Tag: NHL

San Jose Sharks podcast with Len Shapiro: With five games remaining, DeBoer says Sharks have time

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @theScore

On the Sharks podcast with Len:

#1 The Sharks come into tonight’s game against the Vegas Knights with a seven-game skid and the odds of winning their next five games straight are a long shot.

#2 The Sharks have injuries with Joe Pavelski and Erik Karlsson, who the team are still measuring when they’ll return. Without them, the climb out of the hole is going to be a lot tougher.

#3 Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer says the team has time, but playing from behind every night is something you can’t do and try to finish strong in the regular season.

#4 The Sharks host the Western Conference Champions Vegas Golden Knights (42-29-6) tonight. The Knights are coming off a 3-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Friday night.

#5 We asked Len if the recent skid is a matter of being snake bitten or there are seen and unseen problems with the team.

Len Shapiro is a former California Golden Seals media relations manager the Seals were the Bay Area’s first NHL team. Len can be heard each Saturday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NHL podcast with Matt Harrington: Canes stop postgame celebrations, Wild skate past Knights in 3-2 win; Yotes drop three points behind Avs; plus more

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

smirfitts.com file photo: The Carolina Hurricanes propose to stop celebrations like these after getting criticism from other teams saying “it’s not professional”

On the NHL podcast with Matt:

#1 The Carolina Hurricanes have put an end to the postgame celebrations called the “Storm Surge.” They also will not bring it back in the event they were to get into postseason. Was there a behind the doors nudge by the league or someone that said these kind of celebrations had to stop?

#2 The Minnesota Wild got a one-goal win over the Vegas Golden Knights, a team Matt will be seeing tonight. Devan Dubnyk stopped 32 shots for the Wild. The Knights, even though they lost Friday night’s game, clinched because the Arizona Coyotes lost their game.

#3 Speaking of the Arizona Coyotes, they dropped a shootout when the Colorado Avalanche’s Nathan MacKinnon’s goal was the gamer. The Avs move close to a wild card spot with the win.

#4 The Nashville Predators’ goalie Pekka Rinne stood on his head for 60 minutes, stopping 42 Pittsburgh Penguin shots. Rinne was closing in on his fifth season shutout until the Pens’ Nick Bjugstad scored with 1:03 remaining in the game.

#5 The Detroit Red Wings got a 4-0 shutout over the New Jersey Devils. The Wings used two goalies for the shutout: Jonathan Bernier and Jimmy Howard.

Matt Harrington does the NHL podcast each Saturday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NHL podcast with Joe Lami: Sharks’ problems just beginning, face Vegas-Calgary this weekend; Three NHL shootouts Thursday; plus more

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks

On the NHL podcast with Joe:

#1 The San Jose Sharks lost another one on Thursday night but they didn’t lose by two or three goals in a 5-4 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks. Did the Sharks look improved over their last seven loses or did they look just as bad.

#2 The Washington Capitals Nic Dowd scored on a deflected pass which was good enough for the win. The Caps defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 3-2.

#3 It went to a shootout and the Dallas Stars topped the Edmonton Oilers 3-2. The Stars Jami Benn scored the game winner.

#4 In another shootout the Vancouver Canucks Tanner Pearson scored a fourth round goal to defeat the Los Angeles Kings 3-2 Thursday night.

#5 The Montreal Canadiens didn’t stand a chance as the Columbus Blue Jackets defeated Montreal 6-2. Oliver Bjorkstrand got two goals and goalie Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 27 shots. The Jackets are in the Eastern Conference wild card spot.

Join Joe for the NHL podcast each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Hawks Jump On Sharks Earlier, Hand San Jose Seventh Straight Loss 5-4

Published on by Matthew HarringtonLeave a comment

Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks

By Jerry Feitelberg

For a portion of their game Thursday night, the San Jose Sharks looked on their way to losing for a seventh straight time, a lackluster effort yet again highlighted by poor goaltending, scoring droughts and poorly executed hockey. Then, a 3-0 deficit was trimmed and turned into a 4-4 hockey game and suddenly it looked like Team Teal had found the intestinal fortitude required to steer a ship drifting towards a waterfall. Though, the late-game magic of the Sharks’ mid-season magic run has definitely run up.

