NHL podcast with Len Shapiro: Tarasenko dealt to Rangers from Blues; Sabers sign Cozens to $49.7 M seven year deal; plus more news

 Former St. Louis Blues’ Vladimir Tarasenko (91) handles the puck during the first period in Game 6 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup second-round playoff series against the Colorado Avalanche Friday, May 27, 2022, in St. Louis. The New York Rangers have acquired Tarasenko and depth defenseman Niko Mikkola from the Blues in a deal made Thu Feb 9, 2023 (AP News File)

On the NHL podcast with Len Shapiro:

#1 Vladimir Tarasenko was dealt the New York Rangers from the St Louis Blues today was this a requested trade or something that was worked out between the Blues and Rangers.

#2 The Buffalo Sabers signed center Dylan Cozens to a seven year $49.7 contract extension on Tuesday averaging about $7.4 million a year. Cozens has 17 goals and 43 points in 49 games for this season.

#3 The Toronto Maple Leafs will host the 2023-24 All Star game for the first time since 2012. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman made the announcement before last Saturday’s All Star game in Sunrise Florida which was hosted by the Florida Panthers.

#4 The Arizona Coyotes are asking for big money for defenseman Jakob Chychrun. Chychrun would be a great acquisition for any team whose skills range from special teams to offense. Chychrun would provide the defense a team is looking for protecting the goaltender as well as the ability to grab the puck and force it back up ice.

#5 NHL teams are inquiring about the Sharks Kevin Labanc and Timo Meier. Labanc has ten goals, 15 assists and 25 points and Meier has 30 goals, 21 assists and 51 points. What’s the possibility of seeing Labanc and Meier traded soon.

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

San Jose Sharks podcast with Len Shapiro: NHL teams zeroing in on Hertl; GM Will says Sharks looking forward to negotiating with Hertl

The San Jose Sharks Tomas Hertl (48) is thrilled after scoring a first period goal against the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle on Thu Jan 20, 2022. Hertl is rumored to potentially to be sought by a number of teams. The NHL trade deadline is Mon Mar 21, 2022 (AP News photo file)

On the Sharks podcast with Len:

#1 Len, from all aspects the San Jose Sharks will could get some players for the future or a key player for Tomas Hertl but Sharks interim general manager Joe Will says he doesn’t want to do anything else outside of contract negotiations concerning Hertl.

#2 Hertl has said that he would even take less money to stay in San Jose and go somewhere else and play and play out his full financial potential when he could go all out in San Jose for the rest of his playing days.

#3 The Sharks and other teams pursuing Hertl are aware that Hertl at 6’3 presents a player who executes on the power play and penalty kill. Hertl also can score 30 goals a season, handles the center position as one of the best in the league. However things turn out Hertl is a presence.

#4 Other issues that Will will be dealing with is former Shark Evander Kane’s grievance regarding his termination from the team, general manager Doug Wilson is away for a persistent cough, Kevin Labanc and Nikolai Knyzhov’s are out with injuries, could William Eklund return this season, and head coach Bob Boughner will he be back after this season?

#5 The Sharks take on the Edmonton Oilers on Monday night at SAP Center and the return of former Shark Evander Kane. What kind of reception do you see him getting on Monday and do you see him playing with a little extra against his former teammates?

Join Len for the San Jose Sharks podcasts each Saturday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sharks Beat Hurricanes 2-1 in OT; Barabanov gets gamer in late stanza

San Jose Sharks left wing Alexander Barabanov (94) puts in the game winner against Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Antti Raanta (32) and and right wing Sebastian Aho (20) during overtime at SAP Center in San Jose on Mon Nov 22, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

SAN JOSE– The San Jose Sharks defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 2-1 in overtime Monday. Kevin Labanc and Alexander Barabanov scored for San Jose and James Reimer made 22 saves for the win. Tony DeAngelo scored for Carolina and Antti Raanta made 25 saves in the loss.

The game looked like it might be the third this season in which the Sharks did not get a single power play. At the end of the second period, defenseman Erik Karlsson spoke to officials. That did not seem to make a difference, though the Sharks did finally get a call at the end of the third period.

On the lack of calls, Sharks Head Coach Bob Boughner said:

“We haven’t got a lot of power plays lately but we certainly deserved a few more tonight than zero. So, it’s frustrating, and I try to tell the players to let me do the talking to the refs and you guys just concentrate on the game.”

