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Sharks fight for two on the
road
SJ scores a pair of 3rd period goals to beat
Calgary
The Sharks showed a little perseverance when they
needed it most on Monday night. Kicking off a quick two game road trip in
Calgary, the Sharks overcame three power play goals by the Flames by scoring a
pair of 3rd period goals to win a 5-4 thriller. San Jose followed up their big
7-0 win on Saturday night with another bushel of goals to win back to back
goals for the first time since mid-December. Brent Burns and Joel Ward came
through in that crucial final 20 minutes with a goal apiece.
It was a
statement from a team that has been quiet for much of the season. Every goal
was important as San Jose had to fend off a Flames team that seemed destined to
overcome every deficit.
San Jose jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the 1st
period on goals by Joe Thornton and Joonas Donskoi.
Thornton converted
off a Joe Colborne at the Calgary blueline 5:07 into the contest. Thornton
picked Colborne's pocket, chipping it to Joe Pavelski on the right side.
Pavelski immediately returned the puck to Thornton on the off wing for a simple
shot from 8 feet out for his 8th goal of the season.
Donskoi tapped in
a Brenden Dillon shot 4 minutes later. The Sharks forward cycled out of the
right corner, cutting across the top of the Flames crease right as Dillon's
shot from the left point appeared to everyone that it would sail wide right.
Count Flames goaltender Kari Ramo in that camp. He sat and watched the puck,
expecting it to find the end boards. He was wrong.
Sean Monahan cut
the Sharks lead to 2-1 with 6:15 left in the period, taking advantage of a
crazy bounce that saw the puck float over several defenders and land at his
skates.
Contrary to what many would have thought back in September,
Logan Couture scored his 1st goal of the season more than 3 plus months into
the regular season. The Sharks forward is still working his game back after
suffering the broken leg and subsequent arterial bleeding that has kept him out
of the lineup for a majority of the season. He looked like the old Couture on
this play, intercepting a Mikeal Backlund pass, then shedding him along the
goal line in the left corner to whip a shot past Ramo. Couture had to pivot 180
degrees as Backlund tried chasing him down, in order to get the shot off.
Mike Brown's errant stick cost him a 4 minute trip to the penalty box,
and when Burns tripped Johnny Gaudreau, the Flames found themselves on a
2-minute 5-on-3 power play.
Dennis Wideman converted with both Sharks
in the box, whipping a shot from the high slot that Martin Jones was late to
react to. Sam Bennett then added a second goal 15 seconds later after splitting
the Sharks defense at the blueline and then beating Paul Martin to the net for
a shot over Jones left shoulder.
San Jose could have packed it in at
that point. Playing on the road and surrendering a 2-goal lead would have been
more than enough for the Sharks to cough up the lead. That wouldn't happen on
this night.
Burns capped a pretty passing sequence on San Jose's
lone power play during the game with a shot that beat Ramo just inside the left
post. Patrick Marleau sent a rink-wide pass through the slot to Burns on the
left wing for the one-time chance that found net. It was a costly penalty for
Backlund, who was whistled for holding Dillon's stick.
Ward scored
what would turn out to be the game-winning goal 5 minutes later, banking a shot
off defenseman Mark Giordano who fell to the ice to try and block a would be
pass. Ward looked primed to try and get the puck to Couture on the left wing,
but Giordano's shin pan adjusted the trajectory of the puck.
Calgary
pulled to within a single goal with 3:41 to play after Dillon was sent off for
tripping. Flames head coach Bob Hartley decided to pull Ramo for the extra
skater, which paid dividends when Micheal Ferland was the last to touch a shot
that hit a Sharks defenseman before banking off the Flames forward.
Game Notes:
Justin Braun was the victim of a pair of injuries on
a single play during the 2nd period. The Sharks defenseman was hit in the leg
with a shot that hobbled him in front of his own net. As he sat perched on his
knees, a shot than struck him in the forehead, which required stitches after is
helmet cut him on the forehead.
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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 |
2 |
5 |
| CGY |
1 |
2 |
1 |
4 |
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| 1st period - 1, SJ,
Thornton 8 (Pavelski), 5:07. 2, SJ, Donskoi 6 (Dillon, Tierney), 9:27. 3, CGY,
Monahan 13 (Ferland, Gaudreau), 13:45. |
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| 2nd period - 4, SJ,
Couture 1 (unassisted), 1:53. 5, CGY, Wideman 2 (Gaudreau, Giordano), 11:12,
(pp). 6, CGY, Bennett 6 (Backlund, Brodie), 11:27, (pp). |
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| 3rd period - 7, SJ,
Burns 18 (Marleau, Thornton), 5:12, (pp). 8, SJ, Ward 12 (Burns), 10:21. 9,
CGY, Ferland 2 (Backlund, Hamilton), 16:19, (pp). |
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| 2nd period - Brown, SJ
(high sticking - double minor), 8:33; Burns, SJ (tripping), 10:08. |
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| 3rd period - Backlund,
CGY (holding the stick), 4:38; Dillon, SJ (tripping), 15:42; Vlasic, SJ
(fighting major), 20:00; Bennett, CGY (fighting major), 20:00. |
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Shots |
Saves |
| SJ - Jones |
35 |
31 |
| CGY - Ramo |
18 |
13 |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
| SJ |
8 |
5 |
5 |
18 |
| CGY |
12 |
8 |
15 |
35 |
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| Referees: Watson,
Nicholson. Linesmen: Cameron, Gibbons. |
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