Tag: NHL

San Jose Sharks podcast Mary Lisa: How can Sharks end their losing streak at SAP Center?

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The San Jose Sharks Macklin Celebrini (71) celebrates his empty net goal with teammate Colin Graf (51) in the third period against the Montreal Canadiens at the Belle Centre in Montreal on Sat Mar 14, 2026. The Sharks host the Philadelphia Flyers on Sat Mar 21, 2026 at SAP Center at 1:00pm PDT (AP News photo)

San Jose Sharks podcast Mary Lisa:

#1 Can the Sharks snap their losing streak at home? San Jose enters the game having dropped multiple straight contests, including recent defensive struggles.

#2 Will the Flyers’ strong recent form continue on the road? Philadelphia has gone 7-2-1 in their last ten games, showing consistency despite a relatively modest scoring rate.

#3 How impactful will top players like Macklin Celebrini and Trevor Zegras be? Celebrini (Sharks) and Zegras (Flyers) are key offensive drivers and could determine the pace and outcome.

#4 Can the Sharks tighten up defensively after conceding heavily in recent games? San Jose has allowed a high number of goals recently, including a five goal loss in their last outing.

#5 Will special teams or goaltending make the difference? With both teams dealing with injuries and lineup changes, goalie performance (Dan Vladar for Philly) and power-play efficiency could be decisive.

Join Mary Lisa for the San Jose Sharks podcasts Saturdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Utah Mammoth game wrap: Objects In Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear In 4-1 Utah Home Loss To Anaheim

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Utah Mammoth left wing Lawson Crouse (67) moves the puck but his shot is blocked Anaheim Ducks goaltender Lukas Dostal (1) on Fri Mar 20, 2026 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City (AP News photo)

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–The Utah Mammoth jumped out to an early lead before surrendering a pair to the Ducks in a hard fought contest which remained close until Anaheim scored a pair of empty net tallies with 96 seconds remaining in the third third for a 4-1 Ducks victory on Friday night.

The Mammoth (36-27-6) kicked off a four-game homestand on Friday night against the Pacific Division leading Ducks (37-27-4), a possible playoff opponent based on current standings. Utah returns from a successful two-game road trip where they defeated the Dallas Stars 6-3, and the Vegas Golden Knights 4-0, helping to solidify their grasp on the first Wild Card position in the Western Conference, six points ahead of the Los Angeles Kings who hold down the second Wild Card position.

The Mammoth are the only Wild Card candidate in the conference with a positive +/- goal differential on the season at +27, seventh best overall in the NHL. The Ducks are the only Top 3 team in the Western Conference divisions with a negative +/- goal differential at -11.

Earlier on Friday, forward Michael Carcone inked a two-year contract extension with the Mammoth valued at $3.5 million, with an annual cap hit of $1.75 million. Carcone, who expressed during his media availability following his exit interview at the conclusion of last season that he didn’t expect to return, ultimately ended up signing a one-year $775,000 deal in the offseason when he failed to land with another team.

The agreement turned out to benefit both sides as Carcone put in the work to turn things around this year, earning his $3.5 million pay day. Through 66 games this season he has scored 14 goals and 12 assists for 26 points, whereas last season he scored seven goals and 12 assists for 19 points in 55 games.

Absent from the Ducks lineup on Friday was captain Radko Gudas who is in the midst of a five-game suspension for kneeing Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews on March 12, 2026, effectively ending Matthews’s season.

At the Milan Olympics in February, Gudas was involved in a collusion with Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby which resulted in the future Hall of Famer missing his next 11 NHL contests. The Ducks defenseman is eligible to return to action next Wednesday against Vancouver. Another Ducks defenseman, Ian Moore, was born in Salt Lake City and made his first appearance at Delta Center, joining Trevor Lewis as the second Utah-born player to suit up for an NHL game in the state.

Missing from the Anaheim Ducks broadcast team was Steve Carroll, who has called Anaheim’s radio play-by-play for the past 27 seasons extending all the way back to when I still worked in the Ducks press box a quarter century ago. Earlier in the week, Steve announced his retirement at the end of the season, marking 50 years overall in sports broadcasting.

On a personal note, Steve is one of the finest men I have ever known in broadcasting and he will be sorely missed by Ducks fans. He is expected to call Anaheim’s final regular-season home game against the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday, April 12. Here’s wishing him, his wife, and family all the best in his retirement.

Mammoth sniper Dylan Guenther drew first blood at 1:48 of the opening frame with his team-leading 34th goal of the season, assisted by Sean Durzi and JJ Peterka. It was the fastest goal to start a game in Guenther’s career. He is fourth in the NHL in goals scored for players aged 22 and under, behind Wyatt Johnson of Dallas, Macklin Celebrini of San Jose, and Cutter Gauthier of Anaheim.

