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Cardinal Swarmed by the Ducks 76-61, inside the Shark Tank (San Jose Tip Off)

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Stanford Cardinal forward Maxime Raynaud (42) drives on the Oregon Ducks forward Supreme Cook (left) in first half action at SAP Center in San Jose on Sat Dec 21, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Michael Roberson

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The Stanford Cardinal (9-3, 1-0 ACC) were bombarded by the Flying Oregon Ducks (11-1, 1-1 Big 10) 76-61, in the Capital City of the Silicon Valley.

Stanford went scoreless for nearly four minutes to start the game. During that time frame, Oregon had a 4-0 run for their points production.

When the drought finally ended (16:10), it was on a Maxime Raynaud Trey, he added a dunk later, to go on his own personal 5-0 run and give his team their first lead, 5-4. There were six lead changes in the first 20-minute stanza.

The Ducks performed an 8-0 run, as well as a 9-0 one. They led by as many as 17 points before intermission, At the midway point of the game, Oregon led by that same margin, 36-19. Stanford shot a putrid 24% from the field, and worse (18%) from beyond the arc.

Neither team had a player with double-digit scoring; however, Raynaud led the Card with nine points and seven rebounds, while senior center Nate Bittle topped the Ducks with seven points and five rebounds.

Stanford shot considerably better from both perspectives in the second half. However, their deficit was as large as 26 points, despite outscoring the Ducks 42-40. That was assisted by a 10-0 run late in the game, but not close enough to tie, and there were no lead changes during minutes 20:01 – 40:00.

At the final whistle of game one of the San Jose Tip-Off, Oregon defeated the Santa Clara County based Stanford Cardinal by 15 points in the county’s capital city. Final score inside SAP Center, Oregon 76, Stanford 61.

The Cardinal presented two players who reached the 10+ points plateau. Raynaud led all players with 20 points and he also grabbed 13 rebounds, garnering another double-double for the senior forward. Junior guard Benny Gealer added 10 points to the Cardinal total.

The Ducks also produced two players with the aforementioned tally. Sophomore forward Kwame Evans Jr, (13) and sophomore guard Jackson Shelstad (10), while their leader at the half, Bittle, was close, with 9 points and 9 rebounds. Ex-Cardinal Brandon Angel offered a modest 7 points against his former university.

Stanford will next be in action on New Year’s Day in South Carolina, to take on new ACC foe Clemson Tigers at 4:00 PM EST on the ACC Network. The Ducks fly North back to Eugene Sunday, December 29 to host Weber State at 2:00 PM PT on B!G+.

Sharks lose 6-3 to Hurricanes

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Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks

By Mary Anne

The San Jose Sharks continued their four-game homestand with game No. 3 against the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night. The Sharks lost 6-3 to the Hurricanes at SAP Center. San Jose fell to 0-2-1, while Carolina improved to 3-1-0.

Sharks goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood made 36 saves in a losing effort, while Hurricanes goaltender Antti Raanta made 12 saves before exiting the game. Frederik Andersen made one save in relief of Raanta.

The Sharks drew first blood. Fabian Zetterlund helped the Sharks to an early 1-0 lead with a wrist shot 3:14 into the opening period. Tomas Hertl collected the lone assist on Zetterlund’s goal.

The Hurricanes tied the game 1-1. Seth Jarvis fired a wrist shot on the power play for a power play goal 4:06 into the first period. Michael Bunting and Teuvo Teravainen collected the assists on Jarvis’ game-tying goal.

The game was tied 1-1 after 20 minutes. The Hurricanes outshot the Sharks 18-5.

The Hurricanes took a 2-1 lead. Jaccob Slavin scored an unassisted goal, a short-handed one off a wrist shot, at 8:52 of the second.

The Hurricanes’ lead was short-lived. The Sharks tied the game 2-2 just 19 seconds later. Filip Zadina fired a wrist shot on the power play for a power play goal at 9:11 of the second period. Fabian Zetterlund collected the lone assist on Zadina’s game-tying goal.

The Sharks regained the lead 3-2. William Eklund fired a wrist shot on the power play for a power play goal at 16:06 of the second period. Henry Thrun and Tomas Hertl collected the assists on Eklund’s go-ahead goal.

The Sharks led 3-2 through 40 minutes. Carolina outshot San Jose 31-11.

