Tag: Jason Robertson

Sharks Fall 4-1 to Stars, Stars Score 3 in third

Published on by M WalshLeave a comment

Dallas Stars right wing Mikko Rantanen (96) celebrates his goal with Vladislav Kolyachonok (44) and Sam Steel (18) as San Jose Sharks goalie Yaroslav Askarov (30) sits in front of the net in third period at American Airlines Center in Dallas on Fri Dec 5, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks fell 4-1 to the Dallas Stars Friday. Jason Robertson, Sam Steel, Mikko Rantanen and Miro Heiskanen scored for Dallas. Jake Oettinger made 16 saves for the win. Collin Graf scored for San Jose and Yaroslave Askarov made 20 saves in the loss.

The game was tied 1-1 at the half way point of the third, when the Stars jumped ahead and left the Sharks in the metaphorical dust. The Sharks also took a beating in their last game, a 7-1 loss Wednesday to the Washington Capitals. Asked whether Friday’s game was an improvement over that one, Collin Graf said:

“The last game, we just flushed it as a team. We don’t really want to talk about that one. I think today there were some good things. I think I’ve been playing well, I’ve been creating chances. I just got a lucky bounce. Good job from Delly and Ledz and Kursh.”

Asked a similar question, Sharks Head Coach Ryan Warsofsky said: “Anything better than a 7-1 loss is better.”

The first goal of the game came from the Stars’ Jason Robertson on the power play at 14:20. A rebound from Wyatt Johnston’s shot landed in front of Robertson and he used a backhand to put it away. An assist also went to Mikko Rantanen.

The Stars outshot the Sharks 9-3 in the first. The Sharks took two penalties to the Stars’ one.

Collin Graf tied the game at 8:23 of the second period. Philipp Kurashev threw shot the puck into traffic in front of the net. It came back out and Graf tucked it back in. Assists went to Nick Leddy and Kurashev.

The Sharks outshot the Stars 6-4 in the second period. The penalty count was also reversed, with the Sharks taking one and the Stars two. Only one of those created a power play, as Jeff Skinner and Mikko Rantanen had matching slashing minors.

Sam Steel broke the tie at 10:56 of the third. Steel took a shot from in close and the rebound came back to him. Askarov could not find the puck as it slipped by him near the post. Assists went to Alexander Petrovic and Rantanen.

Rantanen added an insurance goal at 16:39. Rantanen gathered the puck beh8nd the net and carried it out, shooting across off the far post. Assists went to Wyatt Johnston and Vladislav Kolyachonok.

At 17:40, Macklin Celebrini put the puck in the net but, as revealed after a coach’s challenge, Kurashev was off side on the play.

Miro Heiskanen made it 4-1 with a shot into an empty net from the Stars zone. An assist went to Roope Hintz.

Dallas outshot San Jose 11-8 in the third. The Stars took two penalties in the third and the Sharks took none.

The Sharks next play in Carolina against the Hurricanes on Sunday at 2:00 PM PT.

Sharks Lose 5-2 to Dallas, Give Up 2 Empty Net Goals

Published on by M WalshLeave a comment

San Jose Sharks goaltender MacKenzie Blackwood (29) deflects a shot by the Dallas Stars center Logan Stankoven (11) as defenseman Mario Ferrero (38) looks on in the first period at the American Airlines Center in Dallas on Wed Nov 20, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks were defeated by the Dallas Stars 5-2 on Wednesday. Jason Robertson, Wyatt Johnston, Jamie Benn, Roope Hintz and Evgenii Dadonov scored for the Stars. Jake Oettinger made 21 saves for the win. Mikael Granlund and Jake Walman scored for the Sharks. Mackenzie Blackwood made 26 saves in the loss.

After the game, Jake Walman described the Sharks game as being close despite small problems: “For the most part we’re doing the right things but it’s just those little parts in the game. We got to hold each other accountable.” William Eklund also sounded like he thinks the team is close to finding a new level: “Turnovers cost us a little bit, some mistakes cost us a little bit today. We still find a way to keep it tight, keep it close.”

Sharks Head Coach Ryan Warsofsky said:

“We shoot ourselves in the foot in goals that we give up that are completely preventable. Until we learn how to play in the National Hockey League against really good second period teams, which are most teams that know how to transition in the second period, we’re going to be fighting this uphill battle in games.”

Jason Robertson opened the scoring at 15:33 of the first period. Mathew Dumba made a pass from the blue line and found Robertson as he entered the slot. Robertson spun and shot, beating Blackwood on the short side. Assists went to Dumba and Thomas Harley.

Mikael Granlund tied the game at 18:44. Short-handed, he broke away and skated almost to the blue paint before taking his shot. An assist went to William Eklund.

Dallas outshot San Jose 14-9 in the first period. The Sharks took three penalties and had one power play. They had two shots on their power play and gave up seven shots while short-handed.

