Sports News and Trade Rumors: Pro Sports Daily

Pittsburgh Penguins march on into San Jose Sharks' Tank in defense of crown

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November 7

Oakland Tribune

"The confetti from the victory parade was swept up long ago. The Pittsburgh Penguins got their quality time with the Stanley Cup. And there was the obligatory White House visit, where President Barack Obama needled Sidney Crosby for not being the biggest hockey player he had ever seen. But the Penguins are back to work now. That means back to winning. Despite injuries to several key players, including star center Evgeni Malkin, the Penguins (12-4) have picked up right where they left off last season - looking very much like the class of the NHL as they visit HP Pavilion tonight to play the Sharks. "Nobody is resting on what happened last year," said veteran winger Bill Guerin, who played ..."

What can be learned from games against Cup finalists?

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November 7

San Francisco Chronicle

"Fun scheduling. Along with having to contend with two of the toughest teams in the league, San Jose's continued lack of a Finals appearance is directly in the spotlight, contrasting as it does with back-to-back Finals showings by the Red Wings and Penguins. No one doubts that the Sharks have the talent. Pittsburgh has the benefit of two of the top four players in the league in Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, but San Jose has three of the game's elite offensive players in Joe Thornton, Dany Heatley, Patrick Marleau and a leading defenseman in Dan Boyle. There's no real talent gap there, especially considering that San Jose recorded the best regular-season record last season while the ..."

Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins visit San Jose Sharks

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November 7

San Jose Mercury News

"The confetti from the victory parade was swept up long ago. The Pittsburgh Penguins got their quality time with the Stanley Cup. And there was the obligatory White House visit, where President Barack Obama needled Sidney Crosby for not being the biggest hockey player he had ever seen. But the Penguins are back to work now. That means back to winning. Despite injuries to several key players, including star center Evgeni Malkin, the Penguins (12-4) have picked up right where they left off last season — looking very much like the class of the NHL as they visit HP Pavilion tonight to play the Sharks. "Nobody is resting on what happened last year," said veteran wing Bill Guerin, who played ..."

San Jose Sharks' streak ends at six as Detroit wins in shootout

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November 6

San Jose Mercury News

"Sharks goalie Evgeni Nabokov said he thought the puck was safely tucked away under his pad but could tell immediately that Detroit Red Wings forward Henrik Zetterberg didn't share that opinion. "I could see in his eyes that he was just coming and shoving at it," Nabokov said of the only one of 36 shots to get past him Thursday night, a third-period goal that erased a 1-0 San Jose lead and led to a 2-1 shootout victory for the Red Wings. The game ended San Jose's winning streak at six games, but the outcome was an improvement over recent Sharks efforts at Joe Louis Arena. Last season, Detroit embarrassed San Jose twice by a combined score of 10-1. Overall, the Sharks have won only four ..."

San Jose Sharks lose in shootout to Detroit Red Wings

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November 6

Oakland Tribune

"Sharks goalie Evgeni Nabokov said he thought the puck was safely tucked away under his pad but could tell immediately that Detroit Red Wings forward Henrik Zetterberg didn't share that opinion. "I could see in his eyes that he was just coming and shoving at it," Nabokov said of the only one of 36 shots to get past him Thursday night, a third-period goal that erased a 1-0 San Jose lead and led to a 2-1 shootout victory for the Red Wings. The game ended San Jose's winning streak at six games, but the outcome was an improvement over recent Sharks efforts at Joe Louis Arena. Last season, Detroit embarrassed San Jose twice by a combined score of 10-1. Overall, the Sharks have won only four ..."

Hard work pays off for Wings

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November 6

Detroit News

"After playing to a 1-1 standoff for 65 minutes, the Red Wings finally finished off the road-weary San Jose Sharks in a shootout, 2-1 Thursday, running their unbeaten streak to five games. Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg scored the shootout goals for the Wings. Chris Osgood stopped Dan Boyle and Ryane Clowe. The Wings, down 1-0 after two periods, tied it at 5:38 of the third thanks to some hard work by Darren Helm and Patrick Eaves. Helm won the puck behind the Sharks goal, drove it to the front of the net but was knocked off the puck before he could shoot. Eaves picked it up and fed Nick Lidstrom at the left point. His shot was saved by Evegni Nabokov, but Helm helped jar it loose ..."

