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Painful way to
lose
Boyle scores on his own goal in OT
Losing in overtime is tough. Losing in overtime in
the playoffs is tougher. Losing in overtime in the playoffs because you put the
puck in your own net is about as bad as it can get, and the Sharks found a way
to do it. Dan Boyle will be haunted by his play that ended Game 3 of the Sharks
Western Conference Semi-Final match-up with the Colorado Avalanche in Denver on
Sunday. Boyle tried wrapping a puck around his own end-boards at the start of
overtime, but instead backhanded the puck past Evgeni Nabokov to cap the most
painful loss in Sharks history.
San Jose out-shot the Avalanche 51-17,
but now face a 2-1 series deficit after the Avalanche stole Sunday’s win
on what is arguably the biggest gaff in Sharks history.
Skating near the left corner, Boyle tried heaving the
puck as Colorado forward Ryan O’Reilly pressed on the forecheck.
O’Reilly was credited with the goal, and Boyle gets to think about what
could have been.
The Sharks completely dominated the Avalanche, but
Colorado goaltender Craig Anderson stopped everything the Sharks threw at him.
This is a goaltender who is making his third career post-season start, and he
stopped 50 shots.
The Sharks had more than enough opportunities to
take advantage of the Avalanche. San Jose failed to convert on six power play
opportunities, including two in the last 6 minutes of regulation.
Failure on the power play could be partially attributed to the absence of Dany
Heatley, who was a scratch because of an injury he sustained in Game 2. As is
customary in the playoffs, the Sharks were mum on Heatley’s injury, but
his 18 regular season power play goals were a glaring omission from the inept
special teams put on the ice by San Jose on Sunday.
Both teams traded
power plays in the first five minutes of the game. Rookie defenseman Jason
Demers was called for unsportsmanlike conduct after veteran Darcy Tucker goaded
him into some rough stuff after a whistle. Tucker would make his way to the box
two minutes later for elbowing.
Demers would head back to the box for
holding the stick right as Tucker’s penalty expired.
Nabokov came
up big inside of the nine minute mark with a big kick save on Cody McLeod,
after the Avalanche forward took a feed from Ryan O’Reilly on the Sharks
doorstep and tried jamming the puck home.
San Jose turned up the heat
midway through the 2nd period, cycling the puck in the Colorado zone for an
eternity, but they couldn’t get a shot past Anderson . Patrick Marleau
whiffed on the Sharks best chance right in front of the Colorado net.
A holding penalty to Ryan Stoa and offsetting unsportsmanlike conduct penalties
8 minutes into the period would put San Jose on the power play for the third
time, but San Jose would misfire on the opportunity. Marleau had a slam dunk
chance but he missed from 5 feet out.
A strong forecheck gave the Sharks a serious chance at
cracking the scoring column, but Anderson would deny San Jose with a series of
saves near the 11 minute mark.
Colorado would get out-shot 21-3 in the
period, but their second and third shots came within inches of scoring. Nabokov
came up big in both instances. First he was knocked to his back and had to
reach back across the crease to stop a sure goal from crossing the goal line 15
minutes into the period.
Nabokov would come up huge moments later when
TJ Galiardi found himself on a breakaway. The Sharks goaltender stood the
Avalanche forward up, brushing the golden scoring chance aside with a kick save
on a point-blank shot.
San Jose would put plenty of rubber on Anderson
, but the netminder either smothered shots or giving up rebounds that always
seemed to land on a Colorado player’s stick.
The Sharks would
continue to dominate on the shot counter, but they couldn’t find a way to
solve Anderson . Colorado wouldn’t put a shot on net until the 10:15 mark
of the period.
Once again Marleau had a point blank shot denied by
Anderson after scooping up a rebound in the slot and pumping a shot on goal
from 12 feet out.
Kyle Quincey was sent off for cross-checking at 14:13
of the period, giving the Sharks the big man-advantage chance late in the game.
The absence of Heatley and his 18 regular season power play goals was a big
disadvantage for the Sharks.
Anderson would come up big again, denying
the Sharks.
Galiardi would make a mistake with 3:21 remaining in
regulation when he checked Devin Setoguchi after an icing whistle. The rookie
was sent off for boarding, because the contact is a penalty by rule.
Setoguchi just missed on a rebound chance, but Anderson was in the right place
to deny the sweeping shot. San Jose would outshoot Colorado 21-4 in the period.
Game Notes:
Avalanche forward Milan Hejduk was injured
in the early minutes of the game when he ran into teammate Paul Stastny as the
two tried entering the Sharks zone. Hejduk appeared to injure his jaw, which
smashed into Stastny’s shoulder pad when the two collided. He would not
return. Stoa was also injured in the 3rd period and did not return.
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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 |
OT |
T |
| SJ |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| COL |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
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| 1st Overtime - 1, COL ,
O’Reilly 1 (unassisted), 0:51. |
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| 1st period - Demers, SJ
(unsportsmanlike conduct), 1:43; Tucker, COL (elbowing), 3:59; Demers, SJ
(holding the stick), 6:00; bench, COL (too many men), 15:23. |
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| 2nd period - McGinn, SJ
(unsportsmanlike conduct), 8:00; Stoa, COL (holding), 8:00; Lilies, COL
(unsportsmanlike conduct), 8:00; Foote , COL (tripping), 16:18. |
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| 3rd period -
Quincey, COL (cross checking), 14:13, Galiardi , COL (boarding), 16:39. |
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Shots |
Saves |
| SJ - Nabokov |
17 |
16 |
| COL - Anderson |
51 |
51 |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
OT |
T |
| SJ |
8 |
21 |
21 |
1 |
51 |
| COL |
9 |
3 |
4 |
1 |
17 |
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| Referees: McCauley,
Walkom. Linesmen: Lazarowich, Nowak. |
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