For the third straight game, the San Jose Sharks won in a shootout. Logan Couture and Patrick Marleau beat goaltender Mike Smith in the first two rounds of the skills competition to earn a 4-3 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes.
Phoenix struck first, but forward Joe Pavelski got the Sharks on the board midway through the second period with his seventh goal in his last eight contests. That being said, Joe Thornton played a big role in this one by drawing the entire Coyotes team to him, to set the stage for Pavelski’s shot:
Pavelski and Thornton each picked up assists on Brent Burns’ third period goal to give the Sharks a 3-2 lead near the midway point of the third frame. That edge only lasted for 3:25 minutes before Radim Vrbata picked up a power-play marker.
This win moves the Sharks into a tie with the Los Angeles Kings for second place in the Pacific Division as far as points go, although the Kings control the tiebreaker of regulation plus overtime victories. Meanwhile, the Coyotes have now collected at least a point in four straight games as they continue to fight for a Wild Card spot.