The San Jose Sharks didn't have many scoring chances Thursday against the Philadelphia Flyers, but they made a big one count. Melker Karlsson scored with 1:15 remaining in overtime to give the Sharks a 1-0 win against the Flyers at Wells Fargo Center. San Jose goaltender Martin Jones made 34 saves for his third shutout. The Sharks have won four in a row, all on the road and all by one goal. Coach Peter DeBoer gave his goaltender credit for their latest victory.
Patrick Marleau, who entered the game with 999 points in his NHL career, was held off the score sheet. Goaltender Steve Mason made 20 saves for the Flyers, who lost their second straight game. The 21 shots on goal tied the fewest allowed by the Flyers in a game this season; they entered second in the League in shots-against per game at 33.7.
The Sharks had 10 shots in the first period, but 11 the rest of the way, including 24:53 spanning the second and third periods with one shot on goal. They also went 0-for-4 on the power play with two shots on goal. Rather than get frustrated by the lack of opportunities, the Sharks stayed patient. The chance came in overtime when Sharks defenseman Paul Martin got to the rebound of a Michael Del Zotto shot that missed the net. When Flyers captain Claude Giroux stepped up to try to make a play, it allowed Martin to spring Joonas Donskoi on a 2-on-1 rush out of the Sharks zone. Donskoi carried the puck down to the left circle near the hash marks and then slid it across to Karlsson, who lifted a rolling puck over Mason. It was the only play in the final 45 minutes or so that didn't go the Flyers' way. It was the kind of play the Flyers have been unable to make offensively for most of the season. It was the ninth time in 19 games they've been held to one goal or fewer. Their power play, which was third in League last season at 23.0 percent, is 27th at 14.3 percent. Their 34 goals are the fewest in the League, and their 1.79 goals-per-game average is the lowest.
The Sharks are building something as well and will take their emboldened confidence when they continue their road trip Saturday at the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Sharks Bites
Peter DeBoer: "Over 82 games, you've got to win all kinds of different ways. We scored five [Tuesday] in Boston, we won that way. Tonight, it was a goalie win for us. You've got to get timely contributions at different points from everybody. No doubt Jones was our best guy tonight.""I really liked our first period. I thought we had great legs, could have had a couple goals in the first and controlled the period. Then to their credit, they regrouped and really won every battle and every footrace the rest of the way. We were on our heels in the second and third. Our goalie was our best player and gave us a chance to get two points."
"We needed a good road trip. We talked about that. We talked about taking it one game at a time and just trying to squeeze out wins. We weren't in a great spot after our homestand. To our guys' credit, it was a bit of gut check, and we're finding a way here."
Joel Ward: "We just kept fighting, trying to create some chances. Just kind of wait until you get that chance, and we were fortunate to put one in."
Melker Karlsson: "We'd been out for a while, and I think it was our second 2-on-1 there. [Donskoi] chipped it over to me and ... it almost rolled over my blade, but I was lucky it went in."
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