After the game, Sharks forward Kevin Labanc said: “It was a pretty tight game for the full 60. You know, they weren’t really giving us much we were creating chances and those are the games that you gotta find a way.”

Labanc was did not play Saturday, as he was serving a one-game suspension for a slew foot in last Thursday’s game. Monday, however, he was all business. Asked to talk about his performance and that of his team, he said: “We did our job tonight and it’s a good two points.”

In a scoreless and penalty-free first period, Carolina out-shot the Sharks 8-7, but the Sharks won 69% of the face-offs. Alexander Barabanov took a hard hit midway through the period but he did return for the second.

Tony DeAngelo scored for Carolina at 1:16 of the second period. His shot flew down the slot through some traffic and past Reimer on the stick side. Assists went to Teuvo Teravainen and Seth Jarvis.

The Hurricanes out-shot the Sharks again in the second 10-8, and the face-offs were even at 50%. The Hurricanes had one power play and the Sharks penalty kill allowed two shots.

Kevin Labanc tied the game at 3:54 of the third. Jasper Weatherby corralled the puck as it came out of a board battle and pushed it up to Labanc. Labanc carried it a little deeper before taking the shot and beating Raanta on the far side.

The Sharks out-shot the Hurricanes 8-5 in the third, and won 57% of the face-offs. The Sharks penalty kill allowed no shots to the Carolina power play in the third. Their own power play did not begin until 19:38 and bled into overtime.

Alexander Barabanov scored for San Jose 1:42 into overtime, just after the Sharks power play ended. Tomas Hertl took two quick shots at the net from in close, before sneaking the puck under the goaltender, across the crease to Barabanov. Barabanov had a clear shot and he took it. Assists went to Hertl and Mario Ferraro.

The Sharks had three shorts in the extra frame, and won both of the face-offs. The Hurricanes managed one short-handed shot in overtime.

Scott Reedy made his NHL debut in the absence of Jonathan Dahlen, who was injured in Saturday’s game. Reedy had two blocked shots in 10:56 time on ice.

The Sharks next play on Wednesday, against the Ottawa Senators at 7:30 PM PT.

Sharks Beat Senators 2-1; SJ improves record to 3-0

The San Jose Sharks Logan Couture (39) scores a second period goal on the Ottawa Senators goaltender Matt Murray (30) one of two goals enough for the Sharks to win it at the Canadian Tire Center in Ottawa on Thu Oct 21, 2021 (Canadian Press news photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks won their third in a row, winning 2-1 against the Senators in Ottawa. Logan Couture and Kevin Labanc scored for San Jose, and James Reimer made 30 saves for the win. Drake Batherson scored for Ottawa and Matt Murray made 22 saves in the loss. For Sharks defenseman Brent Burns, Thursday’s contest was his 600th consecutive game. He earned an assist and skated for 25:56.

Sharks Captain Logan Couture said that the key to this win was work:

“We didn’t have our best legs tonight. We didn’t have our best, we turned too many pucks over throughout that game. [Reimer] made some big saves, especially early in that third, but we just worked. Blocked shots at the ends, Reims stepped up huge, stuck together as a team.”

Sharks defenseman and ex-Senator, Erik Karlsson, said:

“This was a great win for us. I don’t think that we played good at all. This was our sloppy game. I feel like you could tell that they had a little bit more energy, they got a little bit more bounces, they were a little bit hungrier. But we thought we might win, that’s the most important thing.”

The Senators’ Drake Batherson scored the only first period goal, at 10:06. A Sharks three-on-two turned into a Senators two-on-one as Sharks scrambled to get back. Batherson opted to shoot instead of passing to Josh Norris and squeezed the puck under Reimer’s arm for his first of the season. Assists went to Brady Tkachuk and Artem Zub.

Midway through the period, the teams took almost simultaneous penalties and played most of two minutes four-on-four. During that time, Kevin Labanc put the puck in the net but the Senators challenged it for off-side and got it called back. Both Brent Burns and Nick Bonino had their skates in the zone before the puck crossed the line. While Burns was legal, since he had control of the puck, that exception did not extend to Bonino.

