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Warriors Beat 76ers Behind Klay’s 40, Draymond’s Triple Double

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By Matthew T.F. Harrington

Behind Draymond Green’s 12th triple-double of the season, the Golden State Warriors avoided becoming the 10th team to lose to the Philadelphia 76ers Sunday night at Oracle Arena. The Warriors used 40 points from Klay Thompson and Green’s 13 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists to a 117-105 win. Golden State (66-7) remains on pace to pass the 1994-95 Chicago Bulls for the most wins in a single season.

The 76ers (9-65) actually led the Warriors for parts of the first half, holding a 5 point advantage over the Western Conference leaders 22-17 with 4:43 left in the frame. After 12 though, Golden State would lead 32-31. Philadelphia would take a 33-32 lead with the first basket of the 2nd quarter, but with their next score the Warriors would never trail again in the blow out.

Thompson led the offensive charge with 15 field goals on 27 attempts with 7 treys. Stephen Curry added 20 points on a relatively off night for the MVP candidate who went 7 for 16 from the floor. Marreese Speights added 17 points off the bench on 7 of 10 shooting. As a team, the Warriors hit 44 of 83 shots for a 53 shooting percentage.

The 76ers, without the triumvirate of Nerlens Noel, Joel Embiid and Jahlil Okafor, were led by former Purdue standout Carl Landry. The ex-Warrior scored 22 points over 25 minutes while Ish Smith added 20 to go with 10 assists for the double-double. Robert Covington also posted a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds.

The Warriors welcome another struggling Eastern Conference squad to Oracle Tuesday night. The 36-37 Washington Wizards head to the Bay Area in the first game of a back-to-back. After that, the Dubs head out to Utah for a Wednesday contest with the Jazz. After that, they return home for a 4-game homestand.

Ward proves too skillful for game Barrera – Kovalev next?

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By Jeremy Harness

photo credit: rocnationsports.com–Andre Ward delivers a right against Sullivan Barrera in Ward’s 29th career victory at Oracle Arena on Saturday night

OAKLAND – The verbal battle may have been won by Sullivan Barrera, but Andre Ward took care of the physical affair quite handily.

Fighting in front of thousands of his friends and fans in his hometown of Oakland – a crowd that included the likes of Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Marshawn Lynch – Ward earned the right to face IBF light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev with a unanimous decision victory over Barrera at Oracle Arena Saturday night.

Ward (29-0, 15 KO’s) won by scores of 117-109, 119-109 and 117-108, but he eluded to the fact that he may have a tune-up fight before taking on Kovalev

Ward may have turned back the physical challenge of Barrera, but the losing camp continued the verbal matchup.

Earlier in the week, Barrerra had called Ward “a coward,” and immediately following Saturday’s fight, his trainer, Abel Sanchez, said that he does not give Ward even a minimal chance of beating Kovalev.

“Who made Abel the voice of boxing?“ Ward asked. “I hear that guy talk about a lot of people in a disrespectful manner. Who gave him the absolute authority to speak (about) people.”

Barrera (17-1, 12 KO’s) made it a point to try to use his size to his advantage throughout the fight. He often forced Ward into the ropes or into a corner and pound away at the body. However, Ward had an answer for Barrera’s attack, and as a result, he came away with the decision.

While Barrera was the more aggressive fighter and continually moved forward, Ward was far more technically skilled, and that became more evident as the fight progressed.

The first two rounds were pretty much a feeling-out process, but in the third round, things started to get interesting. To start the round, the Cuban pushed Ward to the ropes and began working the body, only to get caught with a left to the side of the head that put him on the seat of his trunks.

As the fight continued, Ward found more success in countering Barrera’s lunging right hand with his own short left hook, a plan that Ward said was developed in training for this fight. Meanwhile, his defense was very much a factor as well, severely limiting Barrera’s effectiveness.

Even though Barrera threw more punches – 722, to be exact – he landed only 15 percent of them. Meanwhile, Ward landed 36 percent of the 463 punches he threw during the course of the bout.