At 13:37, with Ducks forward Chris Kreider in the penalty box serving a too many men on the ice penalty, Ryan Poehling broke away with the puck to even the score with a slick wrist shot, shorthanded, to even the score at 1-1. Poehling’s 9th goal of the season was assisted by Alex Killorn and Pavel Mintyukov. Lukas Dostal turned away 13 of 14 Mammoth shots in the period while Vítek Vaněček stopped 4 of 5 Ducks shots on goal.

Anaheim took their first lead of the night at 9:09 of the second period when Alex Killorn took advantage of Vaněček being screened by Lawson Crouse to net his 11th goal of the season, assisted by Beckett Sennecke. The Mammoth took 3 penalties in the frame and the Ducks were whistled for one, but there was no further scoring as the Ducks went to the locker room with a 2-1 lead. Dostal was stopped a perfect 10 Mammoth shots in the period, while Vaněček turned away 9 of 10.

The third period remained tightly contested with neither team scoring until Cutter Gauthier registered his 36th of the year into an empty net at 18:24 to essentially put the game away. The Mammoth continued to fight back with Vaněček pulled for an extra attacker, but Mikael Granlund drove his 13th of the season into the empty net with 55 seconds remaining to send fans to the exits. With the 4-1 victory, Anaheim (38-27-4) maintains its first place lead in the Pacific Division by 3 points over the Edmonton Oilers and 4 points over the Vegas Golden Knights. Utah falls to 36-28-6 while maintaining a 6-point edge in the Western Conference Wild Card chase over the Los Angeles Kings.

“I think our push was great; we just didn’t finish,” said defenseman Mikhail Sergachev in the Mammoth locker room after the game. “We had a lot of chances, a couple of breakaways, a couple going against the goal in front of the net, and we didn’t finish. That was the difference in the game.”

“Solid effort, back to back, they had a good push, we had a good push, and we just got to bear down a little bit more on some plays,” said the lone goal-scorer Dylan Guenther. ““It was solid, and I thought the crowd was really good too. It is easier to play when they’re really loud, and it helps us a lot. So yeah, we knew it was an important game, and even though we didn’t get the win, I thought it was still a solid effort.”

Utah Mammoth Head Coach André Tourigny was proud of his team’s effort despite the final outcome. “Yeah, you can see the way we played in the third we generated a lot of offense,” Bear said. “We had great opportunities. We had momentum, we were aggressive and all of it. We were not on our heels, so really the only thing I don’t like is the scoreboard. The rest of it is tough to complain about. Proud of the guys, proud of their resilience, proud of their mental toughness. The six on five and the power play at the end, I would have loved to do something different. Other than that, there’s not much to complain about.”

The Mammoth homestand continues on Sunday as former Utah players Josh Doan and Michael Kesselring return with the Atlantic Division leading Buffalo Sabres for a 6:00pm tilt.

San Jose Sharks podcast Lincoln Juarez: Struggling Sharks face hot handed Flyers Saturday at SAP

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Washington Capitals Rasmus Sadin (38) tries to get the puck past the Philadelphia Flyers Travis Konechy (11) in the first period at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on Wed Mar 11, 2026. As of Sat Mar 21, 2026 Konechy leads the Flyers in goals with 24 (AP News photo)

San Jose Sharks podcast Lincoln Juarez:

#1 Can the Sharks snap their losing streak at home? San Jose enters the game having dropped multiple straight contests, including recent defensive struggles.

#2 Will the Flyers’ strong recent form continue on the road? Philadelphia has gone 7-2-1 in their last ten games, showing consistency despite a relatively modest scoring rate.

#3 How impactful will top players like Macklin Celebrini and Trevor Zegras be? Celebrini (Sharks) and Zegras (Flyers) are key offensive drivers and could determine the pace and outcome.

#4 Can the Sharks tighten up defensively after conceding heavily in recent games? San Jose has allowed a high number of goals recently, including a five goal loss in their last outing.

#5 Will special teams or goaltending make the difference? With both teams dealing with injuries and lineup changes, goalie performance (Dan Vladar for Philly) and power-play efficiency could be decisive.

