Sharks Show Their Toughness in Saturday Night Bout With Islanders

SAN JOSE -- On the occassion the Sharks have an exceptionally chippy game, you would expect it to be against a regular rival like the Los Angeles Kings or Anaheim Ducks.

Against a team like the New York Islanders, who San Jose only plays twice a season and really has no bad blood with? That sounds a bit out of left field.

But on Saturday night, the Isles really got heated after the Sharks put them in a 3-1 hole. And they decided to try changing the tide of the game by using their fists.

"[The Islanders] obviously were losing the game and that was a tactic to try and, I don't know, get a spark or something," Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer said after his team's 4-1 win on Saturday. 

There was a spark alright. But it came from Team Teal's bench.

Evander Kane led the charge as multiple players tussled with an aggravated visiting team. But it went beyond No. 9, known for his gritty playing style, pumping up the crowd while still serving out a major penalty. Saturday showed this is a tougher Sharks team that has no problem fighting back.

"I was proud of the way we stood up for ourselves," DeBoer continued.

The Sharks had been doing their best all evening to hem the Islanders in their own zone, and after San Jose jumped out to a 3-1 lead, the Isles let their tempers get the best of them. Defenseman Scott Mayfield started beef with Barclay Goodrow, and the two exchanged punches before being sent to the box for fighting majors to end the second period. 

"I never understand when guys go out, down 3-1 with five minutes left and try and act tough, start fights," Logan Couture said, before adding: "It's good to see us stick up for ourselves."

Things really got out of hand in the third period, though, starting with Anders Lee going after Kane. The officials only let the two players swing at each other for a second before sending them to their respective penalty boxes -- where they continued to yell at each other over the glass, mind you.

There were multiple tussles after that, leading up to Kane squaring off with Lee in the final minutes of the game and upending him onto the ice. The crowd gave Kane a big ovation as he went down the tunnel and exitted the game.

He's not going to back down from anyone," Pavelski said of his linemate after the game. "He definitely adds an element of toughness, and speed, and grit to our team."

In the end, that toughness and grit came out of the whole team when the Islanders tried to play tough in the latter half of Saturday's game.

"You have two choices there," DeBoer said. "You walk away or you stick up for yourself."

Saturday evening, the Sharks chose the latter.

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