|
|
Another win in bonus
time
Sharks outlast the Kings in LA
Winning in regulation isn't something that seems to
appeal to the Sharks these days. Playing their 11th consecutive game on the
road, San Jose had to rely on the shootout to beat the host Los Angeles Kings
at Staples Center on Tuesday night 4-3. Evander Kane scored a tying goal in the
last minute of regulation to get the Sharks to bonus hockey. While the Sharks
will take the win, they're also carrying their opponents by allowing them to
record standings points. San Jose has allowed all but one opponent to record a
point or more against them this season.
The Sharks got off to the
start they wanted on the road, scoring a pair of 1st period goals, then
clamping down defensively.
Timo Meier staked the Sharks to an early
1-0 lead by depositing his 2nd goal of the season just 80 seconds in to the
game. Ryan Donato chased down a loose puck in the right corner before sending a
backhand pass to the front of the net where Meier was cutting. The Sharks
forward drew the puck away from Kings goaltender Calvin Petersen before lifting
a backhand chance into a wide open net.
The Sharks dominated the shot
counter, putting 12 shots on goal while holding the Kings to a paltry 4
chances.
The 12th shot of the period came with 2:12 left in the frame.
That was a Logan Couture slam dunk from outside the right post after the Sharks
moved the puck with a series of passes around the perimeter. Patrick Marleau
gathered a Nikolai Knyzhov feed opposite Couture then whipped a pass through
the slot to the Sharks captain for the easy deposit. That earned Knyzhov his
first career point.
The nightmare that is the 2nd period bit the
Sharks once again.
The middle period started with the Sharks on the
power play after an Austin Strand high-sticking infraction carried over. San
Jose failed to convert, then allowed the Kings to cut their lead in half after
Anze Kopitar scored at the 7:00 minute mark. The Sharks forgot about the Kings
captain, who was sprung on a breakaway after Alex Iafaalo hit him with a long
lead pass.
San Jose would do everything in their power to give the
period away. Three straight minor penalties culminated with a careless too many
men infraction that led to a tying second goal for Los Angeles.
Dustin
Brown converted on the power play with 2:06 remaining in the period, jamming
home a chance from just outside the crease, after San Jose failed to clear the
puck.
Los Angeles took the 3-2 lead 10:45 into the 3rd period when
Brown snapped an Iafallo feed from the right side after the Kings rushed up the
ice. Iafallo circled around the back of the Sharks net from the left side,
finding Brown on the right side for the snap shot to beat Martin Jones. Radim
Simek didn't help matters by losing Brown on his way to the Sharks net.
With time running out in regulation, the Sharks were
forced to pull Jones late for the extra attacker. The move paid off when Kane
converted after a wild scrum formed in front of Petersen. The Sharks forward
had a pair of hacks at the puck before stuffing it home.
In the
shootout, Jones made a pair of decent saves, and got some help from the post
when Lias Andersson missed by inches with a shot to the left side. Couture
provided the Sharks with a key lone goal in the shootout, beating Petersen with
a shot that lifted just under the crossbar.
Game Notes:
* Patrick Marleau plays in his 1734th game, taking sole possession of 3rd place
on the NHL's all-time games played list. Marleau moved past Jaromir Jagr. With
his assist on Couture's goal, Marleau passed Mike Gartner for 80th on the
all-time assist list (assist 628).
* Brent Burns, Logan Couture and
Evander Kane combined for 18 of the Sharks 39 shots. Burns led all skaters with
7 shots on goal.
* Nikolai Knyzhov continues to come into his own
defensively for the Sharks. The rookie was a +1, and recorded his first career
NHL point on Logan Couture's goal. Knyzhov added a pair of hits as he develops
more of a physical presence on the ice.
* Ryan Donato played one of
the better games of his brief tenure in San Jose. The new Sharks forward was
all over the ice, and was consistently sniffing out the puck all night.
* Martin Jones finished the game with 24 saves to earn his 5th win of
the season. Jones stop on Gabriel Vilardi in the shootout saved the game for
San Jose.
 |
|
| What did you think of
this article? Post your comments on the Feeder Forums |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
What did you
think of this story? Post your comments on the
Feeder Forums |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
OT |
SO |
T |
| SJ |
2 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
4 |
| LA |
0 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
|
|
| 1st period - 1, SJ,
Meier 2 (Donato, Simek), 1:20. 2, SJ, Couture 6 (Marleau, Knyzhov), 17:48.
|
|
|
| 2nd period - 3, LA,
Kopitar 3 (Iafallo, Brown), 7:00. 4, LA, Brown 5 (Kempe, Doughty), 17:54, (pp).
|
|
|
| 3rd period - 5, LA,
Brown 6 (Iafallo), 10:45. 6, SJ, Kane (Couture), 19:15. |
|
|
|
|
|
| Shootout- LA: Kopitar
(miss), Anderssen (miss), Vilardi (miss). SJ: Donato (miss), Couture
(goal). |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1st period - Labanc, SJ
(high sticking), 13:31; Strand, LA (high sticking), 19:35. |
|
|
| 2nd period - Meier, SJ
(high sticking), 7:07; Nieto, SJ (hooking), 14:23; Bench, SJ (too many men),
17:37. |
|
|
| 3rd period - Grundstrom,
LA (high sticking), 4:30. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shots |
Saves |
| SJ - Jones |
27 |
24 |
| LA - Petersen |
39 |
36 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
OT |
T |
| SJ |
12 |
9 |
11 |
7 |
39 |
| LA |
4 |
12 |
10 |
1 |
27 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Staples Center - attendance
unavailable |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Referees: Walsh,
Kozari. Linesmen: Gibbons, Marquis. |
|
|
|
|
|
