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Not so great ending in the
Rockies
Sharks blow 2-goal lead in 3rd
period
The Sharks thought they had figured out how to win
on the road Wednesday night in Denver after staking themselves to a 3-1 lead
through two periods. They still have some work to do. The Colorado Avalanche
scored a pair of 3rd period goals to send the game to overtime, then bagged the
game winner 2:07 into the extra session on a Kevin Porter goal.
After
scoring 6 goals against the Los Angeles Kings and controlling the first 40
minutes of the game, the Sharks imploded, coughing up a point on a night when
they could have made up more ground on the division leading Kings.
San
Jose would outshoot the Avalanche 43-22, which included 15 shots in the 3rd
period, but Colorado goaltender Peter Budaj stood on his head. That and goal by
Chris Stewart and Paul Stastny in the 3rd period setup the improbable comeback.
The bitter ending was a far cry from the beginning of the contest.
Logan Couture staked the Sharks to a 1-0 lead with his 7th goal of the season
just 42 seconds into the contest. Ryane Clowe threw a puck on net from the slot
that Budaj got a piece of, but it dropped behind him in the crease. Couture
stabbed at it, poking it home as the Avalanche goaltender tried to reach back
and sweep it clear.
Kevin Shattenkirk would tie things up with 1:33
remaining in the period, sliding a shot past Antero Niittymaki after Milan
Hejduk sent a pass from the slot to the left dot. There was little Niittymaki
could do on the play with several bodies screening him in front of the net.
San Jose took control of things early in the 2nd period on a Dan Boyle
goal 1:29 in. Joe Thornton setup the goal with a pass from behind the Colorado
net. Boyle was positioned on the left side, near the bottom of the circle.
Budaj was forced to cover the right side of the net with Thornton looming and
Dany Heatley driving down the slot. Thornton’s pass hit Boyle for the
one-timer, giving the Sharks the 2-1 lead.
They would extend that lead
to 3-1 on defenseman Mike Moore’s 1st career NHL goal at 9:14 of the
period. The rookie blueliner ripped a shot from the highs slot that was
partially deflected by a Colorado player in front of Budaj.
The wheels
would come off 8:38 into the 3rd period when Stewart took a feed from John
Michael Liles at the Sharks blueline and raced past Moore. He would carry the
puck on net and put a backhand shot past Niittymaki. Moore was caught
flat-footed on the play, but Niittymaki didn’t help matters by letting the
soft shot past him.
Stastny would tie the game with 5:11 left in
regulation with a controversial goal from the right dot. The problem was that
Avalanched defenseman Adam Foote ran a pick and interfered with Jason Demers
and Jamie McGinn, preventing both players from defending Stastny’s shot.
The overtime period was an extension of the 3rd in terms of bad Sharks
timing and bad decisions. Skating 4-on-4, the Sharks pressed with three skaters
deep in the Colorado zone. Joe Pavelski coughed up the puck near the Avalanche
crease, allowing Scott Hannan to spring Porter.
As the Colorado
forward skated up the left wing, Sharks defenseman Kent Huskins was the only
player back. Huskins overcommitted toward the boards, allowing Porter to cut
back and make a bee-line for the Sharks goal. All Huskins could do was flail at
Porter as the Avalanche forward put a backhand shot past Niittymaki for the
game winner.
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think of this story? Post your comments on the
Feeder Forums |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
OT |
T |
| SJ |
1 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
| COL |
1 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
4 |
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| 1st period - 1, SJ,
Couture 7 (Clowe, Pavelski), 0:42. 2, COL, Shattenkirk 1 (Hejduk, Liles),
18:27, (pp). |
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| 2nd period - 3, SJ,
Boyle 3 (Thornton, Clowe), 1:09. 4, SJ, Moore 1 (Heatley), 9:14. |
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| 3rd period - 5, COL,
Stewart 11 (Liles), 8:38. 6, COL, Stastny 8 (Stewart, Jones), 14:49. |
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| Overtime - 7, COL,
Porter 4 (Hannan), 2:07. |
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| 1st period - Yip, COL
(high sticking - double minor), 8:00; Stastny, COL (slashing), 12:13; Porter,
COL (hooking), 15:46; Boyle, SJ (hooking), 16:49. |
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| 2nd period - Couture, SJ
(interference), 3:27; Shattenkirk, COL (delay of game - puck over glass),
7:04. |
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Shots |
Saves |
| SJ - Niittymaki |
22 |
18 |
| COL - Bbudaj |
43 |
40 |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
OT |
T |
| SJ |
13 |
15 |
15 |
0 |
43 |
| COL |
9 |
3 |
8 |
2 |
22 |
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| Referees:
Vinnerborg, Walkom. Linesmen: Lazarowich, Gibbs. |
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