San Jose 3, Arizona 1
When: 10:00 PM ET, Friday, April 3, 2015
Where: SAP Center at San Jose, San Jose, California
Referees:
Tom Kowal, Kyle Rehman
Linesmen:
Kiel Murchison, Jay Sharrers
Attendance:
17562
By SportsDirect Inc.
Sharks 3, Coyotes 1: Logan Couture scored a goal and set up another as host San Jose captured the opener of a home-and-home series.
Joe Pavelski and Matt Nieto also scored while Patrick Marleau notched a pair of assists for the Sharks, who climbed within three points of idle Los Angeles for the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference with four games remaining. Antti Niemi turned aside 20 shots as San Jose extended its overall point streak to five games (4-0-1) while improving to 3-0-1 in the season series.
Mark Arcobello netted the lone goal for the Coyotes, who suffered their 11th loss in 13 contests (2-10-1). Louis Domingue made 34 saves as Arizona fell to 2-9-0 in its last 11 on the road.
San Jose grabbed the lead less than a minute into the contest as Couture's shot from the top of the right faceoff circle glanced off Domingue's glove and inside the left post at the 58-second mark. Pavelski doubled the lead exactly five minutes into the opening period, converting a pass from behind the net by Marleau while standing on the doorstep two seconds after a power play expired.
The Coyotes halved the deficit 2 1/2 minutes into the middle session, when Arcobello's pass attempt from the right circle deflected off the blade of Sharks defenseman Brent Burns' stick and past Niemi. Nieto restored the two-goal advantage with 5:50 remaining in the third, when he backhanded a rebound past Domingue from the doorstep.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Niemi made the start after watching the previous three games from the bench due to an illness. ... D Karl Stollery made his debut for San Jose, registering three shots and blocking two while recording four hits and a minus-1 rating in 16:49 of ice time. The 27-year-old appeared in seven games with Colorado over the previous two seasons. ... The Coyotes remained two points ahead of Buffalo for 29th place in the NHL.
Top Game Performances
| Arizona |
|
San Jose |
|
Mark Arcobello 1 |
Points |
Logan Couture 2 |
|
Mark Arcobello 1 |
Goals |
Logan Couture 1 |
|
Mark Arcobello 0 |
Assists |
Patrick Marleau 2 |
|
N/A |
Power Play Goals |
N/A |
|
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
|
Louis Domingue .919 |
Save Percentage |
Antti Niemi .952 |
|
Louis Domingue 34 |
Saves |
Antti Niemi 20 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
| Arizona
|
21 |
1 |
0-1 |
2-2 |
11 |
27 |
| San Jose
|
37 |
3 |
0-2 |
1-1 |
9 |
32 |
Upcoming Games
-
San Jose will play their next game on the road against Arizona. The Sharks have a W/L % of .474 after a win and .525 after a loss.
-
Arizona will play their next game at home against San Jose. The Coyotes have a W/L % of .348 after a win and .273 after a loss.
For more information, contact us