Tag: San Jose Sharks

Sharks drop first game to Blues in 5-4 loss

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Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks

By Ana Kieu

The San Jose Sharks began a two-game series against the St. Louis Blues at the Enterprise Center on Monday night. The Sharks desperately tried to avoid a two-game losing streak, but ultimately fell short to the Blues, 5-4.

The Sharks took an early lead in the first period. Kevin Labanc drew first blood with a goal at the 11:38 mark, giving the Sharks a 1-0 lead. The goal was Labanc’s first of the season, snapping a two-game scoreless drought. Logan Couture scored a power-play goal at the 14:18 mark, giving the Sharks a 2-0 lead. The Sharks held firm with a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes of play.

The second period featured a lot of back-and-forth action between the two teams. Justin Faulk beat Sharks goaltender Devan Dubnyk glove side, cutting the lead in half, 2-1, just 2:36 into the second. Mike Hoffman redirected a pass, tying the game 2-2 at the 4:09 mark. The Sharks weren’t ready to give up, but the Blues had other plans. Brent Burns scored a power-play goal, putting the Sharks up 3-2 at the 12:06 mark. The Blues tied the game once again, 3-3, at the 14:17 mark, as Jaden Schwartz found the loose puck after Dubnyk made the initial save. The Blues took a 4-3 lead with Faulk’s second goal of the game at the 19-minute mark. The Sharks trailed 4-3 after 40 minutes of play.

Things got interesting in the third period as defense was optional and physicality skyrocketed. Logan Couture scored his second goal of the game, tying the game, 4-4, just 4:17 into the third. Jordan Kyrou scored a between-the-legs goal that gave the Blues a 5-3 lead at the 10:28 mark. The Sharks pulled the goaltender for an extra attacker late in the third, but were unable to score the equalizer and force overtime, as Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington stopped the shots thrown his way. The Sharks lost 5-4 at the end of regulation.

The Sharks fell to 1-2-0, while the Blues improved to 2-1-0.

The two teams face each other off again on Wednesday, January 20 at 6 pm PT.

Sharks Lose 5-3 to Coyotes Despite 3 Point Game for Meier

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The San Jose Sharks Timo Meier (28) stick handling the puck, the Arizona Coyotes Christian Fischer (28), and the Sharks Logan Couture (39) in pursuit at Glendale Arena on Sat Jan 16, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks lost 5-3 to the Coyotes in Arizona Saturday afternoon. Arizona goals came from Phil Kessel (2), Barrett Hayton, Jakob Chychrun and Clayton Keller scored for Arizona. Timo Meier, Tomas Hertl and Ryan Donato scored for San Jose. Antti Raanta made 31 saves for the win Martin Jones made 19 saves in the loss.

After the game, Sharks Head Coach Bob Boughner said:

We spent a lot more time in their end in the O-zone, we played a little faster I thought. You know, they got a little bit of puck luck tonight. They were the better team in the first game. I thought we played a lot harder and a lot more structured in this game.

The Sharks led the game in many respects but not on the scoresheet. They outshot the Coyotes 34-26, they had four power plays to Arizona’s 3. San Jose scored in two of four power plays and killed two of three penalties. The glaring bad stat was in the faceoff circle. They won just 40% of them. The only Sharks skater to win more than half of his draws was Patrick Marleau, who took five draws and won four. Tomas Hertl won 7 of 18, and Logan Couture won 5 of 11. No one else took more than three or won more than one.

On the subject of faceoffs, Boughner said:

It’s something we gotta get way better at. I think that we struggled in the faceoff circle even in the first game. You know, it’s an important part of the game and I thought our puck movement was better off of won faceoffs. But we lost too many, and you’re chasing the puck all night.

The Sharks scored first at 3:34, with a power play goal from Ryan Donato. Conor Garland was in the box for tripping Marc-Edouard Vlasic. High in the slot, Timo Meier bobbled a shot but got it right back and sent it through traffic and off of Ryan Donato. Assists went to Meier and Mario Ferraro.

