Joe Thornton, Sharks Take 1-0 Series Lead vs. Avalanche with 5-2 Win in Game 1
The San Jose Sharks drew first blood against the Colorado Avalanche in their Stanley Cup playoff second-round series, earning a 5-2 win at SAP Center in San Jose on Friday.
The Sharks broke open the game in the second period.
Colorado briefly led 2-1 thanks to a goal by Colin Wilson 3:56 into the period. San Jose responded with three unanswered goals from Joe Thornton, Kevin Labanc and Brent Burns to go ahead 4-2 heading into the final frame. All three goals came in the final 10 minutes of the period.
San Jose was riding such an emotional high coming out of the first round, and it was fair to wonder whether the Sharks would be a bit sluggish out of the gates as they reset for a fresh series. They also had to battle the physical effects of going the full seven games against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Colorado, on the other hand, had an entire week off after eliminating the Calgary Flames in five games.
As expected, the Avalanche were the better team to start the game, and head coach Jared Bednar might rue the fact that his squad couldn't score more than once in the opening 20 minutes.
In addition, Brenden Dillon received a four-minute double-minor for a high stick on J.T. Compher shortly after Colin Wilson's power-play tally. That presented the Avs with a golden opportunity to take the home fans out of the game with another goal or two. Instead, San Jose killed the penalty.
And once the Sharks took control in the second period, they rarely looked to be under significant pressure.
Thornton tied the game at the 10:05 mark, and then Labanc gave the Sharks their first lead of the game with a dazzling individual effort. Labanc nutmegged Mikko Rantanen and then fired a wrist shot past the glove side of Philipp Grubauer.
Social media was left marveling at the goal:
Brent Burns scored San Jose's fourth goal with one minute remaining in the period, capping off an excellent performance. He finished with one goal and three assists.
The Avalanche won't panic after dropping Game 1. They fell 4-0 to the Flames in Game 1 of the first round before reeling off four straight wins.
Having said that, Grubauer wasn't great after he was one of Colorado's best players against Calgary. He looked more like the goaltender who finished 20th in goals-against average (2.64) and tied for 13th in save percentage (.917).
Grubauer will have to be much better against the Sharks' high-powered attack for the Avalanche to pull off another upset.
What's Next?
The teams return to the ice in San Jose on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. ET. The Sharks will be keen to go up 2-0 in the series and avoid ceding home-ice advantage to the Avs.
