San Jose Sharks podcast with Len Shapiro: Grier wasting no time cleaning house in San Jose

Former San Jose Shark Brent Burns traded to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange of two players on Wed Jul 13, 2022 was some of a few new moves that general manager Mike Grier has made since taking over (AP News file photo)

On the San Jose Sharks podcast with Len:

#1 New San Jose Sharks general manager Mike Grier has definitely made his presence known with changing at head of scouting out with Doug Wilson Jr and in with Doug Weight and Wednesday with Brent Burns to Carolina for forwards Steven Lorentz and goaltender prospect Eetu Makinemi and a conditional 2023 third round pick.

#2 The Hurricanes will pick up 66% of Burns contract while the Sharks have 34% of the remaining contract.

#3 Grier said that he wants to go a little bit younger. Grier said Burns had a great career and wishes him good luck.

#4 Grier said at one time he was in Burn’s position and said Burns has a better chance to win a cup with Carolina.

#5 Burns waived his no trade clause saying it was sad leaving San Jose leaving teammates, the city, fans, and said it’s just exciting to go to Carolina.

Len is an analyst on NHL podcasts for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sharks Fall 5-2 to the Ducks in Final Home Game of 21-22 Season

Anaheim Ducks left wing Max Comtois (44) gets a floating corner shot top shelf goal against San Jose Sharks goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen (34) at SAP Center in San Jose on Tue Apr 26, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

SAN JOSE- The San Jose Sharks fell 5-2 to the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday. The Ducks got goals from Trevor Zegras, Max Comtois, Josh Mahura, and Zach Aston-Reese. Anthony Stolarz made 31 saves for the win. Brent Burns and Scott Reedy scored for the Sharks. Kaapo Kahkonen made 26 saves in the loss.

After the game, Sharks Head Coach Bob Boughner talked about the loss:

“I just thought the longer the game went on, I was okay with our game, I really was. It felt like they capitalized on their chances and we didn’t. Stolarz played well. I just thought it was one of those games, it would have been nice to win our last home game but I think that we just couldn’t find that goal we needed early.”

Scott Reedy has now played 33 games with the Sharks and has six goals. He scored four of those since April 14, showing major improvement at the NHL level. Boughner talked about what Reedy brings to the team:

“He’s got a knack around that net. Sometimes you can’t teach that, that hand-eye. He sticks around there. He scored 18 in 30-something games in the American League, and he comes here and he’s got six all of a sudden. You’d like to see what he could do at this level for a whole year.”

Trevor Zegras gave the Ducks an early lead with a power play goal at 4:05. His shot went over Kahkonen’s shoulder on the short side and lodged between the net and the camera, so hardly anyone realized he had scored until they could not find the puck out on the ice. Adam Henrique got an assist.

At 6:47, Troy Terry seemed to score but the goal was called back after a review. The puck had been directed with a distinct kicking motion.

Max Comtois made it 2-0 for real at 5:26 of the second period. Comtois carried the puck into the zone and then dropped it back to a trailing Kevin Shattenkirk. Shattenkirk passed it back for Comtois to take the shot. The puck went up over Kahkonen’s shoulder on the short side, again. Assists went to Shattenkirk and Simon Benoit.

Sonny Milano made it 3-0 less than a minute later. Troy Terry brought the puck into the zone and then made a drop pass to Milano in the slot. Milano used a backhand shot to send the puck over Khkonen’s right shoulder and in. Assists went to Terrry and Dominik Simon.

Brent Burns got the Sharks on the board at 15:32 with a power play goal. It was his second shot from the middle of the blue line in just a few seconds. Assists went to Logan Couture and Thomas Bordeleau.

Scott Reedy brought the Sharks within one at 18:36, redirecting a shot from Jaycob Megna. Assists went to Megna and Sasha Chmelevski.

Josh Mahura made it 4-2 at 10:47 of the third. His shot went just past Kahkonen’s glove, off the post and in. Assists went to Milano and Comtois.

