Sharks Preseason: Sharks Win in Vegas 4-2

The Vegas Golden Knights right wing Evgenii Dadonov (63) moves the puck against the San Jose Sharks Gannon Laroque (28) at the T Mobile Center in Las Vegas on Sun Sep 26, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks won 4-2 in a preseason match against the Vegas Golden Knights. The split squad that went to Vegas on Sunday was led by Logan Couture. Sharks goals were scored by Alexander Chmelevski, Jasper Weatherby, Adam Raska and Logan Couture. Sharks goalie Adin Hill made 21 saves for the win. Vegas goals were scored by Paul Cotter and Max Pacioretty. Vegas goalie Logan Thompson made 24 saves for Vegas. More than 17,000 people came to watch the game at T-Mobile Arena.

Alexander Chmelevski scored the only goal in the first period, on the power play at 15:29. Scott Reedy’s pass from the corner found Chmelevski right as he arrved in front of the net. Assists went to Reedy and William Eklund.

The Sharks out-shot the Golden Knights 9-6 in the first period. They had two power plays but scored on just one. They took no penalties. Vegas captain Mark Stone took a puck to the ear in the first and did not return.

Just over a minute into the second period, Vegas’ Peyton Krebs misjudged the situation along the boards and swept the puck into the slot where San Jose’s Jasper Weatherby was ready to take a quick shot. 2-0 Sharks.

At the three-minute mark, Vegas scored with a goal from Paul Cotter. He and Jack Dugan rushed into the zone two-on-one against Santeri Hatakka. Dugan and Brett Howden got assists.

The Sharks extended their lead at 7:31 with a goal from Adam Raska. Jeffrey Viel intercepted a pass off the wall and found Raska with a quick pass. Raska carried the puck to the net and snapped it past the goalie.

The Sharks out-shot the Golden Knights 11-6 in the second period. They took one penalty but killed it.

The Golden Knights closed the gap again, 34 seconds into the third period, on the power play. Max Pacioretty found the puck in a scrum at the net and shot it over the Sharks’ prone goaltender. Assists went to Nolan Patrick and Chandler Stephenson.

Logan Couture padded the Sharks lead with a power play goal at 15:56. Six seconds into the power play, Couture caught a rebound from a Burns shot and slipped the puck behind the Vegas goalie. Assists went to Weatherby and Burns.

In the third period, the Sharks took two penalties and killed just one. They had one power play and scored on that. The third period shots were even at eight each.

In the post-game shoot-out, Thompson stopped William Eklund’s shot but Jonathan Dahlen and Timo Meier both scored. Hill stopped Evgenii Dadonov’s shot, Noel Patrick hit the post, and Chandler Stephenson scored.

The Sharks play again on Tuesday, against the Kings at 7:00 PM PT in San Jose.

Sharks lose first exhibition game to Ducks 6-3

The San Jose Sharks forward Tristen Roberts (52) is all happy after scoring a second period goal against the Anaheim Ducks on Sun Sep 26, 2021 at the Honda Center in Anaheim (AP News photo)

~ By Pearl Allison Lo

~ September 26, 2021

~ ANAHEIM– The mostly back-and-forth game went to the home team as the Anaheim Ducks’ Kodie Curran scored the game-winner with a Gordie Howe hat trick in the Sunday victory.

For the San Jose Sharks, this was the first of a split-squad game, with the other half of the team playing the Golden Knights in Las Vegas later at 7pm.   

New Shark Nick Bonino and Jake Middleton each earned two points with a goal and an assist apiece, Bonino’s goal accomplished during the power play.  

Both teams scored in each period of the first preseason game of the 2021-22 NHL season Sunday. That included the extra exhibition period after the third period buzzer, which the Ducks also won by way of Curran. 

