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Nieto beats the clock and
Flyers
Last second goal nets SJ back to back
wins
There is no skirting the fact that the Sharks are
struggling right now. The offense has been thin and the defense porous, but
even with those issues, San Jose was able to celebrate a win on Tuesday night.
The Sharks put their issues on the shelf for an evening and scratched out a 2-1
win over the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Flyers have their own issues to
deal with, having won only once in their last 10 games. Philadelphia last
notched a road victory on October 22nd in Pittsburgh.
The win was the
first time San Jose had strung together two consecutive victories since the end
of October when they beat Anaheim and Colorado in consecutive games. It was
only the third time this season that the Sharks put together two consecutive
wins.
Many of the Sharks ills have centered around the team's lack of
production up and down the lineup. The Sharks seemed to be stuck in neutral for
most of the evening. San Jose missed out on generating scoring chances because
there are no second chance opportunities. For the majority of the evening, too
many players seemed content to watch the play rather than follow the action and
capitalize after the primary chances missed.
Ironically, it was a
second chance opportunity that decided the game.
Matt Nieto followed
Patrick Marleau to the net and gave the Sharks their first and only lead of the
game with 11.5 seconds left in regulation. Nieto intercepted a puck at center
ice and kicked it forward to Marleau, who made a beeline towards the Flyers
net. Philadelphia goaltender Steve Mason denied Marleau's scoring chance, but
the puck kicked out to the right of the net. Tommy Wingels tried to get to is,
but overskated it after being checked by a Flyers defender. Nieto was there to
clean up, sweeping the puck home as Brayden Schenn's diving attempt to block
the shot fell short.
It was as dramatic a goal as they come, and one
the Sharks desperately needed.
"He [Nieto] made a tremendous read in
the neutral zone, created a turnover and, it wasn't the first follow up by
Wingels, it was the second one," said Sharks head coach Todd McLellan. "So give
him credit for sticking with it. I thought that was the way the night went. We
weren't very good in the first period, I think that was obvious. But we stuck
with it and got a little better as the night went on. Good to see those
results."
It was another sad sack finish for the Flyers who trail in
the 13th spot in the Eastern Conference.
Having arrived in San Jose
over the weekend, the Flyers flew to the West Coast early to acclimate
themselves to the Pacific Time Zone as they tour the left coast, playing the
Sharks, Ducks and Kings.
Philadelphia played well enough the win the
perfect road game, by scoring first, and playing tight defense.
"I
think we played one of our best games out there," said Flyers forward Claude
Giroux. "We play as a team. Obviously, the result won't show how well we
played, but we keep our heads held high and get ready for tomorrow. I think
it's important that we stick together. I think we are doing that right now. The
only way to get out of this hole we are in is to get out together."
James Sheppard took a lazy interference penalty 4:18
into the game, setting up the first score of the game. Philadelphia converted
on the ensuing power play, when Sean Couturier snapped a shot from the left
circle past Antti Niemi. The Flyers did what the Sharks refuse to do on the
power play, moving the puck toward the goal and taking shots from in close,
rather than from the stratosphere.
The Flyers reciprocated with a
Niklas Grossman tripping penalty 1:57 into the 2nd period, but the Sharks
failed to generate anything against the worst penalty kill in the league.
Philadelphia actually created the best scoring chance of the sequence when
Grossman took a lead pass out of the box and raced in on net with a breakaway
chance. Niemi stopped Grossman to keep the fruitless power play from turning
into a catastrophe.
The defense finally took matters into their own
hands by tying the game with 2:16 left in the 2nd period. Marc-Edouard Vlasic
bagged his 3rd goal of the season after cutting down the slot and taking a feed
from Tommy Wingels before snapping a shot over Steve Mason's right shoulder.
"I joined the rush, Wingels made a nice play and I put it in the back
of the net," said Vlasic. "I knew Giroux was behind me, so I knew I could jump
up and beat him. And I did that."
Andrew Desjardins looked as if he
would put the Sharks up 7 minutes into the 3rd period when he chipped a
turnover past the Flyers defense. The 4th line forward raced up ice
uncontested, but muffed the shot as he raced in on Mason.
Not all was
well in Sharksland following the game. Logan Couture collided with Michael
Raffl midway through the 2nd period, slamming his chin into Raffl's shoulder
pad. He skated straight to the dressing room and did not return.
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1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
| PHI |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
| SJ |
0 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
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| 1st period - 1, PHI,
Couturier 5 (Laughton, MacDonald), 6:00, (pp). |
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| 2nd period - 2, SJ,
Vlasic 3 (Wingels, Couture), 17:44. |
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| 3rd period - 3, SJ,
Nieto 3 (Wingels, Marleau), 19:48. |
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| 1st period - Sheppard,
SJ (interference), 4:18; Couturier, PHI (fighting major), 14:58; Dillon, SJ
(fighting major), 14:58. |
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| 2nd period - Grossman,
PHI (tripping), 1:57; Braun, SJ (interference), 9:50. |
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Shots |
Saves |
| PHI - Mason |
27 |
25 |
| SJ - Niemi |
29 |
28 |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
| PHI |
16 |
6 |
7 |
29 |
| SJ |
6 |
13 |
8 |
27 |
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| Referees: Lee, St
Laurent. Linesmen: Miller, Pancich. |
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