Tag: tomas hertl

Sharks Win 6-5 in OT Barnburner Against Red Wings

Published on by M WalshLeave a comment

MacKenzie Blackwood (29) is replaced in the second period by Kaapo Kahkonen (36) against the Detroit Red Wings at Little Cesars Pizza Arena in Detroit on Thu Dec 7, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks defeated Detroit Red Wings 6-5 in overtime Thursday. Sharks got goals from Fabian Zetterlund and Mikael Granlund, and Nico Sturm and Tomas Hertl each scored twice. Mackenzie Blackwood made 16 saves on 20 shots before being replaced by Kaapo Kahkonen, who made 10 saves for the win. Detroit got goals from Klim Kostin, Lucas Raymond, and Dylan Larkin, and Michael Rasmussen scored twice. Ville Husso made 30 save in the loss.

“When we got our first goal, we knew we were going to come back. That’s a great feeling to have. We just played hockey, we played a really good game today,” said Fabian Zetterlund after the game. Sharks Head Coach David Quinn described the ups and downs of the game:

“I didn’t feel like we were playing like we should be down four-nothing. But, you know, a couple goals, quick hitters from the point by them. It was real disappointing, Then, obviously just to turn it on, to score two huge short-handed goals and really a third, when you think about it, the one when Vlasic comes out of the box and makes a hell of a pass.”

At the end of the first period, the game was scoreless but the shots were 14-7 Sharks. But it was Detroit that scored first, midway through the second period. Chasing down the puck as it drifted towards the net right off the face-off, Klim Kostin fought through Mario Ferraro to tap the puck under Mackenzie Blackwood’s pad. That was Detroit’s 11th shot of the game.

A few minutes later, Michael Rasmussen went on a tear. First, he tipped one in off a blue line shot from Daniel Sprong. Seconds later, he tipped one in from a similar shot from Ben Chiarot. Andrew Copp got a secondary assist on that one.

Lucas Raymond scored another for Detroit with a wrist shot, making it three goals in 49 seconds of playing time. Assists went to Ben Chiarot and Robby Fabbri.

The Sharks pulled Blackwood after that and put Kaapo Kahkonen in goal.

Tomas Hertl stopped the bleeding for the Sharks with a short handed goal at 14:08. He carried the puck through the neutral zone and in, then faked a pass and shot the puck under the goaltender. Assists went to William Eklund and Jan Rutta. That was the first short-handed goal of the season for the Sharks.

Fabian Zetterlund decided to try one of those too, and made it 4-2 with a second short-handed goal during the same penalty kill. It was Zetterlund’s first career short-handed goal. Assists went to Jan Rutta and Mikael Granlund.

Marc-Edouard Vlasic exited the penalty box where he had watched his team score twice. Soon enough, he assisted on Nico Sturm’s goal to make it 4-3. Kyle Burroughs got a secondary assist.

Sturm finished the comeback with a second goal, tying the game at 19:37. Assists went to Justin Bailey and Kevin Labanc.

At the end of the second, the shot count was 23-22 Detroit.

Dylan Larkin broke the tie at 13:20 of the third period. The Red Wings outnumbered the Sharks skating into the zone and after a few passes to mix things up, Larkin snapped the puck past Kahkonen. Assists went to Raymond and Fabbri.

With almost three minutes left in regulation, the Sharks pulled Kahkonen for an extra skater. It paid off, despite some close calls with Detroit circling the empty net. Finally, with 1:29 left, Tomas Hertl scored in a scramble at the side of the Detroit net. Granlund shot the puck into the backboards and it rebounded perfectly to Hertl for the shot. Assists went to Granlund and Alexander Barabanov.

Mikael Granlund scored the game winner 35 seconds into overtime. Zetterlund broke away after Larkin fell in the neutral zone, then made the pass to Granlund for a snap shot.

Neither team scored a power play goal, but each team had two opportunities. The final shot count was 36-31 Sharks. In the face-off circle, the Sharks won just 39.1% of the draws.

