The Sharks surely knew headed into their Tuesday night meeting with Arizona that the young, rebuilding Coyotes had been struggling mightily lately.
Perhaps that’s why they went to sleep in the second period. Arizona outcompeted and outclassed the Sharks in the middle frame, scoring three times and went on to beat the Sharks at Gila River Arena, 3-2.
San Jose (6-4-0) saw its three-game winning streak come to an end, while the Coyotes (3-6-0) won for just the second time in their last eight.
The Sharks seized a 1-0 lead on a Patrick Marleau goal in the first period, but it quickly evaporated in the middle frame.