Arizona responded with their own power play goal at 12:31. Evander Kane was in the box for tripping Tyler Pitlick. Phil Kessel tried to send the puck in and it went off of Nikolai Knyzhov. It came right back to Kessel and he moved around the Sharks defense to make a backhand shot that went through before slipping past Martin Jones. An assist went to Oliver Ekman-Larsson.

Barrett Hayton gave the Coyotes a lead at 14:41. After a lot of play behind the net, Conor Garland made a quick pass to the Hayton in the slot. Assists went to Garland and Nick Schmaltz.

Timo Meier tied it back up less than a minute later. Meier was moving down the wall with the puck, while Kevin Labanc skated down the slot with Jakob Chychrun defending. Meier made the pass and it hit Chychrun and bounced into the net.

Arizona scored twice in the second period, the first a shot from the blue line from Ekman-Larsson. His shot went right through four skaters before hitting Phil Kessel on its way into the net. It was Kessel’s second of the game, with assists to Ekman-Larsson and Christian Dvorak.

Jakob Chychrun scored at 8:56. A clean face-off win in the offensive zone gave Chychrun a shot with lots of traffic as the face-off broke up. Derick Brassard got the assist.

Clayton Keller added to the Coyotes lead just 2:39 into the third period. After Brassard won another offensive zone faceoff, Ekman-Larsson held the puck at the blue line before trying for a tip from Keller in the slot. Martin Jones stopped that but Keller came right down for the rebound and put that one in. Assists went to Ekman-Larsson and Brassard.

Midway through the third, Boughner pulled Martin Jones and put Devan Dubnyk in. After the game, the coach explained that that was only to give Dubnyk sme ice tine before their next game. Since it did not come right after the fifth goal, it did not look like a reaction to Jones’ play in particular.

The Sharks had a power play start in the final minute of play, and scored their own goal right off of an O-zone faceoff. Just eight seconds into the power play, Tomas Hertl tipped Timo Meier’s shot from the top of the circle. Assists went to Meier and Erik Karlsson.

Roster changes: Jacob Middleton was in for Nick Meloche on the blue line.

The Sharks now travel to St. Louis for their next game at 5:00 PM PT on Monday, against the Blues.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Matt Harrington: NHL to open two outdoor games in Tahoe; How the Sharks opening up first 10 games on the road will work

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The San Jose Sharks forward Patrick Marleau in this Feb 22, 2020 photo skating against the New York Islanders will be doing a long tour of duty as the Sharks will open their first of ten games of the season on the road starting in Arizona on Jan 14, 2021 in Glendale (AP News photo)

On the Sharks podcast with Matt:

#1 Matt, Welcome back to another addition of the NHL season and hope your off season was great. Just wanted to start with the NHL considering opening the season up with two outdoor games in Lake Tahoe that won’t involve the San Jose Sharks and with no fans.

#1 The San Jose Sharks are scheduled to open their first ten games on the road because of San Jose and Santa Clara County has a shutdown ban and a ten day quarantine for anyone coming in and out of the County.

#2 Matt, talk about the advantages and disadvantages of playing away from your home rink for the first ten games of the season.

#3 The first ten games to open for the season is none too easy as it would be for any NHL that would open it’s season on the road, the Sharks will play two sets of games Jan 14 and 16th in Arizona, 18th and 20th in St Louis, 22 and 24th in Minnesota, and the 26 and 28th in Colorado.

#4 Last season for the post season the NHL held a very successful bubble in Toronto and Edmonton they won’t be doing anything like that this season because they won’t be able to see their families for a good six months in a bubble format like that. However where safety is concerned will travel put games and players at risk this season?

#5 In terms of getting these games going and getting players on and off planes and all the physical contact with each other in games will this still be a bigger undertaking as opposed to the way things were handled in the bubble during post season in Canada?

Matt Harrington is a beat writer for San Jose Sharks hockey at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose Sharks podcast with Matt Harrington Sat Jan 2, 2021 by Sports Radio Service | Free Listening on SoundCloud

 

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast: Padres Clevinger out for 2021; Hall of Fame balloting as Bonds and steroid era players try again; plus more

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San Diego Padre pitcher Mike Clevinger leaving game 1 of the NLDS on Oct 6, 2020 at Arlington will have Tommy John surgery for his elbow and will miss the 2021 season (AP News file photo)

On That’s Amaury:

#1 Amaury how shocking is it that San Diego Padres pitcher Mike Clevinger is now out for the 2021 season after having Tommy John surgery on his elbow. He was a big value pitcher coming over from Cleveland during the season.