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

Sharks Shut Out 3-0 by Bruins; Brief SJ two game win streak comes to an end

Published on by M WalshLeave a comment

The Boston Bruins center Pavel Zacha gets a top shelf third period goal past San Jose Sharks goaltender MacKenzie Blackwood (29) and defenseman Kyle Burroughs (4) at TD Garden in Boston on Thu Nov 30, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks fell 3-0 to the Bruins at TD Garden Thursday. Danton Heinen, Jake DeBrusk and Pavel Zacha scored for Boston. Jeremy Swayman made 28 saves for the shutout win. MacKenzie Blackwood made 32 saves in the loss. It was the fourth time the Sharks have been shutout this season, and all of those have been on the road.

Sharks Head Coach David Quinn summarized the game as follows:

“I thought we had a good first period, played a pretty good tempo, I thought our puck play was good, you know, played smart hockey, played with the right intentions. And I thought it really got loose in the second period. I thought our turnovers really hurt us and really ignited their game. I though they brought it to another level once that period got going and we weren’t able to control it really.”

Probably the most disappointing moment in the game was when the Sharks failed to score with a two man advantage. That power play ended the second period and started the third. After the game, Tomas Hertl talked about that power play:

“We just, like, nobody wants to take the shot, everybody tried passing and we have zero shots, five entries and that’s a tough situation. We have to be quick, put something on the net you know because we have two extra guys so we should get a rebound and stuff, but we couldn’t even get a shot.”

The Sharks went into the second period in a decent position. Each team had a power play in the first, neither scored. The shots were relatively even at 10-9 Boston. The second period would not be so balanced.

Danton Heinen broke the 0-0 tie just 1:39 into the second period. Matthew Poitras took advantage of an offensive zone turnover by the Sharks, who looked tired after being trapped in their own zone for too long. Poitras found Heinen in the faceoff circle for a quick shot that sent the puck between Blackwood and the post.

Jake DeBrusk made it 2-0 at 8:10 of the period. While Pavel Zacha carried the puck over the blue line, DeBrusk entered the zone across the ice and around the Sharks defense. Zacha passed the puck to him and he was able to carry it to the net for a backhand shot. Zacha and David Pastrnak got the assists.

The Sharks finished the second period with a shot deficit of 18-6 as well as the goals surrendered. They did get a two-man advantage at the end of the period after a series of skirmishes. The power play carried over to start the third but did not change the score.

Instead, the Sharks took a penalty early in the third and gave up a power play goal from Zacha. Pastrnak carried the puck in and found Zacha skating right up the slot for a close-in shot. Assists went to Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy.

The Sharks did make a push, out-shooting Boston slightly, 11-8 in the third. But the score did not change. The final shot count was 37-26 Bruins. In the faceoff circle, the Sharks won 47.3% of the draws.

After the game, Tomas Hertl explained that his absence from the previous game was due to a kidney stone. He said that he had surgery for that last Monday.

The Sharks next play on Friday in Newark, New Jersey against the Devils at 4:00 PM PT.

Sharks Fall 3-2 in SO to Canadiens; Habs Jlonen scores game winner in sixth round of shootout

Published on by M WalshLeave a comment

Montreal Canadiens right winger Jesse Ylonen (56) scored the game winning goal in the sixth round of the shootout against San Jose Sharks goaltender MacKenzie Blackwood (29) at SAP Center in San Jose on Fri Nov 24, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks fell 3-2 in a shoot out to the Montreal Canadiens Friday at SAP Center in San Jose. Johnathan Kovacevic and Cole Caulfield scored for Montreal. Nick Suzuki and Jesse Ylönen scored in the shootout and Cayden Primeau made 31 saves for the win. Mike Hoffman and William Eklund scored for San Jose, with a shootout goal from Eklund as well. Tomas Hertl assisted on both regulation goals. Mackenzie Blackwood made 22 saves in the loss.

It was just two days ago that the Sharks turned in possibly their worst performance this season, in the 7-1 loss to the Seattle Kraken. After Friday’s game, Head Coach David Quinn said the Sharks “certainly looked a lot more like a hockey team tonight than we did against Seattle.”

