Stalock continues magical run in place where his NHL career began

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Wild goaltender Alex Stalock had seen the same song and dance for years.
A fourth-round draft pick of the San Jose Sharks in 2005, Stalock started and played the first five years of his NHL career in the team's teal and black jerseys, often getting a front-row seat of the locomotive-like precision in which the Sharks always seem to start and finish their opponents at SAP Center.
So as he trudged back to the ice to start the third period, with his team ahead by two goals, Stalock absolutely knew what he was in for.

Good thing for the Wild, he was more than up to the task.
Stalock made 40 saves on Thursday night, including 19 stops in a helter-skelter third period as Minnesota hung on for a 3-2 win at the Shark Tank.

"[The Sharks'] core has been together for so long. I think it's just routine. They come out flying, they want to put a team on their heels and teams know it's tough to come in, so right away, if you're fighting pucks or handling pucks, they're on you right away," Stalock said. "They play a fast game and they play a system where everybody knows where they need to be at the same time. They get pucks to the net ... they've got guys that are all world at getting pucks to the net and they get bodies in front. They do a good job of it."
And, predictably, while that certainly described the first 10 minutes of the game, it was indicative of the entire final 20.
San Jose peppered Stalock, outshooting the Wild by a 20-3 margin in the final period. Joe Thornton's goal just shy of the halfway point of the third came after Stalock made two ridiculous saves from in tight.

The final 10:52 of regulation was hold-on-for-dear-life time, especially in this building, where momentum is at an absolute premium.
But Stalock wasn't rattled, not even a little bit. The former UMD Bulldog calmly made save after save, somehow gloving down one re-directed shot in the slot.
"I think it just kind of hit my glove," Stalock said. "That was nice."
There was the calm, cool and collected glove save on Evander Kane off the rush. All Kane could do was look skyward and shake his head in disbelief.
Later, he sprawled post-to-post to stymie what looked like another sure goal, instead making a miraculous right-pad save to rob Timo Meier.
In between were any number of sure glove saves that helped keep the Wild on the tracks. He even got a little help from the post on a power-play shot by Joe Thornton that echoed loudly throughout the SAP Center.
When the final horn sounded, Stalock pumped his right fist and celebrated with teammates his 20th victory of the season.

"It's exciting. I think this year, he's won the most games of his career," said Wild defenseman Ryan Suter, who had a goal and an assist in the game. "And he uses a lot of energy. It's fun to play for him."
Stalock improved to 11-3-1 over his past 15 games since Jan. 16, while allowing just two goals per game and stopping 94 percent of shots faced during that stretch.
As a team, Minnesota has gone 14-6-1 over that span and has gone from postseason afterthought to currently holding the top wild card spot in the Western Conference.

"Goaltending has been huge and Stalock] has been solid," Suter said. "We're kind of feeding off that right now. We just need to continue that effort."
Every goaltender is prideful, especially against his former club. That was certainly the case for Stalock, who was chased from the crease after allowing four goals in 20 minutes of action in this building back in November.
And while it certainly wasn't all his fault that night, Stalock put the onus on himself to play better and give his teammates a chance to get a much-needed two points.
Mission accomplished.
"Any time you're playing against old friends, it's a ton of fun," Stalock said. "I love it. It's a test. Obviously, the last time in here wasn't the result you wanted, but you come back in here and get a bounce back, you get a chance to come in here and do it again, to play against guys that you've practiced with so many days, came up through the American League with, played NHL games with ... it's quite a journey."
**Related:**
[Postgame Hat Trick: Wild 3, Sharks 2