Another opportunity to climb near the .500 mark escaped HP
Pavilion at San Jose Thursday night
SAN JOSE – Another opportunity to climb near the .500 mark escaped HP Pavilion at San Jose Thursday night when the San Jose Sharks had to settle for a 2-2 tie with the Buffalo Sabres.
After a scoreless two periods, the clubs took turns giving up a one-goal lead in the third period before skating away from the overtime with one point each in the standings.
The Sharks (16-18-6-4) have 42 points through 44 games, in 11th place in the Western Conference. Colorado, with 48 points in 45 games, is within striking distance of the Sharks, although seventh-place Chicago (53) is 11 points ahead.
“The positive is that we got the point,” Sharks coach Ron Wilson said. “I wanted the extra point. We managed to get a lead through hard work, then some sloppy coverage and we gave them back a point. We can’t allow people in the zone so easily, with two guys covering the same man.”
Wilson referred to the game-tying goal 10:36 into the third period by Chris Gratton. The Sabres had an even-man rush toward the Sharks goal when defenseman Dmitri Kalinin spotted Gratton unmarked at the right point with a cross-ice pass. Gratton’s blast zipped past several Sharks near the goal crease and past goalie Evgeni Nabokov for the equalizer.
The first 40 minutes of play gave little indication of a four-goal explosion in the final period. Buffalo’s quick strike in the third period, set up by Scott Thornton’s double-minor penalty late in the second period, was scored by veteran defenseman James Patrick.
Patrick (1195 NHL games with 143 goals) jumped into the play and ripped a shot from inside the blueline that edged between Nabokov’s right pad and the left goalpost 30 seconds into the period.
“I was going for a deflection,” Nabokov said of his reaction to Patrick’s long shot that darted untouched past a screening Buffalo forward. “It’s a goal I’d like to have back.
“We’ve got to get it going,” Nabokov continued about San Jose’s problems moving toward a playoff spot. “We’ve just got to get on a roll, got to move on, think about the next game.”
San Jose was able to tie the score three shifts later when Jonathan Cheechoo lined a 25-footer past goalie Ryan Miller at the 2:55 mark. Miller was coming off a 1-0 shut-out of the Minnesota Wild Tuesday, his first shut-out of a nine-game NHL career. Sharks defenseman Shawn Heins posted his first point of the campaign with an assist on Cheechoo’s fifth goal of the season.
Two shifts later, the Sharks took a 2-l lead on Patrick Marleau’s 17th goal of the season at 4:22. Linemate Teemu Selanne controlled the puck in the right corner of the Buffalo zone. The Sharks’ lone All-Star fed Marleau the puck in the low slot. Marleau kicked the puck with his right skate onto his stick, then whipped the puck behind Miller for the go-ahead goal.
The Sharks take on the Pacific Division-pacing Dallas Stars Saturday night, then visit the Phoenix Coyotes Monday.
