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Penalties cap stinker in
D.C. Ovechkin scores a pair 28 seconds
apart
The Sharks streak of 11 straight wins over the
Washington Capitals was due to end some time. Alexander Ovechkin made sure it
happened on Thursday night, by scoring a pair of goals to help pace the
Capitals at the Verizon Center. Ovechkin lit up the Sharks with 13 shots on
goal in the game, and led a Capitals team that ran wild in the Sharks zone all
night.
Kicking off the extended Eastern Conference road trip, San Jose
couldnt kick the intensity into gear. Unable to match Washingtons
intensity, the writing was on the wall early. The Sharks took five 1st period
penalties, which backed them into a corner.
Killing off penalties for
halk the opening period, San Jose s top line was AWOL for the second
straight game.
Both teams came out flying, trading chance after chance
though the first 3 minutes. Both teams combined for 7 shots in that short
period, but it was Washington that controlled the tempo. A Kent Huskins holding
penalty 4 minutes into the game gave the Capitals a chance for an early power
play. Jed Ortmeyer followed that up with a tripping penalty, which extended
things.
Evgeni Nabokov held the fort until Scott Nichol drew a hooking
penalty a minute later. Nabokov couldnt withstand the ensuing 5-on-3.
Niklas Backstrom setup Alexander Semin with a saucer pass through the slot,
allowing the Capitals forward to rip a one timer into the open net.
Nabokov would face 17 shots in the period, weathering the storm.
Benn
Ferriero knotted things up at 14:07 on wrist-shot from the slot after trailing
on a rush. Nichol carried the puck to the left wing boards, before putting on
the breaks and sliding a pass to Ferriero who came barreling down the center of
the ice. The Rookies shot lifted over Capitals goaltender Jose
Theodores right shoulder, for his 2nd goal of the year.
Rather
than build on their momentum shift, the Sharks were befuddled by minor
penalties to Derek Joslin and Nabokov in the last 5 minutes of the period.
Those penalties whipped the Washington faithful into a frenzy, but solid
goaltending by Nabokov kept the game locked at 1-1 heading into the first
intermission.
Theodore was injured at some point in the opening 20
minutes and did not return to start the 2nd period. Semyon Varlamov replaced
Theodore and was tested early. A Milan Jurcina kneeing penalty gave the Sharks
the first of three power plays on the evening, but Varlamov easily handled the
Sharks lone scoring chance.
With the Sharks cycling their top forward
line and defensive pairing off the ice after failing to convert on the power
play, Sharks head coach Todd McLellan had Huskins and Marc-Edouard Vlasic on
the backline.
Washington exploited that pairing when Mike Knuble drew
Huskins over to the wrong side of the ice, allowing Ovechkin to slip unattended
over to the right post. Knuble split Huskins and Vlasic with a pass that
Ovechkin easily deposited.
Ovechkin would convert a mere 28 seconds later when
Knuble carried the puck up the ice on a 3-on-2 and cranked a shot that bounced
off Nabokovs pads. Ovechkin beat Ortmeyer to the rebound and easily
punched in his 7th goal of the season.
A Shaone Morrison holding
penalty at 7:05 would provide the Sharks with another opportunity to get back
in the game, but San Jose s power play seemed uninspired.
Former
Sharks forward Matt Bradley rubbed a little salt into the wound by scoring his
2nd of the season 5:11 into the final period. After the Sharks turned the puck
over in their own zone, Jurcine put a shot on net that trickled away from
Nabokov. Bradley was parked on the right post for the easy put back.
One final uninspired power play was squandered by the Sharks, allowing Varlamov
to play out the final 5 minutes without facing much opposition.
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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 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
WAS |
1 |
2 |
1 |
4 |
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1st period - 1, WAS,
Semin 6 (Backstrom, Green), 7:21, (pp). 2, SJ, Ferriero 2 (Nichol, Huskins),
14:07. |
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2nd period - 3, WAS,
Ovechkin 6 (Knuble, Morrison), 2:55. 4, WAS, Ovechkin 7 (Knuble, Morrison),
3:23. |
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3rd period - 5, WAS,
Bradley 2 (Jurcina), 5:11. |
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1st period - Huskins, SJ
(holding), 3:51; Ortmeyer, SJ (tripping), 5:33; Nichol, SJ (hooking), 6:43;
Joslin, SJ (high sticking), 15:28; Nabokov, SJ (holding), 17:49. |
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2nd period - Jurcina,
WAS (kneeing), 0:32; Morrison, WAS (holding), 7;05. |
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3rd period -
Morrison, WAS (delay of game puck over glass), 13:38. |
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Shots |
Saves |
SJ - Nabokov |
36 |
32 |
WAS - Theodore |
13 |
12 |
WAS - Varlamov |
15 |
15 |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
SJ |
13 |
8 |
7 |
27 |
WAS |
17 |
7 |
12 |
36 |
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Referees: Martell,
StPierre. Linesmen: Nelson, Seitz. |
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