Kahkonen stopped 30 of 33 shots in Saturday's 4-3 win over the Canucks.
Kahkonen was dealt a humiliating loss in the Canucks' last trip to San Jose earlier in the month, but he was able to get his revenge this time. The 27-year-old never faced a deficit after a strong showing from the Sharks' top six. Kahkonen has earned both of his wins this season over his last three games, and it appears he's starting to work his way into a timeshare with Mackenzie Blackwood. Kahkonen is at 2-6-0 with a 4.12 GAA and an .889 save percentage, so it's still tough to justify rostering him in all but the deepest of fantasy formats.
... See More... See Less
Sharks' Kaapo Kahkonen: Facing Canucks
Rotowire
Kahkonen will be in the home crease versus Vancouver on Saturday, per Curtis Pashelka of The San Jose Mercury News.
Kahkonen has struggled all season, going 1-6-0 with a 4.30 GAA and .887 save percentage. Kahkonen was pulled after the first period Wednesday as he gave up four goals on 17 shots in a 7-1 loss in Seattle. The Canucks lead the NHL in scoring, averaging 4.05 goals per game.
... See More... See Less
Sharks' Kaapo Kahkonen: Unable to handle first-period blitz
Rotowire
Kahkonen stopped 13 of 17 shots in the first period of Wednesday's 7-1 loss to the Kraken.
Kahkonen was pulled at the start of the second period, and Mackenzie Blackwood wasn't much better, allowing three goals on 13 shots over the last 40 minutes. Kakhonen beat the Blues in his last outing, but behind the Sharks' unsteady defense, he'll continue to need heroic-level performances to keep things competitive. Kahkonen is at a 1-6-0 record with a 4.30 GAA and an .887 save percentage through eight games.
... See More... See Less
Sharks' Kaapo Kahkonen: Guarding cage Wednesday
Rotowire
Kahkonen will patrol the crease on the road against Seattle on Wednesday, Curtis Pashelka of The San Jose Mercury News reports.
Kahkonen is coming off his first win of the season, stopping 44 of 45 shots against the Blues on Thursday. Overall, the 27-year-old netminder is sporting a 1-5-0 record and a career-worst 3.87 GAA. Unless he suddenly picks up his game, Kahkonen figures to remain the second-choice option behind Mackenzie Blackwood.
... See More... See Less
Sharks' Kaapo Kahkonen: Strong in first win
Rotowire
Kahkonen allowed one goal on 45 shots in Thursday's 5-1 win over the Blues.
Kahkonen was excellent in his best outing of the season, which also earned him his first win thanks to some strong goal support. The 27-year-old improved to 1-5-0 with a 3.86 GAA and an .896 save percentage over seven appearances. Kahkonen will likely face lots of shots whenever he plays, so repeating a performance like the one he had Thursday will be difficult to do regularly. The Sharks' next game is Monday against the high-scoring Canucks.
... See More... See Less
Sharks' Kaapo Kahkonen: Slated to start Thursday
Rotowire
Kahkonen is expected to start in Thursday's home game versus St. Louis.
Kahkonen will continue to look for his first win of the season after starting the campaign with a 0-5-0 record, 4.44 GAA and .875 save percentage in six outings. He's been trending in the wrong direction, allowing 11 goals on 58 shots (.810 save percentage) over his last two contests. The Blues are tied for 21st offensively with 2.93 goals per game this campaign.
... See More... See Less
Sharks' Kaapo Kahkonen: Allows five goals in loss
Rotowire
Kahkonen stopped 34 of 39 shots in Friday's 5-0 loss to the Golden Knights.
Kahkonen's quest for his first win of the season will continue, as the Golden Knights made easy work of the Sharks in this game. The 27-year-old has not played well so far, allowing three or more goals in each of his five starts this season while going 0-5-0. Mackenzie Blackwood has backstopped the Sharks to their only two wins so far, and he'll likely get the nod for Sunday's game in Anaheim.
... See More... See Less
Sharks' Kaapo Kahkonen: Starting in Vegas
Rotowire
Kahkonen will patrol the visiting blue paint versus Vegas on Friday, Max Miller of The Hockey News reports.
Kahkonen has yet to pick up a win this season, as he is 0-4-0 with a 4.30 GAA and .876 save percentage in five appearances. It doesn't get any easier Friday as the Sharks face the Golden Knights, who lead the Western Conference with an 11-2-1 record.
... See More... See Less
Sharks' Kaapo Kahkonen: Suiting up Tuesday
Rotowire
Kahkonen (upper body) will suit up as Mackenzie Blackwood's backup against Philadelphia on Tuesday, according to Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now.
Kahkonen sat out Saturday's 10-2 loss to Pittsburgh because of an upper-body issue. He has posted a mark of 0-4-0 this season with a 4.30 GAA and an .876 save percentage in five appearances. The Sharks returned netminder Magnus Chrona to AHL San Jose on Monday to make room for Kahkonen's return to the lineup.
... See More... See Less
Sharks' Kaapo Kahkonen: Ruled out for Saturday
Rotowire
Kahkonen (upper body) won't be in the lineup Saturday against Pittsburgh, according to Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now.
Kahkonen, who is considered day-to-day, took part in Saturday's optional morning skate. Magnus Chrona, who was called up from AHL San Jose on Friday, will serve as Mackenzie Blackwood's backup against the Penguins on Saturday.
... See More... See Less
Sharks' Kaapo Kahkonen: Questionable Saturday
Rotowire
Kahkonen (upper body) is questionable for Saturday's game against Pittsburgh, per Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now.
