San Jose Sharks podcast with Len Shapiro: Sharks open five game road trip Sunday in Chicago

San Jose Sharks defenseman Brent Burns (88) takes control of the puck against Toronto Maple Leafs center Mitchell Marner (16) at SAP Center in San Jose on Sat Nov 27, 2021 (AP News photo)

SJ Sharks podcast with Len Shapiro:

#1 Len, the San Jose Sharks (10-9-1) embark on a five game road trip back east they open up against the Chicago Blackhawks (7-11-2). Tell us how you see this five game trip and the Sharks chances of success on this trip.

#2 The Sharks have lost five of their last eight games including a tough loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs (15-6-1) 4-1 on Friday night.

#3 James Reimer San Jose goaltender allowed four Toronto goals and saved 13 and was later relieved by Adin Hill who didn’t allow any goals and had 16 saves.

#4 Toronto goaltender Joseph Woll was like Wall he stopped 33 shots and allowed just one goal and the Maple Leafs defense kept the Sharks pretty much at bay much of the night.

#5 The Sharks play the Blackhawks Sunday afternoon at the United Center the Blackhawks have had their share of issues they started the season losing nine in a row, they had the David Aldrich sex scandal which played a role in disrupting the team, they fired their head coach Jeremy Colliton and assistant coaches Sheldon Brookbank and Tomas Mitell leaving with a 1-9-2 record on Nov 6th. Since new coach Derek King has taken over the Blackhawks are 6-2 and won their last game against the St Louis Blues (10-7-3) on Friday night in overtime 3-2. How do you see the Sharks matching up against the Hawks Sunday?

Join Len Shapiro for the Sharks podcasts Saturdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NHL podcast with Matt Harrington: Lightning’s Sergachev suspended two games for illegal check; Eichel to rehab from disk; plus more

The Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner (left) goes airborne after getting checked in the head by the Tampa Bay Lightning defenceman Mikhail Sergachev (right) on Thu Nov 4, 2021 (AP News photo)

On the NHL podcast with Len Shapiro:

#1 The Tampa Bay Lightning’s defenceman Mikhail Sergachev who illegally checked the Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner in the head in the first period at 17:47 on Thu Nov 4 in Toronto. Sergachev was suspended for two games. Sergachev was also fined $48,000 which go to the NHL players fund.

#2 Matt, talk about the value of the Vegas Golden Knights acquiring center Jack Eichel who has to have a artificial disk replacement that will take three months for Eichel to come back and play again.

#3 The Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price will return between the pipes after entering a players’ assistance program back on Oct 7th. Carey is expected to be back with the team on Monday but will not play right away and the team plans to have Price see a therapist and to later draw up plans.

#4 Former 2010 Chicago Blackhawks video goal coach and sexual abuser Brad Aldrich had his name scratched off the Stanley Cup Trophy with X’s this week for abusing former Blackhawk Kyle Beach back in 2010.

#5 The San Jose Sharks ended up reassigning rookie forward William Eklund to his former team in Sweden. Eklund is expected to be the future center piece for the Sharks.

Join Matt for the NHL podcasts each Saturday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose Sharks podcast with Len Shapiro: Sharks on five game road trip three wins and two to go

Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Michael Hutchinson (30) lays on top of the puck as the San Jose Sharks’ Andrew Cogliano (11) and Matt Nieto (83) try to dig it during the third period at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Thu Oct 22, 2021 (Canadian Press photo)

On the Sharks podcast with Len:

#1 The San Jose Sharks (4-0-0) it seems like no one can get in their way as they picked up their fourth straight win this time over the Toronto Maple Leafs (2-2-1) 5-3 at Scotiabank in Toronto on Friday night.

#2 The Sharks drew first blood in the second period scoring twice and three times in the third period that speaks to their offense and they made work of Leafs goalie Michael Hutchinson who faced 30 shots stopping 26.

#3 Timo Meier, Erik Karlsson and Jonathan Dahlen all scored a goal each and two from Logan Couture. Talk about the goal contribution the Sharks have been getting from those four on Friday night in Toronto.

#4 Looking back on the Sharks game in Ottawa the Sharks Erik Karlsson a former Senator let one slip on the air while being interviewed by TSN’s Gord Miller the former Senator Karlsson was congratulated by Miller for picking up his first point against the Senators and said “that don’t mean s-word.” Karlsson said they haven’t got the points yet when he was interviewed with 20 minutes left but said it was nice to be back.