San Jose went 1 of 5 on the power play while the Ducks went 1 of 2. Each team went with two  goalies during the game, for the Sharks, Alexei Melnichuk and Zach Sawchenko saved 8 of 10 and 14 of 16 shots respectively and for Anaheim, Lukas Dostal and Olle Eriksson Ek saved 13 of 14 and 11 of 13 on their end.

The crowd saw some fighting action just over a minute into the game when Middleton took exception to a hit on his teammate and got into it with Sam Carrick. 

The Sharks had trouble getting into their offensive end at first with not one player present until about two minutes in and then multiple skaters around three minutes in. John Leonard had San Jose´s first shot on goal around the five minute mark. 

Hampus Lindholm got the Ducks up on the board first at 5:30 with a slapshot from the point. 

The Sharks got a chance for redemption on the power play with a roughing call to Alexander Volkov six seconds later. Ryan Merkley missed a shot and Kevin Labanc´s two shots were blocked by Curran.

Anaheim went on their first power play at 9:36 when Nicolas Meloche was called for holding.

The fourth penalty of the first period occurred when Marc-Edouard Vlasic´s stick was held by Buddy Robinson. San Jose was able to capitalize on their second power play. Merkley was able to stop the clear to keep it in their end and Bonino made a diagonal shot off the post at 14:53 after a pass from Joachim Blichfeld.  

The second period also saw an early fight but not before an earlier goal. Volkov altered 

Kevin Shattenkirk´s shot to give the Ducks the 2-1 lead at 1:39. Curran received the secondary assist. 16 seconds later, Meloche (second penalty) and Curran were cited for fighting. At the same time, a concurrent penalty was given to Volkov, his second of the night, for interfering with Blichfeld.

Halfway through the second period was when the goalie changes occurred. The Sharks took advantage of the fresh goalie at 10:24 to re-tie the game at two apiece. Tristen Robins scored his first, helped by Dylan Gambrell and Rudolf Balcers. 

At 15:36, Anaheim went back ahead. Vlasic’s pass went behind the net to Sonny Milano instead, who made a straight pass to the incoming Benoit-Olivier Groulx, as Groulx converted. 

In the third, after a barrage (four in the span of 36 seconds) of shots by the Ducks, Balcers shot in between two defenders and went top post for the game´s third tie at 6:35.  Middleton and Bonino earned the assists. 

Starting at 12:03, scored three goals in a span of six minutes and 20 seconds. Troy Terry found a wide open Curran on the left for the first. Robinson got the second assist. Momentum continued in Anaheim´s favor as they went on their second power play. Volkov aimed at the net as the puck went behind Sachenko. Unable to fish it out, Terry was able to poke the puck into the net to make it 5-3. It was Milano´s second assist. With 1:37 left, Greg Pateryn made it three goals in the third period with an empty-netter to conclude the regulation scoring.

In the exhibition shootout, the Ducks went first as it went from Jacob Perreault to Labanc to Volkov to Alexander Barabanov to Milano (the first one who did not score) to Hertl (blocked) to Curran (scored) to Leonard (wide). 

Up Next: In the second split squad game in Las Vegas the Sharks defeated the Knights 4-2 at the T Mobile Center. On Tuesday, the Sharks will host their home preseason opener against the Los Angeles Kings at 7pm. 

San Jose Sharks podcast with Len Shapiro: Kane story will over shadow everything at Sharks training camp

Things are mounting against San Jose Sharks Evander Kane who was cleared for gambling on hockey and now is not participating in training camp until he’s cleared for sexual assault allegations made by his wife Anna. Here is Kane holding bricks of cash. (file photo Sports Illustrated)

Len Shapiro on the San Jose Sharks:

#1 Len going into Sunday’s split squad games how much of a distraction will the Evander Kane assault allegations by his wife Anna create with the media and fans asking more questions about the accusation than about hockey.

#2 The players will not be available for in person interviews which might be a saving grace for the organization and the dressing room as the Sharks now will be scouting and looking at rookies and diamonds in the rough without in person interviews Kane.