The Sharks ultimately fell to the Chicago Blackhawks 5-4 and trail the Calgary Flames for the Pacific Division lead by six points with just five games remaining. Chicago took a 3-0 lead into the second period, San Jose rallied back, scoring three in the second period to tie the game 4-4 late in the second, but a Chris Kunitz goal late in a five-goal second period wound up the difference maker as San Jose couldn’t find a touch for the net in the third period.

Alex DeBrincat opened the scored 4:10 into the first on a 5-on-3 power play, and after a brief review for goaltender interference, had his 39th goal stand. Connor Murphy’s goal deflected past Sharks goalie Martin Jones just over two minutes later and Jonathan Toews scored his 33rd goal of the year with 11 minutes gone in the first.

Lukas Radil, firmly in the lineup with the glaring absence of captain Joe Pavelski, scored his seventh goal of the season a minute later to give the Sharks some late life in the first, then Gustav Nyquist scored a power play goal 2:33 into the second. Tomas Hertl picked up his second assist of the game after picking up the primary helper on his countryman Radil’s first goal since January.

DeBrincat broke the 40-goal plateau in his sophomore 4:21 into the middle stanza, but Hertl added a goal for a three-point night on another Sharks power play goal 6:29 into the second to cut the lead 4-3. The Sharks’ power play accounted for two goals, but still felt like it missed opportunities on five chances.

Timo Meier picked up his 29th goal of the year with 3:54 left in the second, but Chris Kunitz had the puck bounce of his body and into the net off Patrick Kane’s shot with 1:52 left to play. The Sharks threw just nine shots on a perfect Hawks keeper Corey Crawford in the third to drop the contest. In total, he stopped 26 of 30 Sharks shots.

The going gets tougher for San Jose over the weekend, as they face the Vegas Golden Knights Saturday night, sitting just five points ahead of the 2018 Western Conference Champions. After that, they go back-to-back, facing the Calgary Flames in a must-win game at home on Sunday if they hope to bridge the distance for the Pacific Division lead.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa Walsh: Can Sharks start a miracle tonight and end six-game skid?

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks

On the Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa:

#1 The Sharks missed a great opportunity last Monday night when they could have gained some ground on the Calgary Flames after the Flames were shutout by the Los Angeles Kings. The Sharks then went out and lost to the Detroit Red Wings on home ice for their sixth straight loss.

#2 The Sharks, without Joe Pavelski and Erik Karlsson, saw the Red Wings wasted no time at 4:23 in the first period with a goal from Andreas Athanasiou for his 29th goal of the season.

#3 The Sharks goalie Martin Jones had to stop three breakaways in the game, and with breakaways, you never know how their going to turn out.

#4 The Sharks got goal help from Evander Kane his 28th of the season, but the Sharks would have to wait until the third period with five seconds left in the game when Tomas Hertl scored a goal, but the Sharks came up a goal short in the 3-2 loss.

#5 The Chicago Blackhawks will visit SAP Center tonight. The Sharks badly need to snap this streak as their home ice advantage hopes for the playoffs are starting put them in a lower ranking priority.

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

 

Headline Sports podcast with London Marq: Avenatti says that Nike paid college athletes; Kings may not make playoffs, but still not giving up games; plus more

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @nypost

On Headline Sports with London:

#1 Michael Avenantti, former attorney for Stormy Daniels, has said this week that Nike had paid student-athletes at various colleges. Avenatti has been charged for extortion as he is accused of trying to extort up to $25 million from Nike.

