Category: NHL

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa Walsh: Expect a split in Nashville for games 3 and 4

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AP photo: Nashville Predators Shea Weber celebrates after scoring in the second period against San Jose Sharks

On the SJ Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa expect the Sharks and Predators to split games three and four in Nashville. That would mean forcing a game five in San Jose on Saturday with the Sharks taking a 3-1 series lead as the most likely outcome.

Also Joe Pavelski is the key core to not only some key goals but also the spirit of the Sharks success offense in this series against the Predators. Martin Jones the Sharks goaltender did a spectacular job stopping Predator shots on Saturday with 37 saves in the Sharks narrow margin win 3-2.

Listen to Mary Lisa below for all the latest on the Sharks-Predators series click below

Sharks lose in tale of reversals

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~ (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

~ By Pearl Allison Lo

~ In these playoffs, it was both the worst loss for San Jose and the best win for the Nashville  Predators, who won 4-1 Tuesday.

The Sharks have only scored one goal one other time and it was their only other loss, as they lost with their biggest margin.

Nashville scored four for the first time and won by their biggest margin as San Jose gave up four goals for the first time this playoffs.

The power play results were also not indicative of the way they had been going.

The Sharks went 0-for-4 while the Predators went 2-for-5.

Nashville’s Captain Shea Weber scored on his only shot and had an assist.

San Jose’s Patrick Marleau scored the first first period goal of the series with his 62nd playoff goal at 13:13. After taking a pass from Tomas Hertl right before the blue line, Marleau sped past Roman Josi, Weber and then goalie Pekka Rinne, who fell to his knees before somewhat making a save attempt with his stick. Marc-Edouard Vlasic also got an assist.

The Predators came back to take the lead with two in the second.

The Sharks’ Joonas Donskoi got called for a double minor for a hi stick against James Neal.

Neal then converted halfway past the midpoint of the penalty. From the right faceoff circle, Neal shot the puck off the boards. Mattias Ekholm then gave the puck back to Neal at the circle, who scored past goalie Martin Jones. Ryan Johansen also aided.

San Jose’s Matt Nieto took a penalty at 12:57. One minute later, Craig Smith also took a penalty. Weber scored while it was 4-on-4. Donskoi lost the puck along the blue line and Johansen had the puck checked away by Brent Burns. That put the puck in the path of Weber, who with an angled body, shot straightaway at 14:44.

After having their first shot of the third period with 13:11 left, Nashville scored six seconds later.  Ryan Ellis shot the puck off the backboard and Colin Wilson put the rebound in the space behind Jones. Mike Fisher also had an assist.

The 4-1 score came at 15:49. With defenseman Roman Polak in front of him, Filip Forsberg’s puck hit the crossbar before going in. Josi and Weber also helped.

Game notes: It was the lowest shot total for the Predators this series. Sissons had to leave the ice after his knee hit the goalpost.

Sharks Hang On To Beat Predators 3-2, Take 2-0 Series Lead

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By Mary Walsh

USA Today photo: San Jose Sharks Martin Jones stops a shot by the Nashville Predators in game two at SAP Center on Sunday

SAN JOSE–The San Jose Sharks took a 2-0 series lead with a 3-2 victory against the Nashville Predators. Four of the goals were scored in the second half of the third, three of those in the final three minutes. It was not the Sharks’ best game, defensively or offensively, but it got the job done. After the game, Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer said as much:

We won and in the playoffs you’ve got to win all kinds of different ways. I really liked our first period. I thought their desperation level was just a little bit higher than ours in the second and third. I think that’s what you saw, and rightfully so. You got a team that is facing going down two game and no one wants to lose the first two game of a series. We knew their desperation level was going to be high and we found a way to weather it and Jonesy was fantastic and the important this is we won.

The win was significant also for being a home game. Not only have the Sharks been better on the road, but the Nashville Predators have too, at least in the first round of these playoffs. The Sharks were out shot and out hit on Sunday but they won where it mattered. Goals were scored by Joe Pavelski, Logan Couture, and a game winner from Joe Thornton. Martin Jones made 37 saves for the win. Mattias Eckholm and Ryan Johansen scored for Nashville, and Pekka Rinne made 22 saves.

Craig Smith was back in the Nashville lineup after missing Game 1. The first period did not look anything like the first period of the first game. This time, both teams started fast and earned chances early. They were slim chances, with no one having much room to choose a shot or get in position to make a play.