However, one of Ward’s landed punches came a tad below the belt in the eighth round, and even without so much as a warning, referee Raul Caiz, Sr. took a point away from Ward. Two rounds later, he suffered a small cut over his left eye as a result of an accidental clash of heads.

Ward was nonetheless able to withstand those tiny obstacles to come away with the easy victory.

In the undercard, Jayson Velez, who was challenging for Joseph Diaz, Jr.’s NABF featherweight title, did his best to win some favor with the Oracle Arena crowd, donning a Warriors hat to go along with a robe that featured the team’s logo along with the number 30. It seemed to work quite well, as he got the majority of the cheers during the pre-fight introduction.

That didn’t help him very much after the fight started, however. The Puerto Rican could not get through Diaz’s defense, while the champion continually raked Velez with hard shots to the head and body

Diaz developed a cut on the corner of his right eye in the eighth round, but Velez did not have the punching power to pose any threat to him, and Diaz retained his title by unanimous decision.

In earlier action, Hayward native Aaron Coley won his six-round middleweight bout by unanimous decision over Urmat Ryskeldiev, during which he lost only one round on two scorecards while pitching a shutout on the other.

Burns Ties Sharks Franchise Record Wednesday Night Strengthening His Conversation for the Norris

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By: Joe Lami

photo credit: tsportstressblogitude.com–Brett Burns San Jose Sharks

SAN JOSE, Calif.—On Tuesday night, Sharks’ defenseman Brent Burns record two points in the 3-2 victory over the Boston Bruins. The goal and assist brought his season point total to 64, tying the Sharks’ record for most points recorded by a defenseman in a season.

“It’s a pretty cool honor. I just think it means you’re playing with a lot of great players, and you’re the recipient of a lot of great plays by guys and this year it’s been a great atmosphere,” says Burns. 

The last Sharks’ blueliner to score 64 in a season was Sandis Ozolinsh in just his second NHL season.  Ozolinsh finished ninth in voting for the James Norris Trophy in the 1993-94 season, with the award going to Ray Bourque, who finished the year with 91 points and a plus-26 rating. The last Shark to be even in the Norris conversation was Dan Boyle in both the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons. Boyle finished with 57 and 58 points respectively those years, but still only finished fifth and sixth in voting.

This year, Burns belongs in the conversation, as he currently leads the NHL in goals scored by a defenseman with 25 goals. He is also second in scoring, trailing the reigning Norris winner, Erik Karlsson of the Ottawa Senators, who has 73 points and 13 goals in 71 games. Burns and Karlsson are tied in plus-minus, both having a mius-3 rating. 

“He has to be up for the Norris. The guy’s unbelievable; he plays in all situations. When he’s out there, you just feel like something can happen every shift,” commented alternate captain Joe Thornton.

After tonight’s contest, Burns has played in 69 games and is on pace to score 75 points this year and 30 goals. If Burns reaches 30 goals this year, it would be extremely impressive as only eight players have hit 30 so far this season, with all of them being all-world forwards.

“He’s been great and has carried us offensively for long stretches this season, so he’s really been good for us,” added Logan Couture.

It would be a crime if Burns wasn’t at least a finalist for the Norris this summer in Las Vegas, as he has put up the necessary numbers, leading his team into a playoff position late in the season.

The Dubs Celebrate Steph’s Birthday with a win.

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by Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors won their sixtieth game of the season downing the New Orleans Pelicans 125-107 Monday night at Oracle Arena. The Warriors won their forty-ninth consecutive home game in a row and now have a record of 60-6, something that had never been done before in NBA history.

The Pelicans came to play. The played the Dubs even for the first eighteen minutes of the game. They took a 42-40 lead with 6:38 left in the first half. The Dubs took control of the contest at that point.They went on a 19-8 run to end the first half with a nine-point lead, 59-50. Steph Curry scored twelve points and had four rebounds and four assists to lead the Warriors in scoring. James Michael McAdoo played well coming off the bench. McAdoo, who missed a lot of games due to an injury, looked like he was back in game shape as he played well on both ends of the court.

