NEW YORK -- A goal that didnt count in the Sharks victory over the New York Rangers garnered more attention than the one that made the difference in surging San Joses latest win. New Balance Shoes Outlet . Antti Niemi stopped 41 shots for his fourth shutout, and Logan Coutures first-period, short-handed goal stood up as the Sharks beat the Rangers 1-0 Sunday for their sixth straight win. New York thought it had the game tied with 3:15 left in the second period. During a stoppage, all four officials gathered at the scorers table, and a lengthy video review was conducted in Toronto to see if Carl Hagelins stuff attempt at the left post nudged the puck over the line. Numerous replays failed to show the puck behind Niemi, who blocked the view, but one zoomed-in and enhanced picture appeared to show the puck disappear behind the post -- drawing a huge cheer from the crowd. Those yells turned to boos when it was announced there was no conclusive evidence of a goal. Rangers coach Alain Vigneault called over referee Dan OHalloran for an explanation he didnt really seem to accept. "It doesnt matter what I think. I dont make the decisions," Vigneault said in a quiet tone. "This is not me saying this, but some of my friends say that they make it up as they go along. Im just going to leave it at that. "The replay that I saw, you cant see the puck. Maybe I can assume that if you cant see the puck it is under the goaltenders pad and in the goal. It has to be conclusive and I guess they felt it wasnt, so there is nothing you can do about it." Niemi and the Sharks defence were the difference, unlike in the first meeting between the teams, won 9-2 by San Jose on Oct. 8. Niemi, who has 27 career NHL shutouts, was particularly strong during a Rangers power play early in the third. San Jose, tied with Anaheim atop the Pacific Division, is 11-2-1 in its past 14. In a 12-game stretch against Eastern Conference opponents that ends Tuesday at home versus Florida, the Sharks are 9-1-1. "Nemo was unbelievable," Sharks captain Joe Thornton said. "That was maybe his best game all year. He stole this one for us." Henrik Lundqvist made 28 saves but was denied in his first attempt to set the Rangers record with his 302nd victory. He equaled Mike Richters mark Friday at Winnipeg, but couldnt hide his disappointment in this loss. "This loss is so painful in so many ways," he said. "We had so many open nets, so many chances to get back in this game but we just couldnt get it in. Then you look at their goal, to give it up on our own power play, and thats the only goal. It just adds to the frustration." New York, which lost for the third time in four games, dropped one point behind Philadelphia in the Metropolitan Division race and into an Eastern Conference wild-card position. "We definitely understand how important every point is," Lundqvist said. "We played a really strong game against one of the best teams in the league, but its hard to be positive about a lot of things when you dont win. Right now its about points, its not about playing great against good teams." San Jose, which had 11 shots in the first period, recorded four while short-handed and grabbed the lead. Couture took the puck away from Mats Zuccarello in the neutral zone, raced ahead of Brad Richards, shook him off, and beat Lundqvist with a backhander at 11:48 for his 19th goal -- second short-handed. "Felt good to get a shorty that stood up for us," Couture said. "We have a great attitude as a team and know how important the last 13 games will be." San Jose came out much better in the second and held a 10-7 shots edge during the scoreless frame. New Yorks next best scoring chance came with 4:09 left when defenceman Ryan McDonagh, seemingly with an open right side in front of him, had his shot blocked by the reaching stick of defenceman Marc-Edouard Vlasic. Niemi was the main reason the Sharks went into the first intermission with the lead. He stopped all 20 shots fired at him. "We played another great road game," Niemi said after the Sharks finished a 3-0 trip. "They came hard at us from the beginning. With good reads and some luck, I was able to make some saves." Niemi made two eye-popping stops against struggling forward Derick Brassard, including a point-blank chance with 40 seconds left that Niemi kicked out with his left pad. It had Brassard staring at the ceiling and shaking his head. Earlier in the period, Niemi quickly moved over to deny Brassards backhander at the right post off a rebound of McDonaghs shot. "Weve got to believe that if we keep playing this way we will be all right," Vigneault said. Lundqvist was also sharp in the first, making a strong save with his chest against Patrick Marleau, who fired the Sharks first shot from the slot 5:31 in. New York had the games first seven shots. NOTES: The Rangers havent allowed a power-play goal in eight games, killing 21 penalties. ... San Jose took three penalties after having none on Friday. Clearance New Balance Shoes . -- With his team down 16 points in the second quarter and headed for another blowout loss at home, Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson yelled out to his players to keep shooting and keep fighting on defence. Wholesale New Balance China .C., has been named Canadas top female official, winning the 2014 SOC Award of Excellence. Cranes career as a figure skating judge has spanned over 40 years. http://www.wholesalenewbalance.com/ . 