Barracuda set franchise record in 9-0 shutout win over Eagles

Photo credit: @sjbarracuda

By: Marko Ukalovic

The San Jose Barracuda reversed their fortunes in thundering fashion. They scored three-unanswered goals in the first period and never took their foot off the gas in an explosive 9-0 shutout victory over the Colorado Eagles on Sunday afternoon at SAP Center.

The Barracuda set a franchise record with their nine-goal outburst. The loss snapped the Eagles nine-game winning streak and with the win, the Cuda are in a three-way tie with the Eagles and San Diego Gulls for second place in the Pacific Division at 70 points with 11 games left in the regular season.

San Jose (32-19-2-4) struck first and often in the first period. John McCarthy led a 2-on-1, fed a pass over to Jeffery Viel and rifled a shot past Eagles goalie Pavel Francouz (25-14-2) for his eighth goal of the season at the 2:10 mark.

The Cuda doubled their lead over five minutes later when Lukas Radil sent a pass over to Nick DeSimone whose wrist shot was stopped by Francouz. DeSimone collected his own rebound and cashed in for his 11th goal of the season at the 7:42 mark.

The Cuda defense continued the scoring when Cavan Fitzgerald found his way on a breakaway just before the end of the opening frame. As he skated in, he fumbled the puck, regained possession and then made a nice deke in the crease and put the pack over the glove of Francouz for his fifth goal of the season at the 18:20 mark.

San Jose completely dominated Colorado (33-23-3-1) in the first period as they out shot the Eagles 17-7 and had the ice tilted in their favor.

Things got chippy to start the second period. Matching roughing penalties were issued to Fitzgerald and AJ Greer just 10 seconds in. Then, Jon Martin and Mark Alt exchanged some pleasantries with one another three minutes later that also resulted in matching roughing penalties.

The Cuda extended their lead by four goals when they were pressuring in the Eagles’ zone. TJ Hensick’s shot was stopped but not controlled by Francouz. Radil was on the far side to collect the rebound and lifted it over his left pad of a sprawling Francouz for his third goal of the season and second in back to back to games at the 5:24 mark. Jacob Middleton was credited with the secondary assist.

San Jose put the game away less than nine minutes remaining in the middle frame. Thomas Gregoire ripped a shot from the point that Francis Perron, who was able to get his stick on the puck to redirect it past Francouz for his 17th goal of the season at the 11:42 mark. Fitzgerald was credited with the secondary assist.

That would be the end of the afternoon for Francouz as he replaced by Spencer Martin. Francouz gave up fives goals on 25 shots in suffering the loss for the first time in his last eight games.

TJ Hensick joined the scoring party with 1:49 left in the middle frame when he received a pass from Radil and he sneaked a wrist shot past the Martin for his fourth goal of the season at the 18:11 mark. Maxim Letunov received the secondary assist.

San Jose added the extra point half way through the third period. Letunov sent a shot on a goal where defenseman Thomas Gregoire crashed the net and jammed home the rebound for his first pro goal at the 10:16 mark. Hensick had the secondary assist.

Gregoire wasn’t satisfied with just one goal as he gave an encore just 59 seconds later. He sent a wicked wrister from the right point that found its way past Martin for his second goal of the game at the 11:15 mark. Jon Martin and Perron received assists on the play.

Jayden Halbgewachs completed the scoring as the eighth different goal scorer for San Jose. He weaved through the high slot and snapped home a wrist shot past Martin his 11th goal of the season at the 12:24 mark. The goal ended an 18 game scoreless drought. Middleton and captain John McCarthy were credited with assists.

Cuda goalie Josef Korenar (20-8-1) stopped all 31 shots for his 20th win and fourth shutout of the season. The win snapped Korenar’s three-game losing streak. Martin made 11 saves on 15 shots in mop-up duty.

GAME NOTES: San Jose was 0/4 on the power play. Colorado was 0/6.

The Cuda are 6-1 when wearing a specialty/throwback jersey. They wore green jerseys in honor of St. Patrick’s Day.