The Sharks were the beneficiary of that speedy play, in the form of an early power play. Roman Josi was called for cross-checking Chris Tierney at 6:24. The Sharks’ power play started out very well, with the Predators giving San Jose plenty of room to get set up. A rather cavalier behind-the-back pass from Joe Thornton to Logan Couture exemplified how composed the Sharks were with the man advantage. Yet that excess of time and space did not benefit the Sharks in the most practical sense: they did not score.

At even strength, the fourth line was very effective, making the Nashvile defense burn a lot of defensive fuel and block shots.

The Sharks went on the penalty kill at 13:38 when Joel Ward was called for tripping. Karlsson got the first clear, Couture the second, Dillon a third. The Predators got three shots through to Jones but he stopped them.

As the first ended, the Predators led the Sharks in shots by 10-7. That count did not include the ten shots that Nashville blocked. The Sharks had blocked five.

The Sharks started the second mostly trapped in their own zone. When they finally escaped, they came out with their best chance to that point. Couture and Donskoi went fast down the left wing and Couture managed to get a shot off. Rinne kicked out a rebound but Donskoi could not elevate it enough to beat Rinne’s right pad.

As the second period wore on, the Predators dominated on the shot clock and continued to block shots. By the 13 minute mark, Nashville had 11 shots to the Sharks’ 4.

At 15:16, the Sharks were penalized for too many men on the ice. The penalty kill started out fairly chaotic, with a snarl of bodies just in front of the blue paint. Finally they got untangled, with broken sticks sliding around and no one really able to control the puck. From that helter-skelter start, the Sharks pulled off another kill that ended with a short handed chance. Matt Nieto and Marc-Edouard Vlasic made a nice play but Rinne stopped them.

The Predators took their own too many men penalty shortly thereafter. Trying to avoid the call, Roman Josi tried to get off the ice by climbing over the wall in front of the Sharks bench. That did not pass muster. After the game, DeBoer was asked about the incident: “I’ve never seen that before. 25-30 years of hockey, and I’ve never seen that situation before. I don’t know, it’s a good question. I’m assuming it’s a rule, that they’re not allowed to change into our bench.”

32 seconds into that power play, a Brent Burns shot produced a rebound for Logan Couture to put away. Couture had been lurking around behind the net, making an inconspicious pass or two, then moving in front of the net just as the puck made its way to Burns. Burns did not have to wait long after receiving the puck from Thornton before taking his shot. Pavelski deflected the shot which created a rebound for Couture, who had an open net. It was Couture’s fourth goal of the playoffs. Assists went to Pavelski and Burns.

At the end of the second period, the Sharks led 1-0, despite their shot deficit of 16-25 for the game. The Sharks had blocked ten shots in the second, while the Predators had blocked twelve.

The Sharks found themselves short handed again 6:34 into the third. Brenden Dillon was called for roughing. He Just 23 seconds into the kill, Marc-Edouard Vlasic was hit in the head by a Shea Weber shot. He stayed down for a spell before returning to the bench. He did not go to the room.

At 12:56 of the third, Nashville tied it up. Mattias Eckholm took a shot from the blue line, just as three skaters converged in front of Martin Jones. The shot went just wide of Jones’ glove.

The Sharks got it back at 17:23. Thornton skated into the slot and passed the puck to Matt Nieto on the wing. Nieto waited until the last moment to take a shot. Rinne stopped the shot but it bounced off of a Nashville skater and landed in front of Joe Pavelski. He put it where it belonged. It was an unlocky bounce for Nashville, especially coming so late in the game. Assists went to Nieto and Thornton.

The Predators responded by pulling Rinne with more than two minutes to go. They sustained pressure for about a minute before a puck went over the glass and Nashville used their time out. When play resumed with a defensive zone draw for the Sharks, Pavelski controlled the puck and passed it out of the zone. Joe Thornton was on his way through the neutral zone when Pavelski’s pass found him. Thornton took his time and put the puck in the empty net.

Nashville responded with a furious attack on the Sharks’ net. With just 1.6 seconds to go, Ryan Johansen scored, making Thornton’s empty net goal the game winner.

The series now moves to Nashville for Game Three on Tuesday at 6:00 PT.

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In case you missed the black cat tale from Game 1, you can read the updated version with video at NHL.com here: Sharks working to find home for ‘Joe Paw-velski’

NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs podcast with Daniel Dullum: Nashville can be a good come back from behind team

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photo by the hockeywriters.com o: Nashville Predators head coach Peter Laviolette

On the NHL podcast with Daniel Dullum the San Jose Sharks who are looked like they were in for a rough start in game one against Nashville. After being shutout for two periods the Sharks made a strong come back with five goals in the third period to get a 5-2 win to take a 1-0 series lead.

