Moral victory on shot clock, but another loss on the road
Jones puts up a wall in Shark Tank to thwart buzzing Canucks forwards
The two teams that met in the, sigh, 2011 Western Conference Final faced each other here Thursday night.
The Sharks, who have recovered nicely from that setback, made chum out of the visiting Canucks, getting goals from Mikkel Boedker, Brent Burns, Marcus Sorensen and Chris Tierney en route to a 4-1 victory.
Daniel Sedin, with his 14th goal of the NHL season, scored for the Canucks, playing (and losing ) their second game in as many nights.
Here’s what we learned:
AT LEAST THE CANUCKS WON THE CORSI
It’s generally the hollow cry of a losing team but, this time, the Vancouver Canucks might have expected a better result. Or at least more than one goal in their 4-1 loss.
After surrendering the opening goal around the nine-minute mark, the visitors outshot the Sharks 32-12 over 30-plus-minutes from midway through the first until early in the third.
They were also outscored 1-0 over that span. Goalie Anders Nilsson then compounded the problem when he whiffed on Sorensen’s wrister from the top of the circle, giving the Sharks a 3-0 lead and satisfying the Canucks’ goaltending requirement of allowing one bad goal a game.
Nilsson’s gaffe proved particularly galling when Daniel Sedin finished off a pretty passing play with his brother and Thomas Vanek 3½ minutes later. The Canucks would continue to pepper Sharks goalie Martin Jones, finishing the game with a seasonhigh 44 shots.
Jones, the North Van product, was at his best in the second, turning away Bo Horvat on a partial breakaway and making four stops off Daniel Sedin.
Nilsson surrendered four goals on 30 shots.
BURNS IS THE NHL’S MOST INTERESTING PLAYER
The Sharks, who are without forwards Joe Thornton, Tomas Hertl and Joel Ward, opted to move Burns, the Norris Trophywinning defenceman upfront on a line with Joe Pavelski and Timo Meier.
That master stroke lasted all of one period before Burns moved back to the blue-line, where he scored the Sharks’ second goal early in the middle frame.
“This is about having a different look and hopefully sticking a few pucks into the net,” Sharks head coach Pete DeBoer said before the game. “It’s an option tonight. It doesn’t necessarily mean it will be all night but it’s an option.”
Burns, who went the first 20 games without a goal, now has 10 on the season. DeBoer said it was the first time in his three years in San Jose he tried Burns as a forward.
“If it works, you’re adding, not a top-six forward but a topthree forward,” said DeBoer.
“But are you a better team? That’s the million-dollar question.”
Burns, still a defenceman, added an assist on Chris Tierney’s insurance goal late in the third.
GREEN NOT SHY ABOUT SENDING A MESSAGE
One night after he picked up two assists in the Canucks’ 4-3 loss to Florida, Sven Baertschi was scratched against the Sharks. His place on the Canucks’ top line with Brock Boeser and Horvat was taken by Nikolay Goldobin.
“Couple of reasons,” coach Travis Green answered when asked to explain the move. “I haven’t been thrilled with his game as of late. I know he had two assists but it’s not about points. In general, I think his energy level has been a little low as of late.
“I want to get a good look at Goldobin and that’s a spot he can go into.”
Horvat’s line finished the night with nine shots. Goldobin contributed two but wasn’t particularly dangerous.
Green’s other lineup move on Thursday was, er, subject to interpretation. With Philip Holm up from Utica, the Canucks’ coach dressed Alex Biega in place of Ben Hutton on the blue-line.
Holm has 11 goals and 29 points in 42 games with the Comets this year.
“Holm hasn’t practised with us yet and he hasn’t been on the ice with more than two players,” Green explained.
“We’re going into a tough building and Bulldog works really hard for us.
“I’ve said it from Day 1. No one gets a free pass and gets put into the lineup.”
I haven’t been thrilled with (Sven Baertschi’s) game as of late .... I want to get a good look at Goldobin and that’s a spot he can go into.