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Les Habs are Les Miserables in
SJ
Sharks comeback to beat
Canadiens...again
Nothing seems to cure a losing streak like Montreal
Canadiens playing on San Jose ice. Les Habitants haven't won at HP Pavilion
since 1999, and that streak was extended on Thursday night as the Sharks came
back from three deficits to knock off Montreal 4-3 in the shootout. Ryane Clowe
scored a dramatic tying goal with 86 seconds left in regulation to get San Jose
to the overtime and eventually to the shootout.
Having been limited to
three goals in their last three games, San Jose looked to generate more
scoring. They took care of that, but not before allowing the Canadiens to put
three pucks past Antti Niemi.
"They are a fast team. They block a lot
of shots," Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlassic said of the Canadiens. "They
are really crafty in the offensive zone. We knew we would have a tough game
against them. I thought we worked well in the offensive zone; we got (tons) of
shots and it paid off in the end."
Cammalleri deflected a P.K. Subban
shot from the point into the Sharks goal 13:21 into the contest. Cammalleri ha
his back to the net, but got his stick blade on the puck.
Jamie McGinn
countered with his 3rd goal of the season, punching a deflection past Cary
Price, after Michal Handzus tried wrapping a shot around the left post.
BR> Joe Pavelski cost the Sharks early in the 2nd period. The Sharks
forward tried to make a pass from the left wing boards just inside the
Canadiens blueline. Erik Cole intercepted the pass then sen tit up ice with a
pass off the side boards. David Desharnais raced up ice, beating Niemi with a
wrist shot from just inside the right circle.
San Jose answered back
less than two minutes later with Logan Couture's 8th goal of the season. The
Sharks worked the puck deep into the Canadiens zone when Clowe skated back
toward the blueline, before dumping a backhand pass to Couture in the slot.
Couture fired a shot over Price's shoulder to knot the game at 2-2.
Patrick Marleau missed on a golden chance to put the Sharks up for the first
time in the game early in the 3rd period. Joe Thornton sprung the Sharks
speedster by feathering a pass up ice. Marleau skated in on Price uncontested,
but his backhand chance was turned aside by the Canadiens netminder.
Thornton coughed the puck up at the 8:40 mark to Desharnais behind the net,
setting up Montreal's rd goal of the night. Desharnais tried wrapping the puck
around the right post, but the scoring chance slid through the slot to Cole on
the far side. Marc-Edouard Vlassic had position on Cole, but failed to tie up
the stick of the Canadien's forward.
Sharks Head Coach Todd McLellan
didn't mince words in his opinion of the Sharks top line.
"The
Thornton line was minus-three," said McLellan." I thought that was pretty
obvious. We thought their size was something that we could take advantage of
tonight but it didn't work out for us for whatever reason. I know that
threesome will be better next time out. They don't stay flat for very long."
Jason Demers destroyed Cole with a hit with 3 minutes to play. That
got the juices flowing.
San Jose stepped up the pressure with 2
minutes to play in search of the equalizer. They would get it with 1:2 left in
regulation, when Clowe chipped a deflection over Price's right shoulder. Martin
Havlat and Logan Couture traded shots that bounced off Price before Clowe
buried his chance.
The goals was Clowe's first since November 3rd
against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
"We tried to lose it in the third there when we gave
up the goal, but I'm happy that they stuck with it," added McLellan. "There was
a group of them that was really determined. I thought Couture's line with Clowe
and Marty [Havlat], [it was] perhaps their best game in a long time. It was
nice to see. They did a lot of scoring for us tonight and we're real happy
about that."
A wild overtime period was punctuated by multiple scoring
chances for both teams. Both teams but 4 shots on net, all of the quality
variety.
The shootout took six rounds to decide the game. Martin
Havlat, Michal Handzus and Pavelski converted for San Jose. Brian GIonta and
Desharnais put pucks past Niemi, but the Sharks netminder ended things by
denying Subban after Pavelski put the Sharks up.
The shootout victory
was the Sharks 3rd of the season.
"We're disappointed. I thought we
deserved a better fate, but I thought we competed hard," said Canadiens head
coach Jacques Martin". They're a big team, and I thought we competed with them.
We had a big night out of the Dehsharnais line - they got all of our three
goals. I thought it was a good performance overall."
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1 |
2 |
3 |
OT |
SO |
T |
| MTL |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
| SJ |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
4 |
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| 1st period - 1, MTL,
Cammalleri 6 (Subban, Desharnais), 13:21. 2, SJ, McGinn 3 (Handzus, Demers),
14:02. |
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| 2nd period - 3, MTL,
Desharnais 4 (Cole), 4:41. 4, SJ, Couture 8 (Clowe, Vlasic), 6:18. |
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| 3rd period -
5, MTL, Cole 8 (Desharnais, Cammalleri), 8:46. 6, SJ, Clowe 5 (Couture,
Havlat), 18:34. |
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| Shootout -
SJ: Clowe (miss), Havlat (goal), Couture (miss), Handzus (goal), Boyle (miss),
Pavelski (goal). MTL: Cammalleri (miss), Cole (miss), Gionta (goal), Desharnais
(goal), Moen (miss), Subban (miss). |
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| 1st period - Diaz, MTL
(tripping), 14:38; Clowe, SJ (tripping), 16:07. |
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Shots |
Saves |
| MTL - Price |
41 |
38 |
| SJ - Niemi |
32 |
29 |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
OT |
T |
| MTL |
8 |
10 |
10 |
4 |
32 |
| SJ |
12 |
12 |
13 |
4 |
41 |
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| Referees: Rooney,
Pochmara. Linesmen: Lazarowich, Racicot. |
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