Programming note: Devils-Sharks coverage starts Monday at 7 p.m. on Comcast SportsNet California with Sharks Pregame Live (territory restrictions apply)
SAN JOSE – Apparently a pair of broken front teeth wasn’t enough to convince the game referees on Saturday night that Logan Couture was whacked in the mouth by the Flames’ T.J. Brodie in the first period, at least according to the Sharks center.
“It was right in front of the ref. I was told two things. I was told I dove, and then I was told it was our own guy’s stick,” Couture said. “I’m not sure what happened, but I don’t think I dove.”
Couture managed to stay in the game, and it was a good thing for the Sharks that he did. His early second period goal turned the tide after an ugly first from San Jose’s perspective, and the team salvaged an important point in the 4-3 overtime loss.
Unfortunately for Couture, though, his night wasn’t over in terms of visiting the trainers room. In the third period, he blocked a slap shot by the Flames’ Mark Giordano, a legitimate Norris Trophy candidate and the league’s second-leading scorer among defensemen.
[REWIND: Poor start does in Sharks in OT loss to Flames]
Couture toughed out the rest of his shift, but skated immediate to the bench and hobbled up the tunnel.
He returned, though, and said the shot from Giordano got him “right where my shot-blockers aren’t,” referring to the extra protection he wears on his skates.
“When you block a shot, it hurts for a little bit, but it was fine and I finished the game,” he said.
Couture practiced with the Sharks on Sunday.
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