Wings send red-hot Sharks packing

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November 6

Detroit Free Press

"Henrik Zetterberg scored the tying goal at 5:38 of the third period, then netted the decisive goal to give the Wings a 2-1 victory over the San Jose Sharks in a shootout on Thursday night at Joe Louis Arena. Zetterberg scored on a backhand-to-forehand deke, the same move Pavel Datsyuk made to score on Evgeni Nabokov to begin the shootout. Chris Osgood, who had 30 saves in regulation and two more in overtime, stopped both Dan Boyle and Ryan Clowe. Zetterberg had missed in the shootout loss to the Edmonton Oilers four games ago and said he was looking for a new move. "You have to be confident, otherwise you might as well not shoot," Zetterberg said. "That's a new move. I haven't really ..."

All Wings defensemen ready to go for game vs. Sharks

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November 5

Detroit News

"Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said after Thursday's morning skate that his defense corps was back intact. Both Jonathan Ericsson and Brian Rafalski have shaken the flu bug. To start Thursday night's game against San Jose, Babcock said he would pair Rafalski with Nick Lidstrom, moving Niklas Kronwall back with Brad Stuart. Ericsson was back, as usual, with Brett Lebda. Babcock, though, said the pairing could change depending on matchups during the game. The Wings are going to pay extra defensive attention whenever center Patrick Marleau (22 points) is on the ice."

Sharks' dominance on faceoff comes from hard work

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November 5

San Jose Mercury News

"The Sharks have been the NHL's most dominant team in the faceoff circle with a 57.7 percent success rate over the first month of the season. San Jose also finished last season as the NHL's best faceoff team at 53.8 percent, and players say those numbers are tied to the emphasis the coaching staff puts on a less heralded aspect of the game. "We really harp on faceoffs and starting with the puck," said center Scott Nichol, whose 64 percent faceoff success rate is the second best in the NHL. "We have some guys that are pretty dynamic players on this team, and when we start with the puck, we're a lot more dangerous than if we're chasing it." Nichol, who is in his first season with the Sharks ..."

San Jose Sharks defeat Columbus

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November 5

San Jose Mercury News

"The sequence of events about 16 minutes into the second period Wednesday night was a costly one. Skating short-handed because Brad Staubitz earned an instigator penalty for picking a fight, the Sharks saw captain Rob Blake go down with an injury and their 2-1 lead over the Columbus Blue Jackets disappear in rapid succession. And the fact the night had a happy ending — San Jose moved to the top spot in the Western Conference with a 3-2 shootout victory — didn't make it more palatable for Coach Todd McLellan. "It's an interesting chain of events," said McLellan, whose team extended its winning streak to six games. "You take a really poor penalty, you lose a faceoff, somebody gets hurt, and ..."

Melnyk wants his money back

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November 4

Ottawa Citizen

"The current battle between Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk and superstar Dany Heatley could set the emotional level for the National Hockey League's next round of contract talks. The NHL has served the NHL Players' Association a grievance over a $4-million US signing bonus Melnyk had to pay Heatley on July 1 after the disgruntled forward refused a trade to the Edmonton Oilers. Melnyk wants his money back. He thinks Heatley should have accepted the trade. Heatley, who demanded a trade, had a no-movement clause in his contract, which did give him the right to veto a trade. Melnyk might be stuck by the very contract he approved for Heatley. However, at the time the possibility of a ..."

'Waste of time for Melnyk?'

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November 4

Ottawa Sun

"Senators owner Eugene Melnyk shouldn't count on a Christmas card from Dany Heatley with a $4-million cheque inside. An NHL source told Sun Media yesterday the Senators' owner faces "long odds" if he thinks he can recoup a July 1 $4-million bonus he paid to the disgruntled winger, who refused to waive his no-movement clause to accept a trade to the Edmonton Oilers. While officials with the NHL and NHLPA both confirmed a Sun Media report yesterday that the grievance had been filed, Heatley was tight-lipped with a reporter from the San Jose Mercury News when asked about the grievance following a practice in Columbus. "I'm just focused on hockey," Heatley told the newspaper. Dealt to the ..."

