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Sharks close out
Preds S.J. wins series 4-1 4/30/06 - by Mike Lee
The Sharks just may have
learned something from their playoff run two years ago. Back in 2004, San
Jose
failed to put away the Colorado Avalanche after taking a 3-0 lead in that
Western Conference semi-final series, and it came back to haunt them in
the
Conference Finals because it took them three games to finish off the
Avalanche.
They didn't waste the chance to put away the Nashville Predators on
Sunday,
sealing the series with a 2-1 win at Gaylord Entertainment Center in
Nashville.
It wasn't a cake walk for the Sharks, but they clamped down in
the end
to take the final four games in the series after the Predators won Game 1
last
week. A couple of ill advised penalties by the Sharks late in the game
turned a
2-0 lead into a heart stopping finish that ended with a deflection that
Sharks
goaltender Vesa Toskala stopped with a kick save that may have preserved
the
win for the Sharks.
Backed into a corner, Nashville pulled
goaltender Chris Mason with
1:30 to play then threw everything they had at the Sharks in order to
keep the
series alive. Mark Smith almost put the game away by stealing the puck in
the
Nashville zone with just under a minute play, but he was forced to take a
shot
from a bad angle. The shot rang off the crossbar and setup the wild
finish at
the other end of the rink.
Kimo Timonen tried to get the
equalizer
with a poor choice of shots from 60 feet out, then Mike Sillinger came
within a
skate blade of knotting the game at 2-2 when his shot from the slot his a
teammates skate in from of the crease then redirected toward Toskala. The
Sharks netminder threw his left pad out in time to stave off the would-be
equalizer and the Sharks cleared the puck as time expired.
The
wild
finish may not have necessary had Tom Preissing not taken a high sticking
penalty earlier in the period. After catching Paul Kariya with his stick
blade,
the Predators had the advantage they needed to get back into the game.
Kariya would convert less than a minute into the ensuing power play.
Nashville
moved the puck well for the first time since their 5-4 series opening win
when
they scored four power play goals. Kariya would convert on a pass from
Steve
Sullivan that slid across the slot from left to right. Kariya stuffed
home the
puck into a wide open net to pull the game to within a single goal.
A
Christian Ehrhoff holding penalty three minutes later was suppressed by
the
Sharks, but it was a situation the Sharks would have preferred to avoid.
Marek
Zidlicky almost tied the game on a point blank shot from the slot that
sailed
over Toskala's head.
The Sharks went into the prevent
mode in the final period after taking a 2-0 lead into the final
intermission.
The Sharks had opened the game's scoring at the 19:59.6 mark on
a
power play goal that was credited to Steve Bernier, but in actuality
should
have been given to Milan Michalek. With Brendan Witt in the penalty box
for
slashing, Michalek fired a shot that beat Mason with four tenths of a
second
left in the period. A lengthy video review, clearly showed to the puck
hitting
the back of the net with time still on the clock. The chats of "no goal,
no
goal" were muted as players filed into the dressing rooms at the first
intermission once the ruling was announced over the public address
system.
Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau teamed up for the game winner
at
13:24 of the 2nd period after Martin Erat took a boneheaded roughing
penalty.
McLaren knocked Kariya off the puck with what could have gone for an
elbowing
penalty, as Kariya tried gaining the Sharks zone. Erat tried to retaliate
with
a couple of shot to McLaren's head, but rather than avenge the McLaren
hit, he
put his team into a tough position by getting sent to the box.
Thornton would
setup the goal after the Sharks setup in the Nashville zone moments
later.
Thornton took a pass fro Marleau, before circling near the bottom of the
right
circle. Spotting Thornton on the left post, Thornton sent a pass through
the
crease from right to left, hitting Marleau on the tape. The puck took a
90
degree right turn off Marleau's stick, a headed straight into the goal
for the
2-0 lead.
By finishing the Predators off, San Jose won't have to
jump
into the next series right away as they did against Calgary in the 2004
Conference Finals.
Notes:
Center Alyn McCauley was a scratch, because of his leg injury.
Grant
Stevenson replaced McCauley on the Patrick Rissmiller - Marcel Goc line.
Stevenson was limited to 2:50 of ice time on five shifts. His limited
action
may have been a result of his hooking penalty midway through the 1st
period.
Predators center Yanic Perreault played for the first time in the series,
winning 6 of 10 faceoffs.
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1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
SJ |
1 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
NAS |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
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1st period - 1, San
Jose, Bernier 2 (Michalek, Hannan), 19:59, (pp). |
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2nd period -
2, San Jose, Marleau 7 (J.Thornton, Preissing), 13:24, (pp). |
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3rd period - 3,
Nashville, Kariya 2 (Sullivan, Zidlicky), 11:06, (pp). |
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1st period - Ehrhoff,
SJS (cross-checking), 5:27; Stevenson, SJS (hooking), 13:26;
Perreault, NAS
(tripping), 14:28; Markov, NAS (hooking), 16:13; Witt, NAS
(slashing),
18:22. |
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2nd period - Bernier,
SJS (interference), 3:14; Erat, NAS (roughing), 12:38. |
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3rd period - Zidlicky,
NAS (tripping), 3:26; Preissing, SJS (high-sticking), 10:19;
Ehrhoff, SJS
(holding), 14:01. |
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Shots |
Saves |
SJ - Toskala |
35 |
34 |
NAS - Mason |
36 |
34 |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
SJ |
11 |
18 |
7 |
36 |
NAS |
10 |
15 |
10 |
35 |
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Referees: Mike Hasenfratz, Dan
O'Halloran. Linesmen: Mike Cvik, Greg Devorski. |
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