Kings Shutout by Sharks 3-0; Jones stops all 30 shots

Los Angeles Kings center Jaret Anderson-Dolan, left, takes a shot for not on San Jose Sharks goaltender Martin Jones (31) at the SAP Center in San Jose on Fri Apr 2, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks went to Los Angeles and beat the Kings 3-0 Friday. Tomas Hertl, Timo Meier and Rudolfs Balcers scored for the Sharks and Martin Jones made 30 saves for the shutout win. Calvin Petersen made 33 saves for the Kings in the loss. The win is the third in a row for the Sharks. Three was a good number for the Sharks Friday.

Hertl, Meier and Balcers were skating on the same line. Meier had eight shots in the game and scored his first goal after a nine game dry spell. After the game, Sharks Head Coach Bob Boughner said: “From what we see tonight, if he’s playing that way, and he’s that confident, he can be dangerous. It was good to see. I think that whole line, Tommy Hertl, Rudy’s playing great hockey. Those guys were a force tonight.”

Of Martin Jones, Boughner said:

“He looks calm in there, you know, he’s making the right saves at the right time. He’s allowing us to get that second goal and keep it 1-0 instead of 1-1 and the game completely changes. And, you know, he’s been one of our better players now for the past three weeks.”

The Sharks took an early lead when Tomas Hertl tipped Nikolai Knyzhov’s shot from the point. Assists went to Knyzhov and Rudolfs Balcers. The time of the goal was 2:57.

There was just one penalty in the first period, to Anze Kopitar for tripping. The Sharks power play got credit for two shots on goal. The Sharks outshot the Kings 9-7 in the first.

Timo Meier made it 2-0 for the Sharks nine minutes into the second period. Tomas Hertl’s pass from behind the net landed just right on Meier’s stick for a one-timer. Assists went to Hertl and Balcers.

The Kings challenged the goal for goaltender interference. Balcers pushed Kings defenseman Drew Doughty into the crease and Doughty fell on Calvin Petersen. A second or two passed after that contact and the play moved around the net before the goal was scored. The challenge was unsuccessful.

While the teams were waiting for that to be resolved, referee Pierre Lambert was escorted from the ice, looking unsteady. He had been hit by a puck.

The second period saw two penalties to each team. The Sharks penalty kill gave up two shots and their power play took three. The shot count was 14-13 Kings.

At 7:59, Dylan Gambrell put the puck in the net with a nice shot down the middle. It was called back, however, when the Kings successfully challenged for offside.

The Kings pulled their goaltender with more than two minutes left. The Sharks took several shots at that empty net but it was Balcers with the fourth good look who hit it at 19:33. An assist went to Brent Burns, who was using Balcers’ stick. After Burns’ stick broke, Balcers gave him his and had just gone to get another when the puck came to him for the shot.

The third period was penalty-free and the sharks outshot the Kings 14-9. The Kings won the face-off battle in the game, winning 55% of the draws.

The Sharks next play on Saturday at 7:00 PM PT, again in Los Angeles against the Kings.

NHL podcast with Len Shapiro: Panthers Ekblad out for 12 wks; Predators one of the hottest teams; plus more

The Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad (5) seen scoring a goal on the Dallas Stars goalie  Anton Khudobin (35) in an overtime game on Sat Mar 27, 2021 broke his leg the next day Sun Mar 28, 2021 against the Stars at the American Airlines Center in Dallas (AP News photo)

#1 The biggest news in the NHL is the Florida Panthers (22-9-4) defenseman Aaron Ekblad will be out for 12 weeks due to a fractured leg. Ekblad was removed from the game in the second period on Sunday when the Dallas Stars (11-12-9) Esa Lindell checked Ekblad and Ekblad clutched his left leg that was under him. Ekblad was removed from the ice after medics put a brace on his leg.

#2 Len, the Nashville Predators (18-17-1) are one of the hottest teams in the NHL right now they took a six game winning streak into tonight’s game against the Dallas Stars. There’s nothing like a lot of experience and Preds goaltender Pekka Rinne has been key those wins in his last game he stopped 27 shots allowed two goals in the 3-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks (16-15-5).

