Tag: hockey

Sharks Lose 5-3 to Stars Despite Special Teams Improvements

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By Mary Walsh

AP photo of Antoine Roussel scoring third period goal on Sat

The San Jose Sharks lost on the road to the Dallas Stars 5-3 on Saturday. Special teams overshadowed even strength play: power plays and penalty kills were central to scoring, though not always in the usual fashion. A wide array of power play and penalty kill results were on display from both teams. Sharks goals were scored by Joe Pavelski, Matt Nieto and Joel Ward. Alex Stalock made 20 saves on 24 shots. Dallas goals were scored by Vernon Fiddler, Patrick Sharp, Jason Demers, Antoine Roussel and Tyler Seguin. Antti Niemi made 26 saves on 29 shots for the win.

It was a good challenge for the Sharks, as the Stars were 8-2-0 before Saturday’s win. The Sharks’ only win in the last five games came against the struggling Carolina Hurricanes. The Sharks had their chances on Saturday but were disappointed again, for the fourth time in five games. After the game, Sharks captain Joe Pavelski said:

We were right there, we had our chances, power plays right at the end. It definitely was better, gave us that chance. Special teams too. It was there for us, but it’s been there for us, the last few games, throughout this little bit of losing streak we’ve had, games have been there. We’ve got to get a little bit more, out of each and every guy. We’ve got to win these games or… It’s what the league is. You play so many one goal games and you’re in tight spots and teams are good. You gotta find yourself on the right side.

The Sharks faced two former teammates, goalie Antti Niemi and defenseman Jason Demers. Sharks’ defenseman Brenden Dillon was also facing former teammates, as he came to the Sharks in a trade from Dallas for Jason Demers. The game was also a chance for Sharks goalie Alex Stalock to face Antti Niemi.

The first period began with an early goal from Stars forward Patrick Sharp. Stalock stopped an intial shot from Jason Demers, but he could not cover the puck before Sharp got a stick on it and put it over Stalock’s outstretched pad. Tyler Seguin was part of the four on three that set up the goal, and his pass found Demers right in the slot. Assists went to Demers and Seguin.

The first penalty of the game went to the Sharks, for too many men on the ice. This pitted San Jose’s 16th ranked penalty kill against Dallas’ 2nd ranked power play. Several short-handed chances for the Sharks turned those rankings on their heads. The Sharks penalty killers were successful in that first try and the next, when Joonas Donskoi went to the box for interference late in the period. The Sharks finished the period down by a goal but not by a power play goal. The Sharks also looked pretty good on the shot clock, trailing Dallas just 10-9, despite the power plays.

The second period expanded on those special team numbers. The Sharks’ first power play of the game came early in the second, when Jordie Benn went to the box for holding Tommy Wingels. Where the Sharks penalty kill had over-achieved, their power play did not look ready to do the same. They could not get organized to begin, and only managed one shot on goal during the man advantage. The Sharks got another chance a couple of minutes later when Alex Goligoski went to the box for interference on Marc-Edouard Vlasic. The second power play started even less well, with an odd man rush against and a short-handed goal by Stars defenseman, ex-Shark Jason Demers. Assists went to Antoine Roussel and Vernon Fiddler. It was Demers’ first NHL short-handed goal.

The power play was not yet over, and not done behaving unpredictably. The Sharks finally got on the board with a goal from Joe Pavelksi. Brent Burns took a couple of shots from the point and on his second try he hit Pavelski’s moving stick just perfectly for a deflection. Antii Niemi did not see it coming because Patrick Marleau was right in his eyes.

The next penalty went to Justin Braun not long after that goal, for closing his hand on the puck. The Sharks did a good job of clogging up the neutral zone against the Stars attackers, and made some space for a short-handed attack by Tommy Wingels and Matt Nieto. Wingels stripped the puck from Jason Spezza and only John Klingberg was able to get back to defend. Wingels made a slick pass under Klingberg’s stick to Nieto. Niemi could not get across in time and Nieto shot it into the far corner of the net. It was Nieto’s second goal of the season. An assist went to Wingels.

The Sharks killed off the rest of the penalty. The score was tied 2-2, and so were the shots at 15 apiece.

With five minutes left in the period, Vernon Fiddler gave the Stars another lead. Brent Burns fell with some help from Roussel and slid behind the net. Fiddler escaped ahead of the wreck with the puck and Sharks defenseman Brenden Dillon was trapped behind Burns, unable to pursue Fiddler as he went around the net and roofed it for his first goal of the year. A well-deserved assist went to Roussel.

The Sharks answered a couple of minutes later with a power play goal. After several seconds to warm their power play up during a delayed call, the Sharks tied the game again. A Thornton pass from the side boards was sent to the net by Patrick Marleau. Joel Ward’s stick stopped the puck in front of Niemi, then pulled it to him and popped it into place. Assists went to Marleau and Thornton.

Tomas Hertl drew another penalty for the Sharks. On what could have been called a breakaway, Hertl was hooked by Stars defenseman Jyrki Jokipaka. The Sharks only had 45 seconds of the second period left.

