Sharks Fall to Bruins 4-3; Win streak ends at four

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The Boston Bruins Brad Marchand (63) gets congratulations from teammates after scoring 28 seconds into the first period as the San Jose Sharks Logan Couture (39) skates away at the TD Garden in Boston on Sun Oct 24, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks lost Sunday by a score of 4-3 to the Bruins in Boston. Bruins goals came from Brad Marchand, Derek Forbort, David Pastrnak and Jake DeBrusk. Linus Ullmark made 23 saves for the win. Jasper Weatherby, Tomas Hertl and Timo Meier scored for San Jose. Adin Hill made 10 saves on 14 shots before being replaced by James Reimer, who stopped 20 of 20 shots.

The game represented the team’s first loss of the season, and the first two periods were fairly grim. Nonetheless, the fact that the Sharks came back from a three-goal deficit was a positive. After the game, Sharks Head Coach Bob Boughner said:

“I thought that battling back at the end was important. We talked about that in between the second and the third, is trying to get back to a little bit of our identity so we could at least take that into the Nashville game and see what happens in this game.”

Brad Marchand scored for Boston just 28 seconds into the first period. David Pastrnak won the race to the puck below the goal line, and passed it back to Patrice Bergeron, also by the goal line. Bergeron’s pass found Marchand arriving on the doorstep for a quick shot over Hill’s glove.

Derek Forbort made it 2-0 at 3:18 with a shot from the point. Assists went to Marchand and Connor Clifton.

Pastrnak scored Boston’s third of the game at 16:12 on the power play. A pass from Bergeron came smoothly across the ice and Pastrnak buried it from the face-off dot.

Jasper Weatherby scored the Sharks’ first of the game at 16:44 of the period. Weatherby and Jonah Gadjovich played some catch as they skated into the zone, before Weatherby took the shot and beat Ullmark on the short side. Assists went to Gadjovich and Andrew Cogliano.

Jake DeBrusk scored the only goal of the second period at 5:41. Oskar Steen went to dump the puck in but it hit DeBrusk instead. DeBrusk followed the puck into the zone and got past Radim Simek before taking a shot that went by Hill on the glove side. Assists went to Steen and Forbort.

Jacob Middleton and Trent Frederic fought three minutes into the third period.

Tomas Hertl scored for the Sharks at 13:19 of the third, deflecting Marc-Edouard Vlasic’s shot from the blue line. Assists went to Vlasic and Alexander Barabanov.

Timo Meier scored at 15:08 to bring the Sharks within one. Meier deflected Couture’s shot from the point, knocking the shot down and under Ullmark. Assists went to Couture and Brent Burns.

The shots per period were very close except for the second, when Boston out-shot San Jose 11-5. The game total was 34-26 Bruins. In the face-off circle, the Bruins won 52% of the draws. The Sharks penalty kill gave up one goal and five shots. The Bruins penalty kill allowed five shots, all in the first period.

William Eklund and Lane Pederson were out of the line-up, replaced by Alexander Barabanov and Jonah Gadjovich, both making their season debuts. No injuries were mentioned.

The Sharks next play on Tuesday in Nashville against the Predators at 5:30 PM PT.

Golden Bears dominate hapless Buffs 26-3 for first Pac-12 win

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The Cal Bears quarterback Chase Garbers (7) throws past the Colorado Buffaloes defense in the second half on Sat Oct 23, 2021 at Cal Memorial Stadium (AP News photo)

By Daniel Dullum
Saturday, October 23, 2021

California was looking for an opportunity to snag that first football win of the season over an FBS opponent, and achieved that goal with a 26-3 win over Colorado in a Pac-12 game at Berkeley.

Golden Bears quarterback Chase Garbers completed 22 of 29 for 225 passing yards and two touchdowns without an interception. Garbers also ran for 96 yards, moving into first place on Cal’s career rushing chart for quarterbacks, passing Joe Kapp.

The defensive standout for Cal (2-5 overall, 1-3 Pac-12) was safety Elijah Hicks, who recorded six tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, picked off one pass and had one of the Bears’ six sacks.

