The San Jose Sharks couldn’t have asked for a much tougher weekend.
Saturday, they blew a two-goal lead in the third period and lost 5-4 in overtime against host Florida, the first-place team in the Eastern Conference.
Sunday, the Sharks are scheduled to play their second game in as many days, taking on the Metropolitan Division-leading Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh, N.C.
“This team has lost three games in this building all year,” Sharks captain Logan Couture said of the Panthers, who are 23-3-0 at home this season. “The (defensemen) worked their (rears) off. Guys have come in from the AHL and helped the team immensely. We battled and it was nice to get a point.”
Jonathan Dahlen scored twice for San Jose, which lost for the first time this season after leading entering the third period (15-0-1). Sharks goaltender James Reimer made 45 saves.
“That’s a great hockey team and (Reimer) played a great game,” Dahlen said. “This was the fastest game I’ve seen in my career.”
“That was a fast game and they come in waves,” San Jose coach Bob Boughner said. “Real good offensive team, No. 1 in the league in puck possession and you can see why. We get a point on the road in a building that is not that forgiving to visiting teams.”
Carolina is 15-4-1 at home this season and has won three straight games and six of seven overall.
The Hurricanes defeated visiting New Jersey 2-1 Saturday, getting a boost from the return of goaltender Antti Raanta, who made 24 saves in his first appearance since Jan. 1 because of an upper-body injury.
“The only thing was just battling and trying to work hard,” Raanta said. “The skill is there, so you know if you work hard, you’re going to be successful. It didn’t feel like a four-week break. I just went in there and played the game.
“It has been a lot of hard work (to rehabilitate). Obviously, it’s nice to get rewarded.”
Jordan Martinook and Andrei Svechnikov scored in the first period for Carolina.
Martinook gave most of the credit to Raanta, however.
“I said to him after the game, ‘That’s the Rants I’ve seen steal lots of games,’ ” said Martinook, who previously played with the goalie in Arizona. “That was kind of vintage Rants right there. … He has had some injuries and he’s getting back to it.”
Raanta had to face only three shots in the final period.
“That’s how you have to play with the lead,” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “Wasn’t great the first couple periods. But give the guys a lot of credit because when the game was on the line, they turned it up.”
The Hurricanes reached the halfway point of their season with a 30-9-2 record for 62 points, the best in franchise history at midseason. The previous high was 58 points, accomplished in their Stanley Cup-winning 2005-06 season and again last year.
–Field Level Media
