Karlsson does it all in shootout victory
Patrick Marleau has Gordie Howe in his sights, but the Sharks still need binoculars to view a playoff spot.
Erik Karlsson scored the deciding goal on a slap shot in the eighth round of the shootout after scoring twice in regulation as San Jose beat Minnesota 43 at SAP Center on Monday night.
“A game like tonight is how he can made a difference with his skill,” Sharks head coach Bob Boughner said of Karlsson.
Karlsson doubled his season output in goals to four and gave the Sharks a 32 lead at 4:11 of the third period.
Minnesota forward Kevin Fiala scored his 10th at 9:48 to tie the game.
Radim Simek scored early in the first as the seventhplace Sharks got six saves from Martin Jones in the shootout to break a twogame losing streak.
“We had contributions throughout the lineup tonight,” Boughner said. “That game was about patience and not getting rattled. It was just a good, spreadout effort.”
Monday night’s game was paused briefly 2:54 after the opening faceoff to recognize Marleau having broken from Mark Messier to move into second in alltime games played at 1,757. Marleau will be nine shy of Howe (1,767) on Wednesday after Minnesota and San Jose meet again.
“I have to pinch myself now and then seeing these names that I’m being mentioned with,” said Marleau, who has 1,585 games with San Jose. “It’s pretty cool, pretty amazing to be mentioned with these great players, and I don’t take that lightly.”
What Marleau also doesn’t take lightly that with the April 12 trade deadline approaching, he might have another tough decision to make. Last season, he was dealt to Pittsburgh for a run at the Stanley Cup. This time, the deadline falls five days before the date Marleau could tie Howe’s record otherwise in Sharks’ colors.
“Yeah, I think it’s something I have to consider,” Marleau said. “If something comes up, it’s something I’ll have to think about and see if it’s the right situation.”
Marleau’s pursuit of an elusive Cup didn’t last long with the Penguins, who lost to Montreal in the bestoffive qualifying round. He returned for a third tour of duty with the team that drafted him second overall in 1997 by signing a oneyear contract. He’s another rental target this spring.
Ah, but there’s a catch, too. The 41yearold, who has a games-played streak of 888, wants to play beyond this season.
“I still think I have a lot left to give and left in the tank,” said Marleau, who has two goals and six points in 34 games.
Monday marked the 1,300th game with Doug Wilson as the team’s general manager, and he’ll certainly respect Marleau’s desires.
“We want to be here with Patty when he breaks the record. That’s a special thing for his family and the organization,” Boughner said. “If you’re writing a book or a story, that’s the way it goes for me, but we’ll see what happens.”