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Back to basics, check
SJ takes 2-1 series lead with 3-1 win
4/16/07
- by Mike Lee
With their attention focused back on the game plan, the Sharks
manhandled the Nashville Predators in a 3-1 victory in Game 3 of their
Western
Conference Quarterfinal match-up on Monday night. The Sharks used their
size
to pound the Predators into submission, then chipped away with 3 unanswered
goals before a sellout crowd at HP Pavilion. The victory gave the Sharks a
2-1
series lead, which continues on Wednesday night in San Jose.
With 4 lines rolling all night, the Sharks kept a constant dose of
fore-checking and puck control in the Predators end of the rink to keep
Nashville from mounting any serious charge. Mike Grier and Bill Guerin led
the
charge by buzzing around the rink all night.
Grier led the Sharks with 7 shots on goal, and added 4 hits and 2 steals. His
check on Martin Erat midway through the 2nd period, sent the Predators left
wing to the bench for the rest of the evening.
The Predators claimed Erat suffered an injury to his right leg, but Erat seemed
to be favoring his shoulder while slouched over on the bench following the
Grier leveling.
Tomas Vokoun was a busy man, facing 41 shots from the Sharks, including 18 in
the 2nd period. A constant barrage of pucks on net would eventually wear
down
the Predators after staking them to a 1-0 lead midway through the opening
period.
Having been out-shot 11-7 in the period, the Predators still took a 1-0 lead
into the 1st intermission after Ryan Suter scored his 1st goal of the
playoffs.
Nashville used a series of passes that opened up a shooting lane on a rush
up
ice. David Legwand took a cross-ice feed from J.P. Dumont as the Predators
entered the zone, before sending the puck to Suter through the slot.
Evgeni
Nabokov was forced to cutoff Legwand's angle, which exposed the entire
right
side of the net. All Nabokov could do was flail at Suter's shot as it
sailed
into the Sharks net.
Nabokov kept San Jose in the game with a nifty pad stop on Jason Arnott 4
minutes into the middle period while the two teams skated 4-on-4. Nabokov
was
forced to extend his right leg out to cover the left post as Arnott tried
stuffing the puck home.
After misfiring on a series of passes early on, the Sharks finally got things
clicking offensively when Craig Rivet sent a puck on net from the right
point.
Milan Michalek was running interference in the lane and tipped the shot
past
Vokoun for the 1-1 tie.
Matt Carle would setup the Sharks 2nd goal of the period with a cross-ice pass
of his own from the left circle at the 12:18 mark. Carle found Ryane Clowe
on
the off wing, for a one-time attempt that slipped inside the right post for
the
Sharks lead.
The one-goal lead that San Jose held was put to the test when Scott Hannan was
sent off for cross checking at 18:14 of the period, then again when
Michalek
was called for a questionable goaltender interference penalty 6 minutes
into
the 3rd period. On both occasions, the Sharks used the body to gain
control of
the puck deep in their own zone before clearing it.
Patrick Marleau would finally give the Sharks some breathing room with 4:26
remaining in regulation by scoring his 1st goal of the series. Marleau
created
the scoring chance by forcing a turnover deep in the Predators zone.
Continuing with the fore-check theme, Marleau forced Predators defenseman
Dan
Hamhuis to make an errant pass from his own end boards. Hamhuis' pass was
picked off by Bill Guerin, who changed directions in the slot and sent a
shot
on net. Marleau tipped Guerin's attempt as he cut across the slot.
Vokoun tried in vane to leave the ice for the extra attacker, but the Sharks
kept pressing between the bluelines. He managed to get to his own bench
with
40 seconds remaining in regulation, but it was too late for Nashville to
mount
any semblance of an attack.
Notes:
A moment of silence was observed before the game for former Sharks goaltender's
coach Warren Strelow who died last Wednesday, and for the victims of the
Virginia Tech University shooting on Monday. San Jose had intended to
recognize former Sharks Gaetan Duchesne, who died on Monday morning from a
heart attack, but the Va Tech incident precluded it.
Steve Bernier was in the lineup after getting knocked out of Game 2 from a
cheapshot by rookie forward Alexander Radulov. Radulow was in the press
box,
serving his 1-game suspension for the hit.
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1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
| NSH |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
| SJ |
0 |
2 |
1 |
3 |
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| 1st period - 1, NSH, Suter 1 (Legwand,
Dumont), 11:53. |
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| 2nd period - 2, SJ, Michalek 2 (Rivet,
Thornton), 8:38. 3, SJ, Clowe 2 (Carle, Ehrhoff), 12:18.
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| 3rd period - 4, SJ, Marleau 1 (Guerin),
15:34. |
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| 1st period - Fiddler, NSH (tripping), 14:06;
Suter, NSH (holding), 17:16.
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| 2nd period - Forsberg, NSH (roughing), 2:59;
Grier, SJ (roughing), 2:59; Suter, NSH (slashing), 5:06; Kariya, NSH
(slashing), 10:08; Timonen, NSH (holding), 13:43; Smithson, NSH (cross
checking), 14:24; Hannan, SJ (cross checking), 18:14. |
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| 3rd period - Michalek, SJ (goaltender
interference), 6:01. |
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Shots |
Saves |
| NSH - Vokoun |
41 |
38 |
| SJ - Nabokov | 20 | 19 |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
| NSH |
7 |
7 |
6 |
20 |
| SJ |
11 |
18 |
12 |
41 |
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| Referees: Dave Jackson, Michael McGeough.
Linesmen:
Jay Sharrers, Mark Wheler. |
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