#3 Head coach Bob Boughner and general manager Doug Wilson don’t know if Kane will ever be welcomed back to the club, Kane was expected back after he was cleared of the gambling on hockey accusations but with the domestic sexual assault allegations by Anna even if there is a lack of evidence again it’s a stain between Kane and his teammates if he was to come back.

#4 Len in other hockey news the Sharks have announced that they will be having another Spanish broadcast for TV and live streaming on Sat Oct 30th vs. Winnipeg at SAP Center. The Spanish broadcast will only be for just one game but it’s something that fans in the South Bay would like to see the Sharks do more often.

#5 Len, At the mic for all the Sharks Spanish play by play Jesus Zerate and color analyst Amaury Pi Gonzalez. Zerate is the San Francisco 49ers play by play Spanish announcer and Pi Gonzalez is the Oakland A’s lead Spanish radio play by play announcer.

Join Len Shapiro for the San Jose Sharks podcasts each Saturday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa Walsh: Younger newer team will they come along or lack experience in 2021-22

Happier times when San Jose Shark Evander Kane (9) celebrates his scored goal with his teammates on Apr 28, 2021 against the Arizona Coyotes at SAP Center in San Jose. Its been reported that some of the Sharks players do not want Kane back because of allegations of gambling on Sharks games which Kane said he never did (Bay Area News Group file photo)

On the Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa:

#1 No one at the San Jose Sharks wants to admit it but as veteran names like Joe Thornton, Joe Pavelski, and Patrick Marleau are former experienced Sharks. The Sharks as an organization have refused to call themselves a third year rebuilding team.

#2 Mary Lisa training camp opens on Thursday there will be a lot of free agents, new players, minor league players, some trying to make the roster as Sharks general manager Doug Wilson and head coach Bob Boughner will be keeping a careful out to see who make be of help for the upcoming season.

#3 The Sharks will open the pre season schedule with a pair split squad games this Sunday night one to be played at the T Mobile Center in Las Vegas against the Knights which you will be covering and the other at the Honda Center in Anaheim against the Ducks Pearl Lo will have that game covered. A couple of games that Boughner will be watching carefully.

#4 The San Jose Sharks have announced that they will broadcasting at least one game in Spanish on TV and streaming on their website on Sat Oct 30th when the Sharks host the Winnipeg Jets at SAP Center in San Jose. At the mic for all the play by play Jesus Zerate and color analyst Amaury Pi Gonzalez. Zerate is the San Francisco 49ers play by play Spanish announcer and Pi Gonzalez is the Oakland A’s lead Spanish radio play by play announcer.

#5 Still up in the air Evander Kane who was the team’s leading scorer in 2020-21 had been cleared for not betting on hockey or ie not enough evidence to prove it. There are unnamed players who do not want Kane back. Kane was accused by his wife Anna that he bet on hockey and Sharks games. The NHL investigation had turned up nothing to prove Kane bet on hockey. Kane is expected to still be a topic of discussion that could become a distraction this season in the dressing room.

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

Sharks Season Ends With 6-0 Loss to Vegas, Head into Pivotal Offseason

Vegas Golden Knights right wing Keegan Kolesar scores, right, is congratulated by left wing William Carrier (28) as the San Jose Sharks goaltender Alexei Melnchuk is spread eagle in front of the net (AP News photo)

By Matthew Harrington

It was a forgettable ending to a forgettable season for the San Jose Sharks, falling to the Vegas Golden Knights 6-0 at home. Marc-Andre Fleury shut out the Sharks on just 19 shots, Dylan Sikura scored a pair, and Alex Pietrangelo, Keegan Kolesar, William Carrier and Jonathan Marchessault all scored for the Golden Knights. Vegas finishes their season 82 points( including sweeping the season series against San Jose), sitting two points ahead of the Colorado Avalanche for the President’s Trophy with one game remaining for general manager Joe Sakic’s team. San Jose has missed the postseason for a second consecutive season after missing out on the expanded Bubble playoffs last season, not necessarily an unexpected result, but disappointing nonetheless.

