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Sharks get back in the win
column
Nyquist scores game winner for San Jose
It wasn't pretty, but the Sharks got the job done.
As they try to get their game back on track, San Jose played well enough to
knock off the Edmonton Oilers 3-2 at Rogers Arena. Gus Nyquist scored his first
game-winning goal as a Shark, with a 2nd period tally. The Oilers were just
trying to get to the off-season after a disastrous season that has resulted in
Todd McLellan's dismissal.
There were still plenty of holes that need
patching in the Sharks game, but San Jose left themselves a shot at holding
home-ice for the first three rounds of the playoffs if Calgary were to get
bounced in the 1st round.
The Sharks looked as if they would get off
to a good start, when Zach Kassian was whistled for hooking 43 seconds into the
game. San Jose has been trying to overcome the bad habit of surrendering goals
within the first 5 minutes of the game, so the power play provided some buffer.
That didn't work either.
Edmonton took advantage of a
terrible entry attempt by Timo Meier, who tried chipping the puck in on the
right side. Leon Draisaitl stepped in front of the pass and raced up ice on a
short-handed breakaway and deposited it past Sharks goaltender Aaron Dell for
the quick 1-0 lead.
San Jose countered at the 8:52 mark when Joe
Thornton held the puck behind the Oilers net, before flipping a pass out to
Marcus Sorensen at the top of the crease. Sorensen worked laterally from left
to right in order to create space between him and the Oilers defense.
Thornton's pass was perfect, allowing Sorensen to collect the puck and snap
home his 17th goal of the season.
Brent Burns gave the Sharks the 2-1
lead just over a minute later, when he whipped a shot from the slot past Oilers
goaltender Anthony Stolarz. Burns scooped up a faceoff win on the right side
then skated toward the net and cutting toward the right dot before throwing a
cannon shot on net that entered and exited the Oiles goal in the blink of an
eye.
Draisaitl knotted things up at 2-2 3:22 into the 2nd period after
the Sharks defense got caught behind the play. Connor McDavid carried the puck
into the Sharks zone on the left point before feeding Matt Benning. Draisital
slipped over to the right dot, where he received a Banning pass before picking
a spot and snapping a shot past Dell.
The Sharks stung the Oilers late when Nyquist got the
top of his stick blade on a Burns shot, altering the puck's trajectory enough
to beat Stolarz. Burns unloaded on the puck from the left point, and Nyquist
was parked in the high slot. Tomas Hertl and Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
were jostling in front of the Stolarz, which may have impeded the Oilers
netminder's line of sight on the shot.
San Jose held the thin 1-goal
lead through the 3rd period, but things got precarious when Brendan Dillon was
called for hooking just 1:06 into the final frame. San Jose killed the penalty
to go a perfect 3-for-3 on the night, then held the Oilers offense in check the
rest of the way.
Colby Cave took a hooking penalty with 9:43 to play
to help San Jose kill clock. The final moments of the penalty got hairy when
Draisaitl carried the puck into the Sharks zone and zipped past two defenders
before uncorkig a shot from the slot. That was too close for comfort, given the
way the Sharks have played of late.
Dell made the save along with 25
others to win for only the 10th time this season.
Game
Notes:
* Joe Thornton passed Steve Yzerman for 8th on the NHL's all
time assists list with his helper on Marcus Sorensen's goal.
* Timo
Meier was shaken up in the 3rd period and left the game with about 10 minutes
to play. Darnell Nurse landed on top of Meier, who was trying to get position
on the Oilers forward before he slipped and crashed into the end boards. The
Oilers broadcasters reported that Meier injured his left wrist.
*
Thornton's assist gave him 50 points on the season. San Jose is the first tema
to have 8 players record 50 points or more since the 2008-09 Detroit Red Wings.
* Defenseman Jacob Middleton recorded his 1st career NHL point with
the secondary assist on Marcus Sorensen's goal.
* Logan Couture led
the Sharks with 7 of their 27 shots on goal.
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think of this story? Post your comments on the
Feeder Forums |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
| SJ |
2 |
1 |
0 |
3 |
| EDM |
1 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
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| 1st period - 1, EDM,
Draisaitl 48 (unassisted), 2:03, (sh). 2, SJ, Sorensen 17 (Thornton,
Middleton), 8:52. 3, SJ, Burns 15 (Hertl), 10:03. |
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| 2nd period - 4, EDM,
Draisaitl 49 (Benning, McDavid), 3:22. 5, SJ, Nyquist 21 (Burns, Kane), 18:48.
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| 1st period - Kassian,
EDM (hooking), 0:43; Pavelski, SJ (tripping), 12:11. |
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| 2nd period - Bench, SJ
(delay of game), 3:22; Meier, SJ (roughing), 10:37; Lucic, EDM (roughing),
10:37. |
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| 3rd period - Dillon, SJ
(hooking), 1:06; Cave, EDM (hooking), 10:17; Burns, SJ (hooking), 20:00. |
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Shots |
Saves |
| SJ - Dell |
28 |
26 |
| EDM - Stolarz |
27 |
24 |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
| SJ |
12 |
10 |
5 |
27 |
| EDM |
8 |
13 |
7 |
28 |
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| Referees: Meier,
Rehman. Linesmen: Smith, Galloway. |
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