Tag: San Jose Sharks

Sharks Lose 2-1 to Golden Knights; Dubnyk stands on head despite loss

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The San Jose Sharks goaltender Devon Dubnyk stops a shot by the Vegas Golden Knights Alex Tuch while on his back at the T Mobile Center in Las Vegas on Mon Mar 15, 2021 (AP News photo) 

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks fell to the Vegas Golden Knights by a score of 2-1 Monday. Max Pacioretty and Mark Stone scored for Vegas. Marc-Andre Fleury made 23 saves for the win. Timo Meier scored for the Sharks and Devan Dubnyk made 34 saves in the loss.

After the game, Sharks Head Coach Bob Boughner talked about how an otherwise good game from the Sharks was thwarted by Marc-Andre Fleury’s brilliant play:

“I thought there was a lot of good things to our game. Obviously, in the second period we took on a little water. I thought that Duby was good. I thought that we had lots of chances early on in the game. I thought Fleury was a difference-maker. You know, we had a few break-aways, we hit a few posts. Could have been a little bit of a different game, but he kept them going, he gave them some momentum.”

Boughner went on to say: “I’m proud of the guys, I thought we fought hard, I thought we did a lot of good things so we just gotta get back to work here tomorrow and try and find a way to score some more goals against these guys.”

Sharks captain Logan Couture talked about how the team seems to be getting better goaltending lately:

“The last little while, I think that, you know, we started to pick each other up. We started to play better for each other, play to our system, play better defensively. When a team plays better, tighter defensively, the goaltender’s always going to look better and make more saves. So, yeah, I think we’re starting to do that.”

Max Pacioretty scored the only first period goal, on the power play at 8:35. Evander Kane was in the box for tripping Jonathan Marchessault. It took the Golden Knights just 12 seconds to score. They won the face-off and moved the puck aroud the outside once before Pacioretty scored, from just beyond the face-off dot. Assists went to Mak Stone and Shea Theodore.

The first period shot count was 11-8 Sharks. In the face-of circle, Vegas won 58%.

There were no goals and no penalties in the second period. There was, however, a surprising shot discrepancy, with the Sharks getting credit for just 4 and Vegas notching 16 shots. Oddly, the face-offs went the other way, with the Sharks winning 60% of them.

Mark Stone added a goal for Vegas just 1:02 into the third period. Nikolay Knyzhov did a good job stcking with Pacioretty as he carried the puck down the wall, but he couldn’t stop him from making a pass to Mark Stone who was trailing. No one was in Stone’s way to prevent the shot. Assists went to Pacioretty and Nicolas Hague.

The Golden Knights had a power play when Tomas Hertl was called for sendig the puck over the glass. The Sharks penalty kill allowed just one shot.

Around the 12-minute mark, Evander Kane had a breakaway chance but Marc-Andre Fleury came way out of his net for the poke check. Fleury’s gamble paid off and Kane couldn’t get a shot off.

Not long after that, Kane was sent to the penalty box for interference on Marchessault. Vegas had 3 shots on that power play.

Timo Meier got the Sharks on the board at 14:29. Meier held the puck in the slot as if he would shoot on the forehand, luring Fleury out of the net. Once the goalie was out of the blue paint, Meier switched to the backhand and dragged the puck around Fleury’s outstretched leg to tuck it in the net. Brent Burns got the assist.

The Sharks pulled their goaltender with just under two minutes left. The Sharks had a 25 second power play at the end when Max Pacioretty was called for interference on Timo Meier. That was the only penalty called on Vegas. The Sharks had a few fair chances in those 25 seconds but could not tie it up.

Logan Couture commented on the difficulty of using the extra skater in the last minutes of the game:

“Just at the end there, the puck was bouncing too much to create anything on that 6 on 5 and power play. Which is unfortunate ‘cuz I think we would have had some looks. Just couldn’t get anything tape-to-tape and the puck seemed to be spinning, bouncing, so, tough one to swallow right now for sure.”

The shot count for the period was 12-9 Vegas. The Sharks led in face-off wins at 52% for the third period and in the game.

The Sharks will play the Golden Knights again on Wednesday in Las Vegas, at 7:00 PM PT.

