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 The Florida center scored twice in regulation and in the third
round of a shootout, leading the Panthers past the San Jose Sharks
3-2 Thursday night.
Without a goal in the season's first 10 games, Bjugstad now has six
in the last seven, and he added the cherry on top with an effort to
earn the Panthers an extra point.
"It could go like that in this league," Bjugstad said. "There are
good goalies. You can get some bad luck. But you've got to create
your own luck ultimately. ... You just can't let it weigh on you."
Sharks left winger Patrick Marleau tied the game with 33.1 seconds
left in regulation to ensure his team a point, but it wasn't enough
for the win. The road-weary Sharks appeared at home for a league-low
sixth time, and they have now dropped four at SAP Center.
"Obviously, it didn't look too good with 30 seconds left, so we'll
take the point," Sharks coach Todd McLellan said. "We would have
preferred two, tried to find a way to get that in the shootout but
couldn't get it."
 Center Logan Couture was the only San Jose shooter to solve Roberto
Luongo in the shootout, as the Panthers goalie denied left winger
Joe Pavelski and watched as defenseman Brent Burns rang a drive off
the post.
Florida outshot San Jose 3-2 during a scoreless overtime when the
Sharks had to kill 1:49 of a Panthers power play that carried over
from the third period.
Marleau forced overtime when his one-time snap shot off a pass from
center Joe Thornton beat Luongo low to the stick side with Sharks
goalie Antti Niemi pulled for the extra attacker.
Luongo denied Marleau minutes earlier on a penalty-shot attempt
awarded after Florida defenseman Brian Campbell thwarted a breakaway
with a slash from behind.
"I felt like we kind of teeter-tottered a little bit in the second
period, and then the third period we played pretty well," Bjugstad
said.
The Panthers held a 2-1 lead through 40 minutes on the strength of
Bjugstad's goals.
With the scored tied at 1 late in the second period, Bjugstad
stepped into a slap shot from the top of the left circle to enable
the Panthers to convert 1:27 into their second power play of the
game.
The Sharks tied the game earlier in the period by converting on
their first power play of the game.
Luongo made two right pad saves on San Jose left winger Joe
Pavelski, but Couture tapped in the loose puck in the crease at
6:19. The goal was Couture's eighth of the season and snapped his
seven-game goalless drought. It also marked San Jose's second
power-play goal in 14 tries over six games.
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The Sharks have scored only nine goals in six games.
"We have the ability to create a lot of offense, and tonight we
didn't," San Jose center Tommy Wingels said.
"I think we had our chances again," Marleau added. "We have to find
a way to get them in the back of the net."
It took Florida only one shot and 24 seconds to jump out on top.
Bjugstad had a free stick with San Jose defenseman Justin Braun
nearby to direct his first of the night past Niemi, a shot the
changed directions from the right faceoff circle.
"We get scored on on the first shot of the game coming home from
that long road trip, and we could have responded differently,"
McLellan said. "At least we responded positively."
NOTES: Coach Todd McLellan juggled personnel on San Jose's top two
lines in an effort to get more production from struggling LW Patrick
Marleau and C Logan Couture. Marleau, without an even-strength goal
in 16 games, was moved alongside C Joe Thornton and RW Tomas Hertl,
while Couture was joined by LW Joe Pavelski and RW Matt Nieto. ...
Florida RW Aleksander Barkov (illness) and D Dmitry Kulikov (knee)
returned to the lineup. LW Scottie Upshall and LW Sean Bergenheim
are day-to-day with a lower-body injuries. C Colby Robeck was the
Panthers' lone healthy scratch. ... LW John Scott, RW Adam Burish
and D Matt Irwin were healthy scratches for San Jose. ... Florida
won for the fourth consecutive visit to San Jose dating back to
2009-10. The Panthers also came out on top for the seventh time in
the past eight meetings with the Sharks overall. ... F Brandon Pirri
(concussion) continues to skate with the Panthers. He might return
when the team next plays at home.
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reserved.]
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