Meier scores in OT as Sharks cap off unlikely comeback against Lightning
Timo Meier scored at the 2:19 mark of overtime to lift the San Jose Sharks to a 4-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena on Tuesday.
On the play, Meier ran some interference on Lightning defenseman Nick Perbix, peeled off to get open, took a pass from Erik Karlsson, and beat goalie Brian Elliott for his second goal of the game and 30th of the season.
“I tried to pick a little bit for Erik and he did what he does best, finding guys back door, and I just had to tap it in,” Meier said.
Sharks goalie Kaapo Kahkonen finished with 34 saves against the Lightning, including 15 in the third period, as he won back-to-back starts for the first time this season. He also helped the Sharks go 5-for-6 on the penalty kill.
Kahkonen made 37 saves in the Sharks’ 6-4 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Jan. 28.
“He did a great job, especially in the first period,” Sharks coach David Quinn said of Kahkonen. “I thought we really were on our heels in the first. We had nine days off and (Tampa Bay) played (Monday) night.
“I just thought we got better as the game went on, certainly not at the level we need to be, but I thought the penalties really put us in a hole throughout the game. We just had too many penalties against them but obviously, (Kahkonen) made the saves he needed to, and we’re just really happy for him because he’s playing really well and it was good to see us take advantage of that.”
Before Tuesday, the Sharks had lost eight straight games that had reached overtime, and are now 4-11 in games this season that have gone past three periods.
Karlsson and Meier also scored power-play goals for the Sharks before Scott Harrington scored his second goal of the season at the 3:08 mark of the third period, as his slap shot from inside the blue line went off Pierre-edouard Bellemare and past Elliott to tie the game 3-3.
“The second (Karlsson) got the puck I kind of tried to get open,” Harrington said. “I figured that it was coming to me because he sees the ice so well, so I just tried to get open for him. Then when I realized I had a little bit of ice, I just tried to skate in and kind of shoot it as hard as I could.”
The Sharks (16-25-11) allowed a goal to Ross Colton and two to Brayden Point in the first period as they fell into a 3-1 hole against the Lightning, which, before Tuesday, had not lost a game this season when it has owned a lead after 20 minutes.
But after Karlsson’s firstperiod power-play goal, which came shortly after a Tomas Hertl faceoff win in the Tampa Bay zone, Meier added his own goal on the man advantage with 3:37 left in the second period.
After Hertl won another faceoff in the Lightning’s zone, Meier took a pass from Alexander Barabanov and beat Elliott for his 29th goal of the season.
The Sharks were outshot 17-7 in the first period with Kahkonen making 14 saves, including 12 at even strength. But the Sharks allowed just five shots in the second period when they successfully killed three minor penalties.
Not only was San Jose 2-202 this season in games where it trailed before the third period, but Tampa Bay was riding a 12game home winning streak. The Lightning was also 20-0-0 in games this season where they led after one period.
The Sharks were coming off a nine-day break and now continue with games against the Florida Panthers on Thursday and the Washington Capitals on Sunday.