Following a four-game road trip through the Central Division, the San Jose Sharks made a quick stop home to host the New York Rangers.
Here are three takeaways from the Sharks’ home tilt against the Rangers.
1. Brent Burns ends 16-game goalless drought
Burns helped his team escape with a 5-4 overtime win with 1:50 left in the period. He beat Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist with a slap shot from the left faceoff circle. With his NHL career-high 28th goal, Burns set the Sharks’ single season mark for goals by a defenseman. He has come back as the offensive defenseman that fans have idolized.
2. Chris Tierney’s pair of goals
After dealing with an upper body injury, Tierney returned to the Sharks lineup Tuesday night. He centered the fourth line alongside Joonas Donskoi and Timo Meier. He’s far from a household name, but he scored a pair of goals against the Rangers, snapping a six-game goalless drought dating back to March 12 against the Dallas Stars. In 74 games so far, he has 20 points (nine goals, 11 assists) along with six penalty minutes and a minus-five rating.
3. Sharks clinch playoffs midway through the game
The Sharks clinched a playoff berth 90 minutes before they snapped their six-game losing skid with a 5-4 overtime victory over the Rangers Tuesday. The Los Angeles Kings lost to the Edmonton Oilers 2-1 in regulation.
With 93 points, the Sharks are tied with the Oilers for second place in the Pacific Division. They’re two points behind the Anaheim Ducks.
However, head coach Peter DeBoer isn’t going all out yet.
“We’re not throwing any parades for clinching the playoffs,” DeBoer told NHL.com correspondent Eric Gilmore. “It’s an accomplishment. You want one of those 16 spots. Then it all starts again.”
Up Next
Sharks begin a three-game Canadian road trip Thursday against the Oilers at 7:00 p.m. MDT on CSN-CA and SNW.
Prediction
Sharks take two out of three games, defeating the Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks.