The third period was all Warriors. Golden State’s defense completely shut down the Pelicans and stopped their big man, Anthony Davis. The Dubs led 65-50 with *:36 left in the third period. They increased the lead to 80-55 as Andrew Bogut got the crowd buzzing with a three-point shot. Klay Thompson followed with a three. Curry made a two-pointer. Draymond Greem made a three-pointer much to the delight of the sold-out stadium. Steph made a three-pointer just before the end of the third period as the Dubs led 94-69 and the game was well in hand.

Coach Steve Kerr rested most of his regulars in the fourth period, and the bench players were able to get some playing time. Mo Speights, James Michael McAdoo, Ian Clark, Shaun Livingston all were active in the fourth period. The Dubs win by a score of 125-107.

Warrior Notes- Steph Curry led the Dubs with twenty-seven points. He made three three-point shots and had five rebounds and five assists. Klay Thompson had eighteen. Draymond Green had a double-double with fourteen points and twelve rebounds. McAdoo pitched in with eleven and Mo “Buckets” Speights added fourteen. The bench contributed over fifty points in the win.Steph and Klay set a new record for three-point shots made by two teammates. They set the old mark of 525 last year and the new mark is now 531.

Pelican Briefs- The Pelicans were led by Anthony Davis and Tony Douglas. They each scored twenty-two. Other Pelicans in double figures were Jrue Holiday with thirteen, Alonzo Gee with ten while Ryan Anderson and Luke Babbitt scored nineteen and twelve, respectively, off the bench.

The Warriors square off against the New York Knicks Wednesday night March 16th at the Oracle Arena. Game time will be at 7:30 pm PT.

 

Golden State Warriors Wednesday post game wrap: The Warriors continue to win at home, defeat the Utah Jazz

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by Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors continued to win at home Wednesday night. They beat the Utah Jazz by a score of 115-94. It was the Warriors 28th straight win at home this season and 46th in a row. The  Warriors leader and best player, Steph Curry, scored just twelve points in the game. He did make three three-point shots and one he made at the first half was the turning point in the game. The Jazz’ only hope to win the game was to slow down the pace of play and they were successful at it for most of the first half.  The Dubs led by two 23-21  at the end of the first period. The Dubs just couldn’t get their game going until late in the second period. Steph made two threes to put Golden State in the lead by eleven at the end of the half 52-41. Steph made a three-pointer from halfcourt at the buzzer to send the Dubs into the locker room to ignite the crowd and the team.

The story of the second half and the game was the impressive performance of the bench as well as starter Draymond Green. Green , who had been a shooting funk, knocked down seventeen points to go with five assists, seven rebounds, and three blocked shots. The other half of the Splash Brothers, Klay Thompson, led the Dubs with twenty-three. Mo Speights, Leandro Barbosa and Anderson Varejao all were terrific off the bench. Speights had sixteen points, four assists, and five rebounds. Barbosa pitched in with thirteen and Varejao added nine. The bench accounted for fifty-three points in the win.

Notes- Steph had ten assists and the Dubs recorded thirty-six assists in total for the game. Leading scorers for Utah were Trey Burke with eighteen off the bench and Rudy Gobert had fifteen rebounds.

The Warriors improved to 57-6 for the season and are looking forward to meeting the Portland Trail Blazers Friday night at the Oracle Arena.

Sharks hand Oilers their first shutout since December 31st

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~ Photo credit: (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)

~ By Pearl Allison Lo

~ After his fellow goalie nearly had a shutout, San Jose’s James Reimer decided he would go for it, blanking the Edmonton Oilers 3-0 Tuesday, in the Sharks’ final game at Rexall Place.

Reimer made a strong contribution with 31 saves, in just his second start for the team. It was his first win since February 13. He is now 5-0 against the Oilers.

It was the largest margin of victory between the teams so far in three games this season. The other two games were decided by a goal.

San Jose had a solid back-to-back game effort, with their second shutout in just under a month. They ended Edmonton goalie Cam Talbot’s four game win streak. It was the most goals he had given up since February 23. The Sharks also killed two power plays.

After two games without a point, Logan Couture scored two goals, each with a different pair of teammates.

Couture got the game winner early. It was the second straight goal the Sharks scored within the opening two minutes. This one came at 1:33. Couture shot at the net and alertly got his own rebound, as he was able to spot the loose puck before Talbot. Matt Nieto and Joonas Donskoi aided with the goal.