The Sharks did not score on that power play, in either the second or third periods. Where the second period had been littered with whistles, the third period did not see a penalty called for the first 15 minutes. It did see the Stars take back the lead, again, when three Stars crashed the net. Antoine Roussel got the goal, with assists to Klingberg and Fiddler.

The Sharks opted to challenge the goal using the offside option. It looked very close but the call on the ice stood up and the Stars had a 4-3 lead with 6:27 left in the game.

The first penalty of the period went against the Sharks with just 1:49 left. The penalty was against Brent Burns for interference. DeBoer pulled Stalock to even it up. A long shot from Tyler Seguin missed the net but seconds later, he tried again from the blue line. His shot went between Vlasic’s legs and in to give the Stars a 5-3 lead.

To make matters worse, Chris Tierney was called for holding before the Burns penalty was up.

The Sharks next play in Denver against the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday at 11:30 PT.

Ward Hat Trick Leads Sharks to 5-2 Win

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By Mary Walsh

SAN JOSE– The Sharks ended a three-game losing streak by defeating the Carolina Hurricanes 5-2 on Saturday. To get them there, Joel Ward scored three goals. It had been quite a long time since anyone other than Joel Ward scored for the Sharks, nearly three games. So it was fitting that he be front and center when the team finally got back on the winning side.

It was not the most elegant win, but it was a win and Joel Ward certainly deserved his hat trick. Sharks goals were also scored by Joe Pavelski and Tommy Wingels, and San Jose goaltender Martin Jones stopped 32 of 34 shots for the win. For the Hurricanes, Justin Faulk and Riley Nash scored.

With Paul Martin back in the lineup and Joe Thornton still in it, the Sharks are starting to look like the team that started the season. Their opponent was not in top form, having played the night before, and the Sharks were able to capitalize on that early in the game. If you blinked at the wrong moment, like right after Tomas Hertl’s shot was stopped by Carolina goaltender Eddie Lack, you would have missed Joel Ward tucking the rebound in. It was not much of a rebound, more of a gently loose puck, but it was free enough for Ward to get his stick on just 1:21 into the game. Assists went to Patrick Marleau and Hertl. It was Joel Ward’s 100th career goal.

The Sharks’ second goal was also Ward’s. This one was challenged by Hurricanes coach Bill Peters. There was no question of interference, but rather a missed offside call. After reviewing the video, the referees verified that the play was onside. Thanks to Ward, the Sharks were up by two before the ten minute mark. An assist went to Brent Burns.

The Sharks took the first penalty, a hooking call to Joe Thornton against Ron Hainsey. The Sharks killed that off without much ado and hardly any whistles. The Sharks then took the second penalty as well, this one to Barclay Goodrow for high sticking Chris Terry.

By the end of the period, the Sharks were ahead on the scoreboard by two but trailing slightly (7-6) on the shot clock.

Less than three minutes into the second period, the Sharks took another penalty, a tripping penalty to Brenden Dillon. The penalties caught up to the Sharks this time, and just 30 seconds into the power play, Carolina scored. A pass along the blue line from Nathan Gerbe found Justin Faulk Rask at the point. Faulk’s shot went by Eric Staal and Sharks goaltender Martin Jones. It was a good screen and a clean shot.

The Sharks got it back at 6:06 of the period, when a short the Sharks swarmed the net after an offensive zone faceoff. Play seemed to stop when Eddie Lack (and apparently most other players) thought Lack had the puck behind him. He did not have it and it slid out near his skate and got pushed in by the goalie himself.

The goal went to Joe Pavelski with assists to Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Joe Thornton.

It was a rough night for Eddie Lack. The next goal came when the puck trickled through the five hole and sat behind him for a couple of seconds. There was no support nearby for the goaltender but there were two Sharks handy to help the puck over the line. The goal went to Tommy Wingels. Assists went to Chris Tierney and Paul Martin.

Cam Ward came in to relieve Lack. The Hurricanes were not out of it yet and they scampered back down the ice to attack the Sharks net. Jones had been facing some bouncing shots and he saw one fly over the net just before Riley Nash tucked one in from behind the net. Assists went to Noah Hanifin and Kris Versteeg.

As the second period ended, the Hurricanes had a distinct upper hand. More than once, the Sharks were trapped in their own zone and Jones had to handle wild, bouncing shots. The Hurricanes may not have scored, but they went into the intermission on a strong note. The shots stood at 19-14 Hurricanes.

The Hurricanes came back for the third without much loss of momentum. There were few whistles for the first five minutes, and finally, at 5:20, the Sharks got their first power play. Kris Versteeg went to the box for hooking. The Sharks held the zone for over a minute with their first power play unit, which now included Joel Ward alonside Joe Thornton, Joe Pavelski, Patrick Marleau and Brent Burns. The second unit of Tommy Wingels, Tomas Hertl, Matt Tennyson, Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Chris Tierney had little time to work with after that.

The third period featured traded chances from number twelves, when Patrick Marleau chased down a Carolina defender to create a good chance for the Sharks. Carolina’s number twelve, Eric Staal, responded by snatching up the loose puck and breaking the other way. Jones and Ward both did their jobs and nothing came of either try.