San Jose is 3-1-1-1 against Colorado this season.

The announced attendance was 4,051.

UP NEXT: The Barracuda go back on the road to start a three game road trip in Tuscon as the take on the Roadrunners on Saturday 3/23 at 7:05 pm at Tuscon Convention Center Arena.

Eagles edge out Barracuda in 3-2 win

Photo credit: @sjbarracuda

by Marko Ukalovic

The Colorado Eagles are playing like a team that can’t lose. They scored three unanswered goals in the second period and then held on to beat the San Jose Barracuda on Saturday afternoon at SAP Center.

Colorado (33-22-3-1) has won nine games in a row and have jumped both San Jose and San Diego for second place in the Pacific Division with 70 points. The Cuda have lost five of their past six games.

San Jose (31-19-2-4) drew first blood late in the first period on a 3-on-2 odd man rush. Maxim Letunov sent a pass over to Lukas Radil, who played in his first game since being sent down by the San Jose Sharks, and Radil lasered a wrist shot past Eagles goalie Pavel Francouz (25-13-2) on the far side for his second goal of the season at the 19:00 mark.

In the second period, Colorado took control of the game. Max McCormick sent over a cross-ice pass over to Logan O’Connor on a 2-on-1 opportunity and O’Connor buried a one-timer past Cuda goalie Antoine Bibeau (12-11-5) for his 15th goal of the season at the 3:42 mark.

The Eagles went ahead two goals toward the end of the middle frame when AJ Greer from below the goal line sent a pass over to Igor Shvyrev, who blasted a wrist show over the glove of Bibeau for his sixth goal of the season at the 16:12 mark.

Then, just over a minute later, another 2-on-1 odd man rush led to a mini breakaway for Sheldon Dries, who made a nice deke going forehand-to-backhand as he slid the puck past Bibeau for his third goal of the season at the 17:28 mark for a 3-1 lead.

The Cuda looked like they would have a consecutive game with a third period comeback. Jayden Halbgewachs sent a zone-wide pass over to John McCarthy and the Barracuda captain fired a wrist shot past Francouz for his 10th goal of the season at the 4:47 mark.

However San Jose was not able to get the equalizer late in the period when they pulled Bibeau for an extra attacker.

Francouz stopped 23 of the 25 shots he faced to earn his 25th win of the season. Bibeau made 20 saves on 23 shots in suffering the tough luck loss.

GAME NOTES: San Jose was 0/2 on the power play. Colorado was 0/3.

The announced attendance was 3,353.

UP NEXT: The Barracuda take on the Eagles on Sunday 3/17 at 3:00 pm at SAP Center.

San Jose Barracuda podcast with Marko Ukalovic: Cuda looking for next win as Colorado comes in for two

sjbarracudapodcast.com file: San Jose Barracuda goaltender Antoine Bibeau (34) and the Cuda will host the Colorado Eagles this Saturday and Sunday at SAP Center in San Jose.

On the Barracuda podcast with Marko:

The way the game between the Stockton Heat and the San Jose Barracuda the Cuda looked like they were going to be on a five-game losing streak as they were able to snap the losing streak at four on Sunday 5-4 in a shootout.

It was one of those games where they were not playing good hockey. It was a game where the Heat scored the first two goals in the first period, and when you play catch up hockey like that, it’s not a good formula to win games.

Listen for more as Marko brings you analysis of San Jose Barracuda hockey each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sharks continue home dominance over Canadiens with 5-2 win

Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks

By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Thursday, March 7, 2019

San Jose continued its two-decade home dominance over the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night at SAP Center, winning 5-2.

The Sharks haven’t lost a home game to the Habs since Nov. 23, 1999, winning 12 straight over Montreal during that span. It was also San Jose’s eighth straight win overall in the series.

Tomas Hertl scored his career-high 30th goal of the season to spark the Sharks’ offense, and goaltender Martin Jones recorded 37 saves. In addition, Marcus Sorensen and Timo Meier each scored for the third straight game, Joe Thornton scored a goal, and Gustav Nyquist tacked on an empty-net goal for his first tally since joining San Jose.