Sharks Win 3rd in a Row, Beat Ducks 3-1

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The San Jose Sharks goaltender Martin Jones (31) allowed only one goal against the Anaheim Ducks at the Honda Center in Anaheim on Sat Mar 13, 2021 (@SanJoseSharks photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks won their third in a row on Saturday, a 3-1 win against the Ducks in Anaheim. This is the first win streak for the Sharks this season. Sharks goals came from Evander Kane, Kevin Labanc and Dylan Gambrell. Martin Jones made 26 saves for the win. Max Jones scored for the Ducks and Ryan Miller made 30 saves in the loss.

After the game, Sharks Head Coach Bob Boughner said: “It feels good to have a first little winning streak I guess you can call it, three games in a row. You know, especially on the road. The guys played well, it was a tight game.”

The first Sharks goal came just after an Anaheim power play in the first period. Taking advantage of a turnover in the Sharks’ zone, Kane went the other way in a hurry, with Tomas Hertl and Mario Ferraro just a step behind. Kane carried it all the way to the face-off circle before taking the shot and beating Ryan Miller on the blocker side.

The first period shot count was close, at 8-7 Sharks. There were five penalties called in the first, three to Anaheim and two to San Jose. The Sharks had four shots i their power plays and allowed just one powr play shot to Anaheim. In the face-off circle, the Sharks prevailed 58% of the time.

Anaheim tied it up at 5:38 of the second period. Max Jones skated around Radim Simek with the puck on his backhand. As he cut away from the wall he switched to his forehand for a quick shot into the far side of the net. Assists went to Kevin Shattenkirk and Isac Lundestrom.

Kevin Labanc grabbed the lead back for the Sharks just under a minute later. Tomas Hertl came around behind the net and, while losing his footing, passed the puck around the post to the front for Labanc to take the shot. Assists went to Hertl and Mario Ferraro.

The Sharks outshot the Ducks 14-9 in the second period, and out drew them in the face-off circle, winning 16 of 21 draws. There was just one penalty in the period, going to Anaheim. The Sharks did not get any shots on that power play.

Dylan Gambrell gave the Sharks a 3-1 lead at 2:07 of the third. Ryan Donato gathered the puck up behind the net after it came loose in the corner. Donato tried for a wrap around but was thwarted by traffic. Gambrell was in the thick of that traffic on his knees when he managed to push the puck in. Assists went to Donato and John Leonard. It was Gambrell’s first goal of the season, and his first in over a year.

The Ducks pulled their goaltender for an extra skater, with almost three minutes left in the game.

The third period shots were dead even at 11 each. The Sharks took the only penalty in the period, but allowed just one shot to the Ducks’ power play. Additionally, the Sharks took four short-handed shots during that penalty kill. The Sharks slipped badly in the face-off circle, dropping to 30% for the period. Overall, Logan Couture and Tomas Hertl won more draws than they lost, and, through the first two periods, Dylan Gambrell won more than 50%.

The Sharks next play on Monday against the Golden Knights in Las Vegas at 7:00 PM PT.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Matt Harrington: Impressive win for Sharks in 6-0 shutout against Ducks

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The San Jose Sharks goaltender Devon Dubnyk (1) gets in front of Anaheim Ducks forward Maxime Comtois (53) third period shot on Fri Mar 12, 2021 at SAP Center in San Jose (AP News photo)

On the Sharks podcast with Matt:

#1 Little doubt that the Sharks (10-11-3) goaltender Devon Dubnyk has the hot hand shutting out the Anaheim Ducks (8-14-6) on Friday night with a 6-0 win and 34 saves.

#2 Dubnyk was also instrumental in the Sharks 3-2 overtime win over the St Louis Blues last Monday night both victories coming at SAP Center.

#3 The Sharks got scoring help against the Ducks from Tomas Hertl, Kevin LeBanc, Evander Kane, Timo Meier, Fredrick Handemark, and Erik Karlsson a good mix of players who took advantage of the Ducks defense.

#4 The Ducks knew they were in trouble they pulled started goalie Josh Gibson for Ryan Miller. Gibson allowed five goals and Miller allowed one. The Sharks scored four goals in the third period.

#5 Same two teams tonight at the Honda Center in Anaheim the Ducks have to gear up on their end as they just were non existent on Friday night and the Sharks not only rallied but they’ve been getting goal scoring help from the defencemen including Erik Karlsson.

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

 

San Jose Sharks podcast with Len Shapiro: Will electric win put Sharks back on track?

