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Still red hot after
break
SJ wins 6th straight
12/16/05 - by Mike Lee
Christmas is just over a week
away, which means Jonathan Cheechoo has some shopping to do. After scoring
another goal on a feed from Joe Thornton on Friday night, Cheechoo had better
plan on buying something very nice for his new centerman. At the pace these two
are clicking, Cheechoo may be in the running for this year's Maurice "Rocket"
Richard Trophy, given to the goal scoring leader in the NHL each year. Thornton
setup Cheechoo's 13th goal of the season (and 6th is six games since Thornton
was acquired) in a 4-1 win over the visiting Washington Capitals at HP
Pavilion.
OK, so maybe the Richard Trophy is a little overboard, but
there's no doubt Cheechoo has risen to another level since being teamed up with
his new superstar linemate.
San Jose returned from a five day hiatus,
picking up right were they left off with their sixth win in a row. The victory
vaults the Sharks back into the Western Conference race, and brings them back
to a single digit deficit in the race for the Pacific Division crown. The
extended vacation could have thrown the Sharks off their winning ways, but they
continued their trend of scoring early and often.
"We were sharp right
from the get-go, but we looked pretty sharp in practice," said Sharks coach Ron
Wilson. "We talked about the layoff at length before the game, and I thought we
responded well. Obviously, it helps having a guy like Joe Thornton making the
plays he did."
Cheechoo gave the Sharks a 1-0 lead after he broke in
on net as Thornton surveyed things from behind the Capitals net. Thornton
slipped a centering pass to Cheechoo in the slot before the Sharks winger
one-timed a shot past Washington goaltender Olaf Kolzig.
Thornton
would wield a little wizardry four minutes later with a goal of his own. The
6'5" centerman deftly slipped past defenseman Ivan Majesky with a fancy piece
of skating along the left wing boards, then floated across the top of the
crease and put a backhanded shot past Kolzig.
"I just picked up my speed and went around the
defenseman," Thornton said. "The other defenseman kind of picked up Cheech, and
there was an open net."
The goal gave Thornton his sixth consecutive
multi-point game, setting a new franchise record. He also has a twelve game
scoring streak going, dating back to November when he was playing for Boston.
The Sharks rookie line of Milan Michalek, Josh Langfeld and Marcel Goc
teamed up for the Sharks third goal of the game at 2:13 of the 2nd period.
Langfeld sprung Michalek with a pass from center ice after Goc had worked the
puck free in the Sharks defensive zone. Michalek took the pass then waltzed
around the Capitals defense, before depositing the puck through Kolzig's pads
for the 3-0 lead.
Sharks goaltender Evgeni Nabokov would relinquish a
shutout 7:48 into the final period, when Ben Clymer deflected a Shaone Mooisonn
shot from the point. Nabokov was sharp all night, but he stepped thing up in
the 3rd period after the Capitals tried turning up the heat.
Alyn
McCauley would quell any ideas of a comeback after ripping his 8th goal of the
season past Kolzig with 4:16 left in regulation. McCauley was rewarded for a
strong overall performance, especially on the penalty kill. The Sharks killed
off all five Washington power plays, mainly in part to McCauley.
"We
didn't do a lot of things well until late," captain Jeff Halpern said. "That
Thornton line particularly, you can't let them go early and let them get their
confidence up. Every time I've watched them, they've looked good."
Notes:
Kyle McLaren was forced to sit out Friday night's game
after undergoing minor knee surgery on Thursday.
The win also marked
the Sharks 9th consecutive win over the Capitals, dating back to 1999.
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1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
| WAS |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
| SJ |
2 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
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| 1st period - 1, San
Jose, Cheechoo 13 (J.Thornton, S.Thornton), 12:06. 2, San Jose, J.Thornton 12
(S.Thornton, Preissing), 16:27. |
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| 2nd period - 3, San
Jose, Michalek 4 (Langfeld, Goc), 2:13. |
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| 3rd period - 4,
Washington, Clymer 5 (Morrisonn, Sutherby), 7:48. 5, San Jose, McCauley 8
(Marleau, Stevenson), 15:44. |
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| 1st period - Zubrus, WAS
(tripping), 6:26; Clark, WAS (delay of game), 7:06; J.Thornton, SJS (hooking),
7:57; Willsie, WAS (interference), 17:24. |
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| 2nd period - Smith, SJS
(tripping), 2:42; Witt, WAS (holding), 5:12; Ekman, SJS (interference), 13:27;
Willsie, WAS (hooking), 14:05; Bradley, WAS (cross-checking), 16:03;
Dimitrakos, SJS (hooking), 18:45. |
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| 3rd period - Cheechoo,
SJS (tripping), 18:37. |
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Shots |
Saves |
| WAS - Kolzig |
33 |
29 |
| SJ - Nabokov |
26 |
25 |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
| WAS |
8 |
9 |
9 |
26 |
| SJ |
10 |
13 |
10 |
33 |
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| Referees: Shane Heyer, Dan
O'Halloran. Linesmen: Ryan Galloway, Brad Lazarowich. |
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