Wyatt Johnston made it 2-1 for Dallas 56 seconds into the second period. Johnston and Roope Hintz skated into the Sharks zone two on one. Hintz put the puck behind the Sharks defender for Johnston to gather up and shoot in. Assists went to Hintz and Jason Robertson.

Jamie Benn made it 3-1 at 10:56 of the second. Benn was lurking beside the Sharks net while Sharks chased Logan Stankoven behind the net. Stankoven got the puck out to Benn for a shot.

The shots were much closer in the second period, 8-6 Dallas. The Sharks took no penalties in the second and they had one power play. They had one shot on goal during that power play.

Jake Walman made it 3-2 at 13:25 of the third period. Granlund carried the puck into the zone, then made a pass from the boards that caught Walman as he skated in. Walman took his shot from just inside the faceoff circle. Granlund and Cody Ceci got the assists.

With the Sharks net empty, Roope Hintz scored to make it 4-2. Johnston and Robertson got assists. Two Sharks collided with an official in the corner and went down, helping Johnston take control of the puck for that play.

Evgenii Dadonov also scored and empty net goal to make it 5-2. An assist went to Oskar Bäck.

With a little more than two minutes left, Granlund was called off the ice after he took a hit to the head from Ilya Lyubushkin. No penalty was called but the Sharks were without Granlund for the final minutes. There were no updates about his condition right after the game.

The Sharks next play on Thursday in St. Louis against the Blues at 5:00 PM PT.

Sharks Fall 3-2 in a Shootout with the Stars

Published on by M WalshLeave a comment

The San Jose Sharks goaltender Magnus Chrona (30) gets a stick on the puck for a save as the Dallas Stars Ty Dellandrea looks on at American Airlines Arena in Dallas on Sat Mar 2, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks fell 3-2 in a shootout to the Dallas Stars on Saturday. Stars goals came from Radek Faksa and Jason Robertson. Matt Duchene and Jamie Benn scored in the shootout. Jake Oettinger made 21 saves for the win.

Sharks goals came from William Eklund and Filip Zadina. Anthony Duclair scored in the shootout. Magnus Chrona made 36 saves in the loss. This is the Sharks’ sixth loss in a row, though they did get a point against the top team in the Central Division.

With Mackenzie Blackwood on IR, Chrona is bound to see a few more starts before the end of the season. His last start for the Sharks was on December 28, when he was pulled after giving up four goals in the first period. Saturday, his performance was better, giving up just two goals on 38 shots. After the game, Sharks forward Luke Kunin said, of the young goaltender:

“He was great tonight. Some huge saves for us, really kept us in that game. I thought we had a pretty good game for the most part but those stretches where we were giving up a lot, he was there to back us up. Great performance by him tonight.”

Of the Sharks game outside the net, Sharks Head Coach David Quinn said: “The faceoffs killed us. I think they won almost 70% of their faceoffs. You’re chasing the game a lot when you’re losing that many faceoffs. But I thought overall we played a good hockey game.” The Stars did win 67.2% of the faceoffs.

The Sharks scored first at 4:39 of the first period. William Eklund and Luke Kunin entered the zone two-on-one and Eklund took a shot that Oettinger kicked back out. Eklund was ready to catch the rebound and scored with a quick wrist shot. Assists went to Kunin and Jan Rutta.

The Stars tied it at 3:08 of the second period. Sam Steel deflected Craig Smith’s shot from the boards. The puck trickled through Chrona but still needed an extra push from Radek Faksa to cross the line.

The Sharks took the lead back with a goal at 17:08 of the second. Filip Zadina spun around in the faceoff circle and took his shot. The puck bounced up over Oettinger and hit the post before a Star swept it out of the net. An official review determined that the puck did cross the line. Luke Kunin got an assist.

Fabian Zetterlund blocked a shot with his ankle in the final minutes of the period. He had to be helped off the ice and back to the dressing room.

The Stars tied it again at 4:08 of the third period with a power play goal just 3 seconds into that power play. Jason Robertson took a shot from the top of the faceoff circle, putting the puck into the side of the net. Assists went to Miro Heiskanen and Jamie Benn.

Early in the third period, Nico Sturm returned to the bench with an injury, possibly an elbow or a stick to the neck.

At the end of regulation, the Stars had outshot the Sharks 36 to 20. Dallas took a penalty about half way through overtime but the Sharks could not take advantage of that. The Sharks had three shots in overtime and the Stars had two.

The shootout went to seven rounds. Matt Duchene and Jamie Benn scored for the Stars. Benn scored the winner while falling to the ice after tripping over Chrona’s stick.

Jake Oettinger stopped shots from Filip Zetterlund, William Eklund, Kyle Granlund, Filip Zadina, Mike Hoffman and Luke Kunin. Anthony Duclair scored for the Sharks. Magnus Chrona stopped shots from Jason Robertson, Roope Hintz, Wyatt Johnston, Logan Stankoven and Joe Pavelski.

The Sharks next play on Sunday at 4:00 PM PT in St. Paul, Minnesota, against the Wild.