Kings Pulverize Sharks 8-1, SJ’s Lund Scores Again

San Jose Sharks goaltender Alexander Georgiev had a busy evening trying to stop Los Angeles Kings shots. Here the Kings Adrian Kempe scores on Georgiev in the second period at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Sun Mar 30, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks fell 8-1 on Sunday night, losing to the NHL’s best home team at this point in the season: the Los Angeles Kings. Phillip Danault, Adrian Kempe (2), Trevor Moore, Warren Foegele (2), Andrei Kuzmenko and Trevor Lewis scored for the Kings.

David Rittich made 22 saves in the win for LA. Cam Lund scored for the Sharks, his second in his third NHL game. It was also the second time Lund scored the Sharks’ only goal in a loss. Georgi Romanov made 28 saves in the loss.

While the Kings held a significant advantage in the standings over the Sharks, they had incentive to win. First, the Sharks were leading the series due to some wins early in the season. Secondly, the Kings are racing the Oilers for home ice in the playoffs. They were not likely to drop this game.

The Kings scored first, just at the expiration of a power play at 5:35 of the first period. Quinton Byfield caught Trevor Moore’s pass from below the goal line and sent it across the ice to Phillip Danault for a slap shot goal.

The Sharks had a two man advantage for over 90 seconds at 10:37 but could not convert. They were hampered by missed shots and failure to keep the puck in Los Angeles got a power play shortly after the Sharks’ one expired.

Adrian Kempe scored during the final seconds of that power play, making it 2-0 at 15:13. Anze Kopitar set Kempe up by carrying the puck to the net and then passing it back out to Kempe for a snap shot. Drew Doughty also earned an assist.

At the end of the first period, the shots were 8-7 Los Angeles.

The Sharks were back in the penalty box less than three minutes into the second period, after Cam Lund tripped Quinton Byfield. This time, the Sharks killed the penalty and pushed back hard enough to score.

Cam Lund came out of the box and gathered up the puck by the Sharks blue line, then went the other way. He dropped it to Ferraro just inside the zone and went to the net. There, he caught the rebound created by Ferraro’s shot and put it away.

Three minutes later, Trevor Moore made it 3-1 with a wrist shot. Assists went to Kopitar and Andrei Kuzmenko.

Less than three minutes later, the Kings were back on the power play with Ferraro in the box for hooking Kempe. The Sharks killed that off and, 12 seconds later, Ferraro went back to the box for tripping Kevin Fiala.

Late in that power play, Warren Foegele made it 4-1 with a third power play goal. Assists went to Brandt Clarke and Byfield.

In the last minute of the second period, Foegele scored his second of the night with a redirected shot that trickled under Romanov. Mikey Anderson and Drew Doughty got the assists.

With just 23 seconds left in the period, Kempe scored his second of the night. Vladislav Gavrikov and Andrei Kuzmenko got the assists.

The shots were 17-8 Kings during the second period.

Almost four minutes into the third period, a fight resulted in multiple penalties, giving the Sharks a power play. They could not convert but they had a chance to stem the bleeding.

At 14:49 of the third, Andrei Kuzmenko scored with a wrist shot from high in the slot, shooting through two Sharks defenders and over Romanov’s shoulder. Assists went to Kopitar and Gavrikov.

At 15:22, Trevor Lewis made it 8-1 with a wrist shot. Assists went to Jacob Moverare and Jordan Spence.

A giveaway by the Sharks gave Romanov a chance to stop a breakaway by Jeff Malott, one-on-one. He did so.

Roster notes: Jimmy Schuldt unavailable to play, but Marc-Edouard Vlasic returned to the lineup for his 18th game of the season on his 38th birthday. This game was Romanov’s second career NHL start and his fifth NHL appearance.

The Sharks next play on Tuesday at 7:00 PM PT in Anaheim against the Ducks.

Still Winless, Sharks Fall 3-2 to Kings; Foegele scores twice for LA

San Jose Sharks center Luke Kunin (11) fights Los Angeles Kings left wing Andre Lee (47) with Kings defenseman Joel Edmundson (6) behind and holding Kunin in the first period Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Thu Oct 24, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks fell 3-2 to the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday. Jordan Spence and Warren Foegele scored for the Kings and Mikael Granlund scored for the Sharks. David Rittich made 24 saves for the win. Mackenzie Blackwood made 27 saves in the loss. The loss gave the Sharks the dubious honor of being the second team in NHL history to lose the first eight games of the season in consecutive seasons.

All three of the Kings’ goals were scored in just over seven minutes during the first period. After the game, Sharks Head Coach Ryan Warsofsky said: “Just can’t do that in the first period in this league. We did some good things in the second and third. We’re still giving up too many chances.”

Sharks forward Fabian Zetterlund talked about how the team played better in the second and third periods: “When we move the puck and we actually make plays and have fun, you know, that’s part of [hockey]. When we do [that] kind of stuff we look like a really good hockey team.”

Jordan Spence gave the Kings the lead at 4:31. After some back and forth in the neutral zone, Trevor Moore got control of the puck and the Kings skated up ice at speed. Just inside the zone, Moore passed the puck to Spence for a snap shot. Phillip Danault also got an assist.

