Sharks 2021-22 Game 21 Recap: Sharks 2, Blackhawks 0 (11/28/21)

 James Reimer was outstanding Sunday night as the Sharks shut out the Chicago Blackhawks 2-0 to start their current road trip. 

Reimer had one of his best starts this season and as a Shark as he recorded 29 saves and made some incredible stops throughout the night. 

Besides Optimus Reim playing lights out, all the Sharks needed was two goals from Timo Meier to complete the shutout. The first Timo Time goal was scored in the second period on a deflection from Rudolfs Balcers and Logan Couture, while the second one was an empty-netter in the third with Couture getting his second helper of the night. 

This was an excellent effort from the Sharks to begin their current road trip, and it certainly helped that the Blackhawks aren't very good this season. San Jose will look to keep this up and carry their momentum into Newark as they face the New Jersey Devils in their next game on Tuesday, which begins at 4 pm PT. 

In other news, the Sharks have placed Evander Kane on waivers before his suspension ends tomorrow. If Evander clears waivers, he will be assigned to the Barracuda in the AHL, and who knows if he will report to the Cuda if he is assigned there. In addition, if the Sharks can find a trade partner to acquire Evander Kane, they are willing to take on some of his salary to make the trade happen. 

Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, NHL App

Sharks 2021-22 Game 20 Recap: Maple Leafs 4, Sharks 1 (11/26/21)

 The Sharks had a decent first period but were playing catch-up for most of the game as they fell to the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-1. 

The Leafs set the tone of this game early on as William Nylander scored the first goal seconds after puck drop. The Sharks answered back as Nick Bonino scored his second goal of the season and in back-to-back games, with assists from Noah Gregor and Erik Karlsson. The Leafs then regained their lead in the first period via Wayne Simmonds. 

Toronto padded their lead in the second period on goals from John Tavares and Auston Matthews. 

James Reimer was okay in his third-straight start, but was pulled in the second period after being left out to dry by the rest of his team, making 13 saves. Adin Hill was inserted in place of James Reimer and was a perfect 16-for-16 on save opportunities. In addition, San Jose’s power play was abysmal, which the Leafs easily took advantage of. 

On a more positive note, Marc-Eduoard Vlasic skated in his 1100th game, becoming the third Sharks player in franchise history besides Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton to reach that mark. 

In other news, the Sharks announced yesterday afternoon that GM Doug Wilson will be taking a temporary leave of absence due to an undisclosed medical condition. Assistant GM Joe Will will take over as interim GM while Doug Wilson is away from the team. 

Team Teal wrapped up its current homestand with a 2-2-0 record. They will embark on a five-game road trip over the next week starting on Sunday in Chicago against the Blackhawks. Puck drop for Sunday's match-up is at 4 pm PT.

Sources: NHL App, Twitter

Sharks 2021-22 Game 19 Recap: Sharks 6, Senators 3 (11/24/21)

 The Sharks grabbed an early lead, fell behind, and climbed back in it as they took down the Ottawa Senators 6-3. 

The first few minutes of this game featured a scrap between Jake Middleton and Austin Watson. Later on in the first period, Matt Nieto scored his first goal of the season from Kevin Labanc and Erik Karlsson while Josh Norris proceeded to tie it up for the Senators. 

Things got interesting in the second period. It first began with Tomas Hertl scoring his eighth goal of the season from Timo Meier and Mario Ferraro to retake the lead. In the later half of the second period, the Senators scored two quick goals from Brady Tkachuk and Connor Brown for Ottawa's first lead of the night. The Sens didn't have the lead for long as Nick Bonino scored his first goal as a Shark in his 700th NHL game on the power play to tie the game at three, which was what we have all been waiting for ever since the start of the season. Timo Meier and Logan Couture were credited with the assists on the Bonino goal. 

