Ryane Clowe's goal in the third period lifted
the San Jose Sharks to a 3-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs at Air Canada
Centre.
Dan Boyle and Joe Pavelski each had a goal for the Sharks, who have won four
of their last five games. Evgeni Nabokov made 32 saves in the win.
Phil Kessel had a goal and an assist while Tyler Bozak scored for the Maple
Leafs, who have dropped eight of their last 10. Jean-Sebastien Giguere,
who posted shutouts in his first two games after being acquired by Toronto
from Anaheim last week, gave up three goals on 26 shots.
With the score tied in the third period, San Jose took the lead with 6:39 to
play. Devin Setoguchi sent a pass from the left side that hit off the skate of
a Maple Leaf in front and went right to Clowe, who buried it for a 3-2 lead.
From there the Sharks defense shut down the Maple Leafs, who pulled Giguere
with 1 1/2 minutes to play but were unable to net the equalizer.
The Maple Leafs got the only goal of the first period as Kessel got the puck
at the right circle, skated down low and sent a pass across the ice to Bozak,
who one-timed it home with 9:24 to play in the frame.
San Jose scored a pair of goals in the second period to grab the lead.
The first goal came off a right circle faceoff win as Joe Thornton won the
draw and the puck came back to Boyle, who fired a shot on net that bounced
past Giguere at the 3:17 mark.
Just 2:24 later, the Sharks made it a 2-1 game when Pavelski fired a wrister
on net using the defender as a screen to sneak the puck past Giguere.
Toronto, though, tied the game in the final minute of the second with a power-
play marker as Dion Phaneuf's wrister from the right point was kicked out to
the left side where Kessel buried it for his 21st goal of the year.
Game Notes
Tomas Kaberle's assist on Kessel's goal was the 400th helper of his
career...Toronto plays its final game before the Olympic break at St. Louis on
Friday...San Jose continues its six-game road trip in Columbus on
Wednesday...San Jose has won four straight against Toronto and has not lost a
game to the Maple Leafs since January 29, 2002.
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