|
|
Sharks solid in the
desert San Jose takes 3-1 win over
Coyotes
The Sharks shook off the sting of their shootout
loss to the Ottawa Senators earlier in the week and responded with a strong 3-1
win over the Arizona Coyotes at Gila River Arena on Thursday night. San Jose
scored a pair of 1st period goals from their underlings, then held on to a
tight 2-1 lead for the majority of the 3rd period to take the Pacific Division
match up.
San Jose rained on Arizona's tribute to captain Shane Doan,
who became the franchise's all time goal scorer. A special pre-game ceremony
celebrated Doan's contributions to the Coyotes franchise, which was capped by a
$100,000 donation to Doan's youth hockey charity.
The Sharks paid
tribute to Doan by bagging a couple of hard nosed goals in the opening frame.
Tommy Wingels opened the game's scoring at 6:22 by gloving a floating puck in
the slot, dropping it to the ice, pivoting 180 degrees before whipping a shot
past goaltender Louis Domingue. San Jose cycled the puck the perimeter of the
Coyotes zone before Justin Braun bounced the puck off an Arizona defender,
vaulting it up into the air. Wingels had to get to the spot where the puck
fell, make the catch, then have the presence of mind to get a tough shot off.
The goal energized the Sharks, who went on a tear for the next 30
minutes. It only took them three minutes to add to their lead.
Pressing in front of the Coyotes net, the Sharks generated their second goal
with some good old fashioned hard nosed hockey. Chris Tierney pushed the puck
toward the net from the right corner, bouncing it off Domingue's left pad. The
puck deflected out to the front of the net where Melker Karlsson stabbed at the
puck, forcing it back toward Domingue who deflected it up into the air. Tierney
had his stick hovering above Domingue's pad, tapping into the net as it floated
in the air.
Karlsson was immediately checked into Domingue, crashing
into the net. Karlsson didn't make contact with Domingue until the puck was in
the net, but a review was conducted anyway. The goal stood, and the Sharks
sucked the life out of the building with the goal.
They would create
multiple scoring chances over the course of the next 20 minutes, but they
couldn't get another puck past Domingue.
Arizona generated a single
shot through the first 10 minutes of the 2nd period as the Sharks continued to
press. Credit Domingue for not breaking during the barrage.
The
Coyotes began to turn the tables with 7 minutes left in the period. They
started to generate scoring chances of their own.
A Joel Ward high sticking penalty on Anthony Duclair
1:47 into the 3rd was the game's first penalty. The Sharks killed the Coyotes
power play, but Arizon was clearly shifting into desperation mode.
Arizona caught the Sharks napping midway through the period when Brad
Richardson slipped to the front of the net and took a feed from Doan out of the
right corner and slipped a shot passed Martin Jones. Justin Braun got caught in
no mans land, not pursuing the puck or covering the front of the net as Doan
waited for Richardson. Ward and Patrick Marleau stood and watched Richardson
skate unimpeded to setup the goal.
With the clock ticking down on the
end of regulation, Oliver Ekman-Larsson sealed the Coyotes fate by taking a
holding penalty on Joonas Donskoi with 2:40 left in regulation.
The
Coyotes were forced to pull Domingue just to even the skaters up at 5-on-5, but
Patrick Marleau was the beneficiary of the empty net, beating two Coyotes down
the ice to tuck a loose puck home for his 15th goal of the season.
Jones finished the game with 23 saves.
 |
 |
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 |
T |
SJ |
2 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
ARI |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
|
|
1st period - 1, SJ,
Wingels 4 (Braun, Donskoi), 6:22. 2, SJ, Tierney 6 (Brown, Karlsson), 9:56.
|
|
|
|
|
3rd period - 3, ARI,
Richardson 4 (Doan, Murphy), 11:24. 4, SJ, Marleau 15 (Thornton, Pavelski),
19:08, (pp), (en). |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
3rd period - Ward, SJ
(high sticking), 1:47; Dahlbeck, ARI (holding), 4:39; Ekman-Larsson, ARI
(holding), 17:20. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shots |
Saves |
SJ - Jones |
24 |
23 |
ARI - Domingue |
22 |
20 |
ARI - empty net |
1 |
0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
SJ |
8 |
8 |
7 |
23 |
ARI |
7 |
8 |
9 |
24 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Referees: Lee,
Sutherland. Linesmen: Gibbons, Knorr. |
|
|
|
|
|