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Sharks establish 3rd period
presence
Marleau scores a pair in home opening
win
One of the least flattering traits of the Sharks
last season, was their inability to hold a lead in the 3rd period. It became
almost automatic that a lead would dissolve and result in a crushing loss,
typically at the hands of a team that they would have mauled a year earlier. So
addressing that shortcoming is something the Sharks have clearly identified as
a point of development. They had their first real chance to put their new
mindset to test on Saturday night in their home opener against the Anaheim
Ducks.
The Ducks have been picked by many pundits to win the Pacific
Division, so when the Sharks entered the 3rd period holding a 1-0 lead, they
had about as relevant a test as they could hope for. San Jose not only passed
with flying colors, they may have validated a belief system.
If they
buy into Peter DeBoers system and it works, then there's probably something to
it. The Sharks would add to that 1-0 lead, when Patrick Marleau scored his 2nd
goal of the evening and just like that, the Sharks took a major step toward
cleaning up their 3rd period ills.
"It was a great hockey game, said
DeBoer who made his debut in front of the SAP Center faithful. "It was a great
game to coach, to be a part of and great for the fans. There were two big teams
going at it and great goaltending."
Both teams poked and prodded
through the first 39 minutes of the game, looking for a crack in their
opponents defense. It would be the Sharks who figured it all out first.
Marleau cashed in with 39 seconds left in the 2nd period after the
Sharks pushed the puck up ice and peppered Ducks goaltender Frederik Andersen
with a flurry of shots. Logan Couture found Marleau cutting toward the net on
the right side, but the Sharks forward was denied by Andersen. Couture gathered
the puck and threw it Andersen's direction, only to have that rejected. Marleau
was in the perfect spot to grab the rebound and lift the puck over Andersen's
right shoulder for his 1st goal of the season.
Andersen dueled with
Sharks goaltender Martin Jones all night, but it was Jones who finished the
evening with a clean slate. Jones stopped all 27 shots he faced throughout the
evening, including a series that were destined for the back of the net had he
not been on top of his game.
Carl Hagelin missed on a pair of chances
in the opening period. The Ducks stepped up their intensity in the 2nd frame,
generating more scoring chances, but Jones was up to the task.
The
Sharks gave Jones the night off in the 3rd period by taking it to Anaheim with
more sustained pressure. It was the dagger that San Jose never seemed to
unsheathe last season. On this night however, they looked like the perennial
playoff team that became an afterthought a year ago.
San Jose out-shot the Ducks 17-3 over the final 20
minutes, but they couldn't generate the scoring that would have provided the
breathing room they needed. That was until Marleau went to work and doubled up
the Ducks.
The Sharks had pinned the Ducks in their own end for a good
two minutes before Anaheim cleared things out allowing both teams to change.
San Jose worked the puck back into the Ducks zone when Marleau whipped around
the end boards from left to right before tucking the puck inside the right post
with a wrap-around chance.
"I thought we had a two-on-one and I felt
the guy," said Marleau. "Then I saw the pass and I was suddenly on my own. I
was able to take it around the net and got the wrap around on it."
Mike Santorelli was whistled for hooking at 16:53 of the period to kill any
chance of an uprising for the Ducks. It was the only infraction the Ducks would
commit all evening. Referees Wes McCauley and Justin St. Pierre let both teams
decide the game even strength for the majority of the contest.
New
forward Joel Ward came within a fraction of an inch from recording his first
goal as a Shark when his empty net chance clanked off the post.
The
only question that remained was if Jones would secure his shutout. The Ducks
simplified things for Jones by failing to record a shot on goal for the final 6
minutes of the contest. Anaheim's last shot ironically came form Jakob
Silfverberg, the Ducks player that Raffi Torres leveled in the game that would
eventually lead to Torres' 41-game suspension.
Jones would finish with
his shutout, the 8th of his career. That number is pretty impressive, given
that Jones has only stated 35 games in his short NHL career.
"I
thought we did a really good job," said Jones. "That's a big team up front and
typically they do a really good job getting to the front of the net with bodies
and sticks. We showed a lot of character by how well we played and spending
most of the third period in their end."
Game Notes:
The late George Gund III, the first Sharks owner, was honored before the game
with a video recapping his history with the Sharks, and a banner that now hangs
from the SAP Center rafters.
The opening faceoff featured a bevy of
people that were instrumental in the Sharks coming to San Jose after the Gunds
were awarded their new hockey franchise from the NHL. That group included
Gund's son George and former San Jose Mayor Tom McEnery.
The Sharks
had some traffic issues before the game, as the street fair held outside the
arena backed up fans trying to get through metal detectors that backed fans up
across Autumn street. It took fans upwards of 30 minutes to get into the
building.
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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 |
T |
| ANA |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| SJ |
0 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
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| 2nd period - 1, SJ,
Marleau 1 (Couture, Ward), 19:21. |
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| 3rd period - 2, SJ,
Marleau 2 (Ward), 15:10. |
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| 1st period - Pavelski,
SJ (boarding), 5:27. |
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| 3rd period - Santorelli,
ANA (hooking), 16:53. |
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Shots |
Saves |
| ANA - Andersen |
44 |
42 |
| SJ - Jones |
27 |
27 |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
| ANA |
9 |
15 |
3 |
27 |
| SJ |
13 |
14 |
17 |
44 |
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| Referees: McCauley,
St Pierre. Linesmen: Sharrers, Rody. |
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