Zach Aston-Reese scored and empty net goal at 19:18, with an assist going to goaltender Anthony Stolarz.

The shot counts for the Sharks went down with each period. They started out 17-7 in the first, then were even at 10 in the second, and the Ducks out-shot them 14-6 in the third. That last number is misleading as the Sharks had a lot of chances and pressed hard to start the third, but hit some posts.

In the face-off circle, the Ducks prevailed, winning 52% of the draws. The Sharks had two penalties to kill and gave up the one goal and no other shots. They had three power plays and had four shots and one goal.

The Sharks will play next on Thursday in Edmonton against the Oilers at 6:00 PM PT.

Sharks Fall 5-4 to Stars; SJ’s fourth loss in last five games

After being down 4-1 the San Jose Sharks closed the gap on the Dallas Stars but in the third period a goal by the Stars Joe Pavelski (center) at 7:44 proved to be the game winner celebrates with center, celebrates with Miro Heiskanen (4) and Jason Robertson (21) at the SAP Center in San Jose on Sat Apr 2, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

SAN JOSE- The San Jose Sharks fell 5-4 to the Dallas Stars Saturday after nearly erasing a three-goal first period deficit. Jason Roberston, Vladislav Namestnikov, Jani Hakanpaa, Roope Hintz, Jason Roberston, and Joe Pavelski scored for Dallas. Scott Wedgewood made 24 saves for the win. Nick Bonino, Brent Burns, John Leonard and Logan Couture scored for San Jose. Kaapo Kahkonen made 10 saves in the first period and James Reimer made 14 saves in the loss.

Nick Bonino gave the Sharks an early lead, scoring off a rebound from a Noah Gregor shot. The goal was scored just 1:25 into the first period. Assists went to Gregor and Erik Karlsson.

Vladislav Namestnikov tied it up just 25 seconds later. Tyler Seguin intercepted a pass behind the Sharks net and centered it for Namestnikov, right on the doorstep.

Jani Hakanpaa gave the Stars the lead at 8:11. Tyler Seguin tried for a shot from up above the circle, but the puck went off the heel of his stick and wound up on the other side of the ice, on Hakanpaa’’s stick. Assists went to Seguin and Namestnikov.

Roope Hintz made it 3-1 a couple of minutes late. John Klingberg flung the puck at the net as Hintz and Pavelski skated to the net. The puck went off of Hintz’s leg and in for his 30^th goal of the season. Assists went to Klingberg and Joe Pavelski.

Jason Roberston made it 4-1 in the final second of the period. The Stars pulled their goaltender after an icing call against the Sharks. Robertson scored by banking the puck off of the goaltender. Assists went to Denis Gurianov and Tyler Seguin.

The Sharks replaced Kahkonen with Reimer after the first period.

Brent Burns scored for San Jose at 7:53 of the second period, going to the net and trying to make a pass across the slot to Chmelevski. The puck went off of a defender’s skate instead and bounced into the net. Assists went to Chmelevski and Jaycob Megna.

Joe Pavelski scored what would be the game-winner, 7:44 into the third period. Pavelski and Hintz skated into the Sharks zone with the Sharks hot on the heels of the puck carrier Hintz. Hintz got a pass away to Pavelski in the slot and Pavelski lifted the puck past Reimer on the blocker side. Assists went to Hintz and Robertson.

John Leonard narrowed the lead at 15:21 with his first goal of the season. After Erik Karlsson threw the puck into traffic at the net, Leonard found the puck on a rebound and shot it past Wedgewood. Assists went to Karlsson and Mario Ferraro.

Logan Couture brought the Sharks within one at 18:32. He pushed the puck over the line after Sasha Chmelevski doggedly pushed the puck past the goaltender’s skate at the corner of the net. Assists went to Chmelevski and Gregor.

The Sharks power play had one opportunity but got no shots on goal. Their penalty kill successfully killed three penalties, giving up just three shots. In the face-off circle, the Sharks won 47% of the draw.