For the first time this season, the Sharks out-shot their opponent for a final count of 33-24 Sharks. San Jose forward Tomas Hertl described Friday’s game as “A pretty good hockey game. I don’t think we gave them much but the chances we gave them they just cashed in, you know, so it’s tough because we deserved two points tonight.”

Mike Hoffman scored the first of the game at 5:06 of the second period. William Eklund held the puck behind the net after catching a pass from Tomas Hertl. Eklund found Hoffman drifting to the net for the shot.

Eklund made it 2-0 at 12:30 with a power play goal. Right off the offensive zone face-off, Calen Addison passed the puck to Eklund across the ice for a slap shot into the far side of the net. Assists went to Addison and Hertl.

Johnathan Kovacevic cut the lead to 2-1 at 18:02 of the second. His wrist shot from high in the slot went over Blackwood’s outstretched right arm and into the net. Assists went to Jayden Struble and Cole Caufield.

Caufield tied the game 3:26 into the third period. Skating into the zone two-on-one with Christian Dvorak against Nikita Okhotiuk, Caufield opted for the shot and found the top corner. Assists went to Juraj Slafkovsky and goaltender Cayden Primeau.

The Sharks had three shots to the Canadiens’ two shots in the overtime frame. In the shootout, Primeau stopped shots from Fabian Zetterlund, Mike Hoffman, Mikael Granlund. Tomas Hertl and Anthoney Duclair. Blackwood stopped shots from Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, Christian Dvorak and Sean Monahan.

With forward Nico Sturm back in the lineup, the Sharks only used seven defensemen. Filip Zadina left the game at the end of the first period, leaving the team with just ten forwards. Regarding Zadina’s injury, Quinn said: “Upper body injury, so not sure where he stands right now.” The injury did not seem to be a result of a specific event in the first period. Quinn said it was “just something that’s been bothering him and it just acted up.”

The Sharks were bested again in the face-off circle, winning just 43.8% of the draws. The penalties were low in the game, with just two penalties called on each team. The Sharks scored the only power play goal.

The Sharks next play Saturday night at 7:00 PM PT in San Jose against the Vancouver Canucks.

Sharks Fall 4-1 to Ducks; SJ has now dropped two straight

Published on by M WalshLeave a comment

The San Jose Sharks Mike Ferraro (38) skates with the puck in front of the Anaheim Ducks Troy Terry (19) during the first period at the Honda Center in Anaheim on Nov 12, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks lost to the Anaheim Ducks 4-1 on Sunday. Frank Vatrano scored twice for Anaheim, and Mason McTavish and Radko Gudas added two more. John Gibson made 25 saves for the win. Luke Kunin scored for San Jose and Mackenzie Blackwood made 40 saves in the loss.

The Sharks had two power plays in the game, and three shots with the man advantage. After the game, Sharks Head Coach David Quinn talked about the Sharks’ struggling power play:

“They get the power play goal late in the first, make it 2-1, and then we get our power plays and it just really deflated us. I mean really, you know, not a lot of pace, not a lot of urgency to our power play right now. You know, you may not score but you need to gain some momentum off your power play and that’s not happening right now.”

Tomas Hertl also talked about what the Sharks need to do to fix their power play: “We have to just try to shoot through and get some rebounds, some greasy goals more than fancy and we have to keep working on it.”

Anaheim scored first 4:49 into the game. Frank Vatrano tipped a shot from Ilya Lyubushkin. Ryan Strome got the secondary assist. It was Vatrano’s tenth goal of the season.

Luke Kunin tied the game at 13:05. After Tomas Hertl shot the puck in, it bounced up in a high rebound and Kunin batted it down and into the net. Assists went to Hertl and William Eklund. It was Kunin’s second goal of the season.

Vatrano scored his second of the game with a slap shot off a Cam Fowler pass. The power play goal came at 18:22, giving Ahamein at 2-1 lead. Assists went to Fowler and Jakob Silfverberg.

A scoreless second period saw the Sharks have their best shot count of the game, with 12 to the Ducks’ 18. the period saw a number of penalties, including a fight between Luke Kunin and Max Jones.