Buffaloes quarterback Brendan Lewis was 9 of 17 for 69 yards. He had a minus-9 yards rushing.
The Bears were off and running early. Garbers scrambled for 38 yards on a third-and-6 from the Cal 30, leading to a Dario Longhetto 49-yard field goal with 9:47 left in the first quarter. That put the Bears ahead to stay.
Minutes later, Colorado (2-5 overall, 1-3 Pac-12) drove to the Cal 49 before Buffaloes running back Jarek Broussard was stopped for a 1-yard loss on fourth-and-1.

That stop of Colorado on downs led to Garbers throwing a 24-yard scoring strike to freshman tight end Keleki Latu, giving the Bears a 10-0 lead at 6:05 of the opening period.

Longhetto booted a 30-yard field goal at 9:23 of the second quarter, putting Cal up 13-0. After Brenden Rice (son of Hall of Famer Jerry Rice) returned a kickoff 67 yards to the Cal 33, Cole Becker connected on a 33-yard field goal.
With 3:21 to play in the second quarter, Garbers threw a TD pass to Gavin Reinwald. Longhetto hit a 51-yard field goal on the final play of the quarter, putting the Bears up 23-3 at halftime. Cal scored on each of its possessions in the first half and outgained the Buffs 297-91 in total yards.

The Bears host Oregon State next Saturday, with a 4 p.m. kickoff. The Beavers (5-2 overall, 3-1 Pac-12) beat Utah 42-34 in their last game.

Earthquakes battle Whitecaps to 1-1 draw, keep slim playoff hopes alive

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Vancouver Whitecaps forward Cristian Dajome looks to pass the futbol as the San Jose Earthquakes defender Paul Marie tries to put the stop on him in the first half at PayPal Park in San Jose on Sat Oct 23, 2021 (photo by USA Today)

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE—The San Jose Earthquakes playoff aspirations are hanging on by a thread.

On a night where they were looking for a win, the Quakes settled for a 1-1 draw with the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday evening at Pay Pal Park.

San Jose now have 37 points and sit in 10th place in the Western Conference, seven points behind Vancouver, who sit in the seventh and final playoff spot with only three games remaining. The Whitecaps have earned points in four straight matches.

The Quakes (9-12-10-37 points) had their chances in the first half to break the seal.

In the fourth minute, Benji Kinkanovic centered a ball into the middle over to Jeremy Ebobisse but his one-timer was saved by Whitecaps goalie Maxime Crepeau.

A nice give and go between Andy Rios and Chofis in the 17th minute led to Chofis shot that sailed high over the net. Another give and go between Chofis and Paul Marie in the 35th minute led to Crepeau corralling Marie’s centering pass to end the scoring chance.

Both teams received a scare in the 37th minute when Rios and Leonard Owusu collided with each other going for a 50/50 ball up in the air. After being on the ground for several minutes, both players were able to continue in the match.

Quakes head coach Matias Almeyda were without the services with fullback Nathan as he was suspended due to yellow card accumulation. In his place Almeyda had Jackson Yueill, normally a midfielder, play in the backline for the first time as an Earthquake.

“We wanted the win,” said Almeyda. “The guys played a great game. They played with devotion and had many goal-scoring chances. We needed to be sharper in the end. Vancouver had a great performance from their goalkeeper. I am satisfied on one hand because the young players are growing. I will keep repeating that once the young players have 20 to 30 matches played, they will be important players in this league.”

Vancouver (11-9-11-44 points) had only two descent scoring chances in the first 45 minutes. Érik Godoy’s header from the center of the box missed to the right following a set piece in the 25th minute. Then three minutes later, Déiber Caicedo right footed shot from outside the box sailed high over the net from a direct free kick.

San Jose played with a desperation needed from a team trying to make the playoffs from the get go. It continued into the second half when Kikanovic’s attempt was saved by Crepeau after Ebobisse’s attempt got that was set up by an Espinoza cross.

The Whitecaps finally drew first blood in the 53rd minute. Brian White sent in a shot from 20 yards out that Quakes goalie JT Marcinkowski initially saved but the rebound leaked out the left side. Bruno Gaspar came in and blasted the rebound top shelf for his first goal of the season.

