PITTSBURGH >> As reporters filed into the Sharks dressing room following the Sharks win in Pittsburgh on Thursday, backup goalie Aaron Dell blurted out: “glad Haley is back.”
Micheal Haley, who rejoined the Sharks after getting plucked off waivers on Wednesday, made his presence felt immediately in his first game back with the team he played the enforcer role with during the 2016-17 season. Late in the third period, Haley found himself in the middle of a line brawl that got ignited during a TV timeout, mixing it up with Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby.
The fisticuffs stole the spotlight from Brent Burns’ three-point game, a three-goal night from the Sharks special teams units and an incredible backcheck from Joe Thornton that wiped out an Evgeni Malkin breakaway.