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Inconsistent Sharks stink up
British Columbia
Canucks score at will against lost
visitors
The Sharks continued to confuse the heck out of
everyone on Friday night, following up their big win over the Chicago
Blackhawks with a stinker in Vancouver. They looked nothing like the team that
blew through Chicago two days earlier, and subsequently dropped a 6-1 decision
to the host Canuck at Rogers Center in British Columbia. Antti Niemi earned a
second consecutive start, but his teammates hung him out to dry with one of
their worst defensive performances of the season.
Inconsistency has
been the baffling thing about the Sharks game this season. Friday night's
performance solidified that point. A lack of intensity out of the gate allowed
the Canucks to set the tone and take it to San Jose.
The Sharks opened
the game flat and paid for it midway through the opening period. Vancouver won
a faceoff in the Sharks zone before Alex Edler stepped into a shot from the
left point. Sharks goaltender Antti Niemi made the save but gave a juicy
rebound to Jeff Tambellini in the high slot. Two Sharks defenders got caught up
with Mason Raymond above the crease, allowing Tambellini to rip a shot inside
the left post for the 1-0 Canucks lead.
Vancouver was out-shooting San
Jose 13-2 through the first 15 minutes of the contest before Dany Heatley and
Joe Thornton teamed up to get the Sharks on the board. Thornton carried the
puck up the left side and blasted a shot that bounced off Roberto Luongo back
out into the slot. The puck landed right on Heatley's stick for the follow up
shot that split Luongo's pads.
San Jose just missed on a follow up
chance a minute later when a Joe Pavelski shot was denied by a nice Luongo kick
save, but the puck again deflected out in front of the net where Logan Couture
just missed poking it home.
The 2nd period opened with a bit more
enthusiasm from the Sharks lineup, but a bad turnover at their own blueline
would end up in their net 2:36 into the period. Jannik Hansen picked up a Dan
Hamhuis deflection and skated up the left wing before sending a backhand pass
through the slot to Raffi Torres on the off wing. Torres one-timed the feed
inside the right post for the 2-1 Canucks lead.
Vancouver would tack
on another goal less than 2 minutes later after former Sharks forward Mikael
Samuelsson carried the puck up the right side, put on the breaks and used a
Keny Huskins screen to slip a shot past Niemi at 4:24. Huskins was chasing a
Canucks forward to the right corner, so Samuelsson waited for the moment when
the Sharks defenseman would cross in front of his own goaltender before
wristing home his 5th of the season.
San Jose would outshoot the Canucks 16-6 in the
period, but the two Vancouver goals would loom over the Sharks. They would also
lose Devin Setoguchi during the period who was
Dan Boyle all but ended
things when he made an unthinkable pass up the middle of his own zone right to
Samuelsson that ended up in the Sharks net. There were no Sharks within 30 feet
of Boyle's pass, so Samuelsson simply received the gift and snapped a long shot
past Niemi as the Sharks defenseman tried to dive in front of the shot.
Vancouver would start shooting fish in a barrel to close out the game.
Alex Burrows would score his 3rd goal of the season, one-timing a Henrik Sedin
feed from three feet out at 14:50.
Keith Ballard would get in on the
act, deflecting a long shot off Torrey Mitchell for his 1st of the season and
first as a Canuck with just under 4 minutes to play. Patrick Marleau and
Huskins would finish the night with a minus 4 each.
Game Notes:
Scott Nichol was scratched after catching a puck in the eye during
the morning skate.
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What did you
think of this story? Post your comments on the
Feeder Forums |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
| SJ |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
| VAN |
1 |
2 |
3 |
6 |
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| 1st period - 1, VAN,
Tambellini 3 (Edler, Kesler), 9:32. |
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| 2nd period - 3, VAN,
Torres 8 (Hansen, Hamhuis), 2:36. 4, VAN, Samuelsson 5 (Glass), 4:24. |
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| 3rd period - 5, VAN,
Samuelsson 6 (unassisted), 7:00. 6, VAN, Burrows 3 (H. Sedin, D. Sedin), 14:50.
7, VAN, Ballard 1 (unassisted), 16:38. |
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| 1st period - Boyle, SJ
(high sticking), 11:48. 2, SJ, Heatley 9 (Thornton, Boyle), 15:22. |
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| 2nd period - Ballard,
VAN (hooking), 15:27. |
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Shots |
Saves |
| SJ - Niemi |
32 |
26 |
| VAN - Luongo |
33 |
32 |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
| SJ |
8 |
16 |
9 |
33 |
| VAN |
15 |
6 |
11 |
32 |
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| Referees: Kowal,
McCreary. Linesmen: Lazarowich, Rody. |
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