Leads San Jose Over Red Wings In NHL Playoffs
(left) Matt Carle scored his second goal of the post season against Detroit last nightThe San Jose Sharks used a Power Play goal by DU Alum Matt Carle to defeat the Detroit Red Wings 2-0 in Game 1 of their playoff series last night.
Goals from Carle and Mike Grier in a 24-second span midway through the first period gave the Sharks a quick 2-0 cushion and prompted Red Wings Coach Mike Babcock to burn his timeout.
"When you get a two-goal lead in a playoff game, you don't want to sit back and just defend," Sharks Coach Ron Wilson said. "But when I look back on it now, we did a great job from that point on. They actually had more chances before it was 2-0 than they had after that."
The Sharks struck a decidedly defensive posture in the second period, which is the hockey equivalent of running with scissors against a squad as robust as the Red Wings.
But they managed to escape the second with their two-goal buffer intact despite taking three consecutive penalties that allowed Detroit to pile up a 10-3 shots advantage. The upside for the Sharks was that they blocked nine shots and also did a nice job of disrupting the passing lanes.
"In a game like this, it's a positional game, a mental game," San Jose goaltender Evgeni Nabokov said. "You don't have two-on-ones or breakaways. Those plays usually kill you. Today we didn't give up any two-on-ones or breakaways."
After their power play drooped in the first round against Nashville (2 for 30), the Sharks spent much of their practice time fine-tuning it.
They had just one power play in Game 1, which came when Nicklas Lidstrom hooked Joe Thornton, and Carle converted it.
The scoring sequence developed with Ryane Clowe advancing the puck from the right wing to Thornton near the endboards.
Thornton had two options: Bill Guerin waiting in the near circle on the right side or Carle darting down the backside from the left point. Thornton chose Door No. 2 and Carle provided the finish.
"Both guys went to Billy because I kind of eyed on Billy," Thornton said.
That widened the passing lane to Carle.
"Critical mistake on the penalty-kill: two guys covering one," Babcock said.
Goals from Carle and Mike Grier in a 24-second span midway through the first period gave the Sharks a quick 2-0 cushion and prompted Red Wings Coach Mike Babcock to burn his timeout.
"When you get a two-goal lead in a playoff game, you don't want to sit back and just defend," Sharks Coach Ron Wilson said. "But when I look back on it now, we did a great job from that point on. They actually had more chances before it was 2-0 than they had after that."
The Sharks struck a decidedly defensive posture in the second period, which is the hockey equivalent of running with scissors against a squad as robust as the Red Wings.
But they managed to escape the second with their two-goal buffer intact despite taking three consecutive penalties that allowed Detroit to pile up a 10-3 shots advantage. The upside for the Sharks was that they blocked nine shots and also did a nice job of disrupting the passing lanes.
"In a game like this, it's a positional game, a mental game," San Jose goaltender Evgeni Nabokov said. "You don't have two-on-ones or breakaways. Those plays usually kill you. Today we didn't give up any two-on-ones or breakaways."
After their power play drooped in the first round against Nashville (2 for 30), the Sharks spent much of their practice time fine-tuning it.
They had just one power play in Game 1, which came when Nicklas Lidstrom hooked Joe Thornton, and Carle converted it.
The scoring sequence developed with Ryane Clowe advancing the puck from the right wing to Thornton near the endboards.
Thornton had two options: Bill Guerin waiting in the near circle on the right side or Carle darting down the backside from the left point. Thornton chose Door No. 2 and Carle provided the finish.
"Both guys went to Billy because I kind of eyed on Billy," Thornton said.
That widened the passing lane to Carle.
"Critical mistake on the penalty-kill: two guys covering one," Babcock said.
3 comments:
There is only ONE hockeytown and that is hockeytown USA in Warroad, Minnesota.
You win a few Minnesota high school hockey championships and all of a sudden your "Hockeytown USA?" :-)
The Hockeytown debate aside, Carle's goal was spectacular. He looks like a guy with a stellar NHL career ahead of him.
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