SAN JOSE – Arizona rallied past San Jose 3-2 in a shootout that left the Sharks with a three-point lead over the Anaheim Ducks in the battle for the top of the Pacific Division.
The teams worked through a five-minute overtime without a deciding goal. San Jose could not convert a 4-on-3 power play. The Coyotes failed to end the game when goaltender Martin Jones stretched to his left to stop a 2-on-1 break with 35 seconds left.
Arizona scored twice in the shootout, while San Jose was limited to a Logan Couture goal among three attempts.
The Sharks begin a four-game roadtrip Tuesday at Buffalo. Games at Boston on Thursday, then Philadelphia Saturday and Sunday in New Jersey complete the trek. San Jose returns to SAP Center on Wednesday Feb. 15 against the Florida Panthers.
“(The Coyotes) always play us tough,” said Jones, who finished with 26 saves. “It was an emotional game.”
The Coyotes were able to weather three San Jose power plays in the first period, including a 5-on-3 Sharks surge that carried over to the second period but left the clubs scoreless.
Arizona opened the scoring 12:23 into the second period with a power-play goal.
San Jose was called for too many men on the ice at 10:33. As most of the Coyotes power play ended, the Sharks were left 4-on-3 when Couture and Coyote Max Domi were involved in a shoving match at the red line. Jamie McGinn, the former Shark, began the Arizona scoring play when his hard shot from the blueline was deflected by captain Shane Doan past Jones to make it 1-0.
Couture responded with an assist and a goal to give San Jose a 2-1 lead early in the third period.
Brenden Dillon drew San Jose even at 17:15 of the second when he jammed a shot between goaltender Mike Smith’s pads after taking a pass from Patrick Marleau. Couture earned the secondary assist.
Marleau added a second assist at 2:18 of the third period for a brief 2-1 San Jose edge. As the Coyotes tried to escape their zone, Marleau deflected a cross-ice pass and sent Mikkel Boedker headed for the Coyote net. Boedker found Marleau at the left flank and a quick pass back to Couture in the high slot resulted in Couture’s 18th goal of the season.
Arizona tied the score 26 seconds later when Ryan White tallied an unassisted goal at the 2:44 mark.
“They are a young team with a lot of energy,” said Sharks coach Peter DeBoer. “You have to make them pay on the power play and we didn’t do it. We got better as the game went on. You have to give Smith credit. He played well.”