The Sharks had a great third period as they took control of the game from here. On top of his two assists, Timo Meier scored his seventh goal of the season to retake the lead for Team Teal 4-3. With the clock winding down towards the end of regulation, the Sharks added two empty-netters to finish off the Senators before Thanksgiving: one from Logan Couture and the other from Jake Middleton. The last empty-netter also happens to be Jake Middleton's first NHL goal, with assists from Andrew Cogliano and Erik Karlsson. 

James Reimer was solid in net with 26 saves on 29 shots against. 

Other Sharks updates: Jonathan Dahlen is considered day-to-day after sustaining a shoulder injury during Saturday's game against the Capitals. Evander Kane's suspension ends in five days, and Kane has been seen skating in the Sharks' facilities; the Sharks have yet to make a decision on whether Evander Kane will rejoin the roster once his league suspension is over. 

Despite the Senators currently having the lowest amount of points out of any team in the NHL, this was a hard-fought and entertaining win for the Sharks. San Jose is looking to carry their momentum further and go for their third-straight win when the Toronto Maple Leafs come to the Tank on Friday. Puck drop for Friday's game is at 7:30 pm PT.

Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, NHL App

Sharks 2021-22 Game 18 Recap: Sharks 2, Hurricanes 1 (OT) (11/22/21)

 Another tremendous statement win for the Sharks as they defeat the Carolina Hurricanes 2-1 in overtime. 

San Jose played the Canes tough for basically the entire night. The first period was scoreless, while Tony DeAngelo scored the only goal in the second period and the only goal for the Canes in this game. 

The Sharks couldn't get their offense going until early in the third and have any penalty calls go their way until late in the third period. Kevin Labanc tied the game at one with his third goal of the season from Jasper Weatherby and Mario Ferraro. With less than a minute left in regulation, the Sharks were finally able to draw a penalty after the refs missed a few significant ones throughout the game, with this specific one being a tripping call against Brett Pesce. 

Both the Labanc game-tying goal and first power play of the game for Team Teal are the main factors that got them to overtime, with their power play carrying over from regulation. Just 1:42 into overtime, Alexander Barabanov nets the game-winner from Tomas Hertl and Mario Ferraro. 

James Reimer had another fantastic start in net, with this one being against his former team, recording 22 saves. In addition, Scott Reedy made his NHL debut, and Erik Karlsson skated in his 800th NHL game. 

This a huge win for this Sharks team, especially after getting shut out in their previous two games. It also gave the Hurricanes their first OT loss this season. With the way this game ended, the missed penalties that didn't go San Jose's way are in the rear-view mirror. Hopefully San Jose can build off of this win and become more consistent as the season progresses. Their next game is Wednesday, hosting the Ottawa Senators at 7:30 pm PT. 

Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, NHL App

Sharks 2021-22 Game 17 Recap: Capitals 4, Sharks 0 (11/20/21)

 The Sharks were no match for the Washington Capitals as they were shut out 4-0 Saturday night. 

It was all Caps from the get-go. Alex Ovechkin had a huge night as he recorded two goals and an assist, while Conor Sheary scored the other two Caps goals. Ovi is now 22 goals away from tying Jaromir Jagr for third place on the all-time goals list.

Jonathan Dahlen injured himself early in this game, grabbing his arm and shoulder, and did not return to the game.  

Adin Hill got the start in net, making 17 saves on 20 shots against. He wasn't terrible, but the offense and defense couldn't bail him out. 

In addition, Kevin Labanc did not play against the Capitals Saturday night since he was suspended one game due to slew-footing the Blues' Tyler Bozak in Thursday's game in St. Louis. 

This Sharks team has continued this season's theme of being wildly inconsistent. They had some great chances on the power play but couldn't solve Ilya Samsonov and find the back of the net. What Team Teal needs to do is find a recipe for success and stick with it, which they have yet to do and I sure hope they can do very soon. 

It certainly won't be a walk in the park, but the Sharks have another opportunity to get it together in their next game on Monday against the red-hot Carolina Hurricanes at 7:30 pm PT. 

Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, NHL App

Sharks 2021-22 Game 16 Recap: Blues 4, Sharks 1 (11/18/21)

 The Sharks lose to a more desperate St. Louis Blues team 4-1 to close out their second road trip of the season. 