By the final minutes of the third, the Hurricanes were again outworking the Sharks… except for Martin Jones. Jones was outworking everyone. For the last four minutes, the Sharks looked like they were killing a penalty, and that was before the Canes pulled their goalie and actually had a man advantage.

With Jones in net and some luck, San Jose’s two goal lead held up. The final seconds saw the Sharks doing everything they could to get the puck to Ward in front of the open net. Finally, they did, and the hats flew. It was Ward’s second career hat trick.

Ward and Wingels were tied for the team lead in shots with four each.  Mike Brown led the team in hits with four. Burns (24:07) and Martin (21:54) led the team in ice time.

Justin Faulk led the Hurricanes with five shots. Brock McGinn led the team in hits with three. Eddie Lack made 9 saves on 13 shots. Cam Ward made 7 saves on 7 shots.

The Sharks next play on Wednesday against the Nashville Predators, in San Jose at 7:30 PT.

Sharks Lose 6-3 To Islanders

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By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks recorded their first loss of the 2015-16 season Saturday. The New York Islanders won 6-3, with goals from six different Islanders. Sharks rookie Nikolay Goldobin scored his first NHL goal and Joel Ward scored his first as a Shark.

In addition to having played the night before, the Sharks suffered a handful of injuries before and during Saturday’s game. Both factors probably contributed to a somewhat disjointed game from San Jose. After the game, Joe Pavelski said:

That’s the way the game goes sometimes. Definitely, I think there were times where we played our game the way we wanted to play and we were pretty tight and we did well. And then we opened it up too at times and got a little careless. A few bounces maybe didn’t go our way as well. If you’re playing a team like that, you can’t give them any space because they are so offensive and it just takes a little bounce for them to break it open and start feeling good.

Just before the game, news broke that Sharks defenseman Paul Martin was out with a lower body injury. The injury occurred during Friday’s game but Martin did finish that one. Depending on the length of his recovery time, this could be even worse news than Logan Couture’s absence. Martin was playing like the guy the Sharks hoped he would be when they signed him. Good matches for Brent Burns have not been easy to find.

To start the game, DeBoer opted to put Brenden Dillon with Burns, and pair Dylan DeMelo with Matt Tennyson. Goaltender Al Stalock made his first start of the season under some inauspicious circumstances. With Joonas Donskoi also still out, DeBoer decided to start Nikolay Goldobin on the top line again, with Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski.

Islanders goaltender Jaroslav Halak was back from injury, playing his first game of the season. This mean that the Sharks barely missed facing an old teammate in goaltender Thomas Greiss, who is now backup for Halak.

Tomas Hertl took the first penalty of the game 3:16 in. He was called for hooking. Half way through the penalty, the Islanders were called for too many men on the ice. Jon Tavares served the penalty. Both penalties expired without a goal.

The Sharks had a good shift or two around the middle of the period, with the top forward line and the Burns-Dillon pair hemming the Islanders in their own zone for a bit.

At 6:56, the Sharks won a faceoff and this allowed Thornton to make a cross-ice pass to Braun, who shot it from the point. The puck went in but Joe Pavelski weas at the net and close enough to Halak to make Islanders head coach Jack Capuano challenge the goal. The challenge was overruled and the goal stood up. The goal went to Pavelski, with assists to Braun and Thornton.

With 2:13 left in the period, Mikhail Grabovski was awarded a penalty shot after he blew by Brenden Dillon and forced Dillon to trip him up to prevent a scoring chance. Al Stalock stopped the penalty shot and the Sharks carried on with their 1-0 lead.

At the end of the period, the shots were even at 10 each.

That changed quickly, as did the score, in a wild second period. Just 21 seconds in, Johnny Boychuk scored with a slapshot after Tavares won the faceoff. Anders Lee helped by screening Stalock. The lone assist went to Tavares.

The Sharks got it back right quick. The Sharks took control of the play in their defensive zone, and the top line was able to carry to puck up ice. Justin Braun disrupted the Islanders defense while Thornton made a perfectly timed pass across to Goldobin on the left wing. Goldobin was right where he needed to be to score his first NHL goal. Assists went to Thornton and Braun.

The Sharks had little time to celebrate as Brent Burns was called for tripping less than aminute later and the Sharks were back on the penalty kill. The Islanders tied the score agan with a briefly contested goal during which Stalock lost his mask. It appears that the puck caught him near the ear and broke a strap. The goal went to Anders Lee, with assists to Ryan Strome and John Tavares.

The whistles kept coming, as Travis Hamonic was called for tripping Pavelksi. The Sharks did not score on that power play.

A shot from Barclay Goodrow hit Ben Smith in the ear, about six minutes into the period. Smith left the game at the next stoppage, leaving the Sharks down by one skater. Smith did not return for the third period.

It took the Sharks a few shifts and a few saves from Stalock but they regained the lead. A big save against Kyle Okposo led to a break out for Matt Nieto and Joel Ward. Nieto carried the puck in and held on to it while Ward made his way to the net. Nieto’s patience paid off as his pass caught Ward at just the right time for Ward to tap it in over Halak’s pad. The goal was Ward’s first as a Shark and assists went to Nieto and Stalock.

