HARTFORD, Conn – The Whale defeated the Worcester Sharks, 3-1, Saturday night at the XL Center before a crowd of 9,166, the second-largest of the season. Connecticut won for the seventh time in their last eight games overall (7-0-1-0).
The Whale scored three times in the third period to come from behind and beat the Sharks, with Kris Newbury’s game-winning tally coming at the 9:49 mark of the frame.
“[The Whale] stuck with it and once they got the quick one (an Andreas Thuresson goal, the Whale’s first of the game), they got a little momentum and got the second one,” said Whale head coach Ken Gernander. “It just seemed to pick up from there.”
The teams played a scoreless first period, despite the Sharks outshooting the Whale by a 14-6 margin. Cam Talbot (37 saves), making his first start for the Whale since Jan. 28, was solid in keeping the visitors off the board. The Whale’s Casey Wellman may have had the best chance of the period as he narrowly missed putting the puck past Sharks goaltender Tyson Sexsmith (35 saves) as he came through the crease.
Sharks enforcer Jimmy Bonneau would provide the first lead of the game at 6:59 of the second period, as he managed to get a second touch on a bouncing puck to redirect it past Talbot. The goal was the second of the season for Bonneau, assisted by Matt Irwin and Marek Viedensky.
The Whale outshot the Sharks, 19-12, in the second period, but they could not get anything past Sexsmith, even on two excellent one-time chances by Jonathan Audy-Marchessault.
Connecticut would finally solve Sexsmith 6:59 into the third period, as Tommy Grant’s shot deflected off of the pads of the Worcester netminder and onto the stick of Thuresson, who buried the rebound to tie the game at one. Wade Redden picked up the secondary assist in his first game back in the Whale lineup since Dec. 17.
Kris Newbury would give the Whale a quick 2-1 lead less than a minute later at 9:49, as he finished off an excellent passing play between himself and Andre Deveaux. Newbury and Deveaux exchanged several passes entering the Sharks’ end, enabling Newbury to bury his 19th of the season past Sexsmith for the game-winner.
Casey Wellman would ice the game with a bizarre empty net goal with under a minute to play, as he was hauled down before he could shoot on the vacated Sharks’ cage.
Connecticut will finish the week’s slate Sunday afternoon in Providence, when they face the Bruins (4:05 PM) looking for a perfect six-point weekend. The Whale’s next home game at the XL Center is this Friday night, February 24 vs. the Portland Pirates at 7:00.
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