Sharks Give Up Hat Trick To Jokinen, Lose To Flames
SAN JOSE (CBS / AP) -- Olli Jokinen capitalized on a turnover by Colin White to break a third-period tie with his third goal of the game, and the Calgary Flames beat the San Jose Sharks 4-3 Wednesday night.
Jokinen also assisted on Jarome Iginla's second-period goal to help Miikka Kiprusoff earn his 300th NHL win and end San Jose's five-game winning streak in the series.
Logan Couture, Joe Pavelski and Michal Handzus scored for the Sharks, who have lost consecutive games following a three-game winning streak.
San Jose overcame deficits of 2-0 and 3-2 before Jokinen gave the Flames the lead for good early in the third period. The winner was set up by a poor clearing attempt by White. He played the puck out from behind the net and it deflected off the boards right to Alex Tanguay, who set up Jokinen for his seventh career hat trick and first since March 14, 2009, at Toronto.
The Sharks had tied the game only minutes earlier when Handzus struck on the power play in the opening minute of the third, following a high-sticking penalty on Mark Giordano.
Handzus beat Blair Jones on the faceoff and went to the front of the net, where he knocked Brent Burns' rebound off the lively end boards into the net for the equalizer 5 seconds into the power play.
San Jose managed nothing else against Kiprusoff, who made 34 saves to become the 27th NHL goalie to reach 300 wins. He did it in the same building where he got the first of his career, while playing for the Sharks in 2001. Marc-Edouard Vlasic nearly had the equalizer midway through the third but it was waved off because Patrick Marleau had run into Kiprusoff.
Kiprusoff also made tough stops on Pavelski and Couture in the closing minutes to preserve the win.
The Sharks appeared to take control by scoring two goals in a span of 1:23 midway through the second period to erase a 2-0 deficit. Couture got San Jose started during a delayed penalty when he beat Kiprusoff with a wrist shot from the top of the circle.
Pavelski, playing his 400th career game, quickly tied it when he slammed home a pass from behind the net by Joe Thornton for his 20th goal.
With San Jose pressuring Kiprusoff later in the period to take the lead, Iginla and Jokinen broke out of the defensive zone on an odd-man rush. Iginla completed a pretty give-and-go to beat Antti Niemi and make it 3-2.
The Flames, who scored one goal in two losses to San Jose last month, broke through against Niemi midway through the first period. After Couture had trouble clearing the puck from the defensive zone, Chris Butler got it near the blue line. He sent a blast toward the net that deflected off Jokinen to make it 1-0.
Jokinen added to the lead early in the second just 15 seconds after Benn Ferriero got sent off for interference in the offensive zone. Tanguay's point shot deflected off the end boards, past White and right to Jokinen, who knocked it in from the side of the net.
Notes: San Jose D Dan Boyle was scratched because of the flu. ... Former Sharks and Flames F Owen Nolan, who announced his retirement on Tuesday, got a lengthy ovation before he dropped the ceremonial first puck. ... Calgary D Cory Sarich switched from No. 6 to 65 after his jersey got ripped in a fight with Andrew Desjardins in the second period.
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