Mason McTavish made it 3-1 1:52 into the third period. Skating right down the slot, he caught a pass from Leo Carlsson right in front of the blue paint. Assists went to Carlsson and Pavel Mintyukov.

Radko Gudas made it 4-1 just under a minute later. A crazy high-flying puck went up well out of reach of any defenseman and dropped behind Blackwood, who did not realize it was in the air. Assists went to Strome and Vatrano.

The Sharks’ penalty kill gave up two goals on five Ducks power plays. They also had two short-handed shots in the game.

The Sharks next play on Tuesday back in San Jose at 7:30 PM PT against the Florida Panthers.

Sharks lose 6-3 to Hurricanes

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

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 Beat Blackhawks 4-1, Ten Sharks Earn Points

Published on by M WalshLeave a comment

San Jose Sharks center Nick Bonino, center left, is congratulated by defenseman Brent Burns (88), center Thomas Bordeleau, center right, and center Scott Reedy (54) at the SAP Center in San Jose on Sat Apr 24, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

SAN JOSE- The San Jose Sharks beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-1 on Saturday. The Sharks showed some good depth in scoring, with ten Sharks in all earning points in the game. Jasper Weatherby, Tomas Hertl, Timo Meier and Nick Bonino scored for the Sharks. Kaapo Kahkonen made 27 saves for the win. Tyler Johnson scored for Chicago and Kevin Lankinen made 15 saves in the loss.

The Sharks announced the Bay Area media’s selections for end-of-year award winners after the game. Timo Meier was named player of the year, Jonathan Dahlen was named rookie of the year. Brandon Coe was named prospect of the year and James Reimer won for Media Good Guy.

On Saturday, the Sharks got goals from both Meier and Hertl, something that has not happened for a while. It is likely that the return of linemate Alexander Barabanov had something to do with that. After the game, Sharks Head Coach Bob Boughner said that he would like to see Barabanov, a free agent this summer, return next season: “I think that that line works together, I think that he’s a guy that provides offense and, you know, this is a team that could use that. Now, I’m not on the business side, the numbers side, so that’s a different story but yeah, I like him as a player.”

The first goal of the game came from Jasper Weatherby and the Sharks’ all-rookie fourth line at 6:03. Sasha Chmelevski carried the puck in and around a defender before taking a shot. Scott Reedy picked up the rebound and sent it back at the net for Weatherby to redirect in.

The Blackhawks out-shot the Sharks 9-4 in the first period. They also beat them in the face-off circle, winning 56% of the draws.

Tomas Hertl made it 2-0 at 1:08 of the second period. Timo Meier carried the puck into the zone two-on-one with Hertl and made the pass just above the circle. Goalie Kevin Lankinen could not get across in time to stop Hertl’s shot. Assists went to Meier and Jaycob Megna.

Timo Meier added a third for the Sharks at 10:34. Meier and Alexander Barabanov entered the zone only to be blocked by Blackhawks. Meier pushed the puck through Alex Vlasic to Barabanov, who had to battle Seth Jones for control of the puck. Barabanov managed to move the puck to the net and Meier caught up to it at the corner of the net where he tapped it in with an outstretched stick.

Tyler Johnson broke the shut-out at 15:38. Jonathan Toews got away from Megna behind the net and made a backhand pass from just below the goal line. The pass got to Johnson up the slot for a clear shot. Assists went to Toews and Seth Jones.

The first penalty of the game came in the second period, and it went to the Blackhawks. The Sharks power play got one shot and gave up one short-handed shot. Chicago again out-shot the Sharks, 10-7, and beat them on the draw, winning 57% of the face-offs.

Nick Bonino scored on the power play to make it 4-1 at 6:19 of the third. With Scott Reedy screening the goaltender, Bonino had some time to pick his spot through traffic. Assists went to Brent Burns and Logan Couture.

The third period saw more penalties, with two for each team. The Sharks power play got the goal and three shots. Their penalty kill gave up three shots and had one short-handed shot. The final shot count was 28-19 Blackhawks and the final face-off tally was 28-18 Blackhawks.