The Senators were short one forward as Shane Pinto sustained a shoulder injury during his first shift of the first period. He attempted to return for the second but left again after just one shift.

Shots were almost even at 8-7 Senators for the first period. Face-offs were also close, with the Sharks holding a slight edge at 58%. Both teams took penalties in the final minute of the period, so that the Senators had part of a power play to start the second period.

The Sharks killed that penalty off and tied the game with a goal from Logan Couture at 1:58. Brent Burns’ pass from the point found Couture right above the blue paint. Couture tapped the puck into an open net, as Murray was on the wrong side of the crease. Burns and Timo Meier got assists.

Kevin Labanc got his goal back on the power play at 14:36, giving the Sharks a 2-1 lead. Erik Karlsson sent the puck to Labanc at the top of the face-off circle for a quick shot through traffic. Jasper Weatherby created a good screen in front of the goaltender. Assists went to Karlsson and William Eklund.

Shots were even closer in the second, 13-12 Senators. Ottawa took two penalties in the second period, and the Sharks power play tallied four shots. The Senators power play had two shots. The Senators bounced back in the face-off circle, winning 71% of the draws.

In the third period, the Sharks rebounded in the face-off circle, winning 60% of the draws. The shots were very uneven in the final frame, at 11-4 Senators. The Sharks penalty kill gave up just one shot.

The Sharks next play on Friday in Toronto against the Maple Leafs at 3:00 PM PT.

Sharks Shut Out Canadiens 5-0 in Montreal

San Jose Sharks rookie Jonathan Dahlen (76) holds up the stick after scoring a second period goal on the Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jake Allen (34) the Sharks Nick Bonino (13) and the Canadiens David Savard (58) look on during Tue Oct 19, 2021 game at the Bell Centre in Montreal (Canadian Press photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks (2-0) won their first road game of the season, 5-0 against the Montreal Canadiens (0-4). Jonathan Dahlen scored his first and second NHL goals, the fastest first two goals from a rookie in Sharks history. Erik Karlsson, Timo Meier and Kevin Labanc scored the balance of the goals. Adin Hill made 21 saves in the shut-out win. Jake Allen made 20 saves for the Canadiens.

After the game, Sharks Head Coach Bob Boughner talked about how Dahlen fits on the line with Logan Couture and Timo Meier: “Dahlen is a real smart player and I think he’s a good complement to that line. He’s a guy that’s new to the league but you can put him out in situations, like we want to have [Couture] against the other teams’ top lines.”

Sharks Captain Logan Couture also talked about how well his line is working: “Timo’s playing so well and Dahls is such a smart player, easy to play with. I think we read really well off each other.”

Jonathan Dahlen scored the first Sharks goal at 1:22 of the first. Brent Burns caught a pass up the boards from Logan Couture and sent it right down the slot. The puck went off of Timo Meier first, the Dahlen’s stick sent it in. The goal was initially given to Meier,until the second deflection was spotted on review. Meier and Burns got the assists.

Dahlen scored again a little more than two minutes later. Couture carried the puck down the slot and took a shot that hit Allen in the pad. Dahlen arrived just in time to catch the rebound and put the puck in the empty net. The skaters celebrated as if it were Dahlen’s first NHL goal. Evidently he was not sure about the first one either. Assists went to Couture and Meier.

Erik Karlsson made it 3-0 in the final minute of the period. Karlsson’s shot from the blue line snuck through a bit of traffic in front of the net, perhaps even touching a defender. Assists went to Matt Nieto and Mario Ferraro.

The Sharks had to kill one penalty in the first period, giving up no shots, and they had three shots in their one power play. The Sharks out-shot the Canadiens 12-3 in the period, and won 63% of the face-offs.

Timo Meier made it 4-0 with a power play goal at 3:09 of the second period. Couture’s pass from the slot found Meier at the top of the face-off circle. He took a quick wrist shot that got by Allen on the short side. Assists went to Couture and Karlsson.

The Sharks won 85% of the face-offs in the second period, but were out-shot 11-5 by Montreal. Each team had two shots on the power play.

Kevin Labanc Made it 5-0 with a power play goal at 14:31 of the third period. Labanc caught pass from Karlsson and took his shot from the top of the face-off circle. Jasper Weatherby was helping with a screen when the puck went in. Assists went to Karlsson and William Eklund.

