Tag: hockey

Feature: Sharks In Desperate Need of More Power Play Opportunities

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Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks

By: Peter Elliott

CHICAGO–Peter DeBoer’s squad was deprived of something other than a win on Friday night: opportunities on the power play.

The Sharks only had one chance to execute on the man advantage in their 3-1 loss to the Blackhawks. It lasted 22 seconds.

San Jose’s only time on the ice with less than five red sweaters was during the third period, when Chicago defenseman Connor Murphy was booked to the penalty box with an interference minor. 22 seconds later, Brent Burns was sent off to the Sharks penalty box on a holding minor, offsetting the Sharks’ 5-on-4 upper hand. If I haven’t stressed it enough, 22 seconds is not enough time to type a tweet, much less let alone score a goal.

The power play had been a strength for the Sharks all season and a reason for their high offensive benchmarks. But lately, not so much.

The team is suffering through a scoreless 0-19 stretch in the power play category, an unusual drought for a team that has been so stellar on the man advantage for the majority of the season. The Sharks still remain among the best in the league in the category, up there with division leaders Nashville, Pittsburgh, and Tampa Bay. But if their recent struggles continue, they surely won’t keep up with that company for very long.

“We need to get a little bit of that confidence back, stepping over the boards and understanding that it can win us some games,” said Sharks captain Joe Pavelski of his team’s power play scoring skid, per Kevin Kurz of The Athletic. “We need to be better there. Bottom line is we need to execute, make another play, stick one in the net.”

As noted, it’s absence has been sorely missed on the offensive side of the ice recently. Especially on Thursday night during a 7-1 blowout at the hands of Nashville, in which DeBoer’s squad failed to net on a single goal during their five power play opportunities. The Sharks undoubtedly just need both more opportunities and repetitions with the power play. 

Success will come soon.

The power play magic that has helped the Sharks postseason aspirations is currently M.I.A., but luckily for the Sharks, they’ll have time to re-discover it before a Sunday evening game against Minnesota. The Wild boast a pedestrian penalty kill percentage of 80.8%, which makes the playoff contending Wild a ripe target for a power play resurgence.

San Jose has been able to maintain a 6-5 record in the month of February, although that is not ideal for a team in the middle of a tight playoff race. A stronger showing on the man advantage certainly could have alleviated some of those deficits.

The Sharks are set to square off against the Blackhawks again on March 1 in San Jose. Maybe then, the Sharks can get a power play that lasts a whole 30 seconds.

Barracuda fail in comeback attempt in 5-2 loss to Reign

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Photo credit: @sjbarracuda

By: Marko Ukalovic

The Ontario Reign (25-19-3-1) scored three goals in the first period and held on with two late insurance goals to defeat the San Jose Barracuda (22-21-3-3) 5-2 on Wednesday evening at Citizens Business Bank Arena. The loss is the third in a row and seven out of their last eight games for San Jose.

The Reign didn’t waste any time getting off to a fast start when Matt Moulson drew first blood after Brett Sutter won a clean faceoff. He was able to pass it back to the point where Sean Walker blasted a slap shot that Moulson tipped past Cuda goalie Troy Grosenick (6-9-4) at the 2:57 mark of the first period.

Sutter would give the Reign a 2-0 lead when he scored a short-handed goal 59 seconds into a Cuda power play when the puck ricocheted off of Matt Roy’s stick and found a wide open Sutter who skated in on a breakaway and slid the puck right through the five-hole of Grosenick for his 10th goal at the 6:36 mark.

The Reign received a gift from Jacob Middleton when he turned over the puck to Justin Auger who skated it in all alone on Grosenick and was able to sneak the puck past the five-hole for his seventh goal of the season. The unassisted goal gave Ontario a 3-0 lead at the 10:25 mark.

Ontario had the ice tilted in their favor throughout the entire first period as they out shot San Jose 19-6. The Cuda weren’t able to get any of the goals back, despite three power play opportunities.

Colby Mcauly was able to get the Cuda on the board when he scored the first goal of his AHL career when he was able to poke home a rebound of a shot from Radem Simek. Simek’s shot sailed over the goal where McCauly was able to collect the puck off the back wall and put it past Reign goalie Cal Petersen’s (14-9-0) top self at the 6:29 mark of the second period.

Alexander True brought the Cuda to within one goal when he scored a power play goal when his wrap around shot deflected off the left pad of Petersen and trickled into the back of the net. True’s eighth goal of the season came on an extended power play with the Reign’s Stepan Falkovski in the sin bin for a double-minor high sticking penalty that drew blood from Rudolfs Balcers at the 16:58 mark. Simek and Nick DeSimone received assists.

San Jose had two power play opportunities in the third period to tie the game, but weren’t able to convert.

Ontario wrapped up the game with a pair of goals scored with under two minutes left in the game. An even-strength goal by TJ Hensick for his sixth goal of the season at the 18:09 mark. Andrew Crencenzi added an empty netter with his 10th goal of the season with 1:02 left in the game to complete the scoring for the Reign and end any comeback attempt by San Jose.

