Sharks’ Hertl bags five goals as Pacific wins NHL All-Star 3-on-3 crown; scores five goals total in two games

photo from nbcsports.com Tomas Hertl (48) of the Pacific Division and San Jose Shark wasn’t on the NHL All Star radar he was a replacement for the Sharks Logan Couture who got inured. Hertl scored five goals on Saturday night

By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Saturday, January 25, 2020

San Jose’s Tomas Hertl wasn’t selected as the most valuable player of the 2020 NHL All-Star 3-on-3 competition at Entrprise Center in St. Louis, but he deserved to be in the conversation.

Hertl scored five goals on the night — four in the Pacific Division’s 10-5 semifinal win over the Central Division — and one more in the Pacific’s 5-4 winner-take-all victory over the Atlantic Division.

The Pacific team gets to divvy up the $1 million winner’s prize.

Hertl was a replacement player for the All-Star competition, replacing injured Sharks teammate Logan Couture. His fourth goal was the final round game-winner, assisted by Edmonton Oilers Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid.

Hertl scored three of his goals in the second half against the Central Division, all against goalie Connor Hellebuyck of Winnipeg.

MVP honors went to David Pastrnak of Boston, who collected six points on four goals and two assists. Pastrnak received a car for his efforts. He and Ottawa’s Anthony Duclair each had a hat trick in the Atlantic Division’s 9-5 win over the Metropolitan Division in the East semifinal.

Calgary’s Matthew Tkachuk, who grew up in St. Louis, scored two goals and added two assists.

Prior to the 3-on-3 games, 11-year-old Blues fan Laila Anderson had the honor of introducing the St. Louis players — Jordan Binnington, Ryan O’Reilly, David Perron and Alex Pietrangelo.

Former Blues players and Hockey Hall of Fame members Wayne Gretzky and Brett Hull served as honorary coaches.

As part of the festivities, Green Day performed, with F-bomb laced vocals from Billie Joe Armstrong. Seven-second delay took care of the editing for the NBC television audience.

NHL All Star Game podcast with Mary Lisa Walsh: Rating the NHL All Star players

theathletic.com file photo: The Pittsburgh Penguins Sidney Crosby (88) celebrates a goal against the Winnipeg Jets at PPG Arena on Tuesday Jan 14th in a 7-2 win. The Penguins defeated the Red Wings on Saturday Jan 18th 2-1.

On the NHL All Star Game podcast with Mary Lisa:

#1 After Sydney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins came back from his injury he scored three goals in three games for the Pens showing he didn’t miss a step.

#2 The Washington Capitals Alex Ovechkin is sitting out this All Star game in St Louis, Ovechkin has sat out past All Star games resulting in a one game suspension and a fine. Which alright with Ovechkin whose really after some All Star break rest and relaxation

#3 The Edmonton Oilers Conner McDavid is making his fourth All Star appearance McDavid has played in 27 goals, 49 assists, in 76 games.

#4 The Washington Capitals also will be represented by right winger TJ Oshie so far this season having a marvelous campaign with 18 goals, 16 assists, for 34 points.

#5 The San Jose Sharks will be represented by Tomas Hertl with 15 goals, 20 assists, and 35 points scored. Hertl is replacing the injured Logan Couture.

Mary Lisa does the San Jose Sharks podcasts each Saturday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

 

Warriors improved play still lose to Pacers 129-118

The Utah Jazz’ Rudy Gobert (27) and the Golden State Warriors Willie Cauley-Stein (2) scramble under the basket for the loose ball at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Fri Jan 24th

By Jerry Feitelberg

San Francisco- The Golden State Warriors hosted the Indiana Pacers at the Chase Center Friday night. The Warriors were hoping to rebound after being blown out by the Utah Jazz Wednesday night.

The Warriors played with a lot of energy. They moved the ball well as they recorded 31 assists. They shot 49% from the floor, and they made 19 threes. It was not enough as they turned the ball over 20 times, and Indiana put 33 points on the board as a result of the Warriors sloppy play.

The Pacers, who average about 27 three-point attempts per game. Knocked down 17 in 28 tries Friday night. The Pacers like to make a lot of two-point buckets, and Friday night’s game was no exception. They shot 57% from the floor to beat the Warriors 129-118.