Mario Ferraro and Jonathan Dahlen were both back in the lineup, recovered from injury.

The Sharks next play on Tuesday at home, against the Edmonton Oilers at 7:30 PM PT.

Sharks Fall 4-2 to Avalanche; SJ loses six of last nine games

San Jose Sharks center Logan Couture, left and Colorado Avalanche left wing Andre Burakovsky (right) scramble for the puck at the Ball Center in Denver on Thu Mar 31, 2022 (AP News photo )

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks fell 4-2 to the Colorado Avalanche Thursday, the second loss in as many nights for the Sharks. Alex Newhook Darren Helm, Mikko Rantanen and Andre Burakovsky scored for the Avalanche. Pavel Francouz made 25 saves for the win. Timo Meier and Brent Burns scored for San Jose and Kaapo Kahkonen made 42 saves in the loss.

This was Kaapo Kahkonen’s second start as a Shark. After the game, Sharks Head Coach Bob Boughner said, of Kahkonen: “I thought he was excellent, I thought that, you know, a couple of those goals he had no help on. I thought he made some big saves for us at the right time. I thought he played extremely well.” Of the team’s performance, he said: “I thought that we played hard for being in a back-to-back situation. I thought there’s a lot of good things to our game.”

Alex Newhook gave the Avalanche a 1-0 lead at 1:54 of the second period. Kurtis MacDermid sent the puck to the slot for Newhook, who spun and shot it past three skaters in front of the goaltender. Assists went to MacDermid and Erik Johnson.

Timo Meier tied it up at 12:09. Tomas Hertl fought his way into the zone and to the net before being pushed down in the slot. The puck still got to Meier to the side of the net so he could score his 31^st of the season. Assists went to Hertl and Alexander Barabanov.

Darren Helm made it 2-1 for the Avalanche at 2:05 of the third period. Helm was going to the net when he caught the pass from Valeri Nichushkin. He skated across in front of the goaltender before taking a shot that went off of the post and in.

Brent Burns tied it at 6:29 when Tomas Hertl got the puck to him off of a face-off. Burns carried it to the middle of the ice and took a quick wrist shot.

Mikko Rantanen restored Colorado’s lead with a power play goal at 12:17. Nazem Kadri set him up with a nice cross-ice pass down low for Rantanen’s 34^th of the season. Assists went to Kadri and Cale Makar.

Andre Burakovsky scored the insurance goal at 15:16, collecting a rebound in close and lifting it into the net. Assists went to Erik Johnson and Nazem Kadri.

The Avalanche outshot the Sharks 46-27. The Sharks power play had three shots in three opportunities and their penalty kill allowed nine shots I three penalty kills, including one five-on-three.

The Sharks next play on Saturday back in San Jose against the Dallas Stars at 7:30 PM PT.

Sharks Defeat Kings 4-3 in OT, Karlsson Returns

San Jose Sharks center Tomas Hertl celebrates scoring an overtime goal against the Los Angeles Kings at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Thu Mar 10, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

LOS ANGELES- The San Jose Sharks defeated the Los Angeles Kings 4-3 in overtime Thursday. Brent Burns, Nick Bonino, Alexander Barabanov and Tomas Hertl scored for San Jose. Zach Sawchenko made 33 saves for his first NHL win. Phillip Danault, Andreas Athanasiou and Trevor Moore scored for Los Angeles. Jonathan Quick made 26 saves in the loss.

Thursday saw the return of Erik Karlsson, Jonathan Dahlen and Jaycob Megna. Karlsson had two assists in 25:47 of ice time. After the game, Sharks Head Coach Bob Boughner said:

“Erik was flying tonight. You could tell he was happy to be back and he was full of energy. I think our team looked like that too. You know, you get Megs and Karly back there, settle things down. You know, we’re not running around as much in our own end, and we’re spending more time in the other team’s end. So, it’s nice to sort of get some guys back from injury and look like a real team out there.”