Petersen made 19 saves on 21 shots to earn the victory. He is now 3-0 against San Jose. Grosenick had another busy night, making 31 saves on 35 shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose was 1/8 on the power play, while Ontario–who has the sixth best-ranked power play in the AHL–went 0/4.

This was the first game of the season the Cuda didn’t have John McCarthy or Paul Martin on the penalty kill. Balcers was able to return to the game after being cut by the high stick from Falkovski. Simek was hit in the face by the puck after a shot caught him up high late in the 3rd period. Hensick’s goal was his fifth goal in 13 games against San Jose.

UP NEXT: The Barracuda conclude their four-game road trip traveling up Highway 99 to take on the Bakersfield Condors on Friday evening (February 23) at Rabobank Arena. Face off is scheduled at 7 pm PT.

Heat comeback from three-goal deficit to upend Barracuda 5-4 in OT

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Photo credit: @sjbarracuda

By Marko Ukalovic

The San Jose Barracuda (22-19-3-3) blew a three-goal lead as the Stockton Heat (23-17-2-3) scored four unanswered goals for a 5-4 dramatic comeback victory on Friday evening at the Stockton Arena.

Hunter Shinkaruk scored the game winning goal with 39 seconds left in the over time for his 13th goal on the season. Oliver Kylington set up Shinkaruk and he was able to go up top-shelf on Cuda goalie Troy Grosenick (6-9-3).

San Jose would jump out to a quick start against their Nor Cal rival when Jacob Middleton led a 2-on-1 with Adam Helewka. Middleton stole the puck away from Brett Findley just inside the Cuda blue line, skated up the right wing and passed it over to Helewka who fired a shot past Heat goalie Mason McDonald (0-1-0) into the back of the net for his seventh goal of the season at 2:20 mark of first period.

Stockton’s Tanner Glass scored would tied the game when he was able to pounced on a rebound and put it past Grosenick for his second goal of the season at the 8:49 mark of the first period. Kylington’s shot from the point was initially saved by Grosenick but he could corral the rebound. Dalton Prout received the secondary assist.

Sam Warning would give San Jose back the lead with his first AHL goal of his career. Filip Sandberg sent in a pass into the Heat zone and Warning collected the puck and snapped a shot past McDonald with a sweeping spin-o-rama motion at the 17:20 mark of the first period.

Grosenick made two important saves in the first period. Brett Pollack had a wide-open chance after a turnover by Radim Simek that Grosenick was able to glove. Glass had a short-handed chance that Grosenick stoned away.

The Cuda had two short-handed chances to extend their lead midway through the second period but were stymied both times by McDonald. Danny O’Regan couldn’t convert on a breakaway. Moments later Rudolfs Balcers and Simek had a 2-on-1 chance only to have McDonald make a brilliant save on Balcers’ shot.

The Cuda were finally able to cash in on their fifth power play opportunity when rookie forward Alex True was able to light the red light on a rebound chance. Julius Bergman fed O’Reagan who one-timed a shot from the right point that McDonald stopped but True crashed the net and pounded home the puck past McDonald for his seventh goal of the season for a 3-1 lead at the 12:55 mark of the 2nd period.

San Jose scored their third unanswered goal when Simek gave the Cuda a 4-1 lead on a short-handed goal, thanks to a 3-on-1 chance with O’Regan and Balcers. O’Regan made a drop pass to an open Simek who buried the puck past McDoanld for his fourth goal of the season at the 15:52 mark. It was O’Regan’s second assist on the night.

San Jose were impressive in killing off a Heat 5-on-3 power play opportunity with five minutes remaining in the second period, thanks to the great goaltending by Groesnick. He stopped all 15 shots, including a couple of point-blank chances, he faced in the middle frame.

The Heat would dominate the third period. Austin Carrol would cut the Cuda lead in half after some dazzling stick handling by Rasmus Andersson at the 3:02 mark. Andersson was able skate down the left wing side, made a toe drag move around a defender before centering a pass to Carrol who was able shoot the puck over the left pad of Grosenick for his fourth goal of the season.

Andersson would draw the Heat to within one goal when he was able to bang home the puck into a wide open net thanks to a great feed from Andrew Mangiapane who was left all alone by the Cuda defense. Andersson’s fifth goal of the season came at the 7:50 mark.

The Heat would complete the come back with their third unanswered goal in the period when Andersson tied the game up with his second goal of the night (and sixth of the season) when he jumped on the rebound from a shot by Hunter Shinkaruk with 2:51 left in the third period. San Jose was outshot 18-3 in the third frame.

Mason, who made just his second start of his AHL career, earned his first career AHL victory on 25 saves on 29 shots. Grosenick, who made his second consecutive start, suffered the loss, despite making 41 saves on 46 shots.

GAME NOTES: San Jose was 1/6 on the power play (5/29 overall against Stockton this season) while Stockton went 0/6.

