Game 3: Final - Colorado Avalanche 1, San Jose Sharks 0
Avalanche leads series 2-1
How do you end a game in which you’ve put over 90 total shots at the net, have zero goals to show for it and are starting sudden death overtime with a 0-0 score?
Why, score on your own goal of course.
Dan Boyle was just trying to clear the puck around his own net from the far boards, but instead snuck a perfect backhanded shot short side past an unsuspecting Evgeni Nabokov. Ryan O’Reilly was credited with the winning goal after being the last Avs player to touch the puck.
Here’s the video:
It’s certainly a cruel and yet poetic way to end the game, in which the Sharks outshot the Avalanche 51-17 and had completely control of the game for the better part of 50 minutes.
None deserved this win moreso than Craig Anderson, who put his team on his back and pitched a shutout with one of the most incredible playoff performances I’ve seen a goaltender have in a very long time. Part of me is a bit frustrated that most of the attention from this game with be on Dan Boyle’s own-goal, as it will take the spotlight away from Anderson.
The other part of me sees that goal, chuckles, shakes his head and wonders just what the Sharks did to get such a curse placed upon them.
