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Back to back goaltending gems
for SJ
Reimer shuts out Oilers in his 2nd start for
SJ
24 hours after Martin Jones 47 save performance,
the Sharks leaned on recently acquired netminder James Reimer, who made 31
saves en route to his 1st shutout in only his second start for San Jose. Reimer
didn't face the onslaught of shot that Jones faced against the Flames a day
earlier, but his steady hand in net allowed the Sharks offense to flow against
the host Edmonton Oilers as they capped their Alberta trip with a 3-0 victory.
Reimer had plenty of distractions to get in his way, but he was
unwavering. A report earlier in the day claimed that the former Maple Leafs
goaltender demanded $6 million a season over 6 years from Toronto after his
contract expires this summer. Reimer denied the claim, which would be a hefty
raise from his current contract.
Distractions aside, Reimer went to
work and kept the Oilers in check all night. Edmonton bookend the game with 12
shot periods that failed to get past the Sharks backstop.
Logan
Couture made Reimer's job easier by bagging a pair of goals in the 1st period.
The centerman provided San Jose all the offense they would need 1:33
into the contest by sweeping home a puck that Oilers goaltender Cam Talbot lost
track of. Couture snapped a shot on net from 20 feet out that was denied by
Talbot, but the goaltender assumed it had pushed past his net. Talbot didn't
realize that the puck sat perched at his feet. Several players including
Couture tried poking at it, but it was the Sharks forward who picked it out of
the scrum and slipped it into the Oilers net for his 9th goal of the season.
Couture added his 2nd tally of the period 14 minutes later, ripping a
shot from the right dot past Talbot while the Sharks were on the power play.
Couture took a Brent Burns feed and sat uncontested at the top of the circle.
Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse sat back rather than skating out to take away
the lane. Couture took three strides toward the net before lifting the puck
past Talbot for the 2-0 lead.
Joe Pavelski added his 31st goal of the
season 14 minutes into the 2nd period by picking a Paul Martin shot out of the
air with his stick blade, redirecting the shot past Talbot. I was classic
Pavelski, who has become a surgeon with his stick whenever a puck is in the
air.
The goal took the air out of the Oilers sails. Their
12 shot 3rd period was never really tested Reimer.
Things got ugly
late in the game when Sharks defenseman Roman Polak was whistled for
interference on Matt Hendricks who fell awkwardly into the end boards. Replays
showed that Hendricks caught an edge as he and Polak raced toward a loose puck.
When Polak's penalty expired, Nurse engaged him in front of the Sharks
bench, opening up a cut on the bridge of the Sharks newest defenseman. Nurse
was spared an instigator penalty which incensed the Sharks bench. Every player
in white was howling at referee Tom Kowal, which resulted in a bench minor for
abuse of an official. If any official was deserving of abuse, it was Kowal for
his mishandling of the entire situation.
All the penalties were
meaningless as time expired and the Sharks wrapped up the Albert sweep.
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What did you
think of this story? Post your comments on the
Feeder Forums |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
| SJ |
2 |
1 |
0 |
3 |
| EDM |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
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| 1st period - 1, SJ,
Couture 9 (Nieto, Donskoi), 1:33. 2, SJ, Couture 10 (Burns, Pavelski), 15:50,
(pp). |
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| 2nd period - 3, SJ,
Pavelski 31 (Martin, Thornton), 14:03. |
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| 1st period - Eberle, EDM
(tripping), 15:40. |
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| 2nd period - Vlasic, SJ
(cross checking), 2:00. |
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| 3rd period - Pollak, SJ
(interference), 16:11; Pollak, SJ (fighting major), 18:20; Nurse, EDM (fighting
major), 18:20; Nurse, EDM (roughing), 18:20; Bench, SJ (unsportsmanlike
conduct), 19:05. |
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Shots |
Saves |
| SJ - Reimer |
31 |
31 |
| EDM - Talbot |
22 |
19 |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
| SJ |
9 |
7 |
6 |
22 |
| EDM |
12 |
7 |
12 |
31 |
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| Referees: Furlatt,
Kowal. Linesmen: Berg, Sharrers. |
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