At 15:50, 10 seconds into the power play, Couture struck again, this time after moving into the left faceoff circle. Joe Pavelski started it from the left faceoff circle, passing back to Brent Burns at the point before Burns passed to Couture. Burns now has a five game point streak

San Jose also emerged from the first with a penalty free period.

Pavelski joined the party, with his second goal in as many games. He did so at 14:03 of the second. Thornton started the play from the boards and Pavelski tipped in Paul Martin’s shot.

Game notes: The Sharks are now 22-2-0 leading after one and 25-0-2 leading after two. They being a three game homestand Thursday, facing the New Jersey Devils at 7:30pm.

Jones burns out Flames

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~Photo credit: (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP)

~ By Pearl Allison Lo

~ The Calgary Flames burned strong against San Jose Sharks Monday, sending the game to overtime, but fell in the end, 2-1.

Sharks’ goalie Martin Jones had a career-high 47 saves, as he faced seven power plays. This performance came after a one-game hiatus. Before that, Jones had been in net for 10 straight games.

San Jose’s seven penalties equaled the amount they had last game against the Canucks on Saturday, but the difference was Jones.

In fact, the Sharks had more penalties by the end of the first against Calgary, then against Vancouver, but San Jose emerged with the lead as well.

Early goals ended up paying off for the Sharks in the game.

The first came at 1:56 of the game, as Brent Burns became the first defenseman in franchise history to have a four game goal streak. That was the first part of the Gordie Howe hat trick, which Burns got a day before his birthday.

During San Jose’s first penalty, Jones stopped Sean Monahan twice.

Jones was able to replicate his save success when the Sharks had two more penalties in the first period, causing a 5-on-3 for about 30 seconds.

The Flames’ Garnet Hathaway drew three of the first four penalties, and soon became involved in another one.

After drawing a hi sticking penalty from Burns, Hathaway got two minutes for instigating a fight and a 10 minute misconduct.  Besides an additional fighting penalty for both, Burns got a double minor for drawing blood. This was the second part of the Gordie Howe hat trick for Burns.

8 seconds after Calgary’s fifth power play expired, Flames goalie Joni Ortio got his first save in just a little bit more than a period’s worth of time. Ortio emulated Jones to stop Nieto at 10:11 of the second.

Calgary peppered Jones with 18 shots in the period. In contrast, San Jose only tested Ortio four times.

The Flames did not let up on Jones at all, adding an additional 18 shots in the third. Their persistence paid off with a 6-on-4 power play goal by Joe Colborne and Mark Giordano at 18:38, to earn a point. The power play was created by the lightest of the penalties of the night, a delay of game call and with an extra attacker seconds before the goal.

Overtime then ended as quickly as it started. 19 seconds in, Joe Pavelski scored his sixth on the road and ninth this season, game winning goal, to lead the NHL, according to Bret Hedican. Surprisingly, according to Darin Stephens @SharksStats, it was Pavelski’s first career overtime goal in the regular season. Pavelski was aided by Burns and Joe Thornton, the finale of the Gordie Howe hat trick for Burns. San Jose is now 15-0-0 with such a player accomplishment, Stephens mentioned.

Game notes: Burns now has eight total points in four straight games. Dougie Hamilton led with a game-high and at least a season-high eight shots. The Sharks will play the second of back-to-back games against the Oilers, Tuesday at 6pm.

 

No Place Like Home for Record-Breaking Warriors

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By Matthew T.F. Harrington

The Golden State Warriors made historic Sunday by losing by the largest deficit as a first place team against a last place team in the Los Angeles Lakers. Monday night the historic books opened up for the Warriors in a far less dubious fashion. The fact that the record bests the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls, the team the Warriors are trying to unseat as owning the best regular season record ever, doesn’t hurt much for the Warrior faithful.

After a 119-113 win over the Orlando Magic Monday night at Oracle Arena, no team in NBA history can say they’ve defended home court as well as the Dubs. Stephen Curry dropped 41 points on the Magic to give the home team its 45th consecutive win at home, a new NBA record. The streak extends to last season with Golden State (56-6) on a 26-game unbeaten stretch this season.

