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Another pounding in
Dallas Road trip starts much like the
last
Kicking off the final road trip of the season, the
Sharks started flat and finished flatter in a 5-1 loss to the Dallas Stars at
the American Airlines Center on Wednesday night. The absence of any energy by
the Sharks resulted in another big loss in Texas . The Sharks gave up a
combined 13 goals in the last two games on Dallas ice.
With five games
to play in the regular season, the Sharks look like anything but a steam-roller
heading into the NHLs second season. As was all too evident on their last
road trip, San Jose failed to match their opponents intensity out of the
gate and were forced to play catch up. Only problem is, there was no fight in
the dog to stage a comeback.
The Stars turned the tables on the Sharks early, after
Mike Ribeiro was sent off for unsportsmanlike conduct just a minute into the
contest. Dallas cleared the puck on the ensuing play and pursued it down ice.
Patrick Marleau lost control of the puck in his own zone after trying a
between-the-legs pass just as Steve Ott was skating out from the Sharks end
boards. Ott gathered up the turnover and cranked a shot past Evgeni Nabokov for
the short-handed goal.
San Jose would counter on the same power play
when Logan Couture tipped a Dan Boyle shot. Dany Heatley won a faceoff in the
Stars zone, then drew the puck back to Boyle on the right point. The Sharks
defenseman slid the puck along the blueline before unleashing a blast. The goal
was reviewed to see if Couture caught the puck with a high stick, but it would
stand.
Loui Eriksson made it 2-1 Stars at 10:20 of the period after
Brad Richards sent a pass through the crease from the right side. Eriksson
slipped underneath rookie defenseman Jason Demers for the easy tap in.
Brad Staubitz and Douglas Murray would take opposing penalties 45 seconds apart
with 6 minute left in the period, giving the Stars a 5-on-3 for 75 seconds. The
Sharks penalty kill did a good job to suppress the Stars power play. Dallas
super agitator was sent off for boarding at 5:14 of the 2nd period after he
sent Keny Huskins into the boards head first. The Sharks power play did not
capitalize on the chance, and Marleau inexplicably tried another drop-pass
between his legs. Once again, the Stars intercepted Marleaus gaff and
raced up ice on a short-handed chance. Luckily for Marleau, his netminder
stopped the chance to keep the Stars lead at a single goal.
Brian Sutherby was the beneficiary of several
defensive errors by the Sharks midway through the period. San Jose s
defense coughed up the puck in their own zone, the Demers misplayed a 2-on-1
chance by dropping to his stomach to try and block a Jamie Benn shot. Benn was
able to slide the puck into the crease where Sutherby deposited it for the 3-1
lead.
Ott made it 4-1 with this second goal of the game with 1:41 left
in the period. Sutherby carried the puck into the Sharks zone and made a feed
to the top of the crease, where Ott redirected it.
Manny Malhotra
would be sent off for interference with 40 seconds left before the intermission
and Ott would really stick it to San Jose . He would tap in a James Neal feed
on the ensuing power play for his first career hat trick.
Nabokovs night ended early after Sharks head coach odd McLellan pulled
him to start the 3rd period in favor of Thomas Greiss.
Dallas would
take three consecutive penalties in the final period, but San Jose s
power play was uninspired, squandering the six minutes of man-advantage time.
Game Notes:
Ryane Clowe left the game in the 1st period
after taking a puck in the throat. Brad Richards tried clearing the zone by
lifting it out of the right corner, but the puck caught Clowe who was
forechecking on the play.
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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 |
DAL |
2 |
3 |
0 |
5 |
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1st period - 1, DAL, Ott
17 (unassisted), 1:45, (sh). 2, SJ, Couture 3 (Boyle Heatley), 2:46, (pp). 3,
DAL, Eriksson 29 (Richards, Neal), 10:20. |
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2nd period - 4, DAL,
Sutherby 5 (Benn, Petersen), 12:16. 5, DAL, Ott 18 (Sutherby, Niskanen), 18:19.
6, DAL, Ott 19 (Neal, Eriksson), 19:27, (pp). |
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1st period - Ribeiro,
DAL (unsportsmanlike conduct), 1:03; Murray, SJ (interference), 3:01; Staubitz,
SJ (interference), 13:19; Murray, SJ (interference), 14:04. |
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2nd period -
Ott, DAL (boarding), 5:14; Robidas, DAL (interference), 8:41; Malhotra, SJ
(interference), 19:18; Heatley, SJ (elbowing), 20:00. |
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3rd period -
Neal, SJ (interference on goalkeeper), 3:59; Fistric, DAL (interference), 8:29;
Segal, DAL (tripping), 13:39; Nichol, SJ (holding), 16:50; Demers, SJ
(rouging), 19:49; Demers, SJ (fighting major), 19:49; Fistric, DAL (fighting
major), 19:49. |
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Shots |
Saves |
SJ - Nabokov |
21 |
16 |
SJ - Greiss |
8 |
8 |
DAL - Turco |
30 |
29 |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
SJ |
13 |
8 |
9 |
30 |
DAL |
9 |
12 |
8 |
29 |
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Referees:
StLaurent, Pollock. Linesmen: Cvik, Driscoll. |
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