SAN JOSE
– The first game of the second round of Stanley Cup Playoffs had
the same result as the first-round opener for the San Jose Sharks.
It just took a little longer.
SAN JOSE – The first game of the second round of Stanley Cup Playoffs had the same result as the first-round opener for the San Jose Sharks. It just took a little longer.
Dallas opened the Western Conference semi-finals with a 3-2 overtime nod over San Jose. Captain Brenden Morrow buried his second goal of the night inside the right post from 20 feet out with 4:39 gone in the first overtime to win it for Dallas. San Jose lost the opener of the round against the Calgary Flames 3-2 in regulation.
The second game of the best-of-seven series is Sunday at 6pm at HP Pavilion. Games 3 and 4 will be Tuesday and Wednesday on the Stars’ ice.
The Stars were within 3:02 of winning the game in regulation. Jonathan Cheechoo spoiled that plan by nudging in a point-blank shot for the equalizer by the Sharks in the third period.
“We’re appreciative of the win but we realize our level has to go up,” Stars coach Dave Tippett said.
“I don’t think we played close to the way we played in the Anaheim series (won 4-2 by Dallas),” added Tippett. “We weathered the storm early (in the game) and we capitalized on some chances. We have to be a resilient group – rely on (Marty) Turc(o) to get us some saves, rely on the power play for goals.”
The Stars mustered 18 shots on net, including three in overtime. Host San Jose had 27 shots, none in overtime.
“I thought we played a pretty good game,” said San Jose coach Ron Wilson.
“We can still play better. (The Stars) weren’t getting scoring chances, but we kept slowing the play down or resisting moving the puck quickly up to our forwards who were open. That part was frustrating. (The Stars) might have had five scoring chances. The goals they scored, we lost a couple of battles.”
After Dallas stalled in the scoreless first period with only two shots, both in the final 3:37 of play, the Stars regrouped to build a 2-1 lead after two.
San Jose was able to tally the game’s first goal, Milan Michalek’s stuff through Turco’s pads at the 4:50 mark.
Brian Campbell kept the play alive in the Dallas zone when he intercepted a Dallas pass, steadied the puck inside the blueline and gave the puck to Joe Thornton in the high slot. Thornton found an unmarked Michalek in the right circle. Michalek powered to the low slot and, using Cheechoo as a screen, pushed the puck under the goalie for his first point of the playoffs.
Dallas went on the power play 1:03 later when Devin Setoguchi was whistled for hooking Star Loui Eriksson. Dallas needed 13 seconds to convert for the 1-1 tie. Mike Modano, playing in his 163rd playoff game, whipped a shot from the blueline past goalie Evgeni Nabokov at 6:06.
The scoring for the second period ended with a tap-in goal by Morrow at 9:09.
Star center Mike Ribeiro, the team’s scoring leader in the post-season with eight points entering the game, carried the puck around the Sharks net. Rather than try a wrap-around shot, Ribeiro dished a short pass to an advancing Morrow for the point-blank goal.
San Jose needed almost 28 minutes to tie it at 2-2.
Matt Carle’s hard shot from the left sideboards dropped in front of Cheechoo, parked at the right Dallas post. Cheechoo was able to get his stick on the puck for the goal just before the Dallas defense collapsed on him at 16:58 of the third.
“That was a typical Cheechoo goal,” said Wilson. “(Setoguchi) and Torrey Mitchell were on the forecheck. Cheechoo, when involved, is going to score.”
Morrow one-timed a feed from the left point from Mattias Norstrom on the clincher. Dallas had taken control of the puck in the San Jose zone and used crisp perimeter passes to set up Morrow’s heroics.
“We’re getting the chances, as long as we keep going to the net,” said San Jose’s Joe Thornton. “It’s a seven-game series. Be ready for Game 2 is all you can say.”
