In the span of a week, the Sharks handed the Canucks two losses: a 7-2 blowout in Vancouver on Monday and a tight 3-2 victory tonight in San Jose.
The first period saw some early scoring from Timo Meier, who netted his 21st goal of the season on the power play to give the Sharks a 1-0 lead. Less than a minute later, the Canucks answered right back, courtesy of a breakaway goal from Antoine Roussel. Credit to the Canucks for not giving the Sharks a plethora of scoring chances in the first period, as they did on Monday, and responding early to the adversity.
The Canucks outshot the Sharks in the second period by an incredible 19-6 margin, limiting the Sharks’ chances. But Logan Couture found his way through about halfway through the period.
Early in the third, Brock Boeser evened the scoring at two for the Canucks. At the 13 minute mark of the period, Joe Pavelski scored on practically an open net to give the Sharks a 3-2 lead. They held on for the rest of the game, taking home the 3-2 win.
They’ll be back in action on Monday night when the Boston Bruins come into town.
Hey everyone, Eddie here and I’ll be liveblogging tonight’s action against the Canucks.
First Period
20:00: Let’s drop the puck and get the bounce back win tonight!
18:45: Martin Jones facing some early shots to start the game, but nothing he can’t handle so far.
17:57: Power Play. Canucks are called for a delay of game penalty and the Sharks head to their first power play of the night.
16:15: PP GOAL! Timo Meier scores off a pass from Erik Karlsson and it’s 1-0 Sharks.
15:18: Goal. Less than a minute later, Antoine Roussel ties the game with a breakaway goal.
14:35: Penalty. Erik Karlsson heads to the penalty box for tripping.
12:35: Sharks are able to kill the Karlsson penalty.
8:42: Power Play. Sharks get their second chance on the man-advantage.
6:42: Canucks are successful on the penalty kill.
3:34: Penalty. Kevin Labanc heads to the box for tripping.
2:22: Barclay Goodrow with a short-handed scoring chance.
1:34: Sharks are able to kill the Labanc penalty.
END FIRST: Sharks 1, Canucks 1
Second Period
17:26: Penalty. Sharks are called for goaltender interference.
15:26: Sharks with a successful penalty kill.
15:18: Meier comes out of the box to set up Marcus Sorensen, but the puck rolls over his stick.
11:38: There’s a gathering of the minds near Jacob Markstrom’s net.
10:47: Bo Horvat with a scoring chance, but his shot goes wide.
8:52: GOAL! Logan Couture shows patience and beats Markstrom to make it 2-1 Sharks.
8:50: Now we have a scrap! Barclay Goodrow and Zack MacEwen both head to the box.
5:30: Penalty. The Canucks get their second power play opportunity of the period.
3:52: Penalty. Josh Leivo is called for a high-stick and we have 4-on-4 hockey for 24 seconds.
3:29: Power Play. Sharks head to the power play.
1:50: Canucks kill the Leivo penalty.
END SECOND: Sharks 2, Canucks 1
Third Period
16:58: Some shots for both sides to start the period.
15:29: Goal. Brock Boeser with the tying goal.
13:51: Power Play. Sharks will look to respond to the Canucks goal with an opportunity on the man-advantage.
13:07: The Sharks with a scoring chance, but are unable to get a shot off.
11:51: Canucks kill the Sharks’ power play chance.
6:54: GOAL! Joe Pavelski makes it 3-2 Sharks on a wide open net.
2:30: The Canucks should be looking to pull Markstrom at any minute now.
1:50: Empty net for the Canucks.
FINAL: Sharks 3, Canucks 2
Pregame
Valentine’s Day didn’t go as planned for the San Jose Sharks, who fell 5-1 to the Washington Capitals. They’ve got a chance to rebound tonight against the same Vancouver Canucks team that they dismantled 7-2 on Monday night.
Erik Karlsson will make his return to the Sharks lineup after being out since Jan. 19, when he was a last-minute scratch against the Tampa Bay Lightning. In his absence, the Sharks have gone 6-3-0, but with the Pacific Division turning into a two-horse race between the Sharks and Calgary Flames, Karlsson’s return is a welcome addition.
On the other hand, the Canucks might currently be on the outside looking in, but it doesn’t mean their playoff hopes are dead. They sit just one point behind the Minnesota Wild, who occupy the second wild-card spot. The’s also the possibility that the Canucks will have a chip on their shoulder after the lopsided loss they endured at the hands of the Sharks earlier this week.
Lines
Sharks
Karlsson is back in and practiced with Marc-Edouard Vlaisc this morning. Martin Jones will start in net.
The time is nigh for the return Karlsson. Projected lines for the #SJSharks pic.twitter.com/D0d6MEpNYO
— Fear the Fin (@fearthefin) February 16, 2019
Canucks
This is how the Canucks looked during their morning skate today:
Line rushes in AM skate for the #Canucks in San Jose:
Roussel-Horvat-Goldobin
Leivo-Pettersson-Boeser
Granlund-Gaudette-Motte
Eriksson-Beagle-MacEwen
SchallerHutton-Stecher
Brisebois-Gudbranson
Pouliot-Biega
Schenn pic.twitter.com/lKFdd1KvHX— Brendan Batchelor (@BatchHockey) February 16, 2019
Where to Watch
Puck drop from SAP Center is at 7 p.m. PT/10:00 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on NBC Sports California, with the radio call on 98.5 KFOX. Check back then for live updates and reactions.
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