The lead lasted about four and a half minutes. Josh Bailey took advantage of a Burns turnover to move the puck out from behind the net. Kyle Okposo found it in the slot and wasted no time throwing it at the net, where Bailey and Frans Nielsen redirected it past Stalock. The goal was Bailey’s and the assists went to Nielsen and Okposo.

The shot count for the period was 12-7 Islanders.

At 3:02 of the third, there was a curious delay for a review of a goal that no one seemed to have seen happen. The review confirmed that it did not happen. It was not clear until later which team did not score it. It turned out to have been a non-goal for the Sharks. The situation room had lost sight of the puck and could not tell if it had gone in.

The Islanders took their first lead at 4:18 of the third, when Okposo broke away after a neutral zone turnover. Stalock made the first save. It looked like Dillon would corral the crafty forward in the corner, but Okposo escaped again and beat Stalock with a wrist shot. The assist went to Josh Bailey.

Near the half way mark of the period, DeBoer put Marleau out with the top line. That was the second game that he started Goldobin there and moved him down late. He also moved Nieto to the second line after Tomas Hertl was hit in the mouth with a puck.

At 11:10, the Islanders took a two goal lead with a hard shot from the slot from Brock Nelson. The shot went past Justin Braun as well as Al Stalock. The goal was unassisted.

The Sharks went to the penalty kill at 12:49 when Braun was called for shooting the puck out of play. They killed that off as the clock ticked down.

DeBoer opted to pull his goalie with over three minutes left and the Islanders made the Sharks pay for that. The net had not been empty for many seconds when Frans Nielsen put the puck in it. It was Nielsen’s 100th career goal. DeBoer put Stalock back in the net.

Final score 6-3 Islanders.

Okposo, Boychuck and Tavares shared the Islanders lead in shots with five apiece. Jaroslav Halak made 22 saves on 25 shots for the win.

Pavelski, Marleau, Tommy Wingels and Brent Burns each had three shots in the game, and no Shark had more. Al Stalock made 27 saves on 32 shots.

The Sharks next play on Monday against the New York Rangers at 4:00 PT.

Sharks Beat Devils 2-1, Start Season 4-0

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By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks won their fourth in a row to start the season. They needed overtime and a shootout to defeat the New Jersey Devils 2-1. Goaltender Martin Jones set a new shutout record for the franchise, spanning from the team’s first game of the season to the final minutes of the fourth game. Regulation goals were scored by Patrick Marleau for the Sharks and Adam Henrique for the Devils. The game was a far cry from the trouncing that they gave to the Washington Capitals, but in light of recent injuries, it was a good win.

Earlier Friday, the Sharks announced that they would be without the services of forwards Logan Couture and Joonas Donskoi. Head coach Peter DeBoer opted to make wholesale changes to his lines when he lost the top top six forwards. Bringing Ben Smith in as fourth line center, he moved Chris Tierney to the third line between Tommy Wingels and Matt Nieto. Tomas Hertl moved to the second line between Patrick Marleau and Joel Ward. Nikolay Goldobin took Donskoi’s place next to Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski.

Near the end of the game, DeBoer moved the more experienced Barclay Goodrow to that top line. Patrick Marleau took on some additional penalty killing minutes in Couture’s absence, while Paul Martin took the point on power plays. The number of adjustments required spoke to the importance of Couture to the team.

The Sharks’ penalty kill streak ended at 15, and Martin Jones set a new shutout streak for the franchise. The game was not pretty but it did keep their winning streak alive.

Less than three minutes in, the new second line of Hertl, Joel Ward and Patrick Marleau scored. The goal featured a good board battle won by Hertl, followed by a smart pass from Ward to a well-positioned Marleau. All in all, that line looked good.

Martin Jones has not given up a goal since 1:49 into the Sharks’ first game of the season on October 7. Shutouts in game against the Ducks and the Capitals put Jones in a position to break Al Stalock’s shutout record of 178:55, 45 seconds into Friday’s game. He did that and set the new one at 234:33. A couple of pucks got by him during that time, only to have the goals waived off, but it is still a tremendous record.

Jordin Tootoo and Mike Brown took matching roughing penalties at 8:58 of the period but the four-on-four minutes did not change the score. The first period ended with the score still 1-0 Sharks, and the shot count 10-5 Sharks.

Early in the second period, Tomas Hertl had a scoring chance thwarted by a slash to the hands from Adam Larsson. No penalty was called but Hertl looked a little sore. That hand could bear watching. The first power play of the game went to the Devils at 14:01 of the second. Joe Pavelski was called for hooking. The Sharks killed it off, keeping their penalty kill record perfect at 12-0.

With 2:06 left in the period, Goldobin drew a penalty against Jon Merrill. The ensuing power play highlighted how the Sharks were losing some momentum. They let Stephen Gionta escape the zone for a short-handed chance just over half way through the power play.

Gionta saw his rebound go to Josefson, who put it in the net, but the goal was waived off because Gionta made contact with Martin Jones before the shot went in. The contact was initiated while Gionta was still outside the crease, and ended with Gionta falling over Jones in the crease. The contact certainly slowed Jones down, but calls like that are going to make this season interesting. It was probably worth a coach’s challenge, but Devils head coach John Hynes did not make one.