The Hurricanes tied the game 3-3. Stefan Noesen fired a wrist shot on the power play for a power play goal at 9:08 of the third period. Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Brady Skjei collected the assists on Noesen’s game-tying goal.

The Hurricanes regained the lead 4-3. Seth Jarvis scored an unassisted goal on a slap shot on the power play at 11:51 of the third period. Brent Burns, a former San Jose Shark, collected the lone assist on Jarvis’ go-ahead goal.

The Hurricanes extended their lead 5-3. Martin Necas fired a wrap-around shot for a 5-3 lead at 14:53 of the third period. Michael Bunting and Brady Skjei collected the assists on Necas’ goal.

The Hurricanes expanded their lead 6-3. Brett Pesce fired a wrist shot for a 6-3 lead at 15:08 of the third period. Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Stefan Noesen collected the assists on Pesce’s goal.

The Hurricanes won 6-3. Carolina outshot San Jose 42-16.

Notes
With his 28th save of the game, Mackenzie Blackwood has now made the most saves by any Sharks goalie in his first two games with the team (79). Kaapo Kahkonen made 78 on March 24-31, 2022 (36, 42).

The Sharks’ November Breakaway Pass offers nine games for $89, including the Sharks and Golden State Warriors’ Bay Area Unite Night and SJSharksGaming Night. For more information, click here.

Up Next
The Sharks will wrap up their homestand against the Boston Bruins on Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. Pacific.

Sharks Lose 5-2 to the Blues

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Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks fell to the St. Louis Blues 5-2 Saturday, at the SAP Center in San Jose. Blues goals came from Jordan Kyrou (2), Ryan O’Reilly, David Perron and Vince Dunn. Ville Husso made 29 saves for the win. Tomas Hertl and Dylan Gambrell scored for San Jose, and Devan Dubnyk made 16 saves in the loss.

The Sharks were penalized for a face-off violation in the third period, when the game was still tied 2-2. Patrick Marleau was taking the draw and the linesman took issue with the way he did it. Of the call, Sharks Head Coach Bob Boughner said:

“It’s ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous. I think everybody in the rink, including their team, our team, I think, the other linesman, the refs, I think everybody was shocked. It was a brutal, brutal call. It really in my mind, cost, it turned the whole game around.”

Patrick Marleau, who could not recall being penalized under this rule before, said: “Obviously he thought I cheated or turned too quickly on the draw. So I guess that was the reasoning behind the penalty.”

Sharks goaltender Devan Dubnyk was also asked about that penalty. He said:

“It’s 2-2 in the middle of the third period and you get a penalty called that I don’t think I’ve ever seen called except for maybe the first year, [in] exhibition season, when they first made the rule. And it’s embarrassing, it’s Mickey Mouse.”

Dylan Gambrell scored for San Jose at 2:33 of the first. The puck came to him high in the slot after Sorensen and Brent Burns chased it down behind the net.

St. Louis tied it up at 3:32 when Vince Dunn scored his fourth of the season. Dunn’s shot from the blue line looked likely to go wide but instead it hit Erik Karlsson’s shin pad and deflected in. Assists went to Jordan Kyrou and Ryan O’Reilly.

Kyrou gave the Blues the lead at 6:45. O’Reilly got control of the puck below the goal line and passed it up to Kyrou. Kyrou put the puck under Dubnyk in in the net. Assists went to O’Reilly and David Perron.

Mike Hoffman put the puck in the net near the 12 minute mark. The goal was called back after the Sharks challenged the play as offside.

At the end of the first period, the Sharks led on the shot clock 11-5. There was just one penalty in the first, to St. Louis. The Sharks had two shots on that power play.

Tomas Hertl tied the game 8:10 in to the second period. Nikolai Knyzhov’s pass from the defensive zone found Timo Meier on the other side of the neutral zone. Meier’s pass found Hertl speeding into the Blue’s zone. There was no one in the way to stop him as he took the shot.

The Sharks took two penalties in the second period and their penalty kill allowed just one shot to the Blues. The Sharks led in shots again, 10-8.

O’Reilly scored just 12 seconds into the power play that resulted from the face-off violation penalty. His shot from the face-off dot found its way through traffic and in. Assists went to Dunn and Perron.

Kyrou scored his second of the game at 15:51. Dubnyk followed the puck across to the right and Torey Krug passed it across the ice. Kyrou, who had just evaded Ryan Donato, tapped the puck in. Assists went to Krug and Perron.

David Perron scored into an empty net at 18:01 to make it 5-2.

