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Win with a
price Cheechoo injured in 4-3
victory 11/13/06 - by Mike Lee
The
Sharks awoke from the funk that had plagued them for three games, just in the
nick of time on Wednesday night. Fueled by three 3rd period goals, San Jose
overcame three deficits to end their four-game road trip with a 4-3 win over
the Colorado Avalanche. Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau scored power play
goals 18 seconds apart to lead the comeback. Goaltender Evgeni Nabokov turned
in the biggest performance, stopping 40 shots, including 20 in a wild 2nd
period.
The win was tempered by the news that Jonathan Cheechoo
sustained an injury to his left knee after Colorado defenseman Karlis Skrastins
landed on the Sharks snipers leg, following a scrum in front of the Avalanche
net midway through the game.
The league's top goal scorer last season
has endured his share of injuries thus far, but the extent of this latest
mishap is unknown. Cheechoo required assistance off the ice and did not return
to the game.
If the Sharks needed any motivation to jump start an
offense which has gone anemic as of late, Cheechoo's injury was it. Without him
in the lineup, San Jose will lean on someone else to balance the right side
along with Milan Michalek and Steve Bernier.
"We sleepwalked through
the second period," Sharks coach Ron Wilson said. "Fortunately for us, we woke
up in time to score two power plays at the end."
Both right wings
chipped in during the 3rd periods which saw both teams score 5 combined goals.
After Antti Laaksonen had staked Colorado to a 2-1 lead at the 2:54 mark of the
period on a turnover by Marleau, Bernier countered with his 6th tally of the
season on a sweet backhand attempt from the bottom of the right circle.
Avalanche captain Joe Sakic countered with Colorado's third goal of
the game less than two minutes later on a bullet from the right wing.
Colorado shot themselves in the foot midway through
the period when they took a bench minor for too many men on the ice, which was
followed by a Brett Clark hooking penalty 28 seconds later.
Thornton
struck quickly with a goal 5 seconds into the ensuing 5-on-3 after Milan
Michalek deflected a clearing attempt by Colorado right off the draw. Thornton
gathered the rebound in the slot and snapped a wrist shot past Jose Theodore.
Marleau would convert on his goal before the Thornton goal was even
announced to the 18.007 in attendance. Thornton started the scoring sequence by
sending a pass down low to Michalek on the right post. The Sharks winger failed
to control the puck, but deflected it across the slot to Marleau who was
driving to the net. The Sharks captain buried the shot into a wide open net.
"That was our opportunity, we grasped it and took advantage of it,"
said Marleau.
The Sharks then turned to Nabokov to shut the door on an
Avalanche offense that had no problem putting pucks on net. Nabokov outdid his
2nd period performance with several circus stops during the final 4 minutes of
the game.
"Shots were coming from everywhere," Nabokov said. "I didn't
know where they were coming from. I made the saves I had to make."
One
saving grace for San Jose has been their penalty kill, which stopped all four
Colorado chances. Curtin Brown also scored a short-handed goal early in the 2nd
period to know the game up at 1-1. Brown converted on the chance after
John-Michael Liles misplayed a pass at the Sharks blueline.
Brett
McLean had given the Avalanche a 1-0 lead early in the game on Nabokov's lone
mistake. The Sharks netminder failed to cut off McLean's angle on a shot that
squeezed through Nabokov's pads.
"We didn't win the game and that is
what we are here for," Laaksonen said. "I think we deserved to win, we worked
pretty hard for it, but it didn't go our way."
Notes:
Defenseman Rob Davison made his season debut with the Sharks after a stint on
the injured reserve. He made the most of his ice-time, squaring off with Ian
Laperriere twice after dishing out hits to Colorado forwards in the Sharks
zone. The first fight was more of a hug, which ended in both players crashing
to the ice. Davison got the best of Laperriere in the rematch later in the
period.
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1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
SJ |
0 |
1 |
3 |
4 |
COL |
1 |
0 |
2 |
3 |
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1st period - 1, COL,
McLean 4 (Arnason, Laprerriere), 3:48. |
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2nd period -
2, SJ, Brown 3 (unassisted), 1:34, (sh). |
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3rd period - 3, COL,
Laaksonen 1 (Rycroft), 2:54. 4, SJ, Bernier 6 (Marleau, McLaren), 6:52. 5, COL,
Sakic 8 (Svatos, Theodore), 8:32. 6, SJ, Thornton 5 (Michalek), 10:55, (pp). 7,
SJ, Marleau 12 (Michalek, Thornton), 11:12, (pp). |
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1st period - Stastny,
COL (hooking), 4:12; Hejduk, COL (hooking), 13:57; Svatos, COL (tripping),
17:55. |
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2nd period - Hannan, SJ
(hooking), 1:22; Davison, SJ (roughing), 4:04; Laperriere, COL (roughing),
4:04; Davison, SJ (fighting major), 6:08; Laperriere, COL (fighting major),
8:08; Nieminen, SJ (hooking), 9:32; Hannan, SJ (hooking), 19:39. |
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3rd period - Team, COL
(too many men), 10:22; Clark, COL (hooking), 10:50; Brown, SJ (hooking),
17:20. |
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Shots |
Saves |
SJ - Nabokov |
43 |
40 |
COL - Theodore |
26 |
22 |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
SJ |
7 |
7 |
12 |
26 |
COL |
6 |
21 |
16 |
43 |
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Referees: Mike Leggo, Brad
Watson. Linesmen: Darren Gibbs, Thor Nelson. |
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