Sharks Shut-Out by Caps, 4-0; Dahlen leaves in second period with shoulder injury

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San Jose Sharks head coach behind the bench looks up at the scoreboard in the third period which reads bad news as the Sharks get shutout by four goals from the Washington Capitals at SAP Center on Sat Nov 20, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

SAN JOSE– The San Jose Sharks (8-8-1) fell to the Washington Capitals (11-2-5) 4-0 Saturday. Conor Sheary and Alexander Ovechkin each scored two for the Capitals and Ilya Samsonov made 22 saves in the shut-out win. Adin Hill made 17 saves for San Jose in the loss.

Conor Sheary gave Washington an early lead with a goal at 2:17. Daniel Sprong carried the puck into the zone, battling to get by Sharks defenders. With Sharks all around him, Sprong still managed to get a pass across to Sheary for a shot that went under Adin Hill. Assists went to Sprong and Aliaksei Protas.

Alex Ovechkin scored on the power play at 13:58. John Carlson made a pass across the width of the ice, so that the puck landed nicely for an Ovechkin one-timer. The shot went by Hill on the blocker side, finding a gap that was not big. Assists went to Carlson and TJ Oshie.

Midway through the first period, Jonathan Dahlen left the ice and went to the dressing room with what appeared to be an upper body injury. He returned to play two shifts at the start of the second period.

The teams were tied in shots at the end of the first, 6-6. They each had two power plays, but three of those penalties were overlapping by at leaxt 30 seconds. Each team had two power play shots. The Capitals were better in the face-off circle, winning 55% of the draws.

The Capitals appeared to have scored a third goal at 14:31 of the second but the goal was waved off. Adin Hill was impeded by a Washington player being sprawled on top of him.

The Sharks out-shot the Capitals in the second, 10-7. The Sharks power play managed four shots on goal during double minor, and their penalty kill gave up one shot to the Capitals. The Sharks improved in the face-off circle to 67%.

The Sharks started the third period still on the penalty kill, but allowed no more shots during that Capitals power play.

Conor Sheary scored his second of the game to made it 3-0 at 15:10 of the third. Adin Hill stopped John Carlson’s shot but a small rebound went right to Sheary on the doorstep. Assists went to Carlson and Ovechkin.

Ovechkin scored into and empty net at 18:56 to make it 4-0. He took the shot from just inside his own zone. An assist went to Nic Dowd.

The final shot count was 22-21 Sharks. The Sharks had four power plays to the Capitals’ three, and the Sharks won 55% of the face-offs.

The Sharks next play on Monday against the Carolina Hurricanes, in San Jose at 7:30 PM PT.

Not much fun on the farm for Stanford in 41-11 loss

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California’s quarterback Chase Garbers (7) gets away from Stanford’s Tristian Sinclair during the first half of action at Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto during the Big Game on Sat Nov 20, 2021 (AP News photo)

Not Much Fun On the Farm For Stanford In 41-11 Loss

By Barbara Mason

Saturday afternoon the age old matchup between the Stanford Cardinal (3-8) and the California Bears (4-6) took place at Stanford stadium. Last year the Cardinal took the “Big Game” the 123rd by the score of 24-23 passing the Axe to Stanford. In 2019 the Bears won the game 24-20 and Cal made it two years in row with a convincing 41-11 win at Stanford Stadium on Saturday.

This game had a start that neither team wanted to see. Stanford’s Tanner McKee threw an interception on their first possession and in the next possession, the Bears fumbled the ball deep in their own territory. Stanford had the ball first and goal and was unable to convert on fourth down giving the ball back to Cal.

Mid-way through the first quarter California got a great drive going. Cal Quarterback Chase Garbers completed one pass after another driving deep into Stanford territory. Following an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty Garbers threw his second interception of the game undoing a textbook perfect drive.

The first quarter was a symphony of errors for both teams. In four possessions there had been three turnovers.

