Sharks' Big Third Period Ties Series

Thomas Greiss posted his first Calder Cup playoff shutout with 30 saves, and the Worcester Sharks exploded for five third-period goals, Wednesday night at the DCU Center in a 6-0 win over the Wolf Pack in Game Four of their Atlantic Division Semifinal series. The series is now tied at two games apiece.

Lukas Kaspar and Ryan Vesce led the Sharks’ offensive charge with a goal and an assist apiece. Kyle McLaren, Logan Couture, Tom Cavanagh and T.J. Fox also scored Worcester goals, and Riley Armstrong, Dan DaSilva and Andrew Desjardins had two assists apiece.

McLaren scored the first goal of the game at the 3:19 mark of the first period. McLaren’s shot from the right point beat Wolf Pack goaltender Matt Zaba, who was screened by Pack defenseman Brian Fahey trying to move Frazer McLaren from the front of the net. The goal was the first AHL playoff point for Kyle McLaren, a veteran of 719 NHL games with Boston and San Jose.

The Wolf Pack had one of their best periods of the series in the second, outshooting the Sharks 12-6, but couldn’t get anything past Greiss, and the floodgates opened on the Wolf Pack in the third.

The Sharks would tally four times in 5:58 in the period’s first 7:21, starting with Couture notching his first pro point at 1:23. Kaspar buried a high shot behind Zaba 2:22 later at 3:45, and then Vesce and Cavanagh connected 1:05 apart starting at 6:16 to open the advantage to 5-0. Fox created the final margin with his first goal of the series at 19:13.

The Wolf Pack enjoyed a 30-27 shots advantage in the game, the first time in the series they have outshot the Sharks.

The two teams will be right back at one another Thursday night in Game Five at the XL Center, with faceoff at 7:00.