The Sharks power play scored at 2:39 when Erik Karlsson made a pass to Brent Burns in the middle of blue line. Burns’ one-timer sent the puck in and out before you could blink. Karlsson and Couture got the assists.

Phillip Danault tied it up at 5:58. Sawchenko went to catch the puck on the initial shot but it bounced out of his glove. By then, he was out of position and when Danault found the puck, he had an open net to shoot at. Assists went to Trevor Moore and Andreas Athanasiou.

Athanasiou scored to give the Kings a lead eight seconds later. He took the shot from above the circle without seeming to look where he was shooting and it beat Sawchenko on the glove side. Assists went to Moore and Olli Maatta.

Moore made it 3-1 at 10:40 of the second period with a shorthanded goal. Danault and Moore played a little catch in the Sharks zone before Moore took the shot from the slot.

Nick Bonino trimmed the Kings lead at 12:13 with a power play goal. Jonathan Dahlen took a shot from inside the circle. Quick stopped it but it bounced over him and into the blue paint, where Bonino was able to nudge it over the line. Assists went to Dahlen and Jacob Middleton.

Alexander Barabanov tied it up at 1:21 of the third period. Erik Karlsson took a quick shot from up at the blue line and Barabanov managed to deflect it just as he arrived in front of the net. Assists went to Karlsson and Hertl.

Tomas Hertl scored the game winner at 1:15 of overtime. Hertl carried the puck over the line, across the ice and behind the net. When Hertl went past the net, Quick dove for the puck but missed it and Hertl carried on, around behind the net to score with a backhand. It was his first goal in 13 games. Assists went to Barabanov and Burns.

The shot count for the game was close, 36-30 Kings. In each period, the Sharks were within three shots of their opponent, a significant improvement over recent games. The Sharks won 53% of the face-offs.

The Sharks next play on Saturday at home, at 6:30 PM PT against the Kings again.

Sharks Fall 4-3 in SO to Ducks, 7th Loss in a Row

San Jose Sharks left wing Alexander Barabanov (94) loses his balance in front of Anaheim Ducks goaltender Anthony Stolarz (41) and Ducks’ Kevin Shattenkirk (22) at the Honda Center in Anaheim on Tue Feb 22, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

ANAHEIM- The San Jose Sharks lost to the Anaheim Ducks 4-3 in a shoot-out. It was their seventh loss in a row. Derek Grant and Rickard Rakell scored for Anaheim, with two goals from Rakell. Anthony Stolarz made 40 saves for the win. Brent Burns and Logan Couture scored for San Jose, with two goals from Couture. James Reimer made 26 saves in his eighth start in a row.

After the game, Sharks Head Coach Bob Boughner discussed the Sharks power play in overtime and one of the differences between the two teams:

“We did have a couple good looks. You know, our big guys were tired, at the end of the game, let’s be honest. We took a lot of penalties and they killed a lot of penalties and, you know, Anaheim has got some guys that are fourth line that do some killing for them and I think that makes a big difference for ice time.”

The Ducks took the lead at 3:38 of the first period. Derek Grant scored on a two-on-0 after the Ducks picked off a neutral zone pass. Assists went to Sam Carrick and Nicolas Deslauriers.

Logan Couture tied it up at 7:10. Brent Burns took a shot off of an offensive zone draw. Stolarz stopped it but Couture jumped on the rebound for his 16th of the season.

Matt Nieto found Burns on his way into the zone to give the Sharks a lead at 17:22. Burns dropped to one knee for the one-timer and got the puck past Stolarz for his first goal in 16 games. Assists went to Matt Nieto and Timo Meier.

At 7:00 of the second, Rickard Rakell tied it up when a shot from Trevor Zegras created a rebound. Assists went to Zegras and Cam Fowler.

Logan Couture scored his second of the night on the power play at 13:44. Once again, Brent Burns took the shot and Couture cleaned up the rebound. Assists went to Burns and Meier.

At 16:09, Rickard Rakell tied it up again with a shot from the face-off circle into the short side. An assist went to Adam Henrique.

