All the talk has been about young Giants prospect catcher Joey Bart. How soon do you think it will be until he will be in the show on a regular basis?

#2 Once promoted, will he be catcher Buster Posey’s regular back up? There’s so much expected of him, can he live up to the hype?

#3 Bart can swing the bats he had an OBP of .369 and hit .296 in spring training.

#4 Giants announcer Mike Krukow said that Bart has some bad habits. This spring, he has allowed six passed balls and committed six errors, but with some coaching, he can break those habits and with his bat and be a big piece of the Giants future.

#5 Once the National League adopts the Universal Designated Hitter rule, could Bart be a starting as catcher and Posey moving to the DH slot?

Michael Duca covers San Francisco Giants baseball for http://www.sportsradioservice.com