Tag: NHL

NHL podcast Len Shapiro Fri Mar 14, 2025: Panthers get the edge on Leafs 3-2; Senators rolling with fifth straight win 5-3 over Bruins; plus more NHL news

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Florida Panthers Sam Bennett second from left scores on Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz (41) as the Maple Leafs Jake McCabe (22) defends in the first period at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Fri Mar 14, 2025 (Canadian Press via AP)

NHL podcast Len Shapiro Fri Mar 14, 2025:

#1 The Florida Panthers edged the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Thursday night. The Panthers Sam Bennett helped out with two goals in the winning cause.

#2 The Ottawa Senators are becoming to be known as Hottawa. They have now won five straight games. In the latest win on Thursday night at Canadian Tire Centre the Senators scored four goals against the Boston Bruins in the first period. The Sens Drake Batherson scored two goals with an assist, Brady Tkachuk has now scored a point in eight straight games with seven goals and two assists. There was nothing the Bruins could do as they ran into a hot Ottawa team losing 6-3.

#3 The Philadelphia Flyers Bobby Brink scored two goals as they edged the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-3 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on Thursday night. The win ended the Flyers five game losing streak and the Lightning lost their third game in a row.

#4 The Pittsburgh Penguins Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust scored a goal each and had an assist in the Pens win over the St Louis Blues 5-3 at PPG Paints Arena on Thursday night. The Penguins Sidney Crosby and Blake Lizotte had two assists to help the Pens pick up their third straight win. The last time the Penguins won three in a row was when the won four in a row back on Nov 27-Dec 3.

#5  The Vegas Golden Knights chalked up their fourth straight win over the Columbus Blue Jackets in a 4-0 shutout. Knight’s goaltender Adin Hill stopped all 27 Jackets shot on goals. Hill stopped 14 shots in the first period and gave the Knights an opportunity to score to goals to take the lead in the first period.

Len Shapiro does the NHL podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Mikhail Sergachev Scores 300th Career Point in 3-2 Utah HC Victory over Anaheim

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Utah Hockey Club defenseman Mikhail Sergachev (98) and Anaheim Ducks left wing Cutter Gauthier (61) battle for the puck in the first period at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Wed Mar 12, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–Utah Defenseman Mikhail Sergachev fed Dylan Guenther the game-winning goal in the third period for his 300th career point en route to defeating the Ducks on home ice.

The Utah Hockey Club welcomed the Anaheim Ducks to Delta Center on Wednesday night for the third and final meeting between the clubs this season. Anaheim prevailed 5-4 during both previous encounters which ended in overtime and a shootout. Utah entered the game 4 points of Anaheim in the Wild Card hunt.

At 11:03 of the first period, Utah forward Jack McBain tipped in a blast from Ian Cole for his 12th goal of the season with the additional assist by Josh Doan. Anaheim backup goaltender Ville Husso turned away 16 of 17 shots in a lopsided frame wherein the Ducks unsuccessfully challenged Karel Vejmelka with 8 shots on goal.

Alexander Kerfoot put Utah up 2-0 at 14:31 of the second period on a snap shot for his 8th of the season, assisted by Dylan Guenther and Barrett Hayton. Less than two minutes later the Ducks got one back on a goal from forward Alex Killorn, his 14th of the season, assisted by Leo Carlsson and Cutter Gauthier.

Early in the third period, Mikhail Sergachev went to the box for hooking against Mason McTavish who would immediately cash it in and tie the score on the power play for his 18th goal of the season, assisted by Trevor Zegras and Jackson LaCombe. A few minutes later, with Olen Zellweger in the sin bin for hooking against Josh Doan, Sergachev would redeem himself assisting on a slap shot by Dylan Guenther which put Utah up for good 3-2 as Karel Vejmelka locked down the Utah net the rest of the way. Guenther’s goal was his 24th of the season and his 8th game-winner. The assist gave Sergachev 300 points in his NHL career, the last 43 of which coming in his debut season with Utah.

