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Sharks push for postseason spot, beat Detroit in OT

Mar 18, 2012 - 6:56 AM San Jose, CA (Sports Network) - Martin Havlat scored a pair of goals, including the winner in overtime, as the Sharks got past the Red Wings, 3-2, on Saturday.

Joe Pavelski also had a goal and Antti Niemi made 26 saves for San Jose, which earned its 82nd point and supplanted idle Phoenix in the Western Conference's final playoff spot. The Sharks are also even with the Kings with the same point total, but San Jose has one additional victory.

Pavel Datsyuk and Valtteri Filppula both scored and Jimmy Howard had 32 saves for the Red Wings, who sit in fourth place in the Western Conference despite suffering their four straight loss.

"We can't be satisfied with getting a point," said Howard. "We have to find a way to establish ourselves and start winning."

Havlat, who returned to the lineup for Thursday's win over Nashville after missing 39 games with a hamstring injury, notched the game-winner with 1:37 left in overtime. He sent home a rebound amidst a scrum in front as Howard, pinned beneath a Red Wing and a Shark, watched helplessly from his back.

Pavelski's second-effort snap shot had the Sharks up less than a minute into the first before Havlat made it 2-0 towards the end of the period.

He buried a long wrister with 1:37 left in the frame, but Datsyuk struck 23 seconds later, making it 2-1 with a bad-angle wrister from below the left circle.

"He's such an important part of our hockey club and I don't even think we've realized yet how much of an impact he can have," Sharks coach Todd McLellan said of Havlat.

Following a scoreless second period, Filppula tied it midway through the third, beating Niemi on the breakaway with a wrister over the netminder's right shoulder.

Game Notes

The Sharks went 0-for-3 on the power-play while the Red Wings went 0-for-2. Detroit is mired in an 0-for-30 power-play drought...Filppula has six points in his last six games.