The San Jose Sharks completed a 13-0-2 month by outlasting the
Phoenix Coyotes 3-1 Sunday evening at HP Pavilion.
The San Jose Sharks completed a 13-0-2 month by outlasting the Phoenix Coyotes 3-1 Sunday evening at HP Pavilion.
The loss eliminated the Coyotes from Stanley Cup Playoff contention. The win kept the Sharks’ hope alive to earn the President’s Trophy. Only Detroit (111 points) has more points than San Jose (106). Both clubs have three games to finish the regular season.
San Jose hosts the Los Angeles Kings Tuesday before playing in Los Angeles Thursday, Dallas Sunday.
Joe Thornton, fifth among NHL scorers entering the game, needed just 24 seconds to notch his 27th goal of the season.
Ryan Clowe turned a drop-pass from Thornton into a scoring chance, a 20-foot shot that Coyote goalie Ilya Bryzgalov kicked aside. Milan Michalek could not put the long rebound back on net, but Thornton was able to collect the puck in the high slot and drill a shot past Bryzgalov.
The franchise mark for earliest goal from the start of the game was set by Stephane Matteau on Jan 11, 2000 in eight seconds against the St. Louis Blues.
Phoenix responded with a goal 6:33 into action.
Captain Shane Doan pulled in a long pass from Derek Morris for a partial breakaway. Doan’s shot from close range was stopped but not controlled by goalie Evgeni Nabokov. Doan secured the puck, then worked toward the goalline for a shot that beat the goalie inside the right post.
Thornton completed the period’s scoring when he whistled a 30-footer past Bryzgalov at the 17:31 mark. Seconds after killing off a second Torrey Mitchell penalty, the Sharks secured a 2-1 lead when Michalek passed to Thornton at the Coyote blueline. The center avoided one defenseman, settled near the inside edge of the left circle and pulled a shot past defenseman Morris and the goalie.
“Right now, they’re finding the back of the net,” Thornton said of his recent scoring spree.
“We’re rolling four lines and everybody’s into the game,” said Thornton of the team’s play after clinching the Pacific Division crown. “It gets everyone fresh for post-season. There’s still three games left and we want to win them all.”
The Sharks posted a 12-5 edge in shots on net in a scoreless second period.
Curtis Brown netted his fourth goal of the season 7:10 into the third period.
Jeremy Roenick circled with the puck across the top of the right circle in Coyote territory, dropping a pass to Brian Campbell. The defenseman’s slapshot was redirected by Brown’s stick, the puck settling inside the right post past a surprised Bryzgalov.
NOTES: San Jose enjoyed its 30th sell-out in 40 dates. Tuesday’s home finale is already a sell-out…Clowe, in the starting line-up, saw his first action since the 11th game of the season when he suffered a knee injury against Columbus on Oct. 27.