With Calgary’s loss to Arizona, the Sharks pulled to within one point of the Flames in the NHL Pacific Division race with a game in hand.

Scoring for Montreal was Artturi Lehkonen and Andrew Shaw. The Canadiens remain two points ahead of Columbus in the Eastern Conference Wild Card race. Habs goaltender Antti Niemi made 20 saves.

San Jose won despite being outplayed for most of the contest, in part because of a flu bug that’s hit the team recently. The Sharks led 3-1 in the second period despite being outshot 23-8 at that juncture. Montreal also outshot the Sharks 16-5 in the first period.

By assisting on Sorensen’s goal, San Jose defenseman Brent Burns picked up his 60th helper of the season.

Erik Karlsson (groin) and Evander Kane were injury scratches for the third straight game for San Jose. The Sharks host St. Louis on Saturday.

San Jose State hosts Wyoming in battle of bottom-feeders Wednesday night

Photo credit: @SJSUMBB

By: Ana Kieu

San Jose State men’s basketball has been slated to host another conference foe, the Wyoming Cowboys, in the Event Center Wednesday night. This time, the Spartans vs. Cowboys matchup will be a battle of bottom-feeders, but only one of these two teams will prevail in the end.

Here’s what you need to know before Wednesday’s conference matchup:

This Week
San Jose State (4-24, 1-15 Mountain West) hosts Wyoming (6-23, 2-14 Mountain West) Wednesday at 7 pm PST before traveling to Fresno State for a rivalry game Saturday at 4 pm PST. Wednesday night’s game will also be Senior Night as Oumar Barry will be honored prior to the game.

Last Week
The Spartans picked up their first Mountain West win of the season with an 89-82 victory over New Mexico at home last Tuesday. The Spartans then suffered a loss at San Diego State 84-56 Saturday night.

Spartan Stat
Spartans junior forward Michael Steadman tallied his third-straight double-double at San Diego State Saturday in Viejas Arena. Steadman finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Steadman’s double-double was his 10th of the season, which was also the third most in the Mountain West.

Spartan Facts

🔹School-record 26 straight games with a made three (and counting)
🔹School-record 8 made three’s in one game

Hear @NoahBaumann20 break down what goes into his preparation and mentality as one of the Nation’s most lethal shooters from beyond the arc.

@SJSUMBB #SpartanUp pic.twitter.com/EE1R2ZkJJM

— San Jose State Athletics (@SJSUAthletics) March 6, 2019

Earthquakes drop 2-1 decision to Impact

Photo credit: @SJEarthquakes

By: Ana Kieu

The San Jose Earthquakes opened up the 2019 MLS season versus the Montreal Impact at Avaya Stadium Saturday evening. Prior to the kickoff, the Quakes gave a warm welcome to new head coach Matias Almeyda and the San Jose Sharks wished the home team the best of luck this season.

The Quakes’ starting lineup featured Daniel Vega, Marcos Lopez, Harold Cummings, Guram Kashia, Nick Lima, Anibal Godoy, Judson, Vako, Magnus Eriksson, Cristian Espinoza and Chris Wondolowski.

It wasn’t long before the Quakes got on the board. Magnus Eriksson scored his first goal of the season for an early 1-0 lead at the 11th minute.

But it also wasn’t long before the Impact tied the score. Ignacio Piatti scored his first goal of the season to make it 1-1 at the 30th minute.

The Quakes looked disappointed just minutes before the first half came to an end. Saphir Taider scored his first goal of the season to give the Impact a 2-1 lead at the 44th minute.

The Quakes had a lot of work to do in the second half. Moreover, San Jose was down 2-1 at halftime, but they weren’t out of it just yet.

