San Jose Sharks rally late, earn dramatic win over Utah to finally end skid
Alexander Wennberg scored at the 1:26 mark of overtime to give the San Jose Sharks a remarkable, come-from-behind 5-4 win over the Utah Hockey Club on Monday as they ended their season-opening nine-game losing streak in unbelievable fashion.
Down 4-1 with under five minutes left in regulation time, the Sharks scored three goals in 1:50 late in the third period to help send the game into overtime.
Then, with the Sharks on a power play, Wennberg won a faceoff deep in the offensive zone and went straight to the Utah crease. Mikael Granlund then took the puck and fired it toward the net.
The shot was tipped, went off the end boards and right back to Wennberg, who roofed it over Utah goalie Connor Ingram for his first goal of the season.
Wennberg was mobbed by his teammates right after the goal, as the Sharks won for the first time this season after a 0-7-2 start.
Granlund had a goal and two assists, Fabian Zetterlund had two goals, defenseman Jake Walman had three assists, and Wennberg and Tyler Toffoli each had a goal and an assist.
“We deserved it more than anyone else,” Zetterlund said on the Sharks’ Audio Network after the game. “You can see in every guy’s eyes. Everyone wants it so, so bad, and we got it. I’m so happy.”
The win was Ryan Warsofsky’s first as an NHL coach, four months after the Sharks hired him.
He’ll undoubtedly remember this one for a while.
“The relief and the belief,” a relieved Warsofsky told reporters after the game. “We’ve got a group of guys in there that are going to believe a lot more now, and that’s what this is all about.
“You’ve got to believe that you can win a hockey game no matter the situation.”
The Sharks controlled parts of the first and second periods but weren’t getting rewarded, as they outshot Utah 26-19 through 40 minutes.
Then, with the Sharks down 4-1, Fabian Zetterlund, Granlund, and Tyler Toffoli all scored goals 1:50 seconds apart — all with an extra attacker — late in the third period. Toffoli’s game-tying goal came with 2:42 left in regulation time.
The Sharks started their rally with 4:32 left in the third period.
After a faceoff in the Utah zone, Granlund controlled the puck and fired a shot from just inside the blue line. After a scramble beside Ingram, Zetterlund collected the loose puck and scored his second of the game at the 15:28 mark.
The Sharks kept pressing and got another faceoff deep in the Utah zone. On a nearly identical play, Granlund took a pass from Walman and fired a shot that got past Ingram just 25 seconds after Zetterlund scored.
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