|
|
No answers for Flames in Game
2
Lifeless performance rewarded with 2-0
deficit
5/11/04 - by Mike Lee
Winning the Stanley Cup takes plenty of hard work and a little bit of
luck. The Sharks misfired on both angles Tuesday night as the Calgary Flames
rolled to a 4-1 win at HP Pavilion, taking a commanding 2-0 lead in the Western
Conference Finals. The absence of any Shark luck was on display from the game's
first shot on goal, a Marcus Nilson slapper from the top of the right circle 20
seconds into the contest that bounced off two Sharks before finding the back of
the net. The Flames used the goal to inspire an in your face effort the
remainder of the period, which resulted in another goal and an insurmountable
lead.
 |
| What did
you think of this game? Post your comments on the
Feeder Forums |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
| CGY |
2 |
0 |
2 |
4 |
| SJ |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
|
|
| 1st period - CGY,
M. NILSON (2) (S. DONOVAN, S. MONTADOR), 00:20 CGY, S. DONOVAN (4) (V.
NIEMINEN, M. NILSON), 10:35 |
|
|
| 2nd period - S.J,
A. MCCAULEY (1) (N. EKMAN, R. DAVISON), 05:26 |
|
|
| 3rd period - CGY,
V. NIEMINEN (3) , 12:35 CGY, J. IGINLA (7) (M. GELINAS, R. REGEHR), 13:19 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1st period - CGY,
C. CLARK, 11:41 - Hooking S.J, V. DAMPHOUSSE, 11:59 - Hi stick S.J, V.
DAMPHOUSSE, 15:12 - Tripping CGY, O. SAPRYKIN, 15:12 - Hooking - Obstruction
|
|
|
| 2nd period - CGY,
C. SIMON, 02:40 - Cross check S.J, N. DIMITRAKOS, 06:50 - Elbowing CGY, C.
SIMON, 14:53 - Roughing |
|
|
| 3rd period - CGY,
C. KOBASEW, 17:01 - Slashing S.J, V. DAMPHOUSSE, 17:01 - Hi stick S.J, V.
DAMPHOUSSE, 17:01 - Roughing |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Shots |
Saves |
| CGY - Kiprusoff |
18 |
17 |
| SJ - Nabokov |
20 |
16 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
| CGY |
8 |
6 |
6 |
20 |
| SJ |
4 |
8 |
6 |
18 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Sharks were stunned by Nilson's goal and it took
them a period to recover. By that time, the contest had been decided. While the
Sharks were trying to find answers, the Flames were driving the fork deeper
into the Sharks.
Calgary converted on another defensive lapse by the
Sharks midway through the period when former Shark forward Shean Donovan took a
Ville Nieminen pass just inside the Flames blueline and raced up the ice
untouched after slipping past Brad Stuart. Donovan sauntered up the ice, then
undressed Evgeni Nabokov before slipping the puck into the Sharks net for a 2-0
lead.
Calgary spent the rest of the period dominating play by
controlling the puck for much of the period. Every glimmer of light seemed to
be wiped out in one way or another. A power play opportunity a minute after
Donovan's goal was nullified by a Vincent Damphousse high sticking penalty 18
seconds into the Sharks man advantage.
Niko Dimitrakos had an odd man
rush nullified when Damphousse was whistled for tripping Oleg Sprykin, who
coincidentally was sent to the box on the same play for hooking Damphousse.
San Jose cut into Calgary's lead early in the 2nd period, when Alyn
McCauley ripped his first goal of the playoffs past Miikka Kiprusoff. Nils
Ekman setup the play by sliding a centering pass to McCauley from behind the
Flames goal. McCauley one timed the pass over Kiprusoff's left shoulder.
That would be as San Jose would get. The intensity level was turned up
a notch, but the Sharks couldn't get any sustained pressure on Kiprusoff.
Calgary would ice the game with a pair of goals midway through the 3rd
period.
Nieminen started things by snapping a shot from almost the
exact same location as Nilson's goal after he carried a turnover in the Flames
zone untouched up the right wing boards. The Flames left wing may have fooled
Nabokov by looking to pass the puck, but instead fired the shot as Nabokov slid
to his left to cover the short side.
Flames captain Jerome Iginla
would score from that spot 44 seconds later. Nabokov seemed slow to react to
Iginla's shot, which sailed past his right shoulder, hitting the left corner.
Damphousse would add to the Sharks misery by drawing a penalty with
just under three minutes to play.
Quotables
"It's tough to
come back from something like that. But we did the hard work to back it up,
too. We earned the win." - Marcus Nilson
"We'd be lying if we said this
is what we expected, but it's a tremendous bonus. This is definitely the most
special season I've had, and it just seems like anything can happen now." -
Craig Conroy
"I know from being on the other side of it, you get scored
on in the first minute, it's hard. Then you get another one, and it's not that
far removed from where they were down 2-0 in Game 1. It trickles back in." -
Calgary head coach Darryl Sutter
"We've dug a heck of a hole for
ourselves, but it's not impossible to get out. We have to recapture the style
of play that made us successful in the first two rounds. Hopefully it will be
easier to calm the situation down on the road." - Sharks head coach Ron
Wilson
"We didn't do a lot of things we usually do, and they were ready
to play. We've chosen to make it tough on ourselves. We have to get back into
it the hard way." - Brad Stuart
|
| What did you think of
this game? Post your comments on the
Feeder Forums |
|
|
|
| |
|