San Jose answered back in the 60th minute. Eric Remedi started a counter attack inside the Whitecaps zone sending the ball out to Cristian Espinoza along the right side. Espinoza sent over a perfect cross to Kikanovic who one-timed the ball into the back of the lower right corner for his fourth goal of the season.

Kikanovic was rewarded the Man of the Match for his efforts in creating multiple scoring chances for the Quakes.

“I know when Cristian [Espinoza] gets the ball out wide, he’s going to whip it in super hard. I just put myself in a position where I’m in between the ball and the defender and it happened to come to me. I didn’t even really hit it that hard. I kind of just focused on it the whole time and just made sure I made good contact. Those types of balls, it’s already whipped in super hard, so you just have to redirect it. But overall we played really well I thought. We created a lot of chances. I think they only had that one chance and they put it away,” Kikanovic said.

San Jose controlled the possession as well as the tempo in the final 10 minutes of regulation and the four minute of stoppage time.

The Quakes came with inches of scoring the game winning goal in the first minute of stoppage time. Carlos Fierro sent a header back into the middle of the box where Chris Wondolowski’s sliding attempt was saved by a diving Crempeau that was just short of crossing the goal line.

Marcinkowski finished the match with two saves on three shots. Crempeau also made two saves on three shots.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished with five corner kicks. Vancouver had two.

Quakes captain Jackon Yueill made his 100th start for the franchise.

The Whitecaps have managed just one win in 13 all-time away matches against San Jose (D7 L5), a 3-2 victory in August 2018. Vancouver did manage a point in its last visit, a scoreless draw on August 13.

Wondolowski, who scored against Austin on Wednesday, has scored 14 goals against the Whitecaps, more than against any other team in his MLS career. No player has scored more goals against a single opponent than Wondolowski against Vancouver since the Whitecaps joined MLS in 2011.

Brian White scored in Vancouver’s comeback win over Portland, his 12th goal contribution since mid-August (10 goals, 2 assists), tied with Cristian Arango (11 goals, 1 assist) for the most goal involvements in MLS in that time.

The Quakes held a ceremony at halftime honoring the 2001 team that won the MLS Cup on its 20th anniversary.

UP NEXT: The Earthquakes travel out to Portland to take on the Timbers on Wednesday 10/27 at 7:00pm at Providence Park.

Barracuda’s power play the difference in 3-2 win over Eagles

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The San Jose Barracuda edge out the Colorado Eagles at the Budweiser Events Center in Loveland on Sat Oct 23, 2021 in AHL action (image from sjbarracuda.com)

by Marko Ukalovic

LOVELAND, Colo—Third time was a charm for the San Jose Barracuda on the power play.

After not scoring a power play goal in the team’s first two games, the Barracuda scored twice with the man advantage in a 3-2 comeback win over the Colorado Eagles on Saturday evening at the Budweiser Events Center.

San Jose have won two games in a row. Colorado have lost four games in a row to start their season.

San Jose (2-1-0-0) drew first blood on the power play early in the first period. Ryan Merkley sent in a shot from the point and Jayden Halbgewachs was able to redirect the puck past Eagles goalie Justus Annunen (0-1-1) for his second goal of the season at the 2:24 mark.

The power play goal for the ‘Cuda snapped an 0-for-6 streak to begin the season.

Colorado (0-3-1-0) answered back with a power play goal of their own to even the score. Jacob MacDonald kept the play alive at the point as the puck bounced over to Kiefer Sherwood. The native of Columbus, Ohio wired in a wrist shot from the left slot past ‘Cuda goalie Zachary Sawchenko (0-0-0) for his third goal of the season.

The Eagles gained their first lead on an even strength goal. Alex Newhook sent a rink wide pass over to Rolan McKeown. The Eagles defenseman made a backhand pass through the crease where Callahan Burke tapped the puck into an open net past Sawchenko for his third goal of the season at the 13:17 mark.

Colorado dominated the last 10 minutes of the opening frame as they out shot San Jose 14-10.

San Jose answered back with the equalizer on just their fifth shot of the period. Ryan Merkley skated down the right wing and his centering pass was deflected off the pads of Annunen. The puck caromed over to Halbgewachs who buried a wrist shot past Annunen for his second goal of the game and third of the season at the 17:46 mark.

