SAN JOSE – The San Jose Sharks thought they had momentum on their side after Anthony Duclair scored on a second-period breakaway to knot up Thursday night’s game with the Arizona Coyotes.
Clayton Keller snatched that momentum right back for the Coyotes, scoring on a breakaway slightly more than two minutes after Duclair’s goal at the 6:20 mark.
Alex Kerfoot’s goal later in the second period turned out to be the winner as Arizona handed the Sharks a 5-2 loss before an announced sellout crowd of 17,435 at SAP Center.
Filip Zadina snapped a 14-game goal drought just 26 seconds into the third period, as his fourth of the season cut Arizona’s lead to 3-2. But with Nikita Okhotiuk serving an interference penalty, Nick Schmaltz, stationed in the slot, took a pass from Kerfoot and beat Sharks goalie Mackenzie Blackwood for his 10th of the season.
Blackwood finished with xx saves as the Sharks lost their fourth straight game, their longest skid since they began the season with 11 consecutive losses.
Blackwood, before Thursday, had a .868 save percentage in four games this month, compared to the .907 and .900 save percentages he had in October and November, respectively.
Keller and Kerfoot both had a goal and two assists for Arizona, which has now won four in a row.
The Sharks travel to face the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday before the NHL begins a league-wide three-day Christmas break. After the break, San Jose plays Los Angeles and Edmonton on Dec. 27 and 28, respectively, and Colorado on Dec. 31.
After San Jose lost 1-0 to the Coyotes on Dec. 15 at Mullett Arena in Tempe, Sharks coach David Quinn said before Thursday’s game that he wanted to see his team play with just “a little more pace.”
“I thought it was a little bit of a sluggish game for us from start to finish,” he added. “There was an uptick in our play in the third period, but it was just an OK game in a lot of areas, and OK isn’t going to cut it in this league. We’ve got to work from the get-go.”