The Sharks won 62% of the face-offs in the game, with Jasper Weatherby taking eight draws and winning six. San Jose out-shot Montreal 25-21. Timo Meier contributed seven of those shots.

The Sharks next play on Thursday in Ottawa against the Senators at 4:00 PM PT.

In other news, the NHL has suspended Evander Kane for 21 regular season games for using a false COVID-19 vaccination card.

Sharks Preseason: Sharks Shut Out Golden Knights 4-0

The Vegas Golden Knights and the San Jose Sharks faced off for the final pre season game Sat Oct 9, 2021 at SAP Center in San Jose (photo from fearofthefin.com)

By Mary Walsh

SAN JOSE– The San Jose Sharks (3-2) defeated the Vegas Golden Knights (3-4) by a score of 4-0. In their final pre-season game, the Sharks got goals from Jonathan Dahlen, Keving Labanc, Willim Eklund and Brent Burns. Adin Hill made 25 saves for the shut-out win. Robin Lehner made 30 saves for the Golden Knights.

Timo Meier sent the puck across the crease to where Jonathan Dahlen was lurking to tap the puck in behind the goalie. Assists went to Meier and Erik Karlsson.

Kevin Labanc made it 2-0 with a power play goal at 6:37. Labanc found the puck as it emerged from traffic in front of the net. He sent it back down the slot and past Robin Lehner on the glove side. Assists went to Jasper Weatherby and Tomas Hertl.

The teams were tied on the shot clock, 6-6, at the end of the first. Each team had a power play chance. The Sharks penalty kill gave up two shots and their power play needed just the one to score. The Sharks won 75% of the first period face-offs.

William Eklund made it 3-0 at 3:32 of the second. He carried the puck through the neutral zone and passed to Balcers, low in the slot. Balcers passed it right back and Eklund took the shot. Assists went to Balcers and Karlsson.

The Sharks out-shot the Golden Knights in the second, 16-9. The Sharks had the only second period power play. They got five shots in that one. The Golden Knights improved in the face-off circle, so the Sharks won only 56% of those.

Brent Burns made it 4-0 with a shot from the blue line at 9:36 of the third. The puck zipped through traffic and Lehner did not see it coming. Assists went to Kevin Labanc and Matt Nieto.

The teams each had a power play in the third period. Neither penalty kill gave up a shot. The shot count was very close in the third, 12-10 Sharks. The Golden Knights won 60% of the face-offs.

The Sharks will play their season opener at home on Saturday the 17th at 7:00 PM PT against the Winnipeg Jets.

Sharks Fall 5-4 in OT to Coyotes

San Jose Sharks goaltender Alexei Melnichuk (1) puts the stop on the Arizona Coyotes center Lane Peterson’s (93) putting the puck on net in the second period at SAP Center in San Jose Sat May 8, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks lost 5-4 in overtime to the Arizona Coyotes Saturday. For the Coyotes, it was the last game of the season. Arizona’s five goals came from Christian Dvorak (2), Jan Jenik, Conor Garland and Phil Kessel. Aiden Hill made 44 saves for the win. Rudolfs Balcers, Kevin Labanc, Timo Meier and Alexander Barabanov scored for the Sharks. Alexei Melnichuk made 27 saves in his first NHL start.

After the game, Sharks Head Coach Bob Boughner was asked about Rudolfs Balcers. He said:

“He’s another young guy that has probably played, with the schedule, more hockey than he’s ever been used to. And you can tell that some of these guys are hitting a little bit of a wall, physically and mentally. You know, I think once Rudy goes back in the offseason and trains and puts on a little more muscle and comes back after three months or three and a half months, and gets a regular training camp, I think you’re going to see even a better Rudy. He’s made major strides.”

Christian Dvorak scored during some four-on-four time at 3:32 of the first period. After skating away from the Sharks defense, he made his way to the slot and put a shot over Melnichuk’s shoulder. Assists went to Phil Kessel and Oliver Ekman-Larssen.

Rudolfs Balcers tied the game at 6:44. Alexander Chmelesvki carried the puck in along the boards and found Balcers in the slot with a pass. Balcers took the shot and the puck snuck under Hill and trickled over the line. Assists went to Chmelevski and Dylan Gambrell.

