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Sharks edge Hawks in battle of
titans
Tomas Hertl scores game winner in his 2nd
game back
The schedule makers put a treat on the calendar
when they decided to match-up the Sharks with the Chicago Blackhawks in the
first game following the All Star break. With both teams rested, Tuesday
night's game pegged two of the best teams in the Western Conference in a battle
for that didn't disappoint. The contest was a back and forth affair that was
settled in the last 2 minutes of the game when an unlikely source potted the
game winner.
That unlikely source was Tomas Hertl, who was making his
second start since suffering a knee injury that cost him two months. The Sharks
gleeful forward was all smiles after he swept home a long rebound from the top
of the crease for his fist goal since his injury back in November.
Brent Burns setup Hertl with a long shot that siled wide right of the goal, but
it caromed off the end boards and came back at Blackhawks goaltender Corey
Crawford. That rebound glanced off Crawford's rear end, deflecting right to
Hertl at the top of the crease. Hertl established inside position on Niklas
Hjalmarsson and used the backhand to push the puck into the wide open net.
The goal snapped a tightly contested game that could have gone either
way. Martin Jones dueled Crawford in a battle of saves. The Sharks netminder
made 24 saves, including several under pressure. Jones couldn't blink against
one of the best offenses in the league.
San Jose appeared to take a
1-0 lead midway through the game on the power play when Patrick Marleau grabbed
a puck behind the net, then drawing it around the right post for what would
have been his 499th career NHL goal. The goal would be disallowed on a coach's
challenge, after it was confirmed that Mikkel Boedker was offside earlier in
the play.
Marleau shrugged off the misfortune and wet right back to
work. He answered the overturned goal by putting his next shot past Crawford
moments later. Marleau fired home a puck that kicked off of Crawford after
Brent Burns fired a shot on net from the right point. The puck deflected to the
right of the goal, splitting Chicago defenseman Duncan Keith's skates and
dribbling over to Marleau for the put back.
Dennis Rasmussen tied the
game with three minutes left in the period on a wrist shot from 20 feet out
that Jones seemed to lose. Rasmussen's shot from just inside the right circle
sailed over Jones' right shoulder, catching the top left corner of the goal.
Jones was forced to defend a pair of breakaway chances
in the 3rd period, including on a Patrick Kane chance that was partially
disrupted by Burns, who was called for tipping on the play. The Sharks special
teams was perfect on the penalty kill, turning aside the three chances the
Blackhawks had with the man advantage.
Hertl worked his magic as the
clock whittled down late in the game.
Chicago was forced to pull
Crawford, which enabled Joe Pavelski to seal the win by potting his 17th goal
of the season.
Game Notes:
* The marquee match-up
still wasn't enough to lure fans to SAP Center. The game was another mid-week
non-sellout.
* The loss was Chicago's third straight in regulation
this season, which is a first for Chicago this year.
* Patrick Marleau
and Toms Hertl led the Sharks with 4 shots each. Ryan Hartman led the
Blackhawks with the same shot total.
* In addition to his goal, Joe
Pavelski had a pair of assists, which netted him a 3 point night.
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What did you
think of this story? Post your comments on the
Feeder Forums |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
| CHI |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
| SJ |
0 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
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| 2nd period - 1, SJ,
Marleau 18 (Pavelski, Burns), 14:06, (pp). 2, CHI, Rasmussen 4 (Panik,
Seabrook), 16:53. |
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| 3rd period - 3, SJ,
Hertl 5 (Burns. Pavelski), 17:57. 4, SJ, Pavelski 17 (Couture, Thornton),
19:17. |
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| 1st period - Panarin,
CHI (hooking), 5:20; Carpenter, SJ (tripping), 12:21; Hartman, CHI (hooking),
17:09. |
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| 2nd period - Dillon, SJ
(tripping), 9:22; Anisimov, CHI (holding), 13:33. |
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| 3rd period - Burns, SJ
(tripping), 2:54. |
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Shots |
Saves |
| CHI - Crawford |
28 |
26 |
| CHI - empty net |
1 |
0 |
| SJ - Jones |
25 |
24 |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
| CHI |
7 |
10 |
8 |
25 |
| SJ |
10 |
11 |
8 |
29 |
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| Referees: McCauley,
Kowal. Linesmen: Cameron, Mach. |
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