Kahkonen was accidentally kneed by Vancouver's Andrei Kuzmenko during the Sharks' 10-1 loss to the Canucks on Thursday. Having allowed six goals on 19 shots, Kahkonen was pulled from the game midway through the second period and briefly went to be checked, but he was later seen on the bench, Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now reports. However, Kahkonen might have been hurt worse than it initially appeared. If he's not available Saturday, then the Sharks will need to call up a goaltender, who will likely serve as the backup for Mackenzie Blackwood.
... See More... See Less
Sharks' Kaapo Kahkonen: Rough night in loss
Rotowire
Kahkonen surrendered six goals on 19 shots in Thursday's 10-1 loss to the Canucks.
Kahkonen had no answer for the Canucks' power play in the first period. In the second, he was pulled after Andrei Kuzmenko scored, though Kahkonen also got ran over in the crease on the play. He was able to watch the rest of the game from the bench after he was checked out by the Sharks' medical staff, so there shouldn't be any immediate concerns about his availability. Kahkonen is 0-4-0 with 17 goals allowed over five appearances this season on a Sharks team that is playing at a historically bad level 10 games into the campaign.
... See More... See Less
Sharks' Kaapo Kahkonen: Facing Canucks
Rotowire
Kahkonen will be between the home pipes versus Vancouver on Thursday, according to Max Miller of The Hockey News.
Kahkonen is 0-3-0 in four appearances this season, giving up 11 goals on 118 shots. The Sharks are the worst offensive team in the NHL, scoring only nine times in nine games, including just four in their last six contests, so don't expect Kahkonen to get much offensive support against Vancouver.
... See More... See Less
Sharks' Kaapo Kahkonen: Receives no help in shutout loss
Rotowire
Kahkonen allowed three goals on 40 shots in Friday's 3-0 road loss against the Hurricanes.
Kahkonen was unable to solve Teuvo Teravainen, as the Carolina winger accounted for all three of the Hurricanes' scores, including one on the power play. The Sharks offense was able to muster just 20 shots on net, and San Jose has now been blanked in seven consecutive periods. That lack of offensive support won't lead to much success for Kahkonen.
... See More... See Less
Sharks' Kaapo Kahkonen: Set to start Friday
Rotowire
Kahkonen is expected to start on the road against Carolina on Friday, Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now reports.
It will be the second half of a back-to-back, and coach David Quinn plans to employ both of his goaltenders for it, using Mackenzie Blackwood for Thursday's road contest versus Tampa Bay before sending out Kahkonen on Friday. Kahkonen has an 0-2-0 record while stopping 61 of 68 shots (.897 save percentage) this season. The Hurricanes, who have averaged 3.86 goals per game in 2023-24, are set to face Seattle on Thursday, so Carolina will also be playing on little rest.
... See More... See Less
Sharks' Kaapo Kahkonen: Gives up three goals in loss
Rotowire
Kahkonen allowed three goals on 36 shots in Thursday's 3-1 loss to the Bruins.
Kahkonen has lost both of his starts so far, allowing seven goals on 68 shots overall. The Sharks have given him just two goals of support, and he hasn't been able to keep them in games. The 27-year-old is likely to continue splitting the crease with Mackenzie Blackwood, who was in net for the only game in which the Sharks have earned a point this year. San Jose begins a road trip Saturday in Nashville.
... See More... See Less
Sharks' Kaapo Kahkonen: Slated to face Bruins
Rotowire
Kahkonen is expected to guard the home net Thursday versus Boston, per Curtis Pashelka of The San Jose Mercury News.
Kahkonen will attempt to bounce back after surrendering four goals on 32 shots in a 4-1 loss to Vegas last Thursday. He had a 9-20-7 record, 3.85 GAA and .883 save percentage in 37 outings last year. Kahkonen has faced Boston just once in his career, stopping 36 of 38 shots in a 3-2 victory over the Bruins on Jan. 6, 2022.
... See More... See Less
Sharks' Kaapo Kahkonen: Yields four goals
Rotowire
Kahkonen gave up four goals on 32 shots in Thursday's 4-1 loss to the Golden Knights.
Vegas didn't dominate the game by any means, but Kahkonen still gave up at least one goal in each period. The 27-year-old is expected to split the goaltending duties with Mackenzie Blackwood early in 2023-24. Kahkonen had an awful 9-20-7 record with a 3.85 GAA and an .883 save percentage in 37 games last season, so there's no guarantee he'll be able to take hold of the No. 1 job for a Sharks team that is expected to be among the worst in the league.
... See More... See Less
Sharks' Kaapo Kahkonen: Will face Golden Knights
Rotowire
Kahkonen is set to guard the home crease Thursday against Vegas, per Curtis Pashelka of The San Jose Mercury News.
Kahkonen finished the 2022-23 campaign with a 9-20-7 record, 3.85 GAA and .883 save percentage in 37 outings. Vegas will be looking to improve to 2-0-0 after earning a 4-1 victory over Seattle on Tuesday.
... See More... See Less
Sharks' Kaapo Kahkonen: Kept busy in loss
Rotowire
Kahkonen stopped 46 of 48 shots in Wednesday's 3-1 loss to the Flames. The third goal was an empty-netter.
Kahkonen was very busy between the pipes as the Flames stayed true to their high-volume shooting tendencies. While it was a third straight loss for Kahkonen, he played well. The 26-year-old goalie is down to 9-20-7 with a 3.85 GAA and an .883 save percentage through 37 games, which is likely where he'll finish the season assuming he doesn't start Thursday in Edmonton.
