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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. 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. Jonathan Schoop Jersey . Alvarez hit his first career home run, pitched six innings and hurt his right hamstring while running the bases in the Miami Marlins 4-3 win over the Chicago Cubs. Rod Carew Jersey . Luke Wileman and I stood in the corridor outside of the Vancouver Whitecaps dressing room at BC Place in Vancouver. https://www.cheaptwins.com/1092t-tony-oliva-jersey-twins.html . Bowditch, the 30-year-old Australian seeking his first PGA Tour title, shot a 4-under 68 to reach 12 under at TPC San Antonio. Matt Kuchar and Andrew Loupe were tied for second. Kuchar shot 65, and Loupe had a 70. Willians Astudillo Jersey . - Rookie Tesho Akindele scored three goals and Fabian Castillo added two in FC Dallas 5-0 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday night. Luis Arraez Twins Jersey .The McLaren MP4-30 was launched on Thursday, with chief executive Ron Dennis saying it marks the start of a lengthy journey back to winning grands prix and eventually world championships.McLaren, which hasnt won a grand prix since 2012, will be using Honda engines for the first time since 1992, and has signed two-time world champion Fernando Alonso to partner Jenson Button for the upcoming season.PORTLAND, Ore. - Erick Torres scored in the 79th minute to help Chivas USA tie Portland 1-1 on Saturday night, leaving the Timbers winless at 0-2-4. "Were behind the 8-ball," said Portland head coach Caleb Porter. "There are plenty of examples of teams that have started out slow. But in the end, were not where we want to be, at this point, and we need to step it up." Torres scored off a cross from Leandro Barrera for his fifth goal of the season for Chivas USA (1-2-3). It was situation Porter had hoped to avoid. "Torres was the key guy, we talked about it all week," Porters said. "Hes good at getting into spots to score." Will Johnson opened the scoring for Portland in the seventh minute. He scored for the first time this year after finishing with nine goals last season. Maximiliano Urruti forced a turnover and got the ball to Darlington Nagbe, who slid a pass between two defenders and into enough open space for Johnson to run into it and knock a right-footed shot past Dan Kennedy. According to Chivas USA head coach Wilmer Cabrera, Portlands goal was helped by an error in footwear selection.dddddddddddd "We picked the wrong shoes," Cabrera said. "Sadly, Carlos (Bocanegra) slipped, and he realized he needed to change his cleats. And then he was on the sideline in the moment that we conceded that goal. They were playing with 11, we were playing with 10, in that moment, they took advantage and they scored a goal." Portland had a late chance when Johnson had a free kick just outside the penalty area, but his shot hit the post and went out of bounds. Chivas USAs Thomas McNamara was taken off on a stretcher in the 64th minute with what appeared to be a serious knee injury. The midfielder crumpled to the ground while running with the ball and trying to avoid Portland defenders. "Sadly, it looks pretty bad," said Cabrera. "Right now, we have to confirm, but its not promising for us. Thats the sad part of this game." Portland had its 55th straight sellout with a crowd of 20,814. ' ' '