MORE NHL PLAYOFFS

MORE NHL PLAYOFFS

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Sharks 5, Avalanche 2

SAN JOSE, CALIF.

Joe Thornton sparked a three-goal outburst in the second period after San Jose killed off a four-minute penalty, leading the Sharks in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series on Friday night. San Jose trailed 2-1 when Brenden Dillon was called for a high-sticking double minor early in the second period. The Sharks managed to kill both penalties and then took over the game with a strong performance from the third line. Thornton tied it midway through the period off a feed from Marcus Sorensen on a 2-on-1 rush shortly after the penalty was killed. Kevin Labanc, the third member of that line, gave the Sharks the lead with an impressive sequence that featured him deking Mikko Rantanen by playing the puck through his legs.

Associated Press