Sharks-Coyotes: Sharks Comeback Not Enough

I somehow knew the Sharks weren't going to have a good game. I don't have a crystal ball, I don't have any special abilities, nor can I predict the future. I just had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach before the game started.

Well, the Sharks put up a good run, but managed to lose 5-4 in overtime against the Phoenix Coyotes. 

The Sharks didn't particularly have a great first period. To be honest, if Evgeni Nabokov wasn't playing as well as he was then, the Sharks wouldn't have kept the score tied at zero at the end of the first.

I found the interview between Joe Thornton and Chris Simpson (watch out, I'm coming for your job!) very interesting. Brian Campbell, Thornton's childhood friend, is actually shacking up with the fellow all-star, and Simpson asked if Thornton was trying to convince Campbell to stay in San Jose. His response was great, joking around about how he talks to him every day about it, but finishing his response by saying that he knows that California's beautiful and it's a great place to be. Sharks fans should hope good ol' Joe can convince him to stay!

The Coyotes goal almost half-way into the second period was one that should have been avoided. I was a little mad at Campbell on this play. A collision on the Phoenix blue line turned the puck over to the Coyotes. Both Campbell, who should have been further back helping Douglas Murray, and Milan Michalek were slow to get back to lend a hand. Daniel Winnik was able to slide a great pass over to Derek Morris to beat Nabokov. Murray was also unable to stop the pass, something I think he was capable of doing. He didn't necessarily make the best defensive move.

Once again, the Sharks committed another defensive faux-paus. Matt Carle lost the puck along the boards, an area where the Sharks are usually dominant, and Coyotes right wing Enver Lisin shot the puck, which fluttered past Nabokov to score. 

The Sharks escaped a narrow bullet at the start of the third period with the Coyotes almost scoring a short-handed goal at the start of the power play, which was reviewed and was determined as a no-goal. However, the Coyotes captain Shane Doan managed to score short-handed up top on Nabokov.

It's always important to see how the Sharks will respond to any deficit, let alone a three-goal deficit, and the Sharks responded with a power play goal. Jeremy Roenick set up a great pass through the crease to Thornton for his 22nd goal of the season.

Marc-Edouard Vlasic scored his second goal of the season unassisted. Vlasic picked the top corner over Ilya Bryzgalov's glove. It was just a bad Phoenix turnover at the blue line which led to the goal.

Steve Reinprecht scored soon after the Vlasic goal, and it was a goal Nabokov should have saved. It drives me crazy when Nabokov plays the puck behind the net. Nabokov let the puck get by him but doesn't follow the puck. Nabby wasn't even in position, he was far too slow to get back to the net.

Right after the goal, coach Ron Wilson pulled Nabokov to put in Brian Boucher. And, as expected, the Versus announcers kept mistaking Boucher as Nabokov. 

Soon after swapping goaltenders, Thornton scored his 23rd goal of the season with assists from Roenick and Michalek. Thornton simply put the puck on net, and it looked like Coyotes' Martin Hanzal redirected it past Bryzgalov.

I really enjoyed the screen shots of Phoenix coach Wayne Gretzky shouting expletives after the goal which made it a one-goal game. I swear, I love watching Coyotes games just to watch Gretzky lose it. Maybe that's just me.

To my amazement, the Sharks managed to tie the game up with around two and a half minutes left. Joe Thornton completed his hat trick with the goal. The Sharks won a battle along the boards. Christian Ehrhoff put a shot on net, and Thornton tipped it in for his 24th goal of the season.

The Sharks played pretty well in overtime until around 1:40 left in overtime, when Hanzal scored up-top on Boucher. The defensemen on the ice for the Sharks, Campbell and Murray, really weren't communicating. No one knew who was covering who, and all the confusion led to the game-winning Phoenix goal.

At this point, the Sharks really need every point they can get. The Coyotes aren't contenders for the Pacific Division title, and it's unsure whether or not they can even make it into the playoffs, but the Coyotes really deserved the two points. They out-played a sloppy Sharks team.

With the win, the Sharks are now at 100 points, with the Anaheim Ducks six points back and the Dallas Stars 11 points back.

The Sharks will face the Dallas Stars on Thursday.