Senators file grievance against Heatley

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November 3

Ottawa Citizen

"The National Hockey League, through vice-president of media relations Frank Brown, confirmed Tuesday morning that Senators owner Eugene Melnyk has filed a grievance against Dany Heatley. Melnyk is seeking the return of the $4 million signing bonus he was forced to give Heatley on July 1 after Heatley refused to accept a trade to the Edmonton Oilers. The league had no other comment than to acknowledge that the grievance was filed."

Melnyk files grievance over Heatley debacle

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November 3

Ottawa Sun

"It's payback time for Eugene Melnyk. Sun Media has learned the Senators owner was so furious with being forced to shell out a $4-million bonus to Dany Heatley, who refused to accept a trade to the Edmonton Oilers on July 1, he has filed a grievance asking for his money back. An NHL executive confirmed last night Melnyk filed the paperwork early in the summer, not long after Heatley wouldn't lift his no-movement clause before the bonus was paid. Sources say the grievance — which will be defended on Heatley's behalf by the NHL Players Association — is pending and no hearing date has been set. Indications are it could take a while to be heard, especially with the frazzled state of the union ..."

Sharks get goals from unlikely scorers in win

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November 2

San Jose Mercury News

"Forward Brad Staubitz needed only three words to explain the fact that the Sharks' first four goals in a 5-1 breeze of a victory over the Carolina Hurricanes came from some unlikely sources Sunday. "Full moon, man," said Staubitz, a fourth-line right wing whose second goal of the season held up as the winner. Douglas Murray had a more technical explanation for the fact that he had just scored his first goal in 109 games and that fellow defenseman Kent Huskins had chipped in his first goal as a Shark as San Jose stretched its winning streak to five games. "I think contributions will come from the blue line when the team is playing well," Murray said. "It's all about coming out clean in our ..."

Malhotra becomes new player rep for Sharks

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October 31

San Jose Mercury News

"Malhotra Sharks' new player rep with union Manny Malhotra has taken on an additional role as the Sharks' latest representative to the troubled NHL Players Association. Brad Lukowich was the player rep last season, and when he was traded to Vancouver, Douglas Murray stepped up into that leadership position. Malhotra, however, has filled that role since 1999 with three other teams, and Murray agreed to let him have the official title while the two will share responsibilities. "We're kind of ham-and-egging it," Malhotra said. "I don't think we're one and two because he's taking a lot of initiatives in organizing meetings." The NHLPA has been in turmoil since its executive board voted to ..."

At last, Clowe leads way to a Sharks win

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October 31

San Jose Mercury News

"Ryane Clowe had talked for days about how it was time for him to "get off the schneid.'' He was still looking for his first goal of the season, and he knew the Sharks expected more after signing him to a new four-year, $14.5 million contract over the summer. Friday night, Clowe and the schneid parted company. His goal broke up a scoreless game to lead help give the Sharks a 3-1 victory over the Western Conference-leading Colorado Avalanche at HP Pavilion. Dany Heatley and Jamie McGinn added goals as the Sharks beat the NHL's hottest goalie, Craig Anderson, to win their sixth game in the past seven. "I thought the period was over," Clowe said of his goal that came with just 5.9 seconds ..."

Avalanche grounded at San Jose

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October 31

Denver Post

"Craig Anderson stole a victory Wednesday night. It would have been something on the order of grand larceny if he'd been able to will the Avalanche to another victory Friday night. Anderson again was brilliant against the San Jose Sharks at HP Pavilion, but the rest of his teammates were dominated in the Sharks' 3-1 victory that snapped Colorado's four-game winning streak. In what was probably the Avs' worst performance of the season, the fact that there was any suspense at all in the outcome by the third period was because of Anderson. The final shot total was San Jose 46, Colorado 25."

Sharks face rejuvenated Avalanche team

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October 30

San Jose Mercury News

"When the Sharks lost to the Colorado Avalanche on opening night, the 5-2 defeat was magnified by the fact San Jose was outplayed by the team that had finished the previous season as the Western Conference's worst. But Colorado, which comes to HP Pavilion tonight as the Sharks close out a two-game homestand, holds the NHL's best record at 10-1-2. Does that take some of the sting out of that initial loss? "I don't think that's the way we look at it." Sharks coach Todd McLellan said Thursday. "That night in Colorado, we were sloppy enough to lose the game, didn't play well defensively, special teams weren't real sharp. That's what we'll take out of it." That first game did give the NHL the ..."