#3 Len, try as hard as they can the Buffalo Sabers (6-23-5) just can’t win for losing. Their on a 16 game losing streak and on Monday night couldn’t pull a rabbit out of the hat losing to the Philadelphia Flyers (17-13-4) in overtime 4-3. The Sabres goalie Linus Ullmark faced a barrage of shots from the Flyers 36 in all. For Ullmark is it a matter of not getting enough defense up front or is he just getting beat at the net.

#4 The Vegas Knights (24-8-1) make it look so easy on Monday night they picked up another easy win with a 4-1 three goal victory over the Los Angeles Kings (13-14-6) at the T Mobile Center in Las Vegas. The key to the win was goaltender Robin Lehner who stopped 24 Kings shots.

#5. The Edmonton Oilers and Toronto Maples have had a couple close games with the Leafs taking the first game of the two game series 4-3 and the Oilers taking game two 3-2.

Join Len Shapiro for the NHL podcasts each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Jones The Difference-maker Again, Sharks Top Kings 4-2

Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks

By Matthew Harrington

It was a different night, but a similar result for the San Jose Sharks in a 4-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings at the SAP Center Wednesday night. Martin Jones followed up his 41 save effort with a 42-save showing and Evander Kane scored a pair of goals to give San Jose (13-14-4) the sweep of the two-game series. Alex Iafallo and Adrian Kempe scored for the Kings (13-13-6). The victory came with a price for San Jose though after Logan Couture took the butt end of Jeff Carter’s stick to the jaw and exited the game late in the third period.

The Sharks were leading by a slim 2-1 margin heading into the third period, but widened the chasm on the scoreboard in the first two minutes of the final frame. Evander Kane tipped a Mario Ferraro shot past Kings netminder Cal Petersen 21 seconds into the period for his 14th of the year and second of the game. Then, at the 1:43 mark Tomas Hertl beat Petersen for his ninth of the year and a 4-1 Sharks lead. Adrian Kempe scored his 12th to cut the lead at the 4:27 mark but the Kings would not beat a sharp Jones again for the remainder of the game.

Rudolfs Balcers opened the scoring 2:14 into the second after both Petersen and Jones were flawless in the first. The Latvian finished off the tic-tac-goal after Marcus Sorensen’s drive down the left wing pulled Petersen to the left. His feed cross-crease left a gaping net for Balcers, who scored in his second game back from an injury.

Kane potted his first goal of the game on a similar play off the rush, only this time he was coming down the left wing. He took the Labanc pass from the right wing and waited for Petersen to commit on the desperation push across the blue paint before beating him up top for a 2-0 Sharks lead with 6:21 left in the second.

Jones was 21 seconds away from his fourth straight game of one goal allowed, but a set play with just a couple dozen seconds left in the second led to Iaffalo’s late goal. Drew Doughty entered the Sharks zone and dropped the puck to Dustin Brown on the blue line. Brown ripped a shot from the point that Iaffalo redirected in for his eighth of the year.

The Sharks will play their fourth consecutive Friday-Saturday back-to-back when they travel to Glendale to face the Arizona Coyotes. For a quasi-weekend set. The Coyotes currently sit three points ahead of San Jose just below the cut line for the Western division’s last playoff spot.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Len Shapiro: Sharks overcome loss streak looking to sweep Kings tonight

Los Angeles Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick (32) looks back after the San Jose Sharks Logan Couture (not seen in photo) scores in the first period at SAP Center in San Jose on Mon Mar 22, 2021 (AP News photo)

#1 The San Jose Sharks (12-14-4) who had been struggling with a four game loss streak brought it to an end on Monday night with a narrow 2-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings (13-12-6) a crucial win.

#2 The Sharks Logan Couture and Ryan Danato both scored a goal a piece. Couture’s goal came in the first period at 8:22 and Danato’s which turned out to be the game winner at 3:48.

#3 Head coach Bob Boughner said to the team not to focus where they are in the standing right now but focus on each game as they the team prepares for game 2 of this two game series on Wednesday night.

