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SoCal feast
continues
Sharks make do with limited
offense
10/12/08 - By Mike Lee
The
offensive juggernaut missed the plane to Los Angeles on Sunday, but the Sharks
still managed to scratch out a 1-0 win over the host Kings at the Staples
Center . Rookie left winger Lukas Kaspar scored his first career NHL goal, and
goaltender Brian Boucher made it stand up with his first shutout and win of the
season.
Spelling Evgeni Nabokov, who knocked off the Kings 24 hours
earlier, Boucher turned aside all 21 shots he faced to help propel the Sharks
to a 3-0 start.
The Kings opened the game with more intensity than
they showed in San Jose on Saturday night, handcuffing the Sharks early. San
Jose didn't record their first shot on goal until the 8 minute mark of the 1st
period.
The Sharks best scoring chance through the first 20 minutes of
play came when Joe Thornton took a pass as he cut across the slot. The
centerman couldn't gain control of the puck, and missed on a backhand chance
with nothing but Kings goaltender Jason Labarbera in his way.
Former
Sharks defenseman Tom Preissing rang a shot off the Sharks post early in the
2nd period after Alexei Semenov was sent off for interference. The Sharks would
kill Semenov's penalty, but Jody Shelly would follow him 5 minutes later with a
cross checking infraction.
Kaspar would finally break the scoring
drought, with his goal at 9:56 of the period. The Czech winger took a pass from
Patrick Marleau at the blueline then sent a shot on goal from the top of the
left circle that slipped past Labarbera, ringing it off the inside of the left
post. Kaspar didn't realize he had scored until a Kings defenseman smashed his
stick across one of the posts. He raised his arms to celebrate the career
milestone, not even sure the goal was his.
Kaspar's celebration was
short lived, after he took a hooking penalty less than a minute after the goal.
What happened next, could only be described as bizarre. The Kings failed to
convert on the ensuing power play, but only after a would be Kings goal was
waved off for goaltender interference. Los Angeles forward Anze Kopitar smashed
his stick on the glass as he exited the ice in disgust, but he ended up
cracking the glass, earning himself a 10-minute misconduct penalty for the
transgression.
Things went from bad to worse for Los Angeles after
Kings forward Matt Moulson put the puck past Sharks netminder Brian Boucher,
but video replay showed that Moulson kicked the puck into the goal with his
right skate.
San Jose dodged another bullet midway through the 3rd
period, when Alexander Frolov missed on a short-handed chance after Rob Blake
failed to keep the puck in the Kings zone.
With the offense
sputtering, the Sharks couldn't add any breathing room to their lead.
Clinging to a one-goal lead Christian Ehrhoff tripped up Kopitar with just
under 6 minutes to play to give the Kings a chance to knot things up, but San
Jose's penalty kill unit denied Los Angeles any quality scoring chance.
Kings head coach Terry Murray pulled Labarbera with a minute to play,
but Los Angeles had difficulties getting the puck into the Sharks zone. Boucher
would do little more than watch as San Jose 's skaters kept pressing with the
puck until the clock expired.
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Feeder Forums |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
| SJ |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
| LA |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
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| 2nd period - 1, SJ,
Kaspar 1 (Marleau), 9:56. |
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| 1st period - Blake, SJ
(interference), 2:51; Greene, LA (hooking), 5:28; Doughty, LA (hooking),
17:00. |
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| 2nd period - Semenov, SJ
(interference), 1:32; Shelly, SJ (cross checking), 6:27; Kaspar, SJ (hooking),
10:41; Kpoitar, LA (10 minute misconduct), 12:21. |
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| 3rd period - Gauthier,
LA (hooking), 7:57; Ehrhoff, SJ (tripping), 14:16. |
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Shots |
Saves |
| SJ - Boucher |
21 |
21 |
| LA - Labarbera |
19 |
18 |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
| SJ |
8 |
8 |
3 |
19 |
| LA |
6 |
12 |
3 |
21 |
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| Referees:
Hasenfratz, Kimmerly. Linesmen: Racicot, Sharrers. |
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