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Sharks hang on in
Arizona
SJ takes 3-2 decision with a shootout
win
The Sharks shook off the fatigue associated with
playing three games in four days to win on Tuesday night in Glendale, knocking
off the Coyotes 3-2 in a the shootout. Aaron Dell made 30 saves to lead the
Sharks to their second win over the Coyotes this week. Sharks captain Joe
Pavelski was the only player to score in the shootout, propelling the Sharks
2nd place in the Pacific Division.
San Jose jumped past Calgary and
Los Angeles with the win, and still have games in hand over both teams. The
season still has 39 games to go, but it's easier to hold a position in the
standings than to catch someone.
Even after the week long bye, the
Sharks showed the wear and tear of multiple games in close proximity to each
other. San Jose struggled late, but held on to take the valuable two points.
Christian Dvorak stifled a strong start for the Coyotes by taking a
holding penalty 4:21 into the game. San Jose took advantage by scoring a power
play goal when Joe Thornton deposited a Logan Couture feed. Couture gathered a
deflection in slot and threw a backhand feed between Tomas Hertl's skates to
Thornton who was lurking on the left side of the net. All Thornton had to do
was tap the pass past Coyotes goaltender Antti Raanta for his 11th goal of the
season.
Mikkel Boedker stung his former team 34 seconds into the 2nd
period when he carried a puck into the Coyotes zone up the right wing, then
snapped a shot from just inside the right circle that beat Raanta. Boedker used
defenseman Alex Goligoski as a screen, denying Raanta a clear view of the shot.
It was the 5th tally of the season for Boedker, who has played more inspired
hockey of late.
Jordan Martinook cut the Sharks lead in half with just
under 4 minutes remaining in the period by redirecting a chest high shot past
Sharks goaltender Aaron Dell. Former Sharks defenseman Jason Demers sent a shot
that was well wide of the goal, but Martinook got his stick blade on the puck,
altering the path by almost 90 degrees for his 4th goal of the season.
The back-to-back games showed up in the 3rd period when the Sharks seemed to
run out of gas. Arizona capitalized with a Brad Richardson goal at 6:10 of the
period. Richardson followed a deflection off Dell and walked the puck into the
net from the slot as Joe Pavelski got caught watching the play from behind the
Coyotes winger.
Arizona owned the possession time game over the last
20 minutes, but Dell kept them at bay. The Coyotes out-shot San Jose 12-4 in
the period and clearly dominated the scoring chance race.
San Jose
went 10 minutes between shots midway through the period, before they strung
together a bevy of pucks directed at Raanta. The value in those shots and
semi-sustained presence in the Coyotes zone was that the puck wasn't anywhere
near the Sharks net.
The Sharks would survive the remainder of regulation,
but made things difficult for themselves when Tomas Hertl was whistled for
tripping 1:07 into overtime. The fatigued penalty killers were aided by a
Coyotes power play that seemed to be discombobulated. Arizona spent a majority
of the man-advantage trying to open up a shooting lane, but kept switching
skaters from side to side.
After killing Hertl's penalty, San Jose
generated their lone shot on goal in the extra frame when Brent Burns pushed a
harmless attempt from the high slot.
In the shootout Clayton Keller
led off with what may be his last career attempt, after he muffed the puck
along the side boards then lost the puck as he skated in on Dell. Joe Pavelski
followed that with a shot that beat Raanta through the 5-hole. Brendan Perlini
lifted a shot over the cross bar before Chris Tierney missed with a backhand
attempt. Dell ended things when he stuff a Derek Stepan backhand chance.
Game Notes:
* Sharks radio play-by-play announcer Dan
Rusanowsky called his 2000th game on Tuesday night. Rusanowsky has been the
Sharks man behind the microphone since day one.
* After his stellar
play in the last two games, Joonas Donskoi had a return to earth moment. The
forward was one of only four skaters to not record a shot on goal.
*
Dell continued to prop up his value with another stellar performance. The
Sharks backup recorded his 10th win of the season.
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1 |
2 |
3 |
OT |
SO |
T |
| SJ |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
| ARI |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
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| 1st period - 1, SJ,
Thornton 11 (Couture, Hertl), 5:37, (pp). |
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| 2nd period - 2, SJ,
Boedker 5 (Burns, Ryan), 0:34. 3, ARI, Martinook 4 (Demers, Richardson), 16:05.
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| 3rd period - 4, ARI,
Richardson 3 (Cousins, Ekman-Larsson), 6:10. |
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| Shootout - ARI: Keller
(miss), Perlini (miss), Stepan (miss). SJ: Pavelski (goal), Tierney
(miss). |
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| 1st period - Dvorak, ARI
(holding), 4:21; Ekman-Larsson, ARI (slashing), 16:34. |
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| 2nd period - Bench, SJ
(too many men), 13:28. |
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| Overtime - Hertl, SJ
(tripping), 1:07. |
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Shots |
Saves |
| SJ - Dell |
32 |
30 |
| ARI - Raanta |
22 |
20 |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
OT |
T |
| SJ |
12 |
5 |
4 |
1 |
22 |
| ARI |
10 |
6 |
12 |
4 |
32 |
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| Gila River Arena - 11,961 |
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| Referees: Rooney,
Rehman. Linesmen: Cameron, Gawryletz. |
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