5 Trade Deadline is drawing closer and teams will be deciding on whether to buy or sell while figuring out which players can make the biggest difference and hold the greatest value.7) While were on the subject of kicking in the CFL, why dont coaches use a rule that invites the idea of a short kickoff at any and all times? If a kicker can put the ball high in the air at least 10 yards away, volleyball tactics can take over and if a member of the kicking team can bat the ball out of bounds, or otherwise be the last player to touch the ball, possession is awarded. As I see it, if the kicker is proficient, theres at least a 50-50 chance of recovering the ball every time.8) Have you ever heard one of those intermission reports with comments from an NHL assistant coach that contained interesting information? Now, I can answer "yes". MSGs John Giannone quoted Ulf Samuelsson of the Rangers as saying, following Sundays second period against Edmonton: "That could be the worst Ive seen since Ive been here and Ive seen a lot of games. Were getting crushed by Edmonton in our building and thats embarrassing." Im not sure if head coach Alain Vigneault liked the fact his thunder was stolen, but if assistant coaches are going to be fed to broadcasters, they might as well say something.9) Whos your NFL MVP? Id have voted for Peyton Manning if he hadnt lost to Tom Brady, and Ill vote for Andrew Luck if he out-performs Brady this Sunday, but otherwise, I guess Im voting for Brady.10) How do you feel if youre Patric Hornqvist? You get traded from the Nashville Predators to the Pittsburgh Penguins and you find yourself on Sidney Crosbys line and youre part of the NHLs best power play, all of which helps you to score 18 points in 13 games, good for a fifth-place tie in NHL scoring. I guess you feel pretty good.11) If youre a pro golfer, do you care if your first win on the PGA Tour is at the Sanderson Farms Championship in Jackson, Mississippi in early November? If youre Nick Taylor, born in Winnipeg and raised in Abbotsford, I guess you dont. It beats your first win being in the future.12) How many games will the Philadelphia 76ers win in this NBA season? I think its pretty easy to fix the over-under number at 10. And I think its pretty hard to decide which way to go.13) Is Ndamukong Suh of the Detroit Lions still the NFLs dirtiest player? I think not, because he is now better recognized as the NFLs best defensive lineman not named J. Cheap New Balance 574. J. Watt. And he wants to be paid accordingly. The bad reputation brought too many flags, and ultimately, not enough dollars in his next contract, which is due prior to next season.14) Last week here, I nominated Ryan Miller (VAN), Jonas Hiller (CGY) and Radim Vrbata (VAN) as the best NHL free agent signings. I didnt give an answer. Can I do that now? Its Anton Stralman of the Tampa Bay Lightning.15) Do you think Rene Bourque was more surprised when the Montreal Canadiens waived him, or when no other team claimed him?16) Chien Ming-Wang, armed with a minor-league contract, will be at the spring training camp of an MLB team. You have at least two questions, Im sure. Why? and Surely not the Blue Jays camp? I only know why its not the Blue Jays camp. In his last three starts for Toronto in 2013, Chien allowed 18 runs over six and one-third innings. In 2015, he will hope to pitch for Atlanta.17) Whats harder - understanding how the Arizona Cardinals have the NFLs best record with Carson Palmer at quarterback, or expecting that to continue without Carson Palmer at quarterback?18) How do you feel about point differential as a meaningful NBA stat? The Toronto Raptors lead the NBA at +11.6. The Houston Rockets are next at +11.0. That says something to me. (Of course, Torontos 32-point blowout of the aforementioned Philly 76ers has something to do with it. The Rockets had their shot at Philly and won by only 11).19) When the Tampa Bay Rays listed the names of eight candidates for their managerial post vacated by Joe Maddon, it was assumed that the next list would be shorter. Instead, it is larger, with the names of Barry Larkin and Doug Glanville newly added. Do you like this idea? The Rays are just the latest team to use social media to make their job search transparent. Next thing you know, the fan-starved Rays will be selling ticket packages with voting privileges included.20) If Calgarys Johnny Gaudreau wins NHL rookie honours, hell be the first Calder Trophy recipient selected No. 100 or higher in the draft (No. 104) since ______? (The answer is goalie Andrew Raycroft, chosen in 1998 by the Boston Bruins after 134 other players had been taken). ' ' '