SAN JOSE
– Five points in five games was the outcome of the two-week
homestand for the San Jose Sharks after falling 3-2 to Dallas in an
11-round shootout Friday at sold-out HP Pavilion.
SAN JOSE – Five points in five games was the outcome of the two-week homestand for the San Jose Sharks after falling 3-2 to Dallas in an 11-round shootout Friday at sold-out HP Pavilion.
While the Sharks take on Phoenix on the Coyote ice tonight, the Los Angeles Kings, two points off San Jose’s pace, host the Stars.
“Very disappointed,” coach Todd McLellan said of the Sharks’ performance. San Jose shook off a 1-0 deficit in the first period with two goals in a 1:51 span, then failed to solve Dallas goaltender Marty Turco the remainder of the night except for a Devin Setoguchi shootout goal two hours later.
“The second period we were totally outworked,” added McLellan. “We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us.”
Dallas threw 44 shots at San Jose goalie Evgeni Nabokov, netting the equalizer 10:42 into the third period on Brad Richards’ 10th goal of the season.
Nabokov, after giving up a shootout goal to Richards in the second round of the shootout, turned back the next eight attempts before Matt Niskanen snapped a shot past the netminder for the 2-1 decision.
“Nabby gave us a chance to win,” McLellan said. “Forty-four shots. He played really well.”
After the meeting with the Coyotes, San Jose has one game scheduled next week, a home date Thursday against the Anaheim Ducks. The Washington Capitals took over the top spot in the NHL standings with 46 points, one ahead of San Jose. Los Angeles has three games set next week, giving the Kings sufficient opportunity to gain the lead in the Pacific Division.
“We had the lead but we weren’t playing well,” San Jose captain Rob Blake said. “Dallas outworked us.”
Blake, the 40-year and one-day old defenseman, gave San Jose a 2-1 lead 16:51 into the first period when he took Dany Heatley’s short pass at the top of the point and drilled a shot between the pads of Turco for his second goal of the campaign, 235 for the career.
Heatley, who entered play among the top 10 in NHL scorers, notched his 20th goal of the season 15 minutes into action.
Dan Boyle delivered a pass along the right boards to Joe Thornton behind the Dallas net. The center quickly found Heatley with a set-up pass at the bottom of the right circle, Heatley sending the shot inside the far left post past Turco.
Dallas converted a power-play in the first period to open the scoring. Mike Ribeiro set up at the left post and redirected Trevor Daley’s pass from the right point inside the post behind Nabokov.
San Jose finished with 35 shots, paced by Heatley’s five shots on net.