#2 Amaury bolloting for the 2021 MLB Hall of Fame saw Mark Buehrle, Torii Hunter, Nick Swisher and Barry Zito enter as candidates while high vote getters from the steroid era Curt Schilling, Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds are also in the running.

#3 Former Los Angeles Dodgers manager Tommy LaSorda has been admitted into ICU at an Orange County Hospital. LaSorda 93 had a heart attack when he was Dodgers manager in 1996 and had attended game 6 of the 2020 World Series between the Tampa Bay Rays and Dodgers. LaSorda’s reason for being in the hospital was not disclosed.

#4 Turning to hockey Amaury, The San Jose City Council had a meeting on Monday at San Jose City Hall regarding the planning of development around SAP Center which include 65 new buildings on 84 acres surrounding SAP Center and BART also plans to develop right across the street. The Sharks had been opposed to BART coming to SAP Center and tried to go stop it in court in 2017. Their fear was too much traffic, too much congestion. The City plans another meeting on Dec 3rd regarding street closures and the Sharks said if there is sufficient gridlock and their parking revenue is cut they will consider moving out of downtown San Jose.

#5 Amaury is there any future consideration for Sharks on Spanish radio as you might recall last season Jesus Zarate called the play by play on the Sharks original flagship station 910 ESPN Deportes. Fans received a “Los Tiburones” t shirt for Hispanic Heritage night at SAP Center and it was former San Jose Mercury News columnist Mark Purdy who coined the “Los Tiburones” name. Will the Sharks return on Spanish radio again for the new season?

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the Major League Baseball Hispanic Heritage Museum Hall of Fame vice president and does News and Commentary each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

San Jose Sharks podcast with Len Shapiro: Will Google and BART development give Sharks no choice but to leave San Jose?

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SAP Center as it looked for the 25th Anniversary of the San Jose Sharks franchise the team might consider moving out of San Jose if Google, BART and other developments take over their parking, traffic, and parking concerns cut into their fan base. (file photo from NHL.com)

On the SJ Sharks podcast with Len:

#1 The San Jose Sharks say that parking and construction from the nearby Google project will cut into their parking lot. The Sharks who wrote a letter to their fans saying that they had concerns about Google taking part of the Sharks parking lot would cut into the team’s revenue.

#2 Did the City of San Jose have a hand in the planning because the Sharks are certainly a huge part of the South Bay sports community particularly in the San Jose city limits where they and the San Jose Earthquakes play and they would be a huge void if they left.

#3 Sharks president Jonathan Becher said the team supports development but said that the neighborhood shouldn’t have to be suffocated by a rash of 65 new buildings on 84 acres nearby the Caltrain station and BART station across the street from where the Sharks play. BART is expected to move in by 2030.

#4 Gridlock is a huge concern for the Sharks in the neighborhood with Google, fans coming to SAP Center, an expected 30,000 workers and 5,900 apartments for new housing.

#5 If the Sharks do get frustrated and move elsewhere they can’t move to Chase Center in San Francisco because they don’t have ice and in Sacramento at Golden One Center who also doesn’t have ice. The only place they can go to is the Oakland Coliseum Arena where they can fit ice but will the Sharks want to go Oakland and leave a downtown location?

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

SJ Sharks report: Joe Thornton Signs with Toronto Maple Leafs

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Former San Jose Shark Joe Thornton joins the Toronto Maple Leafs after more than 15 seasons with the Sharks. Thornton who makes his home in San Jose in the off season left for Toronto Friday to sign with the Leafs (file photo from mercurynews.com)

By Mary Walsh

Joe Thornton signed a one year contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs Friday. The contract is worth $700,000. Currently, Thornton is in Switzerland, playing with HC Davos of the Swiss National League. He expects to be ready to go when the NHL starts the new season.