The final minutes of the opening quarter saw Stanford drive downfield deep into Cal territory with another first and goal. For the second time in this game Stanford went on fourth and goal and failed again. It was another great defensive effort by the Cal Bears. Cal struck first in this game. Garbers found Trevon Clark for 84 yards and the Bears took a 7-0 lead. With a lot of game left to go, Cal was having an extraordinary defensive game.

The Bears continued their relentless onslaught offensively as Garbers drove downfield mixing it up running and through the air finding Christopher Brooks in the end zone for one yard and the touchdown. The Bears had extended their lead to 14-0. Just before the half Stanford would kick a 31 yard field goal to get up on the board 14-3.

California would pick up in the third quarter where they left off in the first half. They did have a first and goal but had to settle for a 23 yard field goal and a 17-3 lead. The Bears would tack on a second field goal , this one for 33 yards and Cal kicker Dario Longhetto was perfect for the game.

As this game wore on it became very evident that the Bears came to play exploding with one great offensive play after another As the clock began to wind down on the third quarter Cal running back Marcel Dancy scampered for 76 yards and another Cal touchdown. Cal now led 27-3 rendering Stanford helpless and unable to get much going.

Going into the fourth quarter Stanford had an insurmountable mountain to climb and the Bears showed no sign of letting down. The Cardinal put together a nice drive to score their first touchdown of the game in the early minutes of the fourth quarter. Stanford would attempt a 2-pt conversion which was good cutting their deficit to 27-11 with 12:48 left in the game.

Cal’s Marcel Dancy rushed for two yards to extend the Bears lead to 34-11. This was his second touchdown of the game. The Bears got a slow start but once they got going there was no stopping them. With ten minutes left in the game Cal had 590 total yards to Stanfords 276 total yards.

With five minutes left in the game California was on the Stanford five yard line first and goal. Chris Street scored his first career touchdown and it became evident that Cal came in to inflict some real pain and take back the Ax. This was Cal’s best game this season on both sides of the ball. With the Bears leading 41-11 and five minutes left this game was one for the history books as well as some stunning records.

With 3:35 left in the game the Bears nailed the coffin shut with another interception. Students began to line up for the ceremonial passing of the Ax which went to the Ca Bears this year.

Cal had a team total of an amazing 636 yards to Stanfords 290. The Bears simply outplayed Stanford offensively and defensively. Despite their season this game will be the highlight for Cal no matter what happens moving forward and for Stanford the game was a real low that will continue until these two teams meet again in 2022 for the 125th “Big Game” looking to take back the Ax.

Stanford will take on 10-1 Notre Dame next Saturday Nov 27. At the time of this post, kickoff is still to be determined.

Gulls take down Barracuda 2-1, sweep series

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The San Jose Barracuda can’t get too much offense going as they lose by a goal to the visiting San Diego Gulls 2-1 at SAP Center in San Jose on Sat Nov 20, 2021 (photo by the San Jose Barracuda)

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE—The San Diego Gulls scored two goals in the first period and made them hold up in a 2-1 victory over the San Jose Barracuda on Saturday afternoon at SAP Center.

San Diego swept the two games series and have won two games in a row. San Jose has lost three out of its past four games.

The Gulls drew first blood halfway through the first period. Jacob Larsson’s blocked shot deflected over to the right point where Nikolas Brouillard fired a slapshot from atop of the left circle through a screen past ‘Cuda goalie Alexei Melnichuk for his second goal of the season at the 9:19 mark.

San Diego (5-6-1-0) doubled its lead late in the opening frame. This time Brouillard returned the favor as he skated in from the right wing and threaded a backhanded pass through the crease where Greg Printz buried a one-timer past Melnichuk for his first goal of the season at the 12:14 mark.

The Gulls dominated the play in the first period as the out shot San Jose 11-6.

San Jose (5-6-1-0) cut the lead in half on the power play early in the second period. Ryan Merkley made a nice move around the defense inside the Gulls zone. Merkley found a streaking Scott Reedy whose wrist shot banked off both goal posts before landing in the back of net past Gulls goalie Olle Ericksson Ek for his team leading eighth goal of the season at the 2:52 mark.

