SAN JOSE, Calif. — In a thrilling overtime encounter, Drew O’Connor netted a penalty shot just 33 seconds into the extra period, lifting the Vancouver Canucks to a narrow 2-1 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Thursday evening.
The decisive penalty shot was awarded to O’Connor after Sharks rookie Macklin Celebrini was penalized for hooking. This critical moment capped off a tense match that saw the Sharks trailing 1-0 until late in the regulation time.
Tyler Toffoli played a pivotal role for San Jose with a timely equalizer, scoring his 20th goal of the season with just 1:28 remaining in the third period. Earlier, Dakota Joshua had put the Canucks ahead with a power-play goal midway through the third.
Thatcher Demko, the Canucks’ goaltender, pursued his second consecutive shutout with an impressive 33 saves throughout the match. Meanwhile, Vitek Vanecek of San Jose recorded 22 saves in response.
The Canucks were missing key defenseman Quinn Hughes, who is the team’s leader in points, as he sat out his third straight game due to a lower-body injury. Joshua’s goal at 8:04 of the third period was assisted by Tyler Myers and Pius Sutter, capitalizing on a two-minute delay of game penalty issued to Celebrini.
### Key Takeaways:
– **Canucks:** Vancouver triumphed over the Sharks for the 10th time in their last 11 encounters. They’ve also secured five wins in their last seven games, improving after a rough stretch where they only managed 7 victories out of their last 23 games (7-10-6).
– **Sharks:** In contrast, San Jose has struggled significantly, losing nine of their last ten contests and holding a record of 5-22-1 since December 3.
A crucial moment in the game came when Toffoli’s wrist shot found the back of the net, assisted by William Eklund. This goal injected new life into the Sharks and set the stage for an exciting finish.
Looking ahead, the Canucks will face off against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night, while the Sharks will wrap up a three-game homestand on the same night against the Dallas Stars.
