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Trip ends with a tough loss to
Red Wings
Detroit benefits from non-call
Round one of the battle of the league’s best
of the west came down to a shootout on Thursday night in Detroit , and the
Sharks came up on the short end of a 2-1 Red Wings victory. Playing the tail
end of their three-game road trip and just 24 hours after their victory in
Columbus , the Sharks turned in a respectable performance in one of the
toughest buildings in the league. The Sharks failed to convert in the bonus
round, ending their six-game winning streak.
San Jose was also forced
to call up two defenseman, after captain Rob Blake was placed on the injured
reserve after tweaking his shoulder in the Columbus game. Brad Staubitz also
found himself perched in the press box after his ill-timed instigator major.
Joe Callahan made his Sharks debut, along with Derek Joslin who was also
recalled from Worcester .
The Red Wings have also suffered a rash of
injuries that has affected their roster, but both teams played a spirited
opening period. The skill game took a back seat to a hard hitting approach,
that saw the two teams combine for 31 hits in the period.
Niklas
Kronwall laid out Benn Ferriero with a hip check along the right wing boards
that stopped the Sharks rookie in his tracks.
The Sharks wouldn’t
do themselves any favors by mishandling the puck several times during a power
play after Justin Abdelkader was sent off for tripping at 15:07. Detroit
actually generated more shots than San Jose did during the power play.
The two teams would trade big chances at the end of the period. Detroit almost
capitalized after a defensive lapse by the Sharks green blueliners. Ville Leino
found himself cutting across the slot with two defenders trailing, but Nabokov
poke-checked the puck to safety. Jed Ortmeyer and Scott Nichol teamed up for a
shot and rebound chance that Chris Osgood was forced to stop on with a pad
save.
Sharks rookie Logan Couture put the Sharks on top early with his
first career NHL goal at 14:41 of the middle period, after the Sharks had
killed off a Dan Boyle tripping penalty. Callahan took a Joe Thornton feed at
center ice then steamed right up the middle, before dishing to his right.
Couture wound up on the pass, beating Osgood with a low drive that tucked just
inside the left post.
Manny Malhotra would take a tripping penalty
with 1:43 left in the middle period, but the Sharks diffused the situation with
great positional play down low.
The Red Wings would reciprocate with a
pair of penalties, but the Sharks could not take advantage. That would be of
significance after a tripping penalty to Kronwall was killed early in the 3rd
period.
Henrik Zetterberg would tie the game up two minutes after
Kronwall’s penalty expired, the Red Wings received a little charity from
the referee Wes McCauley. After Niklas Lidstrom threw a shot on net, Sharks
netminder Evgeni Nabokov appeared to have the puck covered with his left leg
pad. The puck was completely covered and out of sight, but Zetterberg crashed
in and jammed the puck out from under the pad and into the net.
It was impossible for McCauley to see the puck, so by
rule he should have whistled the puck dead. Replays showed the official raising
his whistle to his mouth as the puck sat perched underneath Nabokov, but
instead, the goal stood and the game was tied.
San Jose turned up the
heat in the final minute, led by a mad rush by Couture. Kris Draper had one
last chance in regulation to end things, but he lost the handle on the puck as
he raced in on Nabokov.
In the overtime period Dany Heatley had a pair
of nice chances in front of the Detroit net, but Osgood came up big. Nabokov
matched his peer with a big save on Darren Helm after the Sharks coughed up the
puck in their own zone. In the shootout, Pavel Datsyuk beat Nabokov with a
backhand to forehand move. Dan Boyle could not replicate his shootout magic
from the night before, putting a shot off Osgood. Boyle just tried throwing a
shot up high that Osgood smothered.
Justin Williams failed to convert,
but San Jose couldn’t take advantage. Ryane Clowe went back to his
backhand move, but Osgood was ready for it and easily denied the Sharks
forward. Zetterberg ended it with a cutback move that ended with a shot that
lifted over Nabokov’s blocker.
Game Notes:
The
Sharks dropped to 4-26-4 all time at Joe Louis Arena in the regular season.
Blake is expected to miss a minimum of a week, but he was sporting a sling as e
sat in the press box.
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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 |
| SJ |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
| DET |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
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| 2nd period - 1, SJ,
Couture 1 (Callahan, Thornton), 14:41. |
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| 3rd period - 2, DET,
Zetterberg 4 (Lidstrom, Eaves), 5:38. |
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| Shootout - DET: Datsyuk
(goal), Williams (miss), Zetterberg (goal). SJ: Boyle (miss), Clowe
(miss). |
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| 1st period - McGinn, SJ
(slashing), 11:25; Draper, DET (slashing), 11:25; Abdelkader, DET (tripping),
15:07. |
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| 2nd period - Boyle, SJ
(tripping), 11:22; Malhotra, SJ (tripping), 18:17. |
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| 3rd period -
Kronwall, DET (tripping), 1:02; Ericsson, DET (boarding), 7:02. |
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Shots |
Saves |
| SJ - Nabokov |
36 |
35 |
| DET - Osgood |
34 |
33 |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
OT |
T |
| SJ |
11 |
7 |
13 |
3 |
34 |
| DET |
7 |
8 |
16 |
5 |
36 |
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| Referees:
Marouelli, McCauley. Linesmen: Heyer, Murray. |
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