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Shootout improbably saves the
day
Sharks win 3 straight for 1st time this
season
11/14/07 - by Mike Lee
Winning streaks have been few and far between for the Sharks this
season, and a 3rd period meltdown in Dallas on Wednesday night almost let a win
slip through their fingers, but a improbable shootout performance salvaged a
4-3 win and helped San Jose string together their first 3-game winning streak
of the season. Devin Setoguchi and Patrick Marleau each scored goals and
converted their shootout attempts to lead San Jose.
The Stars
continued to struggle, losing for the third straight time and first since owner
Tom Hicks shook up the front office on Monday. Dallas overcame a 2-goal deficit
in the 3rd period, turning the tide on the Sharks. San Jose built a lead early,
taking advantage of two mistakes by the Stars.
Torrey Mitchell opened
the games scoring on a miscue by Stars goaltender Marty Turco. With the puck
cycling behind the Stars net, Turco tried to wind it clear of the goal, but the
puck ended up on Jeremy Roenick's stick. Roenick immediately fed Mitchell
through the slot, who was cutting in on goal. Mitchell easily tapped in the
pass for his 3rd goal of the season.
Jiri Lehtinen tied the game at
15:49 on a put back after his point blank shot bounced off Sharks netminder
Evgeni Nabokov. Lehtinen's scoring chance was setup after the Sharks turned the
puck over at center ice. Brendan Morrow dumped the puck into the Sharks zone,
while San Jose was on a line change. Lehtinen grabbed the puck in the right
corner, before circling back on the Sharks goal.
Devin Setoguchi
scored his 6th goal of the season, also giving the Sharks the lead back with
just under 2 minutes remaining in the period. Joe Thornton setup the goal by
picking Sergei Zubov's pocket at the Stars blueline, then making a pass from
the left wing boards, feeding Setoguchi as the rookie forward skated toward the
net down the slot. The Sharks rookie gathered the pass between the dots, then
rifled a wrist-shot off Turco and into the net.
Marleau would tack on
another score less than a minute later after another Stars turnover. Stars
centerman Stu Barnes tried to wind the puck from the end boards, but his
clearing attempt hit Dallas defenseman Matt Niskanen and kicked out to Marleau
near the bottom of the right circle. The Sharks captain looped around to his
right, then snapped home his 4th of the season. The goal also marked his 499th
career point.
The Sharks let up the gas early in the 3rd period and it
would cost them. Stars captain Brendan Morrow made it a one-goal game with a
power play goal at 5:33 of the 3rd period after Mike Grier took a hooking
penalty. Lehtinen put a shot on goal from the slot that bounced off Nabokov,
right to Morrow, who deposited the rebound.
Sensing a shift in momentum, Dallas stepped up the
pressure in the offensive zone on the very next shift. After working the puck
deep, Antti Miettinen found Niklas Hagman with a pass fro behind the Sharks
net. Hagman had slipped behind Marcel Goc and Mark-Edouard Vlasic in the slot,
before beating Nabokov with his 8th goal of the season.
Curtis Brown
had a 2-on-1 break chance in the overtime period, but his backhand chance
sailed over the Stars net. Vlasic hit the post moments later to cap a wild
rush.
Douglas Murray took an interference penalty with 1:12 left in
the overtime period, but the Sharks stopped the Stars 4-on-3 advantage.
In the shootout, San Jose made quick work of the Stars, turning the
tide on the league's best shootout team. Zubov led off by putting a weak shot
right in to Nabokov's pads, putting the Stars in the early hole. Setoguchi then
snapped a shot 5-hole, beating Turco. Jussi Jokinen skated in on net wide
right, then tried wristing a shot inside the left post, but Nabokov made the
kick save, catching the puck with his right pad. Marleau ended things with a
shot that beat Turco to the stick side.
Game Notes:
The
Sharks entered the game 3-9 on the shootout all time, while Dallas sported a
22-5 record all-time. Milan Michalek, who is nursing the elbow he strained on
Monday night was scratched from the game. Matt Carle and Alexei Semanov were
healthy scratches for San Jose.
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1 |
2 |
3 |
OT |
SO |
T |
| SJ |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
4 |
| DAL |
1 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
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| 1st period - 1, SJ,
Mitchell 3 (Roenick), 9:33. 2, DAL, Lehtinen 5 (Morrow, Modano), 15:49. 3, SJ,
Setoguchi 6 (Thornton), 18:04. 4, SJ, Marleau (unassisted), 19:03. |
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| 3rd period - 5, DAL,
Morrow 8 (Lehtinen, Ribeiro), 5:33, (pp). 6, DAL, Hagman 8 (Miettinen,
Jokinen), 6:31. |
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| Shootout - DAL: Zubov
(miss), Jokinen (miss). SJ: Setogucji (goal), Marleau (goal). |
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| 1st period - Barch, DAL
(hooking), 7:07; Pavelski, SJ (tripping), 12:14. |
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| 2nd period - Daley, DAL
(hooking), 5:40; Daley, DAL (hooking), 16:18; Lehtinen, DAL (tripping),
19:15. |
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| 3rd period - Grier, SJ
(hooking), 4:49; Daley, DAL (delay of game), 13:00. |
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| Overtime - Murray, SJ
(interference), 3:48. |
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Shots |
Saves |
| SJ - Nabokov |
29 |
26 |
| DAL - Turco |
25 |
22 |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
OT |
T |
| SJ |
9 |
7 |
7 |
2 |
25 |
| DAL |
9 |
9 |
8 |
3 |
29 |
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| Referees: Tom
Kowal, Michael McGeough. Linesmen: Thor Nelson, Lyle Seitz. |
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