Apr 4, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Coyotes right wing Shane Doan (19) checks San Jose Sharks center Tomas Hertl (48) into goalie Antti Niemi (31) during the first period at Gila River Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
The San Jose Sharks couldn’t get it done once again when it mattered most. The Arizona Coyotes defeated the Sharks 5-3 to plant the final dagger into the hearts of San Jose this season.
It was a special teams battle in the first period that saw all three goals come by way of the man advantage. Oliver Ekman-Larsson kicked things off with his 22nd goal of the year to give Arizona a 1-0 lead.
San Jose would answer when Tomas Hertl deposited a rebound by Mike Smith for his 13th goal of the season from Chris Tierney and Taylor Fedun. The Coyotes would respond with more than one minute remaining as captain Shane Doan scored his 14th to give Arizona a 2-1 lead heading into the first intermission.
The second period featured another evenly played period between the two, but Ekman-Larsson got his second of the night to give Arizona a two-goal lead at the 17:46 mark. Joe Thornton wouldn’t let the Sharks go away as he sniped his 15th goal of the season from a sharp angle just 19 seconds after Ekman-Larsson’s goal.
In the third, San Jose would find themselves behind by two yet again when Mark Arcobello scored his third goal against the Sharks this season, and second goal in consecutive nights, to push the lead to 4-2. San Jose answered back yet again as Tierney tipped home a Matt Irwin drive for the Sharks’ second power play goal of the night to make it a one-goal deficit.
However, the story all night, and frankly the entire season, was the Sharks could never get fully over the hump. Despite a late power play opportunity and 45 shots on goal, San Jose couldn’t get it done as Sam Gagner’s empty-net goal essentially ended the Sharks’ season.
While it was always a long shot for San Jose to make the playoffs following their collapse during February, to see it end against the second-worst team in the league is frustrating. Even with an extremely soft closing schedule, the Sharks faltered.
Looking back, this team was never capable to put forth a legitimate effort or apply pressure to those they were chasing. San Jose hasn’t won three games in a row since the end of January but were expected to win five or six in a row at the end of the season. No chance.
In the end, chalk up one final demoralizing loss at the hands of an inferior opponent to San Jose’s resume.
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