Dvorak scored his second of the period on a power play at 11:36. Christian Fischer set Dvorak up with a pass from below the goal line. Dvorak’s shot went by Melnichuk’s glove and in. Assists went to Fischer and Phil Kessel.

Kevin Labanc tied it back up at 15:28. Labanc skated into the zone with the puck while Erik Karlsson drew some attention from the defense. Labanc took the shot above the face-off circle and the puck flew around a defenseman and past Hill, just inside the post.

The Sharks out-shot the Coyotes 19-8 in the first period. The Coyotes had one shot in two power plays, and the Sharks had one shot in one power play in the first period.

Timo Meier gave the Sharks a lead at 5:26 of the second period. Meier caught a pass for Kevin Labanc as he skated into the zone. Fending off Alex Goligoski with one arm while driving to the net, Meier skated in front of the blue paint and pushed the puck around the goalie. Labanc got the assist.

Jan Janik tied it up again with a shot from a bad angle. The puck went behind Melnichuck’s head and hit just inside the far post. Assists went to Christian Fischer and Victor Soderstrom.

The Coyotes out-shot the Sharks 17-14 in the second period. The Sharks’ power play had two shots on goal in the period.

Conor Garland gave the Coyotes another lead at 16:07 of the third period. Garland skated around the defense for a pass in front of the goal. He was able to tuck the puck over the line into the far side. Assists went to Goligoski and Jakob Chychrun.

Alexander Barabanov tied the game again with 49 seconds to go in regulation. With the net empty and an extra skater for the Sharks, Evander Kane sent the puck to Tomas Hertl at the net, and Hertl passed it over to Barabanov just above the goal line. Barabanov took a quick shot into an open net. Assists went to Hertl and Kane.

The Sharks out-shot the Coyotes 14-4 in the third period, and had two shots on one power play.

Phil Kessel scored the game winner 2:30 into overtime. Kessel intercepted Dylan Gambrell’s pass to Erik Karlsson in the neutral zone. He skated into the Sharks zone and put a shot under Melnichuk before the goalie knew where it was.

The Sharks will play their last game of the season on Wednesday in San Jose, against the visiting Vegas Golden Knights at 6:00 PM PT.

Sharks Trounce Kings 5-2

The Los Angeles Kings left winger Austin Wagner (27) tries to skate around San Jose Sharks goaltender Martin Jones (31) behind the net at SAP Center in San Jose on Fri Apr 9, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks beat the Los Angeles Kings 5-2 Friday at the SAP Center in San Jose. Kevin Labanc, Patrick Marleau, Rudolfs Balcers, Dylan Gambrell and Tomas Hertl all scored for San Jose. Brent Burns had three assists and Martin Jones made 32 saves for the win. Alex Iafallo and Jaret Anderson-Dolan scored for Los Angeles and Calvin Petersen made 24 saves in the loss.

After the game, Sharks Head Coach Bob Boughner said:

“It was a good team win, it was a good team effort. They really came at us in the second period. We obviously didn’t like our second and I thought that, you know, they pushed hard and we didn’t really respond very well. But Jonesy was our best player tonight. And he’s in the zone, he’s seeing the puck and he made some big saves at the right time.”

Los Angeles scored first, at 2:27 of the first. Alex Iafallo, just arrived in front of the net, caught Dustin Brown’s quick pass from the boards and redirected it past Martin Jones. Assists went to Brown and Anze Kopitar.

The Sharks tied it up at 8:01. The Sharks had just finished killing a penalty, and won a defensive zone face-off. They broke out with Kevin Labanc carrying the puck. He carried it all the way down and took the shot. It went in. Assists went to Brent Burns and Mario Ferraro.

Patrick Marleau gave the Sharks the lead at 13:50 when Brent Burns sent the puck to the net and it went off of Marleau’s skate. Assists went to Burns and Marcus Sorensen.

Rudolfs Balcers made it 3-1 at 17:17, following Timo Meier on a breakaway. Petersen stopped the shot but Balcers was there to put the rebound away. Assists went to Meier and Erik Karlsson.

The Kings out-shot the Sharks in the first, 13-11. Each team had one power play. The Los Angeles power play had four shots on one power play and the Sharks power play had one in one.

