SAN
JOSE – Although Anaheim is buried at the bottom of the Pacific
Division, the Ducks have been feasting on the San Jose Sharks to
the tune of a 3-0 record for the season.
The Ducks
weathered a 3-2 win over the Sharks Monday night at sold-out HP
Pavilion, snapping San Jose’s winning streak at four
games.
The Sharks
complete the six-game homestand Wednesday against the Vancouver
Canucks.
Trailing 3-2
after two periods, San Jose came up with 18 shots on net in the
scoreless third period but could not produce a tying goal. The
final 39 seconds had one Duck in the penalty box and the Shark
goaltender pulled, but three shots in the closing seconds were
repelled by goaltender Jonas Hiller.
Joe Pavelski’s
15th goal of the season allowed the Sharks to go into
the first intermission with a 1-1 tie.
The Ducks, owners
of only five regulation wins in the past 29 games going into
Monday’s showdown, opened the scoring at 2:27 of the first
period.
Hiller’s up-ice
pass found center Nick Bonino at the San Jose blueline. Duck George
Parros controlled the puck at the left dot and dropped a pass to an
advancing Luca Sbisa. The defenseman’s shot flew past the left arm
of goaltender Antti Niemi, earning Sbisa his first goal of the year
and 3rd in 150 NHL games.
San
Jose’s ninth and final shot on net of the period produced the tie.
Joe Thornton’s shot from the top of the left circle was intercepted
by Pavelski at the edge of the crease. Pavelski spun and pulled the
puck past Hiller at 19:33.
San
Jose produced an 11-9 edge in shots in the second period and killed
the only penalty of the 20-minute session. Anaheim still managed to
come up with two goals and a 3-2 lead entering the third
period.
Anaheim’s Bobby Ryan struck for his
11th goal of the season at 3:42. Thornton handled the
puck near the top of the Anaheim blueline. Ryan cut in front of
Thornton, gained control of the puck and sped up ice for a
breakaway goal when he tucked a shot in the top right corner of the
net.
Jamie McGinn
became the fourth-leading goal scorer for the Sharks this season
when he snapped a shot from the left dot inside the left post at
7:13 off a feed from Justin Braun. McGinn’s eight goals trail only
Pavelski, Logan Couture (15 apiece) and Patrick Marleau
(13).
Despite the
league’s worst home mark for penalty-killing at 71.2 per cent
entering play, San Jose stopped Anaheim’s one power play in the
second period, allowing only two shots.
Anaheim regained the lead at 12:46
of the second when Andrew Cogliano slapped a 20-footer past Niemi
off a feed from Matt Beleskey.
San
Jose remains in a tie for first in the division with 41 points
after Dallas lost 5-3 to St. Louis. Los Angeles joined Phoenix in
third place at 39 with a 4-3 win over the
Coyotes.
