SHARKSPAGE

Sharks battle back from 3 goal deficit to down Phoenix Coyotes 5-3, Patrick Marleau follows 1000 game celebration with game winning goal in 3rd

#19 JOE THORNTON MAKES DIVING PLAY ON PUCK AS HE HITS ICE IN 2ND

#12 PATRICK MARLEAU WAS HONORED FOR 1000 GAMES IN TEAL ON TUESDAY

#12 PAUL 'BIZNASTY' BISSONNETTE TALKS, DOESNT DROP WITH MAYERS IN 2ND

They can’t all be this difficult. The Sharks dug themselves a hole against the Phoenix Coyotes in the first of 32 critical post-ASG contests. Down 3-0 on three seperate kinds of mistakes, Antti Niemi was pulled and the Sharks were forced to battle back with young rookie goaltender Alex Stalock. Joe Pavelski scored twice, Kyle Wellwood tallied for the first time in San Jose, Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton also added third period goals as the Sharks earned a 5-3 win in front of a sellout crowd at HP Pavilion.

The Sharks were not mistake-free in their 4-0-1 run before the All-Star break, but they were tightening the defensive zone and playing with a more complete and consistent effort. The same could be said of a brief 4-game winning streak prior to the Chritmas break. The Sharks then went on to lose 8 of the next 10 games, including a season high 6-game losing streak. Eyes were on the Sharks looking to gauge their response to the ASG break.

Early on, the results were inconclusive. After a pre-game ceremony to honor his 1000th game as a San Jose Shark, Patrick Marleau created a turnover by pressuring defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson (heretofore to be named OEL on this blog) at center ice. Driving down the right wing, Marleau saucered a pass over a prone defenseman, but Thornton fired it wide of the net. Another scoring chance in front of the net presented itself for San Jose on a fluke bounce off the corner boards.

The Sharks were getting the puck deep early. Crisp line changes allowed the Mayers and Wellwood lines to get the puck deep and force Phoenix to skate the distance of the ice. When Shane Doan took a holding penalty at 12:39, it allowed San Jose an opportunity to start building a little seperation between the evenly matched teams. Instead, Phoenix killed off the bulk of the man advantage and Dany Heatley took a boarding call with a hard check against Ed Jovanovski.

On the ensuing power play, a Shane Doan point shot was deflected high and wide over the shoulder of Antti Niemi by Radim Vrbata. 2:44 later, a sloppy line change saw all 5 Sharks near the bench while 3 Coyotes were alone on the ice. Derek Morris fired a quick up pass to defenseman Keith Yandle. The NHL’s leading defensive scorer quickly entered the offensive zone and blasted an uncontested slapshot over the glove of Niemi.

Phoenix came into the game as the Western Conference’s leading road team (15-8-4), but they were also carrying a 6-game losing streak against the Sharks dating back to 2009. It looked like the wheels completely fell off for San Jose in the second period when noted Twitter philosopher Paul ‘Biznasty’ Bissonnette scored for the first time in 40 games. He notched only his 4th career NHL goal on a 1-timer after defenseman OLE was sprung with a screen along the half boards.

San Jose Sharks head coach quickly pulled Antti Niemi for rookie goaltender Alex Stalock to try to change momentum. Stalock was recently called up to San Jose with an injury to backup Antero Niittymaki. He would look on as Jamal Mayers and ‘Biznasty’ Bissonnette jabbered at each other prior to a center ice faceoff. After the puck dropped, Mayers flung off his gloves and grabbed on to Bissonnette for position. Bissonnette kept his gloves to his side, forcing Mayers to take a 10 minute misconduct. Mayers gave Bissonnette the death stare before going to the box.

San Jose slowly started clawing back into the game at the end of the second period. A late Eric Belanger tripping penalty gave the Sharks power play an opportunity, and they would not waste it. Dany Heatley drove deep down the left wing, and fired a hard angle pass with Joe Pavelski and Joe Thornton 2-on-0 in front of the net. Pavelski picked the puck off the side of the net, and punched it around a helpless Ilya Bryzgalov.

