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Cheechoo continues hot
streak SJ keeps pace in division
race 4/1/07 - by Mike Lee
The
race
for the Pacific Division crown stayed interesting on Sunday as the Sharks
dismantled the Los Angeles Kings at HP Pavilion 6-2, keeping pace with
the
Dallas Stars and Anaheim Ducks. Jonathan Cheechoo recorded his 8th career
hat
trick to lead the Sharks, who trail Anaheim by 4 points with 3 games to
play in
the regular season. San Jose's 102 points leaves them deadlocked with the
Stars, who have a game in hand on the Sharks with one week left to play
before
the playoffs start.
Cheechoo scored three times in the 2nd
period to break
open a deadlocked game. The reigning league goal-scoring champion has
been on a
torrid pace the last month of the season.
The Sharks scored 4
times in the middle period after the Kings kept pace for the first 20
minutes
of the contest. Mark Bell gave the Sharks a 1-0 lead just 2:49 into the
game on
a blast that beat Kings goaltender Sean Burke. The Sharks then went on a
penalty binge to set the Kings first goal of the afternoon.
With
Craig
Rivet already in the box for an interference infraction, Christian
Ehrhoff was
whistled for tripping at 15:47, giving the Kings a short 5-on-3
advantage. Mike
Cammalleri converted less than 30 seconds later with a shot from the
slot.
Cammalleri pinched from the point, then fired a feed from Patrick
O'Sullivan to
the upper right corner of the net to knot the game at 1-1.
Cheechoo
would start his barrage three minutes into the 2nd by tipping a shot by
Rivet
while parked in front of the Kings net. The goal came on the power play
after
Mike Weaver was in the penalty box for interference.
Milan Michalek would scored his 24th of the season
less than 4 minutes later on a feed from Joe Thornton. Thornton weaved
his way
through the Kings defense before threading a pass to Michalek on the
right
post. Michalek stopped the pass with his skate, then calmly gathered it
with
his stick and wrested a shot past Burke.
Cheechoo made it 4-1
with a
blast from the left point on another power play opportunity. The shot
slipped
through traffic, fooling Burke as it trickled just inside the right post.
San Jose would cap the period with Cheechoo's 35th goal of the
season
with 1:34 remaining. Once again, Thornton would setup the goal with a
highlight
reel pass. Cheechoo started the sequence by cycling the puck to Thornton
along
the Kings end boards. The sniper circled back to the slot as Thornton
work
behind the net from left to right. As Thornton carried the puck out
toward the
right circle, he found Cheechoo breaking in on net from the opposite side
of
the slot with a pass that darted across the top of the crease. All
Cheechoo had
to do was wave at for the goal.
San Jose would outshoot LA 16-2
in the
period.
Kings head coach Marc Crawford pulled Burke to start the
3rd
period, replacing him with Mathieu Garon.
Alexander Frolov
scored his 35th of
the season at 8:49 of the period with a shot from in tight. Aaron Miller
put a
shot on Evgeni Nabokov from the point as Frolov was cutting to the net.
Nabokov
made the initial save, but couldn't cover up the rebound. Frolov hacked
at it,
slipping it under Nabokov.
Patrick Rissmiller scored the Sharks
3rd
power play goal of the game at 13:08 to cap the scoring. Rissmiller took
a feed
from Mike Grier as he skated through a barren slot. Without any defensive
pressure, Rissmiller had time to pick his target, easily beating Garon.
Notes:
The Kings got a scare in the 2nd period, when their high scoring
rookie, Anze Kopitar, was cut on the wrist by a teammates skate. Kopitar
had
fallen to the ice as Jamie Heward tried skating past him, but Heward's
skate
blade landed squarely on Kopitar's wrist. He would return later in the
game.
Sharks fans also got their first chance to see the Kings
defensive
phenim, Jack Johnson. Johnson made his NHL debut on Thursday.
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1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
LA |
1 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
SJ |
1 |
4 |
1 |
6 |
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1st period - 1, SJ, Bell
10 (Marleau, Pavelski), 2:49. 2, LA, Cammalleri 32 (O'Sullivan,
Kopitar),
16:15, (pp). |
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2nd period - 3, SJ,
Cheechoo 33 (Rivet, Thornton), 2:49, (pp). 4, SJ, Michalek 24
(Thornton,
Vlasic), 6:23. 5, SJ, Cheechoo 34 (Rivet, Thornton), 9:54, (pp). 6,
Cheechoo 35
(Thornton, Carle), 18:26. |
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3rd period - 7, LA,
Frolov, 35 (Miller), 8:49. 8, SJ, Rissmiller 7 (Grier, Brown),
13:31,
(pp). |
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1st period - Cammalleri,
LA (boarding), 5:19; Ehrhoff, SJ (tripping), 9:56; McLaren, SJ
(hooking),
12:55; Rivet, SJ (interference), 14:28; Ehrhoff, SJ (tripping),
15:47;
Armstrong, LA (high sticking - double minor), 17:12. |
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2nd period - Weaver, LA
(interference), 1:24; Kostopolous, LA (tripping), 9:15; Hannan, SJ
(cross
checking), 19:50. |
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3rd period - Vlasic, SJ
(hooking), 4:07; Zeiler, LA (holding the stick), 6:33; Modry, LA
(hooking),
10:48; Frolov, LA (hooking), 13:08. |
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Shots |
Saves |
LA - Burke |
23 |
18 |
LA - Garon |
6 |
5 |
SJ - Nabokov |
20 |
18 |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
LA |
9 |
2 |
9 |
20 |
SJ |
7 |
16 |
6 |
29 |
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Referees: Dennis LaRue, Rob
Shick. Linesmen: Shane Heyer, Tony Sericolo. |
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