By Sara Biela – Content Editor
Logan Couture recorded his third-career hat trick as the San Jose Sharks defeated the Buffalo Sabres 5-1 Thursday night.
With one goal in the first period and two in the third, Couture secured his first NHL hat trick in front of the home crowd at SAP Center.
“It’s special,” he said. “It took me a long time to get my first one and now two in the last three years. I’ll take them if they keep coming.”
Early in the first period, Buffalo’s Kyle Okposo was given a double-minor for high sticking Rourke Chartier.
At 3:35, Joonas Donskoi capitalized on the four-minute power play and gave the Sharks (3-3-1) a 1-0 lead.
After Sabres (3-4-0) goalie Carter Hutton blocked Erik Karlsson’s shot, Donskoi put in the puck off a deflection for his second goal of the season.
Less than 30 seconds later, and still on the PP, Couture shot through traffic and went top shelf to extend San Jose’s lead to two.
“It was huge for us to get two power play goals right at the beginning of the game,” Donskoi said. “I feel like we’re in a really good spot right now with our power play.”
Buffalo cut the deficit in the second period. Thanks to a screen from Jeff Skinner, Jake McCabe was able to shoot one passed Martin Jones.
With a 2-1 lead heading into the final period, it was crucial for the Sharks to get insurance.
The team dominated possession in the opening minutes of the period, and it paid off as Couture scored his second goal at 4:54.
Joe Pavelski added to San Jose’s lead with the team’s third PPG of the night and his fourth of the season.
“Obviously it’s something we haven’t had and when you get it, it makes a big difference,” head coach Peter DeBoer said on the power play’s success. “We scored enough goals and I think it gave us a little bit of comfort level there and some confidence.”
Couture completed his hat trick with an empty-net goal at 18:13 and clinched a 5-1 victory for the Sharks.
Evander Kane tallied two assists in his first game against his former team. Jones was solid in the crease and recorded 24 saves.
“It’s fun,” Kane said on playing against his former team. “We needed that win bad coming off of a long road trip … We wanted to make sure we came out strong, lock them down and spend a lot of time in their end. I thought we did a good job of that tonight.”
The Sharks will face the New York Islanders for the second time this season on Saturday.
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