Sharks' crew takes extra steps to improve ice

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October 30

San Jose Mercury News

"The morning after his dramatic home debut as a Shark earlier this month, Dany Heatley offered a favorable review of HP Pavilion. But it wasn't just because the raucous crowd showered the rink with caps after his hat trick. He also liked the ice. "Every building has spots that need to be worked on, but I think the ice has been good," Heatley said. "The style of play we use allows us to be really quick, so good ice helps." Ever since the NHL began its expansion into the Sun Belt, ice conditions have been a hot-button topic for fans and players alike. So hot, in fact, that questions about ice conditions often elicit, well, icy responses. "The issue has been so beaten to death," said Sharks ..."

Writing the book on Sharks' characters

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October 30

San Francisco Chronicle

columnist Ray Rotto

"The Sharks have already navigated nearly a sixth of their season, another example of how time flies when you're never at home. Point is, they've whizzed through 13 games and are still at the relatively annoying character development stage that most people cite as the main reason they don't read books anymore. They tend to pick up a book so that they can get to the finish - they want to know who killed who, where and with what, and claim not to have time to find out who anybody actually was. It's the reason why Andre Agassi's new book has already leaked every meaningful detail of his life (hated tennis, hated dad, liked crystal meth) even before the release date. Nobody would care that much ..."

sharks update

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October 29

San Jose Mercury News

"Struggling Boyle has been playing in pain Defenseman Dan Boyle said Wednesday that he has been playing the entire season with an injured right thumb that has healed to the point where he's willing to talk about it now. "I don't want to use it as an excuse so I didn't want to say anything, but it is what it is. I've been playing with a broken thumb for a month and a half," Boyle said. "I'm looking forward to being healthy again, and I'm definitely feeling better than I have in about a month." The injury goes back to training camp, Boyle said, explaining it occurred during the annual Teal and White scrimmage when another Shark slashed him. That event was held Sept. 16 just before the start ..."

Clowe lifts Sharks in shootout

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October 29

San Jose Mercury News

"Ryane Clowe is still looking for his first goal of the season, but that didn't stop Sharks coach Todd McLellan from sending him out in the sixth round of a shootout Wednesday night against the Los Angeles Kings. In that high-pressure situation, Clowe delivered, lifting a backhand shot past Kings goalie Jonathan Quick. And when Evgeni Nabokov stopped Los Angeles center Jarret Stoll at the other end of the ice, the Sharks skated off with a 2-1 victory that put them in a tie with the Kings at the top of the Pacific Division. McLellan said the coaching staff had been trying a lot of different ways to get Clowe into the scoring column — and using him in the shootout was another. "We've tried ..."

Sharks show no weariness in beating Flyers

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October 26

San Jose Mercury News

"Both teams were playing their third game in four nights, though one of them never had to leave its home rink while the other arrived here after stops in Tampa, Fla., and Atlanta. Both teams gave backup goalies their first start of the year, though Philadelphia's Brian Boucher at 32 already has 92 NHL wins — 15 of them, in fact, with San Jose the past two seasons — while the Sharks' Thomas Greiss at 23 was looking for his first. So it's understandable that San Jose was feeling pretty good about punctuating its six-game tour of the Eastern Seaboard with a solid 4-1 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers that saw Greiss stop 37 of 38 shots and justify the Sharks' faith in him. "Going home 3-3 ..."

Sharks bite Flyers, 4-1

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October 26

Philadelphia Daily News

"THERE WERE a multitude of reasons why Brian Boucher wanted to win last night's game against the San Jose Sharks. Not only was it his first start of the regular season - after missing the first few games with a groin strain - but it was against his former club. If that wasn't enough, Boucher wanted to prove himself after a shaky preseason in which he was 0-2-1 with a 4.56 goals-against average while playing against mostly minor league talent. Oh, yeah, Boucher wanted to win in front of his father, who was attending last night's game at the Wachovia Center as part of the Flyers' annual father-son bonding trip. But wanting to win isn't the only thing needed to be successful in the NHL. You ..."

