Sharks lose heartbreaker to Canucks after wild ending

Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News on Nov 3, 2024

Published in Hockey

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SAN JOSE, Calif. – Less than a minute after scoring the tying goal, the San Jose Sharks gave up the game-winner to Pius Suter with 25.7 seconds left in a 3-2 loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night.

The Sharks had a chance to tie the game as time expired, but Fabian Zetterlund fanned on a shot attempt after William Eklund fed him in the slot in front of the Canucks net.

With the Sharks down 2-1, and with the extra attacker on, Mikael Granlund scored with 1:17 left in regulation time to tie the game 2-2.

The Sharks killed two penalties in the third period but also missed on two power play opportunities in the late going against the Vancouver Canucks at SAP Center.

Then, just 36 seconds after an interference penalty to Filip Hronek expired, Jake DeBrusk beat goalie Mackenzie Blackwood to give Vancouver a 2-1 lead.

The Sharks were outshot 9-3 in the first period but opened the scoring for the Sharks in the second.

The Sharks had the puck inside the Canucks zone as Nico Sturm replaced Will Smith on a line change. With the puck near the boards to the right of the Vancouver net, Sturm sent a pass to the slot for Luke Kunin, whose shot was stopped by goalie Kevin Lankinen. But Sturm pounced on the juicy rebound and scored his second of the second past an outstretched Lankinen at the 2:37 mark.

The Sharks had opportunities in the second period to extend their lead, including a breakaway chance for William Eklund, whose attempt to go five-hole after a rush up the wing at the 14:25 mark was stopped by Lankinen.

Just a few seconds later, the Sharks turned it over inside their own zone after a forecheck by Canucks winger Conor Garland. The redirected puck came right to the slot, where Nils Hoglander passed it back to Suter for his third goal of the season at the 14:41 mark.

While the Sharks were riding a three-game winning streak, the Canucks were coming off a 6-0 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Oct. 30.

The Sharks were looking for their first four-game winning streak since the start of the 2021-2022 season, when they beat Winnipeg, Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto. That was 254 games before Saturday, the longest active stretch in the NHL between win streaks of four games or more.

The Sharks came back to beat the Utah Hockey Club 5-4 in overtime last weekend, then began their homestand with wins over Los Angeles and Chicago.

The Canucks have owned the series with the Sharks since the start of the 2019-2020 season.

In the last four seasons they’ve been in the same division, San Jose went 2-10-3 vs. Vancouver while being outscored 79-39. That included a 10-1 loss to the Canucks on Nov. 2, 2023.