4-Goal Third Period Lifts San Jose Sharks Over Stars
This evening the San Jose Sharks started their seven-game road trip with a 5-3 victory. Things didn’t start all that well for San Jose, but they fought back and a four-goal third period helped secure the win.
This evening was all about comebacks for the Sharks, and in the end a four-goal third period put them over the top. They had to fight back twice from two-goal deficits, but were able to do it thanks to great goaltending from Alex Stalock.
Stalock, who got the start tonight most likely due to the back-to-back games (with tonight being the first), was fantastic when he had to be. This was especially true in the third period where he made a number of incredible saves to not only keep the lead once the Sharks took it, but to keep them in the game.
He seemed to get stronger as the game went on and made his best saves of the night with about five minutes left in the game as he first kicked out his toe at the last second to rob one goal-scoring opportunity then on the rebound made an equally amazing blocker save.
Amidst all this Tyler Seguin picked up his second hat trick of the season by the middle of the second period, and at that point it was 3-1 Stars. The lone San Jose Sharks goal was by James Sheppard who scored his third goal in as many games to keep his team in it. But, even after two periods it was all about the Dallas Stars.
That was until the third period when the San Jose Sharks picked up their game and were able to close the two-goal deficit to one just four minutes into the period. Patrick Marleau picked up his fifth goal of the season after scoring on a rebound opportunity.
Brent Burns followed that goal up with two of his own.
His first came on a two-on-one with Logan Couture as Burns fired a one-timer into the top corner to tie it at three apiece. Couture would finish the night with three assists.
Immediately following that goal the Sharks had to kill off a 4-on-3 Dallas power play, and that they did.
Burns’ second goal came after some frantic play in front of the Dallas net resulting in a loose puck that he picked up on the side boards. He then quickly fired the puck on net beyond the outreached Anders Lindbach and just like that it was 4-3 San Jose Sharks.
But the fireworks weren’t over and with Dallas pushing hard things started to get chippy. The result was Stalock getting hit while trying to clear the puck out of the zone with Marc-Edouard Vlasic picking up a penalty for defending his goaltender. Antoine Roussel, the guy who ran Stalock, got two minutes plus a 10-minute misconduct, ending his night.
Eventually Joe Thornton would put the final nail in the coffin with an empty netter to make the game 5-3 and end Dallas’ night.
GGS 3 Stars
1. Brent Burns (2 goals)
2. Tyler Seguin (3 goals)
3. Alex Stalock (37 save)