The Barracuda are now 2-1 at the Stockton Arena this season. This was the eighth game between the two clubs. They play each other four more times. Simek’s short-handed goal was the second short-handed goal on the road against Stockton. It was their fourth short-handed goal of the season overall. San Jose is now 12-1-2 when they have a lead after the second period. Alex True had a spirited first ever fight against Brett Pollock 42 seconds into the third period.

UP NEXT: The Barracuda conclude their two-game series against the Heat tomorrow at Stockton Arena. Face off is scheduled for 6 pm PT.

Barracuda snap losing streak with a 4-2 win over Roadrunners

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Photo credit: @sjbarracuda

By Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE — The San Jose Barracuda (22-19-2-3) were happy to have Rudolfs Balcers and his scoring touch back in the lineup as his two goals led the way for a 4-2 victory over the Pacific Division leading Tuscon Roadrunners (27-15-2-1) on Wednesday night at the SAP Center. The win snapped the Cuda’s four-game losing streak.

Balcers’ second goal of the night proved to be the game winning goal for San Jose on the power play. Rourke Chartier kept the puck inside the blue line, passed it over to Tim Heed who fed Balcers who skated between the middle of the circles and fired a shot top self past Hunter Miska (15-5-0) for a 3-2 lead at the 8:26 mark of the third period. It was his team leading 14th goal on the season.

“It’s been a while (since I scored a goal),” said Baclers about his recent goalless streak. “I actually talked to my parents yesterday. We talked that I haven’t scored in a while. So it felt good.”

The Roadrunners would draw first blood when Mike Sislo skated in all alone on the right wing after taking a cross-ice feed from Lawson Crouse and fired a shot past Cuda goalie Troy Grosenick (6-8-3) into the back of the net for his 15th goal on the season at the 12:23 mark of the first period.

The Barracuda would even it up late in the first period when a turnover at the blue line gave the puck to Adam Helewka and he found a wide-open Emerson Clark who skated right down the middle all alone and buried a shot past Tuscon goalie Hunter Miska (15-5-0) for his sixth goal of the season at the 17:37 mark.

Despite the Roadrunners’ defense clogging up the middle of the ice and holding the Cuda to only three shots in the period, both teams headed into the first intermission tied at one apiece.

Tuscon regained the lead late in the second period with a power play goal from Lane Pederson. With Helewka in the sin bin for hooking, Laurent Dauphin found Pederson at the right point and he blasted a shot past Grosenick for his eighth goal of the season at the 16:14 mark.

Balcers tied it back up over a minute later with his first goal of the night when he received a pass from Tim Heed at the right slot and skated in on Miska and fired a shot that Miska wasn’t able to handle at the 17:21 mark.

In the third period, the Cuda took three undisciplined penalties (two too many men on the ice and one unsportmanlike conduct) that gave Tuscon a chance to come back but San Jose’s penalty kill along with Grosenick were perfect and didn’t allow another goal.

“Special teams were pretty good,” said head coach Roy Sommer. “It would’ve been a little disheartening if they had scored on those, but they didn’t.”

Chartier, back in the lineup after missing the last 30 games, gave the Cuda a huge insurance goal when Nick DeSimone connected with Chartier on a pass from center ice and he skated in from the left slot before firing a shot past Miska into the top right corner of the goal for his third goal of the season.

“He’s been through a lot these past couple of years,” said Grosenick about Chartier’s return to the lineup. “To see him comeback and get rewarded like that, with all his hard work, it’s a good thing to see.”

Grosenick made 37 saves on 39 shots, including a great sprawling save on Crouse in the second period while Tuscon was on the power play. Miska stopped 22 pucks on 26 shots for just his fifth loss on the season.

“It was big, it was big for him and just his psyche”, said Sommer about Grosenick finally getting a win. “He was kinda wondering when the next win was gonna come. He battled in there and made some big saves for us down the end for us.”

GAME NOTES: San Jose was 1/4 on the power play and snapped an 0/13 skid, while Tuscon went 1/6.

Along with Chartier, forward Danny O’Reagan was also back in the line up for the Cuda who has been up and down with the Sharks and Cuda this season.

Caleb Herbert made his debut for San Jose after recently signing with the team.

San Jose went 1-2-1-1 on their five-game home stand.

The announced attendance was 2,924.

UP NEXT: The Barracuda head out on the road to begin a four-game road trip beginning with a two-game weekend series in Stockton as they take on their Nor Cal rival the Heat on Friday 2/16. Face off is scheduled for 7 pm PT.

Barracuda lose 3-2 and get swept by Gulls in weekend series

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Photo credit: @sjbarracuda

By: Ana Kieu

The San Jose Barracuda were looking to write a positive page against the San Diego Gulls in 2018 and rebound from a two-game losing skid at the Valley View Casino Center on Saturday night.

Previously, the Barracuda matched a franchise high with 46 shots on net, but suffered a 5-0 blowout from the Gulls on Jan. 5.

The Barracuda’s starting lineup featured Emerson Clark, John McCarthy, Adam Helewka, Jacob Middleton, Mike Brodzinski and Troy Grosenick.