#5 The Sharks are in Boston (2-1-0) for their next game on this five game road trip the fourth of the five. The Bruins always a tough customer took it to the Buffalo Sabers (3-1-1) 4-1 on Friday night in Buffalo. Getting got defensive help from goaltender Linus Ullmark stopping 35 out of 36 shots.

Catch the Sharks podcasts with Len each Saturday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sharks Defeat Maple Leafs 5-3; Sharks undefeated at 4-0

The San Jose Sharks Logan Couture goes for the victory skate in front of the Sharks bench after scoring a second period goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Fri Oct 22, 2021 (Canadian Press photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks won their fourth in a row, beating the Maple Leafs 5-3 in Toronto. Sharks goals came from Timo Meier, Erik Karlsson and Jonathan Dahlen and two from Logan Couture. Adin Hill made 30 saves for the win. Jason Spezza, Ondrej Kase, and John Tavares scored for Toronto. Michael Hutchinson made 26 saves in the loss.

In a scoreless first period, the teams were tied in shots at 11 each. They each had one single-shot power play.

Logan Couture got the scoring started at 2:31 of the second period. He was the beneficiary of a dogged play by Marc-Edouard Vlasic. Off the face-off, Vlasic skated down and took a shot. The shot rebounded but he was already there to collect it, carry it behind the net to try for a wrap-around. That needed a little help and Couture was there to finish it off.

Jason Spezza tied it up with a quick shot from the slot at 3:27. The Sharks stopped several shots and attempts before Spezza’s got through. Wayne Simmonds got the assist.

Timo Meier gave the Sharks another lead less than 20 seconds later. His shot from the wall zipped through before Hutchinson could even see it.

Those three goals were scored in the space of just one minute and 13 seconds.

Ondrej Kase tied the game again at 10:44. After a flurry of activity in the Maple Leafs’ zone, Kase broke away for a clear shot at Hill. A little fake before a backhand shot tricked Hill and the puck went past the prone goaltender. The Sharks looked outmatched in the face-off circle, winning just 35% of the draws.

Erik Karlsson scored a little over a minute later to give the Sharks their lead back. Karlsson took the shot from the blue line and it went by a few bodies before sneaking into the short side top corner. An assist went to Middleton, who kept the puck in after Karlsson’s first shot and then got the puck back to Karlsson for the scoring shot.

The teams were tied in shots again in the second period, this time 12-12. In face-offs, the Sharks improved a bit, to a win percentage of 47. There were no penalties in the period.

25 seconds into the third period, Logan Couture passed the puck back from the goal line to the front of the net for Jonathan Dahlen. Dahlen put the puck in the net for San Jose’s fourth of the night. Assists went to Couture and Meier.

John Tavares got one back for Toronto at 13:39. William Nylander’s shot hit Adin Hill up high and spun into the air. It landed and hit Tavares’ skate before bouncing off of Middleton and into the net. Assists went to Nylander and Jake Muzzin.

Logan Couture scored into the empty net with 40 seconds left in the period. Andrew Cogliano got the assist.

The third period was by far the Sharks’ best in the face-off circle. They won 61% of those draws for a game total of 48%. Their power play got three shots on goal and their penalty kill gave up three shots. The final shot count for the game was 33-31 Toronto.

The Sharks next play on Sunday in Boston against the Bruins at 10:00 AM PT.

NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs podcast with Marko Ukalovic: Knights advance to next round; Habs stay alive tie series with Leafs; Bruins waste no time with win over Isles 5-2;

Mattias Janmark the Vegas Golden Knights center holds up the hockey stick who scored a hat trick on Fri May 28, 2021 at the T Mobile Center in Las Vegas against the visiting Minnesota Wild in game 7 (AP News photo)

NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs podcast with Marko:

#1 The Vegas Golden Knights (4-3) advanced by beating the Minnesota Wild (3-4) convincingly on Friday night 6-2. The Knights opened up the flood gates with three goals in the second period to run away with the game 7 win.

#2 Marko, talk about the Knights Mattias Janmark who scored two goals in the third period for a hat trick that added insurance goals for Vegas’ victory.

#3 On Saturday night with the their backs to the wall 3-2 the Montreal Canadiens pulled off a close shave with a victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Belle Centre in Montreal to stay alive and tie the series at 3-3 in over time.

#4 It all boils down to game 7 on Monday night at the Maple Leaf Garden as the Canadiens and Maple Leafs face off to decide who goes to the next round as the Leafs have the advantage of having home ice.

#5 The Boston Bruins wasted no time with a 5-2 win over the New York Islanders at TD Garden in Boston to open the best of seven series. The Bruins one of the most potent offensive teams in the NHL proved that with this three goal win on Saturday night.

