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Caps no match for
Sharks Sharks score on 3 of 5 shots in 1st then
roll 11/22/08 - By Mike Lee
The
defending Hart, Art Ross, Maurice Richard and Lester B. Pearson Trophy winner,
Alex Ovechkin, made his lone trip to San Jose on Saturday night and picked up a
few pointers on how to dominate a hockey game. Six different Sharks scored,
including three in the 1st period, to pummel the visiting Washington Capitals
7-2 at HP Pavilion. The Sharks spread the wealth in an all-out assault on
Capitals goaltender Brent Johnson, who gave up all 7 goals in the rout.
Defenseman Rob Blake led the Sharks with 4 assists, tying a franchise record
for most assists in a game.
San Jose's blueliners also set a franchise
record by chipping in a goal and 8 assists to help pace the Sharks to their
league best 17th win of the season. Dan Boyle added 3 assists to yet another
fruitful night from the defensive corps.
When asked to address the
shared scoring, Sharks head coach Todd McLellen didn't mince words.
"I
believe it is essential for any team to win a championship, I've been there
first hand and it's a must," McLellen said. "It is something to continue to
strive for as the year goes on."
Oddly enough, the Sharks didn't
record their first shot on net until they were 9:13 into the contest. That shot
found the back of the net however, and the Sharks were off to the races.
Patrick Marleau sent a one-time chance past Johnson from the bottom of the
right circle, after Boyle pinched in and setup the goal with a sweet backhand
pass from in deep.
Ryane Clowe would score the 1st of his 2 goals at
12:34, courtesy of Capitals defenseman Shaone Morrisonn on a whacky play. After
Blake sent a shot in from the point, the puck began to pin-ball in front of the
crease where Clowe got a stick on it. As the puck bounced into the crease,
Morrissonn tried to clear it, but ended up tapping it into his own goal.
The period would end with the Sharks up 3-0 after Devin Setoguchi
pumped his 12th goal of the season past Johnson on a one-timer from the right
circle. The goal came just after a David Steckel high-sticking penalty expired.
"I don't know if the wheels fell off after the first goal, I thought
despite being down 3-0, we played pretty well in the first period," said
Capitals head coach Bruce Boudreau. "They had 3 goals on 5 shots, and I think
those shots were extremely well placed."
Washington would get on the
board at 7:56 of the 2nd period on a Tom Poti goal, after former Sharks Matt
Bradley slid a rebound off the end boards across the goal mouth. Poti crashed
in on Sharks goaltender Brian Boucher and punched home his 3rd of the season.
A Michael Nylander holding infraction at 11:05 would
put the Sharks on one of 6 power plays on the evening. Joe Thornton would make
Washington pay for Nylander's error with an unreal deflection from the high
slot. Marc-Edouard Vlasic spotted Thornton loitering between the circles, and
fired a pass toward him from the left point. Thornton deflected the puck with
the back-hand side of his stick, sending it to the upper right corner for the
4-1 Sharks lead.
Thornton would watch the next Sharks goal from the
penalty box, where he was sent after a strange unsportsmanlike conduct call.
Pursuing a loose puck toward the net, Thornton sprayed Johnson with snow,
rather than plow into him as he headed toward the net. Referee Mike Leggo felt
the shower was unnecessary and sent the Sharks centerman off for 2 minutes.
With the Capitals on the power play, Marleau intercepted a pass at his
own blueline and raced up ice. Ovechkin was forced to hook the Sharks captain
in order to prevent the easy score. Vlasic would convert on the ensuing 4-on-4
with a blast from the left point.
Tomas Fleischmann would cut the
Sharks lead to 5-2 on a power-play goal at 2:19 of the 3rd period. Ovechkin set
up the goal with a 60-foot pass that traveled diagonally through the slot to
Fleischmann down low. The Capitals left win deflected the pass upstairs for his
8th of the season.
Washington would get into penalty trouble later in
the period, giving an already deadly offense a 5-on-3 advantage at the 5:21
mark. Clowe would deposit a rebound after Blake fired a shot off Johnson 20
seconds later.
"I thought we made 3 or 4 mistakes, and they are the
kind of team that when you make mistakes, they will capitalize on it right
away," Boudreau added. "We have been getting away with 2 or 3 mistakes a game,
but tonight it really hurt us."
The scoring binge became passé
for the sellout crowd, which broke out the wave with 7 minutes to play.
Mike Grier would add another score for good measure with 53 ticks
remaining to cap the massacre. Racing up the right wing, Grier sent a centering
pass to Jeremy Roenick on the off wing. Roenick tried to one-time the chance,
but it deflected over to Grier who made his return to the ice for the first
time in 4 games count with his 3rd goal of the season.
"The Sharks are
really good right now, they are very opportunistic," said Boudreau. "Look how
many goals they have scored since the Calgary game
All three lines can
score, and the fourth line got a couple of goals tonight."
Game
Notes
Enforcers Donald Brashear and Jody Shelley tangled in a spirited
fight in 1st period. Both players landed shots squarely, but neither could drop
their opponent. Shelley would earn time on Thornton's line, skating opposite
Setoguchi late in the game. Brashear would earn a 10-minute misconduct from
trying to engage Shelley after a whistle late in the 2nd period. The Sharks
unveiled their new BlackArmor jerseys, which included a video showcasing the
new jersey before the game.
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What did you
think of this game? Post your comments on the Feeder Forums |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
WSH |
0 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
SJ |
3 |
2 |
2 |
7 |
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1st period - 1, SJ,
Marleau 10 (Boyle, Setoguchi), 9:13. 2, SJ, Clowe 10 (Blake, Michalek), 12:34.
3, SJ, Setoguchi 12 (Thornton, Marleau), 15:45. |
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2nd period - 4, WSH,
Poti 3 (Bradley, Sloan), 7:56. 5, SJ, Thornton 5 (Vlasic, Boyle), 12:19, (pp).
6, SJ, Vlassic 2 (Blake, Cheechoo), 19:27. |
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3rd period - 7, WSH,
Fleischmann 8 (Ovechkin, Backstrom), 2:19, (pp). 8, SJ, Clowe 11 (Blake,
Boyle), 5:44, (pp). 9, SJ, Grier 3 (Roenick, Blake), 19:07. |
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1st period - Brashear,
WSH (fighting major), 3:24; Shelley, SJ (fighting major), 3:24; Murray, SJ
(high sticking), 4:05; Steckel, WSH (high sticking), 13:40. |
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2nd period - Sloan, WSH
(high sticking), 4:56; Nylander, WSH (holding), 11:05; Brashear, WSH (10 minute
misconduct), 15:22; Thornton, SJ (unsportsmanlike conduct), 18:01; Ovechkin,
WSH (hooking), 19:07. |
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3rd period - Setoguchi,
SJ (hooking), 1:35; Poti, WSH (holding), 4:35; Erskine, WSH (slashing), 5:21;
Backstrom, WSH (roughing), 11:48; Blake, SJ (slashing), 11:48; Ehrhoff, SJ
(hooking), 13:10. |
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Shots |
Saves |
WSH - Johnson |
28 |
21 |
SJ - Boucher |
21 |
19 |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
WSH |
8 |
8 |
5 |
21 |
SJ |
5 |
10 |
13 |
28 |
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Referees: Leggo,
O'Halloran. Linesmen: Cameron, Heyer. |
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