The Gackle Report

SAN JOSE — Whenever a hockey team loses a key player, the same chorus of clichés can be heard from inside the dressing room: “next man up”, “it’s an opportunity for someone else to earn ice time”, “no player is bigger than the team”. It’s usually easier to blurt out these clichés in a media […]

SAN JOSE — With 14 home games in a 16-game span from Dec. 8 to Jan. 16, head coach Roy Sommer identified that chunk of the schedule as a time in the season when the Barracuda really needed to “make hay.” Instead of fighting for their playoff lives down the stretch like they did last […]

SAN JOSE — Erasing a two-goal deficit against a team that’s as defensively stingy as the St. Louis Blues is an uphill climb. Trying to do it without one of the most offensively-gifted players of all time proved to be a nearly-impossible challenge. This is the task the Sharks (25-16-2) faced at the SAP Center […]

SAN JOSE — Nikita Jevpalovs wants to be part of the Barracuda’s power play and he stuck it to head coach Roy Sommer by flashing his skill on the game-winning goal. After the Barracuda went 0-for-3 with the man advantage in the first period of their game against the Stockton Heat on Saturday, Sommer pulled […]

SAN JOSE — Roy Sommer could see it coming from his driveway when he left for the rink in the morning. A young team facing a veteran squad after a six-day break with first place on the line smelled like a recipe for a first period let down. His instincts proved to be right as […]

SAN JOSE — With multiple defensemen battling through injuries, the Sharks blue line depth is getting tested in the dog days of winter. First, the Sharks recalled Mirco Mueller last week after the injury bug hit both Marc-Edouard Vlasic (face) and David Schlemko (upper body). Then, Tim Heed got his number called on Saturday, serving […]

SAN JOSE — Sharks coach Peter DeBoer laid down the expectations for his team’s minor league franchise last week: contend for a Calder Cup championship. In a conservation with reporters, DeBoer said the best organizations are competitive at the AHL level, citing the recent success of the Columbus Blue Jackets’ minor league franchise, the Cleveland […]

SAN JOSE — After making ends meet with duct tape on the blue line last weekend, the Barracuda should be in for a smoother ride when they return to action against a Pacific Division rival on Friday. Defenseman Julius Bergman skated at Barracuda practice on Wednesday, wearing a no-contact red jersey after missing both of […]

SAN JOSE — After the Barracuda struggled to absorb the losses of Mirco Mueller and Julius Bergman in a defeat to the Milwaukee Admirals on Friday, Tim Heed’s recall to the Sharks appeared to be a nightmare scenario for head coach Roy Sommer. With Marc-Edouard Vlasic and David Schlemko sidelined by day-to-day injuries, the Sharks […]

SAN JOSE — With Marc-Edouard Vlasic and David Schlemko sidelined by day-to-day injuries, the Sharks blue line issues are starting to trickle down to the Barracuda, forcing them to make due without their top-defensive pairing. First, the Barracuda lost top blue liner Mirco Mueller, who was recalled to the Sharks on Monday when Vlasic was […]

SAN JOSE — With defensemen Marc-Edouard Vlasic and David Schlemko sidelined by minor injuries, the Sharks might be looking to recall an extra defenseman for their game against the Minnesota Wild at the SAP Center on Thursday. The leading candidates for the job, Tim Heed and Joakim Ryan, are making sure it won’t be an […]