Koivu Rallies Minnesota In Wild Third To Beat Sharks
SAN JOSE (CBS/AP) -- Mikko Koivu scored back-to-back goals midway through the third period and the Minnesota Wild overcame a late two-goal deficit to beat the San Jose Sharks 5-4 on Thursday night.
The teams combined for five goals in the third, with Joel Ward and Patrick Marleau putting San Jose ahead 4-2 in the first five minutes before Eric Staal scored once and Koivu twice to bring the Wild back. Koivu scored twice in 1:55, with the go-ahead goal coming with 9:42 left.
Minnesota got its seventh straight victory on the road. Staal also had two goals and Zach Parise scored for the Wild, who were playing their first game since their 12-game winning streak was snapped by Columbus.
Devan Dubnyk saved 30 shots in his first appearance in San Jose in over two years, when he was with the Phoenix Coyotes.
Joonas Donskoi and Joe Pavelski also scored for the Sharks, who lost their third straight, matching a season high. Martin Jones made 21 saves.
Following a quiet first period, in which the goalies rejected a combined 13 shots, the Sharks scored twice to take a 2-0 edge midway through the second. Donskoi scored after taking a pass from Kevin Labanc on a wide-open shot as defenders paid more attention to Pavelski, who netted the second goal off a faceoff.
Staal scored a power-play goal with 1:01 left in the second period to cut the lead to 2-1.
Parise scored early in the third period, off a rebound, to tie it.
Ward scored off a faceoff just under two minutes later and then Marleau scored, with an assist from Ward, 42 seconds after that.
The Wild responded with three unanswered goals over the final 15 minutes. Staal netted his second of the game and Koivu scored off a rebound.
NOTES: Staal recorded the 53rd multigoal game. ... Parise has points in three of the four games since missing a pair of games to injury. ... Wild F Charlie Coyle has eight points in his last five games. ... Sharks F Mikkel Boedker was a healthy scratch for the first time this season. ... Marleau's goal was his 492th, putting him in sole possession of 46th on the NHL career list. ... Labanc has points in each of his last four games.
UP NEXT:
Sharks: Host the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday and then depart for two games in Canada.
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