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Homecoming lacks
offense
Clowe helps beat Kings in
shootout
The Sharks returned home to play on HP Pavilion
ice for the first time in two weeks, and had to overcome a lack of offense to
knock off the Los Angeles Kings 2-1 in the shootout. The Sharks had a hard time
finding their way to the net on Thursday night, none more than Ryane Clowe who
has yet to find the goal this season. It was Clowe however that bailed the
sharks out in the shootout. Clowe converted in the 6th round of the shootout to
cash in on a big night by netminder Evgeni Nabokov.
"I'm just happy to
see it hit the back of the net," Clowe said after the win. "Something like that
will help you build more confidence. To be honest, I put a lot of pressure on
myself, but I don't feel like I've lost my confidence."
Home cooking
right after long road trips has not traditionally been good to the Sharks, and
the opening 20 minutes of the contest didn’t appear as if things were
about to change. Los Angeles took the offensive in the opening period.
The Kings outshot the Sharks 13-5 in the period, but Nabokov stood up the Kings
and the league’s leading scorer in Anze Kopitar, who was held scoreless in
the game.
"It was a very even game," Kings head coach Terry Murray
said. "We played very well in the first period. I thought we had an edge in the
first. They came back with a strong second and did the same to us as we did in
the first. The third I thought both teams had some opportunities."
San
Jose picked things up in the 2nd period, evening out the shot count, but it was
Los Angeles that would draw first blood. Alexander Frolov broke the ice with
his 4th goal fo the season 8 minutes into the period. Frolov took a feed from
Drew Doughty as he skated to the left of the goal from the end boards. With
Marc-Edouard Vlasic draped all over him, Frolov pulled the puck to his left,
deflecting it off Vlasic’s stick and catching the inside of the right post
for the 1-0 lead.
The goal seemed to jump start the Sharks offense.
Patrick Marleau continued his hot hand by taking a feed at center ice
and ripping past defenseman Matt Greene on the left side, before ripping a
35-foot shot that snapped past Kings netminder Jonathan Quick.
The
goal was Marleau’s 10th of the season and extended hi point streak to six
games.
"You want to get two points every chance you get," Murray added.
"This is a premier team in the league. This is probably the best team in the
league. When you do come in and you play well, you're going away with some
encouragement. You're talking about the positive stuff that you did addressing
the team. But there was an opportunity there to win it tonight."
Jed
Ortmeyer just missed on a chance with 12 minutes remaining in regulation as the
sharks turned the heat up on Quick. Scott Nichol tried putting a wrap around
chance past Quick, but the netminder defelcted the puck out into the slot,
where Ortmeyer found himself facing an empty net. The Sharks grabbed the loose
puck, but lost the handle as he wound up for the shot.
Nabokov averted disaster with 1:30 left in the period
when a bouncing puck hopped through the crease as three players converged on
the Sharks net.
Neither team would crack in the period, or in extra
time. Both teams would trade chances in overtime, but neither would generate
any serious scoring chances.
In the shootout Marleau clanked a shot
off the left post Michal Handzus beat Nabokov with a wrist shot just inside the
left post. Dan Boyle tried to go backhand, but Quick got a pad on it. Jack
Johnson could have ended it, but Nabokov poked checked the puck to deny the
Kings forward.
Dany Heatley snapped a shot just inside the right post
to tie thing sup. Anze Kopitar sent his attempt wide left to move to the 4th
round. Benn Ferriero was indecisive with his chance, missing into Quick’s
pads. Wayne Simmonds also would miss.
Joe Thornton tried to go 5-hole,
but he would be denied. Dustin Brown would also fail. Ryane Clowe finally put
the Sharks on top with a nice backhand move that ended with a shot that roofed
over Quick’s glove.
"I've done pretty well in shootouts," Clowe
said. "I've had quite a few opportunities since Todd's arrived here. I thought
after Joe, I might have an opportunity when Nabby made the save. I was ready
and I kind of like that move, so I knew what I was goign to do and it
worked."
Nabokov made one last save, stuffing Jarrod Stoll to seal the
win.
"They are a very good team, very tough team to play against," said
Sharks head coach Todd McLellan. "They do a lot of things well. We had to find
our game quickly and Nabby gave us a chance to work our way into the game. And
then at the end of the night he shut the door. The credit goes to him and the
credit goes to our players for reviving themselves after the poor
start."
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What did you
think of this game? Post your comments on the
Feeder Forums |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
OT |
SO |
T |
| LA |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
| SJ |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
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| 2nd period - 1, LA,
Frolov 4 (Doughty, Brown), 8:00. 2, SJ, Marleau 10 (Murray, Boyle), 14:32. |
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| Shootout - SJ: Marleau
(miss), Boyle (miss), Heatley (goal), Ferriero (miss), Thornton (miss), Clowe
(goal). LA: Handzus (goal), Johnson (miss), Kopitar (miss), Simmonds (miss),
Brown (miss), Stoll (miss). |
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| 1st period - Ortmeyer,
SJ (holding), 1:19; Handzus , LA (tripping), 12:42; Heatley, SJ (tripping),
16:59; Doughty, LA (interference), 17:36. |
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Shots |
Saves |
| LA - Quick |
30 |
29 |
| SJ - Nabokov |
29 |
28 |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
OT |
T |
| LA |
13 |
6 |
7 |
3 |
29 |
| SJ |
5 |
14 |
9 |
2 |
30 |
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| Referees: Devorski,
Watson. Linesmen: Rody, Wheler. |
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