The Final shot count was 31-21 Sharks. In the face-off circle, the Sharks showed improvement over recent games, winning 59%. Logan Couture and Tomas Hertl both won 67% of their draws.

The Sharks next play on Monday against the Los Angeles Kings, in San Jose at 7:30 PM PT.

Barracuda edge Condors 4-3, snap two streaks

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Photo credit: @sjbarracuda

By Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose Barracuda had a pair of two-goal leads before hanging on to defeat the the Bakersfield Condors 4-3 on Wednesday evening at SAP Center.

A pair of streaks came to an end with the Barracuda’s 4-3 win. The Condors’ nine-game winning streak and the ‘Cuda’s three-game winning streak ended in dramatic fashion.

There was no scoring in the penalty-free first period as Bakersfield outshot San Jose 9-6. Both Josef Korenar and Condors backup goalie Olivier Rodrigue stood their ground, stopping the 15 combined shots on net.

San Jose (6-4-4-0) finally drew first blood early in the second period. Stefan Noesen made a pretty, no-look centering pass from behind the net out to Joel Kellman, who buried the puck past the five-hole of Rodrigue for his second goal of the season at the 1:22 mark.

The Barracuda doubled its lead late in the middle frame to take a 2-0 lead heading into the second intermission.

Sasha Chmelevski led an odd man rush into the Condors zone. Chmelevski sent a cross ice pass to a trailing Jeffery Viel, who snapped home a wrist shot to the short side of Rodrigue for his second goal of the season at the 18:05 mark. Noesen collected his second point of the game, receiving the secondary assist.

Bakersfield (9-6-0-0) cut the lead in half early in the second period. ‘Cuda killer Cooper Marody sent a pass up to Tyler Benson, who was behind the bet. Benson skated out and banked a shot off Korenar for his fifth goal of the season at the 2:40 mark.

The Barracuda scored two unanswered goals in a 4:05 span midway through the third period that proved to be more than just insurance.

Nicholas Meloche sent a cross-ice pass from the right point over to Jacob Middleton. The veteran defenseman’s initial shot was blocked by a Condors defender before Middleton followed up on his own rebound and slid a backhander underneath Rodrigue for his goal of the season at the 7:19 mark.

San Jose went up 4-1 when Kellman led a 2-on-1 odd man rush with Joachim Blichfeld. Kellman sent a cross-ice pass over to Blichfeld, who lasered a one-timer past Rodrigue for what turned out to be the game-winning goal, his team-leading ninth of the season at the 11:24 mark.

The Condors did not go down quietly as they responded just 25 seconds later. Adam Cracknell intercepted a clearing attempt by Viel and skated to the left faceoff circle, rifling a wrist shot to past Korenar to the short side for an unassisted goal, his fourth of the season.

Bakersfield made it a 4-3 game 28 seconds later when Cracknell centered a pass from behind the ‘Cuda net to an open Seth Griffith, who buried a one-timer past Korenar for his third goal of the season at the 12:17 mark.

The Condors’ last ditch effort to get the equalizer was washed away when Korenar robbed Marody of a wide-open chance off a backdoor feed with 10 seconds remaining in the game.

Korenar finished the game with 37 saves on 40 shots to earn the victory. Rodrigue made 21 saves on 25 shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose was 0-for-1 on the power play. Bakersfield went 0-for-4.

The Three Stars of the Game were: 1) Kellman 2) Noesen 3) Korenar

UP NEXT: San Jose travels out to the desert to start a two-game series with the Henderson Silver Knights on Saturday, 3/20 at 1:00 pm PST at Orleans Arena.

San Jose Barracuda podcast with Marko Ukalovic: Barracuda go after second straight win tonight against Reign at SAP Center

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San Jose Barracuda podcast with Marko Ukalovic:

#1 The San Jose Barracuda were behind early against the Ontario Reign 1-0 on Feb 23rd their last game before coming back and scoring three unanswered goals to take a 3-1 lead and the eventual win

#2 The Barracuda’s Jayden Halbgewachs leads the team in goals with 16th which came in the first period of Sunday’s game

#3 The Barracuda’s Jeff Viel extended his scoring streak to three games with a empty net goal against the Reign

#4 Marko talk about Lean Bergman who scored his eighth goal in the third period his third goal in his last five games

#5 The Barracuda face Ontario again this time at SAP Center the Reign will go after the Barracuda but the Cuda are looking to put two in a row together against the Reign later tonight.

