Tag: Vancouver Canucks

NHL podcast Jessica Kwong: Oilers have an offense that could make them #1 in West; Will the Bruins blue line help them make a push towards the post season; plus more news

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Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers has control of the puck at Rogers Place in Edmonton on Tue Dec 9, 2025 (Canadian Press via AP News)

NHL podcast Jessica Kwong:

#1 Can the Edmonton Oilers’ red-hot offense carry them to the top of the Western Conference?

#2 Will the Boston Bruins’ revamped blue line hold up through the playoff push?

#3 Is Connor Bedard poised to break franchise rookie records for the Chicago Blackhawks?

#4 Can the Vancouver Canucks maintain their surprising early-season dominance?

#5 Will the New York Rangers’ new coaching changes spark a deeper postseason run?

Jessica Kwong does the NHL podcasts every other Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose Sharks podcast Lincoln Juarez: Canucks-Sharks battle in gritty tight game; Number one star Askarov key to 3-2 San Jose win

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San Jose Sharks forward William Eklund (72) scored his sixth goal of the season in the second period against the Vancouver Canucks at SAP Center in San Jose on Fri Nov 29, 2025 (San Jose Sharks X photo)

San Jose Sharks podcast Lincoln Juarez:

#1 San Jose Sharks goaltender Yaroslav Askarov stopped 32 shots and allowed two goals in the Sharks 3-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks at SAP Arena in San Jose.

#2 The San Jose Sharks and Vancouver Canucks played a tight game on a Black Friday matinee. The game was mostly played in a one goal difference.

#3 Lincoln, let’s talk about that first period with the Canucks Bruce Boeser scoring the game’s first goal for his ninth goal of the season making it 1-0 at 4:28. The Sharks Will Smith scored tied up the game at 1-1 at 9:25.

#4 In the second period the Canucks Elias Patterson scored his eight goal of the season at 3:04 to break the deadlock making 2-1 Vancouver. The Sharks William Eklund scored his sixth goal of the season at 14:03 as the Sharks tied it up 2-2. The Sharks added another goal taking the lead when Adam Gaudette scored at 15:17 making it 3-2.

#5 Lincoln last few seconds of the game the Sharks Macklin Celebrini was hit for a cross checking Celebrini was unhappy about the cross check penalty and said some choice words to the on ice official going to the penalty box and was hit with a unsportsmanship conduct penalty.

#6 Then three Sharks were in the penalty Barclay Goodrow cross checking, Ty Dellandrea roughing joining Celebrini with 1.9 seconds left but the Sharks were able to pull it off coming away with a 3-2 win, improving their record to 12-10-3.

Lincoln Juarez does the San Jose Sharks podcasts Fridays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NHL podcast with Jessica Kwong: McDavid reaches milestone for Oilers; Pens drop 3-0 lead to Leafs; plus more news

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Edmonton Oilers Conner McDavid scored his 1100th career point against the St Louis Blues on Tue Nov 3, 2025 (USA Today file photo)

NHL podcast with Jessica Kwong:

#1 What milestone did Connor McDavid reach during the Edmonton Oilers-St. Louis Blues game, and why is it significant in the league history?

#2 How did the Toronto Maple Leafs manage to turn around their game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, and which player(s) catalyzed the comeback?

#3 What impact did rookie Ben Kindel have in the Penguins’ loss to the Maple Leafs, and what record or milestone did he achieve in that game?

#4 In the matchup between the Vancouver Canucks and the Nashville Predators, what situation did Vancouver overcome to win the game, and what does that say about their performance under pressure?

#5 Which two superstar forwards were set to face each other in the upcoming game between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Colorado Avalanche, and what was the added significance of that matchup according to the preview?

Jessica Kwong is an NHL podcast contributor at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sharks Lose 2-1 in OT to Canucks, Celebrini Scores 25th

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San Jose Sharks Macklin Celebrni (71) celebrates his second period goal with teammates Nikolai Kovalenko (15), Luca Cagnoni (42), and Tyler Toffoli (73) against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Center in Vancouver on Mon Apr 14, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks lost 2-1 in overtime to the Vancouver Canucks Monday. The loss is the tenth in a row for the Sharks, their longest of the season. Linus Karlsson and Jake DeBrusk scored for Vancouver. Nikita Tolopilo made 15 saves for the win. Macklin Celebrini took the lead in the rookie scoring race with his power play goal, despite having played many fewer games than his closest competition. Alexandar Georgiev made a heroic 35 saves in the loss.