At the end of the second period, shots were 23-17 Sharks, with the 1-0 score unchanged.

Less than two minutes into the third period, the Devils were back on the power play after Justin Braun was called for holding the stick. With 43 seconds left in the power play, Brenden Dillon shot the puck out of play in the defensive zone and gave the Devils a two man advantage. The Sharks survived the five-on-three and were about to kill the second penalty when Marc-Edouard Vlasic shot the puck out of play and joined Dillon in the box. The second two man advantage would only last 17 seconds. Chris Tierney managed to clear the puck out during the short five-on-three. Matt Nieto cleared it next, letting the team refresh their lines. The Sharks managed to steal the puck in the neutral zone shortly after that, getting a quick short-handed chance for Pavelksi. Several quick clears by the Sharks frustrated the rest of the Devils power play.

Jones made his 100th consecutive save once the teams were back at even strength.

Chris Tierney and Tommy Wingels had a good chance around the nine minute mark but Corey Schneider stopped it. Tierney had a very good game and proved that he is a great option for the Sharks in that third line center spot.

The Sharks penalties were not done, as they were called for too many men with under five minutes left in the third. The Martin Jones shutout streak ended with a power play goal from Adam Henrique. The score was still tied at the end of regulation.

The Sharks only had a 32-28 lead in shots as overtime started. Thornton, Pavelski and Burns started for the Sharks in three-on-three. Next came Marleau, Hertl and Vlasic. DeBoer put Tierney on the third unit with Wingels and Martin.

With 11.3 seconds left in overtime, Burns tripped Henrique and went to the box. The 4-on-3 power play looked good for New Jersey but they ran out of time.

The Devils shot first, starting with Adam Henrique (goal). Jacob Josefson shot second (save) and Mike Cammalleri went third (miss) .
The Sharks’ shooters were: Joe Pavelski (goal-smokin’ shot, top shelf), Brent Burns (goal-very slippery backhand). No third shooter was needed for San Jose.

The shot leaders for the Sharks were Joe Pavelski, Brent Burns and Paul Martin with four apiece. Burns (30:38) and Martin (30:09) led the team in ice time by a sizeable margin.

The Sharks next play Saturday in Brooklyn against the New York Islanders. The game will start at 4:30 PT.

Couture And Donskoi Out, Goldobin Called Up

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By Mary Walsh

San Jose Sharks center Logan Couture will miss four to six weeks due to a broken right fibula. Per Curtis Pashelka of the Mercury News, the injury was sustained during practice in New Jersey on Thursday. In a press release Friday, Sharks GM Doug Wilson said:

Logan was injured in practice on Thursday in New Jersey and suffered a fractured right fibula at the ankle. He will be returning to San Jose to undergo surgery under the direction of Kaiser Permanente’s medical team. He is expected to miss 4-6 weeks.

Forward Joonas Donskoi is also out due to an injury sustained blocking a shot during the game against the Anaheim Ducks.

Rookie forward Nikolay Goldobin has been recalled to fill one of the open spots on the roster. Goldobin was the Sharks’ first round pick in 2014. Last season he played 38 games with HIFK in Finland and nine games with the Worcester Sharks of the AHL. This season he played one game with the San Jose Barracuda.

Forward Ben Smith, who was a scratch for the first three games of the season, will also join the lineup tonight as the team faces the New Jersey Devils. Saturday, the Sharks will play the New York Islanders in Brooklyn.

Sharks Beat Ducks With Lively 3rd in Home Opener

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By Mary Walsh

SAN JOSE– Saturday, the San Jose Sharks won their home opener 2-0 against the Anaheim Ducks. The Sharks’ best period of the game was their third, and it was a relentless one. It seemed to be just the kind of game head coach Pete DeBoer was looking for from the Sharks:

That’s how we want to play with the lead. You want to keep your foot on the gas. We kept rolling four lines to keep our energy and our legs. The best defense for me in that situation is spending the period in the other team’s end and I think we did a good job of that.

After the game, Sharks captain Joe Pavelski also talked about that third period push:

We kind of got better as the game went on, right from the start. The second was a little better and the third was definitely our best and it needs to be. I’d say last year that was one of the problems in this rink, we didn’t have strong thirds. So hopefully we can continue with that trend.

Joel Ward was asked about the developing chemistry between himself and his linemates, Logan Couture and Patrick Marleau:

When you get a chance to play with guys like Cootch and Marleau, it makes it a lot more fun, how dynamic they are and how skilled, what they can create on their own is pretty cool to watch. So, as you can see what Patty did tonight was a good example of that. Just try to get in the open areas and I just try to feed off them and know what they want from me, just communicating as best we can, it’s just going to continue to build.

Ward seemed to be communicating quite well with his linemates on Saturday, turning up in the right spot again and again, on both ends of the ice.

Sharks goaltender Martin Jones has also made an excellent impression in this two game sample. Martin Jones, after his second game and second win as a Shark, praised the team in front of him:

I thought we did a really good job. I mean, that’s a big, strong team up front and typically they do a really good job, getting in front of the net with bodies and with sticks. I thought we did a really good job boxing out and I was able to see a lot of pucks tonight.

