SAN JOSE, California (AP) Finland’s Joonas Donskoi saved the series for San Jose by scoring in overtime to give the Sharks a 3-2 victory over Pittsburgh on Saturday, cutting the Penguins’ lead in the Stanley Cup Final series to 2-1.
Into the 13th minute of overtime, Donskoi took the puck behind the net, skated out and squeezed a shot between two defenders and over the right shoulder of Pittsburgh goalie Matt Murray, who was crouching down for a low shot.
It ended a thrilling overtime period in which both goaltenders pulled off some sharp reflex saves, with the San Jose crowd delighted with its first taste of a Stanley Cup Final game.
”The atmosphere was incredible, right from warmups on,” Sharks captain Joe Thornton said. ”The fans here are just amazing. They’ve been waiting 25 years for this chance, and they didn’t disappoint us.”
Pittsburgh’s Ben Lovejoy had the game’s first goal at 5:29 of the first period, and Justin Braun tied it four minutes later.
Lovejoy assisted on Patric Hornqvist’s redirection with 53 seconds left in the second period that put the Penguins up 2-1.
Joel Ward scored for the Sharks just as a power play was expiring midway through the third period to again tie the game.
It was only the second time this season that Pittsburgh had lost a game when leading after two periods, having won the other 49.
San Jose goalie Martin Jones made 40 saves, helping deliver a result which puts the Sharks in a good position to square the series when they host Game 4 on Monday.
”He’s just a stud,” Thornton said of Jones. ”Ever since he’s been here, he’s just so calm and so confident. You know every night he’s going to show up and shut the door for us.”
The start to San Jose’s first home game in a Stanley Cup Final didn’t go as planned as the Penguins struck when Lovejoy’s point shot deflected off defenseman Roman Polak and past Jones for a 1-0 lead.
The Sharks didn’t even get a shot on goal for more than eight minutes but made a strong push after getting the tying goal on Braun’s point shot past a screened Murray. Braun, who scored San Jose’s only goal in Game 2, recorded goals in back-to-back games for the first time in his career.
Pittsburgh goalie Murray robbed Brent Burns in close early in the period after a slick pass from Melker Karlsson, then stopped Ward on a two-on-one a few minutes later to keep the game tied. Logan Couture then hit the post on another odd-man rush and those missed chances proved costly when Pittsburgh took the lead in the final minute of the period.
Thornton lost the puck along the boards and it got to Lovejoy at the point. His shot was deflected in front past Jones to give the Penguins the 2-1 lead heading into the third.
Trailing 2-1 entering the third, the Sharks’ season was on the line as only one team has ever recovered from an 0-3 deficit to win the Cup final. They got their chance when Nick Bonino was sent off for a double-minor for high-sticking Thornton.
San Jose generated good chances on the four-minute power play but it seemed like the Penguins would kill it off as the clock ran down. But just before Bonino stepped out of the box, Ward beat Murray with a blast from the high slot that deflected off the goalie’s glove and in for the equalizer.
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