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Marleau does it again in
OT
3rd game winner in last 10 games
The last time the Sharks played the Nashville
Predators, Patrick Marleau ended the game with an overtime goal. Here weeks
later, Nashville had their shot at revenge on Tuesday night, but Mr. Overtime
gave an encore performance and beat the Predators with another back-breaker in
the extra session. Marleau beat Pekka Rinne 3:24 into the overtime period with
his 27th goal of the season and 3rd overtime winner in the Sharks last ten
games.
Sharks head coach Todd McLellan was well aware of
Marleau’s value in the extra session, so he started the overtime with his
speedy forward on the ice. Marleau didn’t score on that first shift, but
he would get warmed up on his second chance.
Marleau took an Ian White
feed up the right wing, beating defenseman Jonathan Blum to the right dot,
where he sent a wrist shot over Rinne’s left shoulder. The goal was
reminiscent of Marleau’s game winner in Nashville on February 15th, also
coming off Rinne from the right side.
“That’s what Patty
does," said McLellan. "I think he is leading us in goals now and he scored some
big ones down the stretch. He comes to play every night. I think his teammates
and the coaching staff appreciate that from him. ”
Rinne was the
hard luck loser back in February, stopping 48 shots in a 2-1 loss. He would
make 30 saves on Tuesday night, to earn another undeserved loss. His play was
superb, with the exception of Marleau’s goal.
San Jose would get
to the Predators goalie 8 minutes into the game, when Ryane Clowe redirected a
deflection off Dany Heatley from the doorstep for his 19th goal of the season.
Jason Demers threw a pass to the slot from the right dot, hitting Heatley in
the leg. The puck would change direction, heading toward the left post, where
Clowe got a stick on the puck.
Nashville’s 28th ranked power play
would score the first of two goals at 14:22 after Clowe was sent off for
hooking. Joel Ward would score his 8th of the season to tie the game at 1-1 by
jamming a puck off White’s skate after going hard to the net from the left
side.
San Jose would go on the power play 2:34 into the 2nd period,
when defenseman Shane O’Brien was whistled for hooking. The Sharks would
capitalize when Justin Braun deposited his 2nd NHL goal with a blast from the
right point.
A careless line change would hand the goal right back.
San Jose was called for too many men on the ice, putting the Predators power
play unit back on the ice. Nashville would not the game with their second goal
on the man-advantage a minute into the penalty when David Legwand send a pass
through the slot to a pinching Shea Weber for the tap in on the weak side.
Torrey Mitchell missed the defensive assignment, and could only flail at
Weber’s shot as it crossed the goal line.
Joe Thornton would take
an undisciplined elbowing penalty with 3:24 remaining in the period, but the
Sharks penalty kill would hold.
San Jose would get a chance on the power play after
Nashville was called for too many men, but the Sharks would fail with the
man-advantage. Braun had a golden opportunity to record his first multi-goal
game, but his point blank shot knuckled on him, sailing over the crossbar.
Mitchell would have a chance to atone for this defensive miscue on the
Weber goal a minute later, but his shot from eight feet out would miss wide
left.
Douglas Murray almost cost his team with under three minutes
left in regulation when his rushed clearing attempt, failed to leave the zone
and turned into a scoring chance for Mike Fisher. Niemi would make the save by
smothering Fisher’s shot from the left side.
In the overtime, a
turnover by Joe Pavelski almost turned into a Nashville goal, but Ward
deflected a shot wide of the right post.
Marleau would end it moments
later to help snap their brief one game losing streak.
“We were a
little bit tired," said Predators head coach Barry Trotz. "We went up to
Edmonton and got there late. We got beat there but they’ve been playing
pretty well. We go into Vancouver and they are the first place team over all in
the league. We got two points there. Calgary . We played them tough but
didn’t get any points there unfortunately. Then we play a first place team
in San Jose . Maybe the hottest team in the league. So we’ve played teams
that have been good and hot. Obviously we’d like to get a few more points
but we’re going home now.
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1 |
2 |
3 |
OT |
T |
| NSH |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
| SJ |
1 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
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| 1st period - 1, SJ,
Clowe 19 (Heatley, Demers), 8:17. 2, NSH, Ward 8 (Erat, Weber), 14:22, (pp).
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| 2nd period - 3, SJ,
Braun 2 (Heatley, Clowe), 4:17, (pp). 4, NSH, Weber 14 (Legwand, Erat), 6:08,
(pp). |
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| Overtime - 5, SJ,
Marleau 27 (White), 3:24. |
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| 1st period - Demers, SJ
(holding), 4:29; Clowe, SJ (hooking), 13:29. |
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| 2nd period -
O’Brien, NSH (hooking), 2:34; Bench, SJ (too many men), 5:03; Thornton, SJ
(elbowing), 16:36. |
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| 3rd period - Bench, NSH
(too many men), 5:27. |
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Shots |
Saves |
| NSH - Rinne |
33 |
30 |
| SJ - Niemi |
25 |
23 |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
OT |
T |
| NSH |
13 |
6 |
4 |
2 |
25 |
| SJ |
10 |
7 |
13 |
3 |
33 |
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| Referees: O'Rourke,
Morton. Linesmen: Cvik, Nelson. |
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