As second games of the season go, this one was impressive: two goals from Patrick Marleau, two points for Joel Ward, and a second win from Martin Jones. The game even had two 31s in net, one at each end. Jones and Anaheim goaltender Frederik Andersen both wear 31.

With nine minutes left in the first, the shots were 7-3 Anaheim. Sharks had killed one penalty, but had had no power plays. They did, however, have a very good spell right about then, lasting almost three minutes and shifts for as many lines. The third line started it, with some aggressive play in the Ducks’ zone. The top line followed it up and the Sharks seemed to be on a roll and likely to score. When they finally had to defend again, Martin Jones was there to stop the Ducks. The game remained scoreless, but by the end of that little sprint, the shots were almost even, 9-8 Ducks. By the end of the period, the Sharks had a solid 13-9 lead in shots.

They were right back at it to start the second period, spending most of the first two minutes in the Ducks’ zone. After that, however, the Ducks pinned the Sharks for a solid couple of minutes. A breakaway from the third line broke up the Ducks’ momentum and ended with a discussion by the Ducks’ net. The second line picked up where the third left off, and added three shots to the Sharks’ tally in the space of a few seconds. By now, the Ducks were getting a little incensed.

By the middle of the second period, the game was clearly a goaltender battle. Both 31s were snuffing out scoring chances wherever they cropped up. Admittedly, they were few but that was partly due to quick reactions from the goalies.

The other limiting factor for those scoring chances was timing. A couple of shots fell flat for lack of follow-up and bodies in the right places. It was a reminder that this was only the Sharks’ second game of the season.

The game took on a delayed back and forth tempo, with each team trapping the other for a long shift before going the other way. The Ducks seemed to have the edge at the end of the period, catching up in shots and holding the zone just a little longer than the Sharks could.

The period was winding down to a scoreless close, but the Sharks’ second line had other plans. Joel Ward and Logan Couture chased the puck into the corner and kept after it. The announcer had just made the “one minute left” call when Ward got the puck to the net. Couture caught up with it on the other side and took a shot. Just then, Marleau followed up to take the third and fourth shots. He gave the Sharks a 1-0 lead with the fourth one. Assists went to Couture and Ward.

The Sharks ended the second period up by one goal and three shots, 27-24.

In the middle of the third period, the fourth line of Barclay Goodrow, Chris Tierney and Mike Brown had a very good shift, holding the zone with tenacity, getting a couple of shots in, and maintaining their composure when the Ducks finally got the puck out. They finished by slowing Anaheim down enough in the neutral zone for the defense to get organized for a line change.

Around the 13 minute mark, the fourth line held the zone again with aplomb, aided by Tomas Hertl Hertl, who had missed his line change. Eventually, he did manage to switch with Tierney, without the Ducks ever gaining control of the puck. It was an impressive shift by the fourth line and the top defensive pair of Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Justin Braun.

With almost six minutes left, the Sharks had taken twelve shots during the period. The Ducks had taken three.

Shortly after the next faceoff, Marleau scored his second of the game on the team’s 40th shot. It was a lovely wraparound after he carried the puck across the blue line and through the o-zone against two Ducks. The lone assist went to Joel Ward, who apparently made the pass while also playing it safe:

I knew he can do that so I just kind of “here, you take it, you go.” I came back to the bench… I knew we were in our zone a little bit and I just kind of tried to play it safe, I didn’t want to get caught up the ice. Next thing you know hands are up in the air and I was looking for water.

The Sharks got their first power play with 3:07 left in the game. The penalty went to Mike Santorelli for hooking Barclay Goodrow. They did not score but the power play prevented Anaheim from pulling their goalie or coming back in the last minutes.

The final shot count was 44-27 Sharks.

Patrick Marleau led the Sharks in shots with seven. Mike Brown led in hits with eight. Brent Burns had the most time on ice with 24:43. Martin Jones made 27 saves for the shutout.

Frederick Andersen made 42 saves for the Ducks, no small feat. That earned him the third star of the game. The first star was Marleau and the second was Martin Jones.

Jakob Silfverberg led the Ducks in shots with four, and Andrew Cogliano made the most hits for them: four.

The Sharks will hit the road and play Tuesday in Washington against Ward’s old team, the Capitals. The game will start at 4pm PT.

Sharks Reduce Training Camp to 27

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By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks have reduced their training camp roster to 27 players, they announced Monday.

Timo Meier, the Sharks’ first round pick in the most recent draft, was assigned to his junior club, the Halifax Mooseheads. In the Sharks press release, Peter DeBoer said:

“Timo had an impressive camp. He showed everyone why we selected him where we did,” said Sharks Head Coach Peter DeBoer. “He has a nice blend of power, speed and skill and he has a really bright future.”

San Jose Barracuda camp starts today. The Sharks assigned nine players to the new AHL club on Monday. The forwards are: John McCarthy, Bryan Lerg, Micheal Haley and Ryan Carpenter. The defensemen are: Mark Cundari, Karl Stollery and Gus Young. The goalies are Troy Grosenick and Aaron Dell.

The moves leave Al Stalock and Martin Jones as the goaltenders the Sharks will start the season with.