A scoreless overtime period saw the Sharks get seven shots on goal, three of those on a power play. The Ducks had no shots in overtime. In the shootout, Stolarz stopped Logan Couture and Tomas Hertl missed the net. For the Ducks, Trevor Zegras and Rickard Rakell scored, and Reimer stopped Troy Terry.

The Sharks out-shot the Ducks 43-29, though the teams were very close in the second and third periods (14-14 and 9-8). They had 14 shots on goal in four power plays. Their penalty kill gave up seven shots and had one short-handed shot in three penalties. The Sharks won 61% of the face-offs.

Ryan Dzingel made his debut with the Sharks after being acquired on Monday. He saw time on the power play (2:31) and skated in overtime. He had two shots in the game and drew the overtime penalty on a break away. Jonathan Dahlen was a healthy scratch Tuesday.

Defenseman Erik Karlsson and goaltender Adin Hill have both started skating but there is still no confirmed return date for the injured players.

The Sharks next play on Thursday back in San Jose against the New York Islanders at 7:30 PM PT.

Sharks Fall to Lightning 3-2 in OT

San Jose Sharks goaltender James Reimer (47) watches a shot get by him as Tampa Bay Lightning left wing Alex Killorn for a goal during the second period at Amalie Arena in Tampa Bay on Wed Feb 1, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The Sharks fell 3-2 in overtime to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday. Anthony Cirelli, Brayden Point and Victor Hedman scored for the Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 19 saves for the win. Rudolfs Balcers and Logan Couture scored for the Sharks. James Reimer, making his fourth start in a row, stopped 29 shots in the loss.

The Sharks defense saw the return of both Mario Ferraro and Jake Middleton. Ferraro, wearing a full face shield, skated 27:21 minutes. He had one shot, five blocked shots, and two hits. Jacob Middleton skated 15:33 and had four hits. Of Ferarro’s return, teammate Brent Burns said: “To step back in and battle through, that’s Mario, he’s just been… he’s that kind of guy all year. That’s the stuff that… it’s huge for teams.”

Sharks captain Logan Couture said:

“What a warrior, man. I was pretty shocked when I got to the rink today and he was getting that visor put on his helmet. I thought he was nuts but he wants to play, he wants to play for the guys in the room and those are leaders. Those are guys that they’ll do anything to help their teammates out in a tough spot. And a lot of respect to Mario.”

A scoreless first period saw each team’s power play go to work, with the penalty kills prevailing. Each power play finished with two shots on goal. The Lightning outshot the Sharks slightly, 9-7. The Sharks had a similarly slim edge in the face-off circle, winning 8 of 15 draws.

Anthony Cirelli broke the ice with a goal at 1:32 of the second period. Cirelli brought the puck into the zone right down the slot before making a quick pass to Brayden Point on his right. Point drew Reimer out of position with a faked shot and then passed it back to Cirelli who was still on his way to the net. Cirelli had an open net to shoot at for his 13th of the season. Assists went to Point and Ryan McDonagh.

Rudolfs Balcers tied it up at 4:50 with his sixth of the season, and the Sharks’ first shot of the period. Marc-Edouard Vlasic took a shot from the point and Balcers redirected it in. Assists went to Vlasic and Logan Couture.

Tampa Bay took the lead again at 18:08 with a power play goal. With a two-man advantage, Steven Stamkos took a shot that bounced into the air. Killorn gloved it down to his stick for the shot. Assists went to Stamkos and Victor Hedman.

The Lightning finished the second period on a power play, but as soon as that expired at the start of the third, Steven Stamkos was called for tripping and the Sharks went on the power play.

Logan Couture tied the game during the first minute of that power play, 1:12 into the period. From the point, Brent Burns sent the puck to Couture for a redirection. Couture was in the slot, half-way up by the hash marks. Assists went to Burns and Alexander Barabanov.

At the nine-minute mark, Brayden Point went down after some contact with Marc-Edouard Vlasic. Unfortunately, he fell right in the path of Alexander Barabanov, who tripped over his head, knocking Point’s helmet off with the front of his skate. Fortunately, the blade didn’t catch Point. No penalty was called on the play.