The Predators who came back in the first round of the playoffs against the Anaheim Ducks after being up 2-0 found themselves with their backs to the boards down 3-2 but the Preds rallied around each other and won game seven. The point is with the Preds being this come from behind team they could do much of the same to the Sharks in this series. One way or the other it’ll be a good one.

Daniel Dullum does the NHL Stanley Cup podcasts each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com click below to listen

 

NHL Playoffs, Game 1, Round 2: Sharks Take Preds Down 5-2

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By Mary Walsh

AP photo: San Jose Sharks Joel Ward 42 celebrates scoring goal with teammates in third period in game one at SAP Center

SAN JOSE– The Sharks beat the Nashville Predators in the first game of the NHL’s Western Conference Semi-Finals. The Sharks won by a score of 5-2, with goals from four different shooters. Logan Couture scored a power play goal and an empty netter. Tomas Hertl, Joel Ward and Tommy Wingels all added to the tally. Mike Fisher and Ryan Johansen scored for Nashville, and Pekka Rinne made 33 saves on 36 shots. Martin Jones made 29 saves for the Sharks on 31 Nashville shots.

The Sharks looked tentative in the first period, as did the Predators. Perhaps the teams were feeling each other out, perhaps the Sharks were rusty and the Preds tired, but not very much happened in the first period. By the third period, the Sharks were firing on all cylinders and running away with the game. Sharks fans can only hope this is indicative of how the team will play this series.

The game was uneventful until one of the Nashville skaters tripped over a breaking Sharks and fell into Pekka Rinne, taking out the goalie and his net. That play was reviewed but no goal was awarded.

The next noteworthy event was a penalty called against Melker Karlsson for hooking. The Sharks’ penalty kill started pretty well, with play moving out of the Sharks zone and into the Predators’ zone for a good part of a shift. Nashville eventually made it back in and stayed a spell but the Sharks did not give them much to shoot at. Nashville had a couple of better chances just after the penalty expired but the Sharks kept the puck out of their net.

The Sharks made a good push during the final minutes of the first period, hemming the Preds in and evening up the shot count. For most of the period, the Sharks trailed in shots by a few. At the end of the period, the Predators led 12-11, but the score was still tied at nil.

The second period started out stoppage-heavy. It seemed like one every 10 seconds but that probably was not the case. At 2:45, Matt Nieto was called for tripping Colin Wilson, which the crowd booed with gusto.

The Sharks’ penalty kill looked like it would be successful, with the Predators being evicted frequently from the offensive zone. In the final seconds of the power play, the Predators took the lead. Mike Fisher caught a pass from Ryan Johansen and held the puck for a moment while drifting backwards into the faceoff circle. He took his shot and it went by three Sharks, including Martin Jones.

The Sharks’ first power play came from an interference call on Eric Nystrom at 5:31. The Sharks’ power play did not score but it was a sight to see. The Predators got the puck out in the first 10 seconds and then not again until the last few. The Sharks put a lot of shots at the net, though few got through. The penalty killers blocked a lot of shots and looked weary by the end of it.

Trailing by a goal, the Sharks did wake up. The Predators did not have a shot on goal [between 11:03 and 2:11 left.], and then they had two before the period ended.

Fifty seconds into the third period, Ryan Johansen was called for holding and the Sharks went on their second power play. This power play did not start up as well as their first power play. It took the Sharks good forty seconds to finally get set up, and then Nashville booted them out after just a couple of chances. The second unit came on (Ward, Vlasic, Hertl, Donskoi and Martin) and changed things up. They started by carrying the puck over the line instead of dumping it in. After that, they survived a broken stick, holding the zone while it was replaced. As the penalty time ran down, Joel Ward took a pass from Marc-Edouard Vlasic and sent it along to Tomas Hertl. Hertl was posted at the corner of the net and quickly put it past Rinne to tie the game. Assists went to Ward and Vlasic.

Ward picked up another point almost ten minutes later, when he took a pass from Joonas Donskoi as they skated into the zone. Ward had enough space to duck one way and go the other, freezing Rinne at the top of his crease. Ward then put the puck behind the goaltender, who reached back with his glove and either missed the puck or knocked it in. It was Ward’s first goal of this post-season, with assists to Donskoi and Brent Burns.