Join Lincoln Juarez for the San Jose Sharks podcasts Fridays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NHL podcast Len Shapiro: Oilers McDavid and Ave’s MacKinnon battling for scoring lead; Isles Schenn returns to St Louis after being traded; plus more news

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The Edmonton Oilers Connor McDavid (97) stands at the door step of the goal net after scoring a power play goal on the Coloradao Avalanche’s goalie MacKenzie Blackwood (39) in third period at Ball Arena in Denver on Tue Mar 10, 2026 (AP News photo)

NHL podcast Len Shapiro:

#1 With the Edmonton Oilers Connor McDavid and Colorado Avalanche’s Nathan MacKinnon battling for the scoring lead, how might their head-to-head matchup impact the MVP race this season?

#2 What does Brayden Schenn’s return to St. Louis shortly after being traded to the Islanders reveal about the emotional and competitive impact of deadline deals?

#3 As multiple Eastern Conference teams remain tightly packed in the playoff race, which club is best positioned to break away, and why?

#4 How are recent injuries to key players (like the Ottawa Senators Jake Sanderson) affecting team performance and playoff chances across the league?

#5 With several marquee games on the schedule (including Oilers vs. Avalanche), how important are late-season matchups in shaping playoff seeding and momentum?

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

NHL podcast Jessica Kwong: Makar’s OT performance helps Aves keep pace in standings; Jets Samberg gets winning goal to beat Kraken; plus more

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Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar center is congratulated by the Aves bench after scoring a goal in the first period against Anaheim Ducks in Anaheim on Mar 3, 2026 (AP file photo)

Headline Sports podcast Jessica Kwong:

#1 How did Cale Makar’s overtime performance impact the Colorado Avalanche’s win streak and Central Division standings?

#2 What significance did Dylan Samberg’s overtime goal have for the Winnipeg Jets in their comeback victory over the Seattle Kraken?

#3 How did Leon Draisaitl’s point streak influence the Edmonton Oilers’ win over the New York Rangers, and what did it mean for the Rangers’ playoff position?

#4 What made the New York Islanders’ comeback victory over the Florida Panthers especially emotional and impactful for their playoff race?

#5 How did Alex Tuch’s late overtime goal secure a win for the Buffalo Sabres against the Boston Bruins, and what does it reveal about close-game performance?

Jesscia Kwong is a podcast contributor at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sharks Beat Canadiens 4-2, Celebrini Nets Two Goals

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San Jose Sharks Macklin Celebrini (71) clelebrates an empty net goal with teammate Colin Graf (51) in the third period at the Belle Centre in Montreal on Sat Mar 14, 2026 (Canadian Press photo via AP)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks defeated the Montreal Canadiens 4-2 on Saturday. Macklin Celebrini scored twice, with goals from Mario Ferraro and Collin Graf as well. Alex Nedeljkovic made 25 saves for the win. Cole Caulfield and Nick Suzuki scored for the Canadiens and Jakub Dobes made 17 saves in the loss.

After the game, Sharks defenseman Vincent Desharnais talked about winning in Montreal:

“It just reminded me of so many memories, like watching hockey, my dad, my grandpa, my brother, family, just sitting around the tv Saturday night with the announcer. So it’s always special for me to play here, to win a game, to have an impact on the game and it’s fun. But at the end of the day it’s two points, it’s two huge points for us and we’ve got to do it all over again tomorrow.”

One thing the Sharks might not want to do again Sunday is give up the first goal of the game. Cole Caulfield gave Montreal a lead with a wrist shot at 7:21 on Saturday. Assists went to Juraj Slafkovský and Noah Dobson.

Macklin Celebrini tied it at 13:12 with a snap shot off the goal post. Assists went to Collin Graf and John Klingberg.

On his first shift of the game, Igor Chernyshov sustained an upper body injury and left the ice covering one eye. More details were not available.

The first period shots were 16-10 Montreal. The Sharks took two penalties but killed them both.

Mario Ferraro gave the Sharks a lead with a snap shot from the blue line at 11:56 of the second. Assists went to Alexander Wennberg and Willliam Eklund.

Collin Graf tipped a Celebrini shot to score at 16:20. The goal made it 3-1 Sharks and would eventually be the game-winner. Assists went to Celebrini and Klingberg.

Nick Suzuki trimmed that lead by one at 17:38 with a wrist shot. Assists went to Ivan Demidov and Noah Dobson.

The second period shots were 4-3 Montreal. One penalty was called, a too many men call against the Canadiens.

The lone third period goal came from Macklin Celebrini at 17:57 into an empty net. Assists went to Collin Graf and Barclay Goodrow.

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

Utah Mammoth game wrap: No Crosby, No Malkin, No Problem For Penguins In 4-3 Comeback Win Over Mammoth

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Pittsburgh Penguins center Tommy Novak (18) takes a shot on goal agianst the Utah Mammoth goaltender Karel Vejmelka (70) in the first period at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Sat Mar 14, 2026 (AP News photo)

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–Utah got off to a hot start on two first period goals by Dylan Guenther, but fell victim to undisciplined play as Pittsburgh fought back to deliver a fourth straight loss to the Mammoth 4-3.

