SAN JOSE – Sharks forward Timo Meier had already scored his record-setting fifth goal in Monday’s game with the Los Angeles Kings, a slick toe-drag around defenseman Drew Doughty before a top-corner snipe past goalie Jonathan Quick, when a smallish but delirious crowd started to chant his name.
“It’s special. It’s almost, you can’t describe it,” Meier said when asked about the crowd. “Yeah, very special, goosebump feeling. Our fans have been great. So it’s just really, really cool.”
The “Timo, Timo, Timo” chant from the announced crowd of 10,705 continued sporadically throughout the rest of the afternoon, putting an exclamation point on the Sharks’ 6-2 win over the Kings in an unforgettable afternoon at SAP Center.
Meier’s three first-period goals in 19:09 set a Sharks single-game record for the fastest hat trick from the start of a game in franchise history (19:09). He then scored his fourth and fifth goals in the second period to stake the Sharks to a 6-1 lead.
Meier’s fourth’s goal came from a sharp angle on a Sharks power play, as he took a pass from Erik Karlsson and fired it over Quick’s shoulder at the 1:24 mark of the second period.
Meier’s fifth goal came with 27.1 seconds left in the second, as he took a pass from Tomas Hertl, avoided Doughty’s stick, and fired the puck past goalie Quick for his 20th marker of the season.
“When you feel like things are going your way in the game, then you definitely feel more comfortable with the puck,” Meier said, “and maybe try to shoot from a spot where you wouldn’t shoot in another game.”
Hertl assisted on four of Meier’s goals and Karlsson assisted on three, giving him 500 assists for his NHL career.
“It’s always nice to see guys have these accomplishments like that. It raises the spirit of the whole team,” Karlsson said. “I think it was a big game for us.”
Goalie James Reimer, making his first start since Jan. 4, stopped 29 shots in the first two periods as the Sharks rebounded from losses to the New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins last week. The Sharks were outshot by the Kings 41-17.
San Jose (21-17-2, 44 points) is now one point back of both Los Angeles and Anaheim for second place in the Pacific Division. The Sharks are trying to put some distance between themselves and other contending teams like Edmonton, Calgary, and Vancouver, who have fewer points but several games in hand due to COVID-related postponements.
The Sharks, now 6-3-1 since Christmas, play in Seattle on Thursday. Meier’s five goals came on just his first six shots as the Sharks capped their four-game homestand with a 2-1-1 record.
“We did what we needed to do, but at the same time, I don’t think that this was one of the better games that we’ve played this year,” Karlsson said. “We’ve got to keep moving forward. We get another divisional game coming up.”
Meier had opportunities to score a sixth goal against the Kings but wasn’t able to finish, one of the few things that didn’t go his way Monday.
“I always want to score goals,” Meier said when asked if he wanted six. “You don’t really think too much about that. The main focus is to win the game. Obviously, after the game, you realize that stuff.”
Meier’s first two goals came at the 3:02 and 18:48 marks of the opening period. He then completed the hat trick, the second of his career, with 51 seconds left in the first as he scored off an assist from Hertl.
Meier now has 45 points in 35 games, already well past his total of 31 points in 54 games last season. He was named to the NHL All-Star Game last week and came into Monday tied for 10th in the NHL with 40 points.
“I think he worked really hard on his game,” Hertl said on Meier. “The games before he was always up and down. He was skating and on the puck one night and otherwise, he was nowhere. This year, he’s just come and he’s there for us every night, and that’s what the best players in the NHL do.”
Meier’s first four goals eclipsed the former Sharks record for the fastest four goals within a certain time frame, as the four goals came in a span of 18:22. Hertl held the previous record as he scored four times in 22:46 on Oct. 8, 2013 vs. the New York Rangers.
“The first period he had and coming back and getting another two in the second, it was nice to see,” Sharks coach Bob Boughner said. “We’ve talked about the season he’s had, being voted as our all-star, which was much deserved. We talked about all his work away from the puck.
“With one of these games today, I believe if you put in enough good, hard work, it pays you back a little bit. Timo got paid back and our team, I think, got paid back a little bit.”
Source: www.mercurynews.com