by Barbara Mason

SAN JOSE–Saturday night the San Jose Sharks took on the rival Anaheim Ducks at SAP Center in a holiday spectacular.  A sell-out crowd took the evening off from the madness going on in all the local malls to enjoy a little hockey.  Everyone in the building was looking for the team’s fourth consecutive win but all for not in the Sharks 3-2 loss.

The first period did not disappoint when on their second power play the Sharks scored courtesy of Logan Couture assisted by Patrick Marleau and Joe Pavelski for the early lead 1-0.  The goal came at 8:40 and was Couture’s 7th goal of the season.   The Ducks however, would come back a minute later at 9:44 and tie up the game in a goal that was reviewed at length.  It was determined to be good and Anaheim’s Ryan Garbutt had his second goal of the season unassisted for the 1-1 tie.  That would not be the last from the Ducks in the period as Anaheim began to really turn up the heat.  At 13:21 Rickard Rakell scored his 8th goal of the season assisted by Corey Perry and  Ryan Getziaf to take the lead 2-1.  With 1:13 left in the period San Jose went on the power play.  Unable to score as time ran out on the period, the Sharks would finish their third power play of the game at the start of the second period.

The Sharks finished their third power play unable to score as the second period got underway.  After a series of blasting the puck at Anaheim goalie Jonathan Bernier San Jose’s Dylan DeMelo scored his first goal of the season assisted by Kevin Labanc and David Schlemko to tie up the game 2-2.  The Ducks would go on the power play and barely into it would score off the stick of Ryan Getziaf to take back the lead 3-2.  He was assisted Corey Perry and Ryan Kesler.  This was Getziaf’s second goal of the season.  Since the middle of the first period the Sharks kept finding themselves either tied or in catch-up mode.   After two periods the Sharks had taken 18 shots on goal to Anaheim’s 17.  This game was proving to be  hotly contested with Anaheim having the slight edge with the third period still to come.

Mid-way through the third period a real defensive battle had ensued.  Goalie Martin Jones had made some miraculous saves in the period keeping San Jose in the game.  With under two minutes left in the game

the Sharks would empty their net in an effort to tie up the game.  San Jose just ran out of time.  The final was 3-2.

Veteran Joe Thornton really thought they would be able to tie up the game with the empty net.  “It was a hard fought game.  It was really even,” he said.  Honorable mention was given to the San Jose fourth line which had a great game tonight.  The San Jose loss puts the Ducks one point behind them in a division that gets tighter and tighter with every game.

The Sharks will play one more home game against the Coyotes on Tuesday before heading out on the road to take on another southern California rival, the Kings.  The puck drops at 7:00.