Barclay Goodrow had the primary assist on the game-winning goal in the Sharks' 3-1 road victory over the Calgary Flames on Tuesday night, but that might not have been his most important contribution to San Jose's successful effort.
Before he broke the tie, he evened a score.
Late in the scoreless first period, Flames forward Milan Lucic caught Sharks forward Evander Kane with a big hit. Kane appeared to take exception to it, but he didn't have a chance to make Lucic feel his displeasure. That's because Goodrow got to him first.
With our All Access Daily newsletter, stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams!
SIGN UP HERE Goodrow, listed at a generous 6-foot-2, 215 pounds, came to Kane's defense and went right after the considerably larger Lucic, who was more than happy to drop the gloves. While Lucic might have gotten the better of Goodrow in the fight, the aftermath played into San Jose's favor.
Calgary scored 59 seconds into the second period, but Brent Burns scored minutes later to pull the Sharks even, and San Jose never looked back on its way to its first road win in a month. Afterward, the fight with Lucic was viewed as the turning point in the game.
"That shows you what he's all about," Sharks interim coach Bob Boughner said of Goodrow after the win. "We're preaching trying to play for one another and trying to commit to each other and playing the right way. Barclay stepping up there, I think that really got our team going actually, and I think that sort of changed the flow of the game for us.
San Jose Sharks
Find the latest San Jose Sharks news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Bay Area and California.
First period, first 5-10 minutes, [Aaron Dell] had to make some big saves, and I think [the fight] sort of settled things down and made the guys feel a little more comfortable. So, it was a huge step-up by Barclay."
Kane expressed a similar sentiment.
"It was great on him to challenge a guy like that, who definitely has a weight advantage and a size advantage," Kane said. "For him to show the courage and step in there for me was big and was kind of a momentum turn for our group."
What Kane viewed as courage, Goodrow simply understood as his duty.
"That's teammates," Goodrow explained. "That's what you do. He took a pretty big run at [Kane], so I thought someone needed to get in there and step up.
"I saw him get hit, just as I'm sure all you guys did. It was just my first instinct to get in there and stick up for a teammate."
[RELATED: Sharks' Ferraro building NHL, YouTube careers at same time]
Due to Tomas Hertl and Logan Couture's injuries, Goodrow recently was elevated to first-line center. You don't often see those players engaging in fisticuffs, but Goodrow managed to fulfill his offensive role, as well. Kane played a critical role in that, too.
Just over four minutes after Burns tied the score, Kane put San Jose in front after receiving a tremendous pass from Goodrow from behind Calgary's net. While he doesn't possess the offensive skillset of the injured players he's replacing, Goodrow's all-around performance against the Flames showed why he has been chosen for that task.
"Obviously, can't really replace those guys in the lineup," he said. "You can just do your best to fill in and play the way you're capable of playing. I thought our line did a good job tonight. I thought we limited their top two lines to not much, and it was nice to get on the board, too."
Goodrow's assist was one of the biggest plays of the night. It just wasn't the most important one he made.