The smallest crowd (14,807) at a San Jose Sharks home game in
almost 10 years suffered through a 4-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators
Saturday night at HP Pavilion.
SAN JOSE – The smallest crowd (14,807) at a San Jose Sharks home game in almost 10 years suffered through a 4-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators Saturday night at HP Pavilion.
The Sharks avoided being shut out for consecutive contests for only the third time in the 13-year history of the franchise when Marco Sturm scored a power play goal at 8:52 of the third period.
San Jose takes a 1-3-1 record (3 points) into a three-game home series this week. The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, trailing the Sharks in the Pacific Division standings, play Tuesday. The Chicago Blackhawks visit Thursday, with Phoenix in town Saturday. The Sharks then begin a seven-game, two-week roadtrip.
“They buried their chances, we didn’t,” said San Jose coach Ron Wilson. Ottawa was completing a three games in four nights swing, but fought off the initial Sharks offensive chances and responded with an efficient display in both ends of the rink.
“If we score first, then they open up – do they have the energy to do it?,” added Wilson of the missed early chances. “We had sloppy clears, not handling rebounds or having good exchanges between our goalie and the defense.”
“They are a great counter-attacking team,” said captain Mike Ricci. “We played right into their hands. They played their system, they played hard, played smart. We’ve got to get better.”
San Jose goalied Evgeni Nabokov was coming off a scoreless tie with Philadelphia Thursday, but the Senators solved Nabokov for one goal in the first period. Chris Neal followed up a rebound of his own shot with a soft poke of the puck past Nabokov at the 14-minute mark.
Radek Bonk was credited for an Ottawa goal 4:26 into the second period when San Jose defenseman Rob Davison’s stick lofted the puck over Nabokov at 4:26 when both players fought for puck near the goal crease. Another ugly goal, a Marian Hossa slapshot from the right flank, plunked off defenseman Kyle McLaren at 8:48.
Jim Fahey’s upending of Hossa on a breakaway at 9:22 of the third period resulted in a successful penalty shot for the Senator.