“This organization had to take a step back to take a step forward,” said Sharks coach Bob Boughner when asked to reflect on the season. “I know that’s a bit of a cliché but that’s the absolute truth. There was a path set out early on, that started last year at the trade deadline, last hockey season. We had to live through it this year. I really believe moving forward it will be a different situation, a different set of expectations.”

The Sharks finish the season with 49 points and a 21-28-7 record, 11 points shy of the St. Louis Blues (who could add still with a game remaining on their schedule) for the last playoff spot in the West Division. While the loss brings finality to a difficult season, most questions about the team’s future remain.

“We talked about our journey and where we need to be in September when we come back to work,” said Boughner. “I talked about the young guys getting the opportunities and not expecting a job when they get back to camp. They’ve got to earn it again. The veterans, the last message I sent was ‘We can’t get anywhere as an organization if those players aren’t our best players every night. That didn’t happen every night this season.”

Wednesday night Patrick Marleau played 13:01 in the final game of his 23rd season. He finished the year with 9 points in 56 games, another season without missing a game. He played the central role in the Sharks greatest achievement on the season, appearing in career game 1,767 to match Gordie Howe for all-time games played April 17th in Minnesota.

He broke the record the following Monday in Sin City. He was on a one-year contract and hasn’t hinted if he’ll return at age 42 to add on to his 910-game Iron Man streak. If not, the Sharks 2nd overall selection in 1997 would walk away from the game with 522 goals and 589 assists over 21 seasons with the Sharks and career totals of 566 goals and 631 helpers when you add in his stints with Toronto and Pittsburgh, a surefire Hall of Fame career

Who will the expansion Seattle Kraken take in their player selection draft in the offseason? The favorite is Brent Burns who wrapped up his season with a -2 over 22:49 of ice time. He finished the season with 29 points (7g, 22a) over 56 games. He has 540 points over 715 games in teal.

Even the Sharks best player, Evander Kane, has a murky future. There has been talk about nullifying his contract mutually as he works through bankruptcy. He finished the campagin with 22 goals and 27 assists (matching a career high) and would have surely eclipsed his best single-season totals in a full-length campaign.

Alexei Melnichuk made 38 saves in just his second career NHL start. The import from the KHL Melnichuk with the Barracuda. Who will join Martin Jones at the NHL level will be the question in net, or rather one of the questions. If Jones returns or is bought out remains to be seen. He went 15-14-4 with a 3,27 GAA bolstered by a hot stretch in January where he looked like the goaltender the Sharks bet on for six years, $34.5 million for the 2018 season.

Among the bright spots for the Sharks is the fact that only one player missed time for a positive Covid-19 case in a year when teams saw their whole year derailed by widespread cases. This despite opening the year with training camp in Arizona with County health officers not permitting professional sports in Santa Clara until right around the Sharks delayed (by Covid, of course) home opener.

Also noteworthy were the jumps that second year pro Mario Ferraro and rookie Nikolai Knyzhov made on defense. Both were asked to represent their respective countries in this month’s world championships, though Knyzhov will miss it as he goes under the knife for a sports hernia. An offseason of more advancements by the young players mentioned above and others given opportunities will go a long way towards ending a two-season playoff drought.

On the upside, again, is that the Sharks own their own first round draft pick this year and could be selecting somewhere in the top ten in a draft deep in upper echelon talent at the top. They also took care of some business Wednesday morning, inking Alexander Barabanov to another one year deal at just a hair over $1 million. It’s a cap-friendly deal for a player that showed top-six talent (7 points in 8 games with San Jose) when given an opportunity to play big minutes after not getting a fair shake in stacked Toronto.

