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Niemi keeps Pens at
bay
Sharks win 2-1 in the shootout
If the Sharks have any plans on salvaging their
season, they're going to need their goaltenders to steal a few games. That's
exactly what Antti Niemi did on Monday night, as the Sharks withstood a barrage
from the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins at SAP Center. Niemi stopped 39 shots in
regulation and overtime, then denied 7 shooters in the shootout to help the
Sharks for only the 2nd time at home in their last 11 games.
Niemi had
to be on top of his game from the get go, after the Penguins stormed out of the
gate with a 15 shot opening period. San Jose actually had two power play
chances in the period, but was still out-shot 15-6 in the period.
The
Sharks managed a single paltry shot in those two power play chances, failing to
convert on either, but they would squeeze out a goal late in the period, right
after a Rob Scuderi cross checking penalty expired.
With the top two
lines chasing the puck for most of the period, the Sharks received their
offensive production from Matt Nieto, Chris Tierney and Ben Smith. The 3rd
liners used their limited opportunity to score the only non-shootout goal of
the evening for San Jose at 19:03 of the opening period.
Smith chased
a puck along the end boards, picking Kris Letang's pocket and pulling the puck
back to Tierney who had slipped behind the Penguins right post. Tierney slid
the puck out to the left side of the crease where Nieto was lurking for the
quick snipe. Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury overcommitted to Tierney and
was late to cutoff the left side of the goal, which is exactly where Nieto
deposited it.
San Jose reciprocated with their own penalties in the
2nd period, putting the Penguins on the power play twice themselves. Letang
pushed the Sharks buttons by mixing it up with anyone within reach on every
whistle.
Joe Thornton bit early in the period, earning a trip to the
box for roughing on David Perron. Joe Pavelski obliged the Penguins later in
the period by slashing Sydney Crosby to put the Penguins in the power play for
a second time. In both instances, Niemi came up big to deny the Sharks guests
from Pennsylvania.
As was the case in the 1st period, the team with
the pair of power play chances ended up getting out-shot by their opponent. The
Sharks won the middle period with 15 shots, to Pittsburgh's 9.
The
Penguins finally solved Niemi 7:22 into the 3rd period, when a Sharks turnover
ended up on Crosby's stick as he raced up the right wing. Pittsburgh's captain
beat Melker Karlsson up the ice and slipped a backhand shot into the Sharks net
as Marc-Edouard Vlasic tried to take away the low shot with a stick check.
The game's momentum turned entirely in Pittsburgh's favor at that
point. The Penguins controlled the remainder of the period, and during a 4
minute stretch late, the puck never left the Sharks zone. Once again it was
Niemi who stood on his head to help reach overtime.
As if the Penguins
pressure wasn't enough to deal with, Tommy Wingels tossed the puck over the
glass in the defensive zone with 27 seconds left in regulation to put
Pittsburgh on the power play. The infraction would carry over to the overtime
period, which became more contentious for San Jose because a skater was removed
from the ice for both teams.
The open ice favored the Penguins, who
had turned up the heat to try and score a game-winner in the extra frame. The
Sharks killed off the remaining 1:33 of the penalty, but then both teams
decided to forgo any semblance of defense for the balance of the overtime
period.
The two teams combined for five separate 2-on-1 breaks, but
Niemi and Fleury turned aside every chance.
The shootout could have been decided in the 3rd round
when Karlsson beat Fleury, but Letang decided to be a thorn in the Sharks side
one last time, by beating Niemi.
The skills competition extended to an
8th round after Thornton clanked a shot off the crossbar two rounds earlier. In
the decisive 8th frame, Wingels deeked Fleury with a head-fake to the right
before pulling the puck left and lifting a backhand shot that found net.
Niemi was up to the task with the game hinging on the outcome of
Pittsburgh's chance to shoot. Steve Downie tried to go 5-hole on Niemi, but the
door was quickly shut, as the Sharks netminder earned his 26th win of the
season.
Game Notes:
* Brent Burns played in his 700th
career NHL game.
* Smith's assist on Nieto's goal gives him 3 points
in 4 games since the Sharks acquired him from Chicago.
* The Sharks
once again failed to sellout the game, which was a surprise given the opponent.
Penguins fans certainly took advantage of the availability of tickets, as a
large contingent descended on SAP Center.
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1 |
2 |
3 |
OT |
SO |
T |
| PIT |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
| SJ |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
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| 1st period - 1, SJ,
Nieto 7 (Tierney, Smith), 19:03. |
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| 3rd period - 2, PIT,
Crosby 22 (Perron, Letang), 7:22. |
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| Shootout - SJ: Pavelski
(miss), Couture (miss), Karlsson (goal), Marleau (miss), Burns (miss), Thornton
(miss), Hertl (miss), Wingels (goal). PIT: Perron (miss), Crosby (miss), Letang
(goal), Malkin (miss), Kunitz (miss), Sutter (miss), Bennett (miss), Downie
(miss). |
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| 1st period - Downie, PIT
(tripping), 7:27; Scuderi, PIT (cross checking), 17:00. |
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| 2nd period - Thornton,
SJ (roughing), 3:29; Pavelski, SJ (slashing), 12:07; Vlasic, SJ (holding),
14:57; Perron, PIT (holding), 14:57. |
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| 3rd period - Downie, PIT
(holding the stick), 10:47; Kunitz, PIT (roughing), 13:13; Hertl, SJ
(roughing), 13:13; Wingels, SJ (delay of game - puck over glass), 19:33. |
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Shots |
Saves |
| PIT - Fleury |
30 |
29 |
| SJ - Niemi |
40 |
39 |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
OT |
T |
| PIT |
15 |
9 |
13 |
3 |
40 |
| SJ |
6 |
15 |
8 |
1 |
30 |
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| Referees: Dwyer,
O'Rourke. Linesmen: Cvik, Lazarowich. |
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