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Sharks strike early in
win
Hawks sputter again in SJ
2/8/06 -
by Mike Lee
It wasn't pretty, but after dropping four
straight at home the Sharks will take their 2-1 win over the visiting Chicago
Blackhawks on Wednesday night at HP Pavilion. Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton
scored a pair of 1st period goals 45 seconds apart, and Vesa Toskala made 29
saves to lead San Jose. The Sharks could have blown this game wide open had it
not been for a yeoman's performance by Hawks goaltender Craig Anderson.
Anderson stopped 35 shots to keep Chicago close, but his offense failed to
solve Toskala who had to deal with a series of close calls throughout the game.
Steve Bernier setup the game's opening score by fighting off Patrick Sharp
behind the net, then drawing the puck out into the crease area with one hand on
his stick. After two Hawks defenders converged on Bernier, the puck trickled
out into the slot where Marleau was circling. The Sharks captain fired a shot
from point blank range, which bounced off Anderson's left pad. With Anderson
flat on his back in the crease, Marleau scooped up the rebound and lifted it
into the net from outside the right post.
Thornton would build on the Sharks lead on the ensuing sequence by redirecting
a Tom Preissing shot from the point. Preissing's shot was headed well wide of
the net, but Thornton got a stick blade on it, causing a 45 degree direction
change on the puck. Anderson had no chance to react, as the puck squeezed
through his pads.
Kyle Calder answered for the Hawks midway through the 2nd period with a
highlight reel goal. With Scott Hannan draped all over him, Calder carried the
puck through the right circle, before stabbing at it as he skated in on goal
from well outside the post. His chip shot fluttered over Toskala's left
shoulder and into the net, cutting the Sharks lead to a single goal.
The Sharks dodged a bullet later in the period after Josh Gorges received a
double minor for high sticking Mathew Barnaby. Calder killed the four-minute
power play by committing a hooking penalty a minute into Gorges' infraction.
Chicago turned up the heat in the final period in hopes of knotting things up,
but Toskala was up to the task. The Hawks peppered him with 14 shots in the
period, including several from close range. Niko Dimitrakos added to the
suspense by taking a lazy hooking penalty with just under five minutes to play.
Hawks head coach Trent Yawny pulled Anderson with 1:45 remaining in regulation,
but the Sharks defense buckled down to preserve the win.
Notes:
Things got chippy at the final buzzer when Scott Thornton and Jim VanDermeer
squared off in a fight. Thornton landed several shots, including an uppercut
that bit VanDermeer. The victory was San Jose's ninth in the last ten meetings
with Chicago at HP Pavilion. Hannan was snubbed by Canadian hockey officials on
Wednesday, when Jay Bouwmeester was named to replace Scott Neidermayer for the
upcoming Olympics.
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1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
| CHI |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
| SJ |
2 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
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| 1st period - 1, San Jose, Marleau 23
(Bernier), 17:13.
2, San Jose, Thornton 19 (Cheechoo, Preissing), 17:58.
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| 2nd period - 3, Chicago, Calder 13 (Arnason,
Wisniewski), 12:49.
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| 1st period - Cullimore, CHI (hooking),
12:40; Bell, CHI (holding), 19:54. |
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| 2nd period - Calder, CHI (high-sticking),
1:31; Bourque, CHI (tripping), 10:23; Gorges, SJS, double minor
(high-sticking), 15:27; Calder, CHI (hooking), 16:30. |
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| 3rd period - Thornton, SJS (roughing), 6:22;
Dimitrakos, SJS (hooking), 15:14; Barnaby, CHI (cross-checking), 20:00;
Vandermeer, CHI, major (fighting), 20:00; Thornton, SJS, major (fighting),
20:00. |
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Shots |
Saves |
| CHI - Anderson |
37 |
35 |
| SJ - Toskala |
30 |
29 |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
| CHI |
5 |
11 |
14 |
30 |
| SJ |
16 |
14 |
7 |
37 |
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| Referees: Rob Martell, Brad Watson. Linesmen: Tim
Nowak, Mark Wheler. |
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