Warren Foegele made it 2-0 at 8:47, poking the puck past Blackwood and Henry Thrun in a net-front battle. An assist went to Alex Laferriere.

Foegele scored his second at 11:36, tipping a shot from Brandt Clarke just below the blue line. Laferriere also got an assist.

At the end of the first period, the Sharks had been outshot 17-7, but they had not been short-hamded yet. They did get two power plays.

Mikael Granlund got the Sharks on the board with a power play goal at 10:05 of the second period. Catching a pass from Jack Thompson, Granlund put the puck in the top corner with a wrist shot. Alexander Wennberg also got an assist.

In the second period, the Sharks took two penalties and had two power plays. The shots were even at seven each.

Granlund scored a second power play goal in the final minute of the game with a wrist shot from above the faceoff circle. Assists went to Thompson and Wennberg.

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

Oilers Rout Sharks 9-2, McDavid Earns 100th Point of Season

The San Jose Sharks William Eklund (72) taking a shot that was blocked by the Edmonton Oilers Evan Bouchard (2) in the third period at Rogers Place in Edmonton on Mon Apr 16, 2024 (The Canadian Press via AP)

By Mary Walsh

Connor McDavid, Adam Henrique, Warren Foegele, Dylan Holloway, Corey Perry, Cody Ceci, Evan Bouchard scored for the Oilers. Stuart Skinner made 19 saves for the 9-2 win over the San Jose Sharks at Rogers Place in Edmonton. Connor McDavid earned his 100th assist of the season in the game, only the second Oiler and the fourth NHL player to do so.

Danil Gushchin and Fabian Zetterlund scored for the Sharks. Mikael Granlund extended his point streak to 12 games with an assist. Devin Cooley made 14 saves on 22 shots before being pulled in the second period. Georgi Romanov made 15 on 16 shots saves in his NHL debut.

For the third time this season, the Sharks allowed nine or more goals. After the game, Sharks Head Coach David Quinn said: “We never looked like we were really… thought we had a chance. That’s kinda what it felt like. We were slow, very slow in everything that we were doing. We were losing a lot of battles and it was a lot of hesitation in our game.”

Sharks defenseman Mario Ferraro said: “That was really what I thought went wrong today, is we maybe looked at the lineup on the other end and we played scared in the first period. And obviously it was a snowball effect.”

Sharks center Luke Kunin talked about the disappointing game and how the team let goaltender Devin Cooley down: “We didn’t help him out at all. With the odd-mans, how many looks he was getting, with the way that we started the game. You know, try to say a few things to him, obviously he’s a competitive guy as well, it wasn’t his fault by any means.”

Connor McDavid started the scoring just 53 seconds into the first period. McDavid carried the puck into the zone at speed and as he approached the goal line, he centered the puck for Zach Hyman. The pass did not get through. Instead, it hit Marc-Edouard Vlasic and went into the net. An assist went to Darnell Nurse.

Adam Henrique made it 2-0 at 4:01. Catching a Brett Kulak pass from the blue line, Henrique settled the puck down in traffic before lifting it over Cooley for the goal.

Warren Foegele added another at 10:40. Skating in two-on-one with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Foegele scored with a wrist shot from inside the faceoff circle. An assist went to Leon Draisaitl.

At this point, the Sharks still only had one shot on goal. By the end of the period, they had six shots ot the Oilers’ 10.

At 19:35, Dylan Holloway tipped in the fourth Oilers goal off a shot from Adam Henrique. Assists to Henrique and Nurse.

The Sharks got on the board at 1:58 of the second period. Danil Gushchin took a shot from the goal line that snuck between the Skinner and the post. An assist went to Thomas Bordeleau.

Less than three minutes later, Foegele scored his second of the night to make it 5-1. Foegele redirected a shot from Nugent-Hopkins. Cooley stopped that but the puck got away from him and Foegele followed up and poked the puck over the line. Assists went to Nugent-Hopkins and Draisaitl.

Corey Perry made it 6-1 near the midpoint of the period. Evan Bouchard went for the shot and Cooley came out to stop it. But the puck went past him and Perry was lurking by the other post to poke the puck in. Assists went to Bouchard and Holloway.

Cody Ceci made it 7-1 at 13:18. Trailing the play and then going ot the net, Ceci redirected a pass from Henrique. Assists went to Henrique and Hyman.

Evan Bouchard made it 8-1, just 31 seconds later. In a play almost exactly like the prior one, Corey Perry sent the puck across the ice for Bouchard to redirect past Cooley on the glove side. Assists went to Perry and Holloway.

The Sharks pulled Cooley after that one and put rookie Georgi Romanov in net.

A little less than a minute later, Zach Hyman scored to make it 9-1. In another two-on-one, Connor McDavid and Hyman skated in. McDavid a short pass for Hyman to nudge in. Assists went to McDavid and Nurse.

