Canucks 4, Sharks 2
SAN JOSE, Calif. - Vancouver defenseman Dan Hamhuis scored his first goal of the season to break a tie midway through the third period to lead the Canucks to a 4-2 win over the San Jose Sharks at a sold-out SAP Center on Saturday night.
The first three Canucks' goals came on the power play as the Sharks took an uncharacteristic bad number of penalties. Conversely, San Jose went 0-for-3 on the power play, hardly generating anything from its chances, to see a three-game winning streak snapped.
Hamhuis crept in from the left point to one-time a Bo Horvat pass from below the goal line at 10:28 with just 17 seconds left on Joonas Donskoi's tripping penalty that occurred nearly 200 feet from his own net.
Alexandre Burrows filled an empty net with his eighth goal of the season at 17:54.
The Sharks and Canucks were playing for the third time in eight nights, and like the first two matchups Vancouver took a one-goal lead into the final period. This time San Jose did not rally for victory.
The Sharks did, however, tie the game early in the third when defenseman Brent Burns scored his 23rd goal of the season at 4:53 off a nifty pass from center Joe Thornton.
San Jose's penalty problems led to three Canucks' power plays in the first period and continued in the second.
Captain Joe Pavelski tripped Vancouver defenseman Sven Baertschi just 1:05 into the middle period to put the visitors right back on the man advantage after Vancouver closed out the opening period with two late power plays.
Daniel Sedin redirected Beartschi's drive from the left dot past James Reimer, who was trying to hug the near post. Sedin's team-leading 25th goal of the season came at 2:12 and broke a 1-1 tie.
San Jose finally earned its first two power plays of the game at 6:20 and 14:57, respectively, but couldn't gain the equalizer as the Sharks worked too much on the perimeter while passing up shots.
The Sharks and Canucks were locked 1-1 at the first intermission after an opening period controlled by the hosts until they got into penalty trouble late.
Recent call-up Micheal Haley stepped in front of Vancouver's Ben Hutton and intercepted the defenseman's pass deep in the Canucks' end intended for Baertschi. Haley walked from the bottom of the right circle, saw his initial shot stopped but kept driving and scored with a poke on the rebound.
Haley's first goal in his 10th game came at 9:10 and came on San Jose's sixth shot of the period.
The Sharks continued to put pucks on net and earn good chances, but the momentum swung when Haley drew a double-minor for high-sticking Baertschi at center with 3:15 left in the period.
The Canucks struck 1:42 into the first of consecutive man advantages as Linden Vey slipped a backhand shot past Reimer, who allowed a rebound on a shot from the left point by Baertschi. Vey's tying fourth goal of the season came at 18:28.
The Canucks lost the services of second-leading scorer Henrik Sedin early in the first period after the veteran center tangled with Sharks defenseman Brent Burns. Henrik Sedin returned briefly after getting hurt 4:45 after the opening faceoff, but logged only 3:36 of ice time spread over seven early shifts.
NOTES: San Jose G Martin Jones was the backup to snap a streak of 10 straight starts, a stretch that fell five short of breaking into the 10 longest in franchise history. Antti Niemi started 34 straight in 2010-11 and Evgeni Nabokov started 50 in a row over two seasons from 2007 to 2008. ... Vancouver D Alex Edler (leg), RW Radim Vrbata (groin) and C Brandon Sutter (jaw) remain out. ... San Jose RW Tommy Wingels missed his eighth straight game with a shoulder sprain, but coach Peter DeBoer said he's getting closer. LW Melker Karlsson is day to day with an upper-body injury and D Matt Tennyson (concussion) remains out. ... The Canucks next play Monday in Los Angeles. The Sharks face the Flames on Tuesday in Calgary. ... D Dylan DeMelo was the lone healthy scratch for San Jose. D Yannick Weber and RW Jannik Hansen were not in uniform for Vancouver.