For the most part, this game sucked. After the Sharks’ first goal of the game in the first period by Logan Couture was disallowed due to them going offsides, they found themselves trailing the rest of the night. 

About three seconds into the game, Jake Middleton and Robert Bortuzzo dropped the gloves and went after each other. 

However, there were a few positives in this terrible loss: James Reimer was decent in net with 44 saves, and Jonathan Dahlen scored his seventh goal of the season in the second period from Timo Meier. 

As for the Blues, they had lost their past four games before tonight’s game, so they were hungry for a win and it showed in their effort in this game. St. Louis scored in every period, two of which were from Brandon Saad. Saad now has six goals against the Sharks this season. The other two goal-scorers for the Blues were Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou. In addition, Scott Perunovich recorded his first NHL point in the Blues’ win over the Sharks. 

Back to the Sharks, the defense was a letdown, the offense was inconsistent, and some bad penalties were taken. 

Overall, this game was butt cheeks, and it won’t get any easier from here. The Sharks return home for a four-game homestand starting with their next game on Saturday against a very good Washington Capitals team. Puck drop for Saturday’s game is at 7:30 pm PT. Hopefully the Sharks can get a hot streak going during their next stretch of games at the Tank this coming week. 

Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, NHL App 

Sharks 2021-22 Game 15 Recap: Sharks 4, Wild 1 (11/16/21)

 The Sharks bounced back from their past two games in a big way in Minnesota, taking down the Wild 4-1. 

San Jose began scoring early on via Mario Ferraro, who put it in on a great backhand pass from Logan Couture. Timo Meier was credited with the other assist on the opening goal. Late in the first, Timo Meier scored off a deflection from Marc-Eduoard Vlasic to give the Sharks a two-goal advantage. Logan Couture also helped out on the second goal. The only goal scored by the Wild in this contest was by Joel Eriksson Ek early in the second period. Following that Wild goal, Alex Barabanov was hit hard and awkwardly near the boards by Matt Dumba, but fortunately he is okay as was able to shake it off.

Towards the middle of the second frame, Erik Karlsson launched an amazing bar-down clapper to regain the Sharks’ two-goal lead. Jake Middleton and Rudolfs Balcers assisted on the play. One period later, Tomas Hertl topped off the Sharks’ scoring efforts with his seventh goal of the season from his linemates Barabanov and Balcers. 

In addition, Mario Ferraro exited the game in the third period before the game ended after blocking a shot, causing a lot of pain and discomfort for him. Hopefully Mario recovers from this and is ready for the Sharks’ next game in St. Louis tomorrow night. 

This game also had a few tussles, the first one being between Jake Middleton and Jordan Greenway and the other one between Jonah Gadjovich and Marcus Foligno.

James Reimer had another excellent performance in the crease, saving 26 of 27 shots against. 

On a side note, Sharks general manager Doug Wilson was formally and officially inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto on Monday as part of the Hall of Fame’s Class of 2020. Wilson was inducted not only for being a great GM, but for his legendary playing career as well. 

In all, this was another huge statement win from Team Teal, especially since the Wild play very well at home this season. Scratching Radim Simek from the lineup also helped San Jose against Minnesota, as he was considered a liability in Saturday’s game in Colorado. The Sharks conclude their current road trip in St. Louis tomorrow against the Blues at 5 pm PT. 

Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, NHL App 

Sharks 2021-22 Game 14 Recap: Avalanche 6, Sharks 2 (11/13/21)

 The Sharks got seven players, their head coach, and their head trainer back from COVID protocol, but they struggled in Denver as they fell to the Avalanche 6-2 for back-to-back losses in their last two games. 

Except for a few aspects, this game was disappointing and underwhelming. Although the Avalanche were without their best player in Nathan MacKinnon, this game completely displayed how stacked they are from top to bottom. 