Reedy has a three-game goal scoring streak and has scored four goals in his past three games.

San Jose controlled the play for the majority of the second frame as they out shot San Diego in 11-6.

The ‘Cuda pulled Melnichuk for an extra attacker with under two minutes left in an attempt to score the equalizer. However, like the day before, San Diego’s defense stood its ground and held on for the win.

Eriksson Ek finished the afternoon stopping 22 of the 23 shots he faced to earn the victory. He is 4-0 in his career against the ‘Cuda. Melnichuk made 22 saves on 24 shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished 1-for-3 on the power play. San Diego was 0-for-1.

The Three Stars of the Game were: 1) Brouillard 2) Reedy 3) Printz

UP NEXT: San Jose travels to San Diego to take on the Gulls on Wednesday 11/24 at 7:00pm at the Valley View Casino Center.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Len Shapiro: Sharks look to bounce back against Washington tonight at SAP Center

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The San Jose Sharks Tomas Hertl (48) and company had a tough outing against the St Louis Blues as Blues goaltender Ville Husso (35) skates out of the crease to put a stop on Hertl during the third period on Thu Nov 18, 2021 at the Enterprise Arena in St Louis (AP News photo)

On the Sharks podcast with Len Shapiro:

#1 The San Jose Sharks (8-7-1) who had suffered a tough defeat on Sat Nov 13, 6-2 against the Colorado Avalanche (6-5-1) got dropped again to the St Louis Blues (9-5-2) on Thursday night in St Louis 4-1.

#2 The loss to the Blues was the Sharks third loss in four games. On Thursday the Sharks goaltender James Reimer saved 44 shots and allowed four goals for the loss.

#3 The Blues in their own right had a four game losing streak going and got big help from Brandon Saad who scored twice and goaltender Ville Husso stopped 26 shots to end the lost streak .

#4 Talk about the Logan Couture goal that was taken away in the first period at 7:17 after it was ruled that Jonathan Dahlen was offsides. Did that seem to change to course of the game?

#5 Up next for the Sharks are the Washington Capitals (10-2-5) who have won four of their last six games and won their last game in Los Angeles defeating the Kings (8-6-2) in a shutout 2-0. The Caps Garnet Hathaway scored both Caps goals for the win. How do you see the Caps and Sharks who face off tonight at SAP Center in San Jose.

Join Len Shapiro for the Sharks podcasts each Saturday night at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NHL podcast with Matt Harrington: Senators return to action from Covid 19 protocols Nov 22; Kings Doughty on the mend; plus more

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The Ottawa Senators Drake Batherson (19) goes for the congratulations skate in front of the Ottawa bench after scoring on the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa on Sat Nov 13, 2021. The Senators last played on Sun Nov 14 against Calgary Flames before having three straight games postponed due to Covid 19 protocols (Canadian Press file photo)

On the NHL podcast with Matt:

#1 Matt, the Ottawa Senators returned to practice on Friday after having ten players on the Covid 19 protocol list. The Senators had three games postponed because of the positive tests and have not played since Sun Nov 14 and are expected to return to action Mon Nov 22 in Colorado.

#2 The Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty who got a knee to knee injury with Dallas Star defenseman Jani Hakanpaa on Oct 22 in a 3-2 overtime loss. Doughty was given eight weeks to recover and in his fourth week is just now skating with the club. Doughty is second in points with seven and six assists.

#3 The Anaheim Ducks left winger Max Comtois will be out at least six weeks due to hand surgery. Comtois had a small bone removed and missed the last three games and is on the Ducks injured reserve list. Comtois has just one assist in 13 games.

#4 The San Jose Sharks forward Kevin Lebanc has been suspended for one game for slew footing the St Louis Blues forward Tyler Bozak on Thu Nov 18th’s game in St Louis at 8:57 of the first period. When will Labanc start the suspension and could you talk about the play?

