Sharks 2021-22 Game 3 Recap: Sharks 2, Senators 1 (10/21/21)

 The Sharks continue their hot start to the 2021-22 season with their third-straight win, a 2-1 victory over the Ottawa Senators. 

San Jose gave up the first goal at around the midway point of the first period to Drake Batherson to start this game, but it gets better. Kevin Labanc appears to go top corner and tie the game shortly after the first goal by the Sens, but it was overturned due to Brent Burns and Nick Bonino going offside before the puck crossed the blue line for them to set up the play. 

All the Sharks needed were two second period goals to wrap this one up, which were from Logan Couture and Kevin Labanc respectively. Labanc redeemed himself from his first goal that was overturned with an incredible slapshot on the power play that proved to be the game-winner. Brent Burns, Timo Meier, Erik Karlsson, and William Eklund each recorded an assist in San Jose's victory over Ottawa. This is William Eklund's third-consecutive game with a helper, and EK65 already has five points in the Sharks' first three games. In addition, Team Teal is now 5 for 12 on the man advantage, which is already a huge step above the past two seasons. Some Sharks players are now referring to Kevin Labanc as Kevin Ovechkin due to a massive improvement in his game. 

James Reimer was fantastic in his first start of the season and his second tenure with the Sharks, making 30 saves and posting a .968 save percentage. 

A significant milestone was reached in this game as well, as Brent Burns skated in his 600th consecutive NHL game and recorded points in his previous 14 games against the Senators.

This Sharks team has been a pleasant surprise to many and a ton of fun to watch so far. They'll definitely be a legit playoff contender if they can keep up their current level of play. San Jose is back at it again later today in Toronto against the Maple Leafs in the second leg of their first back-to-back of the season. Adin Hill will be back in net as the Sharks attempt to remain undefeated to start their 2021-22 campaign in Toronto on Friday, with puck drop at 3 pm PT. 

Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, NHL App

Sharks 2021-22 Game 2 Recap: Sharks 5, Canadiens 0 (10/19/21)

 The Sharks begin their first road trip of the new season with their second consecutive win, shutting out the Montreal Canadiens 5-0. This is the first season since 2016-17 that the Sharks began the season 2-0-0 and the Sharks’ tenth-straight win over the Canadiens. 

San Jose took control of this game early on with Jonathan Dahlen’s first two NHL goals. This is the quickest any player has scored his first two NHL goals in Sharks franchise history. Both of Dahlen’s goals came in the first few minutes of the game; the first one was originally credited to Timo Meier, but Timo only made the initial deflection to set up Dahlen. Meier was also credited with the secondary assist on the second Dahlen goal, in which Logan Couture shot the puck and it deflected off Jake Allen, then Dahlen scored off the rebound. Towards the end of the first period, Erik Karlsson potted one in from the point to make it 3-0 at the first intermission. 

Early in the middle frame saw Timo Meier score his first goal of the season on the man advantage, getting assists from Logan Couture and Erik Karlsson. The Sharks got some added insurance in the later half of the final period on another power play opportunity from Kevin Labanc. In addition, Erik Karlsson recorded a total of three points (one goal, two assists), and Brent Burns, Matt Nieto, Mario Ferraro, and William Eklund each recorded an assist against the Canadiens on Tuesday. 

Adin Hill stopped all 21 shots he faced for his fourth career shutout and first shutout as a Shark. Hill has been amazing in Teal in the two games the Sharks have played this season so far. The power play has improved significantly under John MacLean compared to the past two seasons under Rocky Thompson. Montreal simply couldn't get anything going against Team Teal and have now fallen to a league-worst 0-4-0, especially considering they are without Carey Price, Shea Weber, Philip Danault, among others this season. 

In all, the younger players and veteran core have stepped up in a huge way thus far, and I'm confident that they can keep up their current level of success and competitiveness for much of this season. The Sharks' next stop on their current road trip is Ottawa, where they will face the Senators on Thursday at 4 pm PT. 

Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, NHL App

Sharks/Fantasy News & Notes (10/19/21)

 The Sharks' first game of the 2021-22 season is already in the books and their second game is today in Montreal. A few important and significant headlines have been released that are worth discussing, let's get into them: 

• Signs are pointing to Sharks defenseman Nikolai Knyzhov needing lower body surgery, which will require eight to ten weeks of recovery time. Knyzhov was arguably San Jose’s best defenseman last season and this obviously sucks, but I firmly believe that he will come back better and stronger when he is ready to join the Sharks’ roster.