Things deteriorated from there for Nashville. With 4:40 left in the game, Calle Jarnkrok was called for high-sticking Donskoi. Seconds into the power play, Logan Couture and Joe Pavelski skated in, moved the puck back and forth a couple of times, and scored again. It was Logan Couture’s goal, that he lifted lightly over Rinne’s pad from close range.

Nashville pulled Rinne with more than two minutes left, and with just under two minutes left, a bouncing puck went over Martin Jones to bring the Predators back within a goal. They kept their net empty. A few seconds after the next faceoff, Logan Couture took advantage of that and restored the Sharks’ two-goal lead.

Tommy Wingels added yet another, in a similar manner but on the other side of the ice. After that, the Predators put backup goaltender Carter Hutton in the net to prevent yet a third empty net goal.

The final shot count was 38-31 Sharks.

Game Two will be on Sunday at 5:00 PT at SAP Center in San Jose.

 

Sharks v. Predators: NHL Playoffs 2nd Round Preview

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By Mary Walsh

SB Nation photo: Nashville Predators come calling at SAP Center in San Jose against hosts the Sharks in game one of second round

“Sharks versus Predators” sounds a little bit like a made for tv monster movie, but the San Jose Sharks will face the Nashville Predators to start the second round of the NHL Playoffs on Friday.

The Predators came out of the Central Division as a wild card, so the Sharks did not see as much of them in the regular season as they saw of their first round Pacific Division opponent, the Los Angeles Kings. Nashville’s wild card status also gives San Jose home ice. The Sharks will have to do without their road advantage to win this series.

Probably the most important information to glean from the first round is the most obvious: the Predators played seven games, while the Sharks played only five. The Predators spent more travel time going between Nashville and Anaheim, while the Sharks traveled back and forth to Los Angeles. Round One put more mileage on the Predators than the Sharks by a big margin.

Another question would be about goaltending. Pekka Rinne has long been considered one of the league’s top goaltenders, despite his team’s conspicuous lack of playoff success. Martin Jones has performed admirably so far, despite this being his first time as a playoff starter. Neither goalie has been perfect but they have both been crucial to their team’s success.

Pekka Rinne gave up 17 goals through seven games, with a save percentage of .915. Martin Jones gave up 11 goals through five games, with a save percentage of .912. Martin Jones’ 2.18 GAA ranks fifth among playoff goalies, while Rinne’s 2.85 ranks ninth. Their save percentages are seventh and eighth in the same field.

Noteworthy in the rankings of 2016 playoff goaltenders is that two of the top three goalies in save statistics played for teams that have been eliminated. Maybe goaltending statistics do not tell you much about how a series will go.

Both Rinne and Jones finished all of their first round games, so the quality of their backups has not been an issue. If it were, I would give the edge to the Sharks’ James Reimer over the Predators’ Carter Hutton.

On paper, the Sharks have a better record in most categories than the Predators, in both the regular season and the first round. The Sharks scored more against a Pacific Division team than the Predators. But the Predators have not been and still are not an offense-first team. Much of their success comes from stingy defense. The Predators are a completely different kind of opponent than the Kings were.

In the few meetings between San Jose and Nashville this season, the Sharks lost the series 2-1. Their one win was in a shootout, and they lost one game 6-2. The Sharks have not fared well against the Predators. There is a glimmer of hope in that record, that the shootout win was the most recent game, played just 26 days ago. It caught the Sharks on the upswing, which is where they started these playoffs. It is reasonable to put more stock in the April 4th game than in the February 6th game, but those six goals have to be in the back of the Sharks’ minds. While the Kings are generally considered a more offensively loaded team than the Predators, the Kings that the Sharks played were not as they were a couple of seasons ago.

Colin Wilson and Shea Weber led the Preds in the first round with five points each. Goal scoring was pretty spread out, with Wilson, Weber, James Neal and Mattias Ekholm each scoring two goals. Six other skaters, including Filip Forsberg and Ryan Johansen scored goals against the Ducks. Forsberg and Johansen were both scoring at a good clip during the regular season so they bear watching. Defenseman Roman Josi was second in points during the regular season and he had three against the Ducks.

Craig Smith also scored a goal for the Predators, but missed two games and most of a third with an injury. The Predators did not win the games he missed. He was third on the team in goals scored with 21 in the regular season. He played the last two games in the Ducks series without much of a drop in minutes, so the Sharks can probably expect to see him on Friday.