Thornton’s absence will be noticeable in San Jose. Whether he wore the Captain’s C or not, Thornton was a leader in the Sharks dressing room. His play and his experience helped guide many younger players over many seasons. Fans came to consider him very much the face of the franchise, even if he was not drafted by San Jose. The Sharks team Twitter account said simply: “Going to log off for a bit. Brb. Maybe.”

Evander Kane tweeted : “Man I’m going to miss ya, but feel very fortunate to play with you and become great friends. So many fun memories in a short period of time. I’ll make sure to keep your seat next to me at the back of the plane vacant until you come back.”

Brent Burns tweeted: “Daaaamn…. going to miss a lot more then just laughing with this guy… ultimate teammate, friend and guy to learn from..@MapleLeafs got a great one coming!”

Joining the Maple Leafs is more than leaving San Jose for Thornton. A Toronto Sun headline today reads: “Greybeard Joe Thornton comes home to join Maple Leafs.” The Maple Leafs are iconic to the hockey world, but Thornton was born in London, Ontario, so Toronto means family and a return to his roots.

Thornton is the leader among active players in points with 1,509. He scored 1,055 of those with San Jose over 15 seasons. He won the Hart Trophy and Art Ross Trophy in 2006, for his performance during season that saw him traded from Boston to San Jose.

Patrick Marleau tweeted (by way of his wife’s account):

For more than two decades, Jumbo and I have been friends, with the vast majority of those years being teammates, too. I now consider him a brother. Toronto has gained a tremendous influence, and we will miss his presence here in San Jose. Good luck in TO! -PM

Marleau has just signed a one year contract with San Jose. Three seasons ago, he signed with Toronto and played two seasons there. According to NHL.com, Marleau said at that time that it was possible Thornton would sign with Toronto as well. Marleau had a three-year contract with Toronto, a deal that San Jose was unprepared to match.

One would think that the Sharks would have been willing to offer $700,000 for one more year of Thornton. Whether they did make that offer or not, Thornton’s absence signals significant changes to come in San Jose. After recent disappointments, that is probably a good thing in the long run. Whatever the future holds, the Sharks family will miss Jumbo Joe Thornton.

Sharks Report: Sharks Sign Marleau, Other Familiar Faces

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Returning for the third time the San Jose Sharks Patrick Marleau is back after playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins last season. Marleau also played for the Toronto Maple Leafs after leaving San Jose the first time. (image from @SAPSports)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks have been busy signing and re-signing familiar players. Patrick Marleau and Matt Nieto return from their 2020 pandemic playoff teams. Kevin Labanc and Stefan Noesen were resigned. The Sharks also added a goaltender, trading a 2022 fifth round pick to the Minnesota Wild for Devan Dubnyk and a 2022 seventh round pick.

Of Dubnyk, the Sharks press release said: “Over his 11-year NHL career, the three-time NHL All-Star (2016, 2017, 2019) has appeared in 520 NHL games, earning a 247-195-52 record with a 2.58 GAA, .915 save percentage and 32 shutouts. He has also appeared in 26 Stanley Cup Playoff games, all with Minnesota, earning an 8-18 record with a 2.72 GAA and .904 SV% with two shutouts.” Minnesota retained 50% of Dubnyk’s salary. This is the last year of that contract.

Sharks General Manager, Doug Wilson said: “Devan has been one of the League’s top goaltenders for many years and after playing so many years in the Western Conference, is someone our hockey staff is very familiar with. As we head into what will surely be a unique season, his acquisition gives us a high-quality and experienced tandem of netminders.”

Patrick Marleau resigned a one-year contract with San Jose after playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins from the last trade deadline through a 2020 playoff run. Last season, Marleau joined the Sharks after the season started and had a good start, which faded along with the rest of the 2019-20 Sharks team. Despite that, he reached a number of milestones in 58 games with the Sharks. The team press release ennumerated them:

“In his first game back in teal, Marleau scored two goals to become the eighth player in NHL history to score a goal in his teens & 40s with the same franchise on Oct. 10 at Chicago. On Dec. 12, 2019 vs. the New York Rangers, he and Joe Thornton became the first set of teammates in NHL history having 1,600 regular-season games to their resume to play in the same game. Marleau appeared in his 1,700th NHL game on Jan. 11 vs. the Dallas Stars to become the fifth skater to reach the mark and scored his 100th career game-winning goal as a Shark the same night. On Jan. 27, he collected his 1,100th point as a Shark, achieving his 22nd consecutive season of at least 10 or more goals.”