The few positives from this game consist of the first goal of the game from Logan Couture in the first, Alex Barabanov's goal on the power play in the third, and Adin Hill not being entirely at fault for the Sharks getting whooped in this one. Mario Ferraro, Timo Meier, Tomas Hertl, and Erik Karlsson each recorded an assist in the loss to Colorado. 

San Jose's main downfall in this one was team defense, which showed flashes of the Sharks teams from the past two seasons. 

As for the Avalanche, Sam Girard had a huge night with four points (one goal, three assists), and Devon Toews, Nazem Kadri, Alex Newhook, Logan O'Connor, and Andre Burakovsky all found the back of the net as well. 

As a result of everyone on the Sharks who was previously on COVID protocol returning to the roster and regular team activities, seven players were recently sent down to the Barracuda: Sasha Chmelevski, Joel Kellman, John Leonard, Jaycob Megna, Ryan Merkley, Artemi Kniazev, and Nicolas Meloche.

I didn't see a ton of this Sharks game because I was attending a college football game, which happened to be my last one as a student. All I know is that it sucked, and this team needs to improve and is capable of much more. I would also recommend inserting Santeri Hatakka in the lineup in future games instead of Radim Simek or Jake Middleton. 

Next up: The Sharks will travel to Minnesota for their next game against the Wild on Tuesday at 5 pm PT. 

Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, NHL App

Sharks 2021-22 Game 13 Recap: Jets 4, Sharks 1 (11/11/21)

 The Jets scored four unanswered goals as the Sharks dropped their season series finale to Winnipeg 4-1. 

The Sharks scored the first goal of the game in the first period via Andrew Cogliano from Brent Burns for Cogliano's second goal of the season. This also marks Burnzie's eighth assist in the past six games for Team Teal. 

However, it all went downhill from there. Winnipeg's four unanswered goals came in this order: Kyle Connor's game-tying goal in the first period, Nate Schmidt's go-ahead goal in the second, one by Jansen Harkins to go up by two, and the empty-net dagger by Pierre-Luc Dubois in the final minute of the third. 

In addition, there were a fair share of missed calls throughout the game that didn't go the Sharks' way. 

It wasn't James Reimer's best performance in net against the Jets, as he made 30 saves and gave up three goals in the mostly-lopsided loss. 

Fortunately, the Sharks will have everyone who was on COVID protocol for the past few weeks back in the lineup for their next game in Colorado against the Avalanche. With that being said, there will be some tough roster decisions ahead for San Jose that will need to be sorted out soon. Speaking of the Sharks' next game in Colorado, it will be on Saturday at 6 pm PT. 

Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, NHL App

Sharks 2021-22 Game 12 Recap: Sharks 4, Flames 1 (11/9/21)

 The Sharks began their second road trip of the season with a bang, as they got a huge win over the Calgary Flames 4-1 in their first game against a Pacific Division opponent this season. 

The production on offense didn't begin until early in the middle frame when Alexander Barabanov scored on what appeared to be a breakaway to put the Sharks on the board first, with Brent Burns and Adin Hill assisting on the play. Burnzie made a beautiful cross-ice pass to set up Barabanov for the first goal. The Flames soon tied it on a controversial goal credited to Andrew Mangiapane, which was initially reviewed by the league and then challenged by the Sharks for goaltender interference. The game-tying goal stood and San Jose was given a minor penalty for delay of game. Apparently the league has forgotten what goaltender interference is. 

Early in the third period, Nikita Zadorov laid a big hit on Alexander Barabanov, in which Zadorov's elbow made contact with Barabanov's head. There was no call on the hit, but it could've been much worse as Barabanov was able to get up from the collision. It is very possible that there could be a hearing from the NHL Department of Player Safety soon regarding that incident. 

Following that hit, Logan Couture scored the go-ahead goal in what would be the game-winner for the Sharks. His shot had deflected off Nikita Zadorov's stick and went past Jacob Markstrom to retake the lead. In the process, Santeri Hatakka registered his first NHL point, and Nicolas Meloche getting his first point of the season. Team Teal topped off its winning efforts with two empty-netters from Tomas Hertl and Jonathan Dahlen in the final minute of this game. On the first empty-netter by Hertl, Brent Burns and Adin Hill each picked up their second assist of the night. 

