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Nabokov perfect in emergency
duty
Sharks extend lead in Pacific with 3-1 win over
LA
3/13/04 - by Mike Lee
Evgeni
Nabokov's last four appearances in net have been less than spectacular, so
Sharks head coach Ron Wilson decided to give his starting goaltender the
afternoon off on Saturday. Nabokov's rest day turned into a 20 minute absence
from the ice, after Vesa Toskala sustained what the Sharks are calling a lower
body injury in the first period versus the visiting Los Angeles Kings. The
mid-game call to action resulted in a spectacular 25 save performance for
Nabokov, which helped the Sharks skate to a 3-1 at HP Pavilion. The win also
extended the Sharks lead in the Pacific Division to five points.
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1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
| LA |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
| SJ |
2 |
1 |
0 |
3 |
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| 1st period - S.J,
DIMITRAKOS (7) (MARLEAU, DAMPHOUSSE), 05:20 L.A, CORVO (7) (FROLOV, STUMPEL),
09:35 S.J, EKMAN (17) (MCLAREN, KOROLYUK), 10:13 |
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| 2nd period - S.J,
MCCAULEY (17) (EKMAN, RATHJE), 09:23 |
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| 1st period - L.A,
KLATT, 04:32 - Hooking S.J, MCLAREN, 14:40 - Hi stick S.J, EKMAN, 19:46 - Hi
stick S.J, EKMAN, 19:46 - Hi stick |
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| 2nd period - L.A,
BELANGER, 05:04 - Holding stick S.J, DIMITRAKOS, 05:16 - Hi stick |
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| 3rd period - S.J,
S.J, 09:01 - Too many men/ice - bench |
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Shots |
Saves |
| LA - Huet |
27 |
24 |
| SJ - Toskala |
8 |
7 |
| SJ - Nabokov |
25 |
25 |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
| LA |
8 |
12 |
13 |
33 |
| SJ |
6 |
11 |
10 |
27 |
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Toskala faced on eight shots, allowing a lone goal to
Kings defenseman Joe Corvo, but the abbreviated stint was good enough to earn
Toskala the win as the Sharks outscored the Kings 2-1 in the period.
Niko Dimitrakos and Nils Ekman tallied goals in the period, providing all the
offense the Sharks would need.
Dimitrakos parked a shot from the
blueline past Kings goaltender Cristobal Huet on the power play after Trent
Klatt was sent off for hooking. Huet was busy trying to keep a clear line of
sight in front of his crease while two Sharks tried screening the goaltender.
Dimitrakos sent a blast that sailed over Huet's right shoulder for a 1-0 Sharks
lead.
Corvo would convert for the Kings at 9:35 of the period on a
shot from the slot, but San Jose responded less than a minute later when Kyle
McLaren sent a laser pass from the top of the right circle to Ekman on the far
post. Ekman gathered in the pass then fired a shot from point blank range
passed a sprawling Huet.
The Kings had a golden opportunity to draw
even at the start of the 2nd period after Ekman cut Alexander Frolov with a
high stick, drawing a four minute double minor. A stingy Sharks penalty kill
would help the Kings squander the opportunity by preventing Los Angeles from
even getting a shot off during the extended man-advantage.
Ekman would
atone for his mistake by team up with Alyn McCauley for an insurance goal
midway through the 2nd period. Defenseman Mike Rathje started things off by
feeding a pass to Ekman on the right wing boards. As he was about to get
snuffed out by a Kings defender, Ekman backhanded the puck to a cutting
McCauley at the face of the Kings goal. McCauley redirected the pass past Huet
for the 3-1 lead.
Los Angeles tried mounting a comeback in the 3rd
period, but Nabokov played his best period of hockey in the last two weeks by
shutting down several Kings scoring chances.
Play of the Game
The passing on both the Ekman
and McCauley goals was superb and the precision paid huge dividends for the
Sharks. On McLaren's pass to Ekman in the 1st period, the Sharks defenseman
casually carried the puck up ice before whipping the puck 50 feet diagonally
through the slot, hitting Ekman in stride. Ekman would follow that up with
another pinpoint dart on McCauley's goal.
The Turning
Point
Toskala's injury may have been more than a turning point in the
game. It may have served as a huge motivator for Nabokov. His play had to serve
as a confidence booster given his lack of success over the prior two weeks.
Save of the Game
Nabokov used
plain old fundamental technique in shutting the door on several shots in the
last three minutes of the game. His biggest save came on a Jozef Stumpel one
timer from ten feet out with less than a minute to play. The Kings had an extra
attacker over the final three minutes of regulation after Kings head coach
pulled Huet in order to make up the two goal deficit, but Nabokov made save
after save to preserve the Sharks lead.
Box Scores Do No
Justice
Newly acquired forward Curtis Brown has slipped comfortably into
his role along side Sharks captain Patrick Marleau. Brown continued to impress
the home fans with hustle and a willingness to throw his body around. Marleau's
goal drought continued on Saturday, but the Brown-Marleau-Dimitrakos line was
buzzing all afternoon.
Honorable
Mention
The Sharks win was the second in three games versus the
Kings this season (the two teams also tied 4-4 in Los Angeles back on December
27th), but the two teams will face off three more time this season, including
the regular season finale in San Jose on April 4th.
Quotables
"I was a little worried when I took over. But I started to
feel more and more confident as the game went on." - Evgeni Nabokov
"Some football teams use two quarterbacks. I was concerned when we put Nabokov
in because he's been struggling so much. But maybe the day off helped him." -
Sharks head coach Ron Wilson
"We failed to finish our opportunities.
We had ample opportunities to put pucks behind Nabokov in the last two periods
but couldn't get that done." - Kings head coach Andy Murray
Milestones
Jason Marshall made his debut
for San Jose after being acquired from Minnesota on March 3rd
Luc
Robataille skated in his 1,000th game for the Kings.
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