Grosenick made a noteworthy save to open the first period. Shots were 8-6 in favor of the Gulls midway through the first, but the Barracuda picked up the pace as time went by.

Radim Simek was called for cross-checking and the Barracuda went on the penalty kill for the remainder of the first.

The Barracuda put 16 shots on goal, but they left the first scoreless against the Gulls.

The Gulls drew first blood with a power play goal for a 1-0 lead at 14:38. Eric Fehr poked in the rebound for his team-leading 11th goal of the season.

Filip Sandberg scored what looked like a goal off a strange bounce, but the officials waived it off, claiming they saw a high stick. No goal for San Jose.

The Barracuda tied the score at one apiece with an unassisted goal from Adam Helewka with 5:01 left in the second.

Both teams ended up in the same place, but this time around, the Barracuda and Gulls each scored a goal apiece after the second. Shots were 30-23 in favor of San Jose.

Joe Blandisi redirected Marcus Pettersson’s one-timer just eight seconds into the man advantage for a power play goal–his fifth of the season–at 17:46.

The Gulls’ lead was short-lived as Emerson Clark scored off of a point-blank opportunity at 16:04.

Just when you thought the Gulls were ready to give up on the game, San Diego regained the lead, 3-2, on Sam Carrick’s wrist shot en route to the opposing net.

Despite leading in shots, 42-30, midway through the third, San Jose trailed San Diego 3-2.
The Barracuda still had a chance as they went on the power play while the Gulls’ switched on their penalty kill, which eventually worked.

The Barracuda lost to the Gulls 3-2 on the road.

Notes
USA Hockey announced on January 1 during the second intermission of the Winter Classic between the New York Rangers and Buffalo Sabres at Citi Field in New York that San Jose Barracuda captain John McCarthy had been selected to the United States men’s ice hockey team for the 2018 Winter Olympic Games. The Olympics will be held from Feb. 9-25 in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

The AHL announced on Thursday that Barracuda goalie Antoine Bibeau has been selected to represent San Jose at the 2018 All-Star game in Utica, N.Y., later this month.

Barracuda rookie forward Rudolfs Balcers added another assist in San Jose’s last game and now ranks T-10th in the AHL among first-year players in points (23) and T-sixth in assists (16). Balcers leads the Barracuda in points, assists, and is tied with Danny O’Regan and Brandon Bollig for the team lead in goals with seven.

Barracuda head coach and Bay Area native Roy Sommer collected his 700th AHL win of his career on Dec. 3 at Bakersfield, 2-1. Sommer is the first coach in the 82-year history of the AHL to reach 700 coaching wins.

Six players from the Barracuda’s 2017 Calder Cup playoff roster are now on the San Jose Sharks (Marcus Sorensen, Tim Heed, Barclay Goodrow, Timo Meier, Joakim Ryan and Kevin Labanc).

Up Next 
The Barracuda return to SAP Center on Tuesday, January 9, where they’ll host the San Antonio Rampage  at 7 pm PT.

Barracuda Captain John McCarthy – Profile

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Photo: @sjbarracuda

By Alexandra Evans

SAN JOSE—“When you play hockey for a living, obviously you need to treat it professionally, but also have fun with it, too,” John McCarthy, Captain of the San Jose Barracuda, remarked at practice on Tuesday morning.

McCarthy, 31, hails from just outside Boston. His father played hockey for College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, and his older brother played up until high school. The siblings grew up playing hockey together, though John was the only one who went on to play at the college level (for Boston University) and, now, the professional leagues.

McCarthy grew up a Bruins fan, and he particularly looked up to Cam Neely, a Hockey Hall of Fame inductee. McCarthy did not know it at the time, but in his early 20s, he would be playing alongside a familiar face from watching television and live games at TD Garden: Joe Thornton.

“He was the guy when I was growing up with the Bruins,” McCarthy recalled, also noting that when he was first called up to the NHL eight years ago (2009-2010 season), he roomed with Thornton on his first road trip with the Sharks.

McCarthy attributes his professionalism in the AHL and NHL to his veteran teammates with whom he played his first few seasons in the big league (beginning in 2009-2010).

“[My older teammates] taught me how to approach the game. Come to the rink every day ready to work, get better every day,” he said.

Now, as the Barracuda captain and one of the team’s oldest players, McCarthy has become an influence for his younger teammates, guiding them as they work toward an NHL career.

“[Establishing an NHL career] is about not being overbearing… if [my younger teammates] want my insight on something, they can feel free to ask me. There’s plenty of situations where [questions] come up,” he stated. “In order for us to succeed, we have to outwork the other team. Our team has a completely different landscape than last year.”

McCarthy then referred to Barclay Goodrow, Ryan Carpenter, Kevin Labanc, Timo Meier, Tim Heed, and Joakim Ryan, all of whom were called up to the Sharks as regulars this season. Their call-ups impacted the Cuda as, McCarthy noted, they were all key players.