•  The NHL has suspended Evander Kane for 21 games without pay due to a violation of the the league's COVID-19 protocol. In addition, the NHL has determined that its investigation into allegations of domestic abuse made by Kane’s estranged wife Anna “could not be substantiated.” Kane isn’t eligible to return to the Sharks until November 30 at the soonest. If Evander Kane does in fact return to the Sharks at the end of November, most of the fans won’t welcome him back, including myself. He is already an afterthought in the Sharks’ locker room and could ruin the team chemistry if San Jose continues to perform well without him. Reinstating Evander Kane is too big of a gamble to make, and therefore it would be best for the Sharks to terminate Evander Kane’s contract. 

• I have completed my first week of the new fantasy hockey season as Optimus Reim Hill, losing to the Atlanta Thrashers 191.95 to 160.25. My top performers were Chris Kreider, Victor Hedman, and Elvis Merzlikins with 24.25, 23, and 22 fantasy points respectively. In addition, I added Jonathan Drouin and Robby Fabbri to my roster while dropping Dylan Strome due to Strome constantly being a healthy scratch. As for this week, I am off to a great start with a 26.25-point lead over Laffing Stock. I also got franchise centerpiece Nathan MacKinnon back from COVID protocol, which should help my squad immensely. 

Stay tuned to CPF Hockey for more news and updates. Expect a recap of today’s Sharks-Canadiens game later tonight. 

Sources: NHL App, Yahoo Fantasy 

Sharks 2021-22 Game 1 Recap: Sharks 4, Jets 3 (10/16/21)

 The Sharks came from behind to defeat the Winnipeg Jets 4-3 in their season opener Saturday night. San Jose was also the last team in the NHL to play their first game of the season. In addition, it was the first Sharks regular season game with a full capacity crowd in over a year.

The first goal of the game came in the first period by the Jets' Pierre-Luc Dubois to grab an early 1-0 lead for Winnipeg. Early in the second, Andrew Copp scored to add on to the Jets' lead while shorthanded. Shortly after, Andrew Cogliano goes top shelf to score the Sharks' first goal of the 2021-22 campaign to get San Jose on the board and cut the Jets' lead in half. Logan Couture and Brent Burns were credited with the assists on Team Teal's first goal of the game and the season. Like the previous goal by the Jets, the Sharks' first one was scored while shorthanded. In the later half of the second period, Jasper Weatherby tallies his first NHL goal in his first NHL game off the primary feed from Erik Karlsson on the power play. Kevin Labanc was also involved on Weatherby's first NHL goal, recording the secondary assist on that play. Weatherby becomes the first Sharks player in five years to score in his NHL debut.

Early in the third period, Tomas Hertl finds a hole on Connor Hellebuyck off the rebound to score on the power play for his first goal of the season to give the Sharks their first lead of the night, 3-2. In addition, William Eklund gets his first NHL point with an assist on the go-ahead goal, and Jasper Weatherby gets his first NHL assist as well. Rudolfs Balcers notches what would end up being the game-winner a few minutes later as he was shoved into Connor Hellebuyck by Neal Pionk to extend the Sharks' lead. As the game-winner was being scored, the Jets took exception to Balcers colliding into Hellebuyck and all hell breaks loose. After things simmered down, Tomas Hertl hyped up the SAP Center crowd as he was heading to the penalty box for roughing against Neal Pionk. 

The Jets added one more goal later in the third by Jansen Harkins, but it wasn't enough as the Sharks held on to win their first game of the new season. 

Adin Hill was given the start in net for the Sharks and performed decently in his Sharks debut, making 20 saves on 23 shots against. 

Before the game, Mario Ferraro was named an alternate captain for the Sharks, joining Brent Burns, Erik Karlsson, and Tomas Hertl. 

To be fair, I was at work when this game was taking place, so I was unable to watch most of it live. However, I was able to stream the conclusion of the first period while on my meal break and watch highlight reels after getting home from work. Despite these circumstances not being ideal, that was one amazing season opener for the Sharks and one that this team can build off of for their next stretch of games coming up. The Sharks are already better this season than in the past two seasons, and they don't need Evander Kane in order to perform well. I understand that this is only the first game and the rest of the season is totally unpredictable, but I have renewed optimism in the retooled Sharks and feel great about their chances of making the playoffs in a relatively weak Pacific Division. 

Up Next: The Sharks will embark on a lengthy early-season road trip starting in Montreal on Tuesday against the Canadiens. Puck drop for Tuesday's game is at 4 pm PT. 

Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, NHL App & YouTube channel, Kevin Kurz via Twitter

Sharks' Opening Night Roster Announced

I'm a tad late with this, but the Sharks have announced their roster ahead of their season opener against the Jets on Saturday. However, it still remains relevant since the Sharks are one of the last teams to play their season opener this year. 