After the game, Luca Cagnoni talked about earning an assist in a game after a late-night call up from the Barracuda: “It’s pretty special. It’s kind of funny how it works, you get two home-town guys playing and on the score sheet. It’s not what it’s all about but it’s a cool moment for sure.”

The story of the first period was Alexandar Georgiev, keeping the game scoreless despite a shot disparity of 12-3 for the Canucks. The Sharks had more time on the penalty kill with a double-minor against and one power play.

The first goal of the game came from Macklin Celebrini on a Sharks power play at 4:20 of the second period. Celebrini skated to the faceoff dot and beat Tolopilo with a wrist shot. Assists went to Tyler Toffoli and Luca Cagnoni.

The shots for the second period were even at seven. The Canucks took two minor penalties and the Sharks took one.

The Canucks tied the game at 9:02 of the third period. Linus Karlsson beat Celebrini to the Sharks net and put away a rebound off a shot from Teddy Blueger. An assist also went to Drew O’Connor.

The Canucks made a valiant push, outshooting the Sharks 10-5 in the third, but could not get that second goal. The Sharks took two penalties in the third and had no power plays.

That shot disparity continued into overtime, 8-1 Canucks. It took them 4:42 to score but they finally did, as a puck came off the end boards and landed perfectly for Jake DeBrusk to shoot it under Georgiev. Assists went to Brock Boeser and Quinn Hughes.

The Sharks will play their final game of the season in San Jose against the Oilers on Wednesday at 7:30 PM PT.

Cooley and Guenther Lead Utah HC to 2-1 Victory Over Vancouver

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Vancouver Canucks left winger Kiefer Sherwood (44) moves the puck against the Utah Hockey Club right winger Dylan Guenther (11) in the second period at Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Sun Feb 23, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–Logan Cooley and Dylan Guenther each found the back of the net, and Karel Vejmelka stopped 15 of 16 shots, as Utah wins first game back at Delta Center following the 4 Nations Face-Off.

It had been 17 days since Utah Hockey Club last played on home ice in a 3-2 overtime victory against the Philadelphia Flyers. Since then they have split four games on the road, going 2-1 prior to the 4 Nations Face-Off and then losing Saturday’s matchup against the Kings in Los Angeles wherein Barrett Hayton recorded the first hat trick in Utah HC history, the first of Hayton’s career.

With two power play goals in the game, Utah had converted four straight times with the man advantage. Defenseman Sean Durzi returned in that game from a 52-game absence and assisted on one of Hayton’s goals. Upon returning to Salt Lake City, Durzi suited up for his first game at Delta Center since opening night on October 8 against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Out of the lineup on Sunday night was defenseman Juuso Välimäki who was waived earlier in the day due to the returns of John Marino and Sean Durzi from long-term injuries. If Välimäki clears waivers, he will likely be assigned to Utah’s AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners. Though named to Finland’s roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off, he was a healthy scratch for all three of their games in the tournament.

Following a scoreless first period, Vancouver went on the power play early in the second when Logan Cooley went to the sin bin for hooking against Jake DeBrusk. DeBrusk cashed it in at 1:43 of the frame for his 21st of the season, assisted by Elias Pettersson and Pius Suter. Cooley redeemed himself just two minutes later with his 16th of the season, tipping in a shot from John Marino with an additional assist to Clayton Keller.

At 13:01 of the third period, Vancouver’s Derek Forbort went to the penalty box for holding against Michael Corcone. On the ensuing power play, Dylan Guenther tipped in a perfect pass from Nick Schmaltz for his 21st goal of the season, with Keller picking up his 43rd assist.

In net, Karel Vejmelka turned away 15 of 16 Canuck shots to earn his 13th victory of the season.

After the game, Dylan Guenther addressed the importance of beginning the four-game homestand with a win. “Yeah, it’s huge. I mean, everyone was kind of on a back to back, so we’re all a little tired, but just finding ways to win games I think builds our confidence in those tight ones and just use that moving forward.” Speaking of the team’s power play, Guenther continued, “I thought … we did a pretty good job on all three in the first, just couldn’t score. And then, I mean, just a really nice play by Schmaltzy. I didn’t even really see it, to be honest, but I was just kind of posted up there and he gave me a nice pass.”