“Our game is more of a working game, more of a forechecking game, more of a ‘playing on the inside’ game. We can’t depend on the power play to get us wins like last year.”

Keeping this mentality through every game, McCarthy said, is one of the keys to success for both the Barracuda as a team and for each of the up-and-coming players individually.

Entering his third year as a Bay Area resident (during the season), McCarthy appreciates the snowless, seldom rainy Northern California weather, the cities surrounding San Jose (San Francisco, Santa Cruz, to name a few), and the staunch, passionate Sharks fans all around.

Barracuda Shoot Down Stars 5-1

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By Mary Walsh

SAN JOSE-The San Jose Barracuda defeated the visiting Texas Stars by a score of 5-1 Sunday. The game featured Nikolay Goldobin’s first AHL hat trick, and a fine performance from goaltender Al Stalock. Stalock made 21 saves on 22 shots. Jeremy Langlois and Ryan Carpenter each scored a goal, and Gus Young had three assists.

Both teams had played the night before, the Barracuda in Bakersfield and the Stars in Stockton. Even the recent arrivals, Stalock and Tierney, played Saturday with the Sharks. The Barracuda won their Saturday game 5-4 in a shootout. The Stars lost theirs 7-6, also in a shootout. Both teams had reason to be a little weary Sunday, but it did not show. Sunday’s game was fast and entertaining.

The first penalty of the game went to the Barracuda’s Jesse Mycham. The Barracuda killed it off with alacrity.

8:40 into the game, Nikolay Goldobin scored to put the Barracuda up by one. Chris Tierney sent the puck up from behind the goal line, where Goldobin’s arrival was well-timed. With a quick lift, he put the puck over the Texas goaltender’s glove. Assists went to Tierney and Gus Young.

The Barracuda set the pace for the rest of the period. Several shots on net went right into Deslauriers’ clutches, as the Barracuda did not have enough traffic in front of the Texas goaltender.

With just 2:25 left in the first, the Stars caught San Jose off guard and tied the game. Stalock caught Dickinson’s wrap-around shot with his pads but only by diving across the crease. The puck went under him, changed direction somewhere underneath the goalie, and trickled across the goal line. An assist went to Greg Rallo.

San Jose’s Jeremy Langlois took the lead back when he caught a long pass near the faceoff dot in the Stars’ zone, deked his way around Brennan Evans and then beat the goaltender with a backhand from in close. Assists went to Goldobin and Young.

The Stars took a penalty early in the second period, and Brendan Ranford went to the box for delay of game. The Barracuda power play had some good looks but their best chances were for tip-ins that did not work.

As the penalty ended, the Stars went the other way immediately, then got pushed back, only to get a breakaway chance, followed by more o-zone time. The Barracuda were very much on their heels but Stalock kept the puck out.

As the game reached its midpoint, San Jose pulled themselves together. At 10:35, Tierney beat a Texas defender near the faceoff circle and got a pass to Goldobin for a shot. Desrosiers stopped the first shot but Goldobin picked up his rebound and put it around the goaltender to give the Barracuda a 3-1 lead.

The Stars took another penalty, this time to Travis Morin for tripping. San Jose’s power play was less dangerous-looking than it had been, but it was not a liability. After the penalty expired, the Barracuda continued to keep Texas at bay, limiting their shots mostly to the outside and getting the puck out quickly.

By the end of the second period, the score was 3-1 Barracuda, the shot count was 17-14 Barracuda.

San Jose jumped right back in to start the third period. They skated in three on two to extend the lead. Ryan Carpenter carried the puck to the hash marks and passed it to Barclay Goodrow. Goodrow’s shot came back out for Carpenter to pick up and put in the net. Assists went to Goodrow and Trevor Parkes.

A few minutes later, Goldobin escaped the neutral zone and darted unfettered to the Texas net where he wrapped the puck around the goalie and in goal for a hat trick. The goal was unassisted.

The Texas team had a power play opportunity at 9:49 when Alex Gallant went to the box for interference. It was a much better power play than their first and they held the zone relentlessly. They still failed to gain any ground on the four goal deficit.

Final score: 5-1 San Jose. The win puts the Barracuda in the playoff picture for the moment. They are in third place out of seven teams in the Pacific Division.

The Barracuda next play on Wednesday against the Stockton Heat.

——————————————-

There was plenty of roster activity from the Sharks on Sunday. As the Sharks started a four day break in their schedule, they sent forward Chris Tierney and goaltender Alex Stalock to play with the Barracuda. Matt Tennyson was sent down a couple of days earlier, and officially Stalock’s and Tennyson’s assignments are for “conditioning” purposes. This limits the stay to 14 days. Historically, these assignments were used to bring players back from injury, but there is no strict language in the rules saying that a conditioning assignment cannot be used to keep a player tuned up when he is not playing much with the NHL club. It is likely that both Tennyson and Stalock will be back with the Sharks soon.

