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Shave & a haircut, 2
goals! Setoguchi gets back on track after he goes
bald
Playing in a matinee game at HP Pavilion on
Saturday, the Sharks shuffled some personnel against the last place Edmonton
Oilers in an attempt to generate some offense, and the move would prove
effective as San Jose skated to a workmanlike 4-2 win. Devin Setoguchi had a
pair of goals and backup netminder Thomas Greiss made 27 saves in his first
start since New Years eve to help the Sharks keep pace with the Western
Conference leading Chicago Blackhawks.
The Sharks tried addressing
some of their scoring issues by moving Manny Malhotra onto the second line,
demoting Ryane Clowe back to a checking line. That move would pay dividends for
Sharks head coach Todd McLellan later in the game. San Jose s top line of
Patrick Marleau, Joe Thornton and Dany Heatley hasnt had that issue,
which was evident four minutes into the game.
The shuffling of lines I think sparked a couple
of guys, said McLellan. And that helped Pavelskis line get
some chances as well.
Marleau got the Sharks on the board with a
fortuitous deflection off Oilers goaltender Devan Dubnyk at 3:51 of the opening
period. Marleau tried to setup Heatley who was heading toward the net, but the
puck hit Dubnyks pad. The puck changed directions, slowly sliding
underneath Dubynk and across the goal line.
Denis Grebeshkov knotted
the game at 1-1 with 4 minutes remaining in the period after the Oilers
outworked San Jose in the Sharks zone. A fight for the puck along the end
boards turned into the scoring chance when Sam Gagner won control then sent a
pass through the crease to Grebeshkov on the left side for the deposit past
Greiss.
The Sharks were crossed up a bit on the play as both defenders
out in front of the net, cheated to the right side where another Oilers forward
was loitering. That allowed Grebeshkov to slip over to the undefended area just
outside the left post.
Dustin Penner would take a high sticking
penalty at 17:50, setting up the first of three Shark power plays on the day.
The first chance would be the best as Setoguchi broke a scoring slump with his
11th goal of the season with 76 ticks left in the period.
Setoguchi
took a feed from Malhotra in the right corner, then backed up to the dot before
sending a wrist shot that hit Dubnyk and bounced into the goal. Setoguchi had
shaved his head prior to the game in an effort to snap an 9-game goal scoring
drought.
Apparently there was something to that whole head
shaving thing. Only the intermission break would delay Setoguchis next
goal. The Sharks forward would deposit his second of the afternoon just 22
seconds into the 2nd period after Joe Pavelski sent a shot off Dubnyk that
kicked out to the left of the net. Setoguchi was collapsing on the net, and the
rebound hit him in the left skate. He would corral the deflection that send a
knuckle ball shot that bounced off Dubnyk and into the Edmonton goal.
I thought he had a real good game, added McLellan. Hes
been on his toes. And he found a way to contribute. Greiss would help
himself by skating out to poke check a partial breakaway chance away from
Jean-Francois Jacques 8 minutes into the period.
Rookie Benn Ferriero
made his return to San Jose after a brief stint in Worcester , where hes
played well the last few weeks. He would commit the Sharks only penalty of the
game 12:48 into the middle period for throwing the puck over the glass.
San Jose would kill off the penalty, then turn the tables on Edmonton
three minutes later. Thornton capped a tic-tac-toe passing sequence with his
13th goal of the season at 15:36. Thornton carried the puck into the Edmonton
zone along the left wing boards before dropping a pass to Marleau, who sent a
crossing pass to Douglas Murray on the right side. Murray did his best Thornton
imitation by snapping a pin-point pass to the far post, where Thornton was
there to tap it home.
Edmonton would take a pair of penalties in the 3rd
period, including a hooking penalty to Gagner at 8:40 of the period. The
infraction would work out for the Oilers after Patrick OSullivan
converted on a short-handed chance after Marleau coughed the puck up in the
Oilers zone. OSullivan grabbed the puck and raced up the left side before
beating Greiss with a shot from 12 feet out. It was the Oilers first
short-handed goal of the season.
I thought they played
hard, said Oilers head coach Pat Quinn. I mean, its a good
team that we played against tonight. Early on we werent real good. By the
end of the game it progressed and we picked it up. The first two goals
werent beautiful. It deflected in by Dubnyk on the crease pass on a bad
angle power play goal.
Game Notes:
The Oilers were
shorthanded as a flu bug hit the lineup, which is compounded by several
injuries to key players
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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 |
EDM |
1 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
SJ |
2 |
2 |
0 |
4 |
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1st period - 1, SJ,
Marleau 32 (Heatley, Thornton), 3:51. 2. EDM, Grebeshkov 5 (Gagner, Cogliano),
15:58. 3. SJ, Setoguchi 11 (Malhotra, Clowe), 18:44, (pp). |
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2nd period - 4, SJ,
Setoguchi 12 (Pavelski, Malhotra), 0:22. 5, SJ, Thornton 13 (Murray, Marleau),
15:36. |
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3rd period - 6, EDM,
OSullivan 10 (unassisted), 9:43, (sh). |
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1st period - Penner, EDM
(high sticking), 17:50. |
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2nd period - Ferriro, SJ
(delay of game puck over glass), 12:48. |
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3rd period -
Souray, EDM (slashing), 0:54; Gagner, EDM (hooking), 8:40. |
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Shots |
Saves |
EDM - Dubnyk |
36 |
32 |
SJ - Greiss |
29 |
27 |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
EDM |
6 |
13 |
10 |
29 |
SJ |
16 |
10 |
10 |
36 |
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Referees: LaRue,
Peel. Linesmen: Gibbs, Cherrey. |
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