The Sharks continued their tour of
Pennsylvania on Thursday night with a stop in Pittsburgh. San Jose hung on for
40 minutes, but would allow three 3rd period goals to fall 6-3 to the Penguins
at PPG Paints Arena. Magnus Chrona made 25 saves in the loss. Klim Kostin,
MArc-EDouard Vlasic and Mikael Granlund all had 2-point games.
The
Penguins drew first blood shortly after a Filip Zadina hooking penalty expired.
Former Sharks Erik Karlsson fired a shot on net from the blueline, banking it
off teammate Noel Acciari at 10:28. Granlund had missed on a short-handed
chances 30 seconds earlier.
San Jose tied the game 4 minutes later
when Fabian Zetterlund pushed a shot from the doorstep into a wide open net
after Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry was caught on the right side. Calen
Addison put a shot off Jarry, but the rebound didn't carry any farther than the
edge of the crease.
Vlasic scored the most improbable goal in the
final minute of the period. The defenseman was carrying the puck near the left
corner when he decided to throw it at the net. The puck deflected off Jarry,
then hit defenseman Marcus Pettersson before redirecting into the Pittsburgh
net.
Jeff Carter tapped home a Emil Bemstrom feed off the left post
after slipping his defender Justin Bailey. The Sharks forward likely would not
have offered much opposition even if he was even with Carter as he skated
without a stick.
Evgeni Malkin put the Penguins up 3-2 at the 11:34
mark with a put back chance from outside the right post. The Penguins carried
the puck up ice before Drew O'Connor pumped a shot on goal from the high slot.
The rebound kicked right to Malkin was skating past the post.
It looked as if the Sharks would trail by a goal
heading to the 2nd intermission, because they couldn't get anything going
offensively. Kostin reversed course by scoring his 1st goal as a Shark with
1:18 remaining in the period. Vlasic started the scoring sequence with a shot
from the top of the left circle. Jarry stopped it, but Granlund retained
possession for the Sharks with his back to the net. Granlund spotted Kostin
floating toward goal on the right side, finding him with a pass that the new
Shark pumped past Jarry to tie it up at 3-3.
An absence of luck early
in the 3rd period decided this one for San Jose. The Penguins scored a pair of
goals off long shots 2 minutes apart to grab a 5-3 lead.
John Ludvig
cranked a blast from the left point that found a seam through a sea of legs to
beat Chrona for his 2nd goal of the season.
Former Duck Rickard Rakell
was credited with a goal at 4:38 after Pierre-Olivier Joseph fired a shot from
the high slot. Joseph's shot clipped Rakell in the shin pad, changing the
trajectory enough to get it past Chrona for his 10th marker of the season.
Game Notes: * The Penguins have struggled this season,
but could things get any worse than having to tell your fans that they would
not be issuing bobble heads on Jaromir Jagn Night, with Jagr in attendance. The
lot of bobble heads was stolen from the port of call in California after they
arrived from an overseas manufacturer.
* Mikael Granlund had to be
helped off the ice after he injured his right knee 13 minutes into the 2nd
period. Granlund became tangled with Bryan Rust in the left corner before Rust
fell on Granlund, bending the leg awkwardly. He remarkably missed two shifts
then returned to the game.
*
n it get any worse than having
Jaromir Jagr's bobble heads stolen, thereby ruining Jagr Night in Pittsburgh.
Ironically, the shipment of bobble heads was stolen after they were delivered
in California. * By scoring against the Penguins, Sharks defenseman
Marc-Edouard Vlasic has only the Islanders, Bruins and Devils left to cover the
entire NHL.
* It was the 22nd time Sydney Crosby has faced the Sharks.
He has a meager 4 goals against them. He was credited with the secondary assist
on Bryan Rust's empty net goal in this game.