Curry picked up the most unusual double-double of his career, notching double-digit points and rebounds. The point guard, not known for his prowess underneath the basket, hauled in 13 rebounds to go with 14 of 24 shooting. Klay Thompson netted 27 points while Draymond Green was limited to a single free throw made and only 3 missed field goals. Andre Iguodala missed a second consecutive contest.

The Magic’s leading scorers Monday night were starters Aaron Gordon and Evan Fournier as well as reserve Brandon Jennings. The trio netted 20 points apiece for struggling Orlando (27-35). Victor Olidipo put up 19 of his own. Gordon led the team with 16 rebounds for a double-double.

The Warriors struggled early in the 1st quarter, but wrapped the opening period up 31-18 then held a 59-46 edge at the half. Golden State outscored the Magic 35-31 in the 3rd to lead 94-77, but Orlando managed to claw the lead down to just two points at 111-109 with 1:13 left in the game. Despite outscoring the Warriors 36-25 in the 4th, the Magic would be outpaced 8-4 over the final minute plus to miss their chance to knock the Warriors off.

First place Golden State will get a crack at extending the streak Wednesday when the Dubs welcome the Utah Jazz to town.

 

 

Turnovers cost Kings in New Orleans

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by Michael Martinez

picture credit USATSI

SACRAMENTO-I’m just as confused as the next person who watched tonight’s game against the Pelicans. The Kings looked dominate early on and played great basketball, however the team could not find a way to close out.

Turnovers and lackluster defense hurt this team especially down the stretch. After leading for the majority of the game, the Kings let a 17 point lead in the third quarter completely vanish. And while the Kings kept holding onto their lead, they let the Pelicans come back late and win the game, 115-112.

Out of the gate, both teams scored very quickly. Offense came in a hurry and the Kings started with a fast paced tempo. This allowed Sacramento to take the lead for most of the quarter, but the Pelicans never quit.

Up 27-20 with 3:35 left in the first quarter, the Kings allowed New Orleans to go for a 10-0 run that ended after Omri Casspi put back a lay up for the Kings’ first field goal in two plus minutes.. The Pelicans held a 30-29 lead, but Casspi knocked a pair of free throws to regain the lead. The Pelicans would finish the quarter with the lead after Alonzo Gee made a layup and was fouled with .3 seconds in the quarter. Gee made the free throw to put the Kings at a disadvantage after one, 33-31.

DeMarcus Cousins and Norris Cole put on a scoring frenzy for their respective teams. Cousins finished with 13 points and Cole scored 14 for team highs. The Pelicans shot 56% from the field, but their seven turnovers allowed the Kings to keep it close. Rajon Rondo added five points and five assists with Rudy Gay scoring seven.

The second consisted of a lot of scoring runs. New Orleans started it off with a 6-0 run, 9-0 continuing from the first quarter. But the Kings were able to hit a 9-0 run of their own. Again, the Pelicans scored 5 straight to take a 44-40 lead.

Sacramento once again answered with an 11-0 run to lead 51-44. Jrue Holiday stopped the run with a lay up but the Kings kept their scoring up. The Pelicans turnovers really cost them. Their 15 first half turnovers led to 18 Kings’ points. The Kings largest lead in the quarter was 15 and Sacramento would hold a 63-50 lead heading into the locker room.

Cousins held a game high with 23 points in the first quarter and tallied nine rebounds. The Kings shot at 54.2% in the half as they dominate the second quarter with their uptempo offense.

The third quarter is where things changed. Pelicans’ head coach Alvin Gentry picked up a technical before the third started. Gay hit the free throw for a 14 point lead before any time came off the clock.

Anthony Davis was dominate and chipped away at the Kings’ early 17 point lead. Davis kept the Pelicans right in the game in the third and the score was 89-83 after three. Cousins was once again phenomenal but Sacramento had seven turnovers in the third, which led to eight Pelicans’ points. The turnovers allowed the Pelicans to hang around even after the Kings had been up by so much.