The Utah Mammoth (34-26-6) closed out its brief two-game homestand on Saturday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins (32-18-15). Absent from the Penguins lineup were future Hockey Hall of Fame forwards Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, and it was noticeable on the ice as the game unfolded, or so it seemed in the beginning.

Dylan Guenther single-handedly accounted for all scoring in the opening frame. At 5:06 of the first, Guenther stole the puck from Penguins forward Blake Lizotte at the blue line and shot the puck under the outstretched pads of Pittsburgh goalie Stuart Skinner for his team-leading 32nd goal of the season, unassisted.

91 seconds later, with Anthony Mantha in the penalty box for cross-checking against Mikhail Sergachev, Mammoth forward Barrett Hayton put the puck off the goal post behind Skinner, and as the puck trickled along the goal line Penguins defenseman Connor Clifton knocked it away but directly into the skate blades of Guenther who was crashing the net.

Both the puck and Guenther crossed the goal line as the net came off of its moorings. The call on the ice was no-goal, but upon video replay it was determined that the puck had first crossed the goal line followed by Guenther.

Pittsburgh did not challenge whether the puck was kicked into the net, resulting in Guenther’s 33rd goal of the season, again unassisted, and the second-fastest two goals in franchise history. Earlier this season he established the fastest franchise two-goal mark in 78 seconds against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

According to NHL States, he is just the second NHL player to record two unassisted goals in under two minutes since the 2018-2019 season. With the ice sheet seemingly tilted in the direction of the Penguins goal throughout the period, Utah took a 2-0 lead into the locker room. Karel Vejmelka turned away all 7 shots by Pittsburgh, while Skinner turned away 12 of 14.

The Mammoth were sailing through the first half of the game when they ran into penalty trouble beginning at 13:39 of the second period when Lawson Crouse went to the sin bin for high sticking against Parker Wotherspoon.

A half minute later, Alexander Kerfoot joined him when he was whistled for interference against Rickard Rakell, giving the Penguins a lengthy 5-on-3 power play. Pittsburgh didn’t squander the opportunity as Anthony Mantha scored his 25th goal of the season, assisted by Erik Karlsson and Egor Chinakhov. Up to that point the game had seemed rather one-sided but with 2:34 remaining in the frame, Thomas Novak tied things up with his 15th goal of the season, assisted by Wotherspoon and Mantha. Utah managed only four futile shots on goal in the period while Vejmelka stopped 4 of 6 by the Penguins.

Utah began the third period on the penalty kill due to a late second period hooking penalty by Ian Cole against Bryan Rust. At 1:24, Rust converted the power play for his 24th goal of the season, assisted by Rakell and Chinakhov to take their first lead of the game 3-2.

Not quite three minutes later, Mammoth defenseman Ian Cole tied things up again 3-3 with his 3rd goal of the season, assisted by Alexander Kerfoot and Kevin Stenlund. Just past the 8-minute mark of the frame, the Penguins regained the lead on forward Noel Acciari’s 8th goal of the season, assisted by Wotherspoon and Karlsson, which ended up being the difference in the game.

“I think we’ve been trying to make a concerned effort to stick with the game plan, even though there were stretches of that game where we did a really good job sticking to it, and there were stretches where we kind of deviated and we got away from it,’ said defenseman Ian Cole in the locker room following the loss. “They ended up cutting out plays and transitioned back on us and, you know, call it ‘unforced errors, so yeah, we’re going to have to do some soul-searching and figure out how we want to win.”

Dylan Guenther opined, “I think you learn from stuff like this, but as much as you want to break everything down, you can’t beat yourself up for too long–there’s 15 games left, so make sure we learn from it, but it doesn’t bleed into our other games. … Learning’s important. But you don’t want it to bleed, you don’t want to get too emotional, if we get down 2-0 in the next game, you don’t want that to kind of snowball, I think it’s just the next shift. And being aware of the things that we have to fix, but making sure that it’s a clean slate going into every game.”

Head Coach André Tourigny began his post-game remarks saying, “(It’s) disappointing. The first angle is that we had full control of that game, and instead of playing a mature, simple – get above them, put pucks deep and stuff like that – we forced the play with the puck and tried to do way too much. We took penalties in the (offensive) zone – most of them, except one – five in a row in the second. We gave them hope (with) bad line changes and stuff like that. So it’s not like we played (badly). Even if you play well but you (make) the wrong decisions and you don’t manage the game the right way, it’s a song we (sang) two months ago, before the break. The guys fixed it, we had success, but now we have to do it all over again. The lack of maturity today in our game and our management cost us the game. We were in full control, we had no reason.”

