San Jose Sharks Defeat Toronto Maple Leafs, Win Sixth In A Row
Dec 3, 2013; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; San Jose Sharks defenseman Scott Hannan (27) clears a rebound as defenseman Brad Stuart (7) defends against Toronto Maple Leafs forward James van Riemsdyk (21) during the first period at the Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
The San Jose Sharks (19-3-5, 43 points) defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs (14-11-3, 31 points) by the final score of 4-2 in Toronto. This extends San Jose’s winning streak to six games and is a good start to their four-game road trip.
One minor lineup change occurred on the fourth line today with James Sheppard getting back into the lineup today. Previous to this evening he had been replaced by a few guys, but it was great to see Sheppard back in the lineup since he has been playing extremely well lately.
It was a game filled with penalties, especially in the first two periods, and one that saw three power play goals. The Sharks allowed two of those three on only three Toronto chances. Oddly enough though there were no penalties in the third period, though it mostly seemed like the officials just decided to let the players play rather than continue the parade to the penalty box.
The San Jose Sharks once again jumped out to an early lead when the fourth line got things started. The goal was scored by Mike Brown off a deflection in front of the net off of a Jason Demers shot from the point. The goal was Brown’s second of the season and midway through the first period the Sharks had the 1-0 lead.
San Jose’s second goal of the period, which came four and a half minutes later, was scored on the power play by Joe Thornton. This time we was on the receiving end of a great pass from Joe Pavelski in front of the Toronto net and fired the one-time by James Reimer.
By the end of the period the Sharks had a 2-0 lead and were outshooting the Leafs 13-5.
However, in the second period the Maple Leafs would strike back, twice on the power play. The first goal was scored by Mason Raymond on what turned out to be a two-on-one chance against San Jose Sharks goaltender Antti Niemi. Raymond elected to shoot and was able to get the puck beyond Niemi.
Toronto’s second goal of the period and on the power play came on a goal by Phil Kessel. Both Tyler Bozak and James Van Riemsdyk picked up the assists.
Later on, with four minutes left in the second stanza, the Sharks regained the lead on a Brad Stuart goal from a bad angle. He fired the shot with both Tyler Kennedy and Pavelski in front but it ended up deflecting off someone and getting by Reimer.
In the third period the Sharks once again were in the driver’s with a lead and did a good job of limiting the Maple Leafs in chances and shots on net. They only allowed eight shots on net while tallying 10 of their own and in the end outshot them 41-30 in normal Sharks fashion.
Logan Couture ended up putting the nail in the coffin when he scored an empty net goal late in the game with the Leafs pulling Reimer for the extra skater. With that goal it was 4-2 and that ended up being the final score.
GGS 3 Stars
1. Dan Boyle (2 assist)
2 Brad Stuart (1 goal, 5 shots)
3. Antti Niemi (28 saves)