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Uninspired effort costs Sharks
again
Kings overcome 3rd period deficit to win in
the shootout
Bad teams can't hold leads. By that simple logic,
the Sharks are a bad team. Their position in the Western Conference standings
would validate that assertion, especially after they blew yet another 3rd
period lead, falling 3-2 to the Los Angeles Kings in the shootout on Wednesday
night in Los Angeles. Niklas Wallin's turnover in his own zone was the
signature play that allowed the Kings to scratch back to take two points in the
standings after leaning on goaltender Jonathan Quick.
All the talk
about building on their four-game winning streak, especially against a division
opponent was more lip service from a team that just can't seem to put it all
together. Their plan of attack early in the contest was to lull the Kings to
sleep with a slow moving, uninspired approach.
The Sharks took some
time warming up the motor, not registering a shot on goal until Douglas
Murray's attempt 8 and a half minutes into the game. San Jose put up a Spartan
8 shots in the period.
Antti Niemi would make a kick save on the only
quality scoring chance for the Kings in the period late. Brad Richardson had a
good look at the net, but his shot came as he was back skating away from the
net. Niemi stuck his right pad out to deny the scoring chance.
The
Sharks got a scare earlier in the period when Alexei Ponikarovsky checked Kyle
Wellwood into Joe Pavelski. Pavelski was in noticeable discomfort after
Wellwood landed on his knee. He would continue to play, but seeing him hobble
to the bench wasn't what the Sharks wanted to see.
Ryan Smyth would
take an interference penalty for slashing Dan Boyle's stick out of his hands
with 4 ticks left in the period. The infraction allowed the Sharks to start the
2nd period on the power play, but would misfire on the man-advantage after
Logan Couture and Dany Heatley both had quality scoring chances.
The
absence of any offense would be nullified by Ryan Smyth, who carried a Jarret
Stoll pass up the right wing before cutting across the slot and wristing a shot
past Niemi. Smyth allowed the rush to continue to the net as he cut from right
to left before sending his shot just inside the right post.
San Jose
would respond less than two minutes later in a big way.
Ryane Clowe
would snap a shot over Quick's left shoulder at 15:24 after the big forward
picked Matt Greene's pocket just outside the Kings blueline. Clowe skated right
up the slot before uncorking his 13th goal of the season.
Devin
Setoguchi would put another puck past Quick just 39 seconds later after he
fired a shot on net from the right corner. Quick had the right post covered
well, but the puck slipped underneath the Kings goaltender and trickled over
the goal line for Setoguchi's 3rd goal in his past two games. Logan Couture was
credited with the only assist on the goal, giving him 33 points as he heads to
All Star Weekend.
Setoguchi almost made it a 3-1 game with 2 minutes
left in the period, when Joe Thornton feathered a pass to the forward on his
way to the net. Quick would get in front of Setoguchi's shot to keep his team
within a single goal.
Anze Kopitar missed on a golden opportunity to
tie things up 3 minutes into the 3rd period when his uncontested one-time
chance from the slot hit the cross-bar. That would kick off a three minutes
period in which the Kings controlled the puck and turned up the heat on Niemi.
It would end when Ponikarovsky pumped a shot through Niemie's
five-hole after San Jose failed to clear the puck. With the Kings swarming in
the Sharks zone, defenseman Niklas Wallin had the puck on his stick and a clear
lane to clear it to safety, but a weak attempt laded right on Rob Scuderi's
stick. A pass and a shot later, the puck was in the Sharks net.
Wellwood would get too anxious and jump on the ice
before the Sharks could get a man off the ice, earning a penalty for too many
men. The Sharks Achilles-heel would hold, preventing the Kings from converting.
Richardson would open up Murray's lip with a high stick to the mouth
with 6:41 left in regulation to give the Sharks a four-minute power play.
Devoid of any creativity with the man-advantage, San Jose would squander the
opportunity, generating nothing in terms of energy or scoring chances.
In the overtime period, Niemi made a big stop on a Richardson chance 90 seconds
in. The Kings forward cranked a one-time chance from the slot on a feed from
the left wing boards.
Ponikarovsky had another chance a minute later
when defenseman Jason Demers fell on his backside as the Kings left winger
raced into the zone. Luckily for San Jose, his shot would sail wide of the net.
Setoguchi found himself on a partial breakaway moments later, but Jack
Johnson would get back to deny the Sharks forward. Couture would get a crack at
ending things in front of the net, but Quick denied the would-be game winner
with a kick save off his toe.
In the shootout, Kopitar missed after
trying to drag the puck past Niemi to the glove side, hitting the right post.
Pavelski would chip a shot off Quick, sending it over the crossbar.
Johnson clanked a shot off the right post, but Couture would fail to capitalize
after he mishandled the puck on his way to the net. Kings captain Dustin Brown
tried to force a shot through the five-hole, but Niemi denied him. Clowe would
try his backhand deek move, but Quick was waiting for it and got a glove on the
shot to extend the shootout to a fourth shooter.
Stoll would give the
Kings the goal they would need by snapping a shot over Niemi's glove for the
first goal. Patrick Marleau continued his mastery of missing in the shootout by
putting a weak attempt on net that Quick easily turned aside.
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Feeder Forums |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
OT |
SO |
T |
| SJ |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
| LA |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
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| 2nd period - 1, LA,
Smyth 19 (Stoll, Williams), 13:35. 2, SJ, Clowe 13 (unassisted), 15:24. 3, SJ,
Setoguchi 10 (Couture), 16:02. |
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| 3rd period - 4, LA,
Ponikarovsky 4 (Handzus, Scuderi), 5:47. |
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| Shootout - LA: Kopitar
(miss), Johnson (miss), Brown (miss), Stoll (goal). SJ: Pavelski (miss),
Couture (miss), Clowe (miss), Marleau (miss). |
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| 1st period - Smyth, LA
(interference), 19:56. |
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| 3rd period - Bench, SJ
(too many men), 8:25; Richardson, LA (high sticking - double minor),
13:19. |
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Shots |
Saves |
| SJ - Niemi |
20 |
18 |
| LA - Quick |
24 |
22 |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
OT |
T |
| SJ |
8 |
8 |
7 |
1 |
24 |
| LA |
6 |
7 |
4 |
3 |
20 |
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| Referees: LaRue,
Meier. Linesmen: Heyer, Murray. |
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