Adin Hill had a phenomenal performance in net, recording 37 saves and two assists. Hill becomes the second goalie in Sharks history besides Vesa Toskala to record two assists in a game and the fifth goalie in NHL history to record two assists and 37+ saves in a game. 

As for the Sharks players that were in COVID protocol, none of them traveled with the team to Calgary or plan to do so to Winnipeg either. Five of those players (Nieto, Labanc, Meier, Vlasic, Simek) participated in morning skate in San Jose on Monday, while the other two (Karlsson, Middleton) began skating yesterday. All seven are on track to rejoin the lineup for Saturday's game in Colorado. 

Overall, this is a huge statement win over a Flames team that has been playing incredibly well this season. In addition, the Sharks are undefeated when playing in Canada this season so far. Let's see if they can keep that going when they face the Jets in Winnipeg on Thursday at 5 pm PT. 

Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, NHL App

Sharks 2021-22 Game 11 Recap: Devils 3, Sharks 2 (SO) (11/6/21)

 The Sharks played fairly well and never trailed in this game, but couldn’t get it done in the skills competition as they dropped their last game of their current homestand 3-2. 

The first period was scoreless, although the closest the Sharks came to scoring in the first was John Leonard hitting a few posts. Rudolfs Balcers scored the first goal of the game in the second period from Mario Ferraro and Brent Burns, while the Devils followed that up with one from Ryan Graves to tie it at one. 

Early in the third, Jonathan Dahlen scored on the power play from Brent Burns and Nick Merkley to retake the lead for the Sharks. However, with about three minutes remaining, Janne Kuokkanen gets the game tied again for the Devils to force overtime and eventually a shootout. Logan Couture and Jesper Bratt made the first shootout attempts for the Sharks and Devils respectively, but Damon Severson's successful attempt to conclude the first round of the skills competition was the difference-maker. As a result, the Devils walk away with two points, while the Sharks only get one. I hate when games end like this and the Sharks are on the losing end of them, but at least they salvage a point in the standings every time, which is better than nothing. 

Despite the loss, James Reimer had another solid performance in net, stopping 26 of 28 shots against and maintaining one of the lowest GAA of all NHL goalies this season. 

As for the players and team personnel on the COVID Protocol list, the soonest they will be able to return to the lineup and regular team activities is next Saturday against the Avalanche in Colorado. They won't be able to travel with the team to their next two games in Calgary and Winnipeg due to NHL and Canadian regulations. 

Speaking of their next game, the Sharks face the Flames at the Saddledome on Tuesday at 6 pm PT for their first game against a division rival this season. Hopefully San Jose can get back to their winning ways soon. 

Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, NHL App

Sharks Reassign William Eklund to Djurgardens IF in Sweden

 The Sharks announced yesterday that they are sending William Eklund back to Sweden to the junior team he previously played for, Djurgardens IF, for the remainder of this season.

Before this was announced, William Eklund recorded four assists and two penalty minutes in nine games for the Sharks this season. 

Like many of the fans, Eklund himself, and his teammates, I am upset with this move and feel like Eklund belongs with the Sharks and in the NHL since he has a ton of upside and potential. However, sending him back to Sweden for the rest of this season is intended to aid in his long-term development. I also heard that Djurgardens isn’t very good this year, but once he gets comfortable being back in Sweden, he will tear up the SHL on offense for sure.

It may hurt the Sharks in the short term, but after this brief stint in Sweden, William Eklund will return to the Sharks better, stronger, and hungrier than ever. 

Sources: Sheng Peng via Twitter, Sharks + SAP Center App

Sharks 2021-22 Game 10 Recap: Blues 5, Sharks 3 (11/4/21)

 The Sharks were in it the entire game, but some careless mistakes cost them as they fall to the St. Louis Blues 5-3 to snap their two-game win streak. 

