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Offense returns sans
Thornton
Tampa Bay no match for SJ
scoring
Playing the first of two games without captain Joe
Thornton, who is serving a two-game suspension, the Sharks stepped up to end a
two-game skid with a 5-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday night at
HP Pavilion. The story lines were plentiful in a game that saw the Sharks score
for the first time in 6 periods. Patrick Marleau had two goals and goaltender
Antero Niittymaki made 33 saves to beat his former team.
The absence
of any Shark scoring during their recent road trip and Thornton's absence were
the focal points of the Sharks return to home ice, but both were a distant
worry after the Sharks put a five spot on Lightning goaltender Mike Smith.
Niittymaki was a big reason for that, making a number of big saves throughout
the evening.
After spending five season in Philadelphia, the Finnish
goaltender played in 49 games for Tamp Bay last season, winning 21 of those
games with a respectable .909 save percentage. His familiarity with his former
teammates seemed to play to his advantage, especially in the 3rd period, when
the Lightning put 19 shots on goal.
San Jose had the luxury of playing
in a defensive mode during that final 20 minutes, due in part to their 4 goal
lead.
The Sharks had Smith on his heels for the first 40 minutes of
the game. The Sharks would vary their approach to putting pucks past the
Lightning goaltender, scoring three even strength goals, a power play tally and
one of the short-handed variety.
That short-handed goal came midway
through the opening period, after Douglas Murray was sent off for interference.
Marleau converted at 12:16 of the period after Tampa Bay phenom Steven Stamkos
put a weak pass right on Marleau's tape as the Lightning were trying to skate
out of their own end. Marleau scooped up the turnover and skated toward the
left dot, before uncorking a shot that beat Smith for the 1-0 Sharks lead.
Martin St Louis would help Tamp Bay convert seconds after Murray's
penalty ended, redirecting a shot from Stamkos past Niittymaki from the slot.
Marleau would add his 2nd of the game with 4:34 to play before the 1st
intermission, putting a wrist shot past Smith on the power play. Lightning
captain Vincent Leavalier was in the penalty box for hooking to help setup the
goal.
Dany Heatley would give the Sharks a 3-1 lead midway through the
2nd period on a put back chance from the top of the Tampa Bay crease. Starting
at center on the Sharks top line in Thornton's absence, Logan Couture carried
the puck up the right side before putting a shot on Smith. The goaltender made
the initial save, but a juicy rebound landed right on Heatley's stick for his
6th deposit of the season.
Rookie forward John McCarthy would add his 2nd career
goal 6 minutes later with a quick one-time chance from the right post, after
Jamal Mayers hustled to a loose puck behind the Lightning net and backhanded a
feed to the front of the net. Skating on the 4th line, McCarthy has made the
most of his limited opportunities.
Couture would add his 5th of the
season just 27 seconds into the 3rd period on a redirect off a Heatley pass.
The rookie centerman skated toward the net ahead of Heatley, then pivoted to
face his linemate. He would get his stick blade on Heatley's feed, slipping the
puck perfectly between Smith's pads for the 5-1 lead.
Niittymaki would
go to work, shutting down the Lightning with a series of big saves. One of
those was a big kick save on a Stamkos breakaway midway through the period.
Stamkos would crack the Sharks netminder with one-timer from the left
circle with 1:47 to play. With Scot Nichol in the penalty box for interference,
Lecavalier sent a cross-ice pass through the slot, where Stamkos hammered it
home.
The goal was too little too late for the Lightning.
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1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
| TB |
1 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
| SJ |
2 |
2 |
1 |
5 |
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| 1st period - 1, SJ,
Marleau 5 (unassisted), 12:16, (sh). 2, TB, St Louis 6 (Stamkos, Lecavalier),
13:58. 3, SJ, Marleau 6 (Boyle, Demers), 15:26, (pp). |
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| 2nd period - 4, SJ,
Heatley 6 (Couture, Boyle), 11:27. 5, SJ, McCarthy 2 (Mayers, Murray), 17:27.
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| 3rd period - 6, SJ,
Couture 5 (Heatley), 0:27. 7, TB, Stamkos 11 (Lecavalier, Clark), 18:13, (pp).
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| 1st period - Murray, SJ
(interference), 11:50; Lecavalier, TB (hooking), 15:08; Hedman, TB (delay of
game – puck over glass), 17:50. |
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| 2nd period - Bergenheim,
TB (holding), 0:19; Bergenheim, TB (tripping), 2:50; Malone, TB (high sticking
– double minor), 11:57; Malone, TB (fighting major), 16:54; McGinn, SJ
(fighting major), 16:54. |
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| 3rd period -
Downie, TB (high sticking), 6:17; Huskins, SJ (high sticking), 9:12; Nichol, SJ
(interference), 17:00; McGinn, SJ (interference), 19:43. |
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Shots |
Saves |
| TB - Smith |
39 |
34 |
| SJ - Niittymaki |
35 |
33 |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
| TB |
10 |
6 |
19 |
35 |
| SJ |
12 |
20 |
7 |
39 |
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| Referees: Jackson,
Rehman. Linesmen: Devorski, Mach. |
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