In Tampa Tuesday night, Melker Karlsson, Joel Ward, Joe Pavelski, and Matt Nieto scored for the San Jose Sharks in a win over the Lightning.
“It was a good hockey game,” Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said. “I thought Tampa played well, showed up and was ready to play. First [few] minutes they had us on our heels. But we found our game and … I like the way we won.”
Martin Jones made 28 save for the Sharks win.
Joe Pavelski – Photo by Jack Lima
Ryan Callahan and Cedric Paquette scored for the Bolts.
“The guys are trying … [but] we’re cheating the game a little bit right now,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “All of the things on the defensive side of the puck we’ve done for the past two-and-a-half years, we’re going through a stretch where we’re not doing those things.”
Tampa has lost four of their last five games in falling to 30-22-4 on the season.
“Coming out of the first, they had the lead, but we thought in the second half of that period we took control of it and had some chances,” Pavelski said. “Some guys made some plays at the right times.”
Ben Bishop took the loss on 27 saves.
“We had 20 minutes to get a win on home ice and had a couple of breakdowns,” Bishop said. “We’re going to wake up tomorrow and not be in the playoffs. We’ve got 26 games left and they’re all going to be important. It’s gut check time.”
Joe Thornton had two assists to play a big role in the Sharks’ offensive push on the night.
“[Jones] gave us some saves early and the goal really backed them off a little bit,” DeBoer said. “I liked our composure, even when we got behind or they tied it up. We had a good feeling of confidence and we played that way.”
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