SAN JOSE
– Joe Thornton struck for a goal and an assist in the third
period as the San Jose Sharks rallied past the Columbus Blue
Jackets 3-2 at sold-out HP Pavilion.
San Jose extended its winning streak to nine games, reaching
22-3-1 and a new NHL record of 45 points in the first 26 games of a
season.
SAN JOSE – Joe Thornton struck for a goal and an assist in the third period as the San Jose Sharks rallied past the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-2 at sold-out HP Pavilion.
San Jose extended its winning streak to nine games, reaching 22-3-1 and a new NHL record of 45 points in the first 26 games of a season.
Jeremy Roenick gave San Jose a 2-1 lead 44 seconds into the third period with a power-play goal. Defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic, who assisted on all three Shark goals, delivered a shot from the high slot that Thornton redirected on net. Goalie Steve Mason made the initial save, but the rebound into the low slot offered Roenick an opportunity to snap the puck into the top right corner of the net for his 511th career goal.
Columbus (11-11-3) responded with an equalizer at the 3:45 mark. Fredrik Modin collected the puck in the right corner of the offensive zone and used a power move along the goal line to beat two defenders, skating across the front of the crease to earn his fourth goal of the year.
The game-winning goal came at the 7:41 mark. Thornton, held by defenseman Jan Hedja to create a delayed penalty, was able to slide the puck out of the corner to Devin Setoguchi. Vlasic took a pass from Setoguchi and lined a shot directly at Mason. The short rebound near the right post was jabbed home by Thornton for his eighth goal of the season.
“If Nabby didn’t play as well as he did, we can’t be in this game,” said Thornton about Nabokov’s strong effort, particularly in the first period. “It could have been 4-0. He saved our bacon.”
Patrick Marleau notched his 250th career goal to erase 1-0 Columbus lead 14:57 into the second period.
Only two seconds remained on a Sharks power play when Marleau chipped the puck over the shoulder of Mason to produce a 1-1 deadlock.
Marleau snapped a tie with Owen Nolan to become the franchise leader in power-play goals with 76.
San Jose came into the game with a league-pacing 36.4 shots on net average. The Blue Jacket defense responded to the challenge by limiting the Sharks to four shots in the first period (22 for the game) while Columbus fashioned a 1-0 lead.
Captain Rick Nash earned his 300th career point when his turn-around shot toward the net from the left face-off circle glanced off the stick of San Jose defenseman Dan Boyle and past Nabokov at 16:38 of the first period.
“Nabby won us the game,” concurred San Jose coach Todd McLellan.
“Nabby made the saves we needed in the first period. We were not there mentally and not there physically. When that combination shows up, it’s going to be an ugly period.”
The five-game homestand continues Saturday with a 7pm match-up against the Edmonton Oilers.