That was it for the Oilers. The Sharks scored one in the third period. Mikael Granlund carried the puck in two-on-one with Fabian Zetterlund. Granlund took a shot while skating through center ice. Skinner stopped that. William Eklund got a stick on it but it did not go in. The puck bounced around in the blue paint before Zetterlund got his stick on it and scored with a backhand shot. Assists went to Eklund and Granlund.

The Sharks will play their final game of the season at 6:00 PM PT on Thursday in Calgary against the Flames.

NHL podcast with Len Shapiro: Senators say DeBrincat will not be traded; Walsh named NHLPA executive director; plus much more NHL news

Ottawa Senators 25 year old forward is off the table in trade considerations according the Senators GM Pierre Dorion. The Senators plan to negotiate a new deal with Dorion at the end of the season. (photo by nhl.com)

On the NHL podcast with Len:

#1 Alex DeBrincat of the Ottawa Senators will not be traded according to Senators general manager Pierre Dorion “We’ll see what happens before the end of the year and if we sign a contract with him before then. But he’s not getting traded.” said Dorion.

#2 Len, Martin J Walsh was unanimously voted by the NHL Players Association as the new executive director. Walsh succeeds former executive director Donald Fehr who held the position since December 2010. Walsh was the US Labor Secretary prior to joining President Joe Biden’s administration, Walsh also was the former Mayor of Boston and served 16 years in the House of Representatives. He will be the main negotiator for future collective bargaining agreements.

#3 Defenceman Olli Maatta of the Detroit Red Wings has signed a two year six million dollar contract with the Wings. Maatta has 17 points, five goals and 12 assists this season. Maatta who signed a one year $2.5 million deal back in July could have become a free agent after this season.

#4 Washington Capitals Alexander Ovechkin lost his father Mikhail at 71 years old. Ovechkin had been on leave from the Capitals since Tuesday and has asked for privacy for he and his family during this time. It’s never a good time to lose a family member how will this effect Ovechkin when he returns to the Capitals.

#5 The Edmonton Oilers are the club that are hot and heavy in pursuing San Jose Sharks defenceman Erik Karlsson. The Oilers are willing to part with defenceman Tyson Barrie, left wing Warren Foegele, defenceman Evan Bouchard, the Oilers further are willing to depart in the deal their 2023 NHL first round draft pick and 2024 second round draft pick.

Join Len Shapiro for the NHL podcasts each Thursday night at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sharks Shut Out at Home by Oilers 3-0

Edmonton Oilers left winger Evander Kane (91) tries got get the puck past San Jose Sharks goaltender James Reimer (47) at SAP Center in San Jose on Mon Feb 14, 2022 (AP News photo) 

By Mary Walsh

SAN JOSE– The Sharks resumed the season after a long break Monday, and lost to the Edmonton Oilers 3-0. Warren Foegele, Darnell Nurse and Connor McDavid scored for the Oilers and Stuart Skinner made 20 saves for the win. James Reimer made 36 saves for the Sharks.

The Sharks had not played a game since February 1. The All-Star break and the fact that the Sharks had so few games rescheduled meant that the Sharks went 12 days between games. After Monday’s game, Sharks Head Coach Bob Boughner said:

“I thought our legs were good in the first seven, eight, nine shifts of the period, you know, I thought had a little adrenaline. But as the game went on I think that you could see there wasn’t a lot of sharpness to our game. And that’s the worry after being on a break that long. But you’ve got to find ways at this time of year, and there’s no excuses. Those are big points we let go.”

Discussing the team’s offensive woes, Boughner said: “We just couldn’t generate any offense tonight. We looked like the more we tried the worse we got. You saw me trying to juggle lines, trying to get something going, nothing worked.”

The first period saw two quick goals from Edmonton. The first came at 6:05 from Warren Foegele. Evan Bouchard’s shot from the point went off of Derek Ryan and then Foegele before getting by Reimer.

The second goal came at 7:10 on a point shot through traffic from Darnell Nurse. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins got the assist.

The Oilers took two penalties in the period, one before they scored and one after. The Sharks power play had three shots and gave up one short-handed. The overall shot count for the period was very close, 11-10 Oilers.

In the second period, the numbers were much less close. Though the Oilers did not score in the second, they out-shot the Sharks 14-2. On paper, the Sharks took three penalties and the Oilers took two, but most of those overlapped to create abbreviated power plays and a five-on-three for the Oilers. The Oilers power play ended up with seven shots and the Sharks had none.

Connor McDavid scored to make it 3-0 at 1:50 of the third period. The Sharks seemd to have escaped an onslaught from the Oilers offense but just when thought they could get out of the zone, McDavid was on his way back in. He evaded Brent Burns and took a quick shot that went by Reimer on the blocker side. Evan Bouchard got the assist.

The only penalty in the third period went against the Oilers. The Sharks power play managed two shots. The count for the period was 16-8 Oilers. In the face-off circle, the Oilers had a small edge with 52% of the wins.

At the end of the second period, Rudolfs Balcers was injured blocking a puck and did not return to the game. There were no updates on his status immediately after the game.

In his first game against the Sharks as an Oiler, Evander Kane had 4 shots, one hit, no penalties and no points.

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