SAN JOSE, Calif. -- When Dan Boyle scored to make it 4-1 with 13:14 remaining in the third period, the last thing he was expecting was that goal to wind up as the game-winner.
But the Vancouver Canucks struck for two late power-play goals, meaning that Boyle's power-play goal ended up making the difference in the San Jose Sharks' 4-3 victory in Game 3 of the Western Conference Final on Friday night at HP Pavilion.
The Canucks lead the best-of-seven series 2-1 with Game 4 set for Sunday afternoon in San Jose.
Boyle's third goal of the postseason was also his 15th point, which leads all defensemen in that category. Vancouver's Christian Ehrhoff, who left Game 3 with an upper-body injury and could miss Game 4, is second in points with 11.
Following the game, Boyle spoke with the media about the victory:
Q: Did you guess that your goal at that point would turn out to be the winner? What did you think of the five-minute penalty called on Jamie McGinn that brought the Canucks back into the game?
A: No, no. Obviously I'm sure the talk of the game is going to be about that five-minute penalty. Didn't see the replay. It looked like just a hockey hit to me, a good hit on a defenseman. I know those sometimes are a little gray. I didn’t' see the replay but it looked like a good hit to me.
Q: Were there some anxious minutes at the end because of that?
A: Yeah. It's a five-minute power play against the (best) power-play team in the League. The first one (a goal by Dan Hamhuis) we could get away with, but the second one (by Kevin Bieksa) with 18 seconds left (on the penalty) really hurt. We needed to bear down there at the end. A win's a win, and that's what we wanted.
Q: Does that win get back some momentum for you in the series?
A: Hopefully. We got off to a great start. We talked about the start. The shots were 15-1 at one point. That's a very good start and that’s' what we needed. Our crowd got into it early. They're a good team. They fought back.
Q: What's made the power play so efficient in this series (6-for-13)?
A: It's the same guys -- we're just doing a better job of executing. We're taking the shots when they're there, passing them up when it's not. It's the same guys two series ago everyone was complaining and had to answer questions about. Now they're on the other side of it. When it's going, it's going. Right now it's going pretty well.
Follow Dave Lozo on Twitter: @DaveLozo
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