The Warriors got off to a good start early in the first quarter. They led 22-16 about halfway through the first period. The Pacers got their offense going, and they went on a 13-0 run to lead 29-22. The Pacers finished the first quarter leading 35-30.

The Pacers played well as they increased the lead to 50-38. The Pacers defense held the Warriors scoreless for over three minutes in the period. The Warriors continued to turn the ball over, and the Pacers capitalized on the Warriors miscues.

The Pacers finished the first half with a 16-point advantage 67-51. D’Angelo Russell led the W’s with 16. Marquese Chriss was the only other Warrior in double figures with 10. The Pacers’ T.J.Warren led his team with 21. Doug McDermott coming off the bench knocked down 15, and he helped propel the Pacers to the 16-point advantage.

The Warriors turned things around in the third period. D’Angelo Russell made several threes, and the Warriors went on a 14-2 run to cut the deficit to six points as they trailed 80-74. The Pacers regrouped and were able to finish the third period leading by 98-86.

In the fourth quarter, The Warriors continued to make threes. Jordan Poole made two consecutive threes to make it 110-103. The Pacers refused to fold. They went up by thirteen 121-108. The Warriors went on a 7-0 run to trail 121-115. The Pacers were not fazed, and they went on to win 129-118.

Game Notes and Stats- The Warriors announced that they have traded center Willie Cauley-Stein to the Dallas Mavericks for a second-round draft choice. The Mavs needed to replace former Stanford star, Dwight Powell. Powell suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon injury. He will miss the rest of the season and part of the 2020-21 season, too.

With the loss, the Warriors drop to 10-37. Indiana won its eighth game out of the last ten played. They are 30-16 and are within two games of being in second place in the Eastern Conference. They will be in the playoffs. Malcolm Brogdon did not play due to an injury, and the Pacers’ Victor Oladipo is close to returning to action.

The W’s were led by D’Angelo Russell’s 37 points. Russell was nine for 13 from behind the three-point arc. Glenn Robinson had 18. Chriss finished with 13. Alec Burks had 11 points, five rebounds, and seven assists. Draymond Green recorded a double-double with ten points, six boards, and 11 assists. Jordan Poole, Omari Spellman, And Eric Paschall each added nine.

T.J.Warren had 33 for Indiana, Doug McDermott finished with 24, Jeremy Lamb and Damontas Sabonis each had 16. Sabonis pulled down ten rebounds to record a double-double. Aaron Holiday had 12. His brother Justin, a former Warrior, contributed eight to help the Pacers win.

The Warriors go on the road for the next two weeks. They meet the Philadelphia Sixers Tuesday night. Thursday they are in Boston, Saturday they play the Cavaliers. They go to Washington and Brooklyn before returning home to face the Lakers on February 8th.

Super Bowl LIV/San Francisco 49ers podcast with Joe Lami: What a difference a year makes from 4-12 to 13-3

Kwon Alexander (56) San Francisco 49ers linebacker in this Oct 31st file photo against the Arizona Cardinals returned to practice on Jan 2 after suffering a pectoral muscle pull mid season

On the 49ers podcast with Joe Lami:

#1 Joe what a difference a year makes the 49ers at this time last season finished at 4-12 and this season a incredible 13-3.

#2 They also at one point during the season looked as if they could have gone perfect that’s how dominating they were

#3 Talk about some of the important acquisitions the 49ers made to improve the team for this season in Kwon Alexander, Dee Ford, Tevin Coleman, Raheem Mostert, Nick Bosa, and Deebo Samuel.

#4 Joe talk about the great job that Kansas City head coach Andy Reid has done for the Kansas City Chiefs as the Chiefs enter their first Super Bowl in 50 years

#5 Chiefs quarterback Pat Mahomes has been throwing lights out all season 4,031 yards, 26 touchdowns, 5 interceptions. Led the team under center to the AFC Championship and into the Super Bowl.

