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Hertl's heroics nets the Sharks
2 points
SJ ties the game three times before winning
in OT
With 13 games remaining in the regular season,
every game is a must win for the Sharks. With the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles
Kings breathing down their necks, the Sharks don't have any more room to miss.
They gutted out a tough game in Edmonton on Wednesday night as San Jose kicked
off a three-game road trip through Western Canada, taking a 4-3 overtime
decision from the underachieving Oilers. Tomas Hertl buried a shot in the extra
period to help San Jose maintain their 2nd place position in the Pacific
Division.
The Sharks were forced to overcome three Oiler leads, tying
the game on three occasions before setting up the game winner in overtime.
Martin Jones made his 9th consecutive start and turned aside 25 shots to earn
his 24th victory of the season.
San Jose's netminder was spectacular
for the Sharks, who needed a pick me up against an Oilers squad that was
playing for pride. Firmly out of the playoff race, Edmonton is still a
dangerous opponent, and have the pieces that made the Sharks work all night.
The Sharks continue to be fashionably late to every party and
Wednesday night's game was no different. Drake Caggiula was the benefactor of a
San Jose defense that was unprepared at the start of the contest. Caggiula slid
over to the outside of the right post as Zacj Kassian stick-handled behind the
Sharks net. Kassian spotted his linemate and sent a pass to Caggiula who sat
unattended outside the post. All the Oilers centerman needed to do was decide
where to shoot the puck as he pondered that decision for a couple of seconds.
The shot lifted past Martin Jones for the 1-0 Edmonton lead and Caggiula's 9th
tally of the season.
Tomas Hertl answered less than six minutes later
after the sharks forced a turnover in their own zone. That sequence ended with
Logan Couture hitting Hertl on the left wing for a one time chance that snapped
past Oilers goaltender Al Montoya. The goal was Hertl's 17th of the season.
Oscar Klefbom ripped a shot that rang off the right post before
finding the back of the net at 7:44 of the 2nd period as Pontus Aberg caught
Martin Jones with his skate. The Sharks challenged the goal for goaltender
interference, but the officials ruled that it was not enough to overturn the
goal. It was a peculiar ruling, as Aberg clearly made contact with Jones an
instant before the shot sailed past him.
Caggiula served up a double
minor for high-sticking at 9:43 of the period by clipping Joonas Donskoi and
drawing blood. Logan Couture answered with his 28th goal of the season on a
shot from the high slot that beat Montoya.
Timo Meier wiped out the
second minor when he was called for high sticking
An Aberg slashing
penalty put the Sharks on the power play late in the period, but the infraction
was split by the second intermission. When play resumed, the Sharks could not
generate any semblance of a scoring chance.
The Oilers reclaimed the lead 1:26 into the 3rd period
when Klefbom fired a shot that was touched by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.
Brendan Dillon tied the game a third time with 10:55 to play, ripping a host
past Montoya from the high slot as Hertl and Eric Fehr were tied up with two
Oiler defenders in front of the Edmonton goaltender. The goal was Dillon's 2nd
of the season.
Jones came up huge in the back half of the period. He
only recorded five saves in the period, but every chance seemed to be of the
quality variety that challenged to untie the game for a fourth time.
He would make two saves in the overtime period, denying the Oilers a chance to
claim a fifth and final lead. That privilege would go to the Sharks when Hertl
deposited his 18th goal of the season 2:40 into the extra frame.
The
Sharks forward out-worked Leon Draisaitl as a puck was played back into the
Oilers zone. Working the left wing boards, Hertl muscled the puck away from the
Oilers forward, then dropped it to Logan Couture on the left side. Couture took
two strides, forcing Klefbom to cover that side of the ice. When Montoya moved
over to cover teh left post, Couture slid a pass through the slot to the off
wing, where Hertl collected the puck. Hertl's sent a bullet that was by Montoya
before he could cover the right side of the goal.
Game
Notes:
* Joonas Donskoi was checked into the side boards awkwardly
with 6 minutes to play in regulation. It appeared as if he jammed his left
shoulder. The forward slammed his stick to the ice as he skated to the bench
following the play.
* Tomas Hertl's stat line had him finish with 2
points, a +3 plus/minus on 4 shots. He also recorded 2 takeaways, 2 hits, 2
blocked shots and won 12 of 22 draws (55%).
* The Sharks power play
finished 1-for-4 on the night, but San Jose missed on its chances facing the
worst penalty kill in the NHL.
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think of this story? Post your comments on the
Feeder Forums |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
OT |
T |
| SJ |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
| EDM |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
3 |
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| 1st period - 1, EDM,
Caggiula 9 (Kassian, Khaira), 2:39. 2, SJ, Hertl 17 (Couture, Boedker), 8:03.
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| 2nd period - 3, EDM,
Klefbom 5 (McDavid, Aberg), 7:44. 4, SJ, Couture 28 (Burns, Pavelski), 10:01,
(pp). |
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| 3rd period - 5, EDM,
Nugent-Hopkins 19 (Klefbom, McDavic), 1:26. 6, SJ, Dillon 2 (Boedker), 9:05.
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| Overtime - 7, SJ, Hertl
18 (Couture), 2:40. |
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| 2nd period - Caggiula,
EDM (high sticking - double minor), 9:43; Meier, SJ (high sticking), 11:10;
Aberg, EDM (slashing), 19:10. |
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| 3rd period - Kassian,
EDM (slashing), 9:38. |
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Shots |
Saves |
| SJ - Jones |
28 |
25 |
| EDM - Montoya |
40 |
36 |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
OT |
T |
| SJ |
10 |
18 |
9 |
3 |
40 |
| EDM |
13 |
7 |
6 |
2 |
28 |
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| Referees:
Chmielewski, Walsh. Linesmen: Murphy, Mach. |
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