The Calgary Flames rushed to a 2-0 lead and outlasted the San
Jose Sharks 3-2 at sold-out HP Pavilion Wednesday night.
SAN JOSE – The Calgary Flames rushed to a 2-0 lead and outlasted the San Jose Sharks 3-2 at sold-out HP Pavilion Wednesday night.
Coach Mike Keenan’s charges silenced the raucous Sharks faithful in the opening minutes of the game, then settled back to play a controlled game to open the Western Conference Quarter-Finals with a victory.
Game Two is Thursday at 7pm, with the following two games of the best 4-of-7 series in Calgary on Sunday and Tuesday nights.
“We had a lot of energy to start the game,” said Keenan. “We were crisp. (San Jose) was looking for some momentum. There was high energy in the building. When you defuse that by scoring, it helps.”
“We made a couple of mistakes that they took advantage of,” said San Jose coach Ron Wilson. “Then we carried the play. I’m encouraged by the way we played. We lost two face-offs that resulted in goals. We had enough scoring chances. Kipper made several great saves. We need more guys willing to get to the front of the net and stay there. The puck has to go in for us at some point.”
The visitors expanded a 2-1 first-period lead by adding the only goal of the second period at the 16:21 mark.
Jarome Iginla, fresh from a 50-goal season, created the scoring opportunity when he bounded past defenseman Brian Campbell along the side boards of the Calgary zone, then pushed up-ice with the puck as Campbell tried everything to stop Iginla’s rush. Iginla’s eventual shot on net was rebuffed by goalie Evgeni Nabokov, but Stephane Yelle’s follow-up shot sped into the yawning net just as a falling Iginla pushed the net off its post. A three-minute delay to consider replays resulted in a good goal, Yelle’s second of the night.
The Sharks sliced the deficit to one goal when Ryan Clowe pocketed his second goal of the game with 56.1 seconds left after San Jose had emptied the net for an additional skater. Joe Thornton found Clowe in the slot for a clear shot on net. Goalie Miikka Kiprusoff stopped the initial offering with his right legpad, but Clowe’s quick second stroke hit the back of the net to complete the scoring.
“I was lucky to get the rebound,” said Clowe. “He made a great save on the first shot.
“It’s a new season and seeding doesn’t matter. Maybe we let off the gas a little. We had a little letdown in spurts. We have to come out hard for 60 minutes.”
The Sharks had some tantalizing chances in the closing 30 seconds, but could not solve Kiprusoff a third time.
The Flames had all of the shots and both of the goals with just 5:17 gone in the game.
Yelle sliced in front of the Sharks net and redirected a shot from the left point from Robin Regehr just 2:47 into the contest to open the scoring.
Sharks defenseman Kyle McLaren earned a two-minute high sticking penalty against Kristian Huselius in the Sharks zone at the 5:02 mark. The Flames needed just 15 seconds to convert the added-man situation. Iginla’s shot from the left goal line skipped off Nabokov and then Flame Daymond Langkow, falling to an unmarked Dion Phaneuf at the inside edge of the right face-off circle for a put-back from 10 feet out and a 2-0 cushion.
The Sharks fashioned their own highlight goal at 6:06 to complete the period’s scoring.
Captain Patrick Marleau sped around the left flank of the Calgary defense, cruising around the Flames net before finding Clowe in the low slot. Clowe avoided an approaching Regehr to drill the puck inside the left post for his fifth career goal in 13 games.
The Sharks earned just two power plays. “We talked about staying disciplined,” said Keenan. “We stayed out of the penalty box. We played hard but with discipline.”
