SAN JOSE – After Thursday’s miserable start in a loss to Calgary, the Sharks likely put a premium on getting out of the gates quickly against the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday at home in a key division battle.
They managed to do just that. It was their finish, though, that was even better in a 4-1 win.
Leading 2-1 after two periods on goals from Matt Tennyson and Chris Tierney, the Sharks held the Coyotes to just one shot on goal in the final frame. That included a key penalty kill when Tommy Wingels went off for holding at 7:58 and the team nursing a slim one-goal cushion.
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SIGN UP HERE They showed some resiliency in the third, too. Tomas Hertl seemingly gave the Sharks a 3-1 lead with a redirection from the high slot, but the referee (correctly) ruled that it was knocked in with a high stick. San Jose needed just 21 seconds after that to score one that counted, and again it was Hertl, deflecting a low Brent Burns saucer through goalie Louie Domingue at 10:58.
“You’re looking for that next one all the time,” said Burns, who has four assists in his last two games. “I don’t think there are many guys that like to score as much as [Hertl], so it’s good to get it back for him after he has one taken away.”
Hertl said: "I don't think the first one for sure was a goal – maybe not. It's OK, because Burnzie gave me a great pass the next shift.”
[INSTANT REPLAY: Early goals stand up as Sharks beat Coyotes]
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The Sharks did themselves and the Ducks a favor by putting a serious dent into Arizona’s playoff hopes. The Coyotes now trail second place San Jose by seven points and third place Anaheim by six. It’s looking more and more likely that the three California teams will gain the automatic berths in the postseason.
“We knew the importance of it, we talked about the importance of it again between the second and third,” coach Pete DeBoer said. “A chance to really put some distance between us and that team. … I loved our third period. We only gave them one shot. We kept our foot on the gas and did a great job."
The Sharks’ fourth line played some of the team’s best even-strength minutes of the night. Tennyson’s opening score came after a good shift by that line less than three minutes into the game, and late in the first it was fourth line center Tierney getting body position on Oliver Ekman-Larsson before tapping in a Burns dish.
Along with Melker Karlsson (two assists) and Dainius Zubrus, the Sharks can deploy four solid lines for the first time in, really, several years.
“There’s a lot of confidence right now and we feel like we can make plays when we’re out there, and try and chip in every night,” Tierney said. “It’s nice playing with those guys. They’re good players and we feel good as a line.”
Burns said: “They’re giving us the hard [offensive] zone time, which is huge for momentum, and it’s been great. Just rolling everybody.”
The benefits to playing the fourth liners are numerous, including that they all have the ability to eat up minutes on the penalty kill. On Saturday all three of them skated for more than 10 minutes, with Tierney and Karlsson spending plenty of time shorthanded, too.
"The fourth line was excellent,” DeBoer said. “When we play like that we can lower the minutes of everybody else. We can play a little fresher, play with a little bit more energy. I think it has a positive effect on the whole lineup."
That showed in the third, when the Coyotes, playing in the second of a back-to-back, didn’t get barely a whiff at the Sharks’ net.
“There’s no secret to it,” Joe Pavelski said. “It’s all four lines that have played good and played responsible, and have brought the energy.”
DeBoer said: "All the little things tonight – that was the best part for me.”