Andre Burakovsky scored 41 seconds into overtime as the visiting Colorado Avalanche roared back from a pair of two-goal deficits to defeat San Jose 5-4, eliminating the Sharks from playoff contention.
Burakovsky collected the puck at center ice, skated down the middle of the ice and fired a shot from just above the top of the circles. The puck went through San Jose goalie Martin Jones and trickled across the goal line.
The Sharks (20-26-6, 46 points) had a 3-1 lead heading into the third period, but the Avalanche (34-12-4, 72 points) registered three goals in the final frame, including Nazem Kadri’s game-tying, unassisted goal with 3:39 to play.
Mikko Rantanen, Valeri Nichushkin and Gabriel Landeskog also scored for the Avalanche, and Burakovsky, Rantanen and Landeskog had one assist apiece. Colorado goalie Philipp Grubauer made 23 saves.
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Evander Kane registered two goals, Tomas Hertl had a goal and an assist while Timo Meier collected a goal for the Sharks. Jones stopped 26 shots.
San Jose rookie Alexander Barabanov, who did not get an assist on the play, set Kane up with a no-look pass from behind Colorado’s net to give the Sharks a 1-0 lead at 3:20 of the opening frame.
Rantanen scored off a faceoff in San Jose territory to tie the game 1-1 at 5:38 of the first.
At 1:57 in the second period, Hertl took advantage of a turnover in Colorado’s zone and skated around the defense before backhanding the puck top shelf to put the San Jose up 2-1.
Kane scored his second goal of the evening on a breakaway that he backhanded over Grubauer’s outstretched left skate to make it 3-1 at 7:47 of the second. The Sharks outshot the Avalanche 13-2 in the middle period.
Colorado cut into San Jose’s lead 1:18 into the third frame when Burakovsky connected with Nichushkin to make the score 3-2.
Meier got a goal back for San Jose with a wrist shot at 3:32 to put the Sharks up 4-2. The Avalanche tightened up the score again when they took advantage of a turnover in San Jose’s zone and Landeskog wristed the puck past Jones to make it 4-3 at 8:59.
–Field Level Media