Utah has struggled to maintain leads in the third period, and head coach André Tourigny talked about the final five minutes of tonight’s game. “I think we did a good job. I think there’s always things you can do a little bit better. But I like our mindset, I like our composure, our compete level, our urgency. So I like a lot of stuff. I’m happy.” Addressing the stingy defense, Tourigny said, “It’s (the) effort of everybody. Normally, when you have that kind of a defensive performance, it’s because you (also) play really good offensively. Possess the puck, you put it on their heels. I cannot say that about the way we played offensively today. I think we didn’t have our execution. We didn’t generate as much speed as we do lately. But I like the point of how we played defensively. We blocked shots, we were stingy in our neutral zone, stingy in our (defensive) zone. So there’s a lot of positive (in) the way we played without the puck today.”

Utah has three more games on this homestand beginning with the return of the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday, Utah’s inaugural season opening night opponent whom they defeated 5-2 in October.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa: Sharks take on Stars tonight in effort to end three game skid

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San Jose Sharks goaltender Vitek Vanecek (41) puts a stop on the Vancouver Canucks left wing Drew O’Connor (left) in the second period at SAP Center in San Jose on Thu Feb 6, 2025 (AP News photo)

San Jose podcast with Mary Lisa:

#1 The Vancouver Canucks Drew O’Connor scored on a penalty shot 33 seconds into the overtime stanza as the Canucks got by the San Jose Sharks 2-1 on Thursday night. O’Connor got to make the penalty shot after the Sharks Macklin Celebrini got called for a hooking penalty.

#2 The Canucks Dakota Joshua scored at 8:04 on a power play to get the Canucks on the scoreboard with the lead 1-0.

#3 The Sharks were behind 1-0 in the third period when Tyler Toffoli tied up the game at 1-1 with his 20th goal of the season at 18:32.

#4 Vancouver goaltender Thatcher Demko was looking for his second shutout in a row but will settle for the win and 33 saves. The Sharks Vitek Vanecek stopped 22 Vancouver shots.

#5 Dallas Stars are second in the central division this is a team that is on a roll with a 38-18-1 with 69 points only behind the mighty Winnipeg Jets. They’re in San Jose tonight how do you see the Sharks chances?

Join Mary Lisa for Sharks podcasts each Saturdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sharks Fell Short Again in OT Loss Against the Canucks

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Drew O’Connor shot on goal on Vitek Vanecek during overtime at SAP Center in San Jose on Feb 6 (Vancouver Canucks Archive.)

After a painful loss against the Habs, the Sharks have to find a way to get back on track… It did not come Thursday night against the Vancouver Canucks.

By: Fernando Abarca

SAN JOSE –– Thursday night action at the tank and once again the Sharks hosted a Canadian neighbor, the Vancouver Canucks the Sharks wound up losing by another one goal game this time 2-1. Last time at the Tank, the Sharks lost against the Montreal Canadiens with a 4-3 score, with the Habs scoring the goal that gave them the victory in the final minutes of the third, leaving no time for the Sharks to recover last Tuesday night.

The Canucks won their last game against the Avalanche going through a long stretch of winless games since Jan 18, when the Canucks played the Edmonton Oilers. The Sharks added another loss and have gone winless since Jan 14, when the Teal played Detroit.

During the first two periods of the game, the game remained scoreless. Worth mentioning that the first 40 minutes of the game were full of penalties

Both teams were very balanced and even throughout the match. It is worth noting that San Jose was more aggressive during the second period, showing heart and attitude.
Vancouver was under pressure, but Vitek Vanecek had a great performance after being absent from the team since Dec 14.

The action began to be seen in the third period with a goal at 14:40 with a goal by the visitors at 14:40 when Dakota Joshua, with a tip-in shot on a PowerPlay, took the lead 1-0 assisted by Pius Suter and Tyler Myers.

The game looked like it wasn’t going to end 1-0, and just as it looked, it ended up being that way, with Tyler Toffoli scoring with 1.28 left in regulation to give San Jose some life and a chance.

The chance for the long-awaited victory fell short, and this time, the star, Macklin Celebrini, was marked with a penalty for hooking against Drew O’Connor. O’Connor scored an unassisted scored his second goal for Vancouver, and the game winner to call it a night.

With this loss, San Jose is on the verge of going a full month with no victories. The Sharks will host a final game at home against Dallas, with the possible homecoming of former Sharks of Cody Ceci and Mikael Grandlund before the 4 Nations break.

