It took overtime and a Raffi Torres shootout goal before a winner was declared between these two evenly matched teams in a game that had no shortage of excitement.
Torres was surprised he got the nod from Coach Todd McLellan as the third shooter and his goal that went through the 5 hole was the difference in a 3-2 Sharks win. In fact Raffi was the only player to light the lamp for either team in the shootout.
“Oh yeah, yeah big time” was Torres reaction when asked if he was surprised that he was chosen for the shootout.
“It’s been a couple of years since I’ve been in a shootout so I was a little nervous.
“I trusted what I’ve been doing in practice and went in there nice and slow and got him to bite on the shot and just slid it under him.”
What was really impressive from the Sharks standpoint was back to back wins two nights in a row against division foes.
This game between the Sharks and the Kings started off with two teams feeling each other out in the first period and scoring some goals in the second.
The third took on a playoff feel with end to end action and superb goaltending on both sides. These teams may very well meet in the first round of the playoffs and Tuesday night they competed like there was more than two points at stake.
The one consistency throughout all four periods and the shootout was the play of both goalies. Niemi and Quick brought the best out of each other and were both voted stars of the game.
Like last night in Phoenix, the second period was full of fireworks, but it wasn’t all in favor of the Sharks this time. San Jose scored two goals 0:42 seconds apart and had momentum in their favor until a couple of penalties turned things around for the Kings.
For San Jose it was the Brent Burns attack. Burns scored the first goal and looked like a veteran goal scorer doing it, not a defenseman who changed positions a month ago. He intercepted a clearing pass and somehow got the puck out of his chest and onto his stick in time to roof it over Jonathan Quick’s glove.
“Nice to be able to have a player like that” said the King’s Coach Darryl Sutter after the game.
“I said that before, I saw him a lot when he was with Minnesota and (me) being in Calgary where he could play forward, play defense, and play on the power play and kill penalties. It's a luxury that they have.”
On the same shift Burns threw a hot pass to Galiardi in front of the net and he made no mistake shooting it past a sprawling goalie that couldn’t get across his crease in time.
The Kings scored their first goal on the power play. The Sharks were able to kill the two man advantage, but Niemi couldn’t stop Muzzin’s point shot which zipped past his glove.
The second goal was the result of Dustin Brown jamming away at the puck under Niemi’s glove until it finally went in. Where was the defense on that play? Anytime a player hacks away at your goalie like that he should pay a price. That was an example of this team missing Murray and Clowe.
Scott Hannan made his Sharks debut for the second time wearing number 27. Hannan played with Dan Boyle as Matt Irwin was scratched to make room for the D man. Hannan used to dawn the number 22 jersey on his first tour of duty in San Jose, but that number has been taken by the team’s defensive leader Dan Boyle.
“I thought Scotty did a good job” was the response we got from Coach McLellan when he was asked about Scott Hannan’s performance.
“For a guy who hasn’t played in a little while to come into a game with that intensity he looked very comfortable.
“I thought he really played well and was proud to put the jersey on again.”
Coming into Tuesday night’s game the Kings and the Sharks were separated by a single point. LA holds the edge and currently holds the number four position in the west; if the playoffs started tomorrow these teams would meet with home ice going to the Kings. These teams are fairly evenly matched and this would make for a great series.
Oddly enough when Sharks fans think of the team’s biggest rival they think of the Detroit Red Wings. The Sharks have had some memorable playoff battles with the Red Wings which is really what makes rivalries what they are.
A San Jose versus LA playoff match-up would be good for both of these organizations. They have only met in the post-season once which was an entertaining series. The Sharks won in six, but it featured the comeback game which San Jose erased a four goal deficit to win 6-5 in overtime.
It makes sense that these teams take the rivalry to the next level, especially with Detroit moving into the eastern conference for the foreseeable future.
The turning point in this game was the shootout winner. Both teams had chances to end it before the game got to that stage. Scoring a goal like that goes a long way to making a player feel comfortable in his new surroundings.
Contenders & Pretenders
Contenders
Brent Burns – is on the list for making the transformation from defenseman to goal scoring forward look easy. Burns was in on the Sharks first two goals.
Antti Niemi – was amazing again. He stopped some great scoring opportunities and held his team in there while down two men for over a minute.
Jonathan Quick – is also on the list for keeping his team in there and giving them a chance to win. He was clutch in the third period stopping some prime scoring chances.
Pretenders
Dustin Penner – is on the list for the turnover that led to the Shark’s opening goal. Penner didn’t look up to see Burns coming off the bench and the big sniper made him pay.
Jason Demers – is on the list for taking a stupid minor that was easy to call. His minor penalty put the Sharks down two men and led to the eventual first goal for the Kings. It was a dumb selfish play that put his team mates in a tough position.
Patrick Marleau – makes the list for holding back while chasing Anze Kopitar down which led to the Kings second goal of the middle period. Marleau is the fastest man on the Sharks and arguably in the division. His lack of effort was evident and costly. Mistakes like that will find you on the Contender’s list.
The Sharks will get a day of rest before they host the Minnesota Wild on Thursday night.
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