SJ Sharks Saturday game recap with Mary Lisa Walsh: Sharks Win 5-2 At Home

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By Mary Walsh

photo credit CSNBA of the SJ Sharks Tommy Wingels

SAN-JOSE- The San Jose Sharks played the Calgary Flames Saturday, and won 5-2. As if in honor of Ryane Clowe night at SAP, the Sharks played a strong, physical, wily game. Tomas Hertl probably had the most rough and tumble game of his career. Mirco Mueller went to the box with a fighting major. Tommy Wingels, the team’s habitual hits leader, changed things up and was the Sharks’ shot leader for the game.

The first two goals of the game, and the first and third stars of the game, went to the second line of Tommy Wingels, Tomas Hertl and Matt Nieto. Two-thirds of that line was benched in the third period of their last game, so it was rewarding for all involved to see them play so well Saturday. After the game, head coach Pete DeBoer said:

They were a key part of the game tonight, set the tone with the forecheck, got us those two first period goals, key part. We need those guys. Great response game by them and now we need to continue to build on it.

The Sharks won the game without the help of one of their top four defensemen. Justin Braun missed the game and is likely to be out for longer with an infected elbow. The last time the Sharks lost the services of a top defenseman, they struggled badly.

Asked after the game how the defensive corps made the adjustment, Marc-Edouard Vlasic said:

We played well as a team, we didn’t turn pucks over, good support in the d-zone. Good forecheck… I mean, you can be missing two of your top d-men but if you play the way we did tonight you’ll win.

The win seemed a long time coming, as the Sharks’ road record is much better than their home record lately. Additionally, The Flames have been struggling this season, especially in the area of special teams. They posed a perfect storm as a visiting, struggling team that the Sharks should be able to beat. That sort of opponent has long been poisoned bait for the Sharks. That the Sharks prevailed in a big way could mean that the team is breaking some bad habits.

While the shot clock showed the teams even, the first half of the first period found the Sharks more often in the Flames zone than vice versa. Obviously, the Flames had enough time to take their share of the shots, but the Sharks seemed to have the edge to start the game.

There were a couple of near fights, one near each net. Everyone got involved, leaving few skaters not in the fracas, but no penalties were handed out, no one got knocked down, and the game went on.

The line combination of Tomas Hertl, Matt Nieto and Tommy Wingels had started the game with a lot of jump, and at 9:03 of the period, Tommy Wingels opened the scoring with a tipped shot from Marc-Edouard Vlasic. Assists went to Vlasic and Tomas Hertl.

The second goal was Hertl’s, a beautiful wrist shot from the bottom of the circle. Brenden Dillon caught puck on its way, kept it in, and made a quick pass to Hertl for the shot. The only assist went to Dillon.

The period ended 2-0 Sharks with the shots at 11-10 Sharks.

Patrick Marleau was called for holding just 1:31 into the second, giving the Flames the first power play of the game. The Sharks had a lot of trouble clearing the puck in the first minute, and Jones had to scramble. Once the Sharks did get the puck out, they were able to handle the rest of the kill.

At 4:23, Mirco Mueller was called for charging. The Sharks executed the second penalty kill handily, but remained trapped in their zone for some time after it was over.

The sharks had their own turn on the power play at 8:16 of the second. Derek Engellund knocked Nieto down a bit late near the net, which moved Hertl to jump into the fray and just miss being called for something himself. Engellund went to the box for roughing.

Beforew the power play was over, was called for high-sticking Hertl. Hertl protected his face with a hand but the hand seemed to suffer the consequences. Hertl recovered and the Sharks had a short five on three power play.

Seconds into it, Joe Thornton sent a neat little pass across to Joel Ward, who was standing undisturbed in front of the net. Ward was able to tap it in past Hiller.

While the second penalty was still playing out, Patrick Marleau took a shot from the left circle and beat Hiller with the help of some traffic in front of the blue paint. Assists went to Joe Pavelski and Brent Burns.

The period came to an end with the Sharks leading by four goals and five shots.

Just before the middle of the third period, Mirco Mueller and Joe Colborne had a very brief scrap that landed them both in the box for five minutes. It was very brief, but may have had the desired effect, on the Calgary Fames. 41 seconds later, Marcus Granlund skated into the Sharks zone and took a wrist shot that beat Martin Jones. It was his first goal of the season. Assists went to TJ Brodie and Mark Giordano.

25 seconds after that, Tommy Wingels and Marc-Edouard Vlasic scored on a rush the other way. Vlasic took Wingels’ pass from the half boards and shot the puck under pressure from a Flames defender. Vlasic did fall in the end, but the puck went in. Assists went to Wingels and Nieto.

During a scramble around the net at 11:40, Brenden Dillon was called for hooking. The Flames did not score there but, with 1:17 left in the period, they did. After playing the puck behind the net and hastily returning to his net, Martin Jones stopped a couple of shots as Flames skaters moved in, but Michael Ferlund’s shot trickled by him. It was Ferlund’s first of the season, and an assist went to David Jones.

Final score: 5-2 Sharks.

