SAN JOSE
– The San Jose Sharks were the best NHL team on the road this
season. That trait will need to come in handy this week as the
Sharks try to climb out of a 2-0 semi-finals deficit against the
Dallas Stars.
SAN JOSE – The San Jose Sharks were the best NHL team on the road this season. That trait will need to come in handy this week as the Sharks try to climb out of a 2-0 semi-finals deficit against the Dallas Stars.
The Stars used several fortunate bounces as well as an effective power play to rally past the Sharks 5-2 Sunday night at sold-out HP Pavilion. Games 3 and 4 will be in Dallas on Tuesday and Wednesday nights.
The bounces were helpful in erasing both 1-0 and 2-1 deficits.
San Jose garnered a 1-0 lead 10:13 into the first period on a Joe Pavelski power play goal.
Dallas veteran defenseman Sergei Zubov, making his post-season debut, was called for hooking at 8:26. Craig Rivet made him pay, whipping a hard slot from the right point that Pavelski deftly redirected behind goalie Marty Turco for the goal.
Dallas drew even at 15:37 of the first period. Mike Ribeiro, the Stars’ scoring leader with 10 points entering play, collected the puck in the right corner of the San Jose zone. Ribeiro lined the puck toward the crease, the red light coming on when the puck ricocheted off goalie Evgeni Nabokov’s left leg and into the net.
“(Dallas) took advantage of a mis-communication behind the net,” said San Jose coach Ron Wilson.
San Jose winger Milan Michalek gave the hosts a 2-1 edge after two periods when he turned a breakaway into his second goal of the post-season at the 14:54 mark.
Rivet earned his second assist of the night and fifth of the playoffs when he sent the puck out of the Sharks zone to a streaking Brian Campbell. The defenseman carried the puck from the blue line to the red line before head-manning a pass to Michalek at the edge of the Dallas zone. Michalek jetted between Dallas defensemen Zubov and Trevor Daley before deking Turco and depositing the go-ahead goal into the open net.
Dallas took advantage of a Sharks slip 32 seconds into the third period to pull even again.
Pavelski tried to escape the Sharks zone with the puck while at the high slot. Pavelski fell and the puck was scooped up and then deposited in the back of the net by Dallas center Brad Richards.
“Nothing you can do when a guy loses an edge on a play,” said Wilson.
The Stars took a 3-2 lead at 3:39 on Mike Modano’s fourth goal of post-season play.
Christian Ehrhoff was flagged for holding at 2:22. Zubov made the most of the power play when he spun around at the right circle and pulled a set-up pass to Modano at the inside edge of the left circle for the effective one-timer inside the left goalpost.
“We got puck-focused and Zubov made an unbelievable pass,” said Wilson.
Richards gave Dallas some room at 13:55 with an assist on Nilas Hagman’s first goal of the playoffs.
Richards controlled the puck from the blueline and skated toward the left goalpost. As he veered around the net, he dropped the puck to Hagman for the stuff shot and 4-2 cushion.
Hagman added an empty-net goal with 1:15 to play.
“We were the best road team in the NHL,” said Wilson. “Now we have a chance to prove that.”
Dallas opened the post-season with a 4-2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks, the defending Stanley Cup champion. The Stars earned wins in the first two games of that series at Anaheim.
San Jose needs to win at least once in Texas to force a fifth game in the best-of-seven series in San Jose Friday night.
