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Sharks win in shootout, wait for Blackhawks
By Jeremy Harness April 10, 2010 |
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SAN JOSE - Their part is done. Now that the Sharks have taken care of their own business after a shootout win over the Phoenix Coyotes Saturday night that, at least for now, gave them a two-point advantage over the Chicago Blackhawks, who play Sunday against Detroit. If the Blackhawks win, they would grab the top spot in the Western Conference by virtue of the tiebreaker they own over the Sharks, and San Jose would draw either the Red Wings, the Los Angeles Kings or the Nashville Predators. The most likely scenario, ironically enough, is a showdown with Detroit, two teams with quite a history together. On the other hand, if Chicago loses, the Sharks would grab the No. 1 seed and open the postseason against the Colorado Avalanche. In other words, there are plenty of scenarios to kick around until Sunday afternoon’s Blackhawks-Red Wings battle at the United Center. “We got our job done today, and the chips will fall like they want to (Sunday),” defenseman Rob Blake said. Ryane Clowe added, “I’m not going to even watch it. I’m going to watch the Masters, are you kidding me?” Not that they have any control over what happens Sunday. San Jose’s regular-season quest was completed in the fifth round of the shootout, during which Logan Couture found the net against Phoenix goalie Ilya Bryzgalov, and then goalie Evgeni Nabokov sopped Shane Doan’s attempt. The Sharks got on the board when Devin Setoguchi converted a breakaway at 4:04, but Phoenix tied the game at 1:04 of the second period when the Sharks misplayed an exchange behind the net, and Coyotes winger Lee Stempniak snagged the loose puck and quickly wrapped it around Nabokov. Patrick Marleau gave the Sharks the lead at 12:41 when he deflected a slap shot from Dany Heatley, as the puck flew over the shoulder of Coyotes goalie Ilya Bryzgalov. The goal was initially given to Heatley, which would have been his 40th goal of the season and the 300th of his career, but several minutes after the Sharks staff made the big announcement, the goal was switched over to Marleau. “He actually came over and said ‘sorry’,” Heatley said - with a smile - of Marleau. However, Matthew Lombardi re-tied the game at 2-2 at 1:47 of the third, and the score stayed that way through the five-minute overtime period and, even though the Sharks converted their first two attempts in the shootout while Phoenix was stopped on its first, the Coyotes evened things up in the second and third stanzas, setting up the heroics of Couture and Nabokov in the fifth. “A lot of pressure on a young man, but he’s handled every bit of pressure (that has come his way),” coach Todd McLellan said. “As the night went along, we found more and more players.” |
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