The Sharks had more points as a group, though they played two fewer games than Nashville did. Brent Burns had eight points in the first round, with Joe Pavelski and Logan Couture collecting six apiece. Patrick Marleau and Joel Ward each had four and Joonas Donskoi and Joe Thornton each had three. That last one is a surprise, and Nashville will probably pay as much attention to Thornton as the Kings did to keep his numbers low.

Donskoi could also be considered a surprise, but a happy one for Sharks fans. His playoff performance might be attributed to a couple of things.Donskoi was a consistent points producer all season, and his time in the Finnish league cannot be overlooked. It could not have been assumed that his MVP performance in the Finnish playoffs would translate to success in the NHL playoffs, but it was a strong possibility.

Another factor that benefitted Donskoi is the fact that the Kings did not have the depth to match the Sharks. Do the Predators? Can they keep Joe Thornton in check and also stay on top of Donskoi, and for that matter, the likes of Chris Tierney, Melker Karlsson and Matt Nieto? Those three scored goals against the Kings. I don’t believe the Predators will have an easy time of it keeping all of the Sharks shooters off the board.

How successful will they be against the Sharks defense? The Sharks gave up almost as many goals as they scored in the first round. In total, they scored 16 and gave up 11, which does not seem that close unless you look at it in goals per game, where there is a difference of just one: 3.2 goals for and 2.2 goals against. One goal is enough to win the game but it leaves little margin for error.

The Sharks’ power play was pretty good against the Kings, at 23.8%. Their penalty kill was nothing special, with a 78.6% success rate. Nashville’s power play success was tiny, at 3.8%, but their penalty kill chugged along at 84% against the Ducks’ formidable power play.

The Predators scored a miniscule 0.13 more goals than they gave up in the regular season. In the first round, their numbers dipped into the negative as they scored 14 goals but gave up 18.

This is the challenge for the Sharks, to ignore what happened in the first round. The team with the most goals wins, but somehow the Predators turned that rule on its head. Obviously, the numbers are explained by a couple of bad losses that skewed the averages. That would be the second and third games where they lost by three goals both times. They also won one by 3-0, and then, like the Sharks, usually won by a single goal.

I think the Sharks’ offensive depth will again be their best asset. That is always a safe bet, but with a stifling defensive opponent like the Predators, nothing is certain.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa Walsh: Anaheim would be easier travel; Nashville would give Sharks home ice

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photo credit mercurynews.com: San Jose Sharks Joonas Donskoi had a good first round in the playoffs in his rookie NHL season

On the San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa the Sharks are waiting for the results of the Nashville-Anaheim series which will be concluded on Wednesday night in Anaheim in game seven the series between the Predators and Ducks. The series has been brutal no side has given in and this game seven is expected to be one for the ages. It’s win big or go home.

The winner of the Ducks-Preds match will face the Sharks. If it’s the Ducks the travel will be much easier for San Jose going one hour to Anaheim. The Ducks would open this round with home ice. If the Preds win on Wednesday they will head to San Jose to open the second round with the Sharks having home ice.

Listen to Mary Lisa on the Sharks podcast click below right here at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Podcast with Joe Lami: Joe takes you through each of the completed series and get ready for round two

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On the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs with Joe Lami takes you through each of the first round series and a look ahead towards the second round of the playoffs.

San Jose 4 Los Angeles 1

Dallas 4 Minnesota 2

St Louis 3 Chicago 2

NY Islanders 4 Florida 2

Tampa Bay 4 Detroit 1

Washington 4 Philadelphia 2

Pittsburgh 4 NY Rangers 1

Nashville 3 Anaheim 3  Game 7 in Anaheim on Wednesday night

Categories NHL

NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Podcast with Daniel Dullum: Hawks take out the Blues; Pens crash the nets; Caps shutout the Flyers to advance; and more

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AP photo: Chicago Blackhawks Dale Weise celebrates after scoring in the second period, the St Louis Blues Scottie Upshall (10) skates back to the St Lous bench

On the NHL podcast with Daniel, the Chicago Blackhawks had to comeback from behind to defeat the St Louis Blues to force  a game seven in a 6-3 win.

The Pittsburgh Penguins took it to the New York Rangers crashing the net and Ranger goalie Henrik Lundqvist as the Pens knock the Rangers out of the playoffs in five games.

