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Sharks finally sweep in
Motown
Sharks and Wings combine for 81
shots
It took twenty seasons, but the Sharks finally
swept a season series against the Detroit Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena. The
Sharks would grind out a wild 4-3 victory on Tuesday night to take both games
in Detroit and extend their hot streak. Devin Setoguchi continued his hot
streak with a pair of goals to help San Jose win in what has arguably been a
house of horrors for the Sharks. Antti Niemi outdueled Red Wings goaltender
Jimmy Howard in an up-tempo affair that saw a combined 81 shots on goal. Joe
Thornton stepped up by scoring a goal and adding two assists.
The win
extended the Sharks consecutive win streak at Joe Louis Arena to three games,
dating back to last spring's playoff series against the Red Wings. Detroit
looked like they were committed to prevent San Jose from taking both games on
their home ice, with a spirited opening ten minutes that had the Sharks backed
into a corner.
Niemi and his teammates would weather the storm, not
trying to get too fancy in their own end. The approach was the perfect approach
for a hostile building that has historically been unkind to San Jose.
Logan Couture played the role of pinata midway through the period, getting cut
with a high stick by Jonathan Ericsson at 9:46. The infraction would earn
Ericsson a double minor, but the power play almost bit the Sharks when Darren
Helm stepped in front of a pass and raced up ice for a short-handed breakaway
chance. Dan Boyle would get back to disrupt Helm scoring chance, and then
Niklas Lidstrom would cut Couture again for another high sticking call moments
later.
The on-ice officials refused to give Lidstrom a double minor,
even though Couture had a second cut on his face. Regardless, the Sharks were
awarded a lengthy 5-on-3 power play, but they would squander the golden chance
with a disjointed attack that seemed timid and unwilling to pressure the Red
Wings defense. San Jose's power play made Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard
look like the second coming of Mike Vernon.
Ryane Clowe would get
called for a Joe Louis Arena tripping special with 4:19 to play in the period,
but San Jose escaped without sustaining any damage on the scoreboard.
Jiri Hudler would take a costly penalty with 19.2 seconds left in the period
for holding Ryane Clowe. Rather than playing with the puck as they had on their
two-man advantage earlier in the period, San Jose struck quickly. Joe Thornton
would punch a deflection past with 8 ticks left before the intermission, after
Dan Boyle fired a shot in on net from the blueline. Boyle's shot hit Joe
Pavelski in the skate as he stood in the slot, trickling the puck toward the
left post. Thornton was hovering in the vicinity, putting the puck past Howard
for his 300th career goal.
Cuts to the face were the theme of the
evening. Dan Boyle would take a skate blade to the face early in the 2nd period
after he was tied up with Hudler behind the Sharks net. Boyle fell to the ice,
just as Hudler's boot whipped around, catching the Sharks defenseman on the
cheek to the left of his nose.
The Red Wings would tie the game at
7:06 of the period after Dan Cleary jammed a deflection past Antti Niemi from
the right side. Hudler jumped on a rebound after Lidstrom sent in a blast from
the point, putting a backhand chance on net that bounced off Niemi's left pad.
The puck appeared to be headed into the goal, but Cleary made sure of it by
following the shot with his own stick.
After Cleary's goal, Niemi
would start to see a steady stream of pucks. The Sharks netminder would make a
tough save with 7:50 remaining in the period, fighting off a shot from the
right side that was screened through a bushel of red out in front of the
crease.
Ryane Clowe would negate all that Red Wing pressure when he
stepped in front of a Red Wings pass at his own blueline, then raced up ice
undefended. He would put a backhanded move on Howard for his 17th goal of the
season.
San Jose would drop their guard and allow Detroit to tie the
game just 33 seconds later. It was Cleary once again, jamming his own rebound
between Niemi and the left post after Hudler pushed the puck down low from the
right point.
San Jose would bite Howard late for a second straight
period, when Devin Setoguchi deposited a Thornton feed with 77 seconds left
before the break. Thornton grabbed a loose puck near the left post before
racing around the net and sliding a pass to Setoguchi on the right side.
Setoguchi deflected the pass as Todd Bertuzzi was riding him into the net. The
puck would cross the goal line with Setoguchi right behind it.
The Sharks would take to the offensive to start the
3rd period, clearly not wanting to sit back and allow the Red Wings to dictate
things. Howard would stand on his head, making spectacular stops on Setoguchi
and Couture in a wild flurry midway through the period.
Niemi would
match Howard with a big kick save with 7:48 left in regulation.
Setoguchi would give the Sharks some breathing room with 6:48 left on a rocket
blast from the high slot. Thornton would draw the puck into the right corner,
before making the diagonal feed to Setoguchi who was trailing on the play.
Dany Heatley would be sent off for interference with 2:17 to play,
giving the Red Wings the man-advantage late. That crack was enough to allow
Detroit to make it a one-goal lead. Henrik Zetterberg would deposit a cross-ice
feed from the left circle after the Sharks overloaded the right side.
Detroit would pull Howard with 45 seconds left for the extra attacker.
Johan Franzen appeared to have a sure goal with 21 seconds left, but Niemi made
a spectacular kick save to save the game for San Jose. Franzen grabbed a loose
puck in the slot then kated from right to left, before sweeping the would-be
goal into Niemi's pad.
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think of this story? Post your comments on the
Feeder Forums |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
| SJ |
1 |
2 |
1 |
4 |
| DET |
0 |
2 |
1 |
3 |
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| 1st period - 1, SJ,
Thornton 15 (Pavelski, Boyle), 19:52, (pp). |
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| 2nd period - 2, DET,
Cleary 20 (Hudler, Lidstrom), 7:06. 3, SJ, Clowe 17 (unassisted), 14:08. 4,
Cleary 21 (Hudler, Kronwall), 14:42. 5, SJ, Setoguchi 16 (Thornton, Couture),
18:43. |
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| 3rd period - SJ,
Setoguchi 17 (Thornton, Couture), 13:12. 7, Zetterberg 18 (Holmstrom, Franzen),
18:09, (pp). |
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| 1st period - Ericsson,
DET, (high sticking - double minor), 9:46; Lidstrom, DET (high sticking),
11:28; Clowe, SJ (tripping), 14:19; Hudler, DET (holding), 19:41. |
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| 3rd period - Heatley, SJ
(interference), 17:43. |
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Shots |
Saves |
| SJ - Niemi |
38 |
35 |
| DET - Howard |
43 |
39 |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
| SJ |
18 |
13 |
12 |
43 |
| DET |
10 |
15 |
13 |
38 |
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| Referees: McCreary,
Rooney. Linesmen: Barton, Driscoll. |
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