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San Jose Sharks goaltender Devan Dubnyk center gets congratulated by Marc-Edouard Vlasic (left) and center Ryan Danato (16) after the Sharks win on Mon Mar 8, 2021 at SAP Center San Jose (@SanJoseSharks photo)

On the Sharks podcast with Len:

#1 Len, after losing three straight games the San Jose Sharks (9-11-3) looked like they tightened down the defense despite getting behind early 2-0 on Monday night against the St Louis Blues (14-8-2).

#2 The defense played a big enough role for San Jose that allowed them to tie the score at 2-2 in the second and third periods with a goal a piece from Logan Couture and Marc-Edouard Vlasic.

#3 The Sharks in their last few games have been getting goal scoring help from their defencemen and Vlasic’s goal on Monday night no exception.

#4 Evander Kane can come out and get one in the back of the net and he didn’t waste anytime on Monday night 41 seconds in the overtime and scored the game winner.

#5 The Sharks open up back to back games in Anaheim this Friday and Saturday. The Anaheim Ducks (7-12-6) have lost five of their last six games this is a team that has been struggling will this give the Sharks an opportunity to take advantage of the Ducks?

Join Len for Sharks podcasts every Wednesday morning at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose Sharks podcast with Len Shapiro Wed Mar 10, 2021 by Sports Radio Service | Free Listening on SoundCloud

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

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

On the San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sharks End Homestand on High Note, Beat the Blues 3-2 in Overtime

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The thrill of victory as the San Jose Sharks Evander Kane (9) scores the game winning goal in overtime and is congratulated by teammates Erik Karlsson (center) and Logan Couture (39) at SAP Center in San Jose on Mon Mar 8, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Matthew Harrington

The San Jose Sharks rallied from a 2-1 deficit entering the third period to beat the St. Louis Blues 3-2 in overtime Monday night. Evander Kane scored the game-winner 41 seconds into extra time after Devan Dubnyk’s aggressive work in net, Logan Couture scored the game-tying goal and Marc-Edouard Vlasic scored his first of the year in the win. Ryan Donato assisted on both goals for the Sharks (9-11-3) who wrapped up a 7-game homestand going 2-4-1. Brayden Schenn and Niko Mikkola scored for the Blues (14-8-4).

O’Reilly had the game on his stick, but Dubnyk challenged him before he could even put the puck on net in overtime. Erik Karlsson was able to pick up the loose puck and race down the right wing before feeding Kane on the left wing crossing into the Blues zone. From there, Kane had a clear lane to the net before, sniping the puck past Ville Husso for his ninth goal of the year.

San Jose tied the game 7:58 into the third on the power play after Rudolfs Balcers worked the puck to Ryan Donato in the corner. Donato worked his way into the net-front, trying to backhand the puck past Husso. The rebound bounced to Couture, who managed to have it flick off the boot of his skate and into the net for his division-leading 13th goal of the year.

“I thought we competed harder in that third,” said Couture. ” The first two periods we weren’t getting offense going. We had 10 or 11 shots after the second. We earned some power plays, were able to get a power play goal and then that big goal by (Evander Kane) in overtime.”

San Jose was trailing entering the period after a pair of seeing-eye goals by St. Louis sandwiched around Vlasic’s marker. Niko Mikkola scored his first career NHL goal after his shot deflected into the net off a skater in Dubnyk’s line of sight 4:16 into the game.

Vlasic converted on a Donato feed exactly seven minutes into the second, his first goal since December of 2019. Then Schenn gave the Blues a 2-1 edge on the power play after David Perron’s shot knicked him crossing the goal mouth.

“We thought that in the first period we fought pretty hard,” said Sharks coach Bob Boughner. “We thought we were maybe a little ahead on the chances. We felt good. In the second, we were building some momentum with two or three shifts in a row then we just took penalty after penalty and it ruined our flow.”

The Sharks ran into penalty trouble throughout the night, with Kevin Labanc picking up two of the four minors for the Sharks. He found himself slipping further and further down the lineup, ultimately sitting out the entirety of the third period and overtime.

“I think the message was sent with me sitting him for the period,” said Boughner. “I talked to him earlier in the game about working away from the puck. I showed him a couple clips on the bench on the ipad.

He just wasn’t engaged enough. I didn’t believe that he could help us tonight with what I saw. Someone else is going to get that opportunity. We have to have that kind of accountability in our game. For me that starts with ice time.”

While Labanc didn’t have an impact in the final 21 minutes of play, Dubnyk stood tall in net for the Sharks. He saved 24 of 26 St. Louis shots along with snuffing out the last Blues rush that arguably should have earned him an assist on the game-winning goal.