Sharks Fall 4-3 to Canucks, Demko 12-0 Against Sharks

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Vancouver Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko (35) puts the stop on a shot by the San Jose Sharks in the first period at Rogers Center in Vancouver on Mon Dec 23, 2024 (Canadian Press via AP)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks fell 4-3 to the Vancouver Canucks Monday in the last game before Christmas. Brock Boeser, Kiefer Sherwood and Elias Pettersson scored for the Canucks, with Pettersson scoring twice. Thatcher Demko made 26 saves for the win. William Eklund, Cody Ceci and Luke Kunin scored for the Sharks. Yaroslav Askarov made 20 saves in the loss.

The win was Thatcher Demko’s 12th against the Sharks, maintaining a perfect record against San Jose. While the Sharks improved their third period performance, a brief collapse in the second period was the difference in the game. After the game, Barclay Goodrow talked about that collapse:

“A couple pucks we didn’t get deep, I failed to get behind their D, they turn it up, it’s in the back of our net. That created momentum for their team and next thing you know they’ve scored three. Obviously if we don’t have that little stretch in the game it might be a different outcome.”

Shortly after being hit hard into the boards by Tyler Myers, William Eklund scored the first goal of the game. On a five-on-three power play, Eklund took the shot from the faceoff circle through traffic. Assists went to Mikael Granlund and Macklin Celebrini. The goal was scored at 11:36 of the first period.

Brock Boeser tied the game at 14:10. Skating to the net, he tipped in a shot from Quinn Hughes. An assist also went to Vincent Desharmais.

Though Eklund played through the period, he did not return after the first intermission.

The Sharks outshot the Canucks 10-6 in the first period. Each team took two penalties and a fighting major.

Kiefer Sherwood gave the Canucks a lead at 16:42 of the second period. Sherwood skated into the Sharks zone and shot around Henry Thrun. Assists went to Teddy Blueger and Nils Hoglander.

Elias Pettersson scored Vancouver’s third goal of the game at 17:08 of the period. The Sharks challenged the goal for goaltender interference. While Connor Garland made some contact with Askarov, the NHL upheld the call on the ice, putting the Sharks on the penalty kill.

The Canucks made it 4-1 on that power play. Elias Pettersson Had too much time to pick his shot and he used it to put the puck in the top corner. Assists went to J.T. Miller and Quinn Hughes.

Vancouver outshot the Sharks 14-6 in the second period. Early in the third period, Henry Thrun took a shot to the face and had to leave the ice for repairs. He did return to the game with a gash on hi8s forehead. Elias Pettersson took one shift in the third period and then left the game.

Cody Ceci made it 4-2 with a shot from the point at 4:21 of the third period. Demko almost stopped it but it trickled through. An assist went to Fabian Zetterlund.

With just under 2:30 to go, the Sharks pulled Askarov for an extra skater. With six seconds left in the game, Luke Kunin caught a rebound and shot it in from a tight angle. Assists went to Celebrini and Toffoli.

The Sharks outshot the Canucks 14-4 in the third period.

The Sharks next play on Friday at 7:30 PM PT in San Jose against the Vegas Golden Knights.

With 3-2 Overtime Comeback Victory Over Vancouver, There’s Finally No Place Like Home For Utah HC 

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The Utah Hockey Club’s Mikhail Sergachev is thrilled to score the winning overtime goal against the Vancouver Canucks at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Wed Dec 18, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–Utah snaps a 5-game home losing skid with a thrilling 3rd period comeback and overtime win against the Vancouver Canucks 3-2.

The last time Utah Hockey Club won at home was five weeks ago, November 13, against the Carolina Hurricanes.  Coming into Wednesday night’s matchup with the Vancouver Canucks, Utah had lost five consecutive home games while winning six in a row on the road including the most recent two against Colorado and San Jose.  Utah had scored four or more goals in each of their last five games.  

The first period ended as a scoreless draw, with Utah netminder Karel Vejmelka turning away all four of Vancouver’s shots, and Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko turning away nine from Utah. The two squads split the period’s faceoffs with each team winning 11 of 22.

At 8:41 of the second period, Vancouver defenseman Erik Brännström committed a holding penalty against center Logan Cooley, but Utah was unable to capitalize.  Just three seconds following the penalty kill, Utah defenseman Michael Kesselring went to the sin bin for interference against Canuck winger Conor Garland, and with just five seconds remaining in Vancouver’s power play Danton Heinen found the back of the net to give the Canucks a 1-0 lead, assisted by Quinn Hughes.

Dakota Joshua put Vancouver up 2-0 early in the third period going the length of the ice on a breakaway, assisted by Teddy Blueger and Quinn Hughes.  Utah appeared to be pressing to overcome their home arena blues, resulting in some sloppy moments in the offensive zone. 