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

Sharks Fall 4-2 to Canucks, Canucks Sweep Season Series

Published on by M WalshLeave a comment

Vancouver Canucks’ Alex Chiasson and fans celebrate his goal during third period action at Rogers Place in Vancouver on Sat Apr 9, 2022 (The Canadian Press via AP)

Vancouver Canucks’ Alex Chiasson and fans celebrate after Chiasson scores in the third period against the San Jose Sharks at Rogers Place in Vancouver on Sat Apr 10, 2022 (The Canadian Press via AP)

By Mary Walsh

VANCOUVER- The San Jose Sharks dropped their sixth in a row, a 4-2 road loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday. The loss concluded the season series between the teams, with the Canucks winning all three games. The win put the Canucks within four points of a playoff spot. Jason Dicksinson, Conor Garland, Alex Chiasson and Luke Schenn scored for the Canucks. Thatcher Demko made 35 saves for the win. Tomas Hertl and Nick Bonino scored for the Sharks and Kaapo Kahkonen made 35 saves in the loss.

Like many of the Sharks recent losses, the game was close in many respects. Sharks Head Coach Bob Boughner listed some of the missed opportunities that the Sharks had on Saturday:

“Had our scoring chances, again, I mean, I sound like a broken record but we had breakaways, we had three posts, you know, we had looks at the end in our six on five, six on four situation. You know, we had plenty of opportunities to score, we didn’t get it done.”

Sharks defenseman Ryan Merkley took a hit early in the first period after missing the mark with a drop pass in the Canucks zone. While he was getting to the bench, the Canucks went the other way and scored. He left the game until late in the period. Boughner discussed the hit and the play:

“I thought [the hit] looked a little high. Concerned about that, also concerned about the play. In the back of our net, that’s how we start the game. Things that we’re trying to get out of his game, out of our game. He’s a young guy. But I think that he got hit high, I looked at it a few times. He went through protocol, got checked out, it was good to see him come back healthy and ready to help us. But those are learning plays.”

Jason Dickinson gave the Canucks the lead just 2:05 into the first period. He intercepted a pass in the Sharks zone and went the other way two-on-one. He tucked the puck into the net at the last minute after Kahkonen had come too far out of the net.

Tomas Hertl tied it at 7:33 with a power play goal. Erik Karlsson set up Timo Meier for a shot from the circle. Demko stopped Meier’s shot but the rebound went right to Hertl on the other side. Assists went to Meier and Karlsson.

Conor Garland made it 2-1 at 4:49 of the second period. Garland picked up the puck at the Sharks blue line and went the other way with speed. He took the shot from the circle and to score his 15th of the season. Alex Chiasson got the assist.

Nick Bonino, playing his 750th NHL game, deflected a Brent Burns shot from the point to tie it at 18:37. Assists went to Burns and Noah Gregor.

Alex Chiasson made it 3-2 at 2:07 of the third period. He caught the puck low in the circle and put the shot through the short side. Assists went to Bo Horvat and Tyler Myers.

Luke Schenn scored a short-handed goal into and empty net with a second left in the game to make it 4-2.

The Sharks killed seven penalties in the game, allowing 12 shots to the Canucks power play. The Sharks power play had five opportunities and got one goal and five shots. In the face-off circle, the Sharks won 55% of the draws.

The Sharks next play on Tuesday in Nashville against the Predators at 5:00 PM PT.

Sharks Fall 2-1 in OT to Oilers, Three Injured Blocking Shots

Published on by M WalshLeave a comment


Edmonton Oilers goaltender Mike Smith (41) blocks a shot by San Jose Sharks left wing Alexander Barabanov (94) as Tyson Barrie (22) at the SAP Center in San Jose on Tue Apr 5, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

SAN JOSE- The San Jose Sharks fell 2-1 in overtime to the Edmonton Oilers Tuesday at SAP Center. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Connor McDavid scored for the Oilers and Mike Smith made 31 saves for the win. Tomas Hertl scored for the Sharks and James Reimer made 22 saves in the loss.