Marko Ukalovic is a beat writer for the San Jose Barracuda at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Missed Opportunity Costly in Sharks 3-2 Loss to Coyotes, Hall has Game-Winning Assist in Arizona Debut

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Photo credit: @ArizonaCoyotes

By Matthew Harrington

SAN JOSE — Despite fresh faces behind the bench drawing up the plays, the San Jose Sharks power play remains dismal. On Tuesday night, it hit the low point of the season against the Arizona Coyotes. Trailing 3-2 at home, the Sharks were gifted a 6-on-3 for 43 seconds after a pair Coyotes penalties and the goalie pull but failed to generate a single shot on goal. San Jose is now 1 for 15 on the man-advantage over their last five games, going 0-for-4 Tuesday with three shots on goal. Tomas Hertl scored the two Sharks goals and Taylor Hall netted a point in his Coyotes debut. Darcy Keumper was named first star with 26 saves.

In a night where officiating was spotty, enforcement of a rule new to the NHL in 2019 that is fairly black-and-white led to the first Arizona penalty in crunch time. Coyotes defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin had his helmet knocked off in a scrum along the boards, but continued to play on after the puck left the corner. In a new rule this season, since he was not directly involved in the play he needed to grab his helmet or exit the ice but he chose to play on. Brad Richardson would cross-check Tomas Hertl in the back during a scrum for a loose rebound to set up the fatal 6-on-3 that ultimately amounted to nothing.

The Coyotes set up a tense final minutes of the game after Oliver Ekman-Larsson scored with 2:37 left in regulation after his shot ricocheted off Brenden Dillon’s shinpad wide of the far post and went in. Before that, Dillon was beat out on a race to a loose puck by Hall whose effort led to a game-winning assist in his first game since being traded to Arizona Monday afternoon.

The Sharks erased Arizona leads twice, once in the first two periods each. Carl Soderberg scored 4:57 into the contest, but Tomas Hertl answered back on a snapshot that rattled around the net behind Keumper with 2:34 left in the first.

Derek Stepan scored his sixth goal of the year and second against the Sharks this year 9:11 into the second, but Hertl again answered, going bar down on Kuemper from the left face-off dot to the blocker side with 6:05 left in the period. Hertl now has four of the seven goals the Sharks have scored since interim head coach Bob Boughner took over three games ago.

Aaron Dell started in his second game in a row after winning against Vancouver Saturday. He made just 16 saves on 19 shots, though he was hardly at fault on any of the goals. The Sharks now have lost 7 of their last 8 and are six points back of Calgary for the final wild card spot.

The Sharks play host to the St. Louis Blues on Saturday at 7:30 pm PST.

Heat outlast Barracuda 3-2

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Photo credit: @AHLHeat

By Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The third act of the NorCal rivalry between the Stockton Heat and the San Jose Barracuda went the Heat’s way as they jumped out to a two-goal lead and then hung on for a 3-2 victory on Saturday afternoon at SAP Center.

The Heat have now won three games in a row and currently sit in second place in the Pacific Division with 35 points, five points behind the division-leading Tucson Roadrunners. The loss for San Jose snapped a three-game point streak and they are 2-1-0-1 in the month of December. Stockton is 3-0 against San Jose this season.

This was the first game without Roy Sommer behind the bench for the ‘Cuda as he was promoted this past Wednesday to be an associate coach with the parent club Sharks. Michael Chiasson and Jimmy Bonneau now serve as co-coaches of the team.

Stockton (16-5-1-2) drew first blood early in the first period with its number one power play in the league. Glenn Gaudin sent a shot in from the left wing that partially deflected to the right of ‘Cuda goalie Josef Korenar. Luke Philp collected the puck all alone in front of the crease and tapped home the puck into an empty net for his 11th goal of the season at the 5:07 mark. Philp has scored a goal in five straight games and has seven goals in the past five goals.

San Jose (9-12-0-2) evened the score 68 seconds into the second period. Lukas Radil, playing in his first game since being reassigned by the Sharks, centered the puck out in front of the crease from behind the net. During a mad scramble in front of the crease, Maxim Letunov poked at the puck and it deflected off a Heat defender’s skate into the back of the bet for Letunov’s seventh goal of the season. Sasha Chmelevski, who was in the middle of the scrum, was credited with the secondary assist.