“We got to see some prospects,” said Boughner, reflecting on the season. “We went through a trade deadline, restocked the shelves. We got a guy like Barabanov. That was a positive. Being able to experience the (Patty) Marleau breaking the record was amazing. There were a lot of good things that happened along the way. I thought that our dressing room is a better room than it was in training camp. This is a good learning experience for everyone.”

San Jose Sharks podcast with Len Shapiro: Sharks close out season against Knights tonight in San Jose

The San Jose Sharks goaltender Martin Jones (31) comes off the bench to thank goaltender Josef Korenar (32) who was in goal on Mon Apr 26, 2021 for the win at SAP Center in San Jose against the Arizona Coyotes (photo from Bay Area News Group)

On the Sharks podcast with Len:

#1 The San Jose Sharks (21-27-7) will play their final game of the 2021 season with the Vegas Golden Knights (24-26-6) tonight at SAP season. The Sharks have lost their last five out of six games and were eliminated from the playoffs.

#2 The Sharks will bench their starting goaltender Martin Jones tonight is benching Jones an indication amongst the talk that Jones could be gone next season?

#3 For the second consecutive season since signing Erik Karlsson the Sharks who had given up players like Joe Pavelski, Justin Braun, and Joonas Donskoi the team failed to make the post season and the team will be going through changes this off season.

#4 Defenseman Brent Burns could be playing his last game as a Shark the Seattle Kraken are going to make their expansion choices from the different NHL teams and Burns could be one of those choices.

#5 For next season the Sharks have been taking a look and are considering goalies Josef Korenar and Alexei Melnichuk.

Len did the San Jose Sharks podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com during the 2021 season and is the former media relations manager for the former NHL California Golden Seals

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa: What goaltending changes will the Sharks make in the off season?

The San Jose Sharks Martin Jones (31) puts the stop on a shot by the Los Angeles Kings Trevor More (12) in the second period on Fri Apr 9, 2021 at SAP Center (AP News photo)

On the Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa:

#1 The San Jose Sharks have lost four of their last five games losing the last two to the Arizona Coyotes on Friday and Saturday it pretty much has looked like the Sharks are using their younger players to see where their future lays.

#2 Mary Lisa, talk about the goaltending for the Sharks future it’s most likely Martin Jones will see his last game as a Shark on Wednesday night at SAP Center. Jones has played in the NHL for 11 years.

#3 Sharks back up goalie Josef Korenar last Friday allowed four goals and saw 33 shots against the Arizona Coyotes will Korenar have a future with the Sharks?

#4 Third Sharks goaltender Alexei Melnichuk stopped 27 shots and allowed five goals against the Arizona Coyotes on Sat May 8th in the Sharks 5-4 loss. Does Melnichuk have a future with the Sharks?

#5 Sharks conclude the season against the Vegas Golden Knights Wednesday night at 6:00pm what are some of the things to look for in this last game of the season for the Sharks?

Mary Lisa has covered Sharks hockey though out the 2020-21 season and will return next season for more Sharks coverage at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sharks Fall 5-4 in OT to Coyotes

San Jose Sharks goaltender Alexei Melnichuk (1) puts the stop on the Arizona Coyotes center Lane Peterson’s (93) putting the puck on net in the second period at SAP Center in San Jose Sat May 8, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks lost 5-4 in overtime to the Arizona Coyotes Saturday. For the Coyotes, it was the last game of the season. Arizona’s five goals came from Christian Dvorak (2), Jan Jenik, Conor Garland and Phil Kessel. Aiden Hill made 44 saves for the win. Rudolfs Balcers, Kevin Labanc, Timo Meier and Alexander Barabanov scored for the Sharks. Alexei Melnichuk made 27 saves in his first NHL start.

After the game, Sharks Head Coach Bob Boughner was asked about Rudolfs Balcers. He said:

“He’s another young guy that has probably played, with the schedule, more hockey than he’s ever been used to. And you can tell that some of these guys are hitting a little bit of a wall, physically and mentally. You know, I think once Rudy goes back in the offseason and trains and puts on a little more muscle and comes back after three months or three and a half months, and gets a regular training camp, I think you’re going to see even a better Rudy. He’s made major strides.”