#4 Martin Jones who had some rough games in goal this season had a fine game on Monday night stopping 41 of 42 shots allowing just one Kings goal by Matt Roy who scored in the second period to tie the game at 17:31.

#5 The Sharks who came off that four game losing streak and narrowly won on Monday will face off with the Kings again tonight at 7:30pm how much will Boughner push the offense to get more goals for tonight’s game?

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

San Jose Sharks podcast with Len Shapiro Wed Mar 24, 2021 by Sports Radio Service | Free Listening on SoundCloud

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa Walsh: Sharks just edge out Kings; Snap four game skid

The Los Angeles Kings Jeff Carter (77) puts one on net against San Jose Sharks goaltender Martin Jones (31) in the second period. Jones stopped 41 out of 42 shots on Mon Mar 22, 2021 at SAP Center in San Jose (Bay Area News Group photo)

#1 Mary Lisa a close game last night at SAP Center in San Jose as the San Jose Sharks just got by the Los Angeles Kings 2-1

#2 The win ended a four game losing streak for the Sharks in a game that Sharks head coach Bob Boughner is hoping will start getting some wins together.

#3 The Sharks took a 1-0 lead in the first period and the Kings came right back in the second period with a Matt Roy goal to tie it up. The Sharks got a winning score in the third period and avoided playing overtime for the one goal win Ryan Danato scored early within the first four minutes.

#4 The Sharks got just enough offense from Ryan Danato and Logan Couture as Kings goalie Jonathan Quick stopped 21 shots allowing two goals.

#5 Sharks host the Kings again at SAP Center on Wednesday night close game last night Martin Jones in goal for San Jose stopped 41 shots allowed one goal in one of his better games this season is he back?

Join Mary Lisa for the Sharks podcasts each Tuesday morning at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa Walsh Tue Mar 23, 2021 by Sports Radio Service | Free Listening on SoundCloud

Jones’ 41 Saves, Flawless PK Push Sharks Past Kings 2-1

The Los Angeles Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick (32) feels the pain quick after the San Jose Sharks Logan Couture lights the lamp with a first period goal at SAP Center in San Jose on Mon Mar 22, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Matthew Harrington

The San Jose Sharks beat the Los Angeles Kings 2-1 Monday night, riding an outstanding Martin Jones performance and a herculean penalty killing effort to victory and a snap out of a four-game skid. Jones made 41 saves, Ryan Donato and Logan Couture scored for the Sharks (12-14-4) and Patrick Marleau tied Steve Larmer for fourth place on the all-time iron man list with 844 consecutive games played.

“We looked a little sluggish,” said Sharks coach Bob Boughner. “I attribute that to taking too many stick infraction penalties. We tried to roll our bench. LA was a team that played last night and we wanted to roll our bench and grind them down a bit. Everytime we killed a penalty, we got our lines going then we got another penalty. It was a choppy game but our penalty kill was really strong.”

When the Sharks were able to roll their lines, they did get a good result that directly impacted the outcome. Ryan Donato made the most of his first opportunity with the Sharks this year down the middle, centering the fourth line in his first appearance in the center’s role with Kurtis Gabriel and John Leonard on his wings. Donato scored his fifth of the year on a wraparound backhander that slipped through the five-hole of Jonathan Quick 3:48 into the third period. Leonard picked up an assist on Donato’s second goal of the three-game homestand.

“I liked him there,” said Boughner of his fourth line center.” I liked that line. Put in proper positioning. They gave us exactly what we needed at the right time of the game.”

The Sharks were coming off their fifth penalty of the game just seconds before after Nikolai Knyzhov picked up his second penalty of the game just five seconds into the period. He joined play after a fifth-consecutive minor to pick up the secondary assist. The penalty kill really was the Sharks MVP after a flawless showing that including Martin Jones making five saves short handed.

“He’s playing bigger in his net,” said Boughner of Jones. “He’s coming out of his net a little more, trying to get to the top of that blue paint. I think that’s helping his game. He’s been working hard at making the proper adjustments. For me, I’m not a goalie guy, but it’s about getting the save you need at the right time of the game and he did that.”