“Today I played many minutes,” Radil said after the game. “It’s good for me to get back in (to playing) shape. I’m really glad to get the opportunities (to still play in San Jose). I like playing here.”

The Heat regained the lead late in the middle frame. Andrew Nielsen led a rush into the ‘Cuda zone and fed a pass over to Justin Kirkland. He skated down the left board and sent a tough angle shot on Korenar, who kicked out the rebound into the middle of the ice where Matthew Phillips cashed in the rebound as his shot rolled off the arm of Korenar into the back of the net for his 10th goal of the season at the 16:14 mark.

Stockton received an insurance goal in the third period. A turnover by the ‘Cuda in the neutral zone fed Adam Ruzicka at the red line and he skated all the way in from the left wing with a power move, fighting off Thomas Gregoire at the crease and snapped a backhander past Kornear for his fourth goal of the season at the 7:05 mark.

San Jose cut the deficit to a one when Danil Yurtaykin skated in from the blueline down the right wing making a move around a Heat defender as he centered the puck over to Ivan Chekhovich. The rookie forward fired home a one-timer past Heat goalie Artyom Zagidulin for just his second goal of the season at the 11:45 mark. Chekhovich snapped a 13-game goal-less drought.

“It was great to see Checko (Chekhovich) get on the board,” said Bonneau regarding the rookie’s goal-less skid. “(He’s a) talented kid, works hard. (We’re hoping for) things to just get going for him.”

A key moment in the game came with seven minutes left in the third period was when San Jose had a 5-on-3 power play opportunity for 18 seconds but weren’t able to cash as the number three penalty kill in the AHL stifled the ‘Cuda power play.

“Limit the turnovers. I think we had a little more than we should’ve had in the third period. I think when we’re good on our forecheck, that’s when we are successful,” said Letunov.

The ‘Cuda pulled Korenar for an extra attacker with two minutes left in the game, but Stockton’s defense kept San Jose’s attack at bay.

“Our neutral zone (play) both offensively and defensively need a little work. I thought we struggled to keep our lines together a little bit, shifts were extended. The quicker we can get out of our zone the more we can get stability in that,” said Bonneau.

Zagidulin finished the afternoon with making 21 saves on 23 shots as he is now 11-1-1 on the season. Korenar stopped 23 of the 26 shots he faced in a valiant but losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose was 0-for-4 on the power play. Stockton was 1-for-4.

The last time Stockton won in San Jose before today was back in October of 2018.

Jonny Brodzinski had his six-game point streak come to an end as he was kept off the scoreboard.

The announced attendance was 3,465.

UP NEXT: The two teams complete their weekend series Sunday, December 15 up in Stockton at 5:00 pm at Stockton Arena.

Sharks Lose Boughner’s Debut 6-3; Make that six consecutive winless games

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Photo credit: @NBCSSharks

By Jerry Feitelberg

Meet the new Sharks, same as the old Sharks. In their first game since the firing of Peter DeBoer and a number of other coaching staff moves, the San Jose Sharks still ran into familiar problems of an ineffective power play and subpar goaltending in a 6-3 loss to the New York Rangers.

Artemi Panarin scored a hat trick for the Blue Shirts, Mika Zibanejad added a pair and the Rangers had 30 shots to just 18 for San Jose in Bob Boughner’s debut behind the San Jose bench. Tomas Hertl scored playing a hybrid wing-center position, Logan Couture netted a goal and Brenden DIllon scored his first goal in over a year, but the Sharks fell to 0-5-1 over their last six games and now sit five points out of a playoff spot. Joachim Blichfield made his NHL debut and Joe Thornton appeared in NHL career game 1,6000.

Dillon’s goal broke a 2-2 tie 4:12 into the third period and felt like it would be the deciding goal that would spark a Sharks turnaround, but Zibanejad used a Chris Kreider screen on a Rangers power play to tie the game 8:49 into the period. A lackluster defensive effort that saw two Rangers slip behind Sharks defenders for a gigantic screen on Sharks goalie Martin Jones led to another Zibanedjad strike about five minutes later for a 4-3 Rangers lead.

Jones would most likely want the Rangers next goal back as he pulled off his left post with Panarin nearly on the goal line to that side. An all-world sniper, Panarin made Jones pay for the early release from the post with 3:11 left in regulation. He scored on the empty net as well for his 18th of the year and the hat trick to complete a four-goal Rangers third period.

