|
|
Hat trick Patrick propels
SJ
Sharks need all 5 goals to beat
Preds
4/27/06 - by Mike Lee
The
Sharks learned a very valuable playoff lesson on Thursday night. Coasting
with
a three goal lead, San Jose let its guard down against cornered animal in
the
Nashville Predators. That three goal lead turned into a one goal lead
with 4:22
to play and the momentum of an offensive fireworks display by Patrick
Marleau
turned in favor of the Predators. Vesa Toskala weathered the storm with
several
key saves down the stretch to help preserve a 5-4 San Jose win, but the
message
was clear. Nashville will not go quietly, even though the Sharks hold a
commending 3-1 lead in the series.
Marleau recorded his third
career
playoff hat trick to lead the offensive spectacle, but goals by Mike
Sillinger
and Scott Hartnell with less than 10 minutes to play in regulation turned
a
festive evening into a nail biter.
San Jose used a pair of
Marleau goals and a Mark Smith tally in the
2nd period to take control of a tight game through the first 30 minutes
of the
contest.
Trailing 2-1 on goals by Paul Kariya and Shea Weber,
Marleau
scored the first of his three goals at 7:01 of the 2nd period on a
redirect
after Christian Ehrhoff rifled a shot on net from the Sharks blueline
while the
Sharks were on the power play.
Nashville found itself in penalty
trouble four minutes later when David Legwand was whistled for holding
and
Brendan Witt took a weak tripping penalty 46 seconds apart. Joe Thornton
would
setup Marleau with his second power play goal of the evening with a pass
that
Marleau easily chipped in for a 3-2 San Jose lead.
Mark Smith
would
capitalize less than a minute and a half later, by pumping home a one
timer
from the bottom of the right circle.
Marleau would hook up with linemate Steve Bernier to
bag the hat trick four minutes into the final period after Kyle McLaren
started
the play with a monster hit to jar the puck loose from the Predators.
Bernier scooped up the loose puck, then raced up ice with Marleau
shadowing him
up the slot. Weber tried to check Bernier off the puck, but the rookie
winger
slid a pass over to Marleau who was cutting past defenseman Dan Hamhuis.
Marleau redirected Bernier's pass past Predators goaltender Chris Mason
for
what would eventually turn out to be the game winner.
As hats
rained
down on the HP Pavilion ice, the crowd erupted in celebration for what
the
thought was a blowout. It took several minutes to clear the ice, which
may have
provided Nashville with an opportunity to regroup and put a plan of
attack
together for the remaining 5 minutes of regulation.
Sillinger
would
start the comeback by tipping a shot by Kariya past Toskala at the 10:47
mark,
and Hartnell would follow five minutes later with his first goal of the
series.
Predators head coach Barry Trotz pulled Mason with a minute to
play,
and Nashville went to work. They generated the shots on goal, but
couldn't net
the equalizer as time expired.
Trotz sounded like a man who had
figured out one of the world's great mysteries after the game. "We know
how to
break down their strengths now," Trotz said. "We just have to match them
on
special teams. Special teams were the difference. We're just going to get
better as this series goes on. We've found out how to beat this team."
Kariya perspective may have been more down to earth.
 |
| What did you think of
this article? Post your comments on the
Feeder
Forums |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| What did you
think of this game? Post your comments on the
Feeder
Forums |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
| NAS |
1 |
1 |
2 |
4 |
| SJ |
1 |
3 |
1 |
5 |
|
|
| 1st period - 1, San
Jose, Rissmiller 1 (Carle, Goc), 7:03. 2, Nashville, Kariya 1
(Erat, Timonen),
8:55, (pp). |
|
|
| 2nd period -
3, Nashville, Weber 2 (Sullivan, Legwand), 5:45. 4, San Jose,
Marleau 4
(Ehrhoff, J.Thornton), 7:01, (pp). 5, San Jose, Marleau 5
(J.Thornton,
Preissing), 11:30, (pp). 6, San Jose, Smith 3 (Bernier, Carle),
12:56. |
|
|
| 3rd period - 7, San
Jose, Marleau 6 (Bernier, McLaren), 4:13. 8, Nashville, Sillinger 2
(Kariya),
10:47. 9, Nashville, Hartnell 1 (Hamhuis, Fiddler), 15:38. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1st period - McCauley,
SJS (tripping), 2:14; Ehrhoff, SJS (interference), 7:45; Eaton, NAS
(hooking),
12:42; Walker, NAS (interference), 18:29; Bernier, SJS double minor
(high-sticking), 19:34. |
|
|
| 2nd period - Weber, NAS
(interference), 6:31; Legwand, NAS (holding), 10:08; Witt, NAS
(tripping),
10:54; Michalek, SJS (hooking), 16:06; Erat, NAS (roughing),
18:13. |
|
|
| 3rd period - Marleau,
SJS (holding), 1:34; Hannan, SJS (hooking), 12:47; Erat, NAS
(holding), 13:21;
Sillinger, NAS, misconduct, 20:00. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Shots |
Saves |
| NAS - Mason |
24 |
19 |
| SJ - Toskala |
30 |
26 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
| NAS |
9 |
7 |
14 |
30 |
| SJ |
12 |
9 |
3 |
24 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Referees: Kevin Pollock, Rob
Shick. Linesmen: Dan Schachte, Mark Wheler. |
|
|
|
|
|