His performance sets up an intriguing match-up question when the Sharks start a four-game road trip Friday night in Anaheim. The Sharks will play back-to-back games against the Ducks, then face Vegas in the desert on Monday and Wednesday.

Both goalies will probably split the first two games, but questions remain if Boughner will split the remaining games against Vegas or give both to whoever is hot.

Notes: Tomas Hertl is expected to resume skating on Tuesday, he could be available to return after missing the last six games due to Covid-19…Timo Meier’s status is less clear. He sat out Monday’s game, his second straight scratch with an injury….Kurtis Gabriel was spotted jawing with St. Louis tough guy Kyle Clifford in warm-ups. The two dropped gloves in the first period. Gabriel now leads the team with two fighting majors…Coach Bob Boughner celebrated his 50th birthday Monday night with a nice gift from the team, two points…John Leonard found himself on the top line with Labanc’s demotions and didn’t look entirely out of place, playing with more confidence with the puck.

 

Golden Knights Shut-Out Sharks 4-0

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The Vegas Knights Marc Andre-Fleury (left) stops the puck with Nick Holden (22) and the San Jose Sharks Kevin LeBanc (62) behind Fleury in first period at SAP Center on Sat Mar 6, 2021 (AP News photo) 

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks lost 4-0 to the Vegas Golden Knights Saturday. Goals came from Mark Stone, Alex Tuch (2) and Reilly Smith. Marc-Andre Fleury made 24 saves for the shut-out win. Devan Dubnyk made 28 saves in the loss for the Sharks.

After the game, Sharks Head Coach Bob Boughner said that the team lost some energy after the first period: “We were a little bit one-and-done. The Sharks are a team that played five games in the last eight days and you could see that as the game wore on.”

Sharks goaltender Devan Dubnyk said: “I thought offensively we generated a lot. Flower [Vegas goalie, Marc-Andre Fleury] played phenomenal and he’s been pretty good all season.”

Vegas scored their first goal fairly late in the first period, at 15:02. Mark Stone scored it, off of a two on one. Assists went to Chandler Stephenson and Max Pacioretty.

Vegas outshot the Sharks 14-8 in the first period and won 64% of the face-offs.

Alex Tuch scored both second period goals. First, Tuch caught a turnover at speed in the neutral zone and raced away for a shot before anyone could get in his way. It was his 11th of the season.

He scored the second at 16:38. Devan Dubnyk had just knocked the puck away but into some traffic. It bounced clear just as Tuch skated to the net and he knocked it in with a backhand.

The Sharks took one penalty in the first period but gave up no shots to the Vegas power play. Vegas won the face-off battle again at 53%, and had 14 shots to the Sharks’ 9.

The final goal of the game came in middle of the third period. Alex Pietrangelo won a board battle below the goal line, allowing Jonathan Marchessault to send the puck to a waiting Reilly Smith up in the slot. The puck went over Dubnyk’s glove and in the net.

The Sharks led in third period shots 7-4 and won 57% of the face-offs. Each team had a power play in the second period. The Sharks had one shot on their power play and Vegas had none.

The Sharks’ forward roster was reduced by one more for Saturday’s game. Timo Meier was out with a lower body injury and is listed as day-to-day. The Golden Knights’ Mark Stone left during the second period with an injury and did not return. Ryan Reaves, who had to be helped off the ice during Friday’s game with a lower body injury, was back in the lineup Saturday.

The Sharks next play on Monday against the St. Louis Blues at 7:30 PM PT in San Jose.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Matt Harrington: Sharks try and bounce back from OT loss face Knights in game 2 tonight at SAP

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The Vegas Knights right winger Reilly Smith (19) gets a stick side goal against the San Jose Sharks. Sharks Center Logan Couture (39) tries to stick block the puck and goalie Devan Dubnyk (1) was away from the shot on Fri Mar 5, 2021 at SAP Center San Jose(AP News photo)

On the SJ Sharks podcast with Matt:

#1 The Sharks (8-10-3) took a tough loss on home ice Friday night against the Vegas Golden Knights (15-4-1) 5-4 at SAP Center last night that ended in a shootout.

#2 The Golden Knights set the tone opening up the first period with two goals and the Sharks with a 2-0 deficit to start the game.

#3 In the second period the Sharks were able to get some daylight scoring two goals to the Knights one and came away just one goal behind at the intermission 3-2.