#5 Matt, talk about the Edmonton Oilers Connor McDavid’s response regarding ESPN’s John Tortorella’s saying that McDavid needs to shut up about not getting penalties called, for McDavid not to talk about it and that he needs to change his game a bit. McDavid said he guessed he’d better shut up.

Join Matt Harrington for the NHL podcasts each Saturday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Baylor uses big second-half to run past Stanford 86-48

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The Stanford Cardinal guard Noah Taitz (20) drives against the Baylor Bears guard LJ Cryer (4) at the Ferrell Center in Waco Texas on Sat Nov 20, 2021 (photo by Stanford Cardinal)

By Daniel Dullum
Saturday, November 20, 2021

The Baylor Bears (4-8) used a big second half to show why they’re ranked at No. 9 on Saturday, as the undefeated Bears blew past the Stanford Cardinal (3-2) 86-48 in non-conference men’s basketball at Ferrell Center in Waco, Texas.

Stanford (3-2) trailed by four on a layup by Jaiden Delaire with 45 seconds left in the first half, but a James Akinjo jumper gave the Bears a 34-28 halftime lead.

However, Baylor (4-0) went on a tear to open the second half, outscoring the Cardinal 29-3 in an 11-minute stretch. In that run, the Bears converted nine steals into points. Stanford shot 29 percent in the second half, while the Bears forced a total of 22 turnovers.

LI Cryer topped the Baylor scoring column with 21 points, followed by freshman Kendall Brown with 15, and 11 points apiece by James Akinjo and Jeremy Sochan. Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua added nine points and seven rebounds.

Spencer Jones and Jaiden Delaire each scored 10 points to lead the Cardinal, followed by Noah Taitz with eight. Stanford did have a 30-24 rebounding edge.

This was the first meeting between the two schools in 34 years, and Baylor’s first win over the Cardinal in their four games. It was also Stanford’s first-ever visit to Waco.

Stanford returns home to Maples Pavilion on Tuesday to host North Carolina A&T.

Gulls edge Barracuda 4-3

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The San Diego Gulls celebrated their win over the San Jose Barracuda at SAP Center Fri Nov 19, 2021 (photo by San Jose Barracuda)

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE—The San Diego Gulls jumped out to an early lead and then held on at the end in defeating the San Jose Barracuda 4-3 on Friday evening at SAP Center.

San Jose had its two game winning streak snapped and are 1-1 on their three game homestand. San Diego snapped its two game losing streak.

San Diego (4-6-1) drew first blood midway through the first period. Jacob Perreault came in on a breakaway but his shot between his legs was initially stopped by ‘Cuda goalie Zachary Sawchenko. The rebound hit off Zachary Gallant and Brogan Rafferty poked in the puck with his stick for his second goal of the season at the 9:41 mark.

The Gulls doubled its lead late in the opening frame. Buddy Robinson found Vinni Lettieri on the left wing. Lettieri skated in a snapped a wrist shot past the five hole of Sawchenko for his fifth goal of the season at the 17:10 mark.

San Diego scored its third unanswered goal in the early in the second period. Perrault came out the winner in a scrum inside the crease. His backhander slid underneath Sawchenko for his seventh goal of the season at the 5:43 mark.

San Jose (5-5-1-0) responded halfway through the middle frame. Nick Cicek fired a shot from the right point that Gulls goalie Lukas Dostal. Nick Merkley crashed the net and beat Dostal with a backhander top-shelf falling down for his third goal of the season at the 11:13 mark.

The Barracuda cut the lead down to a one-goal game just under five minutes later on the power play. Nick Merkley sent a one-timer on Dostal who made the save as well as on Jayden Halbgewachs’ rebound attempt. Third time was a charm for Scott Reedy who cashed in on his rebound opportunity for his team leading seventh goal of the season at the 16:12 mark.

San Diego went back up by two goals thanks to a turnover by San Jose inside their own zone. Jacob Larson sent in a shot from the point initially stopped by Sawchenko. Bryce Kindopp cleaned up the rebound for his first goal of the season at the 17:29 mark.