Join Joe each Friday for the 49ers podcast at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Super Bowl LIV podcast with Joe Hawkes: Mahomes can throw for days as his record speaks for itself

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes puts a stop on New England Patriots linebacker Kyle Van Noy, right, with his left arm on Sun Dec 8th at Foxborough MA, Mahomes got a personal foul penalty on the play ap.com file photo

Super Bowl LIV podcast with Joe Hawkes:

#1 Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Pat Mahomes had a great regular season throwing for an impressive 4,031 yards, for 26 touchdowns and only five interceptions.

#2 One thing that could be said about Mahomes he has an offense that prevents him from turning the ball over.

#3 It’s been over 50 years since 1970 for the Kansas City Chiefs to be in the Super Bowl but head coach Andy Reid has put together a power house team how do you see them matched up against a San Francisco 49er team who made very little mistakes

#4 On the other hand the 49ers have won five Super Bowl since 1982 and made their last appearance there in 2012.

#5 The oddsmakers have this game as a toss up how do you see it?

Joe Hawkes is doing the Super Bowl LIV podcasts throughout the Super Bowl at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

49ers’ defense will have their hands full against Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City’s offense in Super Bowl LIV

ap file photo: Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes drops back to pass in the first half of their game against the Chicago Bears on Aug 25th in pre season play. Little did Mahomes know at the time he and the Chiefs would wind up in Super Bowl LIV 

By Joe Hawkes
SRS Contributor

SANTA CLARA–The San Francisco 49ers made winning the NFC Championship over the Green Bay Packers, 37-20, to advance to Super Bowl LIV on Sunday night look like a walk in the park. It will be San Francisco’s first trip to the Super Bowl since 2013, where they lost to the Baltimore Ravens 34-31.

For the franchise to claim its sixth Vince Lombardi trophy in seven trips to the Super Bowl, the 49ers are going to have to take down Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, who are returning to the Super Bowl for the first time in 50 years after defeating the Tennessee Titans, 35-24, to capture the Lamar Hunt trophy, named after the Chiefs’ late owner as the winner of the AFC.

The Chiefs defeated the Minnesota Vikings, 23-7, in Super Bowl IV.

The play of San Francisco’s defense will be critical when the football is kicked off at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on Feb. 2. If San Francisco’s defense plays anywhere near it did against both the Vikings and Packers respectively, than the 49ers will be in primed position to win the game.

In two playoff games, the 49ers stood head and shoulders above the rest on defense, finishing first in points (15.0), total yards (252.2), rushing yards (41.5), takeaways (5), and third down percentage (23.8).

But neither Minnesota or Green Bay can match Kansas City’s offense, which can go nuclear within a blink of an eye with the aforementioned Mahomes as the trigger man. The third-year quarterback has a stacked offense, a track team of wide receivers in Tyreek Hill, Sammy Watkins and Mecole Hardman, and an electrifying tight end in Travis Kelce at his disposal.

In the AFC Championship Game, Kansas City found itself down 10-0 and 17-7, but Mahomes and that high-powered Chiefs offense didn’t flinch, building a 35-17 lead over the Titans thanks in large part of controlling the clock with a strong ground game. Mahomes, who finished the game throwing for 294 yards and three touchdowns, his final touchdown came on a 60-yard strike to Watkins for the Chiefs’ 28th straight point midway through the fourth quarter.

That’s the type of offensive explosion that the 49ers must avoid if they have any shot at winning this football game. That means the 49ers, who may arguably have the NFL’s best defensive line, featuring Nick Bosa, DeForest Buckner, Dee Ford and Arik Armstead must make life difficult for Mahomes every time Kansas City has the football.

The 49ers have the league’s best pass defense and ranked fifth with 48 sacks during the regular season. They have nine more this postseason, largely by taking opponents off schedule and setting up favorable pass-rush situations.

That’s huge against a quarterback that has the penchant of eluding would-be tacklers like Mahomes. Especially in a game with so much on the line like the Super Bowl.