#4 The Sharks in the overtime loss used two goaltenders Devan Dubnyk started the game facing 19 shots and allowing two goals and Marty Jones didn’t fair much better allowing three goals facing a total of eight shots.

#5 The Sharks face this difficult Knights team tonight once again. The Knights have lost only four times in 20 games. The Sharks need to take advantage of their home ice to fight there way back against a very aggressive Knights offense.

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

San Jose Sharks podcast with Matt Harrington Sat Mar 6, 2021 by Sports Radio Service | Free Listening on SoundCloud

Sharks Fall 5-4 in OT to Golden Knights

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The Vegas Golden Knights right winger Mark Stone (61), defenseman Alex Pietrangelo (7) celebrate left wing Max Pacioretty (67) overtime goal against the San Jose Sharks on Fri Mar 5, 2021 at SAP Center in San Jose (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks lost 5-4 in overtime to the Vegas Golden Knights Friday in San Jose. Vegas goals came from Max Pacioretty (2), Reilly Smith, Chandler Stephenson and Alex Tuch. Oscar Dansk made 25 saves for the win. Sharks goals came from Brent Burns, Matt Nieto, Logan Couture and Matt Nieto. Devan Dubnyk made 17 saves for the Sharks, after taking over for Martin Jones. Jones made five saves on eight shots in the first 22 minutes.

After the game, Sharks Head Coach Bob Boughner talked about how his team reacted to an altercation between Ryan Reeves and Kurtis Gabriel:

“I thought that worked in our favor. I know they scored right after but we had a sense of togetherness on the bench and we never stopped attacking. It didn’t matter that they got that fourth goal. We had nine minutes or whatever that was at that point that we were determined to find a way to tie the game up and to get a point and to try to get two in overtime.”

Vegas scored first at 5:48. William Karlsson carried the puck around behind the net as if to do a wrap around, drawing Martin Jones to the left side of the net. Karlsson then passed the puck through the blue paint to Reilly Smith for a shot into a wide-open net. Assists went to Karlsson and Jonanthan Marchessault.

Vegas doubled their lead at 7:03. Abouncing puck elluded the Sharks defenders and landed just right for Chandler Stephenson to shoot it between Logan Couture’s skates and into the net. Assists went to Mark Stone and Max Pacioretty.

The Sharks outshot the Golden Knights in the first, 9-6. The teams traded power plays, with two apiece. The Golden Knights had two shots on the power play and the Sharks had just one. Vegas won 63% of the face-offs.

Vegas added to their lead just 2:57 in to the second period. Max Pacioretty’s shot from just below the blue line went right under Martin Jones and in. Assists went to Alec Martinex and Ryan Reaves.

The Sharks pulled Jones out and put Devan Dubnyk in net. Dubnyk warmed up in game with a quick glove stop on Pacioretty.

Brent Burns got the Sharks on the board at 6:01 with a power play goal. His shot went in and out so quickly that play continued until the Situation Room interrupted with a goal horn. It had hit camera just under the crossbar. Assists went to Ryan Donato and Timo Meier.

Matt Nieto brought the Sharks within one at 12:43. After knocking down an arial pass from Erik Karlsson in the neutral zone, Nieto carried the puck in two on one with Joel Kellman. Nieto took the shot instead of passing.

The shots were very closein the second, at 12-11 for Vegas. The teams again had two power plays apiece. The Sharks just had one shot in their power plays and that was Burns’ goal. Vegas had four shots through their second period power plays. The Sharks improved in the face-off circle, winning 52% of their draws.

Alex Tuch added a fourth goal to the Vegas tally, 26 seconds into the third period. A defensive attempt to knock the puck off of William Carrier’s stick merely swept it across to Tuch for a quick shot over Dubnyk’s shoulder. Assists went to Carrier and Keegan Kolesar.

Logan Couture trimmed that Vegas lead back down at 6:23. Moments before the goal, Couture intercepted a pass in the Sharks zone and then carried the puck the other way. A few tidy passes later, Couture took a shot right up the slot and past Oscar Dansk. Assists went to Erik Karlsson and Kevin Labanc.

With 7:56 left in the game, Ryan Reeves sustained a skate cut as he took Kurtis Gabriel into the boards. He had to be helped off the ice.

The Sharks had a late power play in the third period, and got two shots in there but did not tie the game until Kevin Labanc scored at 18:53. A long pass to the neutral zone from Brent Burns made its way all the way down before the Dansk tried to swat it away. Nieto was there to knock it in.