Marko Ukalovic filled in for Matt Harrington this Saturday for the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs podcast at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NHL podcast with Matt Harrington: Sharks goalie Dubnyk can’t stop Wild in 4-2 loss; Caps pull off OT win with four players missing; plus more

The celebration would be short but in the first period the San Jose Sharks Matt Nieto (83) who scored is congratulated by Erik Karlsson (65) and Patrick Marleau (12) against the Minnesota Wild on Fri Jan 22, 2021 at the Xcel Energy Center (AP News photo)

On NHL podcast with Matt Harrington:

#1 The Minnesota Wild (5-3-1) and the San Jose Sharks (4-3-2) at the Xcel Energy Center The Wild got a convincing win over the Sharks 4-1. The Wild got scoring from Joel Eriksson, Zach Parise, Kevin Fiala, and Jordan Greenway each scored a goal a piece. San Jose goalie Devan Dubnyk stopped 25 of 27 shots against his former team.

#2 The Washington Capitals (5-2) had four players including team captain Alex Ovechkin sidelined against the Buffalo Sabers (1-4) on Friday night. The Caps despite being four players short due to due to positive Coronavirus tests and protocols got by with an overtime shootout win 4-3 in DC.

#3 The Edmonton Oilers (2-4) and the Toronto Maple Leafs (4-2) at Toronto. The Leafs scored two goals in each of the second and third periods for the 4-2 win. The Leafs Mitch Marner, Adam Brooks, John Taveras, and Jimmy Versey each had a goal.

#4 In another razor close game the Pittsburgh Penguins (3-2) got a 4-3 win against the New York Rangers (1-2-1) at PPG Paints Arena. The Rangers might have lost but it was a close contest does that mean despite the loss the Rangers still can bring it or were they just up for the Pens?

#5 The Chicago Blackhawks (1-3-1) scored in each period and the Blackhawks goalie Kevin Lankinen held the Detroit Red Wings (2-3-0) to one goal and stopped 30 shots in the 4-1 win.

Matt does the NHL podcast each Saturday night at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NHL podcast with Mary Lisa Walsh: Sabers bombard Flyers in five goal win 6-1; Canes score three in come back win over Preds; plus more

The Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Carter Hart (79) had a rough night stopping pucks as the Buffalo Sabers Jack Eichel (9) cant get past the Sabers Provorov (9) and the Flyers Eric Gustafsonn (56) looks after the puck (AP News photo)

On the NHL podcast with Mary Lisa:

#1 The Philadelphia Flyers who were coming off two wins took a tough loss to the Buffalo Sabers on Monday night 6-1. The Sabers Curtis Lazar and Sam Reinhart both scored twice. The Flyers just simply could not get any semblance of offense going and Flyers goalie Carter Hart was having a tough time stopping shots facing 18-22.

#2 The Carolina Hurricanes got a two goal victory over the Nashville Predators 4-2. The Hurricanes down 2-1 came back in the third period getting goals from Vincent Trocheck, Sebastian Aho, and Nino Niederreiter.

#3 Big night for the Toronto Maple Leafs getting a 3-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets. For Toronto scoring Monday night John Taveras and Mitch Marner who scored twice in the two goal win.

#4 In a back and forth game between the San Jose Sharks and the St Louis Blues the St Louis Blues just escaped going overtime with the scored tied 4-4 and the Blues Jordan Kyrou scored the game winner at 10:28. Final was 5-4 Blues. Same two teams meet again on Wednesday night at the Enterprise Center.

#5 The Columbus Blue Jackets picked up their first win of 2021 with a 3-2 victory over the Detroit Red Wings. The Jackets scorers Oliver Bjorkstrand, Alexandre Texier, and Pierre Luc Dubois.

Join Mary Lisa for the NHL podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

SJ Sharks report: Joe Thornton Signs with Toronto Maple Leafs

Former San Jose Shark Joe Thornton joins the Toronto Maple Leafs after more than 15 seasons with the Sharks. Thornton who makes his home in San Jose in the off season left for Toronto Friday to sign with the Leafs (file photo from mercurynews.com)

By Mary Walsh

Joe Thornton signed a one year contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs Friday. The contract is worth $700,000. Currently, Thornton is in Switzerland, playing with HC Davos of the Swiss National League. He expects to be ready to go when the NHL starts the new season.

