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Flames only a flicker in
loss
Road trip begins with a W
10/9/06 - by
Mike Lee
Given the frequency in which the Sharks visited the penalty box
on Monday night, the outcome of Monday's road trip kickoff game in Calgary
should have been a dire one for the boys in teal. Instead, San Jose turned in
a penalty killing clinic at the Pengrowth Saddledome en route to a 4-1 white
washing of the host Flames. San Jose turned aside the first nine Calgary power
play chances to run their streak to 17 straight kills to start the season,
before surrendering a cheap Alex Tanguay goal late in the game.
The Sharks seemingly did everything right, starting with securing things in
their own end. A stingy defense and exceptional penalty killing was the
difference in the lopsided win. San Jose would put four pucks past Miikka
Kiprusoff and coast to their third straight victory.
Christian Ehrhoff, Steve Bernier, Milam Michalek and Mark Smith would all
score, propelling the Sharks to the top of the Pacific Division standings.
Ehrhoff continued the Sharks defensive goal scoring trend with a power play
tally with 15 seconds remaining in the opening period. San Jose was forced to
match Calgary's intensity during the period, and cashed in after Marcus Nilson
was sent off for hooking late in the period. Joe Thornton setup the goal by
splitting Robyn Regehr and Dion Phaneuf in the slot, before sliding a drop pass
back to a trailing Ehrhoff. The Sharks defenseman grabbed Thornton's pass then
deeked Kiprusoff before sliding the puck into a wide open net.
The Sharks pressed on the forecheck in an attempt to soften up Calgary's
defensive corp, and that strategy paid dividends less then two minutes into the
2nd period. Bernier forced the issue with a hit on Brad Ference as the Flames
defenseman tried to wrap the puck around his own end boards. The puck kicked
off Roman Hamrlik in the right corner, then slid toward the Flames goal.
Bernier punched at the puck as it floated in front of Kiprusoff, squeezing it
through the Calgary goaltender's pads.
Daymond Langkow missed on a golden opportunity cut the Sharks lead in half
midway through the period, when he took a pass on the Sharks doorstep, then
stuffed a shot into a sprawling Vesa Toskala's glove. Langkow shattered his
stick over the cross bar after missing on the sure goal.
San Jose extended its lead to 3-0 on a circus goal with 7 seconds remaining in
the period, while both teams skated a man short. Patrick Marleau started the
weird sequence by carrying the puck up ice on a breakaway, but was stopped by
Kiprusoff in tight. Marleau grabbed his own rebound and slipped a pass to
Michalek in the slot. Michalek fanned on the shot, then a trailing Kyle
McLaren over-skated the puck as it sat in the slot motionless. Michalek
reversed directions and swept a shot pas Kiprusoff, who was scrambling to
center himself back in the net after stoning Marleau.
Four minor penalties would in the period and the parade to the box continued
into the final period. San Jose would be forced to kill a 5-on-3 after
Thornton and Patrick Rissmiller drew infractions 1:30 apart.
Calgary's woes with the manage advantage would stretch to 24 straight chances
without a goal as Curtis Brown would take yet another penalty for San Jose
later in the period.
Converting on the power play has not been an issue for the Sharks through three
games this season, and Smith would score the Sharks sixth goal on the
man-advantage in 20 tries this season at the 9:00 mark. Scott Hannan ripped a
shot from the point, clipping Smith's skate before redirecting into the Flames
net.
The Flames ended San Jose's goalless streak on the penalty kill with three
minutes remaining in regulation, when Tanguay tapped in a loose puck that
slipped through Toskala's pads. Toskala stopped Jerome Iginla's blast from the
left dot, but failed to secure the puck. Tanguay simply poked at the
unattended puck, ending the streak.
Notes:
The Sharks were without left wing Mark Bell, who remained in San Jose to nurse
a groin injury sustained in the Sharks 2-0 win over the New York Islanders on
Saturday night. Ryan Clowe returned from the injured reserve and saw limited
action on the Sharks 4th line. Smith took Bell's spot on the Thornton-Jonathan
Cheechoo line.
The Sharks will spend Tuesday at the Banff resort in Alberta, as part of a team
bonding excursion. Head coach Ron Wilson has organized a curling tournament
for his players at the resort.
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1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
| SJ |
1 |
2 |
1 |
4 |
| CAL |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
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| 1st period - 1, San
Jose, Ehrhoff 2 (Thornton, Marleau), 19:45, (pp). |
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| 2nd period -
2, San Jose, Bernier 1 ( Marleau), 1:21. 3, San Jose, Michalek 3
(Marleau, McLaren), 19:23. |
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| 3rd period - 4, San Jose, Smith 1 (Hannan,
Cheechoo), 9:00, (pp). 5, Calgary, Tanguay 1 (Iginla, Pahneuf), 17:00,
(pp). |
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| 1st period - Cheechoo, SJ
(holding), 10:16; Amonte, CAL (charging), 13:58; Smith, SJ
(interference), 14:52; Nilson, CAL (hooking), 18:25. |
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| 2nd period - Zyuzin,
CAL (holding the stick), 3:19; Rissmiller, SJ (hooking), 10:09; Gorges, SJ
(interference), 15:43; Clowe, SJ (hooking), 18:48; McCarty, CAL (holding),
18:57; Ehrhoff, SJ (tripping),
19:48. |
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| 3rd period - Thornton, SJ
(interference), 2:18; Rissmiller, SJ (hooking), 3:48; Lundmark, CAL
(holding), 7:15; Brown, SJ
(hooking), 12:16; Thornton, SJ (hooking), 16:22; Kobasew, CAL
(interference), 18:44; Zyuzin, CAL (cross checking), 19:18. |
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Shots |
Saves |
| SJ - Toskala |
30 |
29 |
| CAL - Kiprusoff |
26 |
22 |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
| SJ |
8 |
8 |
10 |
26 |
| CAL |
9 |
8 |
13 |
30 |
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| Referees: Dennis LaRue, Chris Rooney. Linesmen:
Steve Barton, Pierre Champoux. |
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