SAN JOSE, Calif – The San Jose Sharks’ Timo Meier tipped a Brent Burns’ slap shot in the third period to force extra time Thursday night with the Calgary Flames; the Sharks won the game in the skills competition, 3-2.
“I was just trying to get in front of the net, and then the shot was coming toward me,” Meier said. “I was trying to get a piece of it, and luckily it went in.
“I’ve been working a lot with [Joe Pavelski] and [Burns] before practice, getting some tips. [Pavelski] is probably the best at it, so I’ve been learning from him, and it worked out tonight. I’m looking forward to keep working on that.”
Martin Jones made 32 saves to pick up the win.
It was the first loss this season for the Flames where they led a game in the third period.
“After they tied it at 2, they grabbed some momentum,” the Flames’ Mark Giordano said. “Again, shootouts are tough. During OT, we had one go off the cage. It’s disappointing especially since they are ahead of us in the standings. For them to get that extra point hurts.
“It feels like these shootouts we’ve been on the wrong end of it. I think they got the momentum on that first shootout goal, and it gives you a big advantage.”
Joe Pavelski also scored for the Sharks in regulation and had a strike in the shootout.
San Jose improved to 2011-4 with the win.
“You’ve got to put some streaks together. To win three in a row, you can’t be satisfied. You’ve got to go for four or five. When you do lose, you’ve got to get back in the win column. I don’t know if this is the time or not. Hopefully, you can start creating a little separation,” Pavelski said.
Calgary got goals from Garnet Hathaway and Mikael Backlund scored in the first period for the Flames.
[WATCH: All Flames vs. Sharks highlights]
David Rittich made 30 saves in the loss.
“He made some crucial saves when we needed him to,” Calgary coach Glen Gulutzan said. “He had a solid outing. He was in their faces during the shootout. It’s a tough position to be in. Joonas coming down on you is not an easy thing to defend against. We needed to put some goals on the board for him.”
The loss dropped the Flames to 18-15-4.
“I don’t know if I can be happy with just one point. The shootout was bad luck for us. I have to be better in shootouts. This was only the second one I had in North America, and I’ve been here for two years. I felt pretty good, but again we just got one point,” Rittich said after the loss.
Images courtesy of Jack.Lima@prohockeynews.com
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