 

Stanford Cardinal podcast with Jerry Feitleberg: Will Cal challenge Stanford in spite of their record on Sunday?

gostanford.com photo: Stanford guard Bryce Wills (2) drives the lane against the UCLA Bruin defense on Wed Jan 15th’s game at Pauley Pavilion

On the Stanford podcast with Jerry F:

#1 Jerry the Cardinal (15-3) took a took loss to USC (15-3) last Saturday as USC is a tough building to play in

#2 Try as they may the top scorer for Stanford Oscar da Silva came up with 21 points but da Silva has been consistent

#3 Jerry you also have to like Spencer Jones he came in second in Stanford scoring with 18. The Cardinal are proving potent on offense but USC was a tougher customer.

#4 Jerod Haase coached a great game even though Stanford didn’t get the win with the Cardinal dominating in the first half 45-25.

#5 In spite of the Cal Bears record could all the stats and what’s on paper go out the window and the Bears who are hosting Stanford make a game of this one on Sunday?

Jerry does the Stanford Cardinal podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Cal Bears basketball podcast with Morris Phillips: Cal odds aren’t great but with the home floor can they beat Stanford

calbears.com photo: The expression on the Cal Bears players says it all as they’ve struggled of late and host Stanford on Sunday

On the Cal podcast with Morris:

#1 Sunday is the Big Game with Stanford (15-3) and Cal (8-9) the Bears are coming off a tough ten point loss to UCLA, Cal has the home floor do they have a shot at beating a very successful Stanford team?

#2 Matt Bradley scored 17 points and grabbed five rebounds as the team leading scorer last Saturday in UCLA how much of a load will he have to carry on Sunday against Stanford.

#3 The Cardinal will come in with some of their top scorer in Oscar da Silva who led Stanford against USC in their last game with 21 points what does Cal head coach Mark Fox and Cal need to do to shut da Silva’s game down.

#4 After beating the Washington schools two weeks ago is would that be something positive to look at going into the Stanford game?

#5 Some critics say Cal is missing a lot in talent talk about Mark Fox’s needs and can they look forward to recruiting for next season

Catch Cal Bears podcasts with Morris on Mondays and Michael on Thursdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Condors take down Barracuda in 5-0 shutout win

by Marko Ukalovic

BAKERSFIELD, Calif- The Bakersfield Condors used five different goal scorers and received excellent goaltending from Stuart Skinner in a dominating 5-0 victory over the San Jose Barracuda on Wednesday evening at Mechanics Bank Arena.

Skinner stopped all 35 shots he faced to record his first career AHL shutout. The loss snapped San Jose’s three-game point streak. Bakersfield is now eight points ahead of the ‘Cuda with 38 and currently sit in sixth place in the Pacific Divison.

Bakersfield (17-18-4-1) opened up the scoring in the first half of the first period. Brad Malone sent a cross ice pass from the left boards down to Cameron Hebig, who beat two Barracuda defenders, and lifted the puck over the pad of ‘Cuda goalie Josef Korenar for his second goal of the season at the 7:23 mark.

Korenar suffered an injury at the end of the first period and never returned to the game. Zachary Sawchenko replaced Korenar to start the second period.

The Condors doubled their lead in the second period. Josh Currie received a pass along the right boards. He dropped it back to Matt Benning who snapped a shot on goal that Tyler Benson redirected past Sawchenko for his ninth goal of the season at the 11:54 mark.

Benson now has nine points in six games against San Jose this season.

San Jose (14-21-1-2) had two power play opportunities in the second period but the Condors penalty killing led by Skinner kept the ‘Cuda off the board after 40 minutes.

Bakersfield sealed the game in the third period with three third period goals.

Anthony Peluso led a 2-on-1 rush up the ice with Joe Gambardella. Peluso fed a pass over to the left to Gambardella who skated all alone on Sawchenko and snapped a wrist shot top-shelf into the left corner for his eighth goal of the season at the 8:14 mark.

Bakersfield scored an empty net goal when San Jose lifted Sawchenko for an extra attacker with over three minutes remaining. Kirill Maksimov received a pass from Luke Esposito and tapped it into the net for his fourth goal of the season at the 16:59 mark.

The Condors completed the scoring with 28 seconds left in the game when Jakob Stukel sent a pass behind the net where Peluso sent in a wrist shot from a tough angle that went past Sawchenko for his second goal of the season.

Sawchenko finished with 23 saves on 26 shots in relief duty.

