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Friday, Mar. 24 10:30pm ET
Coyotes left clinging to playoff spot | |||||
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BOX SCORE
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -- Just after Phoenix killed a four-minute power play, the San Jose Sharks came to life. Jeff Friesen and Stephane Matteau scored second-period goals, leading the Sharks to a 5-1 victory Friday night over the Coyotes. Friesen scored at 9:15, just three seconds after Dallas Drake's double minor for high-sticking expired, snapping a 1-1 tie. Matteau scored a little more than three minutes later, and the Sharks were in control. "I actually thought the penalty kill set us forward," Phoenix coach Bob Francis said. "When you get a whistle at that point, the boys can relax a little and feel good about themselves." The Sharks, with 80 points, vaulted over Phoenix into a sixth-place tie with Edmonton in the Western Conference. The Coyotes, who have 79 points, are in the eighth and final playoff spot, just three points ahead of Anaheim and Vancouver. On Friesen's goal, Phoenix goalie Sean Burke went behind the net to retrieve the puck and tried to clear it along the boards. Todd Harvey intercepted the puck and got it to Friesen, who scored from 20 feet out with Burke out of position. "That was one of the easier goals I've had," Friesen said. The game turned there. The Sharks got stronger, and Phoenix, playing its third game in four nights, ran out of gas. The Coyotes played without Keith Tkachuk, serving a two-game suspension for a high-sticking incident. "They had to be tired," said San Jose's Mike Ricci, who scored two goals and added an assist. "They've been in a long stretch and are undermanned. We thought if we came out and put pressure on them that we could wear them down." San Jose outshot the Coyotes 22-4 in the second period, but Phoenix held an 18-14 advantage in the other two. "It's embarassing to play like we did in the second period," Burke said. "We just seemed to let a lot of things bother us." Tony Granato gave the Sharks an insurance goal with 4:47 left, scoring from short range after a pass from Dave Lowry. San Jose got another goal with five seconds remaining when Ricci deflected in a shot by Brad Stuart. The Sharks took a 1-0 lead on a power play at 4:04 of the first period. Ricci scored his 19th goal, taking the puck in the corner of ice slightly deeper than the goal and driving for a shot from point-blank range. Phoenix tied it at 15:18 of the first when Teppo Numminen scored from 35 feet. The Sharks are 5-2-1 in their last eight games while the Coyotes are 0-4-1 in their last five. | ALSO SEE NHL Scoreboard Phoenix Clubhouse San Jose Clubhouse Tkachuk draws two games for high-sticking
RECAPS Pittsburgh 5 Atlanta 3
San Jose 5
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NHL West: Tale of two captains