Despite outshooting the Barracuda 16-6 in the middle frame and having the ice tilted inside the ‘Cuda for the majority of the period, the Eagles went into the second intermission scratching their heads.

San Jose scored the go ahead go with its second power play goal of the game. Nick Merkley sent a slap shot from the right wing and Noah Gregor tipped the puck past Annunen for his first goal of the season at the 7:31 mark with just one second left on the power play. Joel Kellman was credited with the secondary assist.

Colorado poured the offense on the final 10 minutes of the third period as they out shot San Jose 13-11.

The Cuda survived the final 19 seconds down six-on-four as Colorado had a power play as Kellman was called for a holding penalty and pulled Annunen for an extra attacker.

Sawchenko (1-0-0) finished the game stopping 41 of the 43 shots he faced to earn his first win of the season. Annunen (0-2-2) made 24 saves on 27 shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished 2-for-3 on the power play. Colorado was 1-for-3.

The Three Stars of the Game were: 1) Halbegwachs 2) Dalton Smith 3) Burke

UP NEXT: San Jose and Colorado return to meet up for a third straight game on Friday 10/29 at 7:00pm at SAP Center.

NHL Podcast with Matt Harrington: Pens Crosby trying to make comeback after wrist surgery; Knights Martinez out with undisclosed injury; plus more news

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The Pittsburgh Penguins Sid Crosby is trying to make a come back after having wrist surgery on Sep 8, 2021. He’s trying to return to morning skates and practices. (NHL.com file photo)

On the NHL podcast with Matt Harrington:

#1 Matt talk about how hampered the Pittsburgh Penguins are without someone like Sid Crosby in the line up. Crosby said he’s trying to come back from wrist surgery and has missed two morning skates and practices. Crosby had the surgery on Sep 8th from an injury that he got back on Mar 23, 2014.

#2 Matt talk about the Vegas Golden Knights Alec Martinez who is out with undisclosed injury. Martinez did not play on Friday against the Edmonton Oilers and got the injury during the third period against the St Louis Blues on Wednesday. The Knights did not disclose how long Martinez will be out. Also the Knights forward Mattias Janmark played his first game after coming off Covid 19 protocols.

#3 The Anaheim Ducks Max Jones is out from four to six months with a pectoral muscle injury. Jones who played in two games this season has no points in two games this season and Ducks general manager Bob Murray says it’s a tough blow for the team.

#4 The arena formerly known as the Key Arena now Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle will be open for business on Saturday night for the inaugural season for the Seattle Kraken as they host what could be their rivals the Vancouver Canucks. Matt, amongst the amenities a spacious dressing room, hanging scoreboards, and luxury suites. Should be a great venue for the new NHL team.

#5 The Edmonton Oilers have got off to a great start winning their first four games of the season and having the top three players in categories to lead the league, Conner McDavid with six goals and 11 points and Leon Draisaitl with six assists which explains why their off to such a great start.

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

https://soundcloud.com/sports-radio-service/nhl-podcast-with-matt-harrington-sat-oct-23-2021

San Jose Sharks podcast with Len Shapiro: Sharks on five game road trip three wins and two to go

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Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Michael Hutchinson (30) lays on top of the puck as the San Jose Sharks’ Andrew Cogliano (11) and Matt Nieto (83) try to dig it during the third period at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Thu Oct 22, 2021 (Canadian Press photo)

On the Sharks podcast with Len:

#1 The San Jose Sharks (4-0-0) it seems like no one can get in their way as they picked up their fourth straight win this time over the Toronto Maple Leafs (2-2-1) 5-3 at Scotiabank in Toronto on Friday night.

#2 The Sharks drew first blood in the second period scoring twice and three times in the third period that speaks to their offense and they made work of Leafs goalie Michael Hutchinson who faced 30 shots stopping 26.

#3 Timo Meier, Erik Karlsson and Jonathan Dahlen all scored a goal each and two from Logan Couture. Talk about the goal contribution the Sharks have been getting from those four on Friday night in Toronto.