Nearly halfway into the period, Captain Clayton Keller gave Utah life with his 11th goal of the season, assisted by Nick Schmaltz and Barrett Hayton. With less than five minutes remaining in the game, Canucks defenseman Tyler Myers cross-checked Keller to give Utah a critical power play opportunity which was cashed in just 22 seconds later by Dylan Guenther, assisted by Keller and Logan Cooley, keeping hope alive for a potential end the home losing streak.

As the crowd roared in overtime, the two squads exchanged numerous potential game-ending scoring chances with multiple rushes.  In the end, however, it was Utah defenseman Mikhail Sergachev who came through in the clutch with his 8th goal of the season, assisted by Cooley, to secure the victory.  Utah has now won 5 of its last 6 games.  

Defenseman Mikhail Sergachev spoke with media in the locker room afterward.  “Yeah, it feels good. Finally we got two at home. It feels great. I don’t think we have won at home in a month or so, you know, obviously a big one.”’ Responding to a question about transitioning road success to home success, Sergachev added, “Yeah, it’s just overall play. It’s not like at home we’re not trying. We’re trying a little more, and gripping the sticks sometimes, trying to get a win. But I’m just proud of the group coming from behind. We were down two nothing. Big goals, obviously a big power-play goal, kind of lucky, but we take those, and obviously big in overtime.  …  We’re growing as a group. You know, we’re a young group, but we can make the playoffs. We can play in the playoffs. We can play against playoff teams. We show it on a nightly basis, so we just have to put 60 minutes together and play like that every night.”

Captain Clayton Keller weighed in on getting the home win. “Yeah, it feels good. I think we had a good start, and in the second, we were a little sloppy. We gave them a lot of chances just from our mistakes and maybe forcing a little bit. But, similar to that Minnesota game, I think we regrouped after the second and wanted to have a good start. And I think it’s good, power play gets a goal, and we get a five on five, and great playing in overtime. A lot of players stepped up and made big plays at key times.”  What was the turning point? “I don’t know, maybe after we got the first one, and then we killed off a penalty there. Sergey (Sergachev) makes an unbelievable block on the one timer there that maybe saves a goal for us, and it’s great to see him get the winner as well.”

Earlier in the day, team owner Ryan Smith posted to X, “My treat…we’re opening up single goal view seats which we typically don’t open. Use the link to get 2 free tix for tonight. First come, first served. Let’s pack the barn!” About 2,000 tickets were given away in less than an hour.

Head coach André Tourigny commented on Smith making tickets free and the atmosphere. “That means a lot for the player. You want to be supported, you want to feel like you belong. It means a lot for the coach. It means a lot to everybody. The reaction tonight from the fans, from the first period, from the moment Keller scored, the overtime, don’t tell me you don’t have goosebumps. That was cool, that’s what you love.”

This game marked the conclusion of four straight one-game homestands for Utah. Following this coming Friday night’s game in Minnesota, Utah will return for three consecutive home games beginning on Sunday against the Anaheim Ducks at 3:00pm MST.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa: Sharks back on track host Canucks tonight at SAP

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San Jose Sharks center Will Smith (2) is congratulated taking a skating lap in front of the Sharks bench after scoring a second period goal against the Chicago Blackhawks at SAP Center on Thu Oct 31, 2024 (AP News photo)

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa:

#1 San Jose Sharks Will Smith who scored twice on Thursday night against the Chicago Blackhawks in a 3-2 win inspiring the Sharks who picked up their third straight win at SAP Center.

#2 After losing nine straight the Sharks winning three straight face a Blackhawks teams who were struggling losing five of their last six games.

#3 Smith had such a good game in the middle of the second period scored what would be the winning goal with a wrister on a shot that deflected for a goal off the crossbar.

#4 Mary, talk about the goaltenders in this one for the Blackhawks Petr Mrazek stopped 26 of 29 shots and allowed three goals for the Sharks MacKenzie Blackwood stopped 26 of 28 shots and allowed two goals in a very close game.

#5 The Sharks host the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night for a 7:00pm PT. The Canucks after winning three straight have dropped their last two on Monday night to the Carolina Hurricanes in overtime 4-3 and getting shellacked by the New Jersey Devils at Rogers Centre in Vancouver 6-0. The Sharks are coming into Saturday’s game with momentum and the Canucks are coming off a couple of loses how do you see this one tonight?

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