|
|
Sharks end trip with yet
another loss
Heartless 3rd period costs San
Jose
If things couldn't get any worse, the Sharks
discovered new ways to dip into the failure pool on Sunday. Defensive lapses
and another 3rd period collapse spelled doom for the Sharks who lost of for the
7th time on their season long 9-game road trip. The Minnesota Wild scored a
pair of late goals to steal a 4-3 decision at Xcel Energy Center in
Minneapolis. A fluke injury to head coach Todd McLellan was the cherry on top
of a 16 day nightmare.
McLellan was struck in the head by Marco
Scandella's stick after the Wild defenseman was checked into the boards by
Jamie McGinn. The Sharks bench boss collapsed and was attended to after players
furiously called for medical staff.
Unfortunately, it was the only
thing the Sharks did furiously during their trip. McLellan was reported to be
attentive after the game, but was held for observation in the visiting coach's
office for the latter half of the game.
Luckily for McLellan, he
wasn't forced to endure his team's 3rd period implosion.
It was
another ending that was soured by the lack of any defensive accountability.
After former Wild defenseman Brent Burns staked the Sharks to a 3-2 lead with
11:15 to play, San Jose went into prevent mode, backing themselves into a
corner that they were ill equipped to hold.
Matt Cullen tied the game
with 5:27 left in regulation, deflecting a Scandella shot from the left point.
Jason Demers made a meek clearing attempt from the left corner that setup
Scandella's shot on goal.
The Cullen goal energized the Wild and
deflated the Sharks, who seemed resolved to surrendering another goal. That was
fulfilled, when former Shark Jed Ortmeyer scored the game winner 74 seconds
later, deflecting a Jared Spurgeon shot again after San Jose failed to clear
the zone. The Sharks seemed to be mesmerized by the puck, following, rather
than gaining control of it. Another half-hearted clearing attempt, this time by
Marc-Edouard Vlasic was tee'd up for Spurgeon, who simply threw it on net.
Burns goal should have been icing on a Sharks win had San Jose held on
to the two goal lead they grabbed in the opening period. Tommy Wingels scored
the game's opening goal just 82 second in, oe-timing a Jamie McGinn feed from
behind the Wild goal. Wingels did a nice job to keep the puck in the Minnesota
zone, chipping it deep before circling to the high slot that driving to the net
to receive McGinn's helper.
Joe Thornton staked the Sharks to the 2-0
lead, depositing a loose puck into a wide open net after Torey Mitchell tried
jamming a shot past Niklas Backstrom. Thornton picked the puck out of
Backstrom's pads before flipping home his 14th of the season.
Sharks
goaltender Thomas Greiss didn't get much support from his teammates, but he
also didn't help himself much either. Greiss allowed Cal Clutterbuck to throw a
puck from the right wing boards after waltzing past the Sharks blueliners. The
35-foot shot from the severe angle should have been easily defended by the
Sharks netminder, but it wasn't to be.
Nick Schultz tied the game at
2-2 early in the 2nd period after Benn Ferriero was sent off for hooking.
Schultz sent a shot from the right point, that Patrick Marleau tipped, fooling
Greiss.
All the McLellan wackiness ensued shortly thereafter,
but he wasn't the only Shark employee to require medical attention. Logan
Couture was helped off the ice with 14 minutes left in regulation after being
targeted all night with high hits. He had his face smashed into the glass early
in the 2nd period, then was sent into the boards again face-first after being
boarded in the 3rd.
Former Wild defenseman Brent Burns put the Sharks
back on top 8:45 into the 3rd period after also drawing a tripping penalty on
Warren Peters. Burns cranked a shot from the high slot, beating Backstrom for
his 10th goal of the season. The puck slipped through a forest of legs parked
in front of the Minnesota net.
The lead Burns staked his current team
to after San Jose buckled.
 |
|
| What did you think of
this article? Post your comments on the Feeder Forums |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
 |
What did you
think of this story? Post your comments on the
Feeder Forums |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
| SJ |
2 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
| MIN |
1 |
1 |
2 |
4 |
|
|
| 1st period - 1, SJ,
Wingels 3 (McGinn, Marleau), 1:22. 2, SJ, Thornton 14 (Mitchell, Burns), 3:21.
3, MIN, Clutterbuck (unassisted), 9:13. |
|
|
| 2nd period - 4, MIN,
Schultz 1 (Brodziak), 1:43, (pp). |
|
|
| 3rd period - 5, SJ,
Burns 10 (Thornton, Marleau), 8:45, (pp). 6, MIN, Cullen 14 (Scandella), 14:33.
7, MIN, Ortmeyer 1 (Spurgeon), 15:47. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1st period - Marleau, SJ
(high sticking), 14:09; McGinn, SJ (roughing), 19:22. |
|
|
| 2nd period - Ferriero,
SJ (hooking), 1:39; Brodziak, MIN (goaltender interference), 8:44; Vlasic, SJ
(holding), 16:30; Zanon, MIN (slashing), 19:17. |
|
|
| 3rd period - Peters, MIN
(tripping), 7:34. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shots |
Saves |
| SJ - Greiss |
26 |
22 |
| SJ - Backstrom |
28 |
25 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
| SJ |
12 |
2 |
14 |
28 |
| MIN |
7 |
13 |
6 |
26 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Referees: Hebert,
Devorski. Linesmen: Nelson, Cormier. |
|
|
|
|
|
