Florida 3, San Jose 2
When: 10:30 PM ET, Tuesday, March 15, 2022
Where: SAP Center at San Jose, San Jose, California
Referees:
Michael Markovic, Brad Meier
Linesmen:
Libor Suchanek, Killian McNamara
Attendance:
12276
By Field Level Media
Frank Vatrano scored two goals, including the winner just over a minute into overtime, as the visiting Florida Panthers rallied for a 3-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday.
Jonathan Huberdeau also scored for the Panthers and Spencer Knight had 24 saves as Florida improved to 1-1-0 at the start of a season-long seven game road trip. The Panthers had won five consecutive games before hitting the road.
Vatrano's game-winning shot from the deep slot beat Sharks goalie James Reimer on the glove side. It was Vatrano's 10th goal of the season. Florida entered the final period down a goal but rallied by outshooting the Sharks 18-3 over the final 20 minutes and overtime.
Logan Couture and Nicolas Meloche each scored first-period goals, but the Sharks could not get their offense going late while missing out on their first three-game winning streak in two months.
Reimer, who missed the last four games while dealing with a lower-body injury, made 31 saves but could not survive the Panthers' late onslaught.
In a busy first period, Couture gave the Sharks a 1-0 lead 8:19 into the game when he scored his 20th of the season on the power play. It came off a redirection from just in front of the Panthers' goal. Couture now has nine seasons with at least 20 goals.
Three minutes later, Huberdeau tied the game for the Panthers with a short-handed goal, his 19th score of the season. It was Florida's NHL-leading ninth short-handed goal of the season.
Meloche put San Jose up 2-1 at 13:58 of the first period when his shot from the top of the right circle beat Knight, even without any traffic in front of the goal.
After a scoreless second period, the Panthers tied the game 2-all at 3:29 of the third period, when Vatrano ripped a rolling puck past Reimer.
Before the game, the Sharks honored longtime standout Joe Thornton with a video tribute. The 42-year-old, who opened the game on the first line for the Panthers, scored 251 goals with 804 assists over 15 seasons in San Jose, during a run that ended in 2019-20.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
| Florida |
|
San Jose |
|
Frank Vatrano 2 |
Points |
Tomas Hertl 2 |
|
Frank Vatrano 2 |
Goals |
Logan Couture 1 |
|
Noel Acciari 1 |
Assists |
Tomas Hertl 2 |
|
N/A |
Power Play Goals |
Logan Couture 1 |
|
Jonathan Huberdeau 1 |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
|
Spencer Knight .923 |
Save Percentage |
James Reimer .912 |
|
Spencer Knight 24 |
Saves |
James Reimer 31 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
| Florida
|
34 |
3 |
0-2 |
4-5 |
14 |
27 |
| San Jose
|
26 |
2 |
1-5 |
2-2 |
8 |
33 |
Upcoming Games
-
San Jose will play their next game on the road against Los Angeles. The Sharks have a W/L % of .444 after a win and .438 after a loss.
-
Florida will play their next game on the road against Vegas. The Panthers have a W/L % of .725 after a win and .600 after a loss.