Vancouver Canucks at San Jose Sharks
· National Hockey League
Will Smith scores as the Sharks edge the Canucks 3-2
Adam Gaudette also scored as San Jose won for the fourth time in six games. Macklin Celebrini had two assists, and Yaroslav Askarov stopped 32 shots.
Vancouver dropped to 1-1-0 on a challenging four-game trip. Brock Boeser and Elias Petterson scored for the Canucks, and Nikita Tolopilo made 21 saves in his second start this season and fourth of his career.
Vancouver had a late 6-on-4 opportunity after pulling Tolopilo with Celebrini in the penalty box. But San Jose held on.
The Canucks grabbed an early lead when Boeser scored his ninth goal of the season on the team's second shot 4:28 into the first.
The Sharks responded with Smith's power-play goal at 9:25. Celebrini dumped the puck to Alexander Wennberg on the right side of the net, and Wennberg dished it to Smith on the other side.
Elias Petterson put Vancouver ahead 2-1 in the second with his eighth goal. Petterson's shot appeared to deflect off Askarov’s right skate before going in.
The Sharks had a 5-on-3 advantage later in the period and tied it on Eklund’s sixth goal.
San Jose made it 3-2 moments later when Philipp Kurashev passed to Gaudette behind the net, and Gaudette quickly slipped it past Tolopilo. The officials didn’t initially signal a score, but replay confirmed the goal.
Sharks: At Vegas on Saturday.
Regular Season SeriesSJ leads series 1-0
Scoring Summary
 |
Goal | 1st Period 4:28 | Brock Boeser Goal (9) Wrist Shot, assists: Conor Garland (9), Tom Willander (6) |
 |
Goal | 1st Period 9:25 | Will Smith Goal (8) Wrist Shot, assists: Alexander Wennberg (8), Macklin Celebrini (21) |
|
Goal | 2nd Period 3:04 | Elias Pettersson Goal (8) Wrist Shot, assists: Evander Kane (9), Filip Hronek (14) |
|
Goal | 2nd Period 14:03 | William Eklund Goal (6) Slap Shot, assists: Macklin Celebrini (22), John Klingberg (4) |
|
Goal | 2nd Period 15:17 | Adam Gaudette Goal (6) Backhand, assists: Philipp Kurashev (7), Tyler Toffoli (8) |
Statistics
 VAN |
 SJ |
|
|---|---|---|
| 9 | Blocked Shots | 15 |
| 17 | Hits | 14 |
| 4 | Takeaways | 5 |
| 34 | Shots | 24 |
| 0 | Power Play Goals | 2 |
| 8 | Power Play Opportunities | 6 |
| 0.0 | Power Play Percentage | 33.3 |
| 0 | Short Handed Goals | 0 |
| 0 | Shootout Goals | 0 |
| 26 | Faceoffs Won | 40 |
| 39.4 | Faceoff Win Percent | 60.6 |
| 13 | Giveaways | 12 |
| 8 | Total Penalties | 11 |
| 16 | Penalty Minutes | 22 |
San Jose Sharks Injuries
| NAME, POS | STATUS | DATE |
|---|---|---|
| Michael Misa, C | Injured Reserve | Dec 3 |
| Vincent Desharnais, D | Injured Reserve | Dec 2 |
| Logan Couture, C | Injured Reserve | Sep 30 |
Vancouver Canucks Injuries
| NAME, POS | STATUS | DATE |
|---|---|---|
| Elias Pettersson, C | Day-To-Day | Dec 7 |
| Pierre-Olivier Joseph, D | Day-To-Day | Dec 7 |
| Filip Chytil, C | Injured Reserve | Dec 6 |
| Nils Hoglander, LW | Injured Reserve | Dec 4 |
| Thatcher Demko, G | Injured Reserve | Dec 4 |
Game Information
SAP Center at San Jose
Location: San Jose, CA
Attendance: 17,435 | Capacity:
Location: San Jose, CA
Attendance: 17,435 | Capacity:
