The San Jose Sharks defeated the Vancouver Canucks 3-2 on Friday at SAP Center, powered by two power-play goals and strong goaltending from Yaroslav Askarov. Macklin Celebrini recorded two assists, including on William Eklund's tying goal, while Adam Gaudette's reviewed goal proved decisive. The win improves the Sharks to 9-4-1 in November.
The Sharks trailed 2-1 entering the second period but mounted a comeback against the Canucks in a penalty-filled game that saw 38 total penalty minutes, including a late scrum with 1.9 seconds left.
In the first period, Vancouver struck first at 4:28 when Brock Boeser scored on a wrist shot assisted by Conor Garland and Tom Willander, giving the Canucks a 1-0 lead. San Jose responded on the power play at 9:25, with Will Smith netting his eighth goal of the season on a one-timer from Alexander Wennberg and Macklin Celebrini, tying the game 1-1. This marked the 37th time Smith and Celebrini have combined on a goal.
Elias Pettersson put Vancouver back ahead 2-1 at 3:04 of the second, batting a puck to himself before sweeping it past Askarov for his eighth goal, assisted by Evander Kane and Filip Hronek. Pettersson's goal moved him to 479 points, seventh in Canucks history.
The tide turned late in the second during a 5-on-3 power play. At 14:03, Celebrini assisted Eklund's one-timer from the right circle, tying it 2-2. Just 1:14 later, at 15:17, Gaudette jammed a loose puck that crossed the line despite being in Nikita Tolopilo's glove, confirmed after NHL video review, for a 3-2 lead.
Askarov made 32 saves for his ninth win this month, while Tolopilo stopped 21 of 24 shots. San Jose went 2-for-6 on the power play and killed all penalties, holding Vancouver to 0-for-9. Boeser reached 450 points, 10th in franchise history, and Kane notched his 300th NHL assist.
The Sharks, now 12-10-3 and two points from a Western Conference playoff spot, host the Golden Knights on Saturday. Vancouver, 10-13-2 after losing seven of nine, faces the Kings next.