GAME NOTES: San Jose was 0-for-3 on the power play. Bakersfield also went 0-for-3.

Benson snapped his eight-game goalless drought and now has four goals against the Barracuda on the season after his tally on Wednesday.

Noah Gregor led all Barracuda skaters with five shots on net.

Joachim Blichfeld returned to the Barracuda lineup after missing the last three games on recall with the Sharks and recorded two shots on net and a pair of penalty minutes.

UP NEXT: The Barracuda return home to take on the Ontario Reign on Saturday 1/25 at 7:00pm at SAP Center.

Red-hot Utah Jazz blowout Warriors 129-96

By Jerry Feitelberg

San Francisco- The visiting Utah Jazz, coached by Quin Snyder, pounded the Golden State Warriors Wednesday night at the Chase Center. The Jazz, who have won 13 of the last fourteen and are 18-2 in the previous 20 games, excelled on both ends of the court to win their third game of the year against the W’s by a score of 129-96. The Jazz, for the first time in ten years, swept the season series against Golden State.

Utah added two players to the roster before the start of the season. They signed Bojan Bogdanovic, who played for the Indiana Pacers as a free agent. They made a trade with Memphis for Michael Conley. Conley, a former All-Star, had missed several games with a hamstring injury. Conley, slowly rounding into shape, was available off the bench.

The Warriors, who won a close game over Orlando last week and then lost a thriller in overtime to the Portland Trailblazers, were hoping to continue playing well. Alas, that was not the case Wednesday night.

Rudy Gobert, the massive center from France, dominated the Warriors on both ends of the court. He clogged up middle and protected the rim. The W’s could not get by big Rudy. On the other end of the court, Rudy made layups, dunks, and showcased a left-handed hook shot that was reminiscent of Kareem Abdul Jabbar’s skyhook.

The Jazz easily won the first period 31-17. They finished the quarter on a 20-7 run. Gobert and Donovan Mitchell led the Jazz offense. They held the Warriors scoreless for over four minutes in the quarter as they made the run.

In the second quarter, the W’s played better. They scored 26 points. Their problem was that the Jazz scored 34 to finish the first half with a 22-point lead 65-43. Gobert and Mitchell each had 15 points apiece. Gobert pulled down 11 rebounds. Bogdanovich and Jordan Clarkson each had 9. Joe Ingles, who is a terrific 3-point shooter, finished the half with 8. The Warriors’ D’Angelo Russell paced the team with 15. No other Warrior had more than 6 points.

The Jazz owned the third quarter as they outscored Golden State 35-26 to finish the quarter with a 31-point lead 100-69. The Jazz had the game in their pocket. D’Angelo Russell provided most of the offense in the period. The W’s just could not pierce Utah’s defense.

The Warriors lost the fourth quarter 29-27. Utah removed all their starters from the game. The Warriors’ big men Omari Spellman, Eric Paschall, and Marquese Chriss were able to put points on the board in the final stanza. The Jazz reserves still outscored Golden State and finished the night with a win 129-96.

Game Notes and Stats- The Warriors lost for the 12th time in the last 13 games. Their record for the season is 10-36. Glenn Robinson and Draymond Green were back in the starting lineup after missing the previous two games.

Russell led the W’s with 26 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists. He made two threes in 7 tries. Omari Spellman had 12, most of which came in the fourth quarter. Eric Paschall and Marquese Chriss each had 11. Glenn Robinson finished with 10.

Donovan Mitchell finished with 23 points. He made 4 threes in 8 tries. Gobert recorded 22 points, 15 rebounds, and blocked 3 shots. Bogdanovic had 18, and he was 4 for 8 from beyond the three-point arc. Joe Ingles had 11, Georges Niang 11, and Jordan Clarkson 10.

The Jazz shot 54% from the floor, and they held the Warriors 39%. They made 17 threes while the Warriors connected on 6. The Jazz outrebounded the W’s 56-37.

The W’s Marquese Chriss and the Jazz’ Tony Bradley were hit with double technicals with 22 seconds left in the game. Both players were ejected.

The Warriors welcome the Indiana Pacers to the Chase Center Friday night. The game will start at 7:30 pm.