#2 After the feds have made charges against Avenatti for the extortion charge, Avenatti–some 24 hours later–made the claim that Nike was paying its Nike Elite Basketball Youth Program bribes in college basketball.

#3 This is a Sacramento Kings basketball team that never gives up. They lost a close five-point game on Sunday to the Los Angeles Lakers, but turned around on Tuesday night and beat the Dallas Mavericks in Dallas 125-121. They’ve got a little something in the tank.

#4. The Los Angeles Kings’ Drew Doughty has questioned whether the San Jose Sharks Brent Burns should have won the Norris Trophy, saying Burns gets beat three times a game and that the Calgary Flames’ Mark Giordano should get the award. Burns leads the NHL defensemen with 77 points to Giordano, who’s in second with 72.

#5 Baseball season opens on Thursday. The Oakland A’s already opened their season in Tokyo last week and are playing their first regular game stateside against the Los Angeles Angels. How much does this take out of a team with the jet lag playing two exhibitions and two regular games then playing in Oakland just one week later?

London Marq does Headline Sports each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sharks Miss Out on Gaining Ground in Pacific, Fall to Red Wings 3-2

Published on by Matthew HarringtonLeave a comment

mercurynews.com photo: San Jose Sharks drop their sixth straight game to the Detroit Red Wings Monday night at SAP Center the Sharks started out before the skid with a six game winning streak. 

By Matthew Harrington

SAN JOSE — The San Jose Sharks let a prime opportunity to tighten the gap from 1st place in the division slip to the wayside Monday night at home. The Sharks fell to the Detroit Red Wings 3-2, failing to take advantage of a Calgary Flames shutout loss to the cellar-dwelling Los Angeles Kings.

San Jose sits six points back of the Flames with six games left to play and seem destined for a first-round playoff nightmare match-up against the Vegas Golden Knights.

The Sharks were looking to snap an 0-4-1 skid due in large part to absences by key contributors like Joe Pavelski and Erik Karlsson, but a Red Wings goal just 38 seconds into the game put a heavy weight on the Sharks early. Andreas Athanasiou added his team-leading 29th goal with 4:23 left in the second for a 2-0 edge. 

Martin Jones made three saves on breakaways to keep the Sharks in the game to open the third period, but a lackluster San Jose backcheck on the power play gave Christopher Ehn an easy short-handed rebound goal for a 3-0 lead at the 8:38 mark. 

Evander Kane would score his 28th goal as the power play continued but the Sharks couldn’t find another until Tomas Hertl scored with five seconds left in regulation. Jonathan Bernier made 39 saves to finish off the Sharks, who were expecting to feast on a struggling Winged Wheel side that will miss the playoffs for a third straight time.

San Jose draws the Chicago Blackhawks at home Thursday night, facing a team trying to keep its head above the elimination from contention waters. The Sharks will hope to right the ship by then with the team directly behind them (Vegas) and in front of them (Calgary) coming to the Shark Tank for back-to-back weekend home games. 

NHL podcast with Len Shapiro: Injuries impacting Sharks on current skid; Hope to break out Monday against Detroit

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

photo from thestate.com: Anaheim Ducks’ Rickard Rakell, right, celebrates his goal with teammates during the first period of an NHL hockey game Friday, March 22, 2019, in Anaheim, Calif.

On the Sharks podcast with Len:

#1 The Sharks lost their fifth straight game in Anaheim the Sharks were able to tie the game but the Ducks’ Jakob Silfverberg capped off a three-point night with the game-winner 38 seconds into extra time in the 5-4 loss.

#2 Evander Kane, who lost his unborn daughter, was out for seven games and has been trying to get his concentration back into hockey.

#3 Radim Simek ended his season with a knee injury on March 12th. The Sharks have Brett Burns on defense but they are one player away from pooling from their minor league affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda.

#4 The big hurt is the loss of Joe Pavelski. Pavelski suffered from a hard hit on March 16th against Nashville resulting in a leg injury and has missed three games.

