National Hockey League
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Vancouver 3, San Jose 2
When: 10:00 PM ET, Saturday, March 7, 2015
Where: SAP Center at San Jose, San Jose, California
Referees: Dan O'Rourke, Ghislain Hebert
Linesmen: Mike Cvik, Darren Gibbs
Attendance: 17562

Canucks 3, Sharks 2: Radim Vrbata recorded his second goal of the game during a power play 5:21 into the third period to snap a tie as visiting Vancouver rallied from a two-goal deficit to defeat San Jose.

Rookie Bo Horvat scored his 10th goal in the second period to forge a tie while Daniel Sedin recorded a pair of assists for the Canucks, who gave up two tallies in the first 12 minutes. Eddie Lack turned aside 38 shots, including all 25 he faced over the final 40 minutes as Vancouver avenged Tuesday's 6-2 loss and moved two points ahead of Calgary for second place in the Pacific Division.

Joe Thornton registered a goal and an assist while rookie Melker Karlsson also tallied for San Jose, which saw its two-game winning streak end in the opener of its four-game homestand. Antti Niemi made 31 saves but lost for the fourth time in his last five contests as the Sharks fell six points back in the race for the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference.

Karlsson popped in a rebound from the left faceoff circle 7:58 into the game to open the scoring and Thornton did the same from the opposite side 3:53 later. Vrbata cut the deficit in half with 39 seconds remaining in the first period by netting his second goal in as many contests.

Lack stopped 13 shots in the second period and Horvat tied it with 3:36 left in the session, stealing the puck in the neutral zone and moving in to flip it over Niemi. Sedin fed Vrbata after a faceoff, and the latter patiently waited for Niemi to go down before scoring from the right side of the net.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Vrbata has scored five goals in as many games against San Jose this season and collected six points in his last four contests overall. … San Jose D Matt Irwin was held out of the lineup with an upper-body injury, with D Scott Hannan taking his spot. … Vancouver captain Henrik Sedin notched an assist for his 14th point in his last 10 games.
Top Game Performances
 
Vancouver   San Jose
Radim Vrbata 2 Points Joe Thornton 2
Radim Vrbata 2 Goals Joe Thornton 1
Daniel Sedin 2 Assists Joe Thornton 1
Radim Vrbata 1 Power Play Goals Joe Thornton 1
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Eddie Lack .950 Save Percentage Antti Niemi .912
Eddie Lack 38 Saves Antti Niemi 31
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Vancouver 34 3 1-5 1-2 13 27
San Jose 40 2 1-2 4-5 19 39
Upcoming Games
  • San Jose will play their next game at home against Pittsburgh. The Sharks have a W/L % of .469 after a win and .500 after a loss.
  • Vancouver will play their next game at home against Anaheim. The Canucks have a W/L % of .486 after a win and .679 after a loss.