Islanders 3, Sharks 2 (SO)
SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Left winger Kyle Okposo scored in the fourth round of a shootout after tying the game late in regulation, and the New York Islanders shocked the San Jose Sharks 3-2 Tuesday.
San Jose saw its winless streak extended to a season-high four games (0-3-1), while New York snapped a 10-game winless streak (0-8-2) and a 10-game road losing streak.
The Islanders cut the Sharks' two-goal lead after two periods in half within the opening minute of the third period and gained the equalizer late with their goalie pulled.
With New York trailing 2-0, John Tavares drove defenseman Justin Braun hard toward the goal, but Sharks goalie Antti Niemi made a right-pad save when the Islanders center shot in close. The stop took Niemi out of position, and left winger Thomas Vanek filled an empty net at 51 seconds of the final period.
Then, with goalie Kevin Poulin out in favor of an extra skater and following a timeout, Tavares won an offensive-zone draw from San Jose right winger Joe Pavelski. He knocked the puck to Okposo, who fired a high shot from the left point over the right shoulder of Niemi at 18:23.
The Sharks outshot the Islanders 48-28 during regulation and overtime. Poulin made 46 saves, while Niemi stopped 26 shots.
San Jose broke through to score twice in the middle period, the first coming on power play and the second when San Jose activated its defense.
Left winger Patrick Marleau scored his 14th goal at 5:26, just nine seconds into defenseman Matt Carkner's roughing penalty. The Sharks finally solved Poulin, who stopped the first 23 shots he faced.
The Islanders had an opportunity to tie the game on their first power play, which began at 8:34 when San Jose right winger Tommy Wingels held right winger Colin McDonald. However, Vanek hit a post and Tavares fanned on a bouncing puck in front during the 5-on-4 that officially produced no shots.
San Jose scored at even strength late when pinching defenseman Dan Boyle was denied by Poulin, but the weak-side rebound was punched home by Pavelski at 15:24.
The Sharks dominated possession and zone time like never before this season in the opening 20 minutes, but their recent struggles on the power play continued, and the game was scoreless at the first intermission.
San Jose had an 18-3 edge in shots, but Poulin was tremendous, making a number of scrambling, acrobatic saves to keep it scoreless.
New York left winger Eric Boulton and defenseman Travis Hamonic tossed pucks over the glass for delay-of-game penalties within 1:51 just before mid-period, giving the hosts consecutive power plays bridged with nine seconds of a 5-on-3 advantage. However, the Sharks could not take advantage.
Hamonic went off for hooking center Joe Thornton late in the period, and this time San Jose applied great pressure but again failed to convert. In all, the Sharks put five shots on goal during 5:51 of power-play time but saw their recent slump extend to 3-for-42 on the man advantage.
NOTES: New York G Evgeni Nabokov did not dress in what would have been his first game in San Jose, where he played the first 10 seasons of his career. Nabokov, recovering from a Nov. 16 groin injury, was emotional when recalling his time with the Sharks. I definitely would want to be out there and play against them," he said. D Lubomir Visnovsky (concussion) and D Brian Strait (upper body) remain out for the Isles. ... The Sharks entertain the Minnesota Wild on Thursday before heading back on the road for three games. New York concludes a five-game trip on Thursday against the Phoenix Coyotes. ... San Jose D Scott Hannan was out for a second straight game due to a unspecified lower-body injury. RW Raffi Torres (right ACL surgery), RW Adam Burish (back surgery) and RW Mike Brown (undisclosed) remain out for San Jose. ... The Islanders made their first visit to San Jose since Nov. 11, 2010. ... LW James Sheppard and C John McCarthy were healthy scratches for the Sharks. D Radek Martinek and C Peter Regin did not dress for the Islanders.