#5 The Sharks are coming off getting swept on back-to-back nights in the Southland and get ready to play the Detroit Red Wings Monday night, who have been struggling. The Sharks have home ice and it might be their best chance to snap their skid.

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

Sharks lose to Ducks 4-3 in OT

Published on by smallforceLeave a comment

~ AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez

~ By Pearl Allison Lo

~ ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Ducks ended up with a winning homestand, as they scored 38 seconds into overtime to snuff out San Jose Friday 4-3.

Back and forth on the power play was the name of the game in the third period. Three of the four penalties resulted in goals. By nature of this overtime though, there was no chance for a comeback after a score. Jakob Silfverberg capped off a three-point night with the game-winner 38 seconds into extra time.

The last time Anaheim played an overtime game was January 13. The Sharks had played to an overtime win March 9 and are now on a five-game losing streak. Despite the results, it was the closest game San Jose had been in and the third period especially, showed the grit and competitiveness of both teams. The season series ended in a 2-2 tie, with each team winning a game in the extra period.

The teams traded goals all the way throughout the game.

Timo Meier, speaking about the loss, noted, “we might face a lot of adversity now, but we’re gonna learn out of this…playoffs are close, so you’d rather go through a slump like that now, learn out of it, get stronger as a team, get tighter as a group, and learn…‘cuz there’s gonna be a lot of ups and downs coming up, so…we gotta react the right way.”

The Ducks’ Rickard Rakell also had a three point game. For the Sharks, Marc-Edouard Vlasic had two assists and Meier, Justin Braun and Kevin Labanc each had goals.

The game’s first goal occurred when San Jose’s Brent Burns lost the puck to Ryan Getzlaf in the Sharks’ end. Silfverberg passed back left to Rakell, who pinpointed the top shelf left corner at 7:58.

It was Anaheim’s third shot of the game and first goal since 15:17 in the third period of Sunday’s game.

Later, San Jose had power play opportunities at 9:40 (two shots) and 15:46 (one shot blocked). The Ducks had a power play that started at 19:39.

The Sharks had 10 giveaways compared to three for Anaheim in the opening period.

To start the second, the Ducks finished out their power play and Kevin Labanc scored at 2:29 with a diagonal shot versus goalie John Gibson to even the game. The play was set up with crisp and timely passing from Marcus Sorensen and Vlasic before reaching Labanc.

San Jose had another power play at 12:34.  

The Sharks ended up outshooting 11-4 in the middle period. One of Anaheim’s shots came shorthanded. San Jose had 11 of their attempts blocked.  

The visitors began the third with a penalty at 1:05 and the home team capitalized. Troy Terry passed between two Sharks to Adam Henrique who had a Shark himself in front, as the puck squeezed between goalie Aaron Dell’s legs at 2:41 to make it 2-1.

San Jose had another chance to make waves of their own when the Ducks were called for slashing at 4:36. The visitors did indeed capitalize, as Joe Thornton shot from the top of the left faceoff circle. It looked like Gibson saved the puck, but it ended up going over his left pad and Meier was there to finish the play off, re-tying the game.

Anaheim’s Hampus Lindholm was called for interference at 8:19 and then the Sharks’ Melker Karlsson for holding at 14:14. Karlsson’s penalty resulted in the period’s third power play goal as Rakell struck again, this time from the top of the left faceoff circle as he hit a similar area to his first goal.

San Jose then scored the only even strength goal of the period. Vlasic began the play with a shot from the top of the left faceoff circle. As the puck went around the back of the net, his former defensive partner Braun picked it up in the right faceoff circle to end the third period with the game’s third tie at 17:20. It was Braun’s 600th career game and also…

The Sharks had one out of three players that missed Thursday’s game back. Logan Couture returned after missing last game with flu-like symptoms. Those who were out for multiple games already though, remained that way. Erik Karlsson was out for his eleventh straight game (groin) and Joe Pavelski was out for the third straight game (lower-body injury).

