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SJ on the brink after 6-3
loss
Another 3rd period
implosion
5/14/06 - by Mike Lee
The
Sharks celebrated Mother's
Day on Sunday by applying all the rules any good mother would bestow on her
children. Play nice, be hospitable to guests and let your little brother
win
every once in a while. Problem is, half the moms in attendance could have
put
the puck past the Sharks defense and goaltender Vesa Toskala. The Edmonton
Oilers certainly needed little coaxing, scoring six times for the second
consecutive game and by doing so, took a 3 games to 2 lead in their
best-of-7
series.
The Sharks surrendered four 3rd period goals, including three after scratching
back to tie the game at 3-3. The Oilers converted on 3 of 7 power play
opportunities and a short-handed chance to push San Jose to the brink.
"We definitely hurt ourselves," said Joe Thornton. "We made too many mistakes.
We're just not shooting the puck when we have the chance. ... It's very
simple.
We lose, we're out. We're not ready to go home yet. We have to pull our
socks
up and get back to it."
San Jose imploded after a wild series of goals to open the final period. With
the Oilers holding a 2-1 lead, the Sharks opened the period on a power play
that carried over from the previous period. Patrick Marleau coughed up the
puck behind his own net on a forecheck from Ryan Smyth, and the turnover
resulted in a Shawn Horcoff goal just 12 seconds into the period.
Christian Ehrhoff would cut the Oilers lead to 3-2 by rifling a shot on the
same power play 32 seconds later. The goal lit a fire under the HP
Pavilion
crowd, which erupted less than two minutes later when Jonathan Cheechoo
scored
on a wrist shot from the right circle. The Sharks leveraged the crowd's
energy
to force a turnover in the Oilers end, and a shot by Marleau found its way
to
Cheechoo who knotted the game at 3-3.
The implosion would begin shortly thereafter.
Things headed south when rookie defenseman Josh Gorges got caught pinching on a
Sharks attack in the Oilers zone. Smyth intercepted a pass in his own zone
and
then caught Horcoff with a pass as he and Fernando Pisani broke out at
center
ice. Horcoff drew Toskala over to the left post before sending a cross-ice
pass to Pisani on the right win. Pisani buried the one-timer into a
wide-open
net.
Trying to claw back into the game, the Sharks would be hurt by rookie mistakes
again with just over five minutes to play when Milan Michalek and Steve
Bernier
were called for simultaneous penalties. Edmonton would make the Sharks pay
on
the ensuing two-minute 5-on-3, when Jarred Stoll deposited a pass from Ales
Hemsky for the 5-3 lead.
Smyth would convert on the remainder of the power play for good measure at
16:11
Edmonton opened the game with a Pisami goal at 8:29 of the 1st period on their
first shot on goal. Pisani deflected a shot by Jaroslav Spacek that fooled
Toskala.
Scott Thornton was credited with a goal early in the 2nd period after Christian
Ehrhoff cranked a shot from the point, but Smyth would answer two minutes
later
with his third goal of the playoffs.
Edmonton's first three goals came on 6 shots through the first 30 minutes of
play.
"Everybody believes in that locker room," Oilers defenseman Chris Pronger said.
"That's the first step for us. Everybody is buying into the system. Even
when
we were down 0-2, we just felt we could win two home games and be right
here."
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1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
| EDM |
1 |
1 |
4 |
6 |
| SJ |
0 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
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| 1st period - 1, Edmonton, Pisani 6 (Spacek,
Peca), 8:29. |
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| 2nd period -
2, San Jose, S.Thornton 2 (Ehrhoff, Goc), 4:30.
3, Edmonton, Smyth 3 (Pronger, Hemsky), 6:31, (pp).
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| 3rd period - 4, Edmonton, Horcoff 4 (Smyth),
0:12, (sh).
5, San Jose, Ehrhoff 2 (Marleau, Nieminen), 0:44, (pp).
6, San Jose, Cheechoo 4 (McLaren, J.Thornton), 2:30.
7, Edmonton, Pisani 7 (Horcoff, Smyth), 4:03.
8, Edmonton, Stoll 4 (Hemsky, Spacek), 13:40, (pp).
9, Edmonton, Smyth 4 (Horcoff, Pronger), 16:11, (pp). |
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| 1st period - Peca, EDM (interference), 1:21;
Greene, EDM (roughing), 8:58; S.Thornton, SJS (holding), 11:48; Peca, EDM
(cross-checking), 14:28. |
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| 2nd period - Horcoff, EDM (holding), 1:20;
Smith, SJS (tripping), 5:14; Greene, EDM (holding), 8:55; Staios, EDM
(holding), 10:51; Torres, EDM (roughing), 19:03. |
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| 3rd period - Hannan, SJS (holding), 10:57;
Cheechoo, SJS (interference), 13:31; Bernier, SJS (interference), 14:52;
Michalek, SJS (roughing), 14:52; J.Thornton, SJS (slashing), 18:07. |
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Shots |
Saves |
| EDM - Roloson |
24 |
21 |
| SJ - Toskala |
18 |
12 |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
| EDM |
4 |
3 |
11 |
18 |
| SJ |
9 |
8 |
7 |
24 |
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| Referees: Marc Joannette, Bill McCreary. Linesmen:
Greg Devorski, Pierre Racicot. |
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