SAN JOSE
– Fans anxious to find out what team the San Jose Sharks will
face in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs likely have to
wait until the afternoon of Sunday April 12 to learn the first
opponent.
SAN JOSE – Fans anxious to find out what team the San Jose Sharks will face in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs likely have to wait until the afternoon of Sunday April 12 to learn the first opponent.
The St. Louis Blues, in eighth place (88) with two games to play, complete the regular season on Sunday at Colorado. Columbus is sixth (90 points), Anaheim seventh (88) with a tie-breaker edge over St. Louis. Nashville lost to Chicago Tuesday to remain at 86, good for ninth place.
The Sharks moved closer to clinching the first seed in the Western Conference with a 1-0 shoot-out victory over the Colorado Avalanche Tuesday night at sold-out HP Pavilion.
Evgeni Nabokov recorded his seventh shut-out of the season and 47th of his career, capping the win by denying Colorado’s final shooter, Chris Stewart.
Joe Pavelski was the only shooter on either team to find the back of the net. The centerman snapped a 10-footer inside the left post on the first shot of the shoot-out. San Jose’s other two shooters, Jonathan Cheechoo and Jeremy Roenick, each missed wide left. Colorado’s first two shooters also missed wide left, setting up the Nabokov heroics against Stewart.
Detroit has three games left and can finish with a maximum of 117 points. To finish first in the conference, San Jose (117) needs one point in the remaining two contests, Thursday’s home finale against Phoenix and the Saturday afternoon game at the Los Angeles Kings. The Presidents’ Trophy will reside in San Jose if the Sharks earn two points the rest of the week.
San Jose shook off a two-shot first period to register a 30-20 edge in shots on net by the end of overtime. Pavelski drilled eight shots at goalie Peter Budaj. Cody McLeod paced the Avalanche with four shots.