Vesce, Setoguchi miss Flyers' game with injuries

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October 26

San Jose Mercury News

"Both Devin Setoguchi and Ryan Vesce were out of the lineup Sunday against the Philadelphia Flyers because of leg injuries suffered in San Jose's 4-3 victory over Atlanta the previous night. Taking their place were Logan Couture — playing in his first NHL game after being the No. 9 player taken overall in the 2007 NHL draft — and Jamie McGinn. Both players were called up from the Sharks' development team in Worcester. The Sharks held an optional practice at the Wachovia Center on Sunday morning, and Vesce took a quick spin on the ice before deciding he wasn't ready to go. Setoguchi was in the building getting treatments but did not skate. The coaching staff is treating both injuries as ..."

Soft goals hard for Flyers to take

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October 26

Camden Courier-Post

"The final horn was still reverberating throughout the half-empty Wachovia Center Sunday night when goaltender Brian Boucher skated off the ice and angrily tomahawked his stick over the Flyers' bench. It was not the kind of ending he hoped to write to his storybook comeback with the team that drafted him in the first round of 1995. Playing his first game as a Flyer since being swept by the Ottawa Senators in the 2002 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, Boucher allowed four weak goals in a 4-1 loss to his former team, the San Jose Sharks, in front of a restless crowd of 19,126 and a less-than-forgiving coach John Stevens. "It just wasn't very good," Stevens said of Boucher's performance, in ..."

Sharks beat Boucher and Flyers

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October 26

Philadelphia Inquirer

"It had been seven years since Brian Boucher last started a game in a Flyers uniform. Judging by the cries of "Booosh" that rang through the Wachovia Center before tonight's game with the San Jose Sharks, one would think that the 32-year-old journeyman goalie had never left. But from the opening minute, Boucher looked anything but at home. It may have been because of the rust from not playing yet this season as he backs up Ray Emery. Or it may have been because his team simply couldn't generate a consistent enough attack. The Flyers dug themselves an early hole and Boucher allowed his most recent former team to score four goals on 28 shots in a 4-1 loss. Manny Malhotra scored twice for San ..."

Malhotra finally gets first point as a Shark

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October 25

San Jose Mercury News

"The Sharks signed Manny Malhotra primarily for his defensive abilities and faceoff skills, but they also had to like the fact he was coming off a career year offensively with 11 goals and 35 points. But it took 11 games for Malhotra to register his first point as a Shark, that coming Saturday night when he earned an assist on Dany Heatley's power-play goal in the first period against Atlanta. Still, coach Todd McLellan wasn't too troubled by the fact that Malhotra had gone 10 games without a point. "If you watch the chances and see some of the goals the secondary group has got," McLellan said Friday, "he's in on it — he just doesn't touch the puck. He may be the screen, he may be the guy ..."

Sharks forced to hang on

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October 25

Oakland Tribune

"It had been so long since the Sharks got off to a good start that maybe everybody simply forgot that protecting a lead is as important as getting one. So what started out as a romp turned into a nail-biter Saturday night as San Jose built a 3-0 lead only to see the Atlanta Thrashers chip away at it before falling short. The final result was a 4-3 Sharks victory that assures them at least a .500 record on this six-game trip that ends today in Philadelphia. "We definitely didn't want to make it easy for ourselves," said goalie Evgeni Nabokov, who had to be particularly alert in a 90-second span midway through the third period when the puck never left the Sharks zone. "Once they scored the ..."

Hedberg gets another start in goal

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October 25

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

"For Johan Hedberg, every game is a chance to make an impression. Hedberg made his second start of the season, and third appearance, in goal Saturday for the Thrashers against San Jose. He won his first start, against Buffalo last Saturday, and came in for Ondrej Pavelec in Thursday's loss to Washington. He didn't fare as well against the Sharks. He was pulled with the Thrashers trailing 4-1 with 10:41 to play in the second period. "My whole career, I treat every game like an audition," Hedberg said before the game. "You want to play the next game and the game after that. To be able to do that, you have to play well every game." Hedberg had a .964 save percentage, second in the NHL, and a ..."