In the locker room, Utah forward Barrett Hayton talked about tonight’s win. “Definitely a huge win, huge home stand. Obviously, it would have been really nice to get all four points, but the way we were able to fight back in that Toronto game and get a point, it’s huge for us. Same thing tonight, it was a grind. They were playing tight, they’re a dangerous team, and it was obviously a fight to the end there. But [Vejmelka] was kicking the guys who were doing a good job in front of them. Great three points.” Utah had 3rd period leads in each of their prior games against Anaheim which were lost in overtime. When asked about maintaining focus to hold on to tonight’s one-goal lead in the third, Hayton said, “It’s just about keeping poise in our game. Obviously, I think probably in the last couple of weeks, we’ve done a pretty good job with that once we’ve gotten a lead and not sitting back. That’s something that can kill you when you’re in these games. If you sit back and let them come and play with pace on you, it’s just not a not a good game plan. So I think we’ve done a good job of playing with poise, making plays, playing smart, but still playing with pace. … It all starts with preparation. I think all the guys in here are professionals and take their preparation really seriously. It’s kind of just a mental thing, knowing you need to start with pace and play direct, especially early on in games as you’re getting into the game, you don’t want to play too fancy or too risky. You want to get into the game, get on them, and allow that flow to build before you make those plays that might be a little more high risk.”

Dylan Guenther also talked about protecting the late lead. “We’re getting a little bit better at those situations every game. I don’t think we played our best game today, but we found a way to win, and we managed the puck pretty well at the end of the game.” On his game-winning power play goal, Guenther remarked, “When I saw [Anaheim] was low, I wanted [Keller] to go up to [Sergachev], and then he gave it over to me. So, it was just good recognition. I feel like we’ve gotten pretty good chemistry as we’ve continued to play together.”

Head coach André Tourigny opened his briefing by saying, “What I take from that game is the way we played in the third, how we protected the lead, the sacrifices our guys (made), the way they were engaged and disciplined, the resilience we had. That was great to see.” Talking about Guenther’s late-game, Tourigny commented, “A lot of confidence (in Guenther)…I’m more happy about the shot he blocked when the game was on the line than his goal–in the sense that that’s a choice you make. Scoring a goal is a pretty easy choice when you have the opportunity. But when you decide to put your body on the line and sacrifice yourself for the team and do that for your brothers, I think that’s huge.” His comment about brothers prompted one reporter to ask about the family mindset on the team, to which Bear responded, “I think it’s a strength of our organization. For a few years now, the togetherness and brotherhood we have; it’s special. I think the guys care so much about each other. Sometimes when you care about someone, you try to do too much. I think, in general, our team is really close. They love each other, they fight for each other, they’re together and everything.”

With Connor Ingram out of the lineup, Tourigny was asked how he plans to manage Vejmelka’s time in net during the final month of the regular season. “We will do one game at a time. For us it’s playoff time. We need to make sure we manage a lot of practice time. You need to practice to keep the skill level at a high level, but you can have shorter practice, you can do half of a practice or not taking shots after the morning skate, those kinds of things to make sure we keep the workload lower so it’s not as much the number of times he will go on the ice, it’s more the length.”

Utah’s win places the club just two points out of a Wild Card spot as they embark upon a 3-game road trip to Seattle, Vancouver, and Edmonton before returning March 20 against the Buffalo Sabres.

Sharks Get to 40 Losses Against Predators in 3-2 decision

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After a tough loss against the New York Islanders, The boys are back at the tank again.

Ty Dellandrea and Ryan O’Rielly Battled the for Puck at the End-Zone Face off at SAP Center in San Jose on Mar 11, 2025. (AP Photo)

SAN JOSE, CA — Last home game on Saturday was hard for the boys in Teal because it was the first game at home in more than a month due to the Four Nations Tournament. The Sharks suffered a 4-1 loss against the New York Islanders, a team that is in the hunt for a playoff spot. Tuesday night, The boys are back for a second game at home against the Nashville Predators.

Leading up to this game, the Preds are in a hot streak, winning three of their last five games while the Sharks hope not to add the 40th loss of the season. It was a tough outcome one again as San Jose dropped a 3-2 contest to the Predators after trying to make a comeback in third period scoring two goals and coming one short for the loss.

The game unravelled with physicality, intensity, and penalties. Two fights between V. Desharnais Fighting against C. Smith and B. Goodrow Fighting against A. Englund set the mood for a match that during the first period was marked by tension and opportunities for both teams.

During the second period, Nashville looked constantly precise in terms of playmaking that eventually led to the first goal of the night eight minutes into the second period, Filip Forsberg who registered his 25th goal of this season, minutes later the former Tampa Bay Lightning, Steven Stamkos joined him with the second goal of the night.

The figure of the night was Juuse Saros, Predators goaltender, who had a magnificent night and an absolute performance by stopping 13 shots on goal, undoubtedly a key player tonight.

During the second period, Sharks kept the scoring for them in zero.