The Sharks fended off a strong push from the Lightning in the second half of the third but did get the game to overtime. The Sharks missed out on a power play at 2:06 when Meier was called for embellishment as Ryan McDonagh was called for tripping.

Victor Hedman scored the game winner 41 seconds later with a shot from the slot through traffic.

Timo Meier has not scored a goal in the last five games. He scored once after his spectacular five-goal game in San Jose. He had no shots on goal Tuesday and was assessed a double minor and the overtime penalty.

The Sharks next play on February 14 at home, against the Edmonton Oilers at 7:30 PM PT.

Sharks Fall to Red Wings 6-2

San Jose Sharks defenseman Brent Burns (88) and Detroit Red Wings center Robby Fabbri (14) scramble for the puck at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Tue Jan 4, 2022 (AP New photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks (17-16-1) fell 6-2 to the Red Wings (16-15-3) in Detroit on Tuesday. Pius Suter (2), Tyler Bertuzzi (2), Dylan Larkin, and Robby Fabbri scored for Detroit. Alex Nedeljkovic made 24 saves for the win. Jasper Weatherby and Alexander Barabanov scored for San Jose. James Reimer made 20 saves on 24 shots in the first two periods, and Adin Hill made 5 saves on 7 shots in the third.

The Sharks have given up six or more goals in three of their last four games. In two of those, they scored five or more goals, but the Sharks’ defensive game is struggling. After the game, Brent Burns talked about the power play and the game in general: “It’s just gotta be better. At the end of the day you’ve gotta figure it out, put the next guy in a good spot, you gotta start executing, doing things on the same page. Obviously it’s not good enough.”

Logan Couture and Lane Pederson on the COVID-19 list, and Marc-Edouard Vlasic out as a healthy scratch, the Sharks were short-handed even before they lost Jacob Middleton to injury in the first period. Sharks Head Coach Bob Boughner talked about the absence of key players and how it may be undermining the team’s confidence:

“You worry about team confidence. That’s what we need to get back here. You know, I think losing [Couture], and not having Mario [Ferraro], and having [Rudolfs Balcers] out for a while, we’re thin, we’re a little bit thin. Some teams can miss three or four players and they don’t miss a beat. And they’re better teams in the league, they’re elite teams. We’re not and that means we’ve got to come together and play a little smarter and a little harder.”

At 13:02 of the first, Tyler Bertuzzi threw the puck to the net from below the goal line. It went off of James Reimer’s stick and into the net. Assists went to Gustav Lindstrom and Dylan Larkin.

Late in the period, Red Wings forward Givani Smith received a five minute major and a game misconduct for boarding Sharks defenseman Jacob Middleton. Middleton left the ice and did not return to the game.

The Sharks started the second period with more than three minutes left on the power play. Instead of scoring, they gave up two short-handed goals. Prior to the game, the Red Wings had gone 100 games without a short-handed goal.

Pius Suter scored the first, after breaking away while Alexander Barabanov tried to chase him down from the other side of the ice.

Tyler Bertuzzi scored his second of the game less than 40 seconds later, also short-handed. This time, the Red Wings left the Sharks power play behind with a two-on-one. Assists went to Carter Rowney and Moritz Seider.

Jasper Weatherby got one back at 4:03. Weatherby deflected a Brent Burns shot while cutting through in front of the net. Assists went to Burns and Jeffrey Viel.

Pius Suter scored his second of the game at 9:32. Michael Rasmussen set him up with a back hand from the goal line and Suter’s quick shot beat Reimer on the glove side. Assists went to Rasmussen and Nick Leddy.

The Sharks put Adin Hill in net to start the third period.

Alexander Barabanov had a Tomas Hertl shot go off of his skate at 1:40 of the third, for his sixth goal of the season.

