Sharks Game 12 Recap: Kings 6, Sharks 2 (2/11/21)

 This has to be the most frustrating loss for the Sharks this year, getting blown out 6-2 by the Kings to close out one of the longest and most difficult road trips in NHL history. 

San Jose got off to a bad start in this game, giving up three goals in the first period. However, the Sharks were able to get one back on Tomas Hertl's first of the game, with assists from Marc-Eduoard Vlasic and Nikolai Knyzhov. 

The second period was an improvement over second periods in previous games as Tomas Hertl netted his second goal of the game to put the Sharks within one; assisting on the second goal were Erik Karlsson and Logan Couture. Luckily, this was the only goal scored in the second period. 

The third period was when the game truly got out of hand for the Sharks. They proceeded to give up three more goals to increase their deficit to four. I should mention that once the score became 5-2 in favor of the Kings, the Sharks had a valid case for goaltender interference, but it was ruled invalid by the refs and the goal stood because it was determined that Brent Burns shoved Dustin Brown into Martin Jones on the play. This made things more upsetting. After Martin Jones gave up his sixth goal, he was pulled from the game in favor of Alexei Melnichuk, who made his NHL debut in the third period of last night's game. The great news is that Melnichuk didn't give up any additional goals, but it has yet to be seen how he will perform in a starting role for the Sharks and for a full 60 minutes. 

It was announced earlier yesterday that Devan Dubnyk is day-to-day with a non-COVID lower body injury, so Martin Jones will be the Sharks' primary goalie for the time being. Jones had a rough start last night, and reports are suggesting that he could be one or two more rough starts away from getting waived and/or sent down to the Barracuda in the AHL. The only other significant roster change in last night's game was John Leonard being inserted back into the lineup. 

The Sharks' record now stands at 5-6-1 through 12 games. It should come as no surprise that after playing 12 consecutive road games, these have really worn them down. Fortunately, the Sharks will have plenty of opportunities to establish themselves as a team that performs well at home, starting with their next game on Saturday against the Golden Knights at 1 pm PT. Vegas is now the only team in the West Division that the Sharks have yet to face this season. 

Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, ESPN, The Athletic

Sharks Game 11 Recap: Sharks 4, Kings 3 (SO) (2/9/21)

 Whaddya know, another Sharks shootout win! Team Teal rallied late in the third to take their first game against the Kings 4-3 in the shootout. 

San Jose got off to a great start in the first period with the first goal from Timo Meier about one and a half minutes in, fooling Cal Petersen on the backhand. Ryan Donato and Radim Simek were credited with the assists on the first goal. Later on in the first, Logan Couture scored on a one-timer to make it 2-0, which Cal Petersen had no chance of stopping. In addition, on the Couture goal, Patrick Marleau passed Mike Gartner for 80th all-time in assists with 628, and Nikolai Knyzhov recorded his first NHL point. 

After leading 2-0 through one, the curse of the second period is at it again. The Sharks allowed the Kings to come back and tie the game during the second period. The first Kings goal was from Anze Kopitar, while the second one was from Dustin Brown on the power play after the Sharks' bench took a silly penalty for too many men on the ice. No one knows why the Sharks letting off the accelerator in the second period has become a trend this season. San Jose now has a differential of -15 in the second period, which desperately needs to be fixed. 

In the middle of the third, Dustin Brown notched his second goal of the game to give the Kings their first lead of the game 3-2. The Sharks needed another goal rather quickly, and they finally got one after Evander Kane took a few swings at the net and got one past Cal Petersen to tie it at three with 45 seconds remaining in regulation. Brent Burns and Logan Couture recorded the helpers on the Kane goal that sent the game to overtime. The Sharks had some great chances to put it away for good in overtime but weren't able to execute on them. 

We find ourselves in the shootout once again. All the Sharks needed to win in the shootout was a successful attempt from Logan Couture and Martin Jones to be a brick wall, and the rest is history. San Jose is now 5-5-1 through 11 games in the 2021 campaign, four of those wins coming in the shootout. Although it is best for the Sharks to win games in regulation moving forward, a win is a win, and that's all that matters. If Evander Kane hadn't tied it in the last minute of regulation, this would've been a terrible, pathetic, and unacceptable Sharks loss, especially considering that the Kings are in a rebuild and aren't supposed to very competitive. 

Martin Jones stopped 24 of 27 shots from the Kings in last night's game and made some incredible saves in crucial moments throughout the game and in the shootout. 

Other than moving up the all-time assists list, Patrick Marleau passed Jaromir Jagr for third in all-time games played with 1,734. He now only trails Mark Messier and Gordie Howe on the all-time games played list. 

Besides the second period, the biggest issue for the Sharks this season has been their power play, which continues to look abysmal this season. They have converted on only one of their last 29 chances on the man advantage in their last eight games, which needs to be improved badly if they were to become more consistent and competitive this season. 