Up Next: San Jose finishes off March with a four game homestand, taking off with the Detroit Red Wings first, Monday at 7:30 pm.  

Sharks Lose 4-2 to Kings, Losing Streak Up to 4

Published on by M WalshLeave a comment

Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks fell 4-2 to the Los Angeles Kings at the Staples Center Thursday. Kings goals came from Dustin Brown, Matt Roy, Anze Kopitar and Jeff Carter. Jonathan Quick made 23 saves in the win, while Sharks goaltender Martin Jones made 31 saves in the loss. Sharks goals came from Barclay Goodrow and Tomas Hertl. The Flames won in Calgary on Thursday, so the Sharks have now fallen five points behind them for first in the Pacific.

After the game, Sharks forward Tomas Hertl said:

We got now 4 in a row. We know the playoffs are coming soon and… we have to wake up and be ready for tomorrow’s game because if we play like that in playoffs, you know, it’s just four-zero and you’re out and we have to be ready and start playing our hockey and everything else comes with that.

After the game, Sharks defenseman Brent Burns was asked whether losing four in a row at this point of the season was particularly concerning. Burns said: “Every loss is doomsday and every win feels good. I think that’s just kind of the way this game is. You lose one game and you want to try to get it back right away and we haven’t done it. So we’re just gonna kinda get our game back and start winning.”

The Sharks started the game without several key players. Joe Pavelski has been out with a lower body injury since Monday. Erik Karlsson was also still out. Finally, Logan Couture was out with the flu Thursday. Of the holes in their lineup, Burns said: “It’s tough to lose anybody but you gotta play, you just play. I mean it’s good for somebody else to, they get more time or move up or whatever it is.”

Los Angeles took the lead 5:19 into the first. Dustin Brown skated up the boards with Hertl between him and the net. He took a no-look shot between Hertl’s skates. With two more skaters screening him, Jones did not see Brown’s shot coming. The Sharks challenged the goal for goaltender interference because one of those skaters, Alex Iafallo, had a skate in the blue paint. Toronto did not consider it sufficient to erase the goal. Assists went to Sean Walker and Adrian Kempe.

The Sharks tied it up at 17:33 of he period. Joonas Donskoi brought the puck up from the goal line and passed it to Marc-Edouard Vlasic at the point. Vlasic took a quick shot into heavy traffic and Barclay Goodrow deflected it past Jonathan Quick. It was Goodrow’s seventh of the season, with Vlasic and Donskoi getting the assists.

The Kings outshot the Sharks 15-7 in the first period. There were no power plays, only matching minors in the final two minutes that resulted in some four-on-four play.

The Sharks took the lead early in the second period, at 3:45. Hertl made a pass to Burns as Burns approached the Los Angeles blue line, then followed Burns into the zone. Burns drew several defenders to him before the made a pass back to Hertl for the shot. The puck went by Quick on the far side.

The Sharks had a power play near the end of the period, but did not score there. The teams were tied in shots for the second period at 11.

Matt Roy tied the game up for Los Angeles 9:28 into the third period. Iafallo had the puck above the face-off circle and he sent a gentle pass to nearby Roy at the point. Roy blasted it to the net and it went off of a Sharks stick and into the net. Assists went to Iafallo and Anze Kopitar.

Kopitar gave the Kings the lead at 11:45. He got behind the Sharks defense and found the puck as it came out of a board battle up below the blue line. He faked to the right and shot left and beat Jones. Assists went to Iafallo and Brown.

Jeff Carter ended a 20-game goal drought with a back-hand from the defensive zone into an empty net at 18:43. The Sharks were on a power play and also pulled Jones for a six-on-four advantage.

The Kings outshot the Sharks 35-25 in the game.

The Sharks play again Friday against the Anaheim Ducks at 7:00 PM PT.