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 Preseason: Sharks Fall to Ducks 3-2 in Shoot-Out Loss

San Jose Sharks’ Adam Raska (57) battles the Anaheim Ducks’ Greg Pateryn (29) for the puck against the boards in the first period during pre season action on Mon Oct 4, 2021 at the SAP Center in San Jose. (Bay Area News Group photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks fell 3-2 to the Anaheim Ducks in a shoot-out Monday in San Jose. Mason McTavish and Trevor Zegras scored for Anaheim. John Gibson made 42 saves for for the win. Logan Couture and Tomas Hertl scored for San Jose. James Reimer made 23 saves for the Sharks.

Mason McTavish gave the Ducks a 1-0 lead in the first, scoring the only goal of the period. Assists went to Vinni Lettieri and Kevin Shattenkirk.

The goal came in the middle of a period that saw a slew of fighting and misconduct penalties in the first minute. Sam Carrick and Jeffrey Viel received matching penalties for fighting and unsportsmanlike conduct just five seconds in. Jacob Middleton and Nicolas Deslauriers took fighting majors 29 seconds in.

A few minutes after the goal, Jacob Larsson and Jasper Weatherby received matching roughing penalties. Seconds later, Jamie Drysdale went to the box for holding, giving the Sharks their first power play of the game.

A few minutes later, Vinni Lettieri took his second penalty of the period and gave the Sharks a brief power play, which ended when Jasper Weatherby went to the box again, for slashing John Gibson.

The Sharks had seven shots on the power play and 15 shots for the period. The Ducks had seven shots and none during their abbreviated power play. The Sharks won 67% of the face-offs.

The penalties continued in the second period, starting just 2:57 in with Greg Pateryn’s cross-check to Rudolfs Balcers. The Sharks could not capitalize on that and, at 11:30 of the period, found themselves on the penalty kill when Timo Meier went to the box for cross-checking Hampus Lindholm.

At 12:50, the Sharks were down two skaters because Erik Karlsson was in the box for closing his hand on the puck. The Sharks made it through the 5 on three but before the second penalty expired, Trevor Zegras scored for Anaheim. Assists went to Jamie Drysdale and Sonny Milano.

During the final penalty of the period, Logan Couture scored a power play goal for San Jose. Anaheim’s Isac Lundestrom was in the box for high-sticking Timo Meier. Assists went to Meier and Jonathan Dahlen.

The Sharks outshot the Ducks in the second, 18-7. The Sharks’ power play generated six shots to the Ducks’ one. The Sharks won 57% of the face-offs.

The third period went penalty-free until 9:30 when Timo Meier and Max Jones went to their respective boxes for roughing.

Tomas Hertl tied the game at 15:03 with assists from Rudolfs Balcers and William Eklund.

The Sharks led the shot count 11-7 in the third, and won 74% of the face-offs.

30 seconds into overtime, Erik Karlsson was called for slashing, giving the Ducks a 4-on-3 power play. The Ducks got three shots on that power play but the Sharks killed the penalty. In all, the Ducks managed four shots during overtime and the Sharks had none. The Sharks did, however, win both face-offs.

Gibson stopped shots from Alexander Barabanov and Jonathan Dahlen, and Rudolfs Balcers missed the net.

Reimer stopped shots from Max Comtois, but Trevor Zegras scored.

While the Sharks in general did well in the face-off circle, Nick Bonino came away with a noteworthy 82% win percentage. Alexander Barabanov led the team in shots with seven, while Erik Karlsson and William Eklund added five each.

The Sharks will not play again until Saturday when they host the Vegas Golden Knights at 5:00 PM PT in San Jose.