Then, in the third period, things changed a bit, and this time it seemed to be in favor of the Sharks. Patrick Giles scored his first goal of the season, while Colin Graf scored his second of the season, with a record ten seconds between each goal.

The joy didn’t last long, though, as Kieffer Bellows scored the last Nashville goal of the night for the Predators, putting them up by a goal. Once again, penalty kill errors buried the loss for the San Jose Sharks that reached 40 losses Tuesday night.

The Teal comes back to action this Thursday night when San Jose hosts the Chicago Blackhawks, a very anticipated game as the crowd in attendance will witness two former first rounder draft picks in the first ever Celebrini- Connor Bedard clash faceoff at 7:30pm PST.

San Jose Sharks podcast Fernando Abarca Tue Mar 11, 2025: Sharks try to end Predators 3 game winning streak tonight in San Jose

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San Jose Sharks goaltender Alexander Georgiev saved 24 shots but allowed four goals against the New York Islanders on Sat Mar 8, 2025 at SAP Center in San Jose. Georgiev and the Sharks are hoping to turn it around tonight at SAP as they host the Nashville Predators. (AP file photo)

On the San Jose Sharks podcast Fernando Abarca:

#1 New York Islanders Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored a goal and had two assists and IIya Sorokin the Isles goaltender saved 38 shots as the Islanders defeated the Sharks on Saturday night.

#2 The Islanders Anders Lee, Anthony Duclair and Adam Boqvist each scored a goal. The win gives New York their fourth out of the last five games.

#3 The struggles continue for the Sharks who have lost ten of their last 12 games. The Sharks got production out of Macklin Celebrini who had two assists and goaltender Alexander Georgiev stopped 24 shots against New York.

#4 The Sharks try and move onto their next game against the Nashville Predators who have struggled on the road with a 7-20-4 record. The Predators are 24-32-4 overall. In spite of their road struggles the Predators are currently on a three game win streak.

#5 Sharks William Eklund has 14 goals with 24 assists and Tyler Toffoli has five goals and four assists in his last ten games. These two can play a role in helping the Sharks find some more offense and helping them get back in the win column.

Fernando Abarca is a San Jose Sharks beat writer at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Utah HC Fights Back From 3-0 Deficit But Falls To Toronto 4-3 In Shootout

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Toronto Maple Leafs left winger Mitch Marner (16) scores on Utah Hockey Club goaltender Karel Vejmelka (70) during the shootout period at Delta Center in Salt Lake City Mon Mar 10, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–Carcone, Schmaltz, and Hayton each lit the lamp in the second period to tie the score at 3-3, but Maple Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll outdueled Karel Vejmelka in the shootout to give Toronto the 4-3 win at the Delta Center.

The Utah Hockey Club returned home Monday night after splitting a two-game road trip where they defeated the Detroit Red Wings and lost in overtime to the Chicago Blackhawks. The NHL trade deadline came and went during their absence without any significant trades being made, however several pending free agents signed contract extensions: defenseman Ian Cole and forward Alex Kerfoot for one year, defenseman Olli Määttä for three years, and the current #1 goaltender Karel Vejmelka for five years. On Sunday, Utah announced that Vejmelka’s netminding counterpart, Connor Ingram, had re-entered the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program and will be unavailable for the foreseeable future.

With Josh Doan in the penalty box for tripping against William Nylander, Toronto struck first at 12:42 of the opening frame when a snap shot by Nylander deflected off the stick of Utah defenseman Mikhail Sergachev and into the top right corner of the net.

Nylander’s 36th goal of the season was assisted by Mitch Marner and Matthew Knies. As the period wound down, Ian Cole went to the sin bin for high-sticking against Bobby McMann and with 22 seconds remaining Calle Jarnkrok gave the Maple Leafs a 2-0 lead with their second power play goal of the night, Jarnkrok’s first of the season, assisted by Max Domi and Morgan Rielly.

At 4:48 of the second period, Toronto defenseman Simon Benoit ripped a shot from the blue line which found the back of the net for his first goal of the season, assisted by David Kampf and Pontus Holmberg, to give the Maple Leafs a 3-0 lead.

When play resumed, Benoit and Kesselring dropped the gloves with the Utah defender hoping to fire up his team. It worked. Over the next seven minutes and 23 seconds Utah would come all the way back from their early hole.

Forward Michael Carcone got things going for the home team at 8:14 with his sixth goal of the season, tipping in a sweet pass from Josh Doan in front of the net with the additional assist going to Jack McBain. 49 seconds later, forward Nick Schmaltz would tip in a perfect pass from Olli Määttä for his 15th of the season, with the additional assist by captain Clayton Keller.

