San Jose 3, Phoenix 2
When: 9:00 PM ET, Saturday, April 12, 2014
Where: Jobing.com Arena, Glendale, Arizona
Referees:
Kevin Pollock, Ian Walsh
Linesmen:
Darren Gibbs, Jay Sharrers
Attendance:
15438
By SportsDirect Inc.
Sharks 3, Coyotes 2: Joe Pavelski reached - and eclipsed - the 40-goal plateau for the first time in his career with a pair of tallies as visiting San Jose held on to edge Phoenix in its regular-season finale.
Logan Couture scored the eventual game-winner early in the third period for the Sharks, who recorded eight goals in their last two games after totaling four in their previous three contests. Defenseman Dan Boyle notched two assists and Antti Niemi made 30 saves.
Mike Ribeiro and captain Shane Doan tallied for the Coyotes, whose winless streak reached seven games (0-4-3). Mark Visentin turned aside 29 shots in his NHL debut.
San Jose cashed in on a power-play opportunity 3:43 into the contest to open the scoring as Pavelski beat Visentin from the bottom of the right faceoff circle for his 40th goal. The 29-year-old United States Olympian doubled the lead midway through the first period with a one-timer from the left circle.
Ribeiro converted a cross-slot pass from Radim Vrbata with 9:38 left in the second to halve the deficit, but Couture redirected Boyle's pass from the top of the slot past Visentin 13 seconds into the third to restore the Sharks' two-goal advantage. Doan answered 31 seconds later with a shot from the right circle but was denied by Niemi on a breakaway with less than four minutes remaining.
GAME NOTEBOOK: San Jose went 3-0-1 against Phoenix this season. ... Sharks captain Joe Thornton notched his 852nd career assist to tie Bobby Clarke for 24th place on the all-time list. ... The Coyotes conclude their season Sunday as they host Dallas.
Top Game Performances
San Jose |
|
Phoenix |
Joe Pavelski 2 |
Points |
Shane Doan 1 |
Joe Pavelski 2 |
Goals |
Shane Doan 1 |
Dan Boyle 2 |
Assists |
Kyle Chipchura 1 |
Joe Pavelski 1 |
Power Play Goals |
N/A |
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
Antti Niemi .938 |
Save Percentage |
Mark Visentin .906 |
Antti Niemi 30 |
Saves |
Mark Visentin 29 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
San Jose
|
32 |
3 |
1-3 |
1-1 |
2 |
29 |
Phoenix
|
32 |
2 |
0-1 |
2-3 |
6 |
30 |
Upcoming Games
-
Phoenix will play their next game at home against Dallas. The Coyotes have a W/L % of .432 after a win and .455 after a loss.
-
San Jose will play their next game at home against Los Angeles. The Sharks have a W/L % of .627 after a win and .613 after a loss.