Sharks' Heatley again returns to scene of tragedy

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October 24

San Jose Mercury News

"For the Sharks, this next stop on their six-game tour of the Eastern Conference is a chance to rebound from a mistake-filled loss that left them a so-so 5-4-1 through the first 10 games of the season. But for Dany Heatley, tonight's game against the Atlanta Thrashers is also a return to the city where his career started — and where he was the driver in an auto accident that took the life of a teammate, a crash that set in motion the chain of events that ultimately led to his trade to the Sharks this summer. "I don't think it's any issue at all," said Heatley, who has returned for games against the Atlanta Thrashers eight times previously. "I think it'll be rather uneventful." Heatley was a ..."

Beginning in a hole

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October 23

San Jose Mercury News

"The Sharks had failed to score the first goal for the ninth time in 10 games, and coach Todd McLellan was direct. His team cannot expect to keep digging itself out of two-goal holes the way it did Monday against the New York Rangers. Because more often than not, the outcome will mirror what happened Thursday night in a 5-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. "We can't be kidding ourselves here," McLellan said. "We're not coming out of 2-0 holes "... on a continuous basis. We're in the NHL. There are world-class players on their side, the Lecavaliers, the St. Louises." Then came the deeper cut. "The other team," he added, "wants to win maybe more than we do some nights." The Sharks have been ..."

Lightning captain Vinny Lecavalier, with new linemate Marty St. Louis, tries to break scoring slump against Sharks

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October 23

St. Petersburg Times

"Zero goals in seven games this season. Zero goals in 14 games, including the final seven last season. Lightning captain Vinny Lecavalier has had the numbers etched into his brain this week by reporters asking daily about the drought, the second longest - by three games - of his 11-season career. "I mean, physically I feel good," Lecavalier, 29, said Wednesday at the Ice Sports Forum. "Maybe I need to start driving to the net more. That's where I've gotten a lot of my success before … instead of going for a big shot, maybe go for more of a wrist shot. "Maybe," he finally added, "just get back to basics.""

Fast start keys Bolts' victory over Sharks

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October 23

Tampa Tribune

"The Lightning had four open days to collect themselves after a disastrous trip to Ottawa and Pittsburgh last week. Apparently, they put them to good use. They looked like a different team in Thursday night's 5-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks, a quality Western Conference foe. On a night in which Mike Smith re-established himself as a No. 1 goalie after a 7-1 loss at Ottawa, Steven Stamkos scored his fifth and sixth goals of the season, and Ryan Malone picked up his team-leading seventh. But all four of Coach Rick Tocchet's reshuffled lines played well, beginning 30 seconds into the game when surprise rookie James Wright, playing on a No. 1 line with Vinny Lecavalier and Marty St. Louis, ..."

Lightning captain Vinny Lecavalier, with new linemate Marty St. Louis, tries to break scoring slump against Sharks

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October 22

St. Petersburg Times

"Zero goals in seven games this season. Zero goals in 14 games, including the final seven last season. Lightning captain Vinny Lecavalier has had the numbers etched into his brain this week by reporters asking daily about the drought, the second longest - by three games - of his 11-season career. "I mean, physically I feel good," Lecavalier, 29, said Wednesday at the Ice Sports Forum. "Maybe I need to start driving to the net more. That's where I've gotten a lot of my success before … instead of going for a big shot, maybe go for more of a wrist shot. "Maybe," he finally added, "just get back to basics.""

Sharks End Rangers' Winning Streak

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October 20

New York Times

"The Rangers learned what kind of damage a steady diet of Toronto Maple Leafs can do to a team when they lost to the San Jose Sharks at Madison Square Garden on Monday, a resounding 7-3 defeat that ended their winning streak at seven. The Sharks are a good team with players who know how to score, in sharp contrast to the inept Leafs, whom the Rangers beat easily in two of their last three games. But even after those wins, Coach John Tortorella warned of the dangers of taking too many penalties, a bad habit that cost the Rangers against San Jose. "We started off fine, but then we put ourselves in penalty problems," Tortorella said, referring to the 2-0 first-period lead the Rangers lost."

Sharks' Malhotra, Ortmeyer make return visit to New York

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October 19

San Jose Mercury News

"Tonight's game against the New York Rangers has much going for it at face value, as the inconsistent Sharks have a chance to find out how they stack up against one of the NHL's hottest teams. "They've won seven games in a row, so there should be some fear in our eyes and our hearts," coach Todd McLellan said Sunday. "We should have our best to throw at them right off the bat." For two of his players — center Manny Malhotra and right wing Jed Ortmeyer — the game might have a little extra emotional kick, because it is a return to their NHL roots. Both started their careers with the Rangers, Malhotra with a splash as a first-round pick in the 1998 entry draft and Ortmeyer more quietly as a ..."

