Music: {allcanada} Marleau's goal lifts Sharks past Oilers

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

{allcanada} Marleau's goal lifts Sharks past Oilers

PRISM (Deluxe Version) - Katy Perry / ARTPOP - Lady Gaga

SAN JOSE -- Patrick Marleau scored a power-play goal with 7:29 left in regulation, lifting the San Jose Sharks to a 5-4 victory Tuesday night against the Edmonton Oilers at SAP Center.

Andrew Desjardins, Dan Boyle, Tommy Wingels and Brent Burns also scored for the Sharks.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored two goals for Edmonton, while Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle each scored one.

With David Perron in the penalty box for tripping Sharks defenseman Justin Braun, Marleau got to a loose puck in the right circle and beat goaltender ben Scrivens for his 32nd goal of the season. Burns made bad contact on a shot from the point, but the puck bounced off a pair of Oilers and off Sharks forward Joe Pavelski's skate. Marleau put the puck in an open net.

With the win, San Jose increased its total to 105 points, one behind the first-place Anaheim Ducks in the Pacific Division. The Sharks have five regular-season games remaining while the Ducks have seven, including one against the Oilers at home on Wednesday, and own the tiebreaker.

Sharks goaltender Antti Niemi made 25 saves. Edmonton's Ben Scrivens made 28.

The Sharks led 2-1 after the first period and increased their lead to 3-1 at 2:45 of the second period when Wingels scored, snapping a 10-game goal drought. Wingels deflected a shot by defenseman Brad Stuart, then poked the loose puck past Scrivens.

But Nugent-Hopkins and Eberle answered with back-to-back goals in the second as the Oilers pulled even at 3-3.

Nugent-Hopkins launched a laser from the right circle that snuck inside the right post, beating Niemi without the benefit of any traffic in front of the crease as Edmonton cut San Jose's lead to 3-2 at 13:04. Eberle tied it 38 seconds later with his 25th goal of the season. He ripped a shot from the right circle that appeared to ricochet off Braun and into the net. Nugent-Hopkins, who had gone hard to the net, was initially credited with the goal, but it was changed to Eberle's.

Nugent-Hopkins put the Oilers ahead 4-3 at 6:16 of the third period with his 18th goal of the season, spinning and firing a shot from the left circle that beat Niemi to the stick side. But Burns took a pass from Joe Thornton and scored from just left of the crease at 10:35, making it 4-4.

The Sharks' fourth line produced an early goal as Desjardins scored 3:38 into the game.

Defenseman Jason Demers forced a turnover along the boards and got the puck to Tyler Kennedy, who fired a shot from the right circle. Scrivens stopped that blast, but Desjardins put the rebound past him from close range for his third goal of the season.

Edmonton pulled even at 12:34 of the first on Hall's power-play goal with Boyle in the box for roughing Matt Hendricks. Nugent-Hopkins met little resistance as he built up speed and brought the puck into San Jose's zone on a rush. Nugent-Hopkins zipped a pass to Hall in the left circle, and Hall wristed a shot that beat Niemi to the far side.

The Sharks moved back ahead 2-1 on Boyle's 11th goal of the season at 15:54 with the teams skating 4 on 4. Thornton won a faceoff and passed to puck to Boyle in the slot. Boyle elevated a shot that got past Scrivens and inside the left post.

Boyle extended his goal streak to three games after going 29 games without a goal. He has a five-game point streak.

Grey's Anatomy / The Big Bang Theory