The Sharks had the early lead after Logan Couture snapped his five-game scoreless skid 8:22 into the game. His shot hit Quick and ricocheted off Kurtis MacDermid into the Kings net. Kevin Labanc and Evander Kane assisted on the goal. To atone for his mistake, MacDermid fed fellow Kurtis Gabriel a couple knuckle sandwiches in a first period fight.

The Sharks had one of their better faceoff performances of the season, winning 57 percent of draws but it was a faceoff loss that led the Kings’ goal. Gabe Vilardi won the faceoff against the Sharks best faceoff man Tomas Hertl, hit Austin Wagner on the half-wall who slid it to Matt Roy at the point. Roy’s slap shot beat Jones to tie the game with just 2:29 left in the second period for his first of the year.

The Sharks continue the four-game homestand with a contest Wednesday night against the Kings (13-12-6) again. Presumably Devan Dubnyk will be in net, but Boughner could ride the hot hand with Jones.

Notes: Marleau moved up to the second line, on the wing with Timo Meier sandwiching Tomas Hertl….Rudolfs Balcers was back in the lineup after missing the last two games and five of the last six…Kurtis Gabriel and Kurtis MacDermid’s fight was premeditated, the two had discussions along the red line during warm-ups…Dylan Gambrell and Tomas Hertl both won 70 percent or better of their draws Monday night…Matt Nieto was out for the second consecutive contest.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa Walsh: Sharks end three game loss streak edge Blues 3-2

Evander Kane left winger (9) of the San Jose Sharks put the puck on net in overtime past St Louis Blues goaltender Ville Husso (35) for the game winner on Mon Mar 8, 2021 at SAP Center in San Jose (AP News photo)

On the San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa:

#1 One way for the San Jose Sharks to start the week is with a win over the St Louis Blues as they ended a three game loss streak at SAP Center on Monday night in overtime.

#2 The Blues began the game with a goal in each of the first and second periods for a 2-1 lead. Getting goal each from Niko Mikkola and Brayden Schenn.

#3 The Sharks answered right back scoring goals in the second and third periods from Logan Couture and Marc-Edouard Vlasic to tie up the game.

#4 In the overtime stanza the Sharks got the overtime goal from Evander Kane to edge the Blues 3-2. The win ends the Sharks seven game home stand.

#5 The Sharks will now head to the Southland to face off with the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center in Anaheim for a two game series. The Ducks have lost five of their last eight games and played the Los Angeles Kings in Anaheim last night. How do you see this match up between the Sharks and Ducks opening up this Friday night.

Join Mary Lisa for the Sharks podcasts each Tuesday morning at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa Walsh Tue Mar 9, 2021 by Sports Radio Service | Free Listening on SoundCloud

Sharks Blown Out By Kings 6-2

Photo credit: mercurynews.com

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks lost 6-2 to the Los Angeles Kings Thursday at Staples Center. Kings goals came from Anze Kopitar, Jaret Anderson-Dolan, Carl Grundstrom, Austin Wagner, Alex Iafallo, and Jeff Carter. Their goaltender, Calvin Petersen, made 29 saves for the win. Tomas Hertl scored both Sharks goals ad Martin Jones made 20 saves in the loss. Alexei Melnichuk made five saves for the Sharks, during the final ten minutes, in a brief NHL debut.

After the game, Sharks Head Coach Bob Boughner said, of the first period: “I thought we played a pretty good period. We’re down three-nothing, I mean, you’ve gotta dig yourself out of a hole on the road. When really, I mean, I thought we were probably the team that had some better scoring chances in the first period and their guy made some saves and our guy didn’t. And now you’re down three-nothing.”

Boughner also said, of Martin Jones’ performance: “That’s not up to our standard, that goaltending. And, you know, I mean we’ve given him a chance here to grab the net, especially with [Dubnyk] being hurt. And we’re not expecting him to win hockey games for us and stand on his head but we’ve gotta have solid goaltending, especially at the beginning of games and it’s not up to our standard and I’m sure it’s not up to his own.”

Logan Couture talked about the trouble the team had with five-on-five offense: “We should have done a better job tonight of holding onto the puck, using the back of the net, then looking to the slot. We were trying to force plays right away and kind of throwing plays blindly. I can think of a few that I did off the top of my head right now. So, something to work on.”

