San Jose eliminates Vancouver from playoff contention
San Jose – The San Jose Sharks scored three goals in the third period to rally past the visiting Vancouver Canucks 5-3 at sold-out HP Pavilion at San Jose Thursday night.
The comeback gave the Sharks a seven-game winning streak while eliminating Vancouver from the Stanley Cup Playoff scene. San Jose has two games, both at home, left to play in the regular season, a Saturday afternoon contest against the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and a Monday night test against the Los Angeles Kings.
The Sharks may finish from fifth to seventh in the Western Conference. San Jose (97 points) is currently fifth, leading Anaheim by one and Colorado by three. Colorado finishes the season against Vancouver and Edmonton.
“The playoff atmosphere will be Saturday against Anaheim,” said Sharks coach Ron Wilson. “We’re in complete control of our destiny. (Finishing fifth in the conference) is what we’re going to go for.” The Sharks can clinch fifth place with a regulation win over the Mighty Ducks.
The Sharks built a 19-9 edge in shots on net over two periods, yet trailed 3-2.
San Jose made it 3-3 with 4:36 gone in the third period. Center Marcel Goc whipped a pass to an advancing Ville Niemenen at the left boards. Niemenen slipped around the defense and wrested the puck into the top left corner of the net from five feet out.
Joe Thornton moved within one point of NHL scoring leader Jaromir Jagr with an assist of the fourth San Jose goal at 11:29 of the third. Thornton controlled the puck inside the Vancouver zone, and slid a soft pass to defenseman Matt Carle for a successful slapshot from the edge of the left circle. Carle netted his third goal in just 10 NHL games.
“That shot he took was a cannon,” Wilson said of Carle’s game-winner. “It was on his stick and into the net, unbelievable. Matt Carle continues to improve, to be the type of player that raises a lot of eyebrows.”
“This whole experience has been unbelievable,” said Carle of his first three weeks in the professional ranks. “It’s kind of a thrill, a joy ride.”
Thornton tied Jagr with 122 points when he assisted on Jonathan Cheechoo’s empty-net goal with 16.2 seconds to play.
The Canucks sandwiched two power play goals around Cheechoo’s 52nd goal of the season in the second period to snap a 1-1 deadlock.
The Canucks opened the evening’s scoring at 4:42 of the first period when Ed Jovanovski rocketed a shot from the left point past goalie Evgeni Nabokov. Jovanovski was making only his fourth appearance since returning from a 27-game layoff due to a groin injury.
The Sharks drew even at 9:56 of the first period when Nils Ekman was credited with a power-play goal. Rookie Matt Carle’s shot from the left circle banged off Ekman’s right skate and into the goal netting. An off-ice review of the goal let the play stand.
Todd Bertuzzi set up the second Vancouver goal, then netted the third goal as the Canucks made the most of three shots on net in the 20-minute session.
Bertuzzi put a pass on the stick of Brendan Morrison for the tap-in goal 4:57 into the second period. Cheechoo tied the score at the 10:32 mark with a power-play goal. Tom Preissing’s hard shot from the blueline bounded off the endboards toward the front of the Canuck crease. Cheechoo one-handed the puck behind goalie Alex Auld as defenseman Mattias Ohlund arrived too late to prevent the shot.
“The goalie was on the other side of the net for some reason and I just poked it in,” said Cheechoo, who trailed Jagr by one goal among NHL scorers.
Vancouver regained the lead at 17:48 of the second when Bertuzzi powered past two defenders to stuff the puck past Nabokov.