Christian Dvorak scored during some four-on-four time at 3:32 of the first period. After skating away from the Sharks defense, he made his way to the slot and put a shot over Melnichuk’s shoulder. Assists went to Phil Kessel and Oliver Ekman-Larssen.

Rudolfs Balcers tied the game at 6:44. Alexander Chmelesvki carried the puck in along the boards and found Balcers in the slot with a pass. Balcers took the shot and the puck snuck under Hill and trickled over the line. Assists went to Chmelevski and Dylan Gambrell.

Dvorak scored his second of the period on a power play at 11:36. Christian Fischer set Dvorak up with a pass from below the goal line. Dvorak’s shot went by Melnichuk’s glove and in. Assists went to Fischer and Phil Kessel.

Kevin Labanc tied it back up at 15:28. Labanc skated into the zone with the puck while Erik Karlsson drew some attention from the defense. Labanc took the shot above the face-off circle and the puck flew around a defenseman and past Hill, just inside the post.

The Sharks out-shot the Coyotes 19-8 in the first period. The Coyotes had one shot in two power plays, and the Sharks had one shot in one power play in the first period.

Timo Meier gave the Sharks a lead at 5:26 of the second period. Meier caught a pass for Kevin Labanc as he skated into the zone. Fending off Alex Goligoski with one arm while driving to the net, Meier skated in front of the blue paint and pushed the puck around the goalie. Labanc got the assist.

Jan Janik tied it up again with a shot from a bad angle. The puck went behind Melnichuck’s head and hit just inside the far post. Assists went to Christian Fischer and Victor Soderstrom.

The Coyotes out-shot the Sharks 17-14 in the second period. The Sharks’ power play had two shots on goal in the period.

Conor Garland gave the Coyotes another lead at 16:07 of the third period. Garland skated around the defense for a pass in front of the goal. He was able to tuck the puck over the line into the far side. Assists went to Goligoski and Jakob Chychrun.

Alexander Barabanov tied the game again with 49 seconds to go in regulation. With the net empty and an extra skater for the Sharks, Evander Kane sent the puck to Tomas Hertl at the net, and Hertl passed it over to Barabanov just above the goal line. Barabanov took a quick shot into an open net. Assists went to Hertl and Kane.

The Sharks out-shot the Coyotes 14-4 in the third period, and had two shots on one power play.

Phil Kessel scored the game winner 2:30 into overtime. Kessel intercepted Dylan Gambrell’s pass to Erik Karlsson in the neutral zone. He skated into the Sharks zone and put a shot under Melnichuk before the goalie knew where it was.

The Sharks will play their last game of the season on Wednesday in San Jose, against the visiting Vegas Golden Knights at 6:00 PM PT.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Matt Harrington: Sharks and Coyotes face off again tonight; Will Boughner go with younger players again?

The Arizona Coyotes kept San Jose Sharks goaltender Josef Korenar (32) very busy on Fri May 7, 2021 at SAP Center in San Jose scoring five goals and 29 shots on goal (AP News photo)

On San Jose Sharks podcast with Matt:

#1 The San Jose Sharks (21-27-6) had a 2-0 lead on Friday night at SAP Center only to lose it 5-2 to the Arizona Coyotes (23-26-6) the Coyotes tied it up the second period and had a burst in the third period with three goals.

#2 The Coyotes Phil Kessel scored his 900th career NHL point in the third period on a break away goal it’s got to be a honorary plateau for Coyotes veteran.

#3 Sharks goaltender Josef Korenar allowed five goals and saw 29 shots he’s had some rough games as back up is it a matter of getting more experience for Korenar or is he just simply getting overwhelmed in this call to the Sharks?

