Sharks Locker Room: MacDonald Talks Ejection, Ferraro Shares Why Refs Gave Him Double-Minor

DENVER – The San Jose Sharks aren’t a great team to begin with, but it’s hard when you’re playing the refs too.

I’m not a fan, so I’m not one to easily turn to blaming the refs for a loss, but the Sharks were put behind the eight-ball early at Ball Arena by the zebras, in what would ultimately be a 6-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche.

They were down 3-0 after the opening frame, in large part because of two questionable calls.

First, Jacob MacDonald was ejected 2:47 into the game for boarding Sam Malinski.

Here’s the hit on Sam Malinski by Jacob MacDonald. Ugly for sure, hopefully the rookie is okay #GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/Qu5IcbYKHk

— Mile High Hockey (@MileHighHockey) December 18, 2023

There’s no doubt that’s a minor, but a major?

MacDonald spoke exclusively to San Jose Hockey Now after the game: “Going in on a forecheck and he toepicks at the last second.

“Tried to move out of the way so I don’t hit him right in the numbers. As I’m bracing myself on the wall, his head turns in the last second, and I hit him.”

San Jose Sharks head coach David Quinn opined, “If you look at it frame by frame, slow it up, it’s gonna look bad. But play it live, Mac doesn’t have a chance.”

The Avs would strike on the major to give themselves a one-goal lead.

Two minutes later, alternate captain Mario Ferraro was tapped with a double-minor for standing up for Mike Hoffman after a late Kurtis MacDermid hit. MacDermid got a single minor.

Ferraro didn’t really know why he got the extra penalty, but he’d do it again for his teammate: “It’s unfortunate that I got the penalty but that’s one I’m gonna give up. Just can’t let that stuff happen. So I’m happy I got in there.”

The Avs would make it 2-0 on that power play.

And of course, the Sharks let themselves down with unremarkable play from that point midway through the opening frame to the Nathan MacKinnon goal that made it 4-0 3:44 into the second period.

Tomas Hertl scored a pair on the power play himself to make it interesting, but certainly, San Jose didn’t do enough to help their own cause.

Like I said, they’re 9-19-3 for a reason. The next step is to build a team – like the 2022 Stanley Cup champs – that can withstand a sixth man on the other side.

MacDonald talks about his ejection, Jack Studnicka speaks about his San Jose Sharks debut, Ferraro shares the explanation that the referees gave him for the extra minor, and Quinn reveals more about Calen Addison’s injury.

Jacob MacDonald

MacDonald, on his view of the major penalty that he received after hitting Sam Malinski:

Going in on a forecheck and he toepicks at the last second.

Tried to move out of the way so I don’t hit him right in the numbers. As I’m bracing myself on the wall, his head turns in the last second, and I hit him.

It’s an unlucky bounce.

Obviously wish it didn’t happen and I’m glad to see that he was back on the ice.

MacDonald, on if he received any explanation as to why that was a major penalty instead of a minor:

I don’t know. I’m sure they were watching it in slo-mo, it is what it is.

Watching it in real time, it’s just a lot different than watching it in slo-mo, right? So it’s unfortunate that he tripped the way he did and that I ended up where I ended up in that spot.

Jack Studnicka

Studnicka assesses his San Jose Sharks debut:

Didn’t really have my legs. It’s kind of been a whirlwind. It’s no excuse. But it’s been a lot of travel recently.

Some okay moments, some good moments, some moments I got to work on.

Studnicka, on what he wants to improve:

Just make more plays. Our line didn’t really sustain a lot of O-zone pressure.

As a third line, that’s something you want to bring a hockey team.

Mario Ferraro

Ferraro, on what he saw leading up to his double-minor on Kurtis MacDermid:

Hoff just took a late hit. So I got in there. That’s something we talk about.

It’s unfortunate that I got the penalty but that’s one I’m gonna give up. Just can’t let that stuff happen. So I’m happy I got in there.

Ferraro, on if he knows why he got the extra minor there:

They said I was like late, I came at him from across the ice. I don’t know.

[The referee’s] decision is his decision, I can’t change it.

I thought I was like pretty close to him. I thought he was the winger, I was on the point, like he was the guy that was right next to me.

Ferraro, on if it was deflating to give up the goal at the end of the major kill, after an excellent first four minutes of PK’ing:

That kind of sucked. I’m not gonna lie.

I thought our PK was actually buzzing. We got a lot of cleared pucks. They really didn’t have a shot on net. Just a good play there at the end. They made a good backdoor pass.

We take a lot of pride in our PK. We know the numbers haven’t been good enough. But we believe that we have a better PK than what’s shown.

I thought we did a good job for the most part.

David Quinn

Quinn, on if he knows why MacDonald got a major and why Ferraro got the extra minor:

I don’t know.

Five-minute major, he toepicks right as Mac is about to hit him. Lets up a little bit. If you look at it frame by frame, slow it up, it’s gonna look bad. But play it live, Mac doesn’t have a chance.

I don’t know how Mario gets anything other than a two-minute. It was a hockey play. MacDermid’s sliding over. He steps up, that’s his guy. They wrestled.

They said that he chased him around and that’s not true. So what are you gonna do?

Quinn, on Studnicka’s first San Jose Sharks game:

It was a tough game to be thrown into. Sure he’s just glad it’s over with. Didn’t really think he had a lot of pop in his skating tonight, which usually he does. It’s a tough situation we put him into, I thought he was fine.

Quinn says Addison suffered a lower-body injury at the end of the second period, that's why he left the game.

When we spoke, Quinn said he didn't know the severity of the injury. #SJSharks have day off tomorrow, so we'll find out on Tuesday

— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) December 18, 2023