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Setoguchi's bookend goals lead
Sharks Greiss stops 42 shots in 4-3 win over
Colorado
The Sharks capped their short three-game home
stand with a nail biting 4-3 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday night.
The Sharks were without the services of centerman Joe Thornton, who was
scratched after suffering an apparent knee injury less than 24 hours earlier in
the Sharks victory over Vancouver . San Jose outlasted the Avalanche, who are
fighting to hold on to the 8th spot in the Western Conference. San Jose also
gave defenseman Rob Blake and goaltender Evgeni Nabokov the night off to rest
up for the upcoming second season.
With three of their biggest guns
out of the lineup, the Sharks were faced with a formidable test, especially
given Colorado s urgency to fend off the 9th place Calgary Flames who won
on Sunday and pulled to within four points of the last playoff seed in the
Western Conference.
Any team is going to miss one of their best
players, but collectively we werent at our best tonight but we found a
way to get it done with out him (Thornton) and thats important for our
confidence, said Sharks head coach Todd McLellan.
Colorado s
4-5-1 record in the last ten games wasnt exactly intimidating, but the
Sharks have the same record over that span. The only difference is the Sharks
four wins have all come in their last four games.
I thought we
played hard tonight," said Avalanche head coach Joe Sacco. "We came out and
tried to work our game plan as far as keeping the puck down low, playing goal
line to goal line.
Sunday nights affair saw the Sharks grab
an early on the power play, even though it was missing their top setup man in
Thornton .
A Kyle Quincey slashing penalty midway though the opening
period put the Sharks on the power play. The Sharks would capitalize on Devin
Setoguchis 18th goal of the season. Setoguchi parked himself in front of
the net and deflected a Dan Boyle blast from the left point through Avalanche
goaltender Craig Andersons pads for the 1-0 lead.
"Everyone had
to step up," said Setoguchi. "Joe's played every game since he's been here.
Obvioulsy it's a change that we had to adjust to. We have a pretty deep team up
front with our forwards and we were able to get some offense even with him out
of the lineup. Hopefully he won't be out too long and he'll be back
soon."
Thomas Greiss got a rare start in net, but he made the most of
his chance. Greiss made the most of his start at the end of the period when he
stoned Adam Foote and Matt Duchene with chances from point blank range.
The Avalanche used a gaggle of bodies in front of the net to knot
things up early in the 2nd period. Kevin Porter converted just his 2nd goal of
the season on a backhand play from the top of the crease after Greiss was
blocked by a pair of bodies in front of his net. Cody McLeod sent a centering
pass out if front of the Sharks netminder, and Porter came up with the puck
after it deflected away from Greiss.
The Sharks got themselves into a
pickle midway through the period when Jamie McGinn took an ill-advised tripping
penalty at 10:15. Jed Ortmeyer would take a high sticking penalty just under a
minute later. The Avalanche would enjoy over a minute of 5-on-3 time, but they
wouldnt convert until McGinns penalty expired.
Peter Mueller would convert at 12:42 on a blast from
the left dot after Matt Duchene bounced a pass off a Sharks defender in the
slot.
The Sharks would get a big goal right before the 2nd
intermission to tie the game back up at 2-2. Jed Ortmeyer carried the puck up
the left wing before firing a shot on net from the bottom of the left circle.
Anderson stopped the shot, but it kicked out in front of him right as Logan
Couture crashed in on net. Avalanche winger TJ Galiardi deflected it back into
the Colorado goal.
The play was reviewed to see if Couture kicked the
puck into the net, but none of the five replay angles was conclusive. Ortmeyer
was awarded the goal for his 8th of the season.
San Jose would grab
the lead 4:32 into the 3rd period when Dan Boyle threw the puck on net from the
right side of the net. The puck squeezed between Anderson and the right post,
tucking just inside the opposite post as Joe Pavelski swatted at it for good
measure.
Mueller would knot the game up again four and a half minutes
later. After a faceoff win in the Sharks zone, Kyle Cumisky pumped a shot that
clanked off the left post. The puck deflected right to Mueller, who was driving
on net from the left side. It wasnt clear if the puck bounced off Mueller
or if he got a stick on it, but that didnt matter, because it counted and
the Sharks were forced to back to work.
They would cash in with 5:49
to play when Pavelski stick-handled along the right wing boards back toward the
blueline before changing directions and throwing a 50-foot shot on goal. The
puck got past Anderson and would have sailed wide left, but Setoguchi was
parked along side the left post and had the shot deflect off his leg and into
the goal.
That goal was reviewed, but replays showed that Setoguchi
did not kick the puck into the goal, so the tally stood.
I
dont think youre going to see a lot of pretty goals from this point
on, Im not just talking our with our hockey club," said McLellan. " I
think that the teams that continue on and play into June there is going to be a
lot of that ugly throw it to the net, off feet, off sticks, get a lucky break
here and there and thats how its going to happen.
Even with the lead, the Sharks werent out of the woods quite yet.
Colorado turned up the heat, especially after pulling Anderson for the extra
attacker with a minute to play. Greiss capped the impressive 42-save
performance with his two biggest saves with less than 15 seconds to play.
First Duchene put a shot from 8-feet out on net that Greiss stopped
after the puck trickled through the crease, then John-Michael Liles followed up
with a blast from the same distance seconds later. In both cases Greiss made
himself as wide as possible, stoning the point-blank chances.
"Greiss
made a big save," said Boyle. "That's kind of the turning point there. We
worked hard, but we gave up a pass through the middle and Greiss comes up with
a huge save."
The Avalanche must regoup as they fend off a struggling
Flames squad.
We came up a little short," said Sacco. " I think if
we play like we did tonight down the stretch here, well be fine.
Thats how we have to play, with that desperation. Its a word
thats over used this time of the year but its true. You could see
our guys tonight for the most part were desperate, and we just have to keep
battling.
Game Notes:
Thornton s absence from
the lineup meant his streak of 397 consecutive games in teal came to an end.
Thornton had played in every game since being acquired from Boston on December
2nd, 2005. Manny Malhotra was in the lineup, even though he suffered a broken
nose on the puck he absorbed with his face on Saturday night. He Sharks
recalled Jason Demers to fill in for Blake on the blueline.
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What did you
think of this game? Post your comments on the Feeder Forums |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
COL |
0 |
2 |
1 |
3 |
SJ |
1 |
1 |
2 |
4 |
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1st period - 1, SJ,
Setoguchi 18 (Boyle, Heatley), 10:51, (pp). |
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2nd period - 2, COL ,
Porter 2 (McLeod, Salei), 1:20. 3, COL , Mueller 10 (Duchene, Stewart), 12:42,
(pp). 4, SJ, Ortmeyer 8 (Couture, Murray ), 18:37. |
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3rd period - 5, SJ,
Boyle 15 (unassisted), 4:32. 6, COL , Mueller 11 (Cumisky, Hejduk), 9:03. 7,
SJ, Setoguchi, 19 (Pavelski, Clowe), 14:11. |
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1st period - Hendricks ,
COL (roughing), 6:19; Staubitz, SJ (roughing), 6:19; Staubitz, SJ (roughing),
6:19; Quincey, COL (slashing), 9:54. |
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2nd period -
McGinn, SJ (interference), 10:15; Ortmeyer, SJ (high sticking), 11:11. |
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Shots |
Saves |
COL - Anderson |
32 |
28 |
SJ - Nabokov |
45 |
42 |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
COL |
14 |
19 |
12 |
45 |
SJ |
10 |
8 |
14 |
32 |
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Referees: Kowal,
McCreary. Linesmen: Seitz, Sharrers. |
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