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Lively 3rd period ends with
another comeback
Heatley and Pavelski save the
day
Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Steve Mason has
had the Sharks number this season, so the Sharks figured that in order to beat
him, they’d have to throw a ton of rubber his way. Applying a steady dose
of pucks, they would wear down the Columbus defense and score a pair of 3rd
period goals to take a 2-1 decision at HP Pavilion on Saturday night.
It was the second consecutive game in which the Sharks came back from a
3rd period deficit. Both came against teams that are on the outside looking in
to the NHL playoff race, but Columbus and Thursday night's victim Montreal, put
up decent fights.
“I’m happy that we got the two points," said
Sharks head coach Todd McLellan. "I am happy that we won. I am quite pleased
with the game. It is hard to win in this league. It doesn’t matter who you
are playing.”
After dealing several key veterans at the trade
deadline earlier in the week, Columbus is a team in trsnaition
mode.
“We’ve got 17 games left and we are trying to learn and
get better every game," said Blue Jackets head coach Claude Noel. "The higher
the competition, the more you learn. We are really disappointed in the loss
because we thought that was a game we could have won. You can’t give them
power play chances because eventually they are going to come back and bite
you.”
The Sharks looked to extend their dominance over the Blue
Jackets on HP Pavilion ice and managed to outshoot Columbus 13-5 in the opening
period, even though they spent a significant time in the box.
Brad
Staubitz was in a particularly ornery mood, after dropping the gloves with Blue
Jackets winger Jared Boll. The two exchanged solid punches, cutting each other
in the scrap.
Staubitz mixed it up later in the period with Derek
Dorsett, after leveling him with a hit in the corner. As Dorsett skated back to
his bench, he bumped into the Sharks tough guy, baiting Staubitz to drop the
gloves, but the Columbus forward elected not to engage. Staubitz landed a
couple of punches, but in the end earned a double-minor for roughing.
“Some of the teams that are considered to be out of the playoff
race, often are tougher to play against because they are playing for jobs, they
have got some you in their lineup and they are a hungry group," added McLellan.
"So it is not going to be an easy road by any means.”
The Sharks would kill off the 4-minute power play, but
then allowed the Blue Jackets to take to 1-0 lead just a minute into the 2nd
period. The Blue Jackets took advantage of an odd-man rush, capping it with a
deposit by Andrew Murray. R.J. Umberger carried the puck up the right wing,
before sliding a pass to the slot, where Murray redirected it past Evgeni
Nabokov.
An Antoine Vermette put the Sharks on the power play at 7:35
of the 3rd period for hooking, and it would provide the Sharks with the crack
they would need. Joe Thornton setup Dany Heatley with a pin-point pass on the
doorstep. Heately one-timed the chance past Steve Mason for this 34th goal of
the year.
The goal snapped a streak of 77 straight Shark shots stopped
by the Columbus netminder.
Mike Commodore was whistled for
interference at 10:07, then Jan Hejda gave the Sharks a gift by knocking his
own net off its moorings to draw a delay of game penalty. Hejda’s
infraction gave the Sharks an abbreviated 5-on-3, but San Jose couldn’t
get the puck in the net.
Joe Thornton came closest, throwing a shot on
net that hit the crossbar. The puck fell to the ice and perched itself on the
goal line.
Columbus would kill off both penalties, then lose
focus long enough to allow San Jose to grab the lead. Joe Pavelski would get
the go-ahead goal by skating the puck around the back of the net, then roof a
shot over Mason’s right shoulder for this 18th goal of the season.
“The type of pressure that they put on in the third period makes
you do things that you don’t want to do," said Noel. "We knew it was
coming. They have good players who have experience.”
Game
Notes:
Sharks forward Scott Nichol missed his first game after
sustaining an injury to his arm on Thursday. Nichol was pushed head first into
the boards by Montreal Canadiens forward Maxim Lapierre. The move will cost
Lapierre a few dollars, after he received a four-game suspension on Saturday.
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think of this game? Post your comments on the
Feeder Forums |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
| CBJ |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
| SJ |
0 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
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| 2nd period - 1, CBJ,
Murray 2 (Umberger, Voracek), 1:00. |
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| 3rd period - 2, SJ,
Heatley 34 (Thornton, Marleau), 7:53, (pp). 3, SJ, Pavelski 18 (Marleau,
Clowe), 15:20. |
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| 1st period - Murray, CBJ
(hooking), 1:54; Pavelski, SJ (high sticking), 2:09; Boll, CBJ (fighting
major), 4:15; Staubitz, SJ (fighting major), 4:15; Staubitz, CBJ (roughing),
14:57; Staubitz, CBJ (roughing), 14:57. |
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| 2nd period -
Paetsch, CBJ (holding), 9:55; Tyutin, CBJ (tripping), 18:20. |
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| 3rd period -
Vermette, CBJ (hooking), 7:35; Commodore, CBJ (interference), 10:07; Hejda, CBJ
(delay of game), 11:38’ Hejda, CBJ (holding), 15:54; Heatley, SJ
(hooking), 16:07. |
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Shots |
Saves |
| CBJ - Mason |
44 |
42 |
| SJ - Nabokov |
22 |
21 |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
| CBJ |
5 |
8 |
9 |
22 |
| SJ |
13 |
16 |
15 |
44 |
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| Referees: Walsh,
Marouelli. Linesmen: Rody, Sharrers. |
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