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Sharks get a point but lose in the shoot-out

March 7, 2012, 2:34 AM ET [40 Comments]
Cam Gore
San Jose Sharks Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
The San Jose Sharks earned a point tonight against the Edmonton Oilers but couldn’t earn two as they lost in a shoot-out.

The hockey gods are testing the San Jose Sharks with some unfortunate bounces on both ends of the rink. That is usually the case when a team is in a slump. The hockey gods usually make teams earn it and that appears to be the case for this club.

Both goals scored against tonight came on fortunate bounces for the Oilers. Good things happen when the puck is put on net, but the Sharks have had a number of games lately where they have out chanced their opponents and have not been rewarded for their efforts.

“You definitely have to work your way out of slumps like this” said Joe Thornton after the game. “We did a good job tonight, we worked hard tonight. All we can do is keep working and hope the hockey gods will be kind to us.”

The way this current slump is going I get the feeling that if the Sharks are able to break free of this stretch of the season and put it behind them they will build from it play their best hockey going into spring.

If they aren’t able to get past the frustrating bounces they have incurred then this team may be buried and not even make the post-season.

The Sharks got off to a poor start against the Oilers as they gave up a goal just 0:10 into the game. The goal by Jordan Eberle set a Sharks franchise record for quickest goal against, not a record to be proud of. The puck was jumping from the start and after Dan Boyle wasn’t able to clear the disc Antti Niemi was the last line of defense and was unable to stop the first shot on net.

The game itself got off to a fast start with goals from each team 3:17 in but slowed down after that. The Oilers played and lost last night 4-2 in Anaheim so they had an excuse for being sluggish.

The Sharks made their end a priority and did a good job of keeping the Oilers shots to a minimal until they took the lead with just under five minutes left in the second period.

After the Sharks scored to take a 2-1 lead they let the momentum get away from them because the Oilers came right back and tied things at 2-2 a minute later. Edmonton kept the petal down and pressured San Jose in the remaining four minutes and was nearly rewarded with another goal. The shots at the end of two periods were 18-17 for the Oilers who had trailed all game until the final push of the period.

Dan Boyle felt this was a crucial part of the game “The shift that stands out to me is the one where we took the lead 2-1,” he said. “Then we gave it right back. Whether you get scored on or are scoring a goal that next shift is very important to either turn the momentum or keep it going after. That was a tough one to give up.”

The Sharks got their bench boss Todd McLellan back tonight after suffering a stick to the head in Minnesota in late February. McLellan had concussion like symptoms and was unable to assume his spot behind the players missing the last three games.

I asked the coach how it felt to be back after the game and he had this to say “It would have felt better if we had of come out on the winning end, but it was nice to be back there again and feel like you’re part of the team.
“We played well enough to get a point, and poor enough to lose one.”

Logan Couture played his second game after returning from injury and looked much better than he did against the Blues on Saturday night. He most likely came back too soon from injury but tonight was a factor in the game with an assist on Ryane Clowe’s goal in the middle frame.

The third period was the most exciting of the three with near misses on both sides, power play opportunities and the sound of iron as it was struck off of a Joe Pavelski tip. The game opened up some and the crowd got more involved.

The game winning goal came from the stick of Sam Gagner who scored in the shoot-out high to the glove side on Antti Niemi who was backing up into his net. Gagner’s name may be familiar to hockey fans as he scored eight points in a game against the Chicago Blackhawks last month in Edmonton.

Scoring details

1st Period

EDM – 0:10 –EV – 14 J.Eberle(30) – assists – 89 S.Gagner(27), 6 R.Whitney(11)

SJ – 3:17 –EV 2 J.Vandermeer(1) – assist – 22 D.Boyle(31)

2nd Period

SJ – 15:19 –EV – 29 R.Clowe(12) – assist – 39 L.Couture(26)

EDM – 16:13 –EV – 94 R.Smyth(18) – assists – 58 J.Petry(16), 5 L.Smid(8)

3rd Period

No scoring

Over Time

No Scoring

Shoot-out

EDM – Sam Gagner

The turning point in tonight’s game was Ryan Smyth’s goal that came a minute after the Sharks took the lead. This is the second game in a row where the Sharks have given up momentum after scoring a goal by letting the opposition get one back shortly after.

Contenders & Pretenders

Contenders

Devan Dubnyk – was solid tonight aside from the Sharks second goal when he mishandled the puck. He stopped Patrick Marleau point blank and had to be sharp in the third period. He is the game’s first contender.

The referees – let the boys play tonight and were fairly consistent. In the third period we saw a couple of power plays but all in all it was a good night from the zebra stripes.

Jim Vandermeer – doesn’t see the ice very often but tonight he bulged the twine scoring his first goal as a Shark. You know the team is in a slump when you need goals from Vandermeer but he deserves a spot on the contenders list.

Pretenders

The Sharks power play – wasn’t able to capitalize with a 5 on 3 situation and it wasn’t a long two man advantage, but those kinds of plays are ones that will break a team out of a slump or keep them in it.

Brent Burns – has been awfully inconsistent lately within the games and finds his way onto the list for fanning on his shoot-out attempt.

Keep your sticks on the ice,
Cam Gore
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