Marcos Lopez has some bite! 👏#VamosSJ | #SJvMTL pic.twitter.com/FGvJDNJ4J7

— San Jose Earthquakes (@SJEarthquakes) March 3, 2019

The Quakes made their first substitution of the match at the 62nd minute as they allowed Tommy Thompson to enter and Lima to exit. Thompson received a yellow card at the 73rd minute.

The Quakes made their second substitution at the 69th minute as they allowed Jackson Yueill to enter and Eriksson to exit.

The Quakes made their third and final substitution at the 74th minute as they allowed Danny Hoesen to enter and Cummings to exit. Judson received a yellow card at the 77th minute.

83' – ESPINOZA! 🚀#VamosSJ | #SJvMTL | 1-2 pic.twitter.com/RE3s7n8T6H

— San Jose Earthquakes (@SJEarthquakes) March 3, 2019

The Quakes trailed 2-1 at the end of the second half. The officials added five minutes of stoppage time to the clock, so there was an opportunity or two, but the Quakes were unable to capitalize on those opportunities. San Jose (0-0-1) dropped a 2-1 decision to Montreal (1-0-0) in full-time.

The Quakes host the Minnesota United on Saturday, March 9th at 5:00 pm PST.

Barracuda comes up large in third period to down Wild 5-3

Photo credit: @sjbarracuda

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose Barracuda took on the Iowa Wild on Tuesday evening at SAP Center.

Iowa drew first blood in the first period on a counter attack after San Jose failed to cash in on an odd-man rush. Dmitry Solokov fed a pass over to Matt Read whose shot was initially saved by Cuda goalie Joeef Korenar but the rebound was cleaned up by Mitch McClain for his eighth goal of the season at the 16:08 mark.

San Jose received the equalizer while killing a Wild power play early in the second period. A clean faceoff win by Dylan Gambrell inside the Wild zone went perfectly back to the right point where Nick DeSimone rifled a shot past Wild goalie Kaapo Khakonen just inside the right post for short-handed goal and 10th goal of the season at the 3:02 mark.

Iowa regained the lead as Cal O’Reilly was rewarded when he was the trailer on a three-on-one odd man rush. Gerald Mayhew led the rush and fed a back pass over O’Reilly, who buried the puck past Korenar top-shelf in the left corner of the goal for his 10th goal of the season at the 5:32 mark.

Iowa thought they had a two-goal lead 62 second later when Mason Shaw put the puck into the back of the net on a two-on-zero break but the whistle blew just before the puck went in as coincidental roughing minor penalties were called on Jacob Middleton and Kyle Rau as they tussled at the Cuda blue line.

Calvan Fitzgerald scored the equalizer early in the third period for San Jose. Francis Perron found a wide-open Fitzgerald, who skated into the shot and fired a shot past Khakonen for his fourth goal of the season at the 1:27 mark.

Gambrell then gave then gave the Cuda their first lead when he received a pass from TJ Hensick and buried a wrist shot past Khakonen for his 15th goal of the season at the 3:37 mark. Kyle Wood received the secondary assist.

San Jose extended their lead when Gambrell then fed a pass over to Jeremy Roy at the point and he wristed a shot past Khakonen for firth goal of the season at the 6:11 mark. Gambrell earned his third point of the night.

The Cuda put the game away when Nick DeSimone sent a pass from behind the right boards over a wide-open Jon Martin. Martin’s shot squeezed past Khakonen for his 10th goal of the season at the 11:17 mark. Perron received the secondary assist.

Korenar stopped 26 of the 28 shots he faced to earn his 19th win of the season. Khakonen made 23 saves on 28 shots in suffering the loss.

GAME NOTES: San Jose was 0/2 on the power play. Iowa was 0/3.

Jonathan Dahlen made his debut for the Barracuda. He skated on a line with Alex True and Jon Martin. Dahlen, son of former San Jose Sharks foward Ulf Dahlen, was traded over to San Jose from Vancouver yesterday in a deal at the trade deadline for center Linus Karlsson. Dahlen has 14 goals, including eight on the power play, and 29 points he scored while with the Utica Comets of the AHL.

