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No answers for Hiller or
Ducks Ducks take 2-0 series lead after winning
3-2
If the Sharks are trying to dispel the notion that
theyre playoff pretenders, theyre either setting us all up for one
of the greatest con-jobs of all time, or the notions are true. Another
offensive drought cost San Jose in game 2 on Sunday night, as the Sharks
dropped their second straight to the Anaheim Ducks at HP Pavilion. Home ice
advantage is a mere afterthought after the Ducks scored twice in the 3rd period
to take a commanding lead in the best-of-seven series.
If the Sharks
want to focus any attention on correcting their short comings, they can start
with the power play. Their special teams unit misfired on a 6 power play
chances once again, and surrendered a power play goal on 1-of-2 Anaheim
chances.
"Obviously we still need to get the power play going," said
SHarks head coach Todd McLellan. " We gotta find a way to score there and that
would be our biggest concern. But a lot of the other issues we had heading into
Game 2 from Game 1 we addressed and we were better in those areas. In the
process versus the results areas we talked about all year, the process was
pretty good tonight, but the results weren't what we wanted. So we're
disappointed, but I don't think there's the doubt factor that's crept
in."
Anaheim obliged the Sharks with plenty of penalties for the second
straight game, but the Ducks penalty-kill looked like world beaters against a
Sharks power play that insists on trying to score from the blueline. San Jose
has now failed on 12 man-advantage situations in the series.
We've got
to look at ourselves," said Sharks captain Patrick Marleau. "We've got to
excute better. Keep going to the net and good things are start happening for
us."
The Sharks opened the game up with adjustments to their top line,
with Patrick Marleau moving back to his natural centerman position, with Devin
Setoguchi and Travis Moen on his wings. Joe Thornton was relegated to 2nd line
duty, working with Jeremy Roenick and Jonathan Cheechoo.
Ryane
Clowes eagerness earned himself an early interference penalty after he
leveled Teemu Selanne in the offensive zone. The Ducks would use the
opportunity to take an early lead when Bobby Ryan scored his first career
playoff goal with an impressive effort in front of the Sharks net. The rookie
winger put a shot on goal from the slot that rang off the post and slid back
toward Sharks netminder Evgeni Nabokov. Ryan skated in on net and got his stick
under Nabokov to jam the puck home.
Anaheim defenseman Ryan Whitney
would take a slashing penalty at 5:03, but the Sharks would fail to capitalize
on the chance. They would put themselves offside twice during the power play,
epitomizing their poor execution with the man advantage.
McLellan
elected to shift focus on what Anaheim was doing right, rather than what his
team was doing wrong.
"It's very effective. I'm telling you the same
thing I told you the other night. They're very good at it. I thought our power
play was better tonight. We created more chances, more traffic at the net. I
think we had 26-27 shots on goal with the two games power play-wise, with
traffic tonight. Eventually if we keep getting those chances, it'll go in and
it will work in our favor."
San Jose finally got to Jonas Hiller,
snapping eight-plus periods between playoff goals for the Sharks, when Clowe
intercepted clearing pass just inside the Anaheim blueline. The Sharks forward
snapped a shot through defenseman Sheldon Brookbanks skates. Hiller
didnt see the shot until it was past him, and San Jose got on the board
for the first time in the series.
Chris Pronger would take a cross
checking penalty in front of his own net two minutes later, but the Sharks once
again failed to convert with the extra attacker. Jonathan Cheechoo would send
Pronger right back to the box after taking a cross check in front of the
Anaheim net, but that simply translated into another two minutes off the clock
without a goal for San Jose.
"I like the way we played tonight," add
Claude Lemieux. "Obviously the puck didn't go in for us, but I like what we
created in the offensive zone. We have to fine tune our special teams a little
bit, but there were plenty of opportunities."
With the period winding
down, the Sharks got caught in their own zone and couldnt get a line
change after a good minute with the same skaters on the ice. After a partial
clear, Todd Marchant found himself with the puck and nothing between him and
Nabokov. The Ducks forward raced in on ice, but the Sharks goaltender stoned
him with a glove save just inside the right post.
The Ducks would retake the lead at 9:44 of the 3rd
period when Andrew Ebbett bounced a shot off Nabokov from the right corner
after Teemu Selanne used his speed to push the puck deep into the zone. Ebbett
took a deflection and simply put it on net from the severe angle. Nabokov
couldnt get square to the puck, allowing it to hit him in the side and
bounce into the net.
Drew Miller put a dagger into the Sharks with his
first career playoff goal at 13:17 after a faceoff skittered toward the Sharks
net. The left wing jumped the Sharks defense and chipped a backhand shot past
Nabokov for the 3-1 lead.
Jonathan Cheechoo would answer 37 seconds
later, taking a Joe Thornton feed, then split two Duck defenders before beating
Hiller top shelf from 4 feet out.
"We stopped skating in the last six
minutes," said Ducks head coach Randy Carlyle. "Once we scored the goal we went
into retreat mode, and they activate their defensemen, and throw everything
they have at you."
As the Sharks began to claw back in desperation,
Christian Ehrhoff sent a shot from the point that clanked off the left post.
The shot was the third of the series to hit a pipe for San Jose , rather than
mesh.
With 90 seconds to play in regulation, the Ducks forecheck
pinned the Sharks in their own zone, preventing San Jose from getting Nabokov
off the ice for the extra attacker. When San Jose finally gained control of the
puck, a mere 20 seconds remained on the clock, and just like that the Sharks
were in a 2-0 series hole. Home ice fumbled, like a greased pig.
"We
rather have two wins rather than two losses," said Carlyle. "The bottom line is
that we are playing a very, very, very good hockey club. They have had success
in our building, so we know they can play at a very high level. It's going to
take more than we delivered in these two games, to win the next one I'm
sure."
Game Notes:
Sharks winger Torrey Mitchell skated
with the team during the pre-game warm up. San Jose out shot Anaheim 17-3 in
the second period and have out shot Anaheim 79-42 in the first two games of the
series.
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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 |
ANA |
1 |
0 |
2 |
3 |
SJ |
0 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
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1st period - 1, ANA,
Ryan 1 (Wisniewski, Whitney), 3:45, (pp). |
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2nd period - 2, Clowe,
SJ 1 (unassisted), 5:38. |
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3rd period - 3, ANA,
Ebbett 1 (Christensen, Selanne), 9:44. 4, ANA, Miller 1 (R. Neidermayer, S.
Neidermayer), 13:17. 5, SJ, Cheechoo 1 (Thornton, Roenick), 13:54. |
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1st period - Clowe, SJ
(interference), 1:49; Whitney, ANA (slashing), 5:03; Nokelainen, ANA (holding),
14:19. |
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2nd period - Pronger,
ANA (cross checking), 7:46; Pronger, ANA (cross checking), 11:20; Bench, ANA
(too many men), 18:12. |
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3rd period -
Brown, ANA (elbowing), 2:13; Blake, SJ (holding), 4:37. |
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Shots |
Saves |
ANA - Hiller |
44 |
42 |
SJ - Nabokov |
26 |
23 |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
ANA |
14 |
3 |
9 |
26 |
SJ |
15 |
17 |
12 |
44 |
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Referees: Lee,
O'Halloran. Linesmen: Murray, Sharrers. |
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