|
|
Sharks get some
relief
Knock off Colorado in the shootout
When things are going badly, it's always nice to
get rewarded for your hard work. That was the case on Tuesday night when the
Sharks scratched out a 3-2 shootout win over one of the league's worst teams.
The Sharks dominated in most offensive categories, but allowed the Avalanche to
stay close. Colorado tied the game late, stretching the game to overtime,
before forcing the issue in the shootout. San Jose won for only the 2nd time in
the last 11 games.
The Sharks jumped on Avalanche goaltender Semyon
Varlamov early, scoring just 25 seconds into the game. Logan Couture bagged his
7th goal of the season on a one-time chance on a pretty feed from Joe Thornton,
who slid a blind backhand to the front of the Colorado goal from the right
corner.
San Jose pushed the play in the Avalanche zone over the next 8
minutes, but couldn't get a puck past Varlamov. Mark Olver was sent off for a
questionable goaltender interference infraction, but San Jose's struggling
power play failed to take advantage.
A lapse on defense by the Sharks
at 12:13 allowed Colorado to tie the game. San Jose was attempting to breakout
of their own zone when a backwards pass evaded Douglas Murray. After the
Avalanche worked the puck to the front of the San Jose net, Chuck Kobesew
swooped in to punch a loose puck past Antti Niemi after Jason Demers failed to
clear it at his own feet.
Former Avalanche forward T.J. Galiardi put
the Sharks back in front at 2:55 of the 2nd period on another sequence
involving a nifty setup pass. James Sheppard setup Galiardi with a backhand
feed from the bottom of the right circle as he was skating away from the goal.
Galiardi got his stick on the ice to redirect Sheppard's pass for his first
goal of the season. Adam Burish was awarded the secondary assist to earn his
1st point as a Shark.
Martin Havlat took a holding penalty that put
the Sharks on the penalty kill at 13:21 of the 3rd period. San Jose was a
perfect 2-for-2 on the penalty kill, and almost scored when Michal Handzus
busted up ice on a breakaway chance. Varlamov made the stop to keep the game
manageable for the Avalanche, which became relevant late in the game.
San Jose held the Avalanche for the majority of the next 30 minutes, but they
buckled late. Olver lifted a shot over Niemi's outstretched pad with 3:16 left
in regulation to tie the game. Colorado had pushed the puck to the brink but
Niemi made back to back saves with that pad, but the defense failed to clear
out the front of their net, allowing Olver to grab the loose puck and bag his
2nd of the season.
Jamie McGinn, the player traded to Colorado for
Galiardi, was sent off for high sticking with 62 seconds left in regulation.
The Sharks didn't convert in regulation, but they had almost a full minute of
4-on-3 power play time to try and end things. The power play fizzled as it had
done on four other chances in the game to breath new life into the Avalanche.
San Jose out-shot Colorado 3-0 in the extra frame, but it was Varlamov
that turned in the highlight reel moves in the extra frame. The Avalanche
goaltender stoned Thornton with a waving glove save late.
Handzus got
things off to a good start in the shootout, converting on this leadoff chance.
Milan Hejduk and Gabriel Landeskog both missed, but San Jose couldn't put the
game away with a second goal. P.A . Parenteau squeezed a shot through Niemi's
5-hole to extend the shootout, but Patrick Marleau scored on his chance to give
San Jose the win.
 |
|
| 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 |
OT |
SO |
T |
| COL |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
| SJ |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
|
|
| 1st period - 1, SJ,
Couture 7 (Thornton, Havlat), 0:25. 2, COL, Kobasew 2 (), 12:13. |
|
|
| 2nd period - 3, SJ,
Galiardi 1 (Sheppard, Burish), 2:55. |
|
|
| 3rd period - 4, COL,
Olver 2 (McLeod, Hejda), 16:44. |
|
|
|
|
|
| Shootout - SJ: Handzus
(goal), Pavelski (miss), Boyle (miss), Marleau (goal). COL: Hejduk (miss),
Landeskog (miss), Parenteau (goal), Mitchell (miss). |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1st period - Olver, COL
(goaltender interference), 6:14; Parenteau, COL (charging), 14:06; Thornton, SJ
(goaltender interference), 15:54. |
|
|
| 2nd period - O'Byrne,
COL (holding), 14:34. |
|
|
| 3rd period - Parenteau,
COL (tripping), 6:44; Havlat, SJ (holding), 13:21; McGinn, COL (high sticking),
18:58. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shots |
Saves |
| COL - Varlamov |
41 |
39 |
| SJ - Niemi |
27 |
25 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
OT |
T |
| COL |
11 |
6 |
10 |
0 |
27 |
| SJ |
16 |
14 |
8 |
3 |
41 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Referees: L'Ecuyer,
Walkom. Linesmen: Wheler, McElman. |
|
|
|
|
|
