Pro Sports

Donskoi ties it with 15.4 seconds left, Sharks win in OT

Posted January 14, 2018 6:00 am

By GIDEON RUBIN

San Jose Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic (44) celebrates after scoring a goal past Arizona Coyotes center Christian Dvorak, left, in overtime of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Jan. 13, 2018, in San Jose, Calif. San Jose won 6-5. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar) The Associated Press

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) - It all happened in a flash amid a scramble in front of the goal, and Marc-Edouard Vlasic didn't want to dwell on the details - like whether he actually touched the puck on the winning goal.

It was no matter.

Vlasic was credited with an overtime goal as the San Jose Sharks beat the Arizona Coyotes 6-5 on Saturday night.

Joonas Donskoi tied it with 15.4 seconds left for the Sharks with his second goal of the game, and Vlasic followed with his fifth of the season amid a scramble in front.

"Why would you ask that?" Vlasic said when asked if he touched the puck.

"Lucky bounce," Vlasic said. "It popped up, I crashed the net and I was lucky enough to poke it in."

Coyotes goalie Scott Edgewood offered a different version of events.

"I kicked my legs out and they had two guys coming in hard and it glanced of (Coyotes center Christian) Dvorak's skate," Edgewood said.

"We got beat by a bounce off our own skate," Arizona center Derek Stepan said.

Donskoi scored with San Jose goalie Aaron Dell pulled for an extra skater after Arizona scored twice earlier in the period. Vlasic scored with an assist from Joe Thornton, who had a goal and two helpers to move ahead of Hall of Famer Adam Oates for 17th on the career scoring list (1,420 points).

Joe Pavelski and Logan Couture also scored for San Jose, and Dell stopped 13 of 15 shots after replacing Martin Jones in net.

"I hadn't scored in a while, so it was nice to get a couple tonight and I hope I can score more goals in the future," Donskoi said.

The Sharks were coming off a bye week and hadn't played since Jan. 7. They'd lost three straight and four of their last five going into Saturday.

"First game back, it took a while to find our legs but we found a way to win," Vlasic said. "It's all about getting points."

Arizona got goals from Stepan, Alex Goligoski, Christian Fischer, Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Josh Archibald. Wedgewood made 38 saves.

Thornton opened the scoring at 5:53 of a frantic first period in which the teams combined for six goals. Pavelski and Couture also scored then for San Jose, while Stepan, Goligoski and Fischer combined to make it 3-3 at the first intermission.

Donskoi scored his ninth of the season late in the second period, but then Ekman-Larsson and Archibald scored early in the third to make it 5-4 Coyotes.

NOTES: Arizona has lost five of six. ... Thornton has 85 points against the Coyotes in 22 games, more than he has against any other team. ... Arizona F Zac Rinaldo was back in the lineup for the first time after a six-game suspension for a blindside punch to Colorado's Samuel Girard. Coach Rick Tocchet scratched C Nick Cousins to make room for Rinaldo. ... San Jose F Mikkel Boedker, a healthy scratch in the team's last game before its break on Jan. 7, was back in the lineup. ... D Dylan DeMelo, out with flu symptoms, is expected to come off injured reserve for Monday's game against the Los Angeles Kings.

UP NEXT

Coyotes: Host the Sharks on Tuesday night.

Sharks: Play at Los Angeles on Monday.

___

More AP hockey: https://apnews.com/tag/NHLhockey

San Jose Sharks right wing Joonas Donskoi, center, celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal in the final seconds of the third period against the Arizona Coyotes in an NHL hockey game Saturday, Jan. 13, 2018, in San Jose, Calif. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar) The Associated Press

Arizona Coyotes goalie Scott Wedgewood, left, reacts as the San Jose Sharks celebrate a 6-5 overtime win in an NHL hockey game Saturday, Jan. 13, 2018, in San Jose, Calif. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar) The Associated Press

San Jose Sharks goaltender Aaron Dell (30) blocks a shot by Arizona Coyotes right wing Richard Panik, from Slovakia, during the second period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Jan. 13, 2018, in San Jose, Calif. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar) The Associated Press

San Jose Sharks goaltender Aaron Dell (30) blocks a shot by Arizona Coyotes center Clayton Keller during the second period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Jan. 13, 2018, in San Jose, Calif. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar) The Associated Press

Arizona Coyotes goaltender Scott Wedgewood (31) blocks a shot at goal by the San Jose Sharks during the first period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Jan. 13, 2018, in San Jose, Calif. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar) The Associated Press

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