#4 Looking back on the Sharks game in Ottawa the Sharks Erik Karlsson a former Senator let one slip on the air while being interviewed by TSN’s Gord Miller the former Senator Karlsson was congratulated by Miller for picking up his first point against the Senators and said “that don’t mean s-word.” Karlsson said they haven’t got the points yet when he was interviewed with 20 minutes left but said it was nice to be back.

#5 The Sharks are in Boston (2-1-0) for their next game on this five game road trip the fourth of the five. The Bruins always a tough customer took it to the Buffalo Sabers (3-1-1) 4-1 on Friday night in Buffalo. Getting got defensive help from goaltender Linus Ullmark stopping 35 out of 36 shots.

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

Jazz pull away from Kings late in fourth quarter for 110-101 win

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The Utah Jazz Donovan Mitchell (front) tries to out run and out gun Sacramento Kings Davion Mitchell (15) in first half action at the Golden One Center in Sacramento on Fri Oct 22, 2021 (AP News photo)

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings (1-1) on Wednesday night opened up the season on the road in Portland with a win. The Kings were excited to return home on Friday night to a packed Golden One Center crowd that hadn’t been allowed in the since March of 2020. The Kings opened the season on Wednesday pulling out a narrow victory 124-121 in the unfriendly confines in Portland.

The Kings were set to face the Utah Jazz (2-0) on Friday. Utah came into Friday’s matchup having played on Wednesday in Utah. They handily beat the OKC Thunder 107-86. The Kings took a tough loss on Friday night 110-101 for their first loss of the season.

First Half: The Kings played an up and down half.

The intensity in the first quarter was palpable as the Kings began putting on an offensive show for the home crowd. In the first quarter, the Kings outscored the Jazz 26-24 as Harrison Barnes led the way for the Kings in the first quarter as he scored 8 points.

It should be noted that the Jazz Joe Ingles was ejected after a flagrant two foul was assessed him on a foul against Davion Mitchell. The foul took the legs out from under Mitchell and so the penalty was handed down. The Kings would look to keep the defensive intensity up in the second quarter to keep the lead at halftime.

In the second quarter, the Kings offense stalled a bit. Thankfully for the Kings, the Jazz weren’t able to do much on the offensive end either. The Jazz only scored 22 points in the quarter as the Kings defense kept the pressure on the shooters of the Jazz.

On the other hand, the Kings managed to score 26 points to pull even further ahead of the Jazz heading into halftime. The Kings would take a 52-46 into halftime looking to seal things off in the second half. Leading the way for the Kings in the first half was Harrison Barnes who scored 12 points. Donovan Mitchell led the Jazz as he also scored 12 points.

Second Half: The Kings would come out with good energy in the second half.

In the third quarter, the Kings entered the quarter with good offensive and defensive intensity. However, as the quarter progressed the Kings would lose grip on the lead. The Jazz went on a run to end the quarter and managed to score 35 points compared to the Kings 28 points.

The Kings missed some rotations on defense and as a whole, the Jazz shot the ball much better. The Jazz took an 81-80 lead into the final quarter. The Kings would need to tighten up the defensive end and start hitting more shots to win the game.

In the fourth quarter, the teams traded baskets for the majority of the quarter. The Jazz went on a bit of a run to start followed by the Kings coming back and tying the game with 4:57 left in the game. The sequence was punctuated by a Tyrese Haliburton steal and dunk.

For the remainder of the game, the Jazz took over the momentum. The Jazz ended up scoring 29 points compared to the Kings 21. A careless turnover with under two minutes left desperately cost the Kings as it shifted the momentum fully to the Jazz who took advantage.

It was a strong effort from the Kings but ultimately the shooting of the Jazz down the stretch did the Kings in. Leading the way for the Kings in defeat was Harrison Barnes who scored 25 points closely followed by Buddy Hield who scored 24. The Jazz were treated to a 27 point game from Donovan Mitchell to lead the way in victory.

Up Next: The Kings will take on the Golden State Warriors on Sunday at 6 PM PST in Sacramento.

