Pavelski pops in clutch on Karlsson’s night

SAN JOSE >> Before we dive into the Erik Karlsson stuff, let’s give some props to Joe Pavelski.

Captain Clutch came through in crunch time again Saturday night, jumping on Timo Meier’s rebound in the slot and burying it at 13:06 of the third to clinch two points for the Sharks on a night when the Vancouver Canucks controlled much of the play.

The goal came after Pavelski pressured Alex Biega into turning the puck over in his own zone, setting the stage for his heroics later in the shift. Pavelski also set up Logan Couture’s goal at 11:08 of the second, recorded five shots and registered two crucial blocks. Call it an all-around effort from the captain. Hopefully, the kids were watching.

“Pav was outstanding tonight,” coach Pete DeBoer said. “He created that goal and scored it.”

Pavelski’s line, which also includes Meier and Pavelski, combined to record six points in a win that allowed the Sharks to pull even with the Calgary Flames atop the Pacific Division.

Here’s what we learned as the Sharks knocked off the Canucks 3-2 at SAP Center.

ERIK KARLSSON LOOKED ‘PRETTY GOOD’ IN RETURN >> Karlsson might need to play a few games before he returns to top form. Still, he looked “pretty good” in his first game since Jan. 16. Let’s give him a solid B+.

The two-time Norris Trophy

winner made his presence felt almost immediately, setting up the opening goal at 3:45 of the first. Karlsson gave Meier an open look on the power play, sending a touch pass into the slot from below the goal line. He obviously saw the play unfold before the puck even touched his stick.

The Swedish defenseman also made an exceptional play to set Couture’s goal in motion at 11:08 of the second. Karlsson got a stick on a Canucks two-onone pass after he charged through the neutral zone, sending the puck back up to Brent Burns, who led the Sharks rush the other way.

He logged 24:44 of ice time, just 15 seconds below his season average, an indication that he’s finally healthy after nursing a groin injury for more than a month.

Couture said Karlsson “looked like himself.”

“He looked good,” he said. “It’s not an easy situation. I’ve been there. Coming back from an injury, especially a lower-body injury where your legs are so important in this game, it takes some time. But he’s still really good.”

Karlsson was unavailable to discuss his return with reporters after the game.

The rest of the league must be fearful of the moment when “really good” turns to great. The Sharks won six straight games without Karlsson, including wins in Winnipeg and Calgary. They’ll be even

tougher to beat when Karlsson regains the form that allowed him to record 28 points in 20 games before the injury.

“I’m sure he’s only going to get better moving forward,” Pavelski said. “He was moving at a prettygood clip for us before that happened. It’s one of those things, down the stretch, if we can stay healthy and everyone can get rolling, it’ll help us out.”

WILL DEBOER SHOW PATIENCE WITH KARLSSON AND MARC-EDOUARD VLASIC PAIRING? >> It’s a pairing that just makes too much sense. For some reason, it doesn’t seem to click.

Round two of the VlasicKarlsson pairing picked up at around the same place where it left off in Nashville on Oct. 23 when DeBoer abandoned the project for the first time.

With Vlasic sidelined by injury in January, Karlsson handled the shutdown minutes and the team played its best defensive hockey of the season, holding opponents to two goals or less in six straight games. After Karlsson went down, Vlasic returned to the shutdown role after the break and the Sharks defense was equally as good.

But together, they look disjointed and out of sync, running around in the defensive zone like fire ants, which is uncharacteristic of a Vlasic pairing.

Take the Canucks tying goal at 4:31 of the third. Brock Boeser got an open look from the side of the net after Karlsson chased after the puck on Vlasic’s side and then failed to return and pick up his man. It’s a trap that Vlasic’s longtime partner, Justin Braun, probably wouldn’t have fallen into because he would have stayed back when Vlasic pursued the puck.

Vlasic’s strength is his attention to detail, precision. He almost seems thrown off by unpredictability in Karlsson’s game.

Granted, it’s just one game, but DeBoer didn’t hesitate to mix up his pairings as the night progressed into the second and third periods. Vlasic took shifts with Braun. Karlsson skated with Burns and Dillon.

Will the Sharks coach be patient enough to let Vlasic and Karlsson ride through the growing pains and find chemistry with first place on the line down the stretch? Or will he go back to the pairings that worked so well from Dec. 2 to Jan. 15?

When asked about the Vlasic-Karlsson pairing’s performance, DeBoer brushed the question aside.

“We won,” he said. “I thought everybody looked good.”