SAN JOSE – It was fairly early in the first period when Saturday’s Sharks-Coyotes game started to get a bit ugly.
Roman Polak pounded Tobias Rieder along the wall from behind, earning a boarding minor at 3:07 and shaking up the Arizona forward. About five minutes later, after the Sharks successfully killed off the penalty, Shane Doan grabbed Polak and initiated a fight in the neutral zone, earning 19 minutes of penalties.
The fans, of course, were delighted with the entertainment. But the last thing the Sharks needed, with the game a meaningless one in the standings and the club icing just about its full roster, was a gong show.