Tomas Hertl scored the first goal of the game on the power play at 15:32. Hertl caught a pass from Brent Burns on the blue line and scored with a one-timer through the short side. Assists went to Burns and Timo Meier.

After the game, Sharks Head Coach Bob Boughner said:

“We did everything we needed to do five-on-five. It’s one of our best, most solid games in a long time and, you know, a little bit the story of our year. You know, out-chanced the team, we had so many chances, Smith plays great and you can’t get that second goal you need.”

Sharks goaltender James Reimer said: “Good game. I think both teams played hard, played well. Unfortunately someone has got to lose.”

The Sharks held that lead until mid-way through the third period, when Ryan Nugent-Hopkins tied the game with a short-handed goal. The Sharks had spent over a minute trying to set up their power play when the Oilers attacked in numbers. They moved the puck across the ice three times before Nugent-Hopkins took the shot from in close. Assists went to Zach Hyman and Darnell Nurse.

Connor McDavid scored the game winner 31 seconds into overtime. Mike Smith caught Brent Burns’ shot and made a pass to McDavid who was on his way up the ice. McDavid scored with a back hand past Reimer’s glove.

John Leonard was injured blocking a shot on his first shift of the second period. The shot appeared to hit him in the ankle and he left the game. Jonah Gadjovich and Jaycob Megna both sustained injuries blocking shots late in the third period, within seconds of each other. Both stayed on the ice until the whistle blew, at which time Gadjovich went to the dressing room and Megna went to the bench.

The Sharks power play got three shots and a goal and gave up one goal. Their penalty kill gave up no shots and got one short handed shot. In the face-off circle, the Sharks won 54% of the draws. Timo Meier had nine shots on goal, nearly twice as many as the second most shots in the game, five from Logan Couture.

The Sharks next play on Thursday at home against the Calgary Flames at 7:30 PM PT.

Sharks Fall to Oilers 5-2, Kahkonen Makes 36 Saves in SJ Debut

Published on by M WalshLeave a comment

San Jose Sharks’ Noah Gregor (73) chases Edmonton Oilers’ Leon Draisaitl (29) during first-period at Rogers Place in Edmonton on Thu Mar 24, 2022 (Canadian Press photo via AP)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks lost to Oilers in Edmonton by a score of 5-2 Thursday. Kailer Yamamoto, Leon Draisaitl, Derick Brassard, and Evander Kane scored for the Oilers. Mike Smith made 28 saves for the win. Erik Karlsson and Tomas Hertl scored for the Sharks. Kaapo Kahkonen made 36 saves in the loss, his first appearance as a Shark.

Logan Couture left the game midway through the second period after being injured by a Brent Burns shot. The puck seemed to hit him in the side and the injury was described as upper-body. There were no specific updates after the game. Timo Meier, who left Tuesday’s game with a lower body injury, was on the ice Thursday.

The Sharks penalty kill was conspicuously less good on Thursday than it has been this season. They failed to kill either of the penalties they took. That is in part due to the absence of regular penalty killers, Jake Middleton and Andrew Cogliano who were traded Monday and Matt Nieto who is still injured.

After the game, Sharks Head Coach Bob Boughner said: “We’re using a lot of different faces in our penalty kill and you could see that tonight.” Some of those new faces included Rudolfs Balcers, Sasha Chmelevski and Noah Gregor.

Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson did not think the penalty kill was terrible: “They’re one of the best power plays in the league, I think they showed that today. The goals that they scored are high-skilled goals. There’s nothing you can do about it sometimes.”

Karlsson scored the first goal of the game at 1:08 of the second period. After cleaning up an odd-man rush the other way that started with a broken stick in the Oilers’ zone, Karlsson got the puck to Timo Meier by the blue line, then skated in. Meier passed the puck across the ice to Tomas Hertl, who sent it back across the ice to Karlsson by the net for the shot.

Kailer Yamamoto tied it up at 4:34 with a power play goal. The Oilers got past the Sharks at the blue line and Yamamoto was in a shooting position before the Sharks could get back. Assists went to Ryan McLeod and Duncan Keith.

