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Sharks live another
day 2-1 win Dallas brings series back
west 4/30/08 - by Mike Lee
With
their backs to the wall, the Sharks staved off elimination from their Western
Conference Semi-Final Series with the Dallas Stars on Wednesday night with a
gritty 2-1 win at the American Airlines Center. It was the Sharks who came back
from an early deficit, scoring the game winner in the 3rd period, to send the
series back to San Jose. Sharks captain Patrick Marleau scored his 2nd
consecutive short-handed goal and Milan Michalek scored for the 3rd consecutive
game to pace the Sharks.
The sellout crowd came to see a series sweep
over the higher seeded Sharks, but San Jose outplayed the Stars in the 3rd
period. San Jose out-shot the Stars 9-5 in the final frame, dictating play for
the first time in the series.
Both teams came out tentatively in the
1st period, feeling each other out to see who would make the first mistake. San
Jose did little to generate any offense early, and escaped a scare 10 minutes
into the game.
Mike Modano used Christian Ehrhoff on a Sharks power
play at the midway point of the period. Modano picked Ehrhoff's pocket as they
skated for a loose puck in the Sharks zone, the stick-handled in on net to get
a shot on goal.
The Sharks would enjoy three power plays in the
opening period, but failed to register a single shot on goal during that 6
minutes of man-advantage play. Dallas would outshoot the Sharks 7-4 in the
period.
One of those shots was a redirect by Mike Grier on a centering
pass from Curtis Brown. Brown made his way back in the lineup after being
scratched the last 4 games. Brown was reinserted to help out the penalty kill,
which has been atrocious in both playoff rounds.
Devin Setoguchi
assisted on the first goal of the game, problem was it was scored by the Stars.
Trying to skate the puck out from behind his own net, but pressure by Mike
Ribiero forced the Sharks rookie to try clearing the puck up the slot. Jiri
Lehtinen easily stepped in from of the meek backhanded clearing attempt and
snapped it past Evgeni Nabokov for the 1-0 Stars lead.
Patrick Marleau answered 4 minutes later with his 2nd
short handed goal in as many games. Sergei Zubov tried sending a pass along the
Sharks blueline, but Marleau deflected it up ice with his stick. The Sharks
captain was off to the races and scored with a wrister that beat Marty Turco to
the stick side.
The Sharks were shorthanded after Ryane Clowe took an
interference penalty on a Stars rush. Brad Richards just missed during that
sequence by lifting a puck past Nabokov and bouncing it off the crossbar.
Clowe would take an elbowing penalty at 13:33 of the period to put the
Stars back on the power play, but a long shot by Zubov was the only puck Dallas
would get on net.
San Jose dodged a bullet with 4 minutes remaining in
the period, when Ribiero sent a blind back-hand pass through the slot to Morrow
on the far side. The Stars captain got the puck on go goal, but Sharks
defenseman Brian Campbell collapsed in the crease, covering it with his legs.
Nabokov smothered it with his glove hand to draw the whistle. The Stars argued
that Campbell covered the puck with his glove, but replays showed that it was
Nabokov who made the save.
The Sharks came out flying to open the 3rd
period. Jonathan Cheechoo had two chances from point blank range, but Turco
denied the sniper.
Modano would take a delay of game penalty for
lifting the puck over the glass in his own zone, putting the Sharks on the
power play for the 5th time in the contest. That was the crack in the Stars
armor that the Sharks needed.
Milan Michalek would convert on the
ensuing power play on a redirect from the top of the crease, to give the Sharks
the 2-1 lead. Brian Campbell started the sequence by sending a rink-wide pass
through the slot from along the left wing boards. Joe Thornton collected
Campbell's pass, then slid the puck to Michalek after Stars centerman Toby
Petersen slid over to take a passing lane away from Thornton.
A Loui
Eriksson slashing penalty at 13:01 of the period would put the Sharks back on
the power play. Michalek just missed putting the Sharks up by 2 goals when he
redirected a Craig Rivet pass just wide of the left post.
The Stars
would only put 5 shots on goal in the final period, but two came in the last
minute of play on heart stopping plays in tight. After Turco was pulled for an
extra attacker, Niklas Hagman carried the puck up the left wing, then sent a
spinning backhand pass to Lehtinen on the off wing. Lehtinen's shot sailed wide
of the right post, where Hagman scooped it up and circled to the left side of
the zone for a wrap around attempt that defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic got back
to deny Hagman's scoring chance.
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1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
SJ |
0 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
DAL |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
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2nd period - 1, DAL,
Lehtinen 3 (unassisted), 5:25. 2, SJ, Marleau 4 (unassisted), 9:19, (sh). |
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3rd period - 3, SJ,
Michalek 3 (Thornton, Campbell), 3:26, (pp). |
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1st period - Modano, DAL
(tripping), 5:49; Hagman, DAL (hooking), 8:09; Roenick, SJ (hooking), 12:09;
Niskanen, DAL (slashing), 16:39. |
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2nd period - Clowe, SJ
(interference), 8:32; Clowe, SJ (elbowing), 13:22; Lundqvist, DAL (tripping),
17:32. |
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3rd period - Modano, DAL
(delay of game - puck over glass), 2:41; Eriksson, DAL (slashing), 13:01. |
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Shots |
Saves |
SJ - Nabokov |
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DAL - Turco |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
SJ |
4 |
11 |
9 |
24 |
DAL |
7 |
6 |
5 |
18 |
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Referees: Joanette,
Watson. Linesmen: Amell, Sharrers. |
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