The Sharks’ newest player, Dainius Zubrus, played 13:15 minutes on a line with Mike Brown and Chris Tierney, and 2:02 minutes on the penalty kill. He had two blocked shots and two hits to his credit.

Due to an injury to Justin Braun, Brenden Dillon was paired with Marc-Edouard Vlasic, while Matt Tennyson and Mirco Mueller made up the third pair. They played 14:13 and 11:47 respectively.

The Sharks next play on Tuesday at SAP Center, against the Pittsburgh Penguins at 7:30 PT.

Marleau Scores 1000, Sharks Win Streak At Five

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By Mary Walsh

photo credit: tjcnewspapers.com Patrick Marleau skated to his 1000th career point vs. Pens 11-21-15

In a 3-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins, San Jose Sharks forward Patrick Marleau earned his 1000th career point, and his 1001st. Former Penguin, now Sharks defenseman Paul Martin scored his first goal of the season, and the Sharks extended their winning streak to five. Brent Burns scored two goals and goaltender Martin Jones stopped 38 of 39 shots. The Sharks did this despite the absence of head coach Peter DeBoer, who was away due to a personal matter.

The win holds added promise as the team changed their lineup somewhat from the group that won the last game in Philadelphia. Defenseman Matt Tennyson was in, Mirco Mueller was out. Nikolay Goldobin was in, while Micheal Haley was out. This was also the first game of this road trip that the Sharks won by more than one goal. It was a step forward in an already excellent road trip. After the game, Patrick Marleau described the team’s success on this road trip:

I think when we haven’t been our best, there’s different guys stepping up and playing key roles. Jonesy’s been playing great, but finding a way  to get those points, those wins is big. You’re not going to have it every night, and I think last game against Philly we saw that and we still found a way to get it in overtime. I think tonight we played a pretty strong sixty minutes against a very powerful offensive team with a  lot of good players over there.

The first power play of the game went to the Penguins, after a hooking call against Melker Karlsson. The Sharks penalty killers kept the Penguins at bay and only allowed one shot to get through to Martin Jones. The penalty ended in a two on one for Patrick Marleau and Joel Ward. Marleau opted to shoot, but he hit the near post.

The penalty kill seemed to energize the Sharks. After the break, they spent three long shifts in the offensive zone. During the third one, Brent Burns picked up a rebound from a Ward shot and put the puck in an open net. The second assist went to Marleau.

The assist was Marleau’s 1000th career point. When this was announced, the Pittsburgh crowd gave Marleau an understandably subdued but gracious round of applause.

The Sharks had to kill a second penalty when Mike Brown was called for kneeing at 12:40. The Sharks killed that off and had two unsuccessful power plays of their own before the first period ended. At the first intermission, the shots stood at 12-9 Pittsburgh.

The Sharks took another penalty early in the second. Joe Pavelski was called for high-sticking Rob Scuderi at 6:39. The stick drew blood so the Penguins had four minutes with a man advantage. It took the Sharks 90 seconds to clear the puck the first time. On a third zone entry, Phil Kessel found some space and tied the game. The goal came just shy of the two minute mark, so the Sharks had to kill the second minor despite the goal.

The Sharks regained the lead at 13:06 when Burns took a shot from the point just as Ward cruised across in front of Marc-Andre Fleury. The puck clipped Scuderi enough to change direction and make the Penguins goalie’s job harder. Assists went to Paul Martin and Patrick Marleau.

The Penguins had another power play at 17:21. when Paul Martin was called for high-sticking. Pittsburgh had an early shot but the Sharks kept them out of the zone for most of the penalty.

San Jose failed to convert on yet another power play early in the third, but some good chances set the tone for a strong period. 8:27 into the third, Paul Martin extended their lead to 3-1. His shot from the blue line went through traffic and Fleury after a great shift from Matt Nieto, Tomas Hertl and Joonas Donskoi. While Nieto and Hertl wreaked some havoc near the Penguins net, Donskoi sent the puck up to Martin for the shot. An assist went to Donskoi.

By the end of the game, the Penguins had a shot lead of 39-29 but the score was still 3-1 Sharks.

Logan Couture skated on Saturday in full gear. Couture explained that this was part of the process, and that he still had no specific return date: “I don’t plan that far in advance, I didn’t plan this whole trip in advance, like I said it’s kind of a day by day thing. All how it reacts.”

The Sharks next play on Sunday at 2:00 PT, in Columbus against the Blue Jackets. It will be their second meeting of the season. The Blue Jackets defeated the Sharks 5-2 on November 3 at SAP.

Barracuda Defeat Reign For First Home Win

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By Mary Walsh

SAN JOSE– The San Jose Barracuda defeated the Ontario Reign 4-2 for their first home win of the season. San Jose goals were scored by John McCarthy, Mirco Mueller, Jeremy Langlois and Nikolay Goldobin. After a long break between games, the Barracuda were very well-rested. The last time San Jose played was October 24, and that was a 3-0 loss to the Reign in Ontario. The break gave them a chance to practice and made the win all the more important. After the game, Barracuda head coach Roy Sommer said: “It’s big for us. The mood of the practices, everything’s going to be upbeat, their Halloween party’s tonight. So they can go have some fun, we have a day off tomorrow so it fits in good.”

