NHL Update: San Jose Sharks snuck past Pittsburgh Penguins, 3-2
Patrick Marleau scored game-winner with just four seconds remaining in overtime to help San Jose Sharks defeat Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2 at CONSOL Energy Centre on Wednesday.
It appeared the game was headed to shootout when Marc-Andre Fleury beautifully stopped a breakaway attempt by Marleau with just less than two minutes remaining in the overtime. However Sharks continued to put the pressure and Marleau whacked
in a rebound off a left point shot from Marc-Edouard Vlasic.
“That wasn’t my best move, that’s for sure, but it was a good save,” Marleau said.
It was Marleau’s 6th game-winning goal this season and 2nd in overtime in a span of five contests.
Marleau also notched a goal in regulation time while Logan Couture scored a goal and an assist for San Jose, which has won five consecutive games. Antti Niemi stopped 24 of 26 shots in the victory.
Tyler Kennedy scored twice for Pittsburgh, which has dropped three in a row and five of six games.
"We're happy that we got the point, but of course we wanted two points," said Kennedy. "I think our team battled hard and it shows a little character that we battled back."
Pittsburgh lost its key player late in the first stanza when defenseman Brook Orpik took a Marleau’s shot off his hand. He skated off shaking his hand and did not return for the start of the middle stanza.
Forward James Neal and defenseman Matt Niskanen both made their debut with Penguins, who skated up their line up by acquiring two on Tuesday from Dallas Stars for defenseman Alex Goligoski.
Neal blasted two shots in a span of 20 1/2 minutes of ice-time while Niskanen hit three shots in 10 1/2 minutes span of action.
“We played well last game, we played pretty well tonight. We need to keep playing well every night and give ourselves a chance.” Neal said.
Kennedy put Pittsburgh on the board at 5:48 into the opening stanza. He scored a goal during a scramble in front to make it 1-0.
Sharks equalized it at 1-1 in the fourth minute of the middle stanza, when Couture notched his 25th goal of the season on the power-play.
At 5:28 mark into the third frame, Marleau gave Sharks a 2-1 lead when his wraparound from the left side went into the net.
Pittsburgh tied the game at 2-2 with less than one minute remaining in regulation when Kennedy chipped in a rebound off Jordan Staal’s shot to force the overtime.
Fleury kept the Pittsburgh in the game. He stopped 35 of 38 shot, including two blocker shots on bang-bang chances from Joe Pavelski and Kyle Wellwood with less than four minutes remaining.
Pittsburgh added a point to move 4 points ahead of the fifth-place Washington Capitals in the Easter Conference, but Pittsburgh coach Dan Bylsma was not happy with the outcome.
“It doesn’t feel much of a consolation prize to add a point there,” Bylsma said. “We think we need to play better than that to get the result we want going forward.”
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