To me, the outcome of this game was a big sigh of relief. The Sharks will close out their current series against the Kings and their current road trip on Thursday at 7 pm PT and aim to get their first series sweep of the season. Devan Dubnyk is expected to start in net on Thursday and has been the better overall goaltender for the Sharks as of late. 

The two photos below were from the most recent NHL game I attended over a year ago.

Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, ESPN 

Radim Simek Fined $5k for Spearing Adam Henrique in Saturday's Game

 Radim Simek had a more physical presence on the ice in the Sharks' most recent game on Saturday against the Ducks, but it came at a cost. 

The NHL Department of Player Safety fined Sharks D Simek a maximum of $5,000 for spearing Ducks F Adam Henrique in Saturday's shootout loss. $5,000 is the largest allowable fine under the NHL's current collective bargaining agreement.

This specific play resulted in a wrestling match between the two players and both of them receiving two minutes each for roughing during the second period. 

In eight games this season, Simek has recorded one assist thus far. 

The NHL Department of Player Safety has been relatively inconsistent when handling player discipline in general, but luckily Radim Simek isn't a repeat offender and wasn't given a suspension of any kind.

Source: NBC Sports Bay Area/California

Sharks Game 10 Recap: Ducks 2, Sharks 1 (SO) (2/6/21)

 Devan Dubnyk had an outstanding performance in net last night, but it wasn't enough as the Sharks fell to the Ducks in the shootout 2-1, suffering their first shootout loss of the season. Although they should've won this game, the Sharks split their first series vs. the Ducks in Anaheim and earn three out of a possible four points in this series. 

Despite the outcome, many things went well for the Sharks in this game. Logan Couture scored the first goal of the game 11 seconds after the first puck drop, which set the tone of the game for the first period. Evander Kane and Mario Ferraro picked up the assists on the lone Sharks goal of the game. 

Like I have mentioned in previous Sharks game recaps, the Sharks tend to struggle in second periods. In this game, however, their second period issues weren't as apparent as in previous games, but they allowed the Ducks to tie the game on Isac Lundestrom's first of the season. Later on in the second, a wrestling match ensues between Radim Simek and Adam Henrique after Henrique crosschecks Simek. 

It remained tied at one until the shootout. Ryan Donato had another sweet and successful shootout attempt by faking out Ryan Miller and burying it in the empty net. However, the Ducks made two of their shootout attempts, while Logan Couture and Kevin Labanc were unsuccessful at theirs. 

Most importantly, Devan Dubnyk had his best performance of the season, recording 32 saves and a .970 save percentage. He was the main reason why this game didn't get out of hand for the Sharks. The only issue is that whenever Dubnyk plays his best, the Sharks' offense tends to go cold, which is frustrating to say the least. Basically, He was one unlucky bounce shy of a shutout. The other good news is that Dubnyk will more than likely start the next Sharks game against the Kings on Tuesday.

Patrick Marleau is now tied with Jaromir Jagr for third all-time in games played with 1,733. In addition, he had his best game of the season last night. Rudolfs Balcers made his Sharks debut and had a positive impact on this game, replacing Sasha Chmelevski in the lineup. 

The Sharks' record is now 4-5-1 through ten games this season. Games like the one last night convince part of me to want the NHL to abolish the shootout, but I completely understand why the shootout is in place and have accepted the fact that the shootout is here to stay in the regular season for the long haul. San Jose will wrap up its brief So Cal road trip against the Kings on Tuesday and Thursday in LA. Puck drop for both of these games are at 7 pm PT. 

One final note: Happy Super Bowl Sunday! I'm not cheering too hard for either the Chiefs or Buccaneers, but I mainly want to see a great game between these two squads. Can't wait to see what goes down in the big game! 

Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, ESPN

Sharks Game 9 Recap: Sharks 5, Ducks 4 (SO) (2/5/21)

 After a week without any games due to postponements, the Sharks were back in action last night as they defeated the Anaheim Ducks 5-4 in the shootout and in back-and-forth fashion. This was a much-needed win as the Sharks enter a critical stretch of games against their in-state rivals that they should be able to beat. 

Team Teal got off to a good start in the first period with a goal by Matt Nieto from a pretty pass from Marcus Sorensen on a 2-on-1 opportunity. Sasha Chmelevski, who made his official NHL debut in this game, was credited with the secondary assist on the first goal. Nieto and Chmelevski, natives of Long Beach and Huntington Beach respectively, became the third pair of California-born teammates to each record a point on the same goal. The Sharks dominated the first period against the Ducks and led 1-0 at the end of the first. 