The Philadelphia Flyers were eliminated in six games 4-2 by the Washington Capitals in a 1-0 shutout on Sunday. The Caps who were predicted to win the first round accomplished it by two games.

The Dallas Stars lead the series against the Minnesota Wild and need just one more win to wrap u the first round. The Wild can be a tough customer but had their work cut out for them on Sunday.

The San Jose Sharks are waiting to either face Nashville or Anaheim to be their next opponent for round two of the playoffs. The Ducks came back from being down 2-0 to take the series lead 3-2.

Catch Daniel with commentary on the NHL podcast right here at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Categories NHL

Donskoi scores two, as Sharks bounce back to clinch Round 1

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~ (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

~ By Pearl Allison Lo

~ LOS ANGELES– Epitomizing the series, Game 5 was not easy, as San Jose came back from giving up three to defeat the Kings for good, 5-3, in their fifth season win at Staples Center Friday.

Rookie Joonas Donskoi scored two goals in a game for the first time in his career, as he nabbed his first and second career playoff goals. It was a game where the young ones stood up, as fellow rookie Melker Karlsson scored his first NHL career playoff goal and so did Chris Tierney. Matt Nieto got his first of the playoffs and third career playoff goal. Logan Couture and Brent Burns had three assist apiece, both career playoff highs, via Darin Stephens.

Between the teams, it was the Sharks’ first Game 5 win and the shortest series. This playoff season, it was the only game not decided by one goal.

Like Game 4, San Jose built a 3-0 lead, but this one was achieved a period earlier, by 4:05 of the second period. By the end of the period though, it was a whole new game.

It wasn’t the Sharks’ first shot of the game but the second worked just as well, 1:08 into the game. After crossing the blue line, Couture passed to Donskoi, who scored from the right faceoff circle, with a hopping Couture avoiding the puck in front of goalie Jonathan Quick. It was Donskoi’s second point of the playoffs, with an assist in Game 1.

Los Angeles’ Luke Schenn was called for interference at 2:45 as Tomas Hertl slid into the net. 16 seconds later, on the other end of the ice, Dustin Brown was called for tripping, resulting in a 5-on-3. However, San Jose only garnered two shots on goal.

In a similar fashion to Donskoi, Tierney made it 2-0 at 11:21. With Schenn already in front, a battling Jake Muzzin and Tommy Wingels added havoc in front of Quick. It was Tierney’s first point of the series and first goal since the day before Valentine’s. Burns got the assist.

The Kings had a power play late in the game at 16:27, but their attempt was lackluster as well, with no shots on goal.

The Sharks finished the period with the advantage in shots (13-4), blocked shots (9-3), hits (12-10) and takeaways (1-0). San Jose’s Roman Polak had three hits and four blocked shots.

Los Angeles came into the second with a lot of pressure, but scored first again at 4:05. From the boards, Couture made a pass behind to Joel Ward in front of the net. Ward in turn passed across to Nieto, who scored through Quick’s exposed right side. It was Nieto’s third career playoff goal.

San Jose’s Patrick Marleau was awarded a penalty shot on a breakaway, but his shot was saved at 5:31.

Then, the Sharks’ lead slowly sputtered.

Anze Kopitar won the faceoff and it went to Drew Doughty. His shot just got a piece of Dwight King and hit Kopitar’s skate, as the puck went past Martin Jones’ glove at 7:44 to end the shutout.

The 3-2 goal came at 11:26. From the boards, Muzzin got the puck to Jeff Carter, who had time to maneuver the puck and lift it in position to score, as Justin Braun tried to defend in front of Jones. Tyler Toffoli also got an assist.

After the puck bounced all around, the game was tied. Kyle Clifford shot at the right side of the net. It ended up on Jones’ exposed right side, and Kris Versteeg put the puck past Jones at 16:36. Muzzin got the second assist.

San Jose did not take too long to recover. Donskoi started and ended the game winning goal, skating to the net, but was initially stopped by Doughty. Burns was then able to pick up the loose puck and passed it back to Donskoi, who had gone behind the net to the other side, scoring at 3:58.

Sharks’ Captain Joe Pavelski then went five-hole with his fifth of the playoff series, aided by Burns and Paul Martin at 12:24.

Karlsson completed the 6-3 win with an empty net assist from Marleau at 19:38.

Game notes: This was the lone game without a power play in the postseason series. Pavelski left for a brief hiatus because of his right thumb in the first period. San Jose will face either the Nashville Predators or the Anaheim Ducks in Round 2.