Much of this game was a back-and-forth scoring affair, especially in the first half of this game. It first began with Brent Burns scoring his first goal of the season on a 5-on-3 opportunity, getting assists from Tomas Hertl and Alexander Barabanov. The Blues followed that up on Brandon Saad's first goal of the game to tie it at one. The Sharks then retook the lead via Logan Couture while shorthanded to make it 2-1 Sharks, with the only helper on that play coming from Rudolfs Balcers. Couture also had to briefly exit the game at one point after going hard into the boards and taking a stick to the face.

Early in the second, the Blues tied it again, this time from Pavel Buchnevich. In a matter of seconds, the Sharks retook the lead 3-2 on Nick Merkley's first goal as a Shark, which was deflected off a shot from Mario Ferraro at the point. Brent Burns was also credited with an apple on Nick Merkley's first goal as a Shark. Later on in the second, the Blues scored both the game-tying and go-ahead goals via Brandon Saad's second of the game and James Neal's second of the season. A few of the goals that the Blues scored in this game were soft, and Adin Hill admitted that he wanted those soft goals back. 

Lastly, Robert Thomas scored on the empty net in the final minute of regulation to seal the deal for St. Louis. 

Besides the few softies he allowed, Adin Hill could've performed better in net, making a total of 23 saves on the night. There were also times in this game when the Sharks' defense was lackluster and the young players' inexperience was exposed. Also keep in mind that the Sharks still had seven regular roster players, their head coach, and a few other team personnel in COVID protocol, which certainly didn't help the team's chances. This loss isn't entirely the Sharks' fault either, as the Blues are off to a hot start this season and are playing very well lately. 

A few  noteworthy storylines I want to discuss here as well: the Sharks haven't yet confirmed what they plan to do with William Eklund as he has no goals and a few assists through ten games in his rookie campaign. Eklund's fellow teammates have praised him so far and stated that he belongs in the NHL and with the Sharks, and I totally agree with them. There has also been some speculation that the Sharks could potentially send Eklund back to Sweden so he can further develop as a player, and that would be a big mistake as that would set him back rather than improve his game. I believe in Eklund as much as anyone around the Sharks does, and that it will be a matter of time before he scores his first NHL goal. 

The next storyline involves the Jack Eichel sweepstakes. There have been rumors of the possibility that the Sharks could land the superstar center from the Sabres, but those rumors were never that serious and San Jose was never a finalist in the sweepstakes either. The Sabres ultimately dealt Jack Eichel and a 2023 third-rounder to the rival Vegas Golden Knights for Alex Tuch, Peyton Krebs, a 2022 first-rounder, and a 2023 third-rounder. I'm glad that Jack Eichel is out of Buffalo as his relationship with the Sabres is severed to the point of no return. In addition, Eichel is able to have the type of surgery that he wanted done, but his recovery is expected to take roughly four months. However, as a Sharks fan, I don't think too highly of this trade as they will now be facing him more in the near future. Most importantly, once everyone on the Golden Knights is back in the lineup and healthy, they are expected to be a scary good team and will make life more difficult for Team Teal.

In general, I wasn't too pleased with how this game went for the Sharks. They have an opportunity to rebound tomorrow when they host the New Jersey Devils to close out their current homestand at 7:30 pm PT. 

Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, NHL App

Sharks 2021-22 Game 9 Recap: Sharks 5, Sabres 3 (11/2/21)

 The Sharks continue to face more adversity and find ways to win as they take down the Buffalo Sabres 5-3 in arguably their biggest win of the season. 

Before discussing the Sharks' unbelievable win over the Sabres, the increased adversity originated from leading scorer Timo Meier and lead trainer Ray Tufts being added to COVID protocol. On the bright side, Jonathan Dahlen has been released from COVID protocol and rejoined the Sharks roster yesterday afternoon. In addition, Joel Kellman and Artemi Kniazev were recalled from the Barracuda prior to last night's game.