The Sharks also put forward Frazer McLaren on waivers. His status will be determined after the waiver period expires.

Competition Too Close to Call for Sharks Blue Line

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By Mary Walsh

The preseason is well under way, and the NHL season looms large for the San Jose Sharks. Their training camp roster is still long enough to easily ice two squads, so it is reasonable to expect that there will be more roster cuts this week. The Sharks have a lot of decisions to make before opening night, DeBoer explained:

Some tough decisions, some really tough decisions. It’s tough getting from 34 to 26 or -7 or whatever number we’re going to go to, and it’s going to be even tougher to go down to 22 or 23. That’s a good thing though, it’s a good problem.

Dylan DeMelo stood out as one of the young players getting a lot of ice time in preseason games. There is a little room on the Sharks blue line, and a number of players competing for it. Asked to comment on that competition, DeMelo said: “I can’t speak for the other guys but I think I’m playing pretty well and I think I’m showing kind of what’s advertised in my game.”

After the game, Sharks coach Peter DeBoer was asked if Dylan DeMelo was likely to make the opening night roster. DeBoer declined to say yes or no:

I’m not prepared to hand this job to anybody yet. Everybody’s competing, everyone’s playing well right now. It’s too close to call to be giving anybody the job right now. We’re going to take all the time we have on our side.

DeBoer did concede that DeMelo is “right in the mix,” with other defensemen. As with other players seeing a lot of preseason ice time, DeMelo is no lock for a spot on the NHL roster.

Another player who is getting a long look in these games is Joonas Donskoi. Saturday, he played on a line with Tomas Hertl and Matt Nieto. Donskoi is probably closer to a spot than DeMelo is, but the fact that he is playing only means he’s getting look, not getting the job.

The Sharks lost Saturday’s preseason game to the Anaheim Ducks. The final score was 2-1, with goals scored by Joel Ward for San Jose, Corey Perry and Chris Wagner for Anaheim. The game was a fine preseason sample of games between San Jose and Anaheim: riddled with penalties, there was even a game misconduct handed out.

Martin Jones was starting his second of the preseason, and his first at SAP as a Shark. He was glad to have a chance to play at SAP during the preseason:

I’ve had a couple games here, playing in LA, so I know what the building’s about. Yeah, it was nice to get the first one out of the way at home. Obviously, not the result we want, but we’re working through it. It’s still preseason and we’ll work it out.

The Ducks took two penalties in the first eleven minutes of the game, one to Shea Theodore at 1:22 and one to Corey Perry at 11:07. The Sharks did not score on either one of those power plays, but seconds after the Perry penalty expired, the Sharks did score. The goal was scored by Joel Ward, with assists going to Paul Martin and Brent Burns.

The goal was a good example of Ward’s playing style, and the style that DeBoer is encouraging the Sharks to employ. Asked about the goal after the game, Ward said:

It’s no secret, I’m trying to get in front of the net. I think most of my goals in the past have been around that area. So there’s no secret I’m just trying to go to the net, trying to get pucks and rebounds.

Moments after the Sharks goal, Frazer McLaren was called for boarding. He was given a game misconduct and received a five minute major. Ryan Carpenter served the penalty for him. The hit sent Anaheim defenseman, Korbinian Holzer, to the dressing room. Holzer was kept out for the rest of the game for precautionary reasons, the Ducks announced later.

The Sharks killed off the five minutes and even managed a short-handed chance near the end.

It took the Sharks several minutes before they took a shot on goal in the second period. Through the period, the Sharks had six shots.

The Ducks tied the game just over three minutes into the third period. The goal was scored by Chris Wagner, unassisted. He skated into the zone mostly unfettered and took a shot from the half boards that seemed to catch Jones off guard.

Just past the ten minute mark of the third, Perry went to the box for the second time in the game, this time for high sticking.

Before the penalty elapsed, Joonas Donskoi went to the box for a high stick. The Ducks made the Sharks pay for that, taking the lead with a goal with 7:36 left. The power play goal was scored by Corey Perry. Assists went to Shea Theodore and Simon Despres.

The Ducks went right from the celebration to the penalty kill, with Shea Theodore back in the box for interference. This put the Sharks on their fourth power play.

That came to naught, and the game wound down. With under two minutes left, the Sharks pulled their goaltender for the extra attacker. Logan Couture, Brent Burns, Tomas Hertl, Patrick Marleau and Paul Martin made up the six players for the last minutes. Hertl made a nice pass after pulling the puck from a scrum along the boards, but Couture’s shot went just wide. After a time out, the same six returned to the ice but they could not even the score.

The Sharks will play another preseason game at SAP on Tuesday, September 29. Their opponent will be the Vancouver Canucks. Start time will be 7:30 pm.

Sharks Ready for Restart

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By Mary Walsh

In the past, GM Doug Wilson has used the phrase “refresh, reset” instead of “rebuild” to describe what he was trying to do with the San Jose Sharks. Last year, “rebuild” creapt into the sound bites, but there were no standout changes to go with it. Now, with a new coaching staff and new players in key roles, the team faces something akin to an operating system upgrade.