Leonard’s late goal lifts Barracuda over Eagles 5-4

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San Jose Barracuda John Leonard gets the Barracuda the go ahead goal against the Colorado Eagles at Budweiser Events Center in Loveland on Oct 22, 2021 (file photo thehockeywriters.com

by Marko Ukalovic

LOVELAND, Colo—In a game that went back and forth, John Leonard provided the heroics for the ‘Cuda.

Leonard scored the game winning goal late in the third period as the the San Jose Barracuda defeated the Colorado Eagles 5-4 on Friday evening at the Budweiser Events Center.

San Jose earned its first win of the season of the ’21-’22 season. Colorado have lost three straight games to start the season.

Leonard pick pocketed Jordan Gross at the red line and raced down the right side on a breakaway. Leonard went sliding down before stuffing the puck underneath Eagles goalie Justus Annunen for his first goal of the season with 4:12 remaining in the game.

Colorado (0-2-0-1) drew first blood early in the first period. Former Barracuda defenseman Keaton Middleton sent a cross ice pass from the left end line over to Alex Beaucage who crashed in from the right wing. The puck hit off a Barracuda defenseman’s stick right to the tape of Beaucage who deposited the puck into the back of the net for his first goal of the season at the 6:13 mark.

The Eagles controlled the majority of the play in the opening frame as they outshot the Barracuda 12-7.

San Jose (1-1-0-0) answered back with two goals in 17 second span early in the first second period.

After a faceoff win by Dylan Gambrell, Noah Gregor sent a shot attempt behind the net that bounced off to the right where a pinching Nick Merkley came in and put the puck into the short corner of the past Annunen for the team’s first goal of the season and his first at the 4:07 mark.

The ‘Cuda then gained possession of the puck inside the Eagles zone where Noah Gregor sent a pass back to the left point where Nick Cicek blasted a one-timer through traffic into the back of the net for his first career AHL goal for the rookie defenseman at the 17:24 mark.

Colorado answered back with the equalizer four minutes later. Kiefer Sherwood stripped the puck off two Barracuda players inside the Eagles zone. Sherwood backhanded the puck out of the zone that sent Dylan Sikura on a breakaway and the former Henderson Silver Knight beat ‘Cuda goalie Alexei Melnichuk with a wrist shot for his first goal of the season at the 8:31 mark.

The Eagles regained the lead on a two-on-one break. Callahan Burke set up Dalton Smith with a cross ice pass and Smith buried the one-timer past Melnichuk for his first goal of the season at the 16:59 mark.

San Jose scored the equalizer 44 seconds later. Timur Ibragimov led a counter attack into the Eagles zone. Ibragimov sent a back pass over to Jayden Halbgewachs in the left shot and the veteran forward rifled home a wrist shot to the far side to beat Annunen for his first goal of the season at the 17:43 mark.

Colorado went up 4-3 with a power play goal right at the end of the period. With the ‘Cuda shorthanded due to a minor penalty for too many men on the ice, Justin Barron snapped a wrist shot top shelf through a sea of traffic in front of the crease for his first goal of the season with one second remaining in the period.

The goal was reviewed and the call stood as it was determined the goal crossed the line before the horn sounded.

The Eagles outshot the ‘Cuda 15-8 in a wild middle frame that featured six combined goals.

The ‘Cuda evened the score to start the third period. Ryan Merkley skated in from the point to the right slot where he found Scott Reedy with a back door pass on the left in front of the net and Reedy tapped home the puck into an open net for his first goal of the season at the 1:58 mark.

Melnichuk finished the game with 21 saves on 25 shots to earn his first win of the season. Annunen made 29 saves on 34 shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose went 0-for-2 on the power play and are 0-for-7 to start the season. Colorado was 1-for-2.

San Jose is now 8-5-2-1 against Colorado in the all-time series.

UP NEXT: San Jose and Colorado wrap up their two-game series on Saturday 10/23 at 6:05pm at Budweiser Events Center.

Sharks Defeat Maple Leafs 5-3; Sharks undefeated at 4-0

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The San Jose Sharks Logan Couture goes for the victory skate in front of the Sharks bench after scoring a second period goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Fri Oct 22, 2021 (Canadian Press photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks won their fourth in a row, beating the Maple Leafs 5-3 in Toronto. Sharks goals came from Timo Meier, Erik Karlsson and Jonathan Dahlen and two from Logan Couture. Adin Hill made 30 saves for the win. Jason Spezza, Ondrej Kase, and John Tavares scored for Toronto. Michael Hutchinson made 26 saves in the loss.

