San Jose 3, Columbus 1
When: 10:30 PM ET, Thursday, January 9, 2020
Where: SAP Center at San Jose, San Jose, California
Referees:
Jake Brenk, Chris Rooney
Linesmen:
Derek Amell, Matt MacPherson
Attendance:
17085
By Field Level Media
Joe Thornton scored the winning goal in his 1,612th NHL game, tying Ray Bourque for 11th place on the league's all-time list, as the host San Jose Sharks snapped the Columbus Blue Jackets' nine-game road point streak with a 3-1 victory Thursday night.
Kevin Labanc had a goal and an assist for the Sharks, who also got a goal from Brent Burns. Goaltender Aaron Dell made 30 saves.
Sonny Milano scored for the Blue Jackets, who had gone 6-0-3 during their away streak. Elvis Merzlikins stopped 30 of 33 shots in losing for just the second time in six games since taking over for the injured Joonas Korpisalo.
The Sharks played without captain Logan Couture, the team's leading scorer with 36 points (14 goals, 22 assists). It was announced earlier in the day that Couture, San Jose's All-Star Game representative, suffered a fractured left ankle while crashing into the end boards on Tuesday in St. Louis and would miss up to six weeks.
After a scoreless first period, Labanc gave the Sharks a lead at 1:01 of the second by picking up a loose puck at the top of the crease and knocking it into the net.
Thornton made it 2-0 on the power play at 13:28. After winning a faceoff in the Columbus zone, defenseman Erik Karlsson and Thornton passed the puck from point to point before Thornton unleashed a slap shot from the top of the left circle that found the top right corner of the net. Merzlikins was screened by Barclay Goodrow.
Milano pulled the Blue Jackets within a goal at 18:12 of the second, stealing the puck from Burns deep in the San Jose zone and skating to the net before avoiding a poke check from Dell and slipping a backhander between the goalie's pads.
Burns restored the two-goal lead at 2:09 of the third, corralling the rebound of a point shot by Labanc and putting a backhander over Merzlikins.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
| Columbus |
|
San Jose |
|
Sonny Milano 1 |
Points |
Kevin Labanc 2 |
|
Sonny Milano 1 |
Goals |
Kevin Labanc 1 |
|
Sonny Milano 0 |
Assists |
Kevin Labanc 1 |
|
N/A |
Power Play Goals |
Joe Thornton 1 |
|
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
|
Elvis Merzlikins .909 |
Save Percentage |
Aaron Dell .968 |
|
Elvis Merzlikins 30 |
Saves |
Aaron Dell 30 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
| Columbus
|
31 |
1 |
0-2 |
2-3 |
11 |
27 |
| San Jose
|
33 |
3 |
1-3 |
2-2 |
9 |
34 |
Upcoming Games
-
San Jose will play their next game at home against Dallas. The Sharks have a W/L % of .579 after a win and .333 after a loss.
-
Columbus will play their next game on the road against Vegas. The Blue Jackets have a W/L % of .476 after a win and .458 after a loss.
For more information, contact us