Just past the halfway mark of the period, Benoit went to the box again for tripping against McBain, setting the table for Utah forward Barrett Hayton to even the score 3-3 on the power play with his 17th of the season, a deflected shot by Mikhail Sergachev at the blue line, with Dylan Guenther picking up the additional assist.

Joseph Woll and Karel Vejmelka each held their opponents at bay for the remainder of the second period and all of the third period and overtime. Austen Matthews gave Toronto the first lead of the shootout, but Clayton Keller immediately evened things up with a backhand shot. Mitch Marner put the game away for the Maple Leafs with a wrist shot to give his squad the victory.

In the locker room, Utah defenseman Michael Kesselring talked about the second period comeback. “Honestly, we’re a resilient group. We fought back against a really, really good team. I thought we outplayed them. We deserved a little bit better, so it was a good effort, and we should build on that.”

What did the team do differently after the first period? “I think we played low/high more and got more pucks to the net. I know it’s a cliche, but we just kind of grind them down a little bit. Obviously, their top players are really high end, so you have to try to make them defend, so they have to change when they go up the ice. I thought we did a pretty good job of that.”

Captain Clayton Keller also addressed the second period surge. “Even early on in the game, we felt good about our game. They got two power play goals and I think as the game went on, we got better. Our guys stepped up in big moments and [Kesselring] got us going there with the fight which was awesome for us and really elevated us. We scored two quick goals and it sucks to not get the two points tonight, but everyone dug in tonight. We stayed together no matter what was going on. It was a lot of back and forth, just a lot going on. I’m proud of the guys the way we fought until the end.”

Head coach André Tourigny began his post-game comments by remarking, “That was a hell of a character game for us. The way things unfold, I’m really proud of the way the guys fought back, the resiliency, and all of that. I talked this morning about us being hard on the inside and winning battles and I think we were really disciplined in our approach and playing against their tough players. I’m really proud of the efforts.” Tourigny was particularly pleased with the momentum shift from Kesselring’s fight. “Unreal. We talked in the beginning of the season on our team managing the game and learning. That moment of the game, the emotion of the situation, their third goal, the fight, and the way the guys were talking on the bench, they had the right message on discipline and being resilient and staying engaged and staying with it. It was unreal. That’s kudos to the guys. They were unbelievable and we know how important it is. We need points and stuff like that and there’s a level of frustration we didn’t get, but there’s a huge level of pride on the character we showed and how we managed our emotions and how we managed the game in those tough situations. … The whole day for me is positive. We’re missing one point and that’s the only thing we can complain about. The rest is unreal. That’s a good team. On five-on-five, we probably doubled them in scoring chances and we came back from a three goal deficit. We fought, we hit, and we fed on the energy of our crowd. That’s a great day.”

Utah Hockey Club will play host to the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday and then hit the road for three games against Seattle, Vancouver, and Edmonton before returning March 20 against the Buffalo Sabres.

Sharks Celebrate 1st Goal at the Tank

Sharks Fall Again Against the Islanders 4-2

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Sharks celebrating first goal against the Islanders during the second period at SAP Center in San Jose on Sat Mar 8, 2025 ( San Jose Sharks Media)

By Fernando Abarca

Back at the tank… we all missed it as the Tank recorded more than 17,000 in attendance

SAN JOSE, CA — It’s a great feeling to return to the tank. After the noise of the Four Nations tournament, some games on the road, and all the action around the trade deadline, Sharks hockey was absent for more than a month. Now, the Sharks are back at home, hosting the New York Islanders, who are in the hunt to make the playoffs.

The New York Rangers come to the tank eager to add another victory when they played the Winnipeg Jets with a 3-2 score. Coincidentally, against the best team in the West. On the other hand, the Sharks played the Avalanche last Wednesday night, when things did not really go well as it has been a little usual lately.

The Islanders started the night red hot with two goals during the first period when New York showed business and scored the 1-0 by Jean Gabriel Pageau, ten minutes passed the first one, New York was granted a power-play after a penalty, Anthony Duclair assisted by Simon Holmstrom, Noah Dobson. First intermission marked to an end with the visitors ahead by two.

Moving on to the 2nd period, the Sharks recovered depth and strength. Indeed, it is what it showed with a lone goal by Nikolai Kovalenko with beautiful assists by Shakir Mukhamadullin and Macklin Celebrini.

