The San Jose Sharks put a nine-game point streak on the
line when the current Western Conference leaders take on the Dallas Stars in a
battle of Pacific Division members tonight at HP Pavilion.
San Jose has gone a sizzling 8-0-1 over its last nine outings, with the lone
blemish over that stretch a 2-1 shootout loss at Detroit on November 5. The
surge has given the Sharks a league-best 28 points on the season.
The Sharks have also won four in a row at HP Pavilion and began this current
three-game homestand with victories over Pittsburgh and Nashville. After
routing the defending Stanley Cup champion Penguins by a 5-0 count on
Saturday, San Jose used a last-minute goal from Dan Boyle to earn a 4-3
decision over the Predators Tuesday night.
With time winding down and the game tied at 3-3, Boyle skated down the right
side and moved around a Nashville defender before firing a wrist shot from
inside the circle with one minute remaining in regulation. The puck hit Preds
goaltender Dan Ellis but trickled behind him and crossed the goal line for the
go-ahead tally.
Nashville had taken a 3-2 lead on Patric Hornqvist's goal midway through the
second period, but Devin Setoguchi drew the Sharks even when he rifled a slap
shot past Ellis with 6:34 to play.
"It was one of those games where we were just kind of waiting...and those
games all of a sudden you find yourself behind against a team like that," said
Boyle, who was credited with an assist on Setoguchi's score. "But we showed
some resiliency late in the third (and) we'll take that with us."
The struggling Stars have lost four of their last five contests and began a
four-game road trip with Saturday's 3-2 loss at Minnesota. The Wild's Marek
Zidlicky snapped a 2-2 deadlock with 1:48 left in the second period, and
Minnesota outshot Dallas by a 37-21 margin on the night.
After spotting the Wild a 2-0 lead after one period, the Stars fought back to
tie the game on a pair of power-play goals by Loui Eriksson before Zidlicky
put a centering pass near the Dallas crease. The puck caromed off goaltender
Alex Auld's skate and was unintentionally placed in the net by Stars
defenseman Nicklas Grossman in a clearing attempt.
"They got a decent start on us," Stars coach Marc Crawford said. "Sometimes
you don't do enough to overcome it."
Auld finished with 34 saves in a solid performance between the pipes, while
Brad Richards recorded an assist for Dallas to extend his scoring streak to
eight games. The former Conn Smythe Trophy recipient has amassed three goals
and eight assists over that span.
The Stars have played their last two games without the services of James Neal,
the team's leader with nine goals this season. The young forward, who's been
sidelined with a groin pull, did return to practice this week and is expected
to be back in the lineup tonight.
Tonight's clash marks the first meeting between these two division rivals of
the 2009-10 campaign. San Jose won five of its six battles with Dallas last
season, although the Stars' lone victory in the series did come at the Shark
Tank last March.
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