San Jose Sharks centre Will Smith scored twice in the third period on Thursday night as San Jose rallied from 2-0 down to beat the Vancouver Canucks 3-2 at SAP Center. The result was reported by NHL.com and the Associated Press account carried by The Ticket, which both confirm the same scoreline and scorers.
Smith scored a power-play goal at 8:00 of the third period to make it 2-1, then tied the game at 10:39, according to NHL.com. Mason Marchment put San Jose ahead just 11 seconds later at 10:50, according to NHL.com, completing three goals in 2 minutes 50 seconds, according to Hockey Informers’ recap of the same night.
Canucks control 40 minutes, then collapse
Vancouver led through Drew O’Connor’s goal at 13:21 of the first period and Liam Ohgren’s goal at 18:56 of the second, according to NHL.com. The Canucks led after two periods for only the second time this season, according to the Associated Press account, yet still lost — a telling detail about a club struggling to close games.
Yaroslav Askarov made 23 saves for San Jose, according to NHL.com, while Leevi Merilainen made 21 saves for Vancouver, according to the same report. San Jose snapped a two-game losing streak with the win, according to the Associated Press account, improving to 7-6-1, according to NHL.com.
Vancouver’s slide deepens
The Canucks fell to 3-11-1 and are 1-10-1 in their past 12 games, according to NHL.com. That run, combined with sitting at the bottom of the league standings, according to the Associated Press account, puts Vancouver’s season under serious pressure before November. A 2-0 lead at home to a team on a losing streak should have been a platform for a win; instead it became another defeat.
Smith’s second goal was set up by Macklin Celebrini, according to NHL.com, and Marchment’s winner came off a sharp-angled shot after the ensuing faceoff, according to the Associated Press account. Those details show a Sharks team that stayed aggressive after falling behind, rather than waiting for Vancouver to make a mistake.
What San Jose takes forward
For San Jose, the comeback is a template: three goals in under three minutes, driven by Smith and Celebrini, can change a season’s mood. For Vancouver, the challenge is psychological as much as tactical — learning to protect a lead when the pressure builds in the third period. The Canucks’ next test, against Toronto on October 31, according to The Hockey News, will show whether this lesson has been learned quickly.