The early response from the Sharks seemed to be a change for the better. Tomas Hertl opened the game scoring first 9:13 into the first period, something the Sharks were having trouble with this season. Jesper Fast and Panarin (another goal Jones would want back after leaving his five-hole unguarded on a lateral push) would score in the second period, but Logan Couture answered back with his 10th goal of the year. San Jose didn’t capitalize though on two power plays, and only mustered 18 shots on the Rangers backup goalie, spelling doom in Boughner’s home debut as Sharks head coach.

The picture of how the Sharks will respond to their coach’s firing may get more clear Saturday night when they take on the Vancouver Canucks. By then, the team should be adjusted to life under four new coaches and systems might be better installed. For now, though, Sharks fans have to continue to settle for a night of unmatched expectations.

Carrick’s first career hat trick helps Barracuda down Condors 6-2

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Photo credit: @sjbarracuda

By Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE, Calif. — On an eventful day that saw changes made within the parent club, the San Jose Barracuda took care of business with the help of Trevor Carrick’s first career hat trick in a 6-2 victory over the Bakersfield Condors on an emotional Friday evening at SAP Center.

This was the last ‘Cuda game with head coach Roy Sommer behind the bench as there was a big shakeup within the San Jose Sharks organization with the firing of Peter DeBoer earlier in the afternoon. Sommer has been promoted to as Sharks interim head coach and Bob Boughner as an associate coach. Assistant coaches Michael Chiasson and Jimmy Bonneau will share the ‘Cuda head coaching duties.

“It was kind of a shock really,” said Sommer about learning of his promotion to the Sharks. “But hey that’s what you wait around 23 years for. I’m gonna miss these guys. I’ll be at a lot of games. I mean we’re right next door.”

San Jose is now 3-2 against the Bakersfield in the season series and snapped a two-game losing streak against the Condors. With the win, the ‘Cuda have 20 points and jumped ahead into sixth place past San Diego in the Pacific Division. They are only one point behind the Condors for fifth place.

Bakersfield (9-11-2-1) jumped on San Jose right out of the gate. A clearing attempt by Jacob Middleton was knocked down by Joe Gambardella, The Condor left winger then quickly centered a pass through the crease over to Kailer Yamamoto and his one-timer beat ‘Cuda goalie Josef Korenar for his sixth goal of the season 13 seconds into the game. It was the second fastest goal to be scored against San Jose in franchise history.

San Jose (9-11-0-2) responded over three minutes later. Joachim Blichfeld led a 2-on-1 odd man rush with Jonny Brodzinski. Blichfeld crossed it over to Brodzinski and the Minnesota native delayed before wiring a wrist shot through the five-hole of Condors goalie Stuart Skinner for his fifth goal of the season at the 3:56 mark.

The line of Brodzinski, Blichfeld and Kellman have quickly become the top scoring line for San Jose and the three teammates have created quite the chemistry with one another.

“You know really clicking with the linemates. We’ve been feeding off each other. I feel like we’re very similar players. When you get guys on a line like that, special things can happen. It pays off on the scoresheet,” said Brodzinski.

Korenar settled down as he was tested often in the opening 20 minutes. He made two huge saves eight minutes in when he stoned Brad Malone’s breakaway chance and the subsequent rebound chance by Gambardella.

The ‘Cuda doubled their lead on an identical 2-on-1 odd man rush. Sasha Chmelevski led the rush with Lean Bergmann, who played in his first game since being reassigned to the ‘Cuda. The Hunington Beach native looked Bergmann’s way before firing a wrist shot top-shelf on the short side for his third goal of the season at the 11:37 mark.

Despite outshooting San Jose 15-12, Bakersfield found themselves down by a goal at the first intermission.

San Jose carried the momentum of the first period right into the beginning of the middle frame as they scored two goals in a 45 second span during the first five minutes.

Jeffery Viel centered a pass in between the faceoff circles over to Carrick. Carrick skated in and lifted a backhander underneath the arm on the stick side of Skinner for his third goal of the season at the 3:58 mark.

“It’s fun! This is my first one since minor hockey,” said Carrick regarding the last time he scored a hat trick. “I kind of forgot what it felt like. It felt good and it was good to see the boys pretty fired up for me.”

The third unanswered goal chased Skinner from the contest. He was replaced by back up goalie Dylan Wells. Skinner gave up three goals on just 13 shots.

