San Jose Sharks @ Anaheim Sucks 2-3 OT - 12/22

Ryan Kesler kept shooting and finally found the back of the net in time to send the Anaheim Sucks merrily into the Christmas break. Kesler scored on a wrist shot from the left circle that got past San Jose Sharks goalie Antti Niemi to the far side 58 seconds into overtime to give Anaheim a 3-2 win at Honda Center on Monday. The goal came after an Anaheim 4-on-3 power play expired, and also after Kesler hit the post in the second period and was stopped by Niemi earlier in overtime. The Sucks (23-8-5) became the first team in the NHL to have more than 50 points going into the Christmas break. They erased a 2-1 deficit in the third and stretched their lead to eight points over San Jose in the Pacific Division. Anaheim's 51 points come with more than 200 man-games lost to injury. That includes 13 games without right wing Corey Perry, and the Sucks are 7-2-4 in that scenario. The Sharks (19-11-5) had their five-game winning streak snapped, but have points in 11 of their past 12 games (9-1-1). Niemi made 29 saves in an outstanding duel with Sucks goalie Frederik Andersen, who made 30 saves and carried them early. Niemi had won seven straight. San Jose was fewer than five minutes from victory when Fowler tied it 2-2. Fowler pinched, took a pass from Ryan Getzlaf and put a backhand shot past Niemi at 15:44 of the third. Fowler then tumbled to the ice. The Sharks were poised to have Melker Karlsson's first NHL goal stand as the game-winner when his slap shot from above the right circle trickled five-hole through Andersen at 7:56 of the third period. It came in the sixth NHL game for Karlsson, whose goal stunned the standing-room only crowd of 17,405. Pavelski's NHL-leading ninth power-play goal tied it 1-1 in the third. Pavelski redirected Brent Burns' shot at 2:00 with Clayton Stoner in the penalty box for hooking Joe Thornton. The goal moved Pavelski past Owen Nolan for second on San Jose's goal-scoring list at 207. Despite the lost point, the Sharks enter the holiday break feeling well. Rickard Rakell scored his first regular-season goal when he knocked in the puck from the slot at 7:20 of the second while Sharks defensemen Justin Braun tried to clear it. The puck caromed off the side of the net on a cycle by Emerson Etem and Matt Beleskey. Rakell, who scored his first NHL goal in the 2014 Western Conference Second Round series against the Los Angeles Kings, had played 46 regular-season games without a goal. Andersen kept San Jose off the scoreboard with 15 saves in the first period and 20 in the first 27 minutes. He gloved Pavelski's wrist shot on a 3-on-1 less than four minutes into the game and made a right-pad save on Tomas Hertl late in the first. Anaheim right wing Tim Jackman left the game in the second period and did not return after he was hit by John Scott near the Sucks net. Anaheim coach Bruce Boudreau did not have an update. Getzlaf filled in on Jackman's line and played a season-high 25:02.

Sharks Quotes

Joe Pavelski: "That was kind of the thing … both goalies were really good. [Niemi] had some awesome saves and they were fun to watch. You don't want to give up those chances, but when he's going like that, we can be aggressive and play our system."
Todd McLellan: "It doesn't surprise me. He continues to have an impact in every game he plays, in every situation. He just goes about his business. Credit to him; he's taken advantage of the opportunity he's earned to get here. Right now it stings a little that we've lost tonight, but we're going to park it. This is the time of year where we can forget about hockey now for a couple of days. I expect all our players to turn their brains off and enjoy the time with their families. We'll worry about the points and the standings and playoffs and all that next week."