On the second shift of the second period, the Sharks brought the game to within 1. The line of Clowe-Pavelski-Setoguchi was reunited, and began a quick rush up the right side. Clowe hit Setoguchi with a touch pass in traffic, and Pavelski buried the rebound of Setoguchi’s shot for his second goal in nearly a minute and a half. A somewhat stunned and silenced Sharks crowd for the first 40 minutes, was now building energy with each goal.

KHL returnee Kyle Wellwood and newly acquired Ben Eager would combine for the game tying goal 5:32 into the third. Eager carried the puck deep behind the Sharks net, and chopped a pass out in front. Wellwood initially batted the puck down on Bryzgalov for a shot on goal. After the rebound again bounced up in the air, Wellwood batted the puck a second time over Bryzgalov. Wellwood faced enormous scrutiny in Vancouver and Toronto before he left to play in the KHL to start this season. Now that he has returned to the NHL in San Jose, fans are interested in the playmaking creativity he will bring to the third line. There is more of a team than individual pressure on Wellwood now, and his game could blossom as a result.

After bringing his family out on the ice for a ceremony to celebrate his 1000th game as a San Jose Shark, and creating a turnover that nearly lead to the first goal of the game, Marleau would put the Sharks over the top in the third period shorthanded. One of the elements that has been absent at times this season has been Marleau’s blinding speed on the wing. It created space for linemates, and over the course of a 60 minute game it often forced defenses to play on their heels. This year the Sharks have occasionally been more sedentary. After scoring 9 shorthanded goal in the previous two seasons, Marleau had 1 prior to Tuesday night. Penalty kill linemate Joe Pavelski, who had 6 shorthanded points in the previous two seasons, had 0 shorthanded points prior to Tuesday night.

Pavelski’s anticipation on the penalty kill tripped up Keith Yandle inside the blueline. Before either Phoenix defenseman could react, Patrick Marleau had gathered the puck and was off to the races. Kyle Turris lost his stick trying to backcheck, but Marleau drove in on Bryzgalov alone and snapped a shot over the glove from in tight. It would turn out to be his 62nd game winning goal as a San Jose Shark (Marleau also leads the NHL in playoff game winning goals since 2001). It was a surreal moment as only a minute earlier the giagantic video screen showed a highlight of then 18-year old Patrick Marleau as he broke into the league.

With Ilya Bryzgalov pulled late in the third period, Joe Thornton skated in on the empty net for a lay-up, his 14th of the season assisted by Marleau. Alex Stalock stopped 9-of-9 shots in 29:47 of relief duty. Anti Niemi, named earlier in the day as the Sharks Player of the Month for January, stopped 24-of-27 shots against. The Sharks were 0-6 in previous three goal comeback attempts this season, Phoenix was 20-2-2 this seaosn with the lead after 2 periods. Logan Couture was a late scratch with the flu. Antero Niittymaki and Torrey Mitchell were also scratched for San Jose.

“If we leave here patting ourselves on the back, we’ve got huge problems,” San Jose Sharks head coach Todd McLellan noted after the game. “I was really disappointed in our group tonight. Very disappointed in the lack of drive and lack of passion basically to come out and play. That’s the last thing I expected. I do give them credit they found a way to dig in and come back, but that is not going to happen 31 more times. We better find a way to bring it starting tomorrow. If we don’t, we will be digging our own grave.”

“It really shouldn’t come from me,” McLellan said about his second period speech to the team down 3-1. “There are people who can step up and express themselves and get the team going. I give them credit, they responded in the third period and it was points we desperately needed.”

A photo gallery from the game is available here.

[Update] Looking Back at a Wild, Strange Night – Mark Emmons for the Working the Corners blog.

[Update2] Video of Patrick Marleau’s 1000 game ceremony on Tuesday night is available via SJsharks.com. “He is one of the most respected men in this game, within that dressing room, within this city. All I can say Patrick is congratulation on this milestone, for your and your family, we are proud of you. Thank you,” San Jose Sharks EVP/GM Doug Wilson.

[Update3] Sta-Locks it Down; Rookie Goaltender Stymies ‘Yotes, Allows Sharks To Complete Comeback Victory – Five for Howling.