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Offense sputters
again
Sharks drop 4th OT game in last 7
It wasn't the 6-3 shellacking like the last time
they played, but the Sharks played well enough to lose their second game to the
Boston Bruins this season. 24 hours after reviving their offense in Phoenix,
San Jose sputtered once again and dropped a 2-1 decision to the Bruins in
overtime. The loss marked the third defeat in overtime in their last seven
games.
The Sharks are 2-1-5 over their last 8 games, which has been
primarily attributed to their inability to score. The league's 22nd ranked
power play has continued to fall farther and farther into the special teams
nether region of ineptness. Sunday night was a microcosm of the past three
weeks.
The Sharks only mustered a single goal, and the power play
misfired on it's sole opportunity. When the Sharks finally got to the overtime
period, they essentially played defense until the Bruins put a puck past Martin
Jones.
Brad Marchand was the benefactor of a set play that saw the
Bruins win a draw in their own zone then lob a hand grenade pass over two
Sharks at the blueline while the Boston foward bolted for the Sharks goal.
Torey Krug vaulted the perfect pass over Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Joe Thornton
as Marchand raced up ice.
Marchand collected the puck then skated in
on Jones and deeked right before sliding the puck between the Shark goaltender'
pads. It was the 5th shot in the extra period for Boston who controlled the
entire frame by out-skating the sluggish Sharks.
It was February
Sharks hockey at its finest.
The Bruins held a 1-0 lead 11 minutes
into the game after Ryan Spooner converted on a put back after the Sharks got
caught in front of their own net. Jimmy Hayes tried put a shot on goal from the
slot, but the puck carried wide right of the net. San Jose's defense was simply
confused as they chased Hayes while Spooner collected the rebound off the end
boards before slipping the puck around the right post.
The Sharks
looked so confused on the play, even the player closest to Spooner, Joel Ward,
skated away from him to the left corner even though there was no way the puck
would have tracked to that part of the rink. It was simply 5 guys in teal
sweaters chasing their tails.
A Zdeno Chara cross checking penalty 2
minutes later gave the Sharks the opportunity to answer the Spooner goal, but
the special teams play was simply out of sorts. The Sharks never challenged
Bruins goaltender Tuuka Rask on the man advantage.
San Jose was the benefactor of a fortuitous bounce
late in the 2nd period when a Brent Burns shot kicked off a Bruins defender and
took a 90 degree turn, landing on Patrick Marleau's stick. Marleau's quick
hands reacted to the deflection, with a one-time chance that beat Rask from the
left side. The goal was Marleau's 21st of the season.
Both teams went
into prevent mode in the 3rd period, combining for only 11 shots total. The
Bruins seemed to recognize that by getting to the overtime, their chances of
winning would greatly increase.
San Jose has struggled in the extra
session for some reason over the last 4 weeks. a combination of predictability
and skaters manning the power play and 3-on-3 format who are simply too slow to
challenge the opposition has resulted in repeated failure. Sunday night was no
exception.
Game Notes:
* The Sharks 4th line played
themselves out of the game after two lackluster periods. Of note was Nikolay
Goldobin, who looked lost on the ice through the first 40 minutes of the game.
He looked stationary in the 3rd period and into overtime with his posterior
firmly planted on the bench.
* San Jose continues to lean on Brent
Burns to generate their offense. The defensman led the team with 7 shots on
goal. Tomas Hertl had 4 shots, and no other Shark surpassed the 2 shot mark.
It's pretty hard to snap out of your offensive doldrums when the forwards
aren't shooting.
* With the NHL trade deadline quickly approaching,
the Sharks players don't seem to be too concerned. Jobs are on the line, but
the lack of leadership on the ice seems to be of little concern to the Sharks
big guns.
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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 |
OT |
T |
| BOS |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
| SJ |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
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| 1st period - 1, BOS,
Spooner 9 (Hayes, McQuaid), 11:05. |
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| 2nd period - 2, SJ,
Marleau 21 (Burns, Schlemko), 17:37. |
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| Overtime - 3, BOS,
Marchand 25 (Krug, Bergeron), 2:36. |
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| 1st period - Chara, BOS
(cross checking), 13:13. |
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| 2nd period - Burns, SJ
(interference), 10:13; Nash, BOS (roughing), 17:05; Dillon, SJ (roughing),
17:05. |
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Shots |
Saves |
| BOS - Rask |
30 |
29 |
| SJ - Jones |
28 |
26 |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
OT |
T |
| BOS |
9 |
9 |
5 |
5 |
28 |
| SJ |
7 |
16 |
6 |
1 |
30 |
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| Referees:
Sutherland, Luxmore. Linesmen: Murchison, Daisy. |
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