Rangers top Sharks in shootout after allowing tying goal in final seconds

SAN JOSE -- Tomas Hertl scored with 1.3 seconds left in the third period to tie the game, but the New York Rangers rallied for a 4-3 victory in a shootout against the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center on Tuesday.

Kevin Shattenkirk scored the only goal in the shootout, beating Martin Jones with a backhand in the third round.
"I think the way we played all night we deserved that outcome," Shattenkirk said. "This is a tough barn to play in. They're a really good team that doesn't quit."
WATCH: [All Rangers vs. Sharks highlights]
The Rangers appeared headed for a regulation win before Hertl took a pass from Logan Couture and beat goalie Henrik Lundqvist with a spinning wrist shot from the right circle just before the horn. Then with 0.2 seconds left in overtime, Lundqvist made a stellar glove save of a slap shot from Sharks defenseman Brent Burns.
"I knew it was like one or two seconds left, and it was so close because I didn't pick it up until the last second," Lundqvist said. "I don't know if I would have made it through the night if they had scored with two seconds to go in overtime as well. I think it would have been tough to accept. It was just a big relief to take it to a shootout and [Shattenkirk} stepped up for us."

Burns had a goal and an assist to extend his point streak to nine games, a NHL career high and a Sharks record for defensemen. He has three goals and 12 assists in the streak. Timo Meier extended his NHL career-high point streak to nine games (eight goals, five assists) with his ninth goal of the season and an assist for San Jose (6-3-3).
They became the second set of teammates in Sharks history with simultaneous point streaks of at least nine games, joining Todd Elik and Pat Falloon, who each had 10-game point streaks from Jan. 15-Feb. 8, 1994.
Chris Kreider scored two goals, and Lundqvist made 31 saves before stopping two shots in the shootout.

Mats Zuccarello had a goal and an assist for New York (4-7-1), which won a game on the road for the first time this season.
"We did a lot of good things, played hard," Rangers coach David Quinn said. "I thought our gaps were great all over the ice. And listen, we're learning. We've got to learn to close games out. We've got to understand situational hockey, but to come in here and get two points against a really good hockey team I think says an awful lot about our guys.
"The last three games we think we've struggled a little bit, haven't been playing the way we think we're capable of, and I thought we got back to doing things we were doing earlier in the year and maybe turned it up a notch."
Jones made 34 saves for the Sharks, who extended their point streak to six games (4-0-2), thanks to Hertl's late goal.
"I looked up, saw the zeroes and thought it might have been over, but the goal came just in time," Hertl said. "It was a huge point because we didn't have our game tonight."

Sharks center Joe Thornton returned after missing nine games with an infection in his surgically repaired right knee but did not have a point. He had one shot in 14:19.
Kreider gave the Rangers a 2-1 lead at 1:13 of the third period, beating Jones with a one-timer.
The Sharks tied it 2-2 when Meier scored at 8:14 on a 2-on-1 rush, but Kreider answered with a goal from close range at 10:05 to give New York a 3-2 lead.
"We were chasing them from behind," Meier said. "We had a lot of turnovers. We didn't play our game. We fought back nicely, tied it up, and it's just too bad we couldn't get two points at the end."
Burns gave the Sharks a 1-0 lead at 3:22 of the first period. The Rangers tied it 1-1 on Zuccarello's goal at 4:21.

They said it

"I'm just happy with the way we responded. We got the win. We played a really good game against a good team. The only thing that bothers me is they tied the game that late. That was a shock. It's still shocking to me. At some point you feel like you deserve some bounces." -- Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist

"Tonight was one of those tough games. You're coming off the road. It's a little bit of a trap game. We knew that coming in. The first period we were on our heels. They were the more desperate team tonight." -- Sharks coach Peter DeBoer

Need to know

Thornton played his 1,496th game, moving past Phil Housley for 20th in NHL history. … Sharks captain Joe Pavelski played his 900th NHL game. … Rangers defenseman Adam McQuaid (lower body) missed his second straight game. ... Couture (five goals, 12 assists) and Hertl (three goals, eight assists) each extended their point streak to seven games. ... Meier has at least one goal in five straight games.

What's next

Rangers: At the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday (10 p.m. ET; PRIME, MSG, NHL.TV)
Sharks: Host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday (10:30 p.m. ET; NBCSCA, FS-O, NHL.TV)