Tag: San Jose

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NHL (National Hockey League)

After the trade, Stars’ Mikael Granlund and Cody Ceci face off against the Sharks in Dallas

Mikael Granlund (NHL)

Former Sharks players Mikael Granlund and Cody Ceci will return to the Bay Area on Saturday night, as the Dallas Stars face off against San Jose, looking to complete a three-game season sweep. The Sharks traded Granlund and Ceci to Dallas for two 2025 draft picks on February 1.

The Stars are in San Jose to finish a three-game road trip through California, aiming to avoid a third consecutive loss before the break for the 4 Nations Face-Off. On Friday night, Dallas lost 5-4 in a shootout to Los Angeles. Matt Duchene scored twice and added an assist. Mavrik Bourque and Thomas Harley also scored, while Jake Oettinger made 33 saves.

“(The Kings) are at a different level this year than they were last year,” Duchene, who recorded his 500th career assist, said. “I thought the first 15 minutes we weren’t very good, and then (Oettinger) was great. The last five minutes of the first period, we sort of came to life, and I thought we were pretty good after that. We had a lot of good looks. Tough loss, but big point.”

The Stars, second in the Central Division, are 6-3-1 in their last 10 games and have a 14-11-1 road record this season.

Casey DeSmith, who is expected to start Saturday, is 8-6-0 in 16 games this season, with a 2.46 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage. In six career games against the Sharks, DeSmith is 2-4-0 with an .888 save percentage and a 3.58 GAA.

Dallas won both of their previous games against the Sharks, both in Dallas: 3-2 in a shootout on October 15 and 5-2 on November 20.

Granlund, who has two assists in three games with the Stars, led the Sharks in assists (30) and points (45) before the trade.

“We miss him, he’s a great player,” said Sharks forward Fabian Zetterlund. “We can’t do anything about it right now. I think we’ve played two really good games here (since the trade).”

Alexandar Georgiev- San Jose Sharks

The Sharks, last in the Western Conference, have won only one of their last 10 games (1-8-1). They enter Saturday’s game after a 2-1 overtime loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday.

Tyler Toffoli scored his team-leading 20th goal, and Vitek Vanecek made 22 saves as the Sharks fell to 9-17-2 at home this season.

“I thought we competed hard, I thought we worked hard,” said Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky. “Our puck play was a little iffy at times, but I thought we did enough to win a hockey game, that’s for sure.”

Toffoli has points in four straight games (three goals, two assists) and ranks fourth on the Sharks’ points list (including Granlund) with 35 points in 53 games this season.

Goaltender Alexandar Georgiev is 2-11-0 in 14 games since joining the Sharks in a trade with the Colorado Avalanche in December, with an .875 save percentage and a 4.01 GAA. Georgiev has a 6-4-0 record with a .901 save percentage and a 3.05 GAA in 11 career games against the Stars.

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NHL (National Hockey League)

Joel Armia scores late to lift Canadiens past Sharks, snapping their winless streak in Montreal

Montreal Canadiens and San Jose Sharks

Joel Armia scored a short-handed goal late in the third period, giving the Montreal Canadiens a 4-3 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday.

With the Sharks on a power play at 15:56 of the third period, Armia and Jake Evans broke out on a two-on-one rush. Armia’s goal marked his second short-handed goal in as many games.

This win ended the Canadiens’ five-game winless streak (0-4-1).

Alex Newhook contributed a goal and an assist, while Kirby Dach added two assists. Brendan Gallagher and Cole Caufield each scored on the power play, with Montreal finishing 2-for-4 on the night.

Sam Montembeault made 27 saves on 30 shots, including a spectacular glove save on Macklin Celebrini just over a minute before Armia’s game-winner.

Alexandar Georgiev stopped 16 of 20 shots for the Sharks, who have now lost 8 of their last 9 games (1-8-0).

Celebrini and Tyler Toffoli each scored a goal and recorded an assist on the power play, as San Jose also went 2-for-4 with the man advantage. Collin Graf scored his first career NHL goal for the Sharks.

Patrik Laine- Montreal Canadiens

San Jose got on the board first with a beautiful power-play goal 5:52 into the first period. Celebrini finished off a great passing play with a shot at the side of the net.

Montreal responded just 52 seconds into the second period, with Caufield scoring on a one-timer set up by some sharp passing on the power play.

Newhook gave Montreal the lead with another one-timer at 4:53 of the second period after a strong forecheck kept the puck in San Jose’s end.

The Sharks tied the game less than 10 minutes later with Graf’s first NHL goal, a wrist shot from the circle.

Both teams exchanged power-play goals in the third period, starting with Gallagher’s tip-in at 2:40. Midway through the period, Celebrini fed Toffoli for a breakaway goal to even things up before Armia’s game-winning goal.

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NHL (National Hockey League)

Canadiens look to end slump in San Jose matchup

Montreal Canadiens (NHL)

The struggling Montreal Canadiens will look to break their winless streak when they face the last-place San Jose Sharks on Tuesday night.

The Canadiens dropped to 0-4-1 in their last five games after a 3-2 loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday.

Montreal was up 2-0 for most of the game, but the Ducks quickly tied it with two goals in a 40-second span. Alex Killorn scored the game-winning goal 11:11 into the third period, handing Montreal another tough loss.