Brent Burns was in the penalty box for holding when Anze Kopitar took a shot from the face-off circle. His shot went over Erik Karlsson’s leg and by Martin Jones on the glove side at 2:47. Assists went to Drew Doughty and Dustin Brown.

The Kings took a 2-0 lead at 9:25. Austin Strand’s cross-ice pass found Jaret Anderson-Dolan for a quick shot. His shot hit Carl Grundstrom’s leg, changing direction at the last second to get by Jones.

A Sharks power play had just expired when Tobias Bjornfot sent the puck up the ice to Austin Wagner, who had just stepped out of the penalty box. He was free to take his time and plan his shot with no defense in the vicinity. It was Wagner’s second goal of the season, scored at 12:42.

Tomas Hertl got the Sharks on the board at 16:49. Nikolai Knyzhov carried the puck across the line and then gave it to Hertl along the boards. Hertl took a shot that hit Austin Strand on the leg. Hertl caught the rebound and sent it back, over Calvin Petersen’s outstretched pad. Assists went to Knyzhov and Marc-Edouard Vlasic.

The second period was, surprisingly, the Sharks’ best of the game. Despite taking two penalties to the Kings’ one, it looked like they had stopped the bleeding when they scored on a power play at 16:45. The teams had just finished four-on-four when Logan Couture and Tomas Hertl jumped out for a two-on-one. Couture took a shot that came off of Petersen’s pad, right to Hertl. Couture and Erik Karlsson got the assists.

The Kings started their third period scoring at 4:51. Carl Grundstrom gathered up the puck behind the net, and sent it above the crease to Trevor Moore, who passed it to the side of the net. Martin Jones had come out to challenge Moore, but he left too much room and gave Jaret Anderson-Dolan an open net. The Sharks defense had missed several chances to control that puck, and in doing so ended up well out of the play and unable to help their goaltender.

Just over a minute later, Alex Iafallo made it 5-2. Dustin Brown managed to fall and slide into Martin Jones without incurring a penalty. While Jones was tied up with Brown, Iafallo put the puck in the net. Brent Burns was called for hi-sticking Brown which negated any penalty to Brown. The Sharks challenged the goal but just got a second penalty for their trouble.

With a two-man advantage, the Kings scored again at 6:56. Jeff Carter scored with a one-timer off of a Kopitar pass that went from one face-off circle to the other. Assists went to Kopitar and Drew Doughty.

The Sharks put Alexei Melnichuck in the net with about 10 minutes left in the period. He made five saves on five shots.

By the end of the game, the teams were dead even in shots at 31 each. The Sharks had just two power plays, while Los Angeles had six. The Sharks had some of their best face-off results of the season, winning 60% of them.

Goaltender Devan Dubnyk is day-to-day with an injury. Bob Boughner did not specify when the injury was sustained but he did say that he does not expect him to play this weekend.

The Sharks next play on Saturday at 1:00 PM PT in San Jose, against the Vegas Golden Knights.

Sharks Beat Kings 4-3 in Shootout

The San Jose Sharks Evander Kane (9) celebrates with teammates after scoring a third period goal as the Los Angeles Kings could only look away Mon Feb 9, 2021 at Staples Center in Los Angeles (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks won 4-3 against the Los Angeles Kings at Staple Center Tuesday. It was their fifth shootout of the season and their third in a row. Sharks goals came from Logan Couture, Timo Meier and Evander Kane, with Couture also scoring the shootout winner. Martin Jones made 24 saves for the win. Kings goals came from Dustin Brown (2) and Anze Kopitar, while Calvin Petersen made 37 saves in the loss. Patrick Marleau passed Jaromir Jagr in Tuesday’s game, on the NHL’s all-time games played list. His 1,734 games are good for third, just behind Mark Messier.

Sharks captain Logan Couture had an outstanding game with a goal, an assist and six shots on goal before the shootout. Only Brent Burns had more shots with seven. After the game, Sharks goalie Martin Jones said: “He just brings it every night. He’s got kind of a workmanlike attitude and, you know, he comes and he brings it every night and that’s something that, you know, I definitely respect about him.”