#4 Head coach Bob Boughner took at a look at some of his younger players of the future and said after the game, “They’re a little bit in and out, and then they’re still learning the ropes and how to come every night and prepare and be consistent at the NHL level.”

#5 Matt, same clubs tonight in game two of this two game series at SAP Center will Boughner play more of his rookies, young players and fourth line or will he insert some of the veterans to get after the Coyotes tonight.

Join Matt for the Sharks podcasts each Saturday night at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sharks Fall 5-2 to Coyotes, Kessel Scores 900th Point

The Arizona Coyotes Phil Kessel (81) tries to quickly handle the puck against the San Jose Sharks Marc Edouard Vlasic (44) at the SAP Center in San Jose on Fri May 7, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks gave up a 2-0 lead to lose 5-2 to the Arizona Coyotes Friday. Phil Kessel scored his 900th NHL point in the game with a break-away goal in the third. Other Coyotes goals came from Victor Soderstrom, Conor Garland, Michael Bunting and Jan Jenik. Darcy Kuemper made 26 saves for the win. Erik Karlsson and Timo Meier scored for San Jose and Josef Korenar made 29 saves in the loss.

After the game, Sharks Head Coach Bob Boughner talked a little about what he had seen from the younger players during the last several games: “They’re a little bit in and out, and then they’re still learning the ropes and how to come every night and prepare and be consistent at the NHL level.” Boughner mentioned Noah Gregor, Rudolfs Balcers and Alexander Chmelevski as players in this category.

Erik Karlsson scored the only first period goal at 3:47. With some traffic in front of Kuemper, Karlsson took a shot from high in the slot. Tomas Hertl got an assist.

At the end of the first period, John Leonard fell, face-first, into the boards by the benches. After some attention from the trainer he was helped from the ice and into the dressing room. He did not return to the game. There were no specific updates about his condition after the game. Boughner did say that “he looked like he was in pretty rough shape,” during the first intermission.

The Sharks out-shot the Coyotes 9-6 in the first, with two of those coming on the power play.

The Sharks’ second goal came from Timo Meier off the rush with linemates Alexander True and Ivan Chekhovich. Meier took the shot from above the face-off dot for his 11th of the season at 3:30 of the second. Chekhovich earned his first NHL point, an assist in his second NHL game.

Victor Soderstrom cut into the Sharks’ lead, scoring for the Coyotes at 4:59. He took a shot into the far side of the net through traffic around the net. Assists went to olive Ekman-Larsson and Conor Garland. It was Soderstrom’s first NHL goal.

Conor Garland tied the game at 4:59, during a 5-on-3 power play. Garland and Jakob Chychrun played catch across the ice before Garland slapped the puck past Korenar. Chychrun got the assist.

The Coyotes out-shot the Sharks 13-9 in the second period, with three of those coming on the power play. The Sharks had one power play that generated two shots.

Phil Kessel broke the tie 4:53 into the third period. Kessel was already behind the Sharks defense when Dvorak’s pass found him. He broke away and beat Korenar on the glove side. Assists went to Christian Dvorak and Alex Goligoski.

The Sharks seemed to have tied the game at 7:46 with another goal from Erik Karlsson but it was called back as an off-side play.

Michael Bunting gave Arizona a two-goal lead at 9:57. Evander Kane broke his stick on a shot and immediately had to hustle back to defend one-on-three. He was unable to give his goaltender much help. Conor Garland got an assist.

Jan Jenik made it 5-2 into an empty net, in the final second of the game. That was his first NHL goal, in his first NHL game.

The Coyotes out-shot the Sharks 15-10 in the third. In the face-off circle, the Sharks won 54% of the draws. Evander Kane had 6 shots on goal, and Tomas Hertl and Erik Karlsson each had five. For Arizona, Jakob Chychrun and Michael Bunting each had five shots.

The Sharks next play on Saturday, again in San Jose, against the Coyotes at 7:30 PM PT.