Second periods haven't been friendly to the Sharks this season, and this game was no different. Things fell apart for San Jose in the second as they allowed three unanswered goals by the Ducks from Adam Henrique, Troy Terry, and Max Comtois. The Sharks' defense was soft, and their power play unit was horrible once again. The Sharks trailed 3-1 after two periods. Overall, the Sharks have a -12 differential in second periods this season, allowing 17 goals and scoring five goals. This troubling trend needs to improve if the Sharks are any bit serious about making a playoff push this season.

Team Teal needed to bounce back in the third period if they wanted any chance of winning this game, and they did just that. The Sharks answered back with three unanswered goals of their own, eventually retaking the lead. The first goal of the third was from Logan Couture 39 seconds into the period, with helpers from Evander Kane and Brent Burns. The second goal came from Evander Kane while shorthanded on a breakaway chance, tying the game. The third goal came from Brent Burns, retaking the lead for Team Teal. This also happened to be Burnzie's 700th NHL point, with Ryan Donato assisting on the third Sharks goal in the third. However, the Ducks tied it again a few minutes later on Max Comtois' second goal of the game to send it to overtime and eventually a shootout. 

San Jose earned the extra point in this game from successful shootout attempts from Ryan Donato and Kevin Labanc. Both Donato's and Labanc's attempts were beautiful, especially the move that Donato made by waiting for John Gibson to fall, moving around him, then going top cheese. 

Martin Jones recorded 33 saves on 37 shots from the Ducks. Patrick Marleau took sole possession of fourth all-time in games played with 1,732.

The Sharks resume their current series against the Ducks in Anaheim tonight at 7 pm PT. Devan Dubnyk will be the starting goaltender in tonight's game, and their lineups are expected to be shuffled again despite winning the first game in this series. 

It wasn't their best win, but all that matters to me was that San Jose came out on top last night despite the rough second period and the Ducks forcing extra time. The Sharks will need to win at least two of their next three games in order to gain enough ground in the West Division and set themselves apart from the other teams in that division competing for at least the fourth spot to make the playoffs.

Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, ESPN, NHL.com

Sharks & NHL News & Notes (2/4/21)

 Although it has been several days since the Sharks last played a game, there have been a few noteworthy headlines from yesterday that are worth discussing. Let's get into them:

• At least a handful of teams have had to postpone their games as many of their players and coaches have been subject to the NHL's COVID protocols. These teams include the Minnesota Wild, Buffalo Sabres, New Jersey Devils, and the latest team being the Colorado Avalanche. As a result of multiple postponements thus far, which aren't much of a surprise, the NHL has introduced additional rules and restrictions to combat the spread of COVID-19. These new protocols include players, coaches, and team personnel required to be at the arena no earlier than an hour and 45 minutes before puck drop on game days, and the glass behind the players and coaching staff on the bench being removed to allow for greater air circulation in the arena. These new rules may disrupt the players' normal pregame routines, but NHL teams' health and safety come first. 

          Multiple game postponements are expected when a season is being played in the middle of                     pandemic. What I really hope doesn't happen is that the COVID situation in the NHL gets so                 bad that the league is forced to suspend the entire season like they did last year, which it can't                 afford to do. Luckily, the worst case scenario can be avoided if the teams, players, and personnel             can hold themselves accountable and follow the league's COVID protocols as they are supposed             to. I understand that another solution to this would be to have all the players, coaches, and team             personnel jump the line for the COVID vaccines, but that would be unfair to those who need the             vaccines the most, such as the elderly, those with underlying conditions, and frontline and                     essential workers. We'll have to wait and see how the rest of this season and the pandemic unfold          in the coming months. 

• The Sharks have recalled forwards Rudolfs Balcers (who was on a conditioning assignment) and Maxim Letunov, along with defenseman Fredrik Claesson from the AHL Barracuda. 

Stay tuned to CPF Hockey for all your San Jose Sharks news and updates. 

Sources: NHL.com, San Jose Mercury News

Four Upcoming Sharks Games Rescheduled

 The Sharks and the NHL announced today that four of their upcoming games have been rescheduled due to COVID-19 protocols. The games are as follows: 

The Sharks home opener against the Golden Knights initially scheduled for today has been moved to February 13 at 1 pm PT. The second game in the Sharks' home opening series originally scheduled for Wednesday has been moved to February 25 at 7:30 pm PT. The Sharks vs. Ducks game that was originally set for February 13 will now be played on April 6 at 7:30 pm PT. Last but not least, the Sharks-Blues game originally set for February 26 has been moved to March 8 at 7:30 pm PT. 

All of the rescheduled games will be played at SAP Center, broadcasted on NBC Sports California, and available on the Sharks Audio Network. 

The great news with these schedule changes is that the Sharks should be well-rested and rejuvenated for these games, which have been spread out to where they don't have to play multiple games in such a short time span. In addition, Team Teal no longer has to worry about playing home games in Arizona or any other temporary site.

Stay tuned to CPF Hockey for all your Sharks news and updates. 

Source: NBC Sports Bay Area/California