Matt Nieto has also returned after playing 70 games with the Colorado Avalanche, including a playoff run in the Edmonton bubble. Nieto as drafted by the Sharks in 2011. Of the move, Doug Wilson said in a press release:

“Matt’s a player we’re obviously familiar with having been here for our Stanley Cup Final run in 2016 and he plays with speed and energy. His quickness and defensive responsibility made him one of the top penalty killers on Colorado and we feel that those assets, along with his decision making and playmaking, will bring a lot of elements to our team. We’re excited to have Matt back in San Jose.”

Kevin Labanc was re-signed to a four-year contract. Per ESPN, Labanc’s contract is worth an annual $4,725,000. Wilson said of the young forward:

“Kevin brings a rare level of offensive skill and creativity to our line-up and has established himself as a top-six forward in our league. His Game 7 playoff performance last season is one of the most iconic moments in Sharks history and is a perfect example of the impact he can have on a hockey game. Kevin has shown a consistent ability to perform at a high level in both the regular season and the playoffs and he will be a big part of our club in the coming years.”

Stefan Noesen was also re-signed from last year’s roster. Last season, Noesen joined the Sharks December 19 after being claimed off waivers from Pittsburgh. In the foreshortened season with San Jose, Noesen scored seven goals and to assists, and took 32 penalty minutes. He was the first Sharks player since Timo Meier to score a goal in his team debut.

Of Noesen’s return to the team, Wilson said:

“Stefan came in here last season and made a pretty seamless transition both on and off the ice. He plays the game with a high tempo and energy and isn’t afraid to stick up for his teammates. We think he fits well with how we want our team to play and are happy he is returning to San Jose.”

One very familiar face is still missing from next season’s roster: Joe Thornton. He has not yet signed with an NHL team, but is playing in Davos, Switzerland to prepare. He has not ruled out coming back to San Jose, but it is far from certain at this time.

San Jose Sharks Stick with Boughner

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San Jose Sharks head coach Bob Boughner will get another season behind the bench for the Sharks as general manager Doug Wilson is happy to bring him back for 2020-21 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

On Tuesday, the San Jose Sharks announced that Bob Boughner would be their ninth Head Coach. Boughner took over as Interim Head Coach for the Sharks half way through last season, replacing Peter DeBoer.

In Tuesday’s press release, the Sharks General Manager Doug Wilson assessed Boughner’s time as Interim Head Coach. “Bob did a tremendous job last season, getting our group back to playing with an identity and structure that we need in order to be successful,” said Wilson. “We saw a marked improvement in our play in several key areas during the second half of the season, before losing some key players to injury.”

After a long NHL playing career and several successful seasons coaching Junior Hockey, Boughner joined the Sharks in 2015 as an assistant coach. In 2017, he was named Head Coach of the Florida Panthers. Two seasons later, he was replaced by Joel Quenneville in Florida and returned to the Sharks as an assistant coach. As a Head Coach in the NHL, his record is 94-82-25.

In the partial season as Interim Head Coach for the Sharks, Boughner saw his team win just 14 of 37 games, continuing the abysmal trend they were on when Peter DeBoer was fired. To make an already terrible season worse, the team lost Tomas Hertl, Logan Couture and Erik Karlsson to injury shortly after Boughner took over.

After the announcement Tuesday, Boughner thanked the Sharks owner and General Manager for bringing him back:

I’m very excited about the opportunity to return to the San Jose Sharks organization as head coach. I want to thank Hasso Plattner and Doug Wilson for their trust in me. Last year was a difficult season for everyone but I think we learned a lot about ourselves as a group and we made some positive strides over the second half of the year.

The roster that Boughner will have when regular play resumes will be somewhat changed from last season. While the injured players will likely be back, some long-time Sharks were traded at the deadline, such as defenseman Justin Braun and forward Barclay Goodrow. After struggling as the team did through the abbreviated 2019-2020 season, the Sharks would likely benefit from change. Whether the new Head Coach is enough of a change remains to be seen.