In a scoreless first period, the teams were tied in shots at 11 each. They each had one single-shot power play.

Logan Couture got the scoring started at 2:31 of the second period. He was the beneficiary of a dogged play by Marc-Edouard Vlasic. Off the face-off, Vlasic skated down and took a shot. The shot rebounded but he was already there to collect it, carry it behind the net to try for a wrap-around. That needed a little help and Couture was there to finish it off.

Jason Spezza tied it up with a quick shot from the slot at 3:27. The Sharks stopped several shots and attempts before Spezza’s got through. Wayne Simmonds got the assist.

Timo Meier gave the Sharks another lead less than 20 seconds later. His shot from the wall zipped through before Hutchinson could even see it.

Those three goals were scored in the space of just one minute and 13 seconds.

Ondrej Kase tied the game again at 10:44. After a flurry of activity in the Maple Leafs’ zone, Kase broke away for a clear shot at Hill. A little fake before a backhand shot tricked Hill and the puck went past the prone goaltender. The Sharks looked outmatched in the face-off circle, winning just 35% of the draws.

Erik Karlsson scored a little over a minute later to give the Sharks their lead back. Karlsson took the shot from the blue line and it went by a few bodies before sneaking into the short side top corner. An assist went to Middleton, who kept the puck in after Karlsson’s first shot and then got the puck back to Karlsson for the scoring shot.

The teams were tied in shots again in the second period, this time 12-12. In face-offs, the Sharks improved a bit, to a win percentage of 47. There were no penalties in the period.

25 seconds into the third period, Logan Couture passed the puck back from the goal line to the front of the net for Jonathan Dahlen. Dahlen put the puck in the net for San Jose’s fourth of the night. Assists went to Couture and Meier.

John Tavares got one back for Toronto at 13:39. William Nylander’s shot hit Adin Hill up high and spun into the air. It landed and hit Tavares’ skate before bouncing off of Middleton and into the net. Assists went to Nylander and Jake Muzzin.

Logan Couture scored into the empty net with 40 seconds left in the period. Andrew Cogliano got the assist.

The third period was by far the Sharks’ best in the face-off circle. They won 61% of those draws for a game total of 48%. Their power play got three shots on goal and their penalty kill gave up three shots. The final shot count for the game was 33-31 Toronto.

The Sharks next play on Sunday in Boston against the Bruins at 10:00 AM PT.

Las Vegas Raiders podcast with Rich Perez: U.S. House of Reps to establish Oversight Committee on Gruden emails; plus more

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The US House of Representatives are looking into former Las Vegas Raiders head coach for his email that he sent to former Washington Football Team president Bruce Allen. The hearings will be held at US Capital (file photo from istock)

On the Raiders podcast with Rich:

#1 Rich, the US House of Representatives are forming an oversight committee to investigate former Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden’s emails that he sent out to former that he sent while working as an analyst for ESPN to former Washington Football Team president Bruce Allen.

#2 The Representatives are requesting copies of the emails that had homophobic, racist, and misogynistic slurs which led Gruden to have to resign from the team. The Committee is asking the NFL to produce all of the emails. Gruden could end up on the Hill as a sworn witness to testify about the emails.

#3 The purpose for the investigation is the Reps are looking into widespread complaints about the WFT and the NFL having abusive workplace conduct and want to see how the league is handling the matter.

#4 On the field the Raiders are coming off their first game since Gruden left with a 34-24 win over the Denver Broncos last Sunday taking a look at their next game against the Philadelphia Eagles and quarterback Jalen Hurts the Eagles are coming off last week’s loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

#5 The Raiders quarterback Derek Carr who was 18-27, 341 yards and threw for two touchdowns and the Raiders are favored to defeat the Eagles at Allegiant in Vegas this Sun Oct 24th a 1:05 kick off. Rich how do you see this match up.

Join Rich for the Raiders podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com