Sharks beat Avalanche in OT, lose defenseman to injury

SAN JOSE – Philipp Kurashev scored at the 1:48 mark of overtime to lift the San Jose Sharks to a 3-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday at SAP Center. Kurashev took pass from Alexander Wennberg, went in and beat Avalanche goalie Mackenzie Blackwood with a shot to the glove side as the Sharks improved to 4-2-0 their last six games after a 0-4-2 start. They now play the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday in the second of back-to-back games on home ice. Goalie Yaroslav Askarov had a bounce-back game against the Avalanche with 36 saves, after he allowed four goals on 14 shots in a 4-3 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday. After Avalanche forward Martin Necas scored 30 seconds into the game, Askarov finished the first period with 14 saves and had 28 saves after 40 minutes. The Sharks took a 2-1 lead on Kursahev’s goal 4:07 into the second period, as he took a pass from Ty Delladrea and beat goalie Mackenzie Blackwood for his fourth goal of the season. The Avalanche got that goal back just over five minutes later in somewhat disputed fashion. Nathan MacKinnon got behind the Sharks’ defense and was in alone on Askarov. He went forehand to backhand to try and beat Askarov right before Sharks winger Jeff Skinner lost an edge and crashed into the net. MacKinnon put the puck across the goal line after the net had been knocked off. The play was reviewed by the NHL, which, in confirming a goal, cited Rule 63.7, which says in part that “the attacking player must have an imminent scoring opportunity prior to the goal post being displaced, and it must be determined that the puck would have entered the net between the normal position of the goal posts.” Macklin Celebrini extended his career-best point streak to seven games with a goal at the 18:21 mark of the first period that tied the game 1-1. Shakir Mukhamadullin sent a pass up through the neutral zone up to Tyler Toffoli, who quickly sent a centering pass to a trailing Celebrini. Instead of dusting it off, Celebrini fired it right away, beating Blackwood, an ex-Shark, high to the blocker side. Celebrini had two shot attempts in the first period, including one dazzling play in the Colorado end in which he did a complete spin before putting a shot on net. Timothy Liljegren was injured midway through the first period, as a deflected puck into the Sharks’ bench caught the defenseman in the face. Liljegren, who was in obvious distress, was immediately treated by the Sharks’ training staff and helped to the team’s dressing room. The Sharks announced before the start of the second period that Liljegren, who had emerged as a top-pair defenseman averaging 22:50 in ice time per game, would not return. Saturday’s game featured some of the NHL’s most dynamic offensive players, with MacKinnon, Martin Necas, and defenseman Cale Makar from Colorado entered Saturday as the NHL’s second-highest scoring team at 3.75 goals per game, and was coming off an impressive 4-2 road win over the Vegas Golden Knights.

SAN JOSE – Philipp Kurashev scored at the 1:48 mark of overtime to lift the San Jose Sharks to a 3-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday at SAP Center.

Kurashev took pass from Alexander Wennberg, went in and beat Avalanche goalie Mackenzie Blackwood with a shot to the glove side as the Sharks improved to 4-2-0 their last six games after a 0-4-2 start. They now play the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday in the second of back-to-back games on home ice.

Goalie Yaroslav Askarov had a bounce-back game against the Avalanche with 36 saves, after he allowed four goals on 14 shots in a 4-3 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday. After Avalanche forward Martin Necas scored 30 seconds into the game, Askarov finished the first period with 14 saves and had 28 saves after 40 minutes.

The Sharks took a 2-1 lead on Kursahev’s goal 4:07 into the second period, as he took a pass from Ty Delladrea and beat goalie Mackenzie Blackwood for his fourth goal of the season.

The Avalanche got that goal back just over five minutes later in somewhat disputed fashion.

Nathan MacKinnon got behind the Sharks’ defense and was in alone on Askarov. He went forehand to backhand to try and beat Askarov right before Sharks winger Jeff Skinner lost an edge and crashed into the net.

MacKinnon put the puck across the goal line after the net had been knocked off. The play was reviewed by the NHL, which, in confirming a goal, cited Rule 63.7, which says in part that “the attacking player must have an imminent scoring opportunity prior to the goal post being displaced, and it must be determined that the puck would have entered the net between the normal position of the goal posts.”

Macklin Celebrini extended his career-best point streak to seven games with a goal at the 18:21 mark of the first period that tied the game 1-1.

Shakir Mukhamadullin sent a pass up through the neutral zone up to Tyler Toffoli, who quickly sent a centering pass to a trailing Celebrini. Instead of dusting it off, Celebrini fired it right away, beating Blackwood, an ex-Shark, high to the blocker side.

Celebrini had two shot attempts in the first period, including one dazzling play in the Colorado end in which he did a complete spin before putting a shot on net.

Timothy Liljegren was injured midway through the first period, as a deflected puck into the Sharks’ bench caught the defenseman in the face.

Liljegren, who was in obvious distress, was immediately treated by the Sharks’ training staff and helped to the team’s dressing room. The Sharks announced before the start of the second period that Liljegren, who had emerged as a top-pair defenseman averaging 22:50 in ice time per game, would not return.

Saturday’s game featured some of the NHL’s most dynamic offensive players, with MacKinnon, Martin Necas, and defenseman Cale Makar from

Colorado entered Saturday as the NHL’s second-highest scoring team at 3.75 goals per game, and was coming off an impressive 4-2 road win over the Vegas Golden Knights.