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Big 3 have big night at Devils
expense
4th career hat trick for Thornton in
blowout
Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau and Dany Heatley,
the Sharks Big 3, put on a clinic on Wednesday night at HP Pavilion. Squaring
off against future Hall-of-Fame goaltender Martin Brodeur, the trio combined
for five goals and 8 assists in a 5-2 white-washing of the visiting New Jersey
Devils. After starting the season skating on separate lines, Sharks head coach
Todd McLellan teamed the three players up in response to the lack-luster
performance in Calgary on Sunday night.
The dividends were huge, as
the trio took advantage of a Devils defense that included three rookies that
had 29 games of combined NHL experience. They would jump out to a 3-0 lead in
the opening period and cruise from their.
"It was a real impressive performance when it comes to
leadership," McLellan said of his top line.
Thornton was the star of
the show, recording his fourth career hat trick and a five point night. The big
centerman opened the game's scoring at 9:57 of the opening period with a
sweeping shot from the left dot that beat Devils future hall-of-fame goaltender
Martin Brodeur. Thornton took a feed from Heatley as he skated into the Devils
zone and whipped home his 3rd goal of the season.
Marleau would score
his own goal 79 seconds later on a wrap-around chance. Heatley and Thornton
were working the puck along the end boards, when Marleau swooped in and scooped
up the puck and slipped it around the right post.
A strong cycle in
the offensive zone would power the third goal of the period for the Sharks.
Jason Demers would get on the score sheet by earning the secondary assist on
Thornton's 2nd of the night. The defenseman would throw a puck to the slot,
which deflected to the right corner. Marleau would track the puck down and
throw it toward the crease where Thornton was parked for the redirect into the
New Jersey net. Brodeur argued that he was interfered with by Thornton, but to
no avail.
"Again, we started out good," said Devils head coach John
McLean. "We were getting the puck deep, then four turnovers and they get the
first goal off it. It can be done. We can get the puck in deep then go to work
on it. I mean, that's what San Jose did. That's what their big line did all
night. They got the pucks down low then they got the goals off it."
New Jersey would get on the board 3:03 into the 2nd period on a fluke goal.
Devils rookie defenseman Mathew Corrente sent a dump in to the right corner,
drawing Sharks goaltender Antero Niittymaki behind his own goal to intercept
the winding puck. The puck kicked out to the front of the wide open net, where
David Clarkson easily deposited his 1s goal of the season.
They say
that bad breaks even themselves out over the course of a season. It took the
Sharks 14 minutes. The boards would play a role again late in the period when
an identical deflection landed on Thornton's stick with Brodeur in no-man's
land behind his net. Thornton simply tapped home his 3rd of the game and the
hats rained down on the HP Pavilion ice.
Heatley got in on the act by
redirecting a pass from Thornton at 6:47 of the 3rd period, after the centerman
sent a bullet from the bottom of the right circle. Heatley slipped past Henrik
Tallinder on his way to the left post where he received Thornton's 30-foot
feed.
The Devils would score a late power play goal with 5
minutes to play. Andy Greene sent a deflection past Niittymaki after Danus
Zubrus put a shot off the Sharks netminder from in tight. It was the first
Devils goal with the man-advantage on the road this season after failing to
convert on their first 19 chances away from the Meadowlands.
McLellan
made it clear that this was simply a stepping stone to his team's development.
"We are allowed to enjoy the hard fought win, which is what we are
going to do tonight, and tomorrow we are going to get back to work," McLellan
added after the game.
Game Notes:
Marleau's first
assist gave him 700 career points.
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Feeder Forums |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
| NJ |
0 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
| SJ |
3 |
1 |
1 |
5 |
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| 1st period - 1, Thornton
3 (Heatley, Marleau), 9:57. 2, SJ, Marleau 3 (Thornton, Heatley), 11:16. 3,
Thornton 4 (Marleau, Demers), 18:59. |
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| 2nd period - 4, NJ,
Clarkson (Corrente, Tallinder), 3:06. 5, SJ, Thornton 5 (Heatley), 16:55, (pp).
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| 3rd period - 6, SJ,
Heatley 3 (Thornton, Marleau), 6:47. 7, NJ, Greene 1 (Zubrus, Parise), 14:22,
(pp). |
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| 1st period - Nichol, SJ
(slashing), 5:40; Mair, NJ (fighting major), 10:04; Mayers, SJ (fighting
major), 10:04; Wallin, SJ (interference), 13:03; Tallinder, NJ (hooking),
15:39. |
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| 2nd period - Mayers, SJ
(hooking), 7:10; Bench, NJ (too many men), 8:29; Corrente, NJ (interference),
15:56; Corrente, NJ (fighting major), 19:29; Clowe, SJ (fighting major), 19:29.
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| 3rd period -
Clowe, SJ (hooking), 9:05; Heatley, SJ (holding), 13:54; Corrente, NJ
(unsporstmanlike conduct), 15:22; Corrente, NJ (10 min misconduct), 15:22;
Corrente, NJ (game misconduct), 15:22; Murray, SJ (high sticking), 15:22. |
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Shots |
Saves |
| NJ - Brodeur |
39 |
34 |
| SJ - Niittymaki |
29 |
27 |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
| NJ |
11 |
10 |
8 |
29 |
| SJ |
17 |
13 |
9 |
39 |
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| Referees: Kowal,
Pollack. Linesmen: Heyer, Sharrers. |
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