Game Day Report: Sharks @ Ducks
By Ryan Bayer
January 4, 2012; Anaheim, CA, USA; Anaheim Ducks center Saku Koivu (11) moves the puck against the San Jose Sharks during the second period at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Today the San Jose Sharks are on a quick one game road trip away from HP Pavilion as they face their rivals from the south the Anaheim Ducks. This is the second meeting between these two divisional foes this season and the first time the Ducks welcome the Sharks into town. The last time these faced one another was last Tuesday in San Jose in which the Sharks defeated the Ducks in the shootout 3-2. The goal scorers for San Jose were Joe Pavelski, Logan Couture, and Michal Handzus. In addition, new comer Scott Gomez registered his first assist in teal on Couture’s game tying goal late in the third period. Handzus was the hero of the night for the Sharks as he was the only player to score in the shootout round.
San Jose is coming off of their first loss of the season at the hands of the Nashville Predators this past Saturday as the Sharks went to the shootout competition for the third straight game. How San Jose survived to play in the shootout was courtesy to a stellar effort by penalty kill unit. Both Stuart and Murray made the ultimate sacrifice for the Sharks as the two of them both used their skates on two separate occasions to stop the puck from breaking thru their brick wall they had fortified. In the shootout round the Sharks were unable to put the rubber past Pekka Rinne. The lone goal scorer for the Predators in the shootout competition was Craig Smith who converted with a nice backhander on Niemi.
For the hosts of the night, the Anaheim Ducks they defeated their neighbors the LA Kings by a 7-4 final on Saturday night. Former San Jose Sharks 2007 draft pick Nick Bonino took advantage of the his 10:22 TOI as he recorded his first ever NHL career hat trick against the Kings. Furthermore, the Ducks also received contributions from Ryan Getzlaf, Sheldon Souray, Kyle Palmieri and Teemu Selanne. In addition, Ducks net minder Jonas Hiller made 20 saves as Anaheim won three of their last four games with a 3-0-1 record.
As of today, the San Jose Sharks are still leading the Pacific Division with a 7-0-1 record with 15 points to credit. In addition, they are currently in second place overall in the Western Conference behind the Chicago Blackhawks who recently defeated the Calgary Flames in the shootout. With their victory over the LA Kings, Anaheim has a 5-1-1 record with 11 points and are right behind the Sharks in the Pacific. Furthermore, the Ducks are positioned fifth overall in the West.
Tale of the Tape Report:
Sharks
Goals per game: 3.50 (4th)
Goals-against per game: 1.62 (1st)
Power play: 29.6 percent (4th)
Penalty kill: 85.7 percent (6th)
Ducks
Goals per game: 3.71 (1st)
Goals-against per game: 3.00 (22nd)
Power play: 33.3 percent (3rd)
Penalty kill: 65.4 percent (29th)
The Injury Front:
Sharks: Brent Burns (lower body) is on injured reserve.
Ducks: Cam Fowler is out (upper body).
***Tale of the Tape and Injury Front Reports courtesy of Kevin Kurz.***
Official Link: http://www.csncalifornia.com/blog/kevin-kurz/sharks-ducks-glance-0
January 4, 2012; Anaheim, CA, USA; San Jose Sharks goalie Antti Niemi (31) blocks a shot against Anaheim Ducks left wing Bobby Ryan (9) during the second period at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Who’s Hot Report: Sharks goalie Antti Niemi ranked fourth in goals-against average (1.80) and fifth in save percentage (.936) heading into Sunday’s action. … Bobby Ryan has two goals and five assists during a four-game points streak for the Ducks. Palmieri has three goals in the last two games. Emerson Etem assisted on two of Bonino’s goals Saturday for his first NHL points.
****Who’s Hot Report courtesy of the San Jose Sharks.****
Official Link: http://sharks.nhl.com/club/preview.htm?id=2012020127&navid=DL|SJS|home
Today’s contest has a 7:00p PST puck drop and can been seen on Comcast Sportsnet California HD and can be heard on 98.5 KFOX
LET’S GO SHARKS!!!!!!!!
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