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Rask outduels
Niemi
Boston capitalizes on game's one
break
The Sharks didn't give up the game winning goal
with a fraction of a second left in the game on Saturday night, but they
suffered the same fate as their October matchup with the Boston Bruins. The
Sharks wasted a gem of a performance by goaltender Antti Niemi, who dueled with
Bruins netminder Tuukka Rask, falling to the Bruins 1-0 at SAP Center. Rask
stopped all 26 shots he faced, but San Jose failed to match Rask's stinginess.
* Pretty cut and dry game. Both teams tried to button up the middle of
the ice, denying their opponent many chances at getting pucks to the net. The
Bruins just did the Sharks one better.
* The only goal came courtesy
of Carl Soderberg, who pounced on a lucky bounce to convert at 12:25 of the 3rd
period. Soderberg fed Loui Eriksson the puck from the left corner, setting up
his linemate who was parked in the slot. Eriksson tried to get a shot on net,
but Marc-Edouard Vlasic deflected the puck back to the left side where
Soderberg was stationed. The Bruins forward flailed at the puck, slipping a
shot past Niemi.
* The Sharks did everything else right except score.
They controlled the faceoff circle, winning 62% of draws. They blocked 21
shots, out shot their opponent, and played even on every other category.
* San Jose had one power play opportunity throughout the game, coming
2:20 into the game after Soderberg boarded Tyler Kennedy into the side boards.
San Jose failed to convert the power play, and that's all she wrote.
*
Boston enjoyed three power play chances, including a Scott Hannan holding
penalty that almost setup a goal for the Bruins. Milan Lucic saw a shot from 15
feet out bounce off the right post after pivoting in the slot and whipping a
puck on net.
* Tommy Wingels had 10 hits, one short of the franchise
record of 11 he set this season against the Los Angeles Kings on Dec. 19, 2013.
Game Quotes:
Head Coach Todd McLellan: "It was tight
right from the beginning to the end, playoff-checking tight. The top two lines
on each team neutralized each other. Basically, what it came down to was a
little bit of puck luck. Bounce went their way, it went to their stick, and it
didn't go to ours. Nothing we have to hang our heads over. We'd obviously like
to score and be on top of things, but I thought we played well defensively. I
thought our penalty kill was good. We have to get going here on the road now."
Todd McLellan (on penalty kill): "Execution. We have a plan and guys
stick to it. Shooting lanes, clears, faceoffs, and it all adds up. They're
having some success. [Boston's] power play is a dangerous one, obviously they
have a very big body [Chara in front], but our guys did a good job tonight."
Joe Thornton: "It was pretty balanced, both teams. Weren't giving up
too much tonight. Just the one shift in the third period is the difference, but
pretty evenly matched game tonight."
Thornton (on the goaltending): "I
thought both goalies were excellent tonight. It was kind of a lucky bounce, the
goal they scored on. But I thought both goalies played great."
Dan
Boyle: "We had a good first period. I think it was evenly matched throughout
the game. I thought we probably had the better first. I think they they
probably had the better second. They had more power play opportunities tonight,
which caused them to in on our end a little bit more. But it was a pretty
evenly matched game."
Tommy Wingels: "There were some battles, that's for
sure. Both teams wanted to win, whated possession of the puck, in certain areas
of the ice. So when both teams want that, guys are going to be physical and do
all they can to get the puck."
Head Coach Claude Julien: "Our play was
much better in a lot of areas-- we asked our guys to do their jobs and do them
well. I think we had some guys who were trying to do other peoples jobs, but
not because they weren't going well enough. Eventually everybody has to take
that responsibility and I think the guys responded well. We knew it was going
to be a tough game, and we talked to our guys about taking care of their end
first and foremost. When you give up nine goals in two games [like we have]
it's got to be better and they did that and they scored a timely goal."
Carl Soderberg (on his GWG): "We had a good forecheck on our line and
wanted the puck in the corner. [Louis Eriksson and I] got an opening, so I
passed and he tried to shoot and I got the rebound."
Loui Eriksson (on
returning from injury): "I felt pretty good. It was nice to be back playing
again, and be around all the guys playing. And it was nice to get the two
points too."
Eriksson (on Soderberg goal): "We had some other good
chances too and we finally got a lucky break there. We did a good job in the
corner, I was trying to shoot it and saw it off Carl's stick so it was nice to
see it go in the net."
Tuukka Rask: "That was Bruins hockey. That's
how we get points in this league, and sometimes we slip from it, but today was
a great example how we need to play in order to get points. Really happy with
the effort."
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think of this story? Post your comments on the
Feeder Forums |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
| BOS |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
| SJ |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
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| 3rd period - 1, BOS,
Soderberg 6 (Eriksson, Spooner), 12:25. |
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| 1st period - Soderberg,
BOS (boarding), 2:20. |
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| 2nd period - Miller, BOS
(fighting major), 10:27; Brown, SJ (fighting major), 10:27; Hannan, SJ
(holding), 12:36; Marleau, SJ (high sticking), 19:59. |
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| 3rd period - Demers, SJ
(holding), 6:03. |
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Shots |
Saves |
| BOS - Rask |
26 |
26 |
| SJ - Niemi |
22 |
21 |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
| BOS |
9 |
7 |
6 |
22 |
| SJ |
12 |
6 |
8 |
26 |
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| Referees: Leggo,
Pochmara. Linesmen: Lazarowich, Mach. |
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