San Jose once again made it a one-goal game with 33 seconds left in the middle frame. Halbgewachs led a rush into the Gulls zone. The puck went off his skate on to the stick of Sasha Chmelevski. The Long Beach native skated in from the right slot and centered a pass back to Halbgewachs who one-time a point blank shot past Dostal for his fourth goal of the season.

The Barracuda weren’t able to carry the momentum of the Halbgewachs’ goal into the third period. They only generated four shots on goal as the Gulls defense tightened up on the ‘Cuda.

Halbgewachs finished with a three-point night (1G, 2A) as he was involve in all three Barracuda goals.

San Jose killed any chance of a late comeback taking two penalties in the final three minutes of the game as San Diego played keep away while on the power play.

Dostal finished with 29 saves on 32 shots to earn the victory. Sawchenko made 26 saves on 30 shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished 1-for-3 on the power play. San Diego was 0-for-3.

The Three Stars of the Game were: 1) N Merkley 2) Halbgewachs 3) Perreault

UP NEXT: San Jose and San Diego conclude their two-game series on Saturday 11/21 at 1:15pm at SAP Center.

Raptors Siakam leads with 32 pts defeat Kings 108-89; Some fans cheer “fire Luke Walton”

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Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam (43) dribbles by Sacramento Kings guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) Fri Nov 19, 2021 at Golden One Center in Sacramento (AP News photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings are back in Sacramento and they welcomed the Toronto Raptors on Friday night. The Kings embarked on a four-game road trip on November 9th and just returned home on Friday, November 19th back to Sacramento. The Kings trip saw them go 1-3 and make stops in San Antonio, Oklahoma City, Detroit, and Minneapolis.

It was a disappointing trip for the Kings who had a soft spot in their schedule for the first time all season. During the road trip Kings head coach, Luke was placed on the hot seat after losing the first two games as rumors swirled if he would make it back to Sacramento with a job.

After an up and down start to the season, the Kings were set to begin a crucial stretch at home. On Friday night, the Kings faced one of their worse losses of the season to the Raptors 108-89 at home.

Friday night recap: The Kings were set to take on the Toronto Raptors on Friday at 7 PM PST in Sacramento.

In the first quarter, neither team got off to a very impressive start. Both teams’ defense was lackluster and the offenses looked stagnant. Nonetheless, the Raptors outscored the Kings 30-27 in the first quarter. The Kings would need to pick up the pace and defense in the second quarter to keep the game close.

In the second quarter, the game began to unravel. The Kings defense evaporated and the Toronto Raptors started hitting their three-point shots. That was a recipe for disaster for a Kings team that hasn’t been able to get the offense on track for a while.

The Raptors topped 30 points in both quarters in the second half putting up 33 points in the second quarter. On the other hand, the Kings put up an anemic 18 points. The Kings weren’t playing defense and the offense wasn’t making shots.

That would lead the Kings to a 63-45 hole going into halftime. In an underwhelming first half for the Kings, they were led by De’Aaron Fox with 11 points. The Kings had a massive amount of ground to make up in the third quarter.

In the third quarter, it only got worse for the Kings. To put it into perspective, at a point in the third quarter faint “Fire Luke Walton” chants could be heard throughout the sections of Golden One Center. The Raptors absolutely destroyed the Kings in the third quarter by outscoring the Kings 33-21. It was almost a carbon copy of the results in the second quarter. The Kings went into the final 12 minutes of action down 96-66.

In the final quarter, the Kings showed some heart early on but it wasn’t nearly enough to overcome the deficit. The Kings outscored the Raptors 23-12 in the last quarter but ultimately fell to the Raptors by the final of 108-89. It was a poor effort from the Kings. From lack of enthusiasm to terrible execution, almost everything that could go wrong for the Kings did.

The Kings with the loss fell to 6-10 on the season. Leading the way for the Kings in defeat was De’Aaron Fox who scored 17 points. For the Raptors, they were led by a stellar performance from Pascal Siakam who scored 32 points.

Who knows what’s in the Kings future at this point. I sure don’t.