The Pelicans started the final quarter with a 6-0 run to tie it up at 89. The Kings answered right back with an 8-0 run to go back up, 97-89. Sacramento was unable to figure out a way to close out the resilient Pelicans. The turnovers cost Sacramento again as they gave the ball away seven more times in the fourth quarter.

Holiday was huge for the Pelicans with nine fourth quarter points. With a little under two and a half to play, the Kings had a 108-106 lead. Cousins knocked down a pair of shots at the charity stripe to go up 110-106. Davis had dunk to keep the game within two.

With a under a minute remaining, the Pelicans had the ball. The Kings left Dante Cunningham wide open for a three and the forward nailed the jumper. The Pelicans took the lead 111-110. Holiday came up big as he knocked down a shot after a Sacramento miss to put the lead up to three.

Out of the timeout with 12.8 to go, Gay was able to score a quick two. Cole was then fouled and made both free throws. Darren Collison rushed to bring the ball up court and lost it to Holiday who let time expire.

Cousins was his usual self, scoring 40 points and grabbing 16 boards. Rondo had a nice game with 18 points, 10 assists but the point guard had five turnovers. Gay added a double double as well with 18 points and 10 rebounds.

The Kings shot the ball at a great 49.4 shooting percentage from the field but 24 total turnovers led to 22 points for New Orleans. Davis had 31 points and 10 rebounds. The backcourt duo of Cole and Holiday was key to the Pelicans success. Cole totaled 23 points and Holiday scored 20 while adding 10 assists for the double double.

After looking to have a sure win, the Kings will need to regroup and figure out how to close out games. This is the Kings’ second consecutive loss after losing to San Antonio on Saturday.

The Kings will take on the LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers at 7 p.m. at Arco Arena.

Sharks avoid Lightning

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Photo credit: Mike Carlson AP Photo

~ By Pearl Allison Lo

~ After San Jose lost versus Tampa Bay last time, the Sharks returned the favor in a 4-2 win Tuesday.

It was all even strength goals this time around as San Jose evened the season series.

The Sharks kicked off their longest road trip of February with a second straight road win. This allowed them to gain ground on at least the Los Angeles Kings.

According to Darin Stephens, San Jose goalie Martin Jones when facing 30+ shots, is now 12-0-2 this season.

The only action of the first period came at 17:51. Lightning Andrej Sustr started the play from the other side and passed the puck to Alex Killorn, who was at the blue line. Killorn then found an open Ryan Callahan.

Things got a lot more active on the ice in the second.

Joel Ward tied the game through traffic 1:43 into the second period. The play started similarly to Tampa’s, as the puck moved quickly from Marc-Edouard Vlasic in the defensive zone, to Matt Nieto in the neutral zone before hitting Ward inside the blue line. Vlasic’s career high now reaches eight straight in points and assists.

The Sharks’ top line then made a 2-1 cash in at 6:34. Joe Pavelski actually started the play by getting the puck along the boards to Tomas Hertl. Hertl then sent the puck back that way past Pavelski to Joe Thornton, as Pavelski moved in front of net. With the attention on Thornton, he made the scoring pass as Pavelski slapped the puck past goalie Bishop. It was Pavelski’s first goal in February.

The Lightning re-tied the game at 8:46. J.T. Brown got the puck along the boards and passed to Cedric Paquette. As he did so, the puck hit Vlasic’s stick, Paquette created space from defender Justin Braun and scored through traffic from the faceoff circle.

The game winner 1:17 into the third was a different type of goal. Ward started it with a shot against the boards and in a speedy 2-on-1, Marleau passed to Nieto cross ice, who snuck the puck in between Bishop’s skate and the goal post. It was Nieto’s first multipoint game since October 13.

Tampa Bay had three penalties in the period, including a misconduct at the time San Jose scored their final goal.

Showing they were not content with the lead, the fourth and first line combined to score at 18:17. Thornton along the boards passed behind to Melker Karlsson, who scored for the first time in February too.

Game notes: Thornton now has a six game point streak. Burns had nine shots on goal. Lightning Braydon Coburn had five hits. The Sharks next play the Florida Panthers Thursday at 4:30pm.