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Not sexy, but
it's 2 points
5 of 8 points
on road trip
10/10/07 - by
Mike Lee
It wasn't the dominating
performance that you'd expect from a team's that
supposedly overmatches their opposition on paper, but
it was good enough for a win. The Sharks wrapped up
their 4-game season-opening road trip by scoring a
late goal against the Chicago Blackhawks en route to a
2-1 win at the United Center. With the win, the
Sharks head home with 5of 8 points in hand and a share
of the lead in the Pacific Division.
After getting steam-rolled in Colorado on Sunday, the
Sharks focused on sustaining offensive pressure on the
host Blackhawks for 60 minutes. The approach did
little to get the Sharks on the scoreboard, but it
left no doubt which way the ice was tilted.
San Jose out-shot Chicago almost 2-to-1 in the
contest, including 13-5 in the 1st period. A
momentary defensive lapse by the Sharks and a red hot
Blackhawks goaltender in Nikolai Khabibulin helped
Chicago to a 1-0 lead at the 1st intermission.
Jonathan Toews showed off why he was the 3rd overall
pick in 2006, by scoring his first NHL goal on his
first shot for Chicago. Toews took a pass from Brent
Seabrook at the blueline, then turned defenseman Matt
Carle inside-out before roofing a shot past Evgeni
Nabokov from 10 feet out. Carle made a meek attempt
at slowing down Toews with a hold after getting caught
out of position, but the rookie forward brushed off
the obstruction on his way to the net.
Credit the Sharks for sticking to the game plan, by
keeping up the offensive pressure. The effort would
pay dividends, albeit halfway through the game.
The Sharks knotted things up at 1-1 midway through the
2nd period on Milan Michalek's first goal of the
season. Michalek took a feed from Craig Rivet as he
drove to the net from outside the right postand pumped
a shot past Nikolai Khabibulin, while Toews sat in the
penalty box for hooking Joe Thornton.
Khabibulin stood tall, even though he was forced to
stop another 13 shots in the middle period. San Jose
missed on a golden opportunity in the final minute of
the period on a Jonathan Cheechoo shot that hopped
over the Chicago netminder as it crossed through the
Blackhawks crease.
Nabokov in contrast faced a much lighter load,
stopping 16 of the 17 shots the Blackhawks threw at
him.
Brent Seabrook presented the Sharks with a great
chance to take the lead early in the 3rd period, after
he was whistled for hooking and high-sticking, but the
4 minute power play went by leaving Chicago unscathed.
The power play would redeem itself as the clock wound
down.
Michalek would finally give the Sharks the lead with
3:31 left in regulation on another power play. Tuumu
Ruutu was sent off for hooking at 15:27 setting up the
big power play. Circling from the back of the
Blackhawks net to the front of the crease, Michalek
took a feed from Matt Carle and chipped it past
Khabibulin.
The Sharks are tied with the Anaheim Ducks for first
in the Pacific, with 5 points in the standings,
although the Sharks have two games in hand.
Game Notes:
Curtis Brown and Rob Davison cracked the lineup for
the first time this season. Davison dropped the mitts
with Martin Lapointe in a first period fight after
Davison landed a nice hip check that Lapointe took
exception to. Lapointe was not called for an
instigator penalty, which bewildered the Sharks.
Douglas Murray was called for instigating on Sunday in
Colorado.
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1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
| SJ |
0 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
| CHI |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
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| 1st period - 1,
CHI, Toews 1 (Seabrook, Kane), 13:43. |
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| 2nd period - 2, SJ,
Michalek 1 (Marleau, Rivet), 10:28, (pp). |
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| 3rd period - 3, SJ,
Michalek 2 (Carle, Rivet), 16:29, (pp). |
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| 1st period - Adams,
CHI (high sticking), 3:12; Davison, SJ (fighting
major), 11:53; Lapointe, CHI (fighting major), 11:53;
Brown, SJ (slashing), 15:15; McLaren, SJ (hooking),
16:43; Toews, SJ (hooking), 16:43. |
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| 2nd period - Clowe,
SJ (unsportsmanlike conduct), 7:06; Toews, CHI
(hooking), 9:51; Perreault, CHI (hooking), 13:04. |
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| 3rd period -
Seabrook, CHI (hooking), 3:12; Seabrook, CHI (high
sticking), 3:12; Ruutu, CHI (hooking), 15:27. |
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Shots |
Saves |
| SJ - Nabokov |
17 |
16 |
| CHI - Khabibulin | 32 | 30 |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
| SJ |
13 |
13 |
6 |
32 |
| CHI |
5 |
4 |
8 |
17 |
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| Referees:
Chris Lee, Don VanMassenhoven
Linesmen: Dan Schachte, Andy McElman.
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