The locals pushed for more aggressiveness, pressure, and physicality. It was not enough time to score another one, but it seemed the Sharks pushed and found ways to net the equalizer at the tank. The second never came.

During the third, the Sharks once again demonstrated their inefficiencies and weaknesses, and the lack of chemistry. It is not a surprise against a team that is fighting for a playoff spot in a tough division, the difference is noticeable.

New York netted two goals in a matter of two minutes, between each one, goals orchestrated by Anders Lee and Adam Boqvist in the early third.

New York took advantage of the mental aspects of the game, and was displayed as the Sharks showed less intensity, unable to fight back, and unable to retrieve the puck. Until later in the game, the Sharks fought back to score a second power play goal. leaving the game 4-2 for the visiting Islanders.

The people of San Jose responded by attending the game, as the local crowd of 17,435 waits to see the team winning again, the Teal will have a chance to do it on Tuesday night against a team of roughly the same, the Nashville Predators at home.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Charanbir Mahal: How Sharks will get along without Vanecek, Zetterlund, Kunin, Walman, Robbins, Sturm, and Vanecek

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Former San Jose Sharks Luke Kunin (11) was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets one of a number of Sharks that were traded this week at the NHL trade deadline (AP News file photo)

On the San Jose Sharks podcast with Charanbir Mahal:

#1 Charanbir lets go through the list of Sharks trades that were made this week starting with left wing Fabian Zetterlund, center Tristin Robbins and a 2025 number 4 draft pick to the Ottawa Senators for center Zack Ostapchuk, a 2025 second round pick, center Gregor Noah.

#2 The Sharks traded center Luke Kunin to the Columbus Blue Jackets for a 2025 fourth round draft pick.

#3 The Edmonton Oilers traded to the Sharks center Karl Berglund and a 2026 number one draft pick for defenseman Jake Walman.

#4 The Sharks dealt forward Nico Sturm and and a 2027 seventh round selection to the Florida Panthers for a 2026 fourth round selection. Also earlier the Sharks dealt goaltender Vitek Vanecek to the Panthers.

#5 With Vanecek, Zetterlund, Robbins, Kunin, Walman, and Nico Sturm there is no doubt the Sharks are sellers will they rebuild with younger players or will they also be a player in the free agent market in the off season?

Charanbir Mahal is a reporter for IND TV USA and appears on the San Jose Sharks podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa: Sharks return home after long 7 game road trip; San Jose hosts New York Saturday

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San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini (71) scored a goal against the Colorado Avalanche on Thu Mar 6, 2025 one of the three goals by the Sharks at Ball Arena in Denver (AP file photo)

On the San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa:

#1 The Colorado Avalanche Cale Makar scored two goals and four assists becoming the first defenseman in Aves history to have a six point game. Was this a matter of Makar was just having a great get out of the way night or the Sharks defense just couldn’t get acclimated?

#2 The Avalanche’s Nathan MacKinnon added two more goals and had three assists that help extend his streak of home points to 18 games.

#3 The Avalanche had goals from Jonathan Drouin, Joel Kiviranta, Martin Necas in the offensive onslaught that got Colorado fourth win on their current six game homestand. The Aves have now won 12 straight games against the Sharks.

#4 The Sharks got scoring help from Fabian Zetterlund, Macklin Celebrini and William Eklund for all three goals for San Jose. The Sharks wrapped up their seven game road trip with a 2-3-2 record. Before their game in Colorado the Sharks traded forward Nico Sturm and on Friday the Sharks traded Luke Kunin to the Columbia Blue Jackets.

#5 The Sharks return home Saturday night to face off against the New York Islanders are sixth in Metropolitan Division and have lost six of their last ten games. How do you see this match up for Saturday night.

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

NHL podcast with Len Shapiro Fri Mar 7, 2025: Utah’s Veimelka 31 saves shutout Red Wings 3-0; Bjorkstrand scores game winner for Bolts 6-5 win over Sabres; plus more news

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Utah Hockey Club goaltender Karel Veimelka saved 31 shots for a 3-0 shutout against the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Thu May 6, 2025 (AP file photo)

NHL podcast with Len Shapiro Fri Mar 7, 2025

Len before we start just a quick run down about the NHL trade deadline and the Washington Capitals Alexander Ovechkin’s run at the all time goal scoring record.

#1  Karel Veimelka stopped 31 shots for the Utah Hockey Club and Utah scored three unanswered goals against the Detroit Red Wings for a 4-2 win at Little Caesars Arena Thursday night in Detroit. Vejmelka just signed a five year extension before the game for Utah.

