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Kiprusoff takes 300th career
win from former team
Sharks continue to give up too
many goals
When the Sharks traded Miikka Kiprusoff to the
Calgary Flames, they probably didn't think they'd be giving up a 300 game
winner. Kiprusoff came back to haunt his former team by eclipsing that
threshold with a 34 same performance en route a 4-3 win at HP Pavilion. The
Sharks continue to play inconsistent hockey that leaves more questions about
where the franchise is headed.
A lack of defensive responsibility and
sub-par goaltending resulted in the second consecutive game that San Jose has
surrendered at least 4 goals. Antti Niemi has given up that many goals in 6 of
his last 10 starts. San Jose was just out played by a hungrier team.
Another slow start out of the gate put the Sharks in a hole that they seemed to
be perpetually digging themselves out of. Credit Flames forward Olli Jokinen,
who was a one-man wrecking crew. Jokinen scored three goals and added an
assist, recording his 7th career hat trick.
Jokinen got to Niemi 12:30
into the contest, deflecting a Chris Butler shot from the blueline.
Jokinen scored again 2:36 into the 2nd period on the power play after Benn
Ferriero was whistled for interference. Jokinen was the beneficiary of lively
end boards, taking a rebound and tuck it just inside the right post for the 2-0
Flames lead.
San Jose battled back to tie the game after Logan Couture
and Joe Pavelski scored 2nd period goals.
Couture ripped from the
right side after Ryane Clowe sent a pass through the high slot. Couture's shot
caught the left post for this 23rd goal of the season.
Pavelski
one-timed a Joe Thornton feed, after the Sharks captain slid a pass out to the
front of the net from behind Kiprusoff. Pavelski was setup in the slot between
two defenders, but still got the shot off, beating Kiprusoff for his 20th goal
of the season.
The goal came in Pavelski's 400th career game.
San Jose's defensive woes caught up to them shortly after Pavelski's goal, when
Jerome Iginla put a return feed from Jokinen past Niemi midway through the
period.
Mark Giordano caught Joe Thornton with a high stick 44 seconds
into the 3rd period to give the Sharks their first power play chance of the
night. Michal Handzus converted 4 seconds into the man advantage, sweeping home
a Brent Burns shot that trickled through Kiprusoff.
The tie was short lived after Colin White committed an
atrocious turnover in his own zone. White sent a clearing pass up the left wing
boards from behind his own net, but Flames forward Alex Tanguay was the only
player in the vicinity. Tanguay intercepted the pass then fed Jokinen down low
to help the Finnish forward complete the hat trick.
San Jose appeared
to tie the game yet again late in the period, but Patrick Marleau was ruled to
have interfered with Kiprusoff. Marleau drove to the net, but his momentum
carried him into Kiprusoff as Marc-Edouard Vlasic lifted a shot into the
Calgary net.
Kiprusoff made a crazy save with 4 minutes to play after
the puck flipped over his shoulder. The netminder had the presence of mind to
squeeze his pads shut behind him to pinch the puck dead.
Game
Notes:
Thornton's two assists tonight moves him into 65th place,
passing Henri Richard, on the NHL's all-time points list with 1,047. Owen Nolan
dropped the ceremonial opening faceoff before the game. Nolan retired on
Tuesday.
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1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
| CGY |
1 |
2 |
1 |
4 |
| SJ |
0 |
2 |
1 |
3 |
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| 1st period - 1, CGY,
Jokinen 14 (Butler, Iginla), 12:30. |
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| 2nd period - 2, CGY,
Jokinen 15 (Tanguay, Cammalleri), 2:36, (pp). 3, SJ, Couture 23 (Clowe,
Thornton), 6:29. 4, SJ, Pavelski 20 (Thornton, Marleau), 7:52. 5, CGY, Iginla
21 (Jokinen), 11:15. |
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| 3rd period - 6, SJ,
Handzus 6 (Burns), 0:49, (pp). 7, CGY 16 (Tanguay), 3:25. |
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| 1st period - Murray, SJ
(hooking), 19:43. |
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| 2nd period - Ferriero,
SJ (interference), 2:21; Sarich, CGY (fighting major), 10:31; Desjardins, SJ
(fighting major), 10:31; Marleau, SJ (interference), 17:29. |
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| 3rd period - Giordano,
CGY (high sticking), 0:44; Kolanos, CGY (roughing), 10:23; Vandermeer, SJ
(roughing), 10:23. |
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Shots |
Saves |
| CGY - Kiprusoff |
37 |
34 |
| SJ - Niemi |
35 |
32 |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
| CGY |
16 |
12 |
8 |
36 |
| SJ |
12 |
10 |
15 |
37 |
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| Referees: Pollock,
St Laurent. Linesmen: Sericolo, Sharrers. |
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