Leon Draisaitl scored at 7:39. Zack Kassian got the puck off of Erik Karlsson’s stick by giving him a shove in the hip and throwing him off balance. That went uncalled as Draisaitl skated by and took the puck to the net to score. After the game, Karlsson said, of the incident: “That’s hockey, it’s going to happen.”

Derick Brassard made it 3-1 at 6:49 of the third period. Brassard thew the puck at the net from the blue line. At first it seemed to go off of Ryan-Nugent Hopkins as he dove for the net. It did not hit him as it bounced over the line. Assists went to Jesse Puljujarvi and Evan Bouchard.

Tomas Hertl cut the Oilers lead down to one with a goal at 7:18. Timo Meier Had the puck on his was to the goal line and he found Hertl in the slot with a pass. Hertl shot it past three Oilers and past Smith of the stick side. Assists went to Meier and Karlsson.

Leon Darisaitl scored his second of the night at 13:55, on the power play. Zach Hyman caught a cross- ice pass from Connor McDavid and sent the puck to the net for Draisaitl to tuck into the net.

Evander Kane scored into an empty net at 17:18, with assists to McDavid and Yamamoto.

The Sharks were outshot 41-30 and won 49% of the face-offs. Their power play had four shots in two opportunities.

The Sharks next play on Saturday at home against the Anaheim Ducks at 7:30 PM PT.

Sharks Lose 3-0 to Kings; First LA win over San Jose this year

Published on by M WalshLeave a comment

San Jose Sharks right wing Timo Meier (28) and Los Angeles Kings defenseman Sean Durzi (50) battle for the puck in the first period at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Thu Mar 17, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

LOS ANGELES- The San Jose Sharks were shutout 3-0 by the Los Angeles Kings Thursday. Anze Kopitar, Phillip Danault and Adrian Kempe scored for the Kings. Cal Petersen made 29 saves for the win. James Reimer made 24 saves in the loss.

On Wednesday, Tomas Hertl signed an eight-year contract extension with the Sharks. The contract is worth just over eight million per year, which will make him the second-highest paid player on the team next season.

In a press release from the Sharks, Assistant General Manager Joe Will said:

“By agreeing to this contract, Tomas is cementing his path with the Sharks, following in the footsteps of some incredible players who have worn the Sharks crest. He has shown that he wants to play in San Jose for years to come and it shows his dedication to the organization and community since he joined the team in 2012. We are thrilled to have Tomas for another eight years.”

That is great news for the Sharks, but it did not show in the game Thursday. They took a season high six penalties in the game and lost to Los Angeles for the first time this season. It was also the first time the Sharks have been shutout in Los Angeles since 2011. Tomas Hertl, however, did lead the team in shots with six.

The first period was scoreless with just one penalty called to the Sharks. The Kings out-shot the Sharks 10-6, but the Sharks won 71% of the face-offs.

Anze Kopitar started the scoring at 6:57 of the second period with a power play goal. Just above the circle, he caught a pass from Sean Durzi and put the puck past Reimer on the stick side with a hard wrist shot. It was Kopitar’s first goal in eleven games.

Phillip Danault made it 2-0 at 16:27. Durzi took the intial shot from the blue line and Reimer stopped that up high. The rebound went off to his left and Danault was there to take the shot before Reimer could reset. Assists went to Durzi and Trevor Moore.

To start the Sharks’ sixth penalty kill of the night, five minutes into the third, Tomas Hertl broke away for a short-handed shot. While he was doing that, Danault slashed him and was called for it. The slash actually wrapped around Hertl’s arm and stick, and could have easily been called a penalty shot. The officials did not agree, but did call the slash, neutralizing the Kings power play.

The Kings made it 3-0 with an empty net goal at 17:03 from Adrian Kempe.

Despite all of the penalties, the Sharks out-shot the Kings 29-27. The teams were dead even in the face-off circle. Their power play had three opportunities and six shots. Their penalty kill gave up nine shots and goal.

The Sharks next play on Friday, back in San Jose, against the Colorado Avalanche at 7:30 PM PT.