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Playoffs slipping
away Another bottom feeder knocks off
Sharks
The Sharks are running out of time and excuses. San
Jose fell to another cup cake at home on Tuesday night, dropping a 3-2 shootout
decision to the 14th placed Edmonton Oilers at HPP Pavilion. San Jose fell from
7th place in the league standings, to 10th during the game, then finished the
evening in the 8th seed after earning a single point by getting to overtime. It
was the second shootout loss to a young Oilers squad that had nothing to lose.
Captain Joe Thornton's role has been limited to post-game apologist as
the Sharks fail to capitalize on what should be easy points in the standings.
The Oilers entered the game with a 9-21-2 record on the road, and were ripe for
the picking having lost their last three games. Unfortunately, everyone seems
to mend their wounds against San Jose right now.
Things started
exactly how San Jose didn't want. Edmonton took the opening faceoff and
deposited for the 1-0 lead just 10 seconds in to the game. Dan Boyle tried to
block a high-arching dump in by Sam Gagner between the circles, but the puck
bounced off his chest right to Jordan Eberle. The Oilers young phenom gathered
the deflection and snapped it past Antti Niemi to put the Oilers up before most
fans had made their way to their seats.
The goal set a franchise
record for fastest goal surrendered. Martin Gelinas held the record at 14
seconds, with his goal for the Vancouver Canucks on November 25th, 1995.
Jim Vandermeer tied things up at 3:17, snapping a shot that beat Devin
Dubnyk from the top of the left circle. Boyle partially atoned for his earlier
gaff by working to keep the puck in the Oilers zone before setting up
Vandermeer.
What would a Sharks game be without someone in teal taking
a puck off the dome. Joe Pavelski caught a deflected puck with his chin midway
through the period, opening a small cut. He would miss the rest of the period.
Sam Gagner missed giving the Oilers the lead heading into the 1st
intermission, pushing the puck wide of the left post from the doorstep after he
tried redirecting a pass. The pass skipped through the crease from right to
left with Niemi pinned against the opposite post.
Ryane Clowe staked
the Sharks to their first leadoff the evening at 15:19 of the 2nd period.
Dubnyk tried to handle the puck as it sat perched against the right side of the
goal, but Logan Couture stripped him of it and fed it out front. Clowe stabbed
at Couture's feed, slipping it past Dubnyk for his 12th goal of the season.
That lead would last a mere 54 seconds. Edmonton countered with a goal
off a fluke deflection after Jeff Petry threw the puck on net from the left
point. Ryan Smyth was credited with the goal after Petry's shot hit him in the
shoulder and redirected past Niemi for his 18 goal of the season.
Both
teams evaded the penalty box until the 3rd period, when Justin Braun broke the
penalty ice by tossing the puck over the glass for a delay of game call. Shawn
Horcoff evened things up with a tripping minor moments later. Ryan Jones caught
Brent Burns with a high stick, giving the Sharks a 41 second 5-on-3, but the
power play unit failed to get any rubber to the Edmonton net.
Joe
Pavelski clanked a shot off the iron with 7 minutes left in regulation.
Dubnyk robbed Patrick Marleau on a 3-on-1 break with
3:30 to play, sliding to his right to deny a one -ime chance from in tight.
The overtime period was played entirely in the Sharks end. The faster
Oilers controlled the puck and the extra 5 minutes, denying any shot from a
gassed Sharks lineup.
The shootout was no better. Pavelski, Michal
Handzus and Burns all tried to push the puck through Dubnyk, but the netminder
simply stood up the Shark shooters. After Eberle hit the left post, Sam Gagner
buried his chance, snapping a shot that beat Niemi just under the glove hand.
The loss marked the 10th straight game the Sharks have scored three
goals or fewer. They've gone 2-7-1 over that stretch.
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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 |
OT |
SO |
T |
EDM |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
SJ |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
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1st period - 1, EDM,
Eberle 30 (Whitney, Potter), 0:10. 2, SJ, Vandermeer 1 (Boyle), 3:17. |
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2nd period - 3, SJ,
Clowe 12 (Couture), 15:19. 4, EDM, Smyth (Petry, Smid), 16:13. |
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Shootout - SJ: Pavelski
(miss), Handzus (miss), Burns (miss). EDM: Eberle (miss), Gagner (goal). |
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3rd period - Braun, SJ
(delay of game - puck over glass), 16:13; Horcoff, EDM (tripping), 7:01; Jones,
EDM (high sticking), 8:20. |
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Shots |
Saves |
EDM - Dubnyk |
30 |
28 |
SJ - Niemi |
26 |
24 |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
OT |
T |
EDM |
7 |
11 |
6 |
2 |
26 |
SJ |
12 |
5 |
12 |
0 |
29 |
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Referees: Jackson,
Martell. Linesmen: Driscoll, Mach. |
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