A couple of minutes later, Dylan Larkin skated around the Sharks defense and shot the puck past Adin Hill for his 16th goal of the season. Assists went to Lucas Raymond and Gustav Lindstrom.

Robby Fabbri scored his ninth of the season at 5:01. He picked off a Brent Burns pass and shot it right into the far side of the net.

Midway through the third, a scrum erupted in front of the Detroit net, ending with two more game misconducts, one to Jeffrey Viel and one to Tyler Bertuzzi. They also received roughing minors, creating two minutes of four-on-four.

The Sharks were out-shot by the Red Wings 31-26. The Sharks prevailed in the face-off circle, winning 52% of the draws. It was Burns’ 631st consecutive game.

The Sharks’ next game will be Thursday in Buffalo against the Sabres at 4:00 PM PT.

Sharks Finish 2021 With a 3-2 OT Win Over Flyers

San Jose Sharks center Tomas Hertl (48) scores an overtime goal on Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Felix Sandstrom (32) at SAP Center in San Jose on Thu Dec 30, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

SAN JOSE– The San Jose Sharks defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 in overtime on Thursday. Logan Couture, Brent Burns and Tomas Hertl scored for the Sharks and James Reimer made 23 saves for the win. Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee scored for the Flyers and Felix Sandstrom made 43 saves in the loss.

After the game, Sharks Head Coach Bob Boughner said:

“I thought we played a complete 60 minutes. You know, no game is without mistakes, both teams made ’em. But I thought we played to our game plan, to our mentality, we grinded it out. Would have been nice if we found a little more puck luck earlier in the game.”

James Reimer took a moment to mention the opposing goaltender, Felix Sandstrom:

“Honestly, we should probably spend 30 seconds to a minute talking about their goalie. Hats off to him. I think that was his first start and a really tough situation for him. I think they got in pretty late last night. And obviously their team didn’t have their legs tonight. So, you know, hats off to him. He played great and he should be proud of his first game.”

(The Flyers did not arrive until 4:30 am)

The Sharks out-shot the Flyers 12-7 in the first period, but failed to score, even with two power plays. Instead, Morgan Frost got the Flyers on the board at 15:23. Travis Konecny raced through the neutral zone with the puck before dropping it to Oskar Lindblom on the outside. Lindblom gave it right back and Konecny centered if for Frost.

Logan Couture tied the game with a short-handed goal at 5:20 of the second period. Couture chased the puck down in the neutral zone after Cogliano got it out. Couture then pushed the puck past Keith Yandle for a self pass and made a dash for the net. It was his 11th of the season. Assists went to Cogliano and Jacob Middleton.

Brent Burns gave the Sharks the lead at 7:20. Tomas Hertl carried the puck into the zone, then spun around and made a pass to Brent Burns, who making a beeline for the net. Assists went to Hertl and Middleton.

The Sharks out-shot the Flyers 16-9 in the second period. Their power play had two chances but no shots. Their penalty kill allowed one shot and took three in two kills.

Midway through the third period, the Sharks had to kill a 5-on-3, with Brent Burns and Timo Meier in the box. Their penalty kill allowed just two shots. San Jose followed that up by stretching out a delayed penalty for 45 seconds with a line change thrown in. In all, the Sharks out-shot the Flyers 16-7 in the third. Still, the Flyers scored.

Joel Farabee took a pass from Oskar Lindblom and took a shot from the top of the face-off circle. His shot got by Middleton’s stick and Reimer’s blocker to tie the game. Assists went to Lindblom and Yandle.

Tomas Hertl ended it in the final 30 seconds of overtime. Erik Karlsson carried the puck in with Hertl 2-on-1 against Travis Sanheim. Karlsson centered the puck at the last second. Hertl’s first shot did not go but he knocked the rebound in.

The Sharks only won 46% of the face-offs but they out-shot the Flyers 46-25.

The Sharks next play on Sunday against the Penguins in Pittsburgh at 10:00 AM PT. The Sharks added defenseman Mario Ferraro to their COVID-19 protocol list Thursday, and removed forward Jonathan Dahlen.

