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SAN JOSE – The Sharks officially clinched a playoff spot on Monday night with the Coyotes' loss to the Flames, and then took down the Kings just minutes later at SAP Center, and the game-winning goal came courtesy of the best player to ever don a teal sweater.
Joe Thornton’s third period power play goal was the key score in a 5-2 Sharks win, getting San Jose back into the postseason one year after they missed out.
With the game tied at 2-2 entering the third period, Brent Burns’ one-timer from the circle generated in a rebound in the slot. After Joe Pavelski pushed the puck into Jonathan Quick’s pad, Thornton swooped in to deposit the second rebound at 4:28 to give the Sharks a 3-2 lead.
Melker Karlsson added an insurance marker with 3:19 to go, redirecting in a centering pass from Tommy Wingels with his skate.
[KURZ: Sharks clinch playoff spot with Coyotes' loss to Flames]
San Jose crept to within five points of the Kings for first place in the Pacific Division, with six games to go for each club. The Sharks trail Anaheim, too, by four points, with the Ducks holding one game in hand.
The teams traded goals through the first two periods, knotting the score at 2-2.
Los Angeles struck first. On a power play, Vincent Lecavalier’s wrist shot nicked Burns’ stick and fluttered over Martin Jones at 9:12.
The Sharks answered a few minutes later. Wingels’ solid hit on Tyler Toffoli along the wall jarred the puck loose, and Justin Braun buzzed in his third of the season at 12:57.
San Jose took its first lead at 7:55 of the second, when Burns’ offering from the point double-deflected in the slot before bounding past Quick, with Pavelski getting credit for his team-leading 36th on the year.
Logan Couture nearly upped the lead with 8:15 to go, when he poked the puck away from Anze Kopitar at the Sharks’ defensive blue line. He tried going five hole on the breakaway, but couldn’t squeeze it through Quick.
Lecavalier’s second of the evening re-tied it, when Jones didn’t get quite enough of his stoppable shot at 15:43 of the middle frame.
Again, Couture had a prime chance to score San Jose’s third goal. As time wound down in the second, his shot towards an empty net on a dish from Wingels was blocked out of midair by the shaft of Quick’s stick before glancing off of the crossbar, on a remarkable save by the Kings’ unparalleled netminder.
Braun made the key defensive play for the Sharks as they held a 3-2 edge in the third period. After Drew Doughty’s blistering slap shot trickled behind Jones, Braun charged in and tied up Kopitar before the Kings captain could push the loose disc over the line with 11:20 to go.
Braun’s empty-netter with 18 seconds left capped the scoring.
The Sharks finished 3-1-1 against the Kings in the season series. The road team won all but Monday’s game.
Special teams
The Sharks finished 1-for-2 on the power play, after entering the night just 2-for-14 over their previous three games. Thornton has seven power play goals.
Los Angeles went 1-for-3. Of Lecavalier’s 10 goals, seven are with a man advantage.
In goal
Jones improved to 3-1-1 against his former team, starting all five games of the season series and allowing 13 goals (2.60 goals-against average). He made 30 saves.
Quick fell to 14-9-5 in his career against the Sharks, allowing four goals on 30 shots.
Lineup
Joonas Donskoi drew back into the lineup after missing Saturday’s game with a lower body injury. He replaced Nick Spaling, a scratch for the first time since he was acquired from Toronto just before the trade deadline.
Up next
The Sharks have a home-and-home with Vancouver, beginning on Tuesday night at Rogers Arena and concluding on Thursday in San Jose. The Sharks have won two of the first three meetings with the Canucks.
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