Let's review: Luongo, Panthers shut out Sharks
SAN JOSE -- The Florida Panthers rode goalie Roberto Luongo's 35 saves and two goals overturned by video review into a 2-0 victory over the Sharks on Thursday night at SAP Center.
Luongo notched his 74th career shutout and first of the season as Florida won for the third time in four games. San Jose lost for only the second time in eight outings.
Nick Bjugstad capped a nifty tic-tac-toe passing play with his fourth goal of the season at 12:23 of the third period to give the Panthers a two-goal edge. Sharks rookie defenseman Tim Heed turned the puck over to Radim Vrbata, who fed Jamie McGinn deep in the San Jose end. The ex-Shark made a perfect behind-the-back pass to an unmarked Bjugstad, who beat San Jose goalie Martin Jones.
The Sharks thought they tied the game early in the third, but for the second time in as many periods had it overturned by video review.
Defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic and forward Joonas Donskoi were ruled to have interfered with Luongo, who was struggling to freeze a puck shot by Kevin Labanc 1:58 into San Jose's second power play of the game.
Vlasic and Donskoi shoved their sticks into Luongo's right pad and spun the goalie into the net and the puck across the goal line at 5:16. Ruled a good goal on the ice, the officials took the tally off of the scoreboard after a lengthy review.
Florida broke through one minute into the middle session for the only goal of the first two periods.
Colton Sceviour won a puck battle along the end boards from Sharks rookie defenseman Joakim Ryan and punched in his third goal of the season on a second-try stuff shot to the right of Jones.
San Jose thought it tied the game at 4:37, but Joe Thornton's feed to a locked and loaded Heed bled barely over the blue line before the defenseman slapped a shot from 60 feet and one inch past Luongo. The call on the ice was overturned after Panthers coach (and ex-Sharks assistant) Bob Boughner asked for a video review.
NOTES: A tribute to Florida F Micheal Haley was played on the video board early in the first period to thank the ex-Shark for his time in San Jose. ... Sharks D Paul Martin (ankle) remains on injured reserve despite participating in full practices for the last two weeks. He's missed 14 straight games. ... Florida's three-game road trip continues Saturday in Los Angeles. ... San Jose next hosts Boston on Saturday. ... Florida's D Alex Petrovic, D Derek MacKenzie and C Curtis Valk were healthy scratches. ... San Jose LW Jannik Hansen was scratched for the eighth time in 10 games. D Dylan DeMelo and C Ryan Carpenter also did not dress.