Eklund's OT goal completes hat trick; Cooley gets first NHL win
>> What could have been another disastrous finish for the San Jose Sharks turned into a rare feel-good moment during a mostly dismal 20232024 season.
William Eklund scored at the 3:56 mark of overtime to complete his first career hat trick and goalie Devin Cooley, a Los Gatos native, made 34 saves to earn his first NHL win as the Sharks beat the St. Louis Blues 3-2 on Saturday at SAP Center.
In overtime, Eklund collected the puck and raced down the left side on a 2-on-1 with Luke Kunin. Without hesitation, Eklund — on straw hat giveaway day — skated past the blue line and fired a shot past Blues goalie Joel Hofer, setting off a wild celebration inside the arena as hundreds of hats poured onto the ice.
“I felt like we came back and we came together even stronger,” Eklund said, “and we found a way to win.”
No one was happier than Cooley, the former Jr. Sharks standout who lived a dream Saturday by winning a game for the team he grew up cheering for inside the building he visited countless times as a kid.
“Just goose bumps. It was unbelievable,” Cooley said. “I'm sure my mom was bawling her eyes out.”
Cooley had to remain calm as the Blues scored
two third-period goals, including one by Brayden Schenn with 2:29 left in regulation time, to tie the game 2-2.
The blown lead by the Sharks (18-50-8) evoked memories of their 5-4 loss to Chicago on March 23, as they owned a four-goal lead only to give it all away with Cooley in net before the Blackhawks scored in overtime.
Saturday, Cooley, who has been working a ton with goalie coach Thomas Speer, made one more save in the third period after Schenn's goal, then three more in overtime as the Sharks killed a hooking penalty on Mikael Granlund.
“Once they scored with two minutes left, I was like, `Oh my gosh, are you kidding?' “Cooley said. “Then we got the penalty in overtime and I'm like, `Not again.' “
“I feel like I have all the tools and with the right coaching, I feel like I could be a really good goalie,” said Cooley, now 1-1-1 with the Sharks, improving his
save percentage from .852 to .887.
“Tonight was (a result of) all the work that we've been doing. I felt like it started to come together.”
The victory was just San Jose's second in its past 13 games, with both victories coming against the Blues. The Sharks had lost nine straight before a 4-0 win over St. Louis on March 30, then lost the first two games of this homestand earlier this week.
With the victory, the Sharks remained seven points back of the Blackhawks for 31st place in the NHL's overall standings. Both teams have six games remaining.