In his sober analysis of his team’s performance, Bear conceded, “It would have been unfair to win today, the way we managed the game. And I believe we generated way more offense than them – at five-on-five, we were the better team. It doesn’t matter, if you don’t manage the game the right way. It’s too good of a league. It’s not a league where you can gamble, and we gambled and we lost the game. … We had a great start, scored a big goal on the track on a strip, scored on the power play. We’re playing well, putting pucks at the net, we have traffic, we have opportunities – we’re in control. That has to be enough, and it wasn’t.”

The Mammoth (34-27-6) play a pair of games on the road next week in Dallas and Las Vegas before returning Friday for a four-game homestand beginning with the Anaheim Ducks.

San Jose Sharks podcast Mary Lisa: Sharks get a jump on Canadiens lose Chernyshov

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San Jose Sharks Igor Chernyshov (92) loses his balance with the assistance of on ice official Eric Furlatt (right) agianst the Montreal Canadiens at the Belle Centre in Montreal on Sat Mar 14, 2026 (Canadian Press via AP News photo)

San Jose Sharks podcast Mary Lisa:

#1 The San Jose Sharks Igor Chernyshov’s returned to the Shark line up but got clobbered 30 seconds into the game when the Montreal Canadiens Mike Mahteson hit him in the neutral zone. The on ice officials tried to help him keep his balance but he fell to the ice and had to leave the game.

#2 Tough to get back with the big club Chernyshov has played in 16 NHL games and was recalled for this game as he was in the San Jose AHL affilate previous to getting promoted. Chernyshov was on the first line with Macklin Celebrini.

#3 Mary Lisa, great night for Macklin Celebrini who wound up with two goals and was the key player for the Sharks to keep them ahead of the Habs.

#4 The Sharks also got additional goals from Mike Ferraro and Colin Graf got goals an all around team effort to help build some offense against the Canadiens.

#5 The Sharks are in Ottawa to take on the Senators Sunday afternoon at 2:00pm PDT at the Canadian Tire Centre. The Senators have won four of their last five games their only loss in the thread was to these very same Canadiens with a loss to them Wednesday 3-2. How do you see this match up Sunday?

Join Mary Lisa for the San Jose Sharks podcast Saturdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose Sharks Lincoln Juarez: Sharks gear up for Canadiens at Belle Centre on Saturday night

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San Jose Sharks goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic (33) makes a save against the Boston Bruins center Marat Khusnutdinov (92) looks for the rebound in the second period at Boston Garden on Thu Mar 12, 2026 (AP News photo)

San Jose Sharks Lincoln Juarez:

#1 San Jose is coming off a strong win over Boston and has been playing better recently, so the key question is whether they can carry that form into a tough road game in Montreal.

#2 The Canadiens are averaging more than 3.5 goals per game and have been strong offensively this season, especially at home.

#3 Players like Macklin Celebrini for San Jose and Nick Suzuki or Cole Caufield for Montreal could have a major impact on the outcome.

#4 The previous meeting earlier in March ended 7–5 in favor of San Jose, suggesting both teams can generate offense against each other.

#5 San Jose is fighting for a Western Conference wild-card spot, while Montreal sits high in the Atlantic Division and is trying to strengthen its playoff position.

Lincoln Juarez does the San Jose Sharks podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose Sharks podcast Len Shapiro: Sharks get a 4-0 lead early later to defeat Bruins 4-2 at the Garden

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San Jose Sharks forward Tyler Toffoli (73) is congratulated by teammates and forwards Macklin Celebrini (71), Will Smith (2), and Alexander Wennberg (21) after scoring a second period goal at Boston Garden on Thu Mar 12, 2026 (AP News photo)

San Jose Sharks podcast Len Shapiro:

#1 Review this win for the San Jose Sharks over the Boston Bruins 4-2 as the Bruins tried to make a comeback but the Sharks held them off.

#2 Macklin Celebrini has been a major offensive driver for this team — how was his line’s performance Thursday night against Boston’s defensive pressure?

#3 What was it like for Will Smith playing in Boston his hometown area does a game like this carry extra meaning, and how did his performance look Thursday night?

#4 William Eklund what adjustments did he and his line mates make in going after the Bruins as they tightened their neutral-zone play in the second period?

#5 Tyler Toffoli as one of the veteran forwards on the roster, what message did he give the younger players on the bench when momentum started to shift in Boston’s favor?

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