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Steady Nabokov blanks
Avalanche
Netminder records 43rd carreer
shutout
1/27/09 - By Mike Lee
With
the glitz of the All Star Game behind the Sharks, it was time to get back to
work on Tuesday night. Evgeni Nabokov turned in an All Star-like performance in
a 3-0 shutout win over the host Colorado Avalanche in Denver . Nabokov turned
aside 31 shots to earn his 43rd career shutout. Milan Michalek scored a pair of
goals to help the Sharks cruise to their 35th win of the season.
The
perfect evening was blemished by the absence of defenseman Dan Boyle, who
returned to San Jose after the All Star Game on Sunday with an undisclosed
upper body injury. Boyle is listed as day-to-day, but the Sharks were forced to
call up defenseman Mike Moore from Worcester . Defenseman Derek Joslin was also
recalled after skating in the AHL All Star game on Monday.
Former
Shark defenseman Scott Hannan helped setup the first goal of the game, by
taking a high sticking penalty 6:37 into the contest. San Jose would jump on
the league’s 27th ranked penalty kill by converting at 8:15. Milan
Michalek took a Christian Ehrhoff feed from the right corner and slipped a shot
past Avalanche goaltender Andrew Raycroft.
Evgeni Nabokov preserved
the Sharks lead with a spectacular save with 4:30 to play in the period on a
point blank shot. Nabokov stopped Marek Svatos’ shot with his left pad,
but was then forced to reach behind him and grab the puck as it headed for the
goal line between his skates.
Defenseman Alexei Semenov turned up the
heat, laying out two Colorado players with big hits. Semenov would draw Cody
McLeod into taking a high sticking double minor, but the Sharks would squander
the opportunity.
Michalek would add to the Sharks lead 1:31 into the
2nd period after Avalanche defenseman John-Michael Lilies fell at center ice,
and allowed a 2-on-1 break. Michalek skated a Joe Pavelski pass up the right
wing, then snapped a shot past Raycroft from the bottom of the right circle.
Colorado right wing David Jones was injured after Douglas Murray
leveled him with a hit in front of the Avalanche bench. Jones immediately
skated to the Colorado dressing room, suffering a shoulder injury. He did not
return.
Miffed by the hit, Chris Stewart engaged Murray in a fight in
order to exact a little revenge. The two tangled, but the bout was a draw, with
neither player landing any decent punches.
Nabokov got a little help
from Joslin after the Sharks netminder lost track of a shot that sat
precariously in the crease. The youngster swept the puck out of danger just as
an Avalanche player swooped in on net.
The Sharks coasted the rest of the evening, backed
largely by Nabokov’s solid play and plenty of defensive support.
Avalanche head coach Tony Granato tried to muster some scoring by pulling
Raycroft with a minute remaining in regulation, but Patrick Marleau wrapped
things up with an empty net goal.
Game Notes:
It
wasn’t all bad news on the injury front for the Sharks. Defenseman Rob
Blake returned to the lineup after suffering a jaw injury against the Calgary
Flames two weeks ago.
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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 |
| SJ |
1 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
| COL |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
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| 1st period - 1, SJ,
Michalek 12 (Ehrhoff, Clowe), 8:15, (pp). |
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| 2nd period - 2, SJ,
Michalek 13 (Pavelski), 1:31. |
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| 3rd period - 3, SJ,
Marleau 26 (Plihal, Thornton), 19:22, (en). |
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| 1st period - Hannan, COL
(high sticking), 6:37; Semenov, SJ (hooking), 13:15; McLeod , COL (high
sticking – double minor), 16:37. |
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| 2nd period - Murray , SJ
(fighting major), 4:14; Stewart , COL (fighting major), 4:14; Michalek, SJ
(hooking), 18:44. |
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| 3rd period - Bench, SJ
(too many men), 4:08; Hannan, COL (hooking), 9:05. |
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Shots |
Saves |
| SJ - Nabokov |
31 |
31 |
| COL - Raycroft |
37 |
35 |
| COL - empty net |
1 |
0 |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
| SJ |
5 |
16 |
17 |
38 |
| COL |
9 |
10 |
12 |
31 |
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| Referees: O'Rourke,
Sutherland. Linesmen: Henderson, Pare. |
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