There are a few rookies that have made the opening night roster out of training camp, while a few notable players such as Dylan Gambrell and Adam Raska will begin the season with the Barracuda in the AHL. The Sharks rookie I am most excited about this season is their seventh overall pick in this past draft, William Eklund. I believe he has the potential to breakout in his first season and make a case for the Calder Trophy as the NHL's top rookie. 

With that being said, here is the Sharks' complete 2021-22 opening night roster:

Forwards: 

Rudolfs Balcers

Alexander Barabanov

Nick Bonino

Andrew Cogliano

Logan Couture

Jonathan Dahlen

William Eklund

Tomas Hertl 

Kevin Labanc

Timo Meier

Matt Nieto

Lane Pederson

Jasper Weatherby

Defensemen: 

Brent Burns

Mario Ferraro 

Santeri Hatakka

Erik Karlsson

Jake Middleton

Radim Simek 

Marc-Eduoard Vlasic

Goaltending:

Adin Hill 

James Reimer

Injured Reserve:

F Jeff Viel 

*D Nikolai Knyzhov 

*Knyzhov is is not officially listed on the injured reserve, but he is currently battling a lower body injury and out of the lineup indefinitely. 

Evander Kane is listed as a non-roster player as he is currently being investigated by the NHL for off-ice matters. His $7 million cap hit will not go against the salary cap for the Sharks. 

Source: sjsharks.com

Sharks Claim Jonah Gadjovich Off Waivers from the Canucks

 The Sharks made a successful waiver claim on Thursday in the form of forward Jonah Gadjovich from the Vancouver Canucks. 

Based on what I've heard, Gadjovich could possibly make the Sharks' roster out of training camp come opening night, but that has yet to be determined. To be honest, I never really heard about Gadjovich before this news came out. 

Jonah Gadjovich appeared in one game for the Vancouver Canucks last season. Prior to that, he recorded 18 points, 17 penalty minutes, and a +5 rating in 19 AHL games with the Utica Comets last season. In addition, Gadjovich has had a solid preseason for the Canucks so far before he was placed on waivers. The Sharks could have just found a hidden gem in the waiver wire, and I hope that is the case. 

In other news, the latest Evander Kane accusation involves him possibly submitting a fake COVID-19 vaccination card. If this is true, this is absolutely unacceptable. The off-ice issues seemingly never ends with this guy, and I've had enough. 

Lastly, the Sharks play their last preseason game this year on Saturday against the Golden Knights and host their first-ever Skills Showcase on Sunday before their season opener a week from Saturday against the Winnipeg Jets. I'm certainly looking forward to what's in store for the 2021-22 NHL season and the Sharks bouncing back from last season. 

Source: Sharks + SAP Center App

My 2021-22 NHL Regular Season Standings Predictions

 We are about a week away from the start of the 2021-22 NHL season, and that means it's time for my annual regular season standings predictions. 

As with last season, I will list my predictions based on how I think each team in every division will finish the regular season. I won't include any final records or point totals with the standings. However, as you may already know, the NHL has returned to its regular divisions and 82-game schedule, which is the way it should be. In addition, the Arizona Coyotes have moved to the Central Division with the addition of the Seattle Kraken as the NHL's 32nd team.

One final disclaimer: I don't expect every prediction of mine to be right or taken seriously. In fact, I hope some of them are wrong at the end of the regular season. There are always at least a few surprises every season, and I am looking forward to finding out what they end up being in 2022. 

Without further ado, here are my standings predictions for the 2021-22 NHL regular season. I'm super excited that hockey is back! 

Atlantic Division 

1) Tampa Bay Lightning

2) Boston Bruins

3) Florida Panthers

4) Toronto Maple Leafs

5) Montreal Canadiens

6) Ottawa Senators

7) Detroit Red Wings

8) Buffalo Sabres

Metropolitan Division 

1) Washington Capitals

2) Pittsburgh Penguins

3) New York Islanders

4) New York Rangers

5) Carolina Hurricanes

6) Philadelphia Flyers

7) New Jersey Devils

8) Columbus Blue Jackets

Central Division 

1) Colorado Avalanche

2) Minnesota Wild

3) Dallas Stars

4) Winnipeg Jets

5) St. Louis Blues

6) Nashville Predators

7) Chicago Blackhawks

8) Arizona Coyotes

Pacific Division 

1) Vegas Golden Knights

2) Edmonton Oilers

3) Calgary Flames

4) San Jose Sharks

5) Seattle Kraken

6) Vancouver Canucks

7) Los Angeles Kings

8) Anaheim Ducks

P.S. I will hold off on Sharks News and Notes posts for the time being unless there is a major headline, breaking news, or anything of significance released that will impact the Sharks' regular season. Team Teal is currently in the middle of their preseason, in which these games ultimately don't matter or mean anything except for which depth players will prove themselves to make the opening night roster. 

Stick around for more hockey content coming soon.