In a scoreless second period, the Kings led again in shots, 11-8. They also led in penalties, taking two that resulted in a power play for San Jose. The Sharks took two shots in those two power plays. The Sharks had one penalty to kill and the Kings got one shot out of that. There were also two fights, which added a total of twelve penalty minutes on the score sheet. Jeffrey Viel fought Kurtis MacDermid and Marcus Sorensen fought Andreas Athanasiou. Sorensen and Athanasiou fought again at the final buzzer.

The Kings came to within one goal 1:02 into the third period, moments after a Sharks penalty expired. Jaret Anderson-Dolan scored, unassisted, by throwing the puck at the net from a sharp angle. The puck went from below the goal line, behind Jones’ near skate, off of his far skate and in.

Dylan Gambrell scored a short-handed goal at 17:00. Gambrell and Evander Kane broke away for a two-on-none. Gambrell passed first, then Kane passed it back, forcing Petersen to move in the crease. Gambrell took the shot. Assists went to Kane and Burns.

Tomas Hertl made it 5-2, shooting it down the ice into and empty net at 18:41. Assists went to Kane and Logan Couture.

The Kings won 58% of the face-offs through the game. The final shot count was 34-29 Kings.

The Sharks will play the Kings again on Saturday in San Jose at 7:30 PM PT.

Sharks Fall 5-4 to Golden Knights

Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks fell 5-4 to the Golden Knights at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas Wednesday. Vegas goals came from Shea Theodore, Cody Glass, Nicolas Hague, Ryan Reaves and Alec Martinez. Marc-Andre Fleury made 29 saves for the win. Matt Nieto, Mario Ferraro, Kevin Labanc and Evander Kane scored for the Sharks. Devan Dubnyk made 32 saves in the loss.

The Sharks went into the third period with a 3-1 lead, but gave up four goals in the final frame. After the game, Sharks Head Coach Bob Boughner talked about how the game came undone:

“I think we pissed away a couple points. You know, the game got emotional and intense and physical, and I didn’t mind that at all. I think we did a good job sticking up for each other, those are things we want to keep doing. A little tough there when we lost [Couture], Hertl and Timo got called off the bench for concussion protocol after that hit all at the same time so we started juggling lines.”

Boughner did not consider that the real turning point. Rather, it came before that: “They didn’t have much going on the first six, seven minutes of that period and we had a horrible, horrible too many men call.”

Sharks Captain Logan Couture explained how it felt to let the game get away from them in the third:

“We played better. Should have won tonight, gave away points, so I mean it sucks to take away the moral victory in a game like this when you need to win and should have won. We’re in a position to win in the third period so, shitty feeling right now.”

Shea Theodore started the scoring at 3:45. Max Pacioretty gathered up an offensive zone turnover and passed it to Theodore at the point. Theodore’s slapshot sailed by Dubnyk, who may have been screened by some traffic.

San Jose took three penalties in the first period and their penalty kill allowed four shots. On the power play, they had three shots. For the period, the Sharks led in shots 11-10.

Matt Nieto got the Sharks on the board at 6:21. Timo Meier sent a pass from the goal line right onto Nieto’s stick by the blue paint. Assists went to Meier and Tomas Hertl.

The Sharks took a lead at with a goal from Mario Ferraro at 7:57. John Leonard’s shot went off of the post before Ferraro coraaled it behind the net and wrapped it around behind Fleury. Assists went to Leonard and Evander Kane.

Ryan Reaves put the puck in the net for Vegas at 11:00, but William Carrier was on top of Dubnyk when the puck went in. The Sharks challenged the goal and, after a review, it was called back for goaltender interference.

Kevin Labanc scored the Sharks’ third of the night at 15:07. Evander Kane attempted to deflect a shot from Ferraro on the blue line. When that didn’t go, he found it again and swept it in front of the net for Labanc to put away. Assists went to Kane and Ferraro.

The Sharks achieved their second period goal of avoiding penalties and the only one went to the Golden Knights. They outshot the Golden Knights 16-11 in the period, but did not get any shots on their power play.

Cody Glass scored for Vegas on the power play at 6:43 of the third period. John Leonard was in the box because his team was caught with too many men on the ice. The puck actually went off of Mario Ferraro’s skate. Assists went to Shea Theodore and Mark Stone.

Tomas Hertl and Mark Stone came to blows in front of the Sharks net moments later. Stone had delivered a hit on Timo Meier in the neutral zone. Meier was called away form the game for concussion protocol. That was Hertl’s first NHL fight.

