|
|
A game of missed
opportunities
Sharks drop Game 1 on Niemi's strong
performance
The NHL’s Western Conference Finals kicked
off on Sunday afternoon in San Jose in an action packed barn-burner. The only
thing missing was a home win, as the Chicago Blackhawks took Game 1 with a 2-1
decision on a 3rd period Dustin Byfuglien goal. Chicago won their 6th straight
road-game during the playoffs, staking themselves to a 1-0 series lead. San
Jose had their chances, but couldn’t solve Blackhawks netminder Antti
Niemi, who made 44 saves for his 9th win of the playoffs.
Part of the
Sharks game plan as they kicked off the series is to generate special team
chances by taking fewer penalties than the Blackhawks. They would certainly
accomplish that, sending the Blackhawks to the box 5 times, without committing
a single infraction, but they would only net a single goal.
Combine
that with 5-on-5 play that didn’t generate any scoring and a career
performance by Niemi, and the Sharks were limited in the most important stat of
the game. The absence of scoring, allowed Chicago to wait out the Sharks, and
capitalize on their chances.
“They (top line) had opportunities,"
said Sharks head coach Todd McLellan. "They produced a power play goal for us
which is important versus a very good penalty killing unit… The fact that
they were on the ice for two goals against and got nothing five on five…
that happens.”
The Sharks would grab the early lead, but Chicago
got timely scoring and let their defensive corps do the rest.
An early
holding penalty to John Madden went by the wayside, but not without some juicy
scoring chances, including a shot that Niemi was forced to block from the right
side. The rebound kicked out into the slot where it was immediately put back in
the Chicago netminder' direction.
San Jose would remedy that when
Byfuglien put the Sharks back on the power play at 10:36 for interference as
the Blackhawks tried entering the Sharks zone.
Rookie defenseman Jason
Demers made Chicago pay with his first career playoff goal at 11:19. Demers
whipped a shot from the top of the right circle, after Patrick Marleau slid a
pass to him from along the blueline. Demer’s shot beat Niemi by catching
the upper left corner of the net. The HP Pavilion crowd erupted, but it would
be the only celebrating they would do.
Jonathan Toews had a golden
opportunity snuffed out by Evgeni Nabokov with 1:35 remaining in the period,
one of 38 saves the Russian netminder would make on the day.
San Jose
would outshoot Chicago 13-8 in the period and seemed poised to make things
difficult for Niemi, but the failed to sustain that pressure in the middle
period.
Niemi made a nice save on Devin Setoguchi who tipped a Logan
Couture pass from the left corner right on net 4 minutes into that middle
period. Setoguchi was left undefended in the slot, and was able to redirect the
shot on goal from the point-blank range.
Marleau snapped a one-timer
from 13 feet a minute later that Niemi was forced to snare shoulder high, after
Joe Thornton sent a pretty feed into the slot from behind the Blackhawks net.
San Jose’s failure to extend their lead even
though they were outplaying the Blackhawks would finally catch up to them.
Patrick Sharp would tie the game on a shot from the high slot at 7:44. The
Blackhawks forward used defenseman Douglas Murray as a screen, shooting the
puck between Murray 's legs. Nabokov was didn’t see the shot until it was
too late, closing the five-hole a split second after the puck split his pads.
“The second period wasn’t kind to us, especially the first
8, 10, 12 minutes, then we finally got it back," said McLellan. "We were a
little hesitant… some passes went awry… we ended up spending a lot
more time in their zone then we would like.”
Niemi would continue
to come up big, by making a huge save on Ryane Clowe after Brent Seabrook took
a holding penalty with 5 minutes remaining in the period. The Sharks would also
just miss on a chance right before the end of the period, buzzing the Chicago
goal and sending a shot that missed just wide of the left post.
“I
thought he was big," Quenneville said of his netminder. "The first period they
come in here and we know that was our toughest challenge. You heard the
building, that added to their enthusiasm. Then the crowd gets into it, they
were off and I think we were off as well. Then we had to kill three shorts in
the first. And then they scored on the one. Only down one in the first period
we probably felt fortunate. but I still thought we really got our feet going in
that second period and it really represented how we have to play going forward
The pace of the game was definitely rough throughout and, What a game."
Chicago turned up the heat early in the 3rd period and sustained
pressure around the Sharks net. The first tem minutes of the period where
controlled by the Blackhawks. San Jose appeared to weather the storm, and
generated a pair of scoring chances, but Chicago would strike with 6:45
remaining in regulation. Byfuglien would take a pass from Patrick Kane in the
high slot and throw a shot on net just as he cross into the right circle. The
shot beat Nabokov to the low glove side, utilizing a screen by Sharks captain
Rob Blake. After Kane slid his pass from the right wing boards, Blake tried to
cutoff Byfuglien’s shot from the low slot, but he couldn’t get there
in time. Not only did he fail to block the shot, but he and Dany Heatley
prevented Nabokov from getting a good look at it.
Pavelski had a
chance to tie the game with 4:30 left in regulation after Dan Boyle sent a pass
to him in the crease, but he was cross checked by Seabrook, leveling him.
San Jose had one final chance to tie the game up late when Kris
Versteeg was whistled for tripping with 56 seconds left in the contest.
McLellan pulled Nabokov for the extra attacker, but Niemi was up to the task.
San Jose didn’t get any traffic in front of the net, so he was able to see
the everything, including Dan Boyle’s blast with 18 seconds left.
San Jose retained possession, but Joe Pavelski attempt to hold the puck in from
the left point ended with it hoping past him and the Blackhawks ran the clock
out.
“I thought they did a good job denying the top quality
chances," Quenneville said. "Antti made some big saves to complement the PK
tonight. The last kill was a dangerous one as well. We’ll look at it again
and see how good we did.”
 |
|
| What did you think of
this article? Post your comments on the Feeder Forums |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
 |
What did you
think of this game? Post your comments on the
Feeder Forums |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
| CHI |
0 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
| SJ |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
|
|
| 1st period - 1, SJ,
Demers 1 (Marleau, Boyle), 11:19, (pp). |
|
|
| 2nd period - 2, CHI,
Sharp 6 (Keith, Brouwer), 7:44. |
|
|
| 3rd period - 3, CHI,
Byfuglien 5 (Kane, Toews), 13:15. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1st period - Madden, CHI
(holding), 2:50; Byfuglien, CHI (interference), 10:36; Sharp, CHI (high
sticking), 15:47. |
|
|
| 2nd period - Seabrook,
CHI (holding), 14:01. |
|
|
| 3rd period -
Versteeg, CHI (tripping), 19:04. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shots |
Saves |
| CHI - Niemi |
45 |
44 |
| SJ - Nabokov |
40 |
38 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
| CHI |
8 |
14 |
18 |
40 |
| SJ |
13 |
18 |
14 |
45 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Referees: Devorski,
Watson. Linesmen: Arnell, Heyer. |
|
|
|
|
|