Sharks beat winless Islanders, 4-1

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October 18

New York Post

"The loudest cheer at the sparsely filled Nassau Coliseum last night came when the scoreboard showed Derek Jeter's home run against the Angels. And at the end of the latest Islanders' loss, a 4-1 defeat to the Sharks, what was left of the crowd booed. That's what happens when a team doesn't win through its first six games, which is how the Isles have started this season. "It's the same thing every game," Martin Biron said after the team fell to 0-3-3. "I'm tired of doing the same things. At some point, we're gonna have to respond to that and find that thing that makes us win games." Once again, the Isles showed flashes of solid play, outshining the Sharks throughout the first period. They ..."

Rookie sparks Sharks

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October 18

San Jose Mercury News

"Sharks coach Todd McLellan has been looking for someone to help light a fire under his offense, and he found that spark in a 5-foot-8 rookie forward who grew up 22 miles from Nassau Coliseum. With his parents in the building, Ryan Vesce scored his first NHL goal Saturday night, and it ended up being the winner as San Jose finished strong to earn a 4-1 victory over the New York Islanders. "He had so much patience," said center Joe Thornton, who set up Vesce's shot that beat goalie Martin Biron through the five hole from close range. "I just thought 'Is he going to shoot? Is he going to shoot? Is he going to shoot?' He just waited till it opened up and made a hell of a play." The winning ..."

Sharks at N.Y. Islanders

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October 17

San Jose Mercury News

"Head to head: The teams have split their past two meetings, the Sharks winning 5-3 on Jan. 3, 2009, in San Jose and the Islanders winning 3-2 on Feb. 18, 2008, in Hempstead, N.Y. Islanders update: John Tavares, the NHL's No. 1 pick in the 2009 entry draft, had two goals and three assists in the Islanders' first three games before going scoreless in a 2-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Monday night. The Islanders' first three games were a shootout loss to Pittsburgh, an overtime loss to Ottawa and a shootout loss to Boston. Sharks update: The latest two losses had coach Todd McLellan juggling lines in practice again Friday as he moved Scott Nichol alongside Joe Thornton and Dany Heatley — ..."

Sharks' Murray at home in Islander country

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October 17

San Jose Mercury News

"The Sharks are camped out for four nights in the concrete canyons of Manhattan, hoping they can fix whatever ails them with a pair of victories before their next stop on this Eastern Conference journey. Their first chance to reverse things after two less-than-stellar efforts will come tonight after a 25-mile bus ride to the suburbs, where they will face the New York Islanders at Nassau Coliseum. For Douglas Murray, the trip to Uniondale is a return to familiar territory. The burly Swedish defenseman with the Scottish surname and a North American-style game spent two years on Long Island as a teenager, developing his skills before playing college hockey at Cornell. "I don't know if I would ..."

Ovechkin, Caps skewer Sharks, 4-1

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October 16

Washington Examiner

"All the things the Capitals were searching for over the last four games finally came to pass during Thursday night's decisive 4-1 win over the San Jose Sharks at Verizon Center. The power play hogged the puck for almost the entire first period. Their star winger pocketed two goals in a personal-best 28 seconds in the second period. They also received an insurance goal from a fourth-liner, took only three penalties against one of the NHL's dominant offenses and killed each of those anyway. It was as complete a performance by Washington since its win on opening night at Boston - also a 4-1 victory. And just like that, according to coach Bruce Boudreau, a team in a rut finds itself back in a ..."

It's all Ovechkin as Capitals down Sharks

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October 16

San Jose Mercury News

"Until the 2:55 mark of the second period, the Sharks were the only team that Alexander Ovechkin never had scored on in his 330-game NHL career. But then the NHL's most valuable player for each of the past two seasons put the puck past goalie Evgeni Nabokov twice in 28 seconds — two bang-bang plays that sent San Jose reeling to a 4-1 defeat at the hands of the Washington Capitals on Thursday night at the Verizon Center. "He was talking about that goal for five years, and now he's got it," said Nabokov. "I think it was bothering him." He and Ovechkin, who share the Team Russia locker room in international competition, had just finished a five-minute, postgame conversation and exchange of ..."

