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Sharks slip at home
again
Poor defense bookends good offense in loss to
Flames
The Sharks looked like world beaters in the 2nd
period of their game with the Calgary Flames on Saturday night. Scoring three
straight goals, they raced back from a 2-0 deficit by playing hard-nosed
hockey. Unfortunately, they book-ended that period with defense that was worthy
of a flogging, allowing goals seconds into the game and the overtime period
that nullified their strong 2nd period. All of that coming on home ice was yet
another maddening outcome that further validates that fact that this is a team
that doesn't have much of an identity.
Are they a winning team? A
losing team? It's hard to say. The outcomes are all over the place, devoid of
much consistency right now. After losing three straight at home, their
performance against Toronto two days ago looked like things might be headed in
the right direction, but then Calgary comes along and they're right back to
square one.
San Jose was forced to claw back in this one early. Dennis
Wideman pumped a shot past Antti Niemi from the slot just 40 seconds in to the
game. With defensemen standing in front of the net, it made things easier for
Calgary to leverage traffic in front of the Sharks goaltender. Justin Braun
created a wall in front of Niemi as he jostled with Markus Granlund, screening
the goaltender's vision as the shot sailed past him.
Jiri Hudler took
a tripping penalty 4 minutes later, then the Sharks power play unit did exactly
the opposite of what they needed to do. Brent Burns tried to exit his zone by
making a long pass up the right wing boards but Joe Colborne chipped it back
toward the Sharks net. Burns whiffed on a chance to stop Colborne who scooped
up the loose puck before changing direction from right to left and slipping a
shot home for the 2-0 Flames lead.
The Sharks came storming back in
the 2nd period. Logan Couture scored just 12 seconds into the period by ripping
a shot from the left dot after the Sharks won the faceoff.
Joe
Thornton tied the game at 2-2 just 2:28 later by lifting a rebound past Flames
goaltender Joni Ortio after the Sharks used a series of passes to get the puck
to Thornton on the right post. Couture sent a pass to the space just to the
left of the trapezoid, where Patrick Marleau tapped the puck out to the slot
where Joe Pavelski tried to get a shot on net. The puck either bounced off
Ortio or a skate in the crease, which ended with it redirecting out to the
right of the net where Thornton was lurking.
Rookie Melker Karlsson
continued his hot January, by scoring his 7th goal of the season 9 minutes into
the period. Pavelski took a pass from Braun near the left corner, then waited
out defensemen Kris Russell before sliding a pass through the slot. Karlsson
broke toward the net and slammed on the breaks as the puck got to him. He
missed the puck with his stick, but it kicked off his skate and into the wide
open goal to put the Sharks up 3-2.
With all the accomplishments in the period, San Jose
failed to lock down the Flames in the period. Hudler negated Karlsson's goal by
scoring his 14th of the season 2:32 after the Shark rookies goal. Like the
game's opening goal, too many Shark defenders were caught watching the play and
not covering the shooter. In this case it was Hudler who took a pass from
Mikael Backlund before cutting across the slot and waiting to pick his shot.
That ended up being one that headed fo the right side of the net, just clearing
Niemi's glove hand.
Both team's went into prevent mode in the 3rd
period, allowing few opportunities for their opponent. The biggest chance for
the Sharks came when Marleau found himself unencumbered by any defensive
presence as he raced up the ice with the puck. The breakaway opportunity turned
into a missed opportunity when Marleau failed tolift the puck over Ortio's
glove hand.
Sean Monahan end the game just 24 seconds into the
overtime period, by sweeping home a rebound after Mark Giordano pumped a shot
on net. Braun was draped all over Monahan, but the Flames forward seemed to
brush aside the defensemen before putting the puck past Niemi.
Marleau
breakaway chance with 11 minutes left in the 3rd period.
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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 |
T |
| CGY |
2 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
4 |
| SJ |
0 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
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| 1st period - 1, CGY,
Wideman 11 (Colborne, Raymond), 0:40. 2, CGY, Colborne 4 (Stajan), 5:59,
(sh). |
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| 2nd period - 3, SJ,
Caouture 16 (Marleau, Braun), 0:12. 4, SJ, Thornton 10 (Pavelski, Marleau),
2:40, (pp). 5, SJ, Karlsson 7 (Pavelski, Braun), 9:00. 6, CGY, Hudler 14
(Backlund, Giordano), 11:32. |
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| Overtime - 7, CGY,
Monahan 13 (Giordano, Byron), 0:24. |
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| 1st period - Hudler, CGY
(tripping), 4:09; Kennedy, SJ (slashing), 14:59. |
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| 2nd period - Bench, CGY
(too many men), 2:10. |
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| 3rd period - Tennyson,
SJ (hooking), 9:33. |
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Shots |
Saves |
| CGY - Ortio |
22 |
19 |
| SJ - Niemi |
23 |
19 |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
OT |
T |
| CGY |
11 |
6 |
4 |
2 |
23 |
| SJ |
4 |
10 |
8 |
0 |
22 |
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| Referees:
Skilliter, St Laurent. Linesmen: Wheler, Galloway. |
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