Two games scheduled for Sunday afternoon will determine the
first-round opponent for the San Jose Sharks as the NHL opens
Stanley Cup Playoffs this week
SAN JOSE — Two games scheduled for Sunday afternoon will determine the first-round opponent for the San Jose Sharks as the NHL opens Stanley Cup Playoffs this week.
Logan Couture’s shootout goal in the fifth round earned the Sharks a 3-2 win Saturday over the visiting Phoenix Coyotes. Each of the three Phoenix-San Joe games held at HP Pavilion this season has gone to a shootout.
While the Sharks are set with the Pacific Division title and still may capture the Western Conference crown, Detroit and Los Angeles play Sunday with the results directly influencing San Jose’s draw in the 16-team postseason.
Detroit, currently sixth in the Western Conference with 100 points, takes on Chicago, the Central Division champion. If the Blackhawks win, San Jose will finish second in the conference and will not face Colorado in the opening round.
Los Angeles, in seventh with 99 points, plays in Denver against the Colorado Avalanche.
San Jose will be the home team in the first round with Colorado, Detroit, Los Angeles and Nashville the possible foes.
San Jose drew another sell-out at HP Pavilion (17,562), leaving the team with 40 full houses out of 41 home dates.
The Sharks grabbed a 1-0 lead 4:04 into the first period when Devin Setoguchi notched his 20th goal of the season. Joe Pavelski controlled the puck on the left wing near the redline and fed a long pass to a streaking Setoguchi. Defenseman Keith Yandle fell as he tried to keep up with Setoguchi, and the winger responded to the open ice with a slapshot under goalie Ilya Bryzgalov.
Phoenix pulled even at 1-1 with 1:04 gone in the second period. Goalie Evgeni Nabokov tried to push the puck to defenseman Douglas Murray behind the net. Coyote Lee Stempniak jetted between Murray and net, stole the puck and swept around the left post to pull a wrap-around goal past Nabokov.
San Jose added its final goal of the regular season 12:41 into the second period.
Joe Thornton pounced on the puck in the right circle of the Phoenix zone and fed Dany Heatley in the high slot. The winger’s shot was tipped by Patrick Marleau at the edge of the crease before dropping inside the right post. Marleau was credited with his 44th goal of the season. Thornton broke a tie with Bobby Orr for 58th place in assists all-time with his 646th helper.
The Sharks lost the lead 1:47 into the third period when the puck was stolen from Setoguchi and Jason Demers in the high slot. Coyote Matthew Lombardi corralled the puck and whipped a shot inside the left post for his 19th goal of the season.
Marleau and Ryane Clowe each scored in the first two rounds of the shootout, but the Coyotes rebounded with goals from Lauri Korpikoski and Radim Vrbata to force the extra shots. Couture, in his 25th NHL game, scored on his first shootout attempt by deking Bryzgalov to his right before skidding the puck inside the right post.
The Sharks did not have a single penalty in the game, only the fourth time in the franchise’s history with a zero in the PIM column.