Sharks Fall to Blue Jackets 6-4, Give up Lead Twice

Columbus Blue Jackets’ Max Domi, right, takes a leap over San Jose Sharks’ Erik Karlsson (left) stick during the second period at Nationwide Arena in Columbus on Sun Dec 5, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks fell 6-4 to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday. Columbus got goals from Sean Kuraly, Cole Sillinger, Jack Roslovic, Alexandre Texier and two from Adam Boqvist. Elvis Merzlikins made 30 saves for the win. Sharks goals came from Nick Bonino, Erik Karlsson, Brent Burns and Tomas Hertl. Adin Hill made 24 saves in the loss.

After the game, Sharks Head Coach Bob Boughner said: “I think that it was a tale of two games. I thought I liked our start even though we got out of period one 1-1. The second period, you know, we did some good things but we didn’t manage our game properly.” He went on in some detail:

“Mario fanned on the one, but then we’re all over them and we let them come back on the two-on-one goal. Roslovic got behind us, you know, break away. You know, just, dumb plays, and they come back to haunt you. Again, you score four goals on the road and you feel like you should come away with at least a point.”

Adam Boqvist scored the first goal for Columbus at 16:16 of the first period. Justin Danforth had the puck knocked off of his stick but it went across the ice to Boqvist in the opposite face-off circle. Hill got across to face the shot but it slipped by him. Danforth got the assist.

Nick Bonino tied it up for the Sharks with three seconds left in the period. Matt Nieto pushed the puck out from behind the net and Bonino jumped on it at the crease. Matt Nieto and Andrew Cogliano got the assists.

Erik Karlsson gave the Sharks a lead 21 seconds into the second period. Alexander Barabanov carried the puck out of the defensive zone and into the o-zone. He found Karlsson with a pass just as Karlsson crossed the blue line. Karlsson took the shot right away and beat Merzlikins. Barabanov got the assist.

Sean Kuraly tied it back up less than 30 seconds later, off a two-on one with Andrew Peeke against Brent Burns. Assists went to Peeke and Alexander Texler.

Brent Burns grabbed the lead back for San Jose at 8:44, with a blast from the blue line that flew by three Blue Jackets, hit Merzlikins in the sleeve and went into the net. Assists went to Matt Nieto and Timo Meier.

Cole Sillinger tied it back up at 17:48, off another two-on-one, this time with Mario Ferraro back. Sillinger took the shot from the hash marks and beat Hill on the blocker side.

Jack Roslovic gave the Blue Jackets the lead again 1:57 into the third period. Roslovic beat three Sharks defenders to the net for a back-hand shot around Hill’s outstretched glove. Assists went to Max Domi and Andrew Peeke.

Adam Boqvist scored his second of the night at 5:34, giving the Blue Jackets a two goal lead. Gabriel Carlsson caught a pass from Jakub Voracek on the boards. As he skated to the net, he made a back-hand pass across to Boqvist who was just arriving above the blue paint. Assists went to Carlsson and Voracek.

Tomas Hertl cut the Columbus lead back down to one at 10:11 of the period. Timo Meier dug a puck out of the corner ad Jonathan Dahlen pushed it up to Hertl in the face-off circle. Assists went to Dahlen and Meier.

Gustav Nyqvist scored scored a sixth goal for Columbus at 16:42. The Sharks challenged it as an offside play and it was disallowed.

Alexandre Texier scored into the empty net at 18:53 to make it officially 6-4. Assists went to Gustav Nyqvist and Eric Robinson.

The Sharks just barely won the face-off battle, winning 51% of the draws. They won 71% of the second period draws but were beaten in the first and the third. The Sharks outshot the Blue Jackets in the first, 19-9, but were out-shot in the third 12-5, for a total shot count of 34-30 San Jose. The Sharks had no power plays, and the Blue Jackets had just one. The Sharks penalty kill gave up no shots.

The Sharks return home now, to face the Calgary Flames in San Jose on Tuesday at 7:30 PM PT.