Gambrell changed his jersey number to seven with newly acquired Sharks foward Gustav Nyquist taking the number 14. Gambrell wore the number seven when he played collegiately at the University of Denver.

UP NEXT: The Barracuda travel down to Ontario to take on the Reign on Friday 3/1 at 7:00 pm at Citizens Business Bank Arena.

SJSU earns first conference win of the season

Photo credit: @SJSUMBB

By: Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — San Jose State men’s basketball resumed their hunt for their first conference win of the 2019 season Tuesday evening. SJSU hosted the New Mexico Lobos inside the Event Center. There was a healthy mix of both Spartans and Lobos fans in attendance, which was a highlight considering the fact that the Spartans haven’t really sold out in recent years.

Prior to the tipoff, SJSU announced a starting lineup featuring Noah Baumann, Seneca Knight, Ashtin Chastain, Michael Steadman and Zach Chappell. That was a solid lineup. It was just a matter of fact of whether or not the Spartans were able to hold on to secure a win.

UNM got on the board first as Carlton Bragg made a layup to open the scoring. SJSU then snatched a 3-2 lead on Baumann’s 3-pointer just 15 seconds later. Baumann extended his school record to 25 consecutive games with a 3. Steadman followed up with a layup and Chappell hit a 3 to make it a 8-2 game at the 18-minute mark.

The game turned into a back and forth affair. UNM knocked back to back jumpers by Corey Manigault and Makuach Maluach, and SJSU was within four after Chastain made a layup.

SJSU got ahead 14-7 on back-to-back jumpers by Steadman and Chastain. Sure, Keith McGee helped keep the score close for UNM with a 3 and fastbreak layup, but Steadman continued to dominate on the hardwood with a layup, jumper in the paint and vice versa. Christian Anigwe also dominated with a pair of free throws to make it a 20-14 game at the 12:27 mark.

The game remained in a back and forth affair. The Lobos’ offense heated up, but the Spartans refused to back down, making it a 1-point game, thanks to Chappell’s 3 with 7:14 left.

Chappell helped the Spartans grab a 31-30 lead with 6:24 left, but it was short-lived as the Lobos got ahead 32-31 on Manigault’s jumper in the paint 15 seconds later.

Baumann came to the rescue with two 3s in less than a minute to give the Spartans a 37-34 lead with 4:36 left. But the Lobos persisted on Manigault’s jumper and McGee’s 3 for a 39-37 lead with 3:59 left.

Steadman made a game-tying layup and Rodriguez-Flores knocked down a jumper to put the Spartans ahead 41-39 with 2:48 left. But the lead was short-lived as Bragg made a layup to tie the game and Anthony Mathis hit a 3 before drawing a foul that allowed Chappell to make two free throws. Chappell made one free throw to bring SJSU within two. Steadman added a game-tying jumper to tie the score 24 seconds later.

UNM regained the lead 46-44 on Manigault’s layup, but Baumann hit a 3, and as a result, SJSU salvaged a 47-46 lead to end the first. The Spartans had their best shooting this season — 19 of 31 or 69% — in the first.

SJSU opened the second half with a dramatic flair as Steadman made a fastbreak free throw, Chastain knocked down a jumper in the paint and Knight hit a 3 — all in 28 seconds.

But like the first half, the game was in a back and forth affair that saw multiple ties and leads. UNM pulled within three on Mathis’ pair of free throws and Malauch’s layup in just three seconds. SJSU went ahead 60-52, thanks to Chastain’s pair of free throws along with Baumann’s 3, by the 15:34 mark. Chappell gave the Spartans a 10-point lead 62-52 with a fastbreak layup at the 14:33 mark. Baumann hit a 3 to make it a 65-52 game 24 seconds later.

SJSU went on a 9-0 run that lasted a little over two minutes. Chastain made a pair of free throws, Baumann hit two 3s and Chappell made a fastbreak layup. Bragg made a layup at the 13:12 mark to end the Spartans’ run.

