Dimitrakos, Harvey score in 2-1 victory over Detroit
SAN JOSE – When San Jose Sharks coach Ron Wilson set a goal for his club one week ago to win three of its next four games, the team began the seven-day assignment with a 3-0 loss to the Dallas Stars.
“It didn’t look too good,” Wilson recalled Monday night after the Sharks finished off a three-game winning streak with a 2-1 edging of the Western Conference-leading Detroit Red Wings at HP Pavilion. “Give the players credit, they bounced right back (from the loss to Dallas).
“I knew (winning 3 of 4) would be a feather in our cap,” Wilson said. “When you consider who you’re playing against, (three straight wins against division-leading teams) is certainly gratifying.”
Todd Harvey and Niko Dimitrakos scored goals Monday as San Jose increased its lead over second-place Dallas in the Pacific Division to seven points.
“There’s a lot of room for improvement,” Wilson cautioned, noting that the Sharks have 35 games to play. “We gave up too many scoring chances.”
Goalie Evgeni Nabokov, back between the pipes for the first game since the birth of his first child (Emily Paige) on Friday, deflated the Red Wings hopes with a 34-goal performance.
“We can’t praise our goaltending enough,” said defenseman Kyle McLaren. “We’re keeping teams to below two goals against, and that’s mainly because of good goaltending.”
The Sharks gave the crowd of 17,361 something to cheer 17:48 into the first period when Harvey circled around the Detroit net with the puck, found some room because of a screen set by linemate Wayne Primeau, and beat goalie Curtis Joseph with a wrister from eight feet out.
“Prims set a good screen, gave Harvs plenty of room to skate and he put it in the net,” explained Dimitrakos of the game’s first score. Dimitrakos and Brad Stuart assisted.
Dimitrakos delivered the game-winner at 15:04 of the second period. Primeau gained control of the puck at the right boards in the Detroit zone. Dimitrakos slipped to the right dot and rapped the ice with his stick searching for a pass from his linemate. Primeau delivered the puck and Dimitrakos one-timesd the puck inside the right post.
“I stopped in a shooting area and gave (Primeau) a little scream,” said Dimitrakos of his fifth goal of the season.
That goal was necessary because Detroit countered with a goal from Steve Yzerman 10 minutes into the third period off a Ray Whitney feed. The point was the Red Wing captain’s 1,701st, tying him with Mario Lemeiux for the most points scored with just one team in NHL history.
San Jose begins a home-and-home series with Phoenix Wednesday in the Coyotes’ new building, then hosting Phoenix Thursday. The Sharks take on visiting Minnesota Wild Saturday, then Calgary Wednesday before embarking on a two-game roadtrip.
“If we play smart, play disciplined, we can compete against the top teams,” said Nabokov, 12-11-7 this season.
Wilson suggested that Vesa Toskala will get the start in Phoenix. “Nabby’s been playing great, but Toskala will probably play the game in Phoenix.”
Wednesday’s encounter will be game number 1,000 in the regular season for the 13-year franchise. Thursday’s game will be home game number 500 in the Sharks’ regular season history.
