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Thornton closes out series with
OT thriller
Sharks kill 5 minute major late then
finish off the Kings
Joe Thornton has taken a lot of heat during his
career for not delivering in the playoffs. Jumbo was extra large on Monday
night, as he scored an overtime goal to help the San Jose Sharks close out
their first round series with the Los Angeles Kings in improbably fashion. The
Sharks were tagged with a 5 minute penalty late in regulation, but they
survived the infraction and then ended the Kings season on Thornton's game
winner.
Thornton swept home a deflection off Patrick Marleau 2:22 into
overtime. Devin Setoguchi carried the puck around the back of the Kings net,
before slicing to the left circle to try and get a shot off. The puck kicked
off Marleau's skate and rainbowed across the top of the crease to Thornton who
had his back to the goal. The Sharks captain used his long reach to get his
stick blade on the puck and deposit arguably the biggest goal in his career.
Things looked bleak for San Jose late in regulation. The Kings got the
gift of the playoffs when Jamie McGinn was assessed a 5-minute charging penalty
and a game misconduct for a hit on Brad Richardson along the right wing boards
with 3:23 left in the 3rd period. McGinn came across the ice and was facing
Richardson when he applied the hit. Richardson saw it coming and tried to duck
the check, but was spun into the boards.
The one saving grace was that
the penalty was split by the 3rd intermission. The Sharks had surrendered two
power play goals earlier in the contest, so the 5-minute penalty looked like
the Kings were setup to send the series back to Northern California.
San Jose was able to get out of the 3rd period, then kill the remainder of the
penalty with fresh legs at the start of overtime.
The rest, as they
say, is history.
As for the rest of the game, it was the nail-biter
that everyone expected at the start of the series. Every time the Sharks
scored, the Kings had an answer. Los Angeles tied the game three times.
With the series on the line, both teams played tentatively in the
first 5 minutes of the contest.
The Sharks put a mad rush on the Kings
net with 8 minutes remaining in the period, swarming around Jonathan Quick.
They put several shots on goal, but the Kings goaltender was up to the task
early.
Kings head coach Terry Murray didn't like what he was seeing
through the opening dozen minutes, so he burned his timeout early. Part of his
discontent was centered around the fact that the Kings had one shot on goal
through that point in the game.
The Kings would generate their next
shot a minute later, but they never got anything dangerous near Antti Niemi.
The Sharks controlled the puck in the offensive zone for a majority of the
period.
The closest San Jose came to scoring was an Ian White shot
that was deflected off the left post with 5 minutes to play in the period.
The Sharks continued their trend of putting plenty of rubber on Quick,
but nothing went in the net. They would outshoot the Kings 16-5 in the period,
but the game remained scoreless through the 1st intermission.
Willie
Mitchell put his team in a hole 18 seconds into the 2nd period by slashing the
stick out of Setoguchi's hands to earn a 2 minute stay in the penalty box. San
Jose looked tentative with the puck, putting a single shot on goal.
Kyle Wellwood just missed on a backhand chance a minute after Mitchell's
penalty expired, but the Sharks retained possession of the puck in the Kings
zone. Joe Thornton held the puck along the goal line near the right corner,
then slid a pass to Wellwood in the slot for the one-time chance. Wellwood
wouldn't miss on his second chance, bagging his 1st goal of the playoffs with a
shot that want top shelf.
Ryane Clowe was late to get his stick on the
puck with a wide open net two minutes later, allowing the Kings to sweep the
puck to safety.
Defenseman Rob Scuderi got a scare when Niclas
Wallin's skate caught him in the face. Scuderi was able to skate off on his own
power, but replays showed that the blade missed his eye by inches.
Matt Greene put the Sharks back on the power play at
6:44 for tossing the puck over the glass, but once again the San Jose power
play could not generate any pressure on Quick.
The Sharks got
themselves into a pickle midway through the period when Thornton was called for
a high sticking double minor. Thornton's stick was lifted by Wayne Simmonds,
causing the blade to catch Brad Richardson in the mouth.
The Sharks
killed off the first two minutes of the penalty, but a Jack Johnson slap-shot
deflected off Niemi to Justin Williams near the right dot. Niemi was late to
slide over to his left, as Williams whipped a 15-foot shot into the goal to tie
the game at 1-1.
Ryan Smyth just missed putting the Kings up after
another shot deflected away from the Sharks netminder. This time the put back
was gobbled up by Niemi who was laying on his side.
San Jose retook
the lead with 3:08 left in the period off a Jason Demers wrist shot from the
top of the right circle. Joe Pavelski created the chance by muscling off a
check near the left corner, before whipping a pass through the slot to Demers
on the far side.
The Kings scored the equalizer 18 seconds into the
3rd period after Jarret Stoll put a shot off Niemi's pad and Smyth was there to
tap home the rebound. Sharks defenseman Dan Boyle failed to tie Smyth up on his
way to the net, which allowed the Kings forward to roam at the top of the
crease.
San Jose retook the lead at 8:48 of the period on a Dany
Heatley rocket from the left circle after Ryane Clowe made a weak pass to along
the Kings blueline. Heatley fought off a Kings defender to gain possession
before taking two strides and cranking a slap shot past Quick.
Jason
Demers committed a foolish penalty in front of his own net to draw an
interference penalty at 9:43. Los Angeles used the opportunity to re-tie the
game, when Trevor Lewis deposited a deflection off the stick of Wallin.
Drew Doughty nearly decapitated Devin Setoguchi with a cross check at
13:59, to put the Sharks on the power play for the third time. They would
squander the chance by moving the puck, but holding it when there were clear
shooting lanes.
The last five minutes of the game was setup for a
fantastic playoff storyline, but the McGinn penalty tarnished it all.
Questionable at best.
When Quick figured out the game winner was past
him, he dropped face down on the ice, similar to the two other overtime losses
he suffered in the series.
Game Notes
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1 |
2 |
3 |
1OT |
T |
| SJ |
0 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
| LA |
0 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
3 |
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| 2nd period - 1, SJ,
Wellwood 1 (Thornton), 2:58. 2, LA, Williams 2 (Johnson, Lewis), 13:27, (pp).
3, SJ, Demers 2 (Pavelski, Mitchell), 16:52. |
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| 3rd period - 4, LA,
Smyth 2 (Stoll), 0:18. 5, SJ, Heatley 2 (unassisted), 8:48. 6, LA, Lewis 1
(Stoll, Martinez), 11:39, (pp). |
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| 1st Overtime - 7, SJ,
Thornton 2 (Marleau, Setoguchi), 2:22 |
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| 2nd period - Mitchell,
LA (slashing), 0:18; Greene, LA (delay of game - puck over glass), 6:44;
Thornton, SJ (high sticking - double minor), 11:13. |
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| 3rd period - Demers, SJ
(interference), 9:43; Doughty, LA (high sticking), 13:59; McGinn, SJ (chargin
major), 16:37; McGinn, SJ (game misconduct), 16:37. |
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Shots |
Saves |
| SJ - Niemi |
29 |
26 |
| LA - Quick |
35 |
31 |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
1OT |
T |
| SJ |
16 |
13 |
5 |
1 |
35 |
| LA |
5 |
13 |
11 |
0 |
29 |
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| Referees:
O'Halloran, Pochmara. Linesmen: Heyer, Murray. |
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