Up Next: The Kings stay home for the second night of a back-to-back to take on the Utah Jazz on Saturday night at 7 PM PST in Sacramento.

Poole standout in Golden State Win 105-102; Pistons fall to 11th season loss

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Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) can’t get control of the ball as Golden State Warriors center Kevon Looney (5) stops Cunningham’s movement at Little Caesar’s Arena in Detroit on Fri Nov 19, 2021 (AP News photo)

Poole A Standout In Golden State Win 105-102

By Barbara Mason

The Golden State Warriors (14-2) improved their record largely in thanks to Jordan Poole who had a 22 point first half with more the half of them from downtown. Finishing with 32 points Poole was a standout in the Warriors 105-102 win over the Detroit Pistons (4-11).

Tonight the Golden State Warriors face a unique challeng which also brings a lot of opportunity for the team. As the Warriors take on the Pistons tonight they will be shorthanded the likes of which we have not seen yet this season.

Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Otto Porter Jr. and Andre Iguodala will not be on the court tonight being a bit banged up. Poole and Andrew Wiggins will be staring along with Toscano, Kevon Looney and Payton II. This gives a lot of guys a real opportunity to get some great minutes and show-case their talent.

After the first quarter the Warriors led by a slim margin 26-23. As expected Poole and Wiggins led the charge. It was a very different look for Golden State and they performed great offensively and defensively keeping Detroit from taking the lead. At the half the Warriors had extended their lead 56-51.

After two quarters Poole was having a banner game with 22 points and Wiggins had 12 points. There was still another half left for the Warriors to take this one home. They would have to slow down Detroit’s Frank Jackson in the second half as well as showing more aggressive play. They were holding Detroit to 37% shooting which was great, but they would have to limit the turnovers.

Golden State lived up to their reputation as being a second half team leading after three quarters 86-70. In the fourth quarter, the Pistons trimmed a 16 point deficit to eight points and Detroit began making a lot of noise, they were not going down quietly.

With twenty seconds left on the clock the Warriors had the lead 105-102 and the Pistons had the ball. After multiple stops on the Pistons final possession the Warriors ran out the clock. The final was 105-102.

Besides the 32 points from Poole, Wiggins really stepped up with 27 points. Looney had 12 important rebounds.

This game finishes the short road trip for Golden State. They head back to the Bay Area to take on the Toronto Raptors Sunday. Tipoff is schedule for 5:30.

Cal Bears football podcast with Daniel Dullum: Cal ready to battle Stanford for Axe in the Big Game Saturday

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On the Cal Bears football podcast with Daniel:

#1 Daniel, last week’s game against the USC Trojans (4-5) postponed due to Covid 19 protocol issues with over 24 Cal Bears (3-6) players infected with the Bears coming off a 10-7 loss to the Arizona Wildcats (1-8) on Nov 6th and canceled last Sat Nov 13 would you look at last week’s postponement a good rest period or a game that the team wanted to get out battle USC and try and get back in the win column.

#2 The Wildcats had had such a horrible season they went in against Cal 0-8 have won a game all season and starting quarterback Will Plummer had been struggling under center all season with a low ratio of completed passes but with Cal coming along using most of their bench the Plummer and the Wildcats were able to get some daylight and get in the win column.

#3 The game in Arizona offensively for the Bears was one of their worst outing on offense the Bears in the first half just couldn’t get any offense jelling. Bears starting quarterback Chase Garbers was missed and back up Ryan Glover couldn’t get in the end zone getting shutout in the first half. Glover threw for 94 yards and no touchdowns.

#4 The Bears have their whole team back after being quarantined since that Nov 6th game in Arizona and have Garbers and the starters back. Talk about how much of a relief that has to be for head coach Justin Wilcox.

#5 The Big Game for the Axe is on deck as the Golden Bears head to Stanford University to play the Cardinal (3-7) at 4:00 pm PST. Daniel it seems no matter how bad or how great either team is doing it’s always like a grudge match a real rivalry when these two teams face each other.

Join Daniel for analysis and commentary on the Cal Bears podcast each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com