“It’s not like we’re getting dominated, but we’re finding ways to lose,” Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis said. “We’re hurting ourselves. We’re not as sharp, we don’t execute. … It’s not the time of the season you want to get a slide, so we’ve got to stop the bleeding.”

Before this losing streak, Montreal had been 13-3-1 in their last 17 games and had moved close to the Eastern Conference playoff race.

On paper, facing the NHL’s worst team might seem like a good chance for Montreal to get back on track. But the Sharks have had a strong record against the Canadiens, going 16-3-1 in their last 20 matchups dating back to the 2010-11 season.

This season, San Jose has only won four of their last 22 games (4-17-1).

The Sharks are also in the middle of a rebuild and traded Mikael Granlund and defenseman Cody Ceci to the Dallas Stars on Saturday in exchange for two picks in the 2025 NHL Draft.

Granlund led the Sharks in assists (30) and points (45), while Ceci led in ice time (1,175 minutes, 41 seconds) and blocks (100) this season. Aside from their stats, both players had been important mentors to San Jose’s younger players.

Carolina Hurricanes and San Jose Sharks

“(Granlund) said whatever I need, I can ask him,” forward Will Smith told the San Jose Mercury News. “Obviously, I did that. We sat next to each other in the locker room too, so (it’s) tough having him go. … It’s a huge piece we’re losing, but I’ve learned a lot from him.”

In addition to the trades, San Jose is dealing with injuries. Alexander Wennberg (upper body) is expected to miss his second game in a row, while Tyler Toffoli (lower body) and Fabian Zetterlund (illness) are questionable after missing Sunday’s practice.

On the brighter side, Vitek Vanecek has been recalled from his AHL conditioning stint after missing 21 games due to a fractured cheekbone. Vanecek may play Tuesday, or the Sharks could start Alexandar Georgiev if they prefer to ease Vanecek back into the lineup.

Since the Canadiens also play the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday, goalies Sam Montembeault and Jakub Dobes are expected to split the back-to-back starts. The goalies have mostly been alternating starts recently, so Dobes could start Tuesday since Montembeault played against Anaheim.

Captain Nick Suzuki leads Montreal with 51 points (15 goals, 36 assists).

The Canadiens’ penalty kill is one of the best in the league, with an 82.5% success rate. Opponents have gone just 2-for-25 on the power play in Montreal’s last 10 games, and 0-for-9 in their last five.

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The Stars trade for Granlund and Ceci from the Sharks in the latest deal during a busy NHL trade period in Dallas

Mikael Granlund in the game

The Dallas Stars traded for center Mikael Granlund and defenseman Cody Ceci from the San Jose Sharks on Saturday, making it the latest in a series of trades across the NHL.

Dallas sent a 2025 first-round pick and a conditional third-round pick to San Jose for Granlund and Ceci, just over a week before the league breaks for the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament. The third-round pick becomes a fourth-round pick if the Stars do not make it to the Stanley Cup Final.

“We are excited to welcome both Mikael and Cody to Dallas,” said Dallas general manager Jim Nill. “We see both players as addressing immediate needs for our team. Mikael is a proven scorer who will strengthen our forward group at even strength and on the power play, and Cody will add a solid, physical presence to our defense.

Both players will bring valuable postseason experience to our team, and we are looking forward to seeing their contributions as the season continues.”

This trade came less than 24 hours after Vancouver traded J.T. Miller to the New York Rangers and got Marcus Pettersson and Danton Heinen from Pittsburgh in a pair of connected deals. On Thursday, Calgary acquired forwards Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost from Philadelphia.

Last week, Colorado, Chicago, and Carolina completed a three-team trade that brought Mikko Rantanen and Taylor Hall to the Hurricanes, with Martin Necas going to the Avalanche.

“You’ve kind of seen all the trades that have happened within the last week,” said Sharks GM Mike Grier in a video call with reporters. “Things have heated up around the league, probably because of the upcoming break. After the break, you’re pretty much at the deadline, so teams are just trying to get ahead of it.”

Cody Ceci and Morgan Geekie in the 2nd period

Granlund, who will turn 33 on February 26, provides the injury-depleted Stars with reliable depth at center with Tyler Seguin out long-term after hip surgery. Winger Mason Marchment also went on injured reserve on Saturday, retroactive to December 31.

Ceci, 31, adds valuable help to the blue line with No. 1 defenseman Miro Heiskanen considered week-to-week due to a lower-body injury. Nill also announced that Nils Lundkvist underwent season-ending shoulder surgery.

“They were aggressive in going after both guys,” Grier said. “Lots of teams showed interest. They’re two good players and good people, but we felt we were able to get what we wanted, so it’s something we had to do.”

Grier mentioned the potential risk of Granlund getting injured while playing for Finland in the 4 Nations tournament, saying it was “kind of maybe in the back of your mind,” but the return for the trade was too good to pass up.

“In a perfect world, I maybe would’ve held on to ‘Granny’ and ‘Ceci’ closer to the deadline so we could have them for a little longer,” Grier said, referring to his December trade of Mackenzie Blackwood to Colorado. “But it doesn’t always work out that way, and the market just heated up over the last week. We took advantage of the opportunity.”

Following the trade, the Sharks now have eight draft picks for later this year, including two in the first round. They would receive Winnipeg’s fourth-round pick if Dallas fails to reach the Stanley Cup Final.