San Jose
– After posting shut-outs in their last two games, the San Jose
Sharks fell 2-1 in overtime to the visiting Vancouver Canucks
Friday at sold-out HP Pavilion.
Henrik Sedin scored on a breakaway 3:30 into the extra session
to snap San Jose’s two-game winning streak.
San Jose – After posting shut-outs in their last two games, the San Jose Sharks fell 2-1 in overtime to the visiting Vancouver Canucks Friday at sold-out HP Pavilion.
Henrik Sedin scored on a breakaway 3:30 into the extra session to snap San Jose’s two-game winning streak.
The Sharks have drawn 28 sell-outs this season, including a current streak of 19.
Evgeni Nabokov extended his personal best to 166:07 of shut-out goaltending before Taylor Pyatt chipped in a rebound of his own shot with 1:06 gone in the third period. The last opponent’s goal was Chris Pronger’s tally at 13:50 of the third period in the Ducks 3-1 win on March 2. San Jose followed with shut-outs of Dallas and Minnesota.
The Sharks continue a three-game homestand with a 5pm contest with the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday. San Jose takes on the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday before heading to Phoenix on Thursday to play the Coyotes.
Nabokov’s performance created both new individual and franchise marks for scoreless streaks.
The previous team record was 152:53 without allowing a goal. The 41:06 of scoreless play Friday left the Sharks with a new franchise standard of 167:16. The individual goalie mark, held by Nabokov, was 145:07.
San Jose drew even at 1-1 when Patrick Marleau drilled home a 15-footer off a cross-ice feed from Joe Thornton while the Sharks enjoyed a power play at the 13:02 mark of the third period.
The point lifted Thornton (16-69-85) into sixth place in the NHL scoring derby.
The Sharks managed an 8-7 edge in shots in the first period. Vancouver bounced back with an 18-10 margin in shots in the second period. The Canucks finished regulation with a 35-26 lead in shots.
The Anaheim Ducks improved to 93 points with a 5-1 victory Friday over the Oilers. Anaheim has 13 games left in the regular season. San Jose, with 83 points, has 14 games left, including eight at home.
Vancouver, coming off a 4-2 win over host Phoenix last night to extend a winning streak to three games, leads the Northwest Division with 87 points, four more than second-place Minnesota.
Colorado, the ninth-place team in the Western Conference, trails San Jose by 10 points heading into the final month of play.
