SAN JOSE
– Devin Setoguchi completed a hat trick with an unassisted goal
with 1:22 left in the game to pace the San Jose Sharks past the
reeling Colorado Avalanche 4-0 Saturday night at sold-out HP
Pavilion.
SAN JOSE – Devin Setoguchi completed a hat trick with an unassisted goal with 1:22 left in the game to pace the San Jose Sharks past the reeling Colorado Avalanche 4-0 Saturday night at sold-out HP Pavilion.
The win improved the Sharks to 12-2-1 since the six-game losing streak that ended Jan. 15. Colorado had lost eight consecutive games in regulation before losing in overtime Wednesday, sliding to 14th place in the 15-team Western Conference.
Phoenix held on to defeat Nashville 3-2 to remain atop the Pacific Division with 73 points. San Jose sits in second place in the division at 72. Dallas, Los Angeles and Anaheim each lost in regulation Saturday to share third place with 68 points each.
The Sharks, fourth in the Western Conference, are on the road next week, beginning a three-game trek Tuesday in Detroit. San Jose visits Pittsburgh Wednesday and Calgary Friday before returning to HP Pavilion Tuesday against the Avalanche.
Setoguchi scored the game’s first two goals by the 14:54 mark in the first period. After Ryane Clowe produced his 16th goal of the season at 16:38 of the first period, the clubs went scoreless until Setoguchi’s third goal of the night, 15th on the year.
Antti Niemi, between the pipes for the ninth consecutive game for the Sharks, earned his fifth shut-out of the season and 12th in his brief career by making 25 saves.
Setoguchi began his first career hat trick with an even-strength goal 6:29 into play.
Defenseman Jason Demers controlled the puck from behind the San Jose net, then hustled along the right boards to the blueline before he spotted Setoguchi behind Milan Hejduk near the Avalanche blueline. Setoguchi received Demers’ pass at full speed, split the defense and backhanded the puck over the right pad of goaltender Peter Budaj.
San Jose converted its first power play opportunity at the 14:54 mark. Defenseman Ian White, who came to the Sharks from Carolina in a Friday trade, whipped a hard shot off the endboards that dropped in front of Setoguchi at the bottom of the right circle for the put-back goal behind Budaj.
Joe Thornton snapped a tie with Dany Heatley atop the Shark scoring list by assisting on Clowe’s goal. Thornton accounted for his 49th point of the season by chipping the puck away from pressure outside the Colorado zone, finding Logan Couture open for a 2-on-1 rush. Couture’s cross-ice pass to Clowe led to Clowe’s attempted return pass near the crease. Colorado defenseman Ryan O’Byrne’s stick sent the puck back to Clowe and the forward responded with a one-timer into the open net.
Setoguchi completed his first career hat trick when he jammed the puck away from the Colorado defense along the right boards, sped past Avalanche defenseman Ryan Wilson and lined the puck between Budaj’s pads to complete the breakaway.
