SAN JOSE – Evander Kane struck twice Tuesday night for the Sharks as they popped in three goals in the third period to defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs, 5-2,.
“We’ve kind of made up our mind as a group, and as players, that we want to ruin seasons for some teams and be as disruptive as we can down the stretch,” Kane said.
Despite poor play, a decimated lineup and a trade deadline sell off, the Sharks are just four games south of .500.
“I think they just kept coming and coming, and a lot of times we just had no pushback,” the Maple Leafs’ Auston Matthews said. “It was tough to get stuff going our way.”
Martin Jones made 25 saves in the win.
Matthews had a goal in the loss, and Mitchell Marner also scored.
“They dominated us in the second period,” Marner said. “They did what they wanted and they won the puck battles. We weren’t strong enough to hold them off. We just have to be consistent on every shift.”
Antti Suomela and Stefan Noesen also scored for the Sharks.
“I’m relied on to produce, bring a positive any way I can to the team on the ice,” Kane said. “That’s what I try to do every night, whether it’s on the score sheet or in other ways.”
Radim Simek added an empty net goal late to seal it.
[WATCH: All Maple Leafs vs. Sharks highlights]
Jack Campbell made 33 saves in the loss.
“I feel responsible for this one,” Campbell said. “When the second intermission came around, I thought we had weathered the storm. But I wasn’t able to shut the door on them. That’s the bottom line.”
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