Steadman knocked down a jumper to help the Spartans to a 70-62 lead with 8:38 left. The Lobos pulled within five on Manigault’s layup and free throw. Baumann, however, hit back to back 3s to make it a 76-65 game with 7:35 left.

SJSU went cold and was unable to score for a little over six minutes. Brae Ivey’s layup extended the Spartans’ lead to 78-71 with 1:22 left, but the Lobos pulled within seven on McGee’s layup just eight seconds later.

The game went down to the wire. Chappell made two pairs of fastbreak free throws. McGee made a layup. McGee hit a 3. Ivey made a pair of fastbreak free throws. Baumann made a pair of fastbreak free throws. Anigwe threw down a dunk in the paint. Anigwe made a free throw and missed the other. Malauch hit a 3. SJSU held on for a 89-82 win for their first conference win of the season and snapped their 17-game losing skid in the process.

SJSU heads to SDSU for a conference matchup on Saturday, March 2nd at 7:00 pm PT.

San Jose State hits rock bottom with 16th straight loss; Baumann extends school record to 23 consecutive games

Photo credit: @SJSUMBB

By: Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — A hapless San Jose State men’s basketball team searched for something, anything in Wednesday night’s matchup versus the Colorado State Rams, who were nearly as bad. SJSU lost 15 in a row, while CSU dropped three consecutive games.

Prior to the tipoff, Spartans head coach Jean Prioleau announced a starting lineup that featured Noah Baumann, Seneca Knight, Ashtin Chastain, Michael Steadman and Zach Chappell.

This time around, SJSU jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, thanks to Steadman’s jumper in the paint just 58 seconds into the first half. CSU quickly responded with Adam Thistlewood’s 3-pointer, but the Spartans bounced back on Baumann’s 3 just 21 seconds later. With the 3, Baumann continued to make history as he extended his school record to 23 consecutive games.

However, it was all Rams for five minutes as they went on a 9-0 run that was eradicated by Baumann’s fastbreak layup at the 14:34 mark. Chastain followed up with a jumper in the paint to cut the deficit 12-9.

The game turned out to be a back and forth affair between the two teams. CSU got ahead when Nico Carvacho made a layup at the 13:18 mark. Christian Anigwe responded with a jumper in the paint about a minute later. Then, Anthony Mashinton-Bonner hit a 3 to extend the Rams’ lead 17-11 at the 12:05 mark.

Fast forward to the final 10 minutes of the first. Nico Carvacho threw down a dunk and made a layup to extend the Rams’ lead 23-15 with 8:05 left. The Spartans were sort of sluggish as the only Spartan who scored in that span was Ivey, who made a layup. But that all changed at the six-minute mark as Ivey hit a 3 and Chappell made a few layups, including a fastbreak layup, in a 1:21 run.

Just seconds before the two-minute mark, Chastain made a pair of free throws look easy. Anigwe made a free throw. Then, Ivey made a pair of free throws to help the Spartans’ cause. Still, SJSU was unable to secure a lead to bring into the locker room at halftime. SJSU trailed 42-29 at halftime.

The Spartans showed glimpses of notable plays such as Knight’s jumper and Steadman’s dunk in the second half. But they were overpowered by the Rams, who went on a 8-0 run on back-to-back 3s by Kris Martin and Thistlewood to open the second. Throw Carvacho into the Rams’ mix and that only added to the Spartans’ woes, which were mostly defensive.

The home crowd erupted as soon as Brian Rodriguez-Flores made a layup at the 14:24 mark. Knight added a fastbreak layup just 29 seconds later.

Baumann hit a 3 at the 13-minute mark, but it was Rodriguez-Flores who stole the show with a fastbreak layup at the 10:56 mark. As a result, SJSU trailed 69-47 at the time.

Rodriguez-Flores continued to work wonders on the hardwood with back to back layups–the first layup in the paint and the latter being a regular. But the Rams also worked wonders that squashed the Spartans’ hopes of a comeback. Sure, SJSU pulled within 20, but 2:42 wasn’t enough time to tie the game to force overtime. SJSU lost 91-70.