Of the time between games, Sommer said that they had made good use of it: “I thought they had a good week of practice… I thought they went hard and everything was about going to the net and that’s where our goals were from tonight.”

The Reign were far from well-rested. Sunday’s game was their third in three days. The fatigue factor was something the Barracuda knew they should take advantage of. After the game, San Jose forward John McCarthy said:

They had a tough weekend, a lot of travel and we talked about kind of taking advantage of that in the first period, coming out… Because we know how it feels to be that team on the road. You come in after a long road trip and when a team’s all over you right away, it messes with your head.

Aaron Dell was in net for the Barracuda, with Peter Budaj at the other end for the Reign. Ontario has opted to use veteran goaltenders this season, with NHL veterans Budaj and Ray Emery playing as a tandem.

John McCarthy started the scoring for San Jose, 2:45 into the first period. Three Barracuda entered the Reign zone, with just two Ontario players defending. McCarthy went to the net and Trevor Parkes got the puck to him with a pass from the boards. Assists went to Parkes and Nikolay Goldobin.

The Barracuda also got the first power play, 7:44 into the period. Michael Mersch, Ontario’s leading goal scorer, went to the box for tripping. Just before that penalty expired, Nikita Jevpalovs went to the box for high-sticking. With 30 seconds left in the penalty, Mersch tied it up for the Reign. Assists went to Sean Backman (the Reign’s points leader) and Valentin Zykov.

Jevpalovs also took the Barracuda’s second penalty, this time it was hooking at 12:47.

The Barracuda were trailing by three shots at the end of the first period, and by the middle of the second they had only added four. The second period was far from shot-heavy, with the Reign only taking three by the ten minute mark. No penalties were called until the fourteen minute mark. The call was for holding and it went to Ontario’s Vincent LoVerde.

It only took Mirco Mueller four seconds to put a shot on net from the blue line. His shot went between two Barracuda skaters as they passed in front of the net and gave the Barracuda the lead. An assist went to Scott Timmins. It was the first goal from a Barracuda defenseman.

The Reign took the goal right back. Justin Auger won the puck behind the net and tried to wrap it around with a backhand. When that did not work, Ryan Horvat picked up the rebound and tossed the puck between Dell’s shoulder and the post. Dell’s vision was obstructed by his own defender and also Auger so he really did not have a chance. Assists went to Auger and Jonny Brodzinski.

The Barracuda had another power play chance at 15:34, when MacDermid went to the box for cross-checking. Nothing came of that, and the Barracuda shortly found themselves on the penalty kill when Patrick McNally went for hooking. That Reign power play did not last long, because Nic Dowd shoved Timmins face first into the glass. That evened the numbers up and put Dowd in the box for boarding.

The period closed with the teams tied at 2, and the Reign leading in shots 22-19.

The third period started with the teams playing four on four for a minute and one second. A 32 second power play for San Jose followed but did not produce a goal.

One of the Barracuda’s better chances came when Karl Stollery found himself in the slot with a clear view of the net. Unfortunately for him, his stick broke and the shot went wide. Seven minutes in and the Barracuda were keeping the Reign on their heels but Budaj was alert and preserved the tie with several saves.

The Barracuda were back on the power play at 9:38 to go, when Ontario’s LoVerde went for hooking. The resulting power play did not start especially well. The Barracuda spent several seconds chasing down the puck in their own zone and keeping it away from attacking penalty killers. The rest of the power play was broken up by stoppages and clears that limited scoring chances.

More four on four play commenced at 12:02 when Jordan Samuels-Thomas and Julius Bergman sat for two minutes. Samuels-Thomas was sent away for embellishment, while Bergman did time for tripping. Neither team profited from the penalties.

Back at even strength, San Jose’s Joakim Ryan escaped an attacking Ontario player in the Barracuda zone, then took the puck all the way to Reign territory. With Ontario defenders closing on him, he used a backhand pass to give the puck to Jeremy Langlois. Langlois carried it around behind the net before scoring with a wrap around.

Another four on four session began when Mirco Mueller and Ryan Horvat were confined with matching roughing minors. Neither team scored.

The Reign pulled their goalie in the final two minutes and it took the Barracuda nearly a minute to clear the puck out. Nikolay Goldobin followed it out and scored an empty-netter. Assists went to McCarthy and Peter Emanuelsson. With that goal and his assist, Goldobin had his first two points of the season in one game.

Final score: 4-2 Barracuda.

No Barracuda had more than three shots, but four had three: McCarthy, Ryan Carpenter, Patrick McNally and Goldobin. For Ontario, Mersch led in shots with six. San Jose’s Aaron Dell made 32 saves on 34 shots, while Peter Budaj made 25 saves on 28 shots.

The Barracuda next play on Saturday, November 7th against the San Diego Gulls in San Jose at 1:15 PT.