The Sharks also added Rocky Thompson as associate coach and John Madden as assistant coach. Of Thompson and Madden, Wilson said: “We’re also very pleased to add Rocky and John to our staff. Both come with a wealth of experience, both in playing the game and as teachers and leaders. With a healthy and motivated group of players, we are confident that this staff will do a terrific job leading our group in the coming years.”

Bob Boughner looks forward to working with his new coaches. In the Sharks press release, he said:

Rocky and John will bring some fresh energy and excitement to our group. Both have been head coaches, worked on coaching staffs in the NHL and have lots of experience working with and developing young players. It was important that anyone we brought in from the outside come from a culture of winning, which is what we are used to in San Jose. Rocky and John have the credibility and work ethic to help us get our talented team back to that level.

The coaching staff is rounded out by Evgeni Nabokov as goaltending coach, Dan Darrow as assistant video coach and Charlie Townsend as analyst/assistant to the NHL coaching staff. All are returning from last season.

Covid 19 Sports podcast with Matt Harrington: It’s a matter of time people will be mandated to quarantine

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photo from narcity.com: Chase Center sits empty in San Francisco during the NBA Coronavirus epidemic all operations ceased since March 12th

On the Sports Quarantine podcast with Matt:

#1 Matt first weekend in history that all of sports is froze out due to the nationwide policy of banning of crowds

#2 As a reporter who covers the San Jose Sharks and also works for the Sharks and formerly the Oakland Raiders what’s it been like for you not to go to work there

#3 Speaking of work taking a look at the Golden State Warriors and San Jose Sharks day of game staff operations many employees who depended on income will now not only suffer through this pandemic but also will not receive a check and can’t pay bill up to 15,000 employees just the ones who work at Chase Center

#4 Warriors owner Joe Lacob did address there will financial hardships and this is the time that the employees who keep things going at NBA and sports sites going need help

#5 Matt it’s March 14th and on Friday the 13th players and staff from the San Francisco Giants were seen loading up equipment and going to their homes hanging up baseball for at least two weeks in a pandemic that could last until the hopefully the very latest end of May.

Matt Harrington will be updating us for all the latest on the pandemic of 2020 for the Sports Quarantine podcast every Saturday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NHL, Sharks, Suspend All Games Due to COVID-19 Concerns

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The Capital One Arena, home of the Washington Capitals NHL hockey club, sits empty Thursday, March 12, 2020, in Washington. The NHL is following the NBA’s lead and suspending its season amid the coronavirus outbreak, the league announced Thursday (photo from usnews.com)

By Mary Walsh

On Thursday the NHL announced a pause in the season. They released a statement that read, in part:

In light of ongoing developments resulting from the coronavirus, and after consulting with medical experts and convening a conference call of the Board of Governors, the National Hockey League is announcing today that it will pause the 2019-20 season beginning with tonight’s games.

The move came on the heels of the NBA’s decision to suspend their season after one of their players tested positive for the new virus. Other leagues and events in the US are being suspended or cancelled daily due to concerns over the virus.

The San Jose Sharks had previously announced that March games would be played without fans and only limited media access, consistent with Santa Clara County’s March 9 ban large gatherings of people. After today’s NHL announcement, the Sharks released the following press release about the status of games and tickets:

The National Hockey League has announced today that the 2019-20 NHL regular season will be paused for the safety of its players, employees, and fans in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Sharks Sports & Entertainment is fully supportive of the NHL’s decision.

With NHL games now being placed on hold as opposed to played without fans, ticket holders are asked to hang on to their tickets until additional information from the NHL becomes available.

As new developments arise, we will communicate with our fans and partners. We appreciate your patience and understanding.

The AHL has also suspended play, which puts the San Jose Barracuda and Stockton Heat and their fans in the same state of limbo as the Sharks.

The NHL expressed the hope that the season could resume at an appropriate time. There are 189 regular season games remaining, as well as the Stanley Cup playoffs. For the complete statement, go to the NHL website.