#2 Jake Guentzel had a big night for the Tampa Bay Lightning picking up a hat trick that helped the Bolts edge the visiting Buffalo Sabres at Amailie Arena on Thursday night 6-5. Oliver Bjorkstrand ended a 5-5 tie in the third period in his Tampa Bay debut with a goal. Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy made 28 saves.

#3 Florida Panthers Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 16 shots as the Florida Panthers picked up their fifth straight game in a shutout over the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-0 at Amerant Bank Arena Thursday night. Bobrovsky picked up his 433rd career win which tied goaltender great Tony Esposito for the tenth spot on the NHL all time list.

#4 Winnipeg Jets Mark Scheifele scored a goal and had two assists as the Jets got a convincing 4-1 win over Philadelphia Flyers at the Wells Fargo Center on Thursday night. Gabriel Vilardi picked up three assists teammate Kyle Connor scored a goal and got an assist. The Jets snapped a three game losing streak with the win.

#5  Carolina Hurricanes Seth Jarvis scored a key goal with 19 seconds left in regulation to get the Canes a 3-2 win against the visiting Boston Bruins at Lenovo Center in Raleigh on Thursday night. Jarvis scored his goal from the short side at the left hash marks after defenseman Nikita Zadrorov broke his stick in an attempt to clear the puck in the right circle.

Join Len Shaprio for the NHL podcasts Fridays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sharks Lose 7-3 to Avalanche, Celebrini Scores 20th

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San Jose Sharks gets blown out by the Colorado Avalanche 7-3 at the Ball Center in Denver on Thu Mar 6, 2025 (San Jose Sharks X photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks fell 7-3 to the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday. Joel Kiviranta, Cale Makar, Jonathan Drouin, Martin Necas and Nathan MacKinnon scored for the Avalanche. Mackenzie Blackwood made 31 saves for the win against his former team. Fabian Zetterlund, Macklin Celebrini and William Eklund scored for the Sharks. Alexandar Georgiev made 25 saves in the loss to his former team.

The first goal of the game was a short-handed one from Colorado. Joel Kiviranta scored it at 4:19 of the first period. Cale Makar knocked the puck away from Macklin Celebrini in the Sharks’ zone. Kiviranta carried it all the way to the other end for the shot.

A few minutes later, Colorado scored on the power play. Skating in from the blue line, Cale Makar caught a pass from Jonathan Drouin and scored on Georgiev’s stick side. Assists went to Drouin and Nathan MacKinnon.

Fabian Zetterlund got one back for the Sharks, on the power play at 10:08. Lurking just outside the blue paint, Zetterlund rediretced a shot from Collin Graf behi8nd Blackwood.

Jonathan Drouin made it 3-1 in the last three seconds of the period. Martin Necas passed the puck through the blue paint to Drouin for the goal. An assist also went to Artturi Lehkonen.

Martin Necas scored another power play goal just 40 seconds into the second period. Cale Makar set up the slap shot for Necase. An assist also went to MacKinnon.

Nathan MacKinnon scored the first even strength goal of the game at 10:54 of the second. Cale Makar shot it in and it went wide, then off of the backboards. It boucned right to MacKinnon next to the goal mouth for a snap shot. Assists went to Makar and Josh Manson.

In the final second of the second period, Keaton Middleton put the puck in the net but it was called off due to goaltender interference. It would have been Middleton’s first NHL goal.

MacKinnon scored another even strength goal at 5:21 of the third period to make it 6-1. On a rebound, the puck came right to MacKinnon as he skated to the net. Lehkonen and Makar got the assists.

Macklin Celebrini scored one for the Sharks at 8:10, putting the puck in the top of the net on a power play. It was Celebrini’s 20th goal for the season. Assists went to Will Smith and William Eklund.

Cale Makar restored the five-goal lead with a wrist shot less than a minute after Celebrini’s goal.

William Eklund scored the third Sharks goal at 17:24, the Sharks’ first even strength goal of the game. Three Colorado players were trying to corral the puck right in front of the blue paint. Eklund slid in between them and poked it into the net. Assists went to Tyler Toffoli and Alexander Wennberg.

Colorado out-shot the Sharks 13-9 in the first period. In the second period, it was 13-6 Colorado. In the third period the Sharks made a push, out-shooting Colorado 19-6.

The Sharks next play on Saturday back in San Jose against the New York Islanders at 7:00 PM PT.