Back in the Win Column

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October 16

Washington Post

"Alex Ovechkin came into Thursday's game with 224 career goals, the most in the NHL since the lockout. None of them, however, had come against the San Jose Sharks. Now he has two. On a night when the Washington Capitals needed their best player to be that and more, Ovechkin struck twice in span of 28 seconds in the second period to lift his team to a 4-1 victory, and more importantly, snap a four-game losing streak. "Finally I scored," said Ovechkin, who took back the goal-scoring lead with his sixth and seventh of the season. "We didn't play them a lot, but finally." The victory also ended what had been Washington's longest current losing streak to an opponent at 11 games, a drought that ..."

Marleau's actions show there's no 'C' in team

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October 14

San Francisco Chronicle

"Since Patrick Marleau has lost his captain's "C," the theory goes, the pressure is off: That's why he scored a flurry of goals to start the season, with five in the first five games. Marleau smiled at this characterization. His game hasn't changed at all with the loss of the captaincy. "I'm just playing," he said. "I'm trying to get off to a good start. ... It's a long season." Scoring hasn't really ever presented trouble for Marleau. The 30-year-old center is the franchise's all-time leading scorer. And as new team captain Rob Blake pointed out, though Marleau took much of the heat for San Jose's first-round playoff flop in the spring, he recorded two game-winning goals in the series ..."

Sharks can't get rolling in shoot-out loss to Coyotes

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October 13

San Jose Mercury News

"The Sharks fell one point short of a perfect homestand Monday night as 65 minutes of scoreless hockey ended in a 1-0 shootout victory for the Phoenix Coyotes. Coach Todd McLellan called it "kind of a chess match'' and credited the Coyotes for being able to clog things up and not allow his offense to get untracked. Defenseman Dan Boyle was a little more harsh in his criticism of his team's — and his own — effort. "We did a terrible job of controlling our play, we weren't very crisp with our passes," Boyle said. "Our puck handling, our entrances into the zone — it just wasn't very good overall. You've still got to make the right play, and it starts with myself." The Sharks were able to come ..."

Spezza, ex-Sharks show flash in first game together

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October 13

Toronto Sun

"He sent Jonathan Cheechoo and Milan Michalek in for a sweet give-and-go between the two former Sharks that turned into the first goal of the game on this Statement Night at Scotiabank Place. Alas, if only judging by a moment in the third period in which his shout of a curse word could be heard up in the press box, it would also evolve into a frustrating evening for Jason Spezza. His first night flanked by both players acquired for Dany Heatley showed plenty of promise, however. "I thought they were very effective," Senators coach Cory Clouston said of the new Michalek-Spezza-Cheechoo line following the 4-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. "They generated a lot of opportunities. With any ..."

Heatley's warm reception delights biggest defender: Dad

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October 12

San Jose Mercury News

"Murray Heatley seemed a little surprised at the extent of the welcome his son has received in San Jose. "It took one game and the fans embraced him already," the 60-year-old father of Sharks left wing Dany Heatley said . "It was incredible, really. It normally doesn't happen so quickly." The elder Heatley and his wife, Karin, were among the 17,562 fans at HP Pavilion for their son's first two home games as a Shark, witnessing the hat trick that had the crowd chanting his name. They plan to be there again tonight when San Jose faces the Phoenix Coyotes to conclude a three-game homestand. To understand Murray Heatley's response, it helps to understand that his son spent the summer as the ..."

Wild wastes gutsy effort with second-period lapse

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October 11

Minneapolis Star Tribune

"Thirty minutes of battle down the drain in less than three minutes. After doing everything coach Todd Richards asked Saturday morning -- overcoming San Jose's guaranteed early surge, going to get the puck rather than waiting for it, winning puck battles and staying out of the penalty box -- the Wild ruined a gutsy effort with a brief second-period letdown Saturday night at HP Pavilion. There are no moral victories in hockey. The Wild coughed up a 2-0 lead and lost to the Sharks 4-2, falling to 1-3 with three games left on what's turning into a five-game road horror show. The Wild worked hard but finally caved after first-period injuries to Cal Clutterbuck and Petr Sykora severely ..."

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