Nicolas Hague tied the game at 10:03 with a shot right down the slot from the blue line. The assists went to Jonathan Marchessault and William Karlsson.

Logan Couture and Jonathan Marchessault fought shortly after that goal. That left the Sharks without Meier, Hertl of Couture for several minutes.

Ryan Reaves gave Vegas the lead at 12:27 with a deflection that bounced past Dubnyk. Assists went to Tomas Nosek and Zach Whitecloud.

Alec Martinez scored what would be the game winner at 14:46, on another power play. Labanc was in the box for tripping. the Sharks were just eight seconds away from killing the penalty when Tomas Nosek made a pass across the ice to Martinez. Assists went to Nosek and Theodore.

Evander Kane brought the Sharks back within on goal at 15:54 with a power play goal. Erik Karlsson took a shot from the point. Kane was there to battle for the rebound and tuck it in.

Vegas outshot San Jose 16-6 in the third period. The Sharks got two shots in on their one power play and the Golden Knights got seven shots in two power plays.

The Sharks won just 45% of the face-offs in the game. Of skaters to take more than five draws, only Logan Couture won more than 50%.

The Sharks next play on Friday against the St. Louis Blues at 6:00 PM PT, back in San Jose.

Sharks Win 3rd in a Row, Beat Ducks 3-1

The San Jose Sharks goaltender Martin Jones (31) allowed only one goal against the Anaheim Ducks at the Honda Center in Anaheim on Sat Mar 13, 2021 (@SanJoseSharks photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks won their third in a row on Saturday, a 3-1 win against the Ducks in Anaheim. This is the first win streak for the Sharks this season. Sharks goals came from Evander Kane, Kevin Labanc and Dylan Gambrell. Martin Jones made 26 saves for the win. Max Jones scored for the Ducks and Ryan Miller made 30 saves in the loss.

After the game, Sharks Head Coach Bob Boughner said: “It feels good to have a first little winning streak I guess you can call it, three games in a row. You know, especially on the road. The guys played well, it was a tight game.”

The first Sharks goal came just after an Anaheim power play in the first period. Taking advantage of a turnover in the Sharks’ zone, Kane went the other way in a hurry, with Tomas Hertl and Mario Ferraro just a step behind. Kane carried it all the way to the face-off circle before taking the shot and beating Ryan Miller on the blocker side.

The first period shot count was close, at 8-7 Sharks. There were five penalties called in the first, three to Anaheim and two to San Jose. The Sharks had four shots i their power plays and allowed just one powr play shot to Anaheim. In the face-off circle, the Sharks prevailed 58% of the time.

Anaheim tied it up at 5:38 of the second period. Max Jones skated around Radim Simek with the puck on his backhand. As he cut away from the wall he switched to his forehand for a quick shot into the far side of the net. Assists went to Kevin Shattenkirk and Isac Lundestrom.

Kevin Labanc grabbed the lead back for the Sharks just under a minute later. Tomas Hertl came around behind the net and, while losing his footing, passed the puck around the post to the front for Labanc to take the shot. Assists went to Hertl and Mario Ferraro.

The Sharks outshot the Ducks 14-9 in the second period, and out drew them in the face-off circle, winning 16 of 21 draws. There was just one penalty in the period, going to Anaheim. The Sharks did not get any shots on that power play.

Dylan Gambrell gave the Sharks a 3-1 lead at 2:07 of the third. Ryan Donato gathered the puck up behind the net after it came loose in the corner. Donato tried for a wrap around but was thwarted by traffic. Gambrell was in the thick of that traffic on his knees when he managed to push the puck in. Assists went to Donato and John Leonard. It was Gambrell’s first goal of the season, and his first in over a year.

The Ducks pulled their goaltender for an extra skater, with almost three minutes left in the game.

The third period shots were dead even at 11 each. The Sharks took the only penalty in the period, but allowed just one shot to the Ducks’ power play. Additionally, the Sharks took four short-handed shots during that penalty kill. The Sharks slipped badly in the face-off circle, dropping to 30% for the period. Overall, Logan Couture and Tomas Hertl won more draws than they lost, and, through the first two periods, Dylan Gambrell won more than 50%.

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