Overtime lasted 1:25 and ended with a goal from Max Pacioretty. A backhand pass from Alex Pietrangelo went through the slot to Pacioretty for a quick shot. Dubnyk could not get across in time to stop that one. Assists went to Pietrangelo and Mark Stone.

The teams were tied in shots in both the third and overtime periods, with eight each in the third and one each in overtime. The face-offs overall went to the Golden Knights at 57%.

The Sharks play the Golden Knights again on Saturday at 7:30 PM PT in San Jose.

Avs, Grubauer Shutout Sharks to Split Series with 4-0 Win

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Photo credit: nhl.com/avalanche

By Matthew Harrington

The search for consistency continues for the San Jose Sharks after they failed to build on a 6-2 victory over the Avalanche Monday, falling to the same Colorado side 4-0 Wednesday evening at home. Philipp Grubauer made 26 saves for his 3rd shutout of the season and Mikko Rantanen scored twice and picked up for points, Gabriel Landeskog had a goal and three assists and Samuel Girard scored for the Avs (12-7-1). Nathan MacKinnon didn’t return after taking a hit from Sharks rookie Joachim Blichfeld late in the third that earned the winger an ejection. For the Sharks (8-10-2), another chance to win back-to-back games slipped away.

“It’s disappointing right now any time you lose,” said Sharks goalie Martin Jones when asked about his thoughts on standing toe-to-toe with one of the league’s best for five periods of the two-game series. “We could play with those guys, we could play with anybody when we play a certain way. It’s just wrapping our heads around playing a certain way. Guys just have to do it.”

One could argue that this was the first game the Sharks dearly missed the impact of Tomas Hertl, one of the team’s top centers on the shelf after a positive COVID-19 test last Wednesday. Sure, he could have made a difference in Saturday’s gong show against St. Louis, but the team managed six goals without him. In Monday’s contest, the faceoff stats weren’t great for the team, but overall it was the Sharks’ best performance of the year. But on Wednesday the Sharks were still in the game, trailing 2-0 before the five-minute power play from Blichfeld’s penalty. Hertl’s ability to control play in the offensive end could have helped the Sharks break through, but his impact in the faceoff dot is what really hurts.

Trailing 1-0 already on a faceoff draw, Landeskog batted the puck toward Brent Burns on the halfwall, a faceoff loss for Logan Couture and the Sharks (They won 39.6 % of draws). Burns tried to knock the puck up to Kevin Labanc, but instead Rantanen picked it up and fed Girard at the point. Girard’s point blast beat Jones, hit iron and went in for a 2-0 Avs lead 5:29 into the third. For Girard, half of his four goals this year have come in the last two games against San Jose.

“We’ve played some pretty good faceoff teams,” said Jones. “(Hertl’s) obviously an important centerman for us. It’s tough to get the puck. Anytime you can start with the puck it, that’s going to make life a little easier.”

The Sharks still were a couple strong shifts away from working their way back into the game when Blichfeld, making his NHL season debut after a strong AHL start, hit MacKinnon with the shoulder in the chest and head area as he neared the Sharks bench 8:08 into the third period. He was assessed a match penalty for intent to injure and MacKinnon left the game, but the Avs went on a five-minute power play.

The penalty kill did well, limiting Colorado to just one goal on a Landeskog rebound putback just 15 seconds into the power play, but the Avs outshot the Sharks 18-10 in the final frame after leading in SOGs 20-16 after two. Rantanen buried the dagger wrap-around goal with 5:26 left in regulation.

Rantanen scored the first goal of the game late in the second, but otherwise Martin Jones was sharp in net through two, making 19 saves against a potent Avalanche lineup.

“We did enough to keep the game close,” said Sharks coach Bob Boughner. “Win a period, win the game kind of attitude. We couldn’t get it done in the third period.”

Next up, the Sharks will welcome the Vegas Golden Knights in a back-to-back homeset starting Friday night at SAP Center.

Notes: Nikolai Knyzhov was paired with Erik Karlsson on defense…Joachim Blichfeld was making his season debut with the Sharks after picking up nine points in six games with the AHL Barracuda….The Sharks had to Danes in the lineup with Blichfeld and center Alexander True both on the fourth line…The Sharks haven’t had a faceoff percentage higher than 45% in the three games Hertl has missed and haven’t won the faceoff battle since a February 11th loss to the Los Angeles Kings.