Now onto the game itself: First things first, I should mention that there were just over 10,000 in attendance at the Tank, which is far from a sellout. I understand several reasons why this was the case, but with the way this game went, it deserved to have more butts in the seats. The man who most recently returned from COVID protocol, Jonathan Dahlen, puts the Sharks on the board first with his fourth goal of the season, with assists from William Eklund and Brent Burns. Soon after, Jeff Skinner scores a big one for the Sabres to tie it up at one. Later on in the first, the Sharks regain the lead on Ryan Merkley's first NHL goal, getting helpers from Alexander Barabanov and Tomas Hertl. Ryan Merkley's mom and sisters were in attendance to witness his first NHL goal. 

The second period saw Tomas Hertl score his first goal of the game, getting an assist from Rudolfs Balcers to extend the Sharks' lead to two. Buffalo then got within one via Drake Caggiula. In addition, Santeri Hatakka left the bench and headed into the dressing room with an undisclosed injury and did not return to the game. 

In the first half of the third period, Mario Ferraro scores his first goal of the season to get the Sharks back to a two-goal lead, getting assists from Nick Merkley and Jasper Weatherby. About five minutes later, Tomas Hertl scores an absolute beauty for his second goal of the game for the Sharks' biggest lead of the night, with apples from Rudolfs Balcers and Mario Ferraro. With around two minutes remaining, Jeff Skinner scores his second goal of the game to get the Sabres back within two, but it wasn't enough as the Sharks prevail yet again while having several players and team personnel on COVID protocol and new faces from the Barracuda. 

James Reimer got the start in net and was solid yet again, stopping 25 of 28 shots against. 

Since this game was televised only on ESPN+, I listened to the game on the Sharks Audio Network alongside watching the Atlanta Braves clinch their first World Series in 26 years in a 7-0 shutout win in Game 6 over the Houston Astros. Back to the Sharks-Sabres game, the Sharks pulled off another incredible, unbelievable victory in the most unlikely of circumstances. This Sharks team continues to amaze me as this season progresses. Tomas Hertl needs to be signed to a long-term extension as soon as possible. 

San Jose has improved its record to 6-3-0. Last season, it took 24 games for the Sharks to get to six wins, and I love that it has now taken less that half that amount of games to reach that mark. Team Teal's next game is tomorrow, hosting the St. Louis Blues at 7:30 pm PT. 

Sources: Sharks Audio Network, NHL App

Sharks/Fantasy News & Notes (11/1/21)

 There is one significant update involving the Sharks worth mentioning before their next game tomorrow, and I completed my third week of the current fantasy hockey season. Let’s get into them: 

• Update from Saturday's game vs. the Jets: Logan Couture is feeling well and back in the lineup ahead of Tuesday's game vs. the Sabres. In addition, Andrew Cogliano has returned to the Sharks roster from COVID protocol this morning. However, Kevin Labanc is now the latest from the Sharks to join the six other players (Dahlen, Karlsson, Vlasic, Simek, Middleton, Nieto) and head coach Bob Boughner still in COVID protocol. This is great news for Cooch and Cogs but unfortunate for Labanc and everyone else still in COVID protocol. Hopefully no one else from the Sharks gets added to COVID protocol and those who are still in COVID protocol can return soon. 

•  My third week of my second season of fantasy hockey is officially in the books, with my team defeating Hertl Power 252.80 to 214.90 for my second-straight win. My team's top performers were Blake Coleman, TJ Oshie before he got injured, Juuse Saros, and Chris Kreider. I have now moved into seventh place in my fantasy league, which puts me in playoff position. On the other hand, after having to move TJ Oshie to the IR, I added Frank Vatrano to my roster. This week, I face PDX Sharks, and as I am writing this, my team is trailing by 1.25 points. Luckily this is only the beginning of Week 4 as I expect to gain a lot more points throughout the rest of the week. 

Stay tuned to CPF Hockey for more Sharks and fantasy updates. 

Sources: Kevin Kurz & Sheng Peng via Twitter, Yahoo Fantasy Sports