SJSU dropped to 3-22, 0-13 MW. CSU, on the other hand, improved to 10-16, 4-8 MW.

SJSU heads to the Clune Arena in Colorado Springs, Colo. to face the Air Force Falcons Saturday at 1:00 pm PT.

Thornton Scores Hat Trick, but Bruins Rally Late Amidst Controversy then Win 6-5 In OT

Photo credit: @BarDown 

By Jerry Feitelberg

Joe Thornton scored a hat trick and the San Jose Sharks erased a three-goal first period deficit, but the Boston Bruins escaped the SAP Center with a 6-5 overtime win Monday night. Charlie McAvoy scored the game-winner with 1:01 left in the extra skate to give Boston the sweep of the trio of California teams and Chris Wagner scored a controversial goal to tie the game late after Joe Thornton’s third goal gave the Sharks a then 5-4 lead.

Joe Pavelski had three points and Logan Couture picked up two in the loss. Neither San Jose’s Martin Jones (14 saves) nor Tuuka Rask of Boston (33 saves) were particularly sharp in net for their respective teams.

McAvoy’s overtime strike came after her and Evander Kane got tangled up in the Sharks offensive end after some physical play. Kane went off for a change, McAvoy stayed on and snuck into the slot for a pass from David Krejci (three assists), with the defenseman’s shot beating Jones for the win with 1:01 left in overtime.

The Bruins put themselves in the position to win despite managing only 20 shots, including four in the second period and seven in the third after Chris Wagner’s career-best eighth goal of the season. Wagner scored with 1:49 left in regulation after batting a puck down from midair behind Martin Jones. Since Wagner hit the puck once more before the puck crossed the goal-line and the official didn’t rule his touch a high stick and a stop of play, the play was not review-able and the game-tying goal counted. It was one of many moments of frustration between the Sharks and referees as Evander Kane also had a late breakaway blown dead after the Bruins net was dislodge and play continued without the net being replaced by a trailing official.

While one point is a small consolation for the Sharks, it was a tremendous comeback effort led by First Star and former Bruin Joe Thornton and teammate Joe Pavekski. With a first goal in toe for Jumbo but the Sharks trailing 3-1 after 20 minutes, the Sharks vets stepped up in a big way down the final 40. Pavelski scored a power play strike, his team-leading 32nd goal, 2:24 into the second to cut the Bruins’ lead to 3-2, but a Jake DeBrusk power play tally, one of three points for the winger, 6:30 into the second put the Bruins back up by two. Thornton scored his 12th goal of the season 3:57 from the second intermission and Logan Couture scored the ultra-rare short-handed penalty shot goal, beating Rask with 25 second left in the period after a Bruin covered the puck in the crease with their hand. Couture’s 22nd goal pulled San Jose down 4-3 heading into the final frame. Couture also assisted on Pavelski’s power play goal.

Thornton brought down a rain of hats with 6:28 left in regulation after doing something he was often criticized for not doing in Boston; he shot the puck. It was a rocket of a shot that may have deflected off McAvoy into the back of the net for Thornton’s first hat trick since 2010 and 13th goal of the year.

Boston held a 3-0 lead with just over 1:30 left in the first. Torey Krug picked up his sixth goal of the year 13:49 into the period on the man advantage, Zdeno Chara scored on a shot off a Sean Kuraly faceoff win 16:26 into the frame and Karson Kuhlman scored his first goal of his NHL career with 1:36 left in the period. Thornton scored with just three seconds left in the period to give San Jose a slight boost heading into the dressing room after the first period.

San Jose sits a point back of Calgary since the Flames won Monday night. The Sharks travel to Pittsburgh to face the former Stanley Cup foe Penguins Thursday, then travel to Columbus for a Saturday matchup against the Blue Jackets and then a Sunday tilt in the Motor City. The Sharks will then face these same Bruins in Boston in just over one week next Tuesday.