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Thornton rains on Thornton's
parade
Sharks drop 4-3 decision to Stars
Joe Thornton played in his 1500th NHL game on
Thursday night as the Sharks kicked off a quick 2-game road trip with a stop in
Dallas. Thornton had a chance to be a hero late in the game with the Sharks
trailing the Stars by a single goal. The Sharks centerman found himself with
the puck and open ice between him and the Stars goal with a minute to play.
Never a goal scoring threat, Thornton lived up to that reputation by putting a
shot on net that never really challenged goaltender Anton Khudobin. Thornton's
moment to shine ended with a thud, as did the Sharks who lost 4-3.
Thornton's shining moment was another reminder that Thornton isn't the guy you
count on to score the big goal. He never has been and he never will be. Time is
catching up to Thornton, and that late play was another reminder that his game
is a lot less Jumbo-ish than it used to be.
The would be goal that
never was, would have been Thornton's 400th career NHL tally. It was one that
the Sharks needed after allowing the Stars to score all the big goals in the
game. San Jose never held a lead, and were chasing the Stars all night long.
Dallas has been almost unbeatable at home this season, so the Sharks
had to step up their game. They didn't.
Devin Shore staked the Stars
to a 1-0 lead 8:57 into the game, snapping a shot from the left dot that beat
Martin Jones to the near side. Valeri Nichushkin dropped a pass to Tyler Seguin
in the high slot after he crossed over the Sharks blue line. Seguin promptly
fed Shore on the left wing before the Stars forward lifted a shot for his 4th
goal of the season.
Timo Meier answered 6 minutes later by tapping
home a Kevin Labanc feed from the bottom of the right circle. Labanc saw Meier
breaking to the front of the net, and sent a perfect pass to the top of the
crease where Meier fought off Radek Faksa and Dillon Heatherington to tap home
his 12th goal of the season.
San Jose outplayed the Stars for the
first 6 minutes of the 2nd period, but a momentary lapse allowed Dallas to
bite. Seguin stepped in front of a half-hearted pass by Brendan Dillon to
intercept the puck, before snapping a shot past Jones. Dillon rushed his
attempt to move the puck in his own zone and didn't see Seguin who easily
received the pass in the slot.
The Stars made the Sharks defense look
foolish 45 seconds later when Gemel Smith fished a triangle passing sequence
around two San Jose defenders by easily slipping a puck past Jones for the 3-1
lead. Melker Karlsson and Joakim Ryan were caught chasing the puck rather than
playing a man, and the pee wee defense exhibition ended with Smith's 2nd goal
this year.
Joe Pavelski cut the Stars lead to a goal by redirecting a
Brent Burns pass while perched on a knee in the slot. Burns sent a puck toward
his captain from the right point, but Pavelski had been knocked off his skates
as he jostled for position in front of the net. Pavelski had the presence of
mind to get a stick blade on the pass, redirecting it past Khudobin.
Evander Kane knotted the game at 3-3 7:46 into the 3rd
period. The Sharks forward tried to one-time a Brent Burns feed while perched
near the inside of the right circle, but he heeled the shot. Khudobin
anticipated a blast and slid to his left to cut off the angle, but the puck
moved in slow motion, cruising past the goaltender's right skate. Kane was
shaking his head as he skated toward the Sharks bench, but the goal ended an
11-game scoring slump for the Sharks forward.
Dallas reclaimed the
lead with 5:47 left in regulation when Shore claimed a fortuitous bounce on the
right side and fired a shot past Jones. The Stars had created a scoring chance
in front, but a shot attempt by Dillon Heatherington, but it was blocked out
front, bouncing right to Shore.
San Jose scrambled to bag the
equalizer, but they couldn't generate that key scoring chance once Dallas went
into prevent mode. Thornton's whiff was the Sharks last chance, but he didn't
have the game on this night.
Game Notes:
* Tomas Hertl
missed his second consecutive game as he nurses an injury sustained in the
Flyers game last Saturday night.
* The American Airlines Center
showcased Joe Thornton's games played achievement on the center ice screens,
which resulted in a standing ovation from the Stars crowd.
* Marcus
Sorensen had a tough night. He was a -3 plus/minus and did not factor into any
of the Sharks scoring. He would generate a single shot on net on 19 shifts.
* Martin Jones continues to play just well enough to lost. The
goaltender has struggled to reach the 90% save percentage mark all season and
is hovering around the 3 goals allowed per game mark. He surrendered 4 goals on
only 22 shots versus the Stars. San Jose will need better performances from
their netminder if they want to keep pace with the slew of teams near the top
of the Western Conference.
* Solid defense has been a staple in San
Jose for years, but the Sharks have not received consistent play form their
blue liners. With the shift toward more offensive presence on the blueline with
the acquisition of Erik Karlsson and Brent Burns penchant for offense, the
Sharks have paid the price. San Jose has given up the 9th most goals in the
league (50).
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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 |
| SJ |
1 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
| DAL |
1 |
2 |
1 |
4 |
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| 1st period - 1, DAL,
Shore 4 (Seguin, Nichunshkin), 8:57. 2, SJ, Meier 12 (Labanc, Couture),
14:18. |
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| 2nd period - 3, DAL,
Seguin 4 (unassisted), 6:57. 4, DAL, Smith 2 (Dickinson, Heiskanen), 7:42. 5,
SJ, Pavelski 7 (Burns, Thornton), 11:17. |
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| 3rd period - 6, SJ, Kane
5 (Burns, Suomela), 7:46. 7, DAL, Shore 5 (Heatherington, Comeau), 14:13. |
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| 1st period - Dillon, SJ
(boarding), 1:47. |
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| 2nd period - Faksa, DAL
(high sticking - double minor), 11:47. |
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| 3rd period - Benn, DAL
(tripping), 4:45. |
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Shots |
Saves |
| SJ - Jones |
22 |
18 |
| DAL - Khudobin |
36 |
33 |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
| SJ |
12 |
13 |
11 |
36 |
| DAL |
8 |
9 |
5 |
22 |
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| American Airlines Center -
18,137 |
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| Referees:
MacDougall, Watson. Linesmen: Barton. |
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