Burns helps Sharks rally for third straight win

VANCOUVER -- Trailing by a goal heading into the third period Thursday, the San Jose Sharks didn't have to look back too far to know they could come back against the Vancouver Canucks.
Defensemen Brent Burns tied it 43 seconds into the third period, and Patrick Marleau scored the go-ahead goal less than five minutes later to help San Jose to a 3-2 victory at Rogers Arena. It was the Sharks' second win against the Canucks in Vancouver in five days, each coming after trailing by a goal entering the third period.

"We have done it a few times now, so we know we can do it," Marleau said. "You don't want to be toying with it that many times. We play a certain way we know we are going to get our chances. It's just a matter of burying those chances and sticking with it."

Burns, who had an assist, tied it 2-2 on the power play with a wrist shot through traffic, and Marleau put the Sharks ahead on a 2-on-1 rush, one-touching a cross-ice pass from Joonas Donskoi past the outstretched blocker of goalie Ryan Miller.
"It was the same as the last game here," said San Jose forward Tomas Hertl, who scored midway through the second period and assisted on Burns' goal. "We had a slow start. We scored right away (in the third period) and felt a little better. We finished a pretty good game."
The Sharks are 5-15-3 when trailing entering the third period, the fourth-best winning percentage (.217) in the NHL.
Martin Jones made 28 saves in his 10th consecutive start for the Sharks (35-22-6), who have won three straight games and seven of 10. Jones denied Derek Dorsett on a breakaway shortly before Marleau's game-winning goal, then preserved the victory with a big stop on Daniel Sedin with 39 seconds remaining.
"Any time you play lots of games, you get a better feel for the game," Jones said.

Rookie Jake Virtanen had a goal and an assist, Sven Baertschi scored, and defenseman Dan Hamhuis had two assists for the Canucks (24-27-12), who have lost three straight and seven of their past nine.
Vancouver is 14-3-7 when leading entering the third period, the worst winning percentage (.560) in the League.
"They came hard in the third, we have to respond," Sedin said. "It was way too much back and forth. They take over for too long. That's a good team; they go line and after line and get good zone time."
It didn't start that way for the Sharks.
Vancouver was outshooting San Jose 9-1 when Virtanen opened the scoring 7:14 into the first period. Jones stopped Virtanen's high wrist shot off a rush down the left wing, but the rebound fell to the side of the net.
Virtanen, a 19-year-old right wing, collected the puck at full speed and cut around the net before throwing it out front on the other side, where it bounced in off Sharks forward Joe Pavelski.
"I'm feeling confident each and every game," said Virtanen, who has six points (four goals) in his past 10 games after he had three (one goal) in his first 27 NHL games this season. "We're going to have to find that group confidence as well. We're up by two there in the first and we have to find ways to hold on to that and keep pushing even if we get another one. Those are ones we can't be losing."
Baertschi made it 2-0 Canucks with a deflection through a sliding Jones with 1:29 left in the first, but the Sharks came out firing to start the second.

Hertl deflected their 13th shot of the period past Miller at 10:29. Hertl's stick appeared to be near his shoulder when he tipped Burns' high point shot past Miller, but video review was inconclusive in determining whether it was at or below the level of the crossbar when he deflected the puck. Miller didn't agree and was still upset about the call after the game.
"Rising shot and I just watched the replay and I think it's a high stick for sure, 100 percent high stick," said Miller, who made 27 saves. "Two-goal lead looks a lot better to us, and it might have made a difference."
San Jose's third-ranked power play struggled to generate shots on four chances in the first and second period. Burns' power-play goal in the third came after a 3-for-22 stretch over nine games.
"Our (power play) didn't have a whole lot going, but we got that key goal there at the start of the third to really boost the guys," said Pavelski, who screened Miller on Burns' goal. "We had opportunities, we just didn't execute. That was on us. It wasn't something they were doing. Our compete level could go a little higher. It was good to see the guys come out with a big third, but we can be better."
San Jose will host Vancouver on Saturday in their third game in seven days. It could also be the Sharks debut of goaltender James Reimer, who joined them Thursday after being acquired in a trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday.
"Everything we do now is to prepare for playoffs," Jones said when asked about Reimer joining San Jose. "We want to make sure our game is in good shape coming down the stretch."