DENVER – Colorado Avalanche center Ryan O’Reilly was credited with the game winning overtime goal 51 seconds into overtime to take a 2-1 lead series lead over the visiting San Jose Sharks. O’Reilly was the last Avalanche player to touch the puck before Sharks defenseman Dan Boyle appeared to shoot it into his own net. San Jose, who could not get a goal after 51 shots against Colorado goalie Craig Anderson, decided to put one past their own goalie, Evgeni Nabokov, to end the game. Just three games in, San Jose is looking again like the team that so often gets eliminated early in the playoffs.
Boyle was bitterly disappointed in himself after the game.
“I’m just anxious to collect my bet,” said the Canadian-born defenseman. “San Jose, even before I got here, is a guarantee to get knocked out early every season. Its easy money to bet against us.”
San Jose has finished either first or second each of the past five seasons, but failed each time to make it past the conference semifinals.
“San Jose is a great hockey down with a great tradition,” team captain Joe Thornton explained, “We don’t want our fans to realize that the regular season isn’t that important, and have them expect us to win in the playoffs.”
San Jose will look to get one game closer to the off-season when they take on Colorado again on Tuesday night.