As with an upgrade, many little glitches may just go away, while some handy shortcuts will have to be put back in place. For a while at least, the system will seem cleaner simpler than previously. How much reward the Sharks will reap from the changes will depend on some very familiar factors, from individual player performance to the mental resilience of the group. This is the conundrum that has faced the Sharks for years: they have been good enough to expect that they could do more, but they haven’t. New Head Coach Peter DeBoer has said he won’t tear everything down because there is a lot of good in the team and the way they do things. How much of that good can he salvage without also preserving the bugs and glitches?

One of the familiar questions is leadership. Tommy Wingels was asked about the captaincy issue on the first day of camp. He said:

I think it’s important that someone does wear the C. That being said, that guy’s not going to be the only guy that’s a leader on this team. One guy wears the C but we’ve said around here that this is a team of leaders. If you have one guy doing it all, you’re not going to be great.

The leadership question carries over from last season. That captainless experiment did not exactly devolve into mob rule, but it was far from a well-organized attack unit. That DeBoer plans to put letters on leaders may just be a band-aid but it is a hole that needs to be plugged. It is an obvious first step to bringing the team into a semblance of order. It is just the first of many changes that need to be made.

Joe Pavelski said that the changes to the team are palpable:

There’s a good energy in the room. When you walk into the building and you see the new hallway and the new locker room, it just adds that energy. Even when we were away in the summer and we added those pieces, there was an energy I could feel, excited to get back when I got back and see everybody and get on the ice. Like the signings we’ve had and the improvements and we’ll move forward from that and hopefully it will be positive.

The changes to the locker room decor are a strong visual signal: this is not the same as before. It was not a complete redesign, but changes in wall covering and paint colors are enough to make the room almost unrecognizable. It reminded me of the attention given to the dressing rooms at 49ers Stadium last year. Perhaps that experience drove home the importance of little things like color and texture, the effect they can have on the psyche. That particular game, played out of that particular room, may not be worth repeating, but the new look will be a daily reminder that this season is not last season or the one before that.

Ironically, a fresh start is what a team wants every season. In that regard, newness is not new. Tommy Wingels described the challenge of the clean slate goal:

I think that’s the mindset every player needs to have every year when training camp starts. I don’t think you can expect to be in a certain position based on the previous year. You got to re-earn it every single year, every practice, every exhibition game, into the start of the season. I think Pete has come in and made it clear that what you did in the past doesn’t matter, you’ve got to earn your opportunity this year.

Joe Thornton does not think it will take the team very long to adjust to the new systems under the new coach:

Hopefully just exhibition, hopefully Game One we’ll be ready to go. But who knows, I don’t think it’s going to take a long time to get used to his system. It’s relatively the same as Todd’s, but who knows? Hopefully the more we play games, get six or seven exhibition games under our belt, we’ll be ready to play his system.

This morning, who knows how long it will take? Once the Sharks play a couple of games, they will probably know.

The Sharks will play in Vancouver tonight, one of those exhibition games Thornton mentioned. If the changes are change enough, I would not expect a smooth performance right away. If they play well and win, great. If they play badly and lose, or even play badly and win, it could mean they are figuring out a new way of doing things. The only real failure possible would be if the team looks too much as they have always looked. Even then, they have a few more exhibition games to get their new act together.

Sharks Add Nabokov as Goaltending Coach, Camp Opens Friday

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By Mary Walsh

With training camp starting Friday, the Sharks formally added Evgeni Nabokov to their coaching roster, as goaltending development coach and special assignment scout. The Sharks have also signed defenseman Jeremy Roy to an entry level contract.

The addition of Nabokov to the coaching staff was not surprising, as he had already been spotted on the ice during prospect camp practices. Of the former Sharks goaltender, Sharks GM Doug Wilson said, in the team press release: “Nabby’s career speaks for itself and he is one of the most beloved players to ever play for our franchise,” said Wilson. He will be a tremendous asset to our young, developing goaltenders. I have great respect for him as a hockey person and as a man.”

The press release also summarized Nabokov’s playing career:

Nabokov finished his remarkable career ranked 18th on the NHL’s all-time wins list (353), 17th in shutouts (59) and 25th in games played by a goaltender (697). He appeared in 86 career Stanley Cup Playoff games (22nd all-time), and ranks 23rd all-time in postseason wins (42) and T-20th in postseason shutouts (7). He helped lead the Sharks to two of their three franchise Western Conference Final appearances (2004, 2010). In 697 career NHL games with San Jose, the New York Islanders and Tampa Bay Lightning, Nabokov posted a 353-227-29-71 record, with a 2.44 goals-against average, a .911 save percentage and 59 shutouts.

Sunday, the Sharks announced that they had signed their 2015 2nd round pick, defenseman Jeremy Roy, to an entry level contract. Roy spent the past two seasons in the QMJHL, and represented Canada at the U-18 World Junior Championships last season. He recorded four points in that tournament, on the way to a bronze medal for his team.

On Friday, the Sharks training camp officially kicks off at Sharks Ice in San Jose. Group A will skate at 9:30, with Group B taking the ice at 11:45. The team is scheduled to skate again Saturday and Sunday at the same times. They will be in Vancouver for preseason games Monday and Tuesday.