Then, Keaton Middleton fired a wrist shot on Wells, his first shot he faced, and he couldn’t corral the rebound as Jayden Halbegwachs crashed the net and cashed in the rebound top-shelf past Wells for his seventh goal of the season at the 4:43 mark.

The Condors cut its deficit to a two-goal game when a shot from the point by Jake Kulevich deflected off a body in front of the crease. Gambardella picked up the loose puck, turned around and snapped a wrist shot through a sea of traffic past Korenar for his fifth goal of the season at the 8:43 mark.

The ‘Cuda regained their three-goal lead under five minutes later. Blichfeld made a turn around wing-to-wing pass over to Brodzinski, who immediately found Carrick at the left point, and Carrick blasted a one-time past Wells for his second goal of the period and fourth of the season at the 13:03 mark. It was the first multi-goal game for the defenseman out of Stouffville, Ontario.

San Jose dominated the second period as they outshot Bakersfield 14-9.

Carrick earned the hat trick while San Jose was short-handed. An error, a drop pass by Joel Persson was turned over to Alex True who skated into the Condor zone and dropped it back to Carrick, who fired a wrist shot far side in the upper left corner for his fifth goal of the season at the 12:26 mark. This was the first hat trick for the ‘Cuda this season.

“It was one of those weird games. I think I had three shots on net and all three went in. The puck was going in my favor there,” said Carrick.

It’s been literally an up and down season for Carrick, who has spent time with the Sharks this season after coming over in a trade from the Charlotte Checkers on August 9th.

“It was kind of a different start for me being up and down with the injuries (to the Sharks blueline). It’s always tough coming to a new organization, new coaching staff, new personnel and stuff like that. I’m definitely feeling a lot more comfortable,” said Carrick.

Korenar finished the night with 37 saves on 39 shots to earn his seventh victory of the season. Wells made 19 saves on 22 shots in mop-up duty.

As great as Carrick’s game was, this night belonged to Sommer, coaching in his last AHL game.

“It was a special night for him (Sommer). He’s a great coach. It’s sad to see him go, but it’s a great opportunity for him and he deserves it,” said Brodzinski.

GAME NOTES:San Jose was 0/1 on the power play. Bakersfield was 0/2.

Brodzinski with his goal has a six-game point streak.

Halbgewachs has scored a goal in three straight games and five in his last six.

Carrick’s hat trick was the first one by a defenseman in franchise history. The last ‘Cuda hat trick was back on March 9, 2018 when captain John McCarthy scored three goals against the Cleveland Monsters at SAP Center.

The announced attendance was 3,186.

UP NEXT: The Barracuda host the Stockton Heat on Saturday, Dec. 14 at 1:15 pm at SAP Center in the first game of a two-game weekend series.

Sharks Stumble Against NHL-Best Caps, Lose 5-2

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Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks

By Matthew Harrington

SAN JOSE–After a torrid stretch of November, the San Jose Sharks December has been a good reminder of how difficult it is to win in the NHL. Tuesday night, the Sharks were visited by the NHL leaders the Washington Capitals (20-4-5) and despite Alexander Ovechkin being held pointless, the Caps still crushed the Sharks 5-2.

San Jose (15-13-1) opened the scoring, but three Washington goals in three minutes swung momentum in a hurry. The Caps added two more goals before the Sharks could add another for a decisive victory for the 2018 Stanley Cup champs. Norris Trophy frontrunner John Carlson had three points (1g, 2a) and Garnet Hathaway and Jakub Vrana each scored a pair of goals. Martin Jones made 18 saves on 23 shots before being pulled in favor of Aaron Dell. Melker Karlsson had a two point night, scoring and assisting on Evander Kane’s third period goal.

Karlsson beat Braden Holtby for his third goal of the season just 2:33 into play, but Garnet Hathaway scored with 6:29 left in the first to tie the game. No more than 55 seconds later, Vrana found the back of the net for his 13th of the year. Just about two minutes later, Carlson scored his ninth of the year to have the Sharks reeling. Carlson now has 37 points on the season, leading all defensemen and putting him 14 points behind Connor McDavid, the scoring race leader.

Hathaway and Vrana scored again in the second, and Evander Kane scored his team-leading 13th goal in the 13th minute of the third period, but any hopes at a comeback stopped there. In total, Braden Holtby made 23 saves on 25 shots.

The Sharks head to Raleigh Thursday night looking to bounce back against the Carolina Hurricanes. The Canes will also be trying to rebound after getting shut out by the Boston Bruins in Beantown Tuesday night.