By Taylor Lupetti (@tayclupetti)
The San Jose Sharks (22-13-6) ended its three-game losing streak last night with a 6-5 overtime win against the Arizona Coyotes (10-28-7).
At 2:42 left of overtime, Joe Pavelski shot the puck which was stopped but not controlled by Arizona goaltender Scott Wedgewood. On the rebound, Marc-Edouard Vlasic stepped up and ended the game after it was confirmed by video review.
Saving the game for San Jose in more than one way was Joonas Donskoi. Besides scoring two goals during the game, one of which was in the last 15 seconds to send it to overtime, Donskoi went back to his goalie roots to block San Jose’s empty net.
San Jose goaltender Martin Jones gave up three goals in six shots and was replaced by back up goaltender Aaron Dell who made 13 saves and got an assist on Donskoi’s goal.
Joe Thornton put San Jose on the scoreboard first with a goal in the first five minutes of the period. Arizona pulled even four minutes later with a goal by Derek Stepan. Stepan’s goal started the back and forth scoring in the first period.
Pavelski brought the Sharks’ score back up two minutes later only to have Alex Goligoski tie it up on minute later.
Logan Couture’s 17th goal of the season brought San Jose the 3-2 lead less than two minutes after Goligoski’s goal. Christian Fischer ended the first period 3-3 for Arizona on a breakaway goal less than 30 seconds after Couture.
Donskoi scored his first goal of the night in the final three minutes of the second period, giving the Sharks a 4-3 lead at the end of the second.
Arizona’s Oliver Ekman-Larsson tied the game 4-4 at 3:31 in the third. The Coyotes were pushed ahead 5-4 with a goal by Josh Archibald three minutes after Ekman-Larsson’s goal until Donskoi saved the game in the final 15 seconds.
The game marked the Sharks’ return home after a five-game road trip but it’s only a pit stop on their way to Los Angeles where the Sharks play the Kings at Staples Center 1 p.m. Saturday.