Thornton’s absence will be noticeable in San Jose. Whether he wore the Captain’s C or not, Thornton was a leader in the Sharks dressing room. His play and his experience helped guide many younger players over many seasons. Fans came to consider him very much the face of the franchise, even if he was not drafted by San Jose. The Sharks team Twitter account said simply: “Going to log off for a bit. Brb. Maybe.”

Evander Kane tweeted : “Man I’m going to miss ya, but feel very fortunate to play with you and become great friends. So many fun memories in a short period of time. I’ll make sure to keep your seat next to me at the back of the plane vacant until you come back.”

Brent Burns tweeted: “Daaaamn…. going to miss a lot more then just laughing with this guy… ultimate teammate, friend and guy to learn from..@MapleLeafs got a great one coming!”

Joining the Maple Leafs is more than leaving San Jose for Thornton. A Toronto Sun headline today reads: “Greybeard Joe Thornton comes home to join Maple Leafs.” The Maple Leafs are iconic to the hockey world, but Thornton was born in London, Ontario, so Toronto means family and a return to his roots.

Thornton is the leader among active players in points with 1,509. He scored 1,055 of those with San Jose over 15 seasons. He won the Hart Trophy and Art Ross Trophy in 2006, for his performance during season that saw him traded from Boston to San Jose.

Patrick Marleau tweeted (by way of his wife’s account):

For more than two decades, Jumbo and I have been friends, with the vast majority of those years being teammates, too. I now consider him a brother. Toronto has gained a tremendous influence, and we will miss his presence here in San Jose. Good luck in TO! -PM

Marleau has just signed a one year contract with San Jose. Three seasons ago, he signed with Toronto and played two seasons there. According to NHL.com, Marleau said at that time that it was possible Thornton would sign with Toronto as well. Marleau had a three-year contract with Toronto, a deal that San Jose was unprepared to match.

One would think that the Sharks would have been willing to offer $700,000 for one more year of Thornton. Whether they did make that offer or not, Thornton’s absence signals significant changes to come in San Jose. After recent disappointments, that is probably a good thing in the long run. Whatever the future holds, the Sharks family will miss Jumbo Joe Thornton.

NHL podcast with Matt Harrington: New Jersey shocks Blues ends 8 game win streak; Jets shutout Vegas 4-0; plus more

photo from stlouisdispatch.com: New Jersey Devils’ P.K. Subban, right, handles the puck as he is defended by St. Louis Blues’ Oskar Sundqvist, of Sweden, during the second period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2020, in St. Louis.

NHL podcast with Matt Harrington:

#1 Good things come to end at some point and the St Louis Blues eight game winning streak ended at eight games and who would have thought the New Jersey Devils would have been the team to beat them 4-2 on Friday night. The Devils scored with help from Dakota Mermis his first NHL goal and defenseman Connor Carrick his first of the season.

#2 The Winnipeg Jets shutout the Vegas Golden Knights 4-0 as Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck made 29 saves to do it. Hellebuyck leads the NHL in shutouts this season with six.

#3 The Calgary Flames edged the Arizona Coyotes 3-2 the Flames got scoring help from Johnny Gaudreau, TJ Brodie, and Mikael Backlund. The Flames Matthew Tkachuk got an assist on each of the goals.

#4 The Anaheim Ducks just got by the Toronto Maple Leafs 2-1, Carter Rowneyu and Adam Hendrique both scored and goaltenders John Gibson and Ryan Miller stopped 30 shots for the Ducks.

#5 Vancouver Canucks got a three goal win over the Colorado Avalanche 6-3. Zack MacEwen scored two goals and Adam Gaudette picked up two assists at Rogers Centre on Friday night

Join Matt on the NHL podcast each Saturday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose Sharks podcast with Len Shapiro: Sharks getting the offense leading to three straight wins

photo from sfgate.com: Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Jack Campbell (36) defends a shot in front of San Jose Sharks left wing Evander Kane (9) during the first period of an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., Tuesday, March 3, 2020.

On the Sharks podcast with Len:

#1 The San Jose Sharks picked up their third straight win and got a three goal 5-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs Len tells us what turned the corner for the Sharks.

#2 The Sharks got goals from Evander Kane and Antti Suomela scored in the first two periods of the game.

#3 The Sharks kept up the pressure on the Leafs in the third period and got goal scoring help from Stefan Noesen, Kane scoring his second goal, and Radim Simek.

#4 The Leafs scored three goals but the Sharks goaltender Marty Jones stopped 25 out of 27 between the pipes

#5 The Sharks host the Minnesota Wild on Thursday the Sharks are looking for their fourth straight win can they get it?

Join Len for Sharks podcasts each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com