Joe Pavelski gets quick OT winner as Sharks avoid elimination again, beat Stars 3-2
By GREG BEACHAM | Associated Press | May 3, 08 12:04 AM CDT in
Sports
The San Jose Sharks just won't go away _ and now they're going back to Dallas.
Joe Pavelski scored 65 seconds into overtime and the Sharks evaded playoff elimination for the second straight game Friday night, improbably rallying from a late two-goal deficit to beat the Dallas Stars 3-2 in Game 5.
Brian Campbell scored the tying goal midway through the third period for the Sharks, who cut the Stars' lead in the second-round series to 3-2 after Dallas won the first three contests, including two overtime victories. Game 6 is back in Texas on Sunday night.
San Jose, which lost the series' first three games in five days, is just the fourth team in the last 20 seasons to stretch a series even to six games after trailing 0-3. As Sharks coach Ron Wilson has reminded his players, only two teams in NHL history have recovered from such dire circumstances to win a series: the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1942 and the New York Islanders in 1975.
Jere Lehtinen and captain Brenden Morrow scored second-period goals for the Stars, who controlled play and seemed headed for an easy evening at the Shark Tank, where they dominated the home team over the last two years. Morrow also had two apparent goals that were waved off by the officials, one for kicking the puck into the net and another for batting it with his hand.
The Sharks appeared listless and finished before Milan Michalek and Campbell scored in a 5:47 span in the third period, with Campbell firing home the tying goal with 8:53 to play on an exceptional pass from Jeremy Roenick.
Evgeni Nabokov stopped 24 shots for the Sharks, and Marty Turco made 19 saves in yet another playoff game to forget.
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