Burns scores game winner in Sharks 5—4 win over Hurricanes

Brent Burns (Photo by mark6mauno – https://www.flickr.com/photos/mark6mauno/25847285304/, CC BY-SA 2.0)

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Brent Burns gave up a chance to score during regulation. He made sure he took his last shot.

Burns scored 22 seconds into overtime to lift the San Jose Sharks over the Carolina Hurricanes 5-4 on Thursday night.

“It started with Jumbo (Joe Thornton), made a great play coming to help in the D-zone,” Burns said. “And then (Joe Pavelski) obviously made just a great pass there, nice sauce over two sticks, and nice to see it go in.”

Barclay Goodrow scored a short-handed goal with just over eight minutes to play in regulation to tie it at 4, capping the Sharks’ rally from a three-goal deficit.

Logan Couture scored on a power play three minutes earlier. Melker Karlsson also scored a short-handed goal and Thornton had a power-play goal to move into 19th place on the career points list at 1,410.

“Pretty good game for the fans probably,” Burns said.

“That game had everything in it. Tough start, great finish.”

Sebastian Aho scored twice within a five-minute span of the first period, Victor Rask also scored during that stretch and the Hurricanes took a 3-0 edge. Jeff Skinner also scored for the Hurricanes, who have lost three of four.

“After their second goal they started to outskate us,” Skinner said. “We had a tough time getting back the momentum. They pushed back at us and, unfortunately, we didn’t respond to match their intensity in the third.”

Martin Jones stopped 21 shots for the Sharks. Cam Ward had 28 saves for Carolina.

Jones was 3 of 6 on stops in the first period before clamping down afterward.

“That’s not the way you draw it up to start the game,” Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said. “We dug ourselves out of a hole. You got to win all kinds of ways in this league over 82 games.”

The Hurricanes scored three times within 5:13 in the first period, eliciting scattered boos from the crowd.

“We did pretty good 5-on-5,” Aho said. “We just needed to create more opportunities.”

The Sharks got one back on Karlsson’s goal before Skinner made it 4-1. Thornton’s power-play goal brought the Sharks within 4-2 entering the final period.

“When you go into the third with a two-goal lead, you’re in great shape,” Skinner said. “But that was not a good enough third period.”

NOTES: Sharks D Brendan Dillon served his one-game suspension for a slash against Washington. … Sharks D Paul Martin was on the ice for the first time since Oct. 7 due to injury. … D Tim Heed missed his fifth game with an upper-body injury.

… The Hurricanes have been outscored 11-3 in the second period in their past eight games. … Thornton’s power-play goal ended Carolina’s streak of 24 straight penalty kills against the Sharks dating to 2012. … Hurricanes C Derek Ryan appeared in his 100th NHL contest.

UP NEXT

Hurricanes: Play at the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday, the third of six straight on the road.

Sharks: Host the Ottawa Senators on Saturday.