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Sharks peter out in
Calgary
Flames score late to take 3-2 win
The Sharks missed on a golden chance to go perfect
on their swing through Alberta on Wednesday night, but a flurry of missed
opportunities against the Calgary Flames allowed the host Calgary Flames to
come from behind to take a 3-2 decision at Scotiabank Saddledome. Aaron Dell
matched Chad Johnson with a 25 save night, but the Flames had one more shot
that San Jose in a game that can be best described as the one that got away.
Dell, an Alberta native, played well enough to win, but he was
backstopping a tired team that was also thin on the blueline due to an
administrative error by the Sharks coaching staff. Defenseman Mirco Muller was
penciled in as a scratch on the official lineup card, but the young German was
on the ice for the start of the game, while Paul Martin was absent.
Mueller skated a shift before the scorekeepers noticed the lineup
inconsistency. Referee Dan O'Halloran conferred with the desk, then skated over
to the Sharks bench to advise head coach Peter DeBoer that Mueller had to be
removed from the game. It wasn't clear if the error was a mistake or if Martin
was injured in warm-ups and couldn't make the start of the game.
Whatever the reason, San Jose played the rest of the game with 5 defensemen,
which showed in the 3rd period where the entire lineup labored. Calgary cashed
in with 2:19 left in regulation, scoring the go ahead goal on a screened shot
through traffic. Dougie Hamilton ripped a shot that Matthew Tkachuk may have
tipped, but regardless, it beat Dell late in a game that San Jose could have
won. Dell also may have had his vision impeded by defenseman Brendan Dillon,
who had a nightmare game.
Dillon allowed the Flames to time the game
with 31 seconds left in the 2nd period by taking a holding penalty late in the
period. The call itself was bewildering. Dillon and Matt Stajan were trailing
the puck up ice and both looked like they were holding hands, but referee Jon
McIsaac ruled that Dillon was impeding the Flames forward, even though the puck
was nowhere near either of the players.
Tkachuk scored on the ensuing
power play, when a Mikael Backlund shot hit him in the leg and bounced past
Dell.
The Sharks staked themselves to a 2-1 lead in the 1st period
when Logan Couture scored his second goal in as many nights at 9:40 on the
power play. Brent Burns fired a shot from the blueline, that Couture deflected
from the high slot, beating Johnson through the five-hole.
Michael Frolik tied the game two minute later when a
shot bounced of Dell and landed right on his stick as he danced through the
crease.
Burns answered less than 5 minutes later by ripping a shot
from the outside of the right circle. Mikkel Boedker, the hero of Tuesday
night's game, screened the shot, which tucked just inside the left point. The
goal was Burns' 17th of the season.
Boedker was the focal point in two
critical moments in the 3rd period. The Sharks was hooked on a breakaway chance
with 5:27 to play in regulation with the game tied 2-2. Boedker was awarded a
penalty shot, but his chance went unfulfilled after he took a wide line and was
smothered by Johnson.
After Hamilton gave the Flames their lead late
in the game, the Sharks were called for a penalty with an empty net, which put
them down39 seconds to play. On the ensuing faceoff, the Sharks somehow gained
control of the puck deep in their own zone and defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic
hit Boedker with a long pass to spring him for another breakaway.
Boedker sprinted in on Johnson, but his shot deflected off the Flame
goaltender's blocker with 8 seconds left in regulation. The Sharks forward had
a hat-trick one night, and was a breakaway bust 24-hours later. They were two
misses that would have potted the Sharks a point in the standings at the very
least.
Game Notes:
* Defenseman Tim Heed made his NHL
debut for the Sharks and represented himself very well. Heed skated 19 shifts,
logging 16:29 of ice time. He registered the Sharks first shot on goal and had
two blocked shots.
* In a statistical peculiarity, Paul Martin was
credited with the ice time that Mirco Mueller logged.
* Timo Meier had
a strong game. He was quick to the puck and wasn't afraid to stick his nose in
tough places. The forward recorded a pair of shots, takeaways and hits.
* Joe Thornton was originally credited with an assist on Logan
Couture's goal, which would have been Thornton's 989th career assist, but there
was a late scoring change. the secondary assist was given to Joe Pavelski
instead of Thornton.
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1 |
2 |
3 |
SO |
T |
| SJ |
2 |
0 |
0 |
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2 |
| CGY |
1 |
1 |
1 |
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3 |
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| 1st period - 1, Sj,
Couture 14 (Burns, Pavelski), 9:40, (pp). 2, CGY, Frolik 11 (Engelland,
Tkachuk), 11:22. 3, Burns 17 (Boedker, Karlsson), 16:06. |
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| 2nd period - 4, CGY,
Tkachuk 8 (Backlund, Hamilton), 19:28, (pp). |
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| 3rd period - Penalty
Shot, SJ, Boedker (miss), 14:33. 5, CGY, Hamilton 7 (Giordano, Backlund),
17:41. |
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| 1st period - Frolik, CGY
(slashing), 8:58. |
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| 2nd period - Tkachuk,
CGY (interference), 11:10; Dillon, SJ (holding), 18:00. |
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| 3rd period - Haley, SJ
(roughing), 9:55; Hathaway, CGY (roughing), 9:55. |
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Shots |
Saves |
| SJ - Dell |
28 |
25 |
| CGY - Johnson |
27 |
25 |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
| SJ |
12 |
7 |
8 |
27 |
| CGY |
8 |
9 |
11 |
28 |
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| Scotiabank Saddledome -
18,912 |
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| Referees: McIsaac,
O'Halloran. Linesmen: Rody, Knorr. |
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