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Three third-period tallies help Sharks edge Maple Leafs

Jan 13, 2008 - 7:22 AM By Michael Duca PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

SAN JOSE, California (Ticker) -- For 40 minutes, it looked like the Toronto Maple Leafs were going to end their struggles. But the final 20 were a different story.

Captain Patrick Marleau, defenseman Craig Rivet and Joe Pavelski scored in the final session as the San Jose Sharks overcame a two-goal deficit en route to a 3-2 victory over the Maple Leafs on Saturday night.

Evgeni Nabokov made 23 saves in his 50th consecutive start for the Sharks, who improved to 7-0-1 in their last eight contests.

It was the fifth straight loss for Toronto , which has not won in regulation since December 14.

The Sharks outshot the Maple Leafs all night, and the disadvantage took its toll on former San Jose goaltender Vesa Toskala in the third period.

"The worm had turned for us halfway through the second period," San Jose coach Ron Wilson said. "We were getting our scoring chances, but Toskala was playing unbelievably. Going into the third with a power play was huge for us as long as we got the job done out there, and we did."

Marleau redeemed himself early in the session after misfiring from the doorstep twice during a power play that straddled the final two periods.

With just 12 seconds remaining on the man advantage, Marleau received a pass from Joe Thornton and unleashed a slap shot from the high slot that went between Toskala's pads 69 seconds into the third, drawing the Sharks within 2-1.

With rookie Jiri Tlusty and defenseman Hal Gill in the penalty box, San Jose needed just 17 seconds of the 5-on-3 advantage to tie the game, as Rivet's shot from the slot beat Toskala at 8:31.

"We were really focused coming into the third period," Rivet said. "Knowing that we were down two goals, knowing that we hadn't played terrible hockey, but knowing that we could play a little bit better. We really stuck with our system tonight."

Less than two minutes later, Jonathan Cheechoo launched a slap shot from near the right wing boards that Pavelski redirected past a beleaguered Toskala low to the glove side for a 3-2 lead with 9:39 left.

"I was hoping Cheech was going to shoot that lane," Pavelski said. "It was a great angle to get a tip. He made the shot, I got the stick on it and it found the back of the net."

Toskala turned aside 32 shots in his first trip to San Jose since being traded this past summer.

"Good teams like San Jose will come back if you give them a chance," Toskala said. "It's pretty frustrating. We need points badly so we can get back in the playoff race."

The Sharks have not lost to the Maple Leafs in San Jose since March 26, 1997. Saturday's triumph also gave San Jose its first three-game home winning streak this season.

Toronto took a 1-0 lead by scoring on its first shot of the night.

While behind his net, Nabokov attempted to clear the puck but slid it past defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic and right to Mats Sundin. The Maple Leafs' captain one-timed a centering pass to Nik Antropov, who beat an unprepared Nabokov from the slot at 3:19 for his 17th goal of the season.

Defenseman Pavel Kubina doubled the lead during a power play early in the second, receiving a feed from All-Star blue-liner Tomas Kaberle skating past a defender before burying a shot from the right faceoff circle at 1:42.

"(Our guys) played their butts off, three in four nights," said Toronto coach Paul Maurice, who met with team president Richard Peddie for 15 minutes after the game. "With all the stuff they are dealing with and the weight that's hanging over them, they came out and played hard and competed hard, and they deserved a better fate. But we didn't get it."