Sharks 3 - 4 Avalanche
Final - 2OT
  for this game

Avalanche bury Sharks in shootout

Dec 14, 2011 - 5:16 AM Denver, CO (Sports Network) - Gabriel Landeskog scored the winner in the fifth round of the shootout as the Colorado Avalanche took a 4-3 win over the San Jose Sharks in the opener of a home-and-home set.

Matt Duchene, Daniel Winnik and Stefan Elliott each scored for the Avs, who were coming off a 0-3-0 road trip, but have now won four straight at home. Semyon Varlamov stopped 27 shots in the win.

Dan Boyle had a goal and an assist while Jamie McGinn and Patrick Marleau also scored for the Sharks, who have dropped three straight and five of six. Antti Niemi turned aside 30-of-33 shots in the loss.

"You take what you can get on the road," said Marleau. "We had controlled the game up until the third, then let it get away there."

In the fifth round of the shootout, Landeskog scored with a wrister past Niemi and Brad Winchester hit the goalpost on his attempt to end the game.

"I had my mind made up when I took the shot," said Landeskog. "His blocker was open so I just closed my eyes and shot it."

These teams will meet in San Jose on Thursday.

Colorado had scored twice in the third period, the first goal on a wraparound from the left side by Winnik at the 6:31 mark then a wrist shot from Duchene at the left circle on the power play, to take a 3-2 lead.

San Jose, though, pulled Niemi for the extra attacker and the move paid off as Logan Couture grabbed the puck at the right circle, made a sharp move to get around the defender and threw it to the left where Marleau got a stick on the puck to tie the game with 22 seconds to play.

Colorado got the only goal of the first period when Elliott rushed the zone down the right side and his wrist shot from the top of the right circle beat Niemi with 16.6 seconds left in the frame.

San Jose, though, tied the game on the power play at the 3:16 mark of the second when McGinn tipped in a Boyle shot.

The Sharks took a 2-1 lead with 6:21 to play in the second when Boyle buried a rebound in the slot.

Game Notes

San Jose had won three straight against Colorado coming into the game...San Jose went 1-for-2 on the power play while Colorado was 1-for-1.






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