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Sharks 5, Avalanche 4: San Jose weathers storm in win over Colorado

The San Jose Sharks ended their three-game road trip with a 5-4 nail-biting win over the Colorado Avalanche.

At 5-on-5, there was no question that the Avalanche were superior to the Sharks in the first period. They generated nine shots for and nine scoring chances, including to a Matt Calvert goal midway through the period. However, the Sharks did work on the man-advantage, scoring on two of the three power play opportunities to give the team a 2-1 lead after the first period.

Toward the end of the first period, Justin Braun suffered an injury to what looked like his lower body. In the second period, he tried and return to the game, but it didn’t last long and he remained out. After losing Radim Simek on Monday night, the Sharks may be without Braun, as well.

The Sharks took back possession of the puck from the Avalanche in the second period. With  61.54 percent Corsi-For, the Sharks took advantage with the puck on their stick and added in three more goals for a 5-1 lead. Nonetheless, the Avalanche showed some signs of life and cut the Sharks’ lead to three courtesy of a Tyson Jost goal toward the end of the period.

In the third period, the Sharks did everything to hand the Avalanche a win by giving them two power play opportunities. Once down 5-1, the Avalanche were able to make it a game by scoring late in the second period and two more in the third. The Sharks may bend, but did not break, holding on for the 5-4 win.


Hey everyone! Eddie here and I’ll be with you all to liveblog tonight’s game against the Colorado Avalanche.

First Period

20:00: For those of us watching on NBCSN, man, that Penguins-Rangers score isn’t pretty. Can they switch it over to Sharks-Avs now?

18:53: Power Play. Tyson Barrie heads to the box for hooking and the Sharks have the man advantage.

17:45: GOAL! Joe Pavelski with a one-timer on the power play! The Sharks jump to an early lead.

13:04: Mikko Rantanen is patient, but unable to beat Martin Jones with his shot.

12:05: Erik Johnson rushes into the Sharks zone but can’t get one in.

11:41: Goal. Matt Calvert goes short-side and snaps it past Jones to tie the game.

10:12: Penalty. Barclay Goodrow heads to the box for cross-checking and the Sharks head to the penalty kill.

8:12: Sharks kill the penalty.

6:49: Justin Braun is slow to get back up with an injury to what it appears to be his foot/leg.

4:50: A scramble around Jones’ net, but the puck stays out.

4:08: Power Play. Avs are called for holding and the Sharks will get their second power play of the period.

3:27: Power Play. Sharks get a 5-on-3, as the Avs are called for high sticking.

2:46: GOAL! Another power play goal. Brent Burns fires a one-timer to give the Sharks a 2-1 lead.

1:38: Carl Soderberg with a short-handed breakaway, but Jones is there to stop him.

Second Period

19:02: Joe Thornton with a scoring chance, but his shot goes wide.

17:45: Kevin Labanc dangles to set up Goodrow. He fans on the shot and the puck stays out of the Avs’ net.

Update on Braun:

15:45: GOAL! Evander Kane picks up the loose puck and scores to make it 3-1 Sharks.

13:42: GOAL! Joonas Donksoi dangles and scores on the wraparound and it’s 4-1 Sharks!

13:42: The Avs make a goaltending change. Pavel Francouz is now in net.

12:56: Looks like the Avs are starting a scrum.

Another update on Braun:

10:02: Another Sharks scoring chance that they don’t make good on.

9:16: Alex Kerfoot with a rebound scoring chance.

3:27: GOAL! Lukas Radil with a give-and-go to make it 5-1 Sharks!

3:11: Goal. Tyson Jost has an open net and scores to cut the Sharks’ lead, 5-2.

2:46: Penalty. Erik Karlsson heads to the box for tripping. Sharks head to the penalty kill.

:46: The Sharks kill the penalty and are 2/2 on the kill tonight.

Third Period

20:00: Penalty. The Avalanche will start on the power play and Barclay Goodrow heads to the box.

18:00: The Sharks are 3/3 on the penalty kill.

13:04: Big hit from Brenden Dillon!

7:48: Goal. Tyson Barrie makes it 5-3, going top shelf to beat Jones.

5:22: Penalty. The Sharks are headed to the box for the fourth time in this game.

3:24: Goal. The Avalanche were once down by four, are now down just one goal after Jost gets his second of the game.

1:30: Avs have the extra attacker.

Final: Sharks 5, Avalanche 4


Pregame

The San Jose Sharks hope to start 2019 on a good note, getting set to take on the Colorado Avalanche tonight at Pepsi Center.

Coming off of a brutal 8-5 loss to the Calgary Flames on New Year’s Eve, the Sharks will be without the services of Radim Simek tonight. You may recall that he was the subject of a late hit from Sam Bennett — a hit that Bennett did not receive any supplemental discipline for — that concussed Simek, and there’s no current timetable for his return. Look for Joakim Ryan to reunite with Brent Burns on the first pairing tonight.

The Avalanche enter 2019 on a five-game losing streak, four of those being at the hands of cellar teams including the Los Angeles Kings, Chicago Blackhawks and Arizona Coyotes. Their injury problems do not make their current situation easier, with Semyon Varlamov and Colin Wilson out of the lineup due to lower-body and upper-body injuries respectively, forcing the Avs to dip into their AHL affiliated Colorado Eagles roster. Pavel Francouz and Logan O’Connor were recently recalled and will be active tonight for the Avalanche.

Lines

Martin Jones gets the nod in net tonight for the Sharks. Jones won his last two starts against the Anaheim Ducks and Edmonton Oilers and seems to be improving, though he’s still working on getting his save percentage up to .900.

The Avalanche will look something like this:

Forwards

Tyson Jost — Nathan MacKinnon — Mikko Rantanen
Gabriel Landeskog — Alexander Kerfoot — J.T. Compher
Matt Nieto — Carl Soderberg — Matt Calvert
Gabriel Bourque — Sheldon Dries — Logan O’Connor

Defensemen

Samuel Girard — Erik Johnson
Ian Cole — Tyson Barrie
Ryan Graves — Patrik Nemeth

Phillip Grubauer will get the nod in goal tonight for the Avs. He currently sports an 8-4-3 record with a 3.09 Goals Against Average and a .904 save percentage.

Where to Watch

Tonight’s action will be nationally televised on NBCSN, and the 98.5 KFOX audio will be available to stream on the Sharks app. Puck drop is at 6:30 p.m. PST/9:30 p.m. EST. Check back then for the gamethread and live reactions.

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