The Sharks started the scoring early, just 1:20 in. Radim Simek put the puck off to the right of the net and Ryan Donato caught up to it just in time to send a pass backwards to where Timo Meier was arriving at the net. Goalie Calvin Petersen was following the puck to the left and Meier moved it back to the right and into an open net. Assists went to Donato and Simek.

The Sharks’ second goal came in the final minutes of the first. Knyzhov put the puck on Patrick Marleau’s stick by the net and he passed it across the crease to Logan Couture. Petersen could not get back across in time and Couture scored his sixth of the season. Assists went ot Marleau and Knyzhov.

The Sharks took one penalty mid-period but allowed no shots. Instead, Marcus Sorensen got credit for a short-handed effort. The Sharks led the first period in shots 12-4, and the teams were even in face-off wins.

The Sharks started the second period on a power play that carried over from the first period. They got two shots in on that power play but then took three penalties over the course of the period. Timo Meier went for hi-sticking, Mat Nieto went for hooking and Ryan Donato sat for a too many men penalty. Those penalties gave the Kings six shots and a goal.

Seven minutes into the second, Anze Kopitar got a breakaway, skating most of the length of the ice to beat Martin Jones one-on-one. Assists went to Alex Iafallo and Dustin Brown.

Dustin Brown tied the game with a power play goal at 17:54. Adrian Kempe took a shot from the blue line that hit Jones’ glove and dropped to the ice. Before Jones could cover it, Brown lifted it over the goalie’s glove and into the net. Assists went to Kempe and Drew Doughty.

The Kings led in shots during the second period 12-9, and in face-off wins at 53%.

Brown scored his second of the game to give the Kings a lead at 10:45 of the third period. Iafallo fought his way down the ice and around behind the Sharks net and made a quick pass up to Brown just as he came through the face-off circle. His quick shot squeezed between Jones and the post.

Evander Kane tied the game back up at 19:15. With the net empty, Couture took a shot from high in the slot. As the puck bounced around in the blue paint, Kane pushed it over the line through sticks and bodies. Assists went to Couture and Brent Burns.

The shots were 11-10 Sharks in the third. The Sharks won just 44% of their third period face-offs, but in the brief over-time session, they won 80%.

Despite outshooting the Kings 8-1 in overtime, the Sharks could not end it without another shootout. Jones was perfect in the shootout, allowing Logan Couture’s goal to win it for San Jose.

The Sharks will play the Kings in Los Angeles again on Thursday at 7:00 PM PT.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa Walsh: Sharks open two game set with Kings tonight at Staples

The San Jose Sharks goaltender Devon Dubnyk saved 32 shots in the loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Sat Feb 6, 2021 at the Honda Center in Anaheim including this shot from the Anaheim Ducks Rickard Rakell in the second period (AP News photo)

On the San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa:

#1 Mary Lisa close game between the Sharks and Ducks last Saturday a 2-1 loss in overtime shootout for San Jose. Anaheim’s Max Comtois got the game winning shot in the shootout.

#2 The Ducks Troy Terry and the Sharks Ryan Danato scored a goal each in the shootout and Duck goaltender Ryan Miller stopped shots from Logan Couture and Kevin LeBanc even the shootout was tight.

#3 In the beginning of the game the Sharks Couture scored 11 seconds into the first period and the Ducks Isac Lundestrom scored at 5:42 in the second period to tie the game up.

#4 This game saw some great defense from the Sharks goalie Devon Dunyk who stopped 32 shots and the Ducks goalie Miller stopped 26 shots they had to stand on their heads to keep this one close.

#5 The Sharks face the Los Angeles Kings at Staples Center tonight and again on Thursday night. The Kings are on a four game losing streak and lost their last game to the Vegas Golden Knights 4-3 on Sunday. The Sharks have lost four of their last six games going into tonight’s game.

Mary Lisa does the Sharks podcasts each Tuesday morning at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa Walsh Tue Feb 9, 2021 by Sports Radio Service | Free Listening on SoundCloud