Overtime Goal Gives Sharks Life in Game 3
05 Jun, 2016
On a team full of big-name stars, it was a Finnish rookie who wasn’t even supposed to be ready for the NHL this season who delivered perhaps San Jose’s biggest goal ever.
Joonas Donskoi’s goal 12:18 into overtime ended the first Stanley Cup Final game ever in San Jose and helped the Sharks bounce back from two straight road losses to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2 in Game 3 on Saturday night.
“It’s game in, game out different guys stepping up to the plate,” center Joe Thornton said. “It was huge he scored. Some clutch goals. He’s always around the puck. He always wants the puck.”
Joel Ward tied it midway through the third, Justin Braun also scored and Martin Jones made 40 saves to help the Sharks cut Pittsburgh’s series lead to 2-1 with their first victory ever in the final. Game 4 is Monday night in San Jose.
Ben Lovejoy scored and assisted on Patric Hornqvist’s goal that gave the Penguins a 2-1 lead heading into the third. But Matt Murray let Ward’s tying goal in off his glove and then allowed the winner as Pittsburgh lost for just the second time in 51 games when leading after two periods this season.
In an overtime period controlled mostly by Pittsburgh, San Jose got the only goal from a player whose signing out of Finland in May 2015 got little attention. But Donskoi has been a major reason for San Jose’s success this season, solidifying himself as a top six forward who can control possession for his team.
Chris Tierney got the puck to Donskoi behind the net. Donskoi skated out front where he beat Murray high to the stick side, setting off a wild celebration in an arena that was full of tension all night.
“It was a little bit of relief,” Tierney said. “It was finally nice to break through. It kind of felt like, ‘OK. We now can get the next one.'”
Murray made 23 saves and was especially sharp in the second period when San Jose had numerous chances to take its first lead of the series. But Murray couldn’t stop Donskoi’s shot from an odd angle that gave Sharks their first win in five overtime games this postseason.
Trailing 2-1 entering the third, the Sharks’ season was on the line as only one team has ever recovered from an 0-3 deficit to win the Cup final.
The first Stanley Cup Final game ever in the Bay Area came with plenty of fanfare with an elaborate pregame laser show and a raucous crowd that had waited 25 years for this moment.
The Sharks didn’t even get a shot on goal for more than eight minutes but made a strong push after getting the tying goal on Braun’s point shot past a screened Murray. Braun, who scored San Jose’s only goal in Game 2, had goals in back-to-back games for the first time in his career.
AP
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