SHARKSPAGE

Vancouver Canucks maintain top position in league with 4-3 win in San Jose, Burrows highstick non-call on game winning goal

ALEX BURROWS HIGH STICK ON GAME WINNING GOAL - GRAPHIC CSNCA

The San Jose Sharks and Vancouver Canucks engaged in potent, back-and-forth offensive display Monday night at HP Pavilion. After battling to a 3-3 tie after two periods, Alex Burrows registered the game winner in the 3rd on a controversial play. Burrows tipped a Christian Ehrhoff point shot down to the ice with a stick 6 inches above his shoulders, then spun and buried the game winning goal into the empty net. Referees Dave Jackson and Justin St. Pierre ruled it a good goal. Despite furious Shark attempts to notch the equalizer in the final minutes, goaltender Cory Schneider (7-0-2, .922SV%, 2.45GAA) held firm to earn his 7th win of the season. Ryane Clowe, Patrick Marleau (PP) and Jamal Mayers scored in a losing effort for San Jose.

“It was a real obvious high stick,” San Jose Sharks head coach Todd McLellan said of Burrows game winning goal in the third period. “But it is unreviewable is what I am being told. The initial play the stick is well over the bar, the referee waived that off and he scored on the rebound.” The game winning goal scorer concurred with that assessment. “We were talking about it and didn’t think it was going to stand up, but it did, that’s the type of luck we’ve been getting,” Burrows told reporters after the game.

The Monday night game was a Western Conference showcase for two teams trending in the right direction. More than trending, the Vancouver Canucks were streaking to a 9-0-1 record in their last 10 games, and a 14-1-2 record over their last 17. A win over the Sharks would give the Canucks a two point cushion over the Philadelphia Flyers for first place in the NHL nearing the midpoint of the season. The Sharks had won 6 of their last 8 contests heading into Monday, but their successes have been tempered with an embarasssing home shutout loss to Los Angeles, and a late 3rd period collapse against Minnesota. San Jose was looking to build and/or establish consistency one game at a time, one period at a time.

The bane of the Sharks existence this season has been the turnover high in their own defensive zone. A Jason Demers clearing attempt was mishandled by Joe Thornton and turned over to Alex Burrows early in the first period. With most of the Sharks starting to transition up ice, a Burrows shot deflected off a San Jose player to Daniel and Henrik Sedin down low. Both were alone on Antti Niemi. Henrik slid a short pass to his brother Daniel for his league leading 41st assist of the season at 6:09. Last year’s Hart Memorial Trophy winner as league MVP and Art Ross scoring title winner is pacing his team at an incredible stride. In 14 December games, Henrik Sedin registered 7 goals and 15 assists (1.57 pts/game). During that span the Canucks lost only once in regulation.

The Sharks were chasing Vancouver for stretches in the first, but defenseman Jason Demers played a solid period. He swept a puck that trickled behind goaltender Antti Niemi out of the crease, blocked a Keith Ballard slapshot, and flattened Jeff Tambellini in front of his on goal with a check to the ice. The fireworks kicked off in the second period as both teams combined for 5 goals. The end-to-end action began with Patrick Marleau fanning on a shot from the side of the net, before the Sedin twins exploded on a quick transition in the other direction. Sharks defenseman Douglas Murray took a strong angle on Daniel Sedin, taking out his stick before playing the body. In 5-time Norris Trophy winner Ray Bourque’s rookie season in 79-80, a Boston Bruins assistant coach said that the key to his success was playing the body and the puck at the same time. While Bourque accomplished that feat with timing and elegance, Murray accomplished that feat on Daniel Sedin with what looked like explosive ordnance. After the play crime scene investigators could conceivably have scoured the ice looking for traces of Sedin or his stick.

Several NHL analyst have been judging defenseman Jason Demers based on his accomplishments last season. Demers registered 10 assists in his first 15 NHL games as a rookie in 2009-10, 4 of them on the power play. This season the points have been coming a little slower. Demers registered 4 assists in his first 15 games this season, 3 of them on the power play. A strict scoresheet evaluation of the 22-year old Quebec native will not give one the full picture of his season. There are still mistakes and the occasional exuberant pinch, but Demers’ defensive responsibility has been an enormous improvement. His stick and body positioning have been consistently good, and he has a passion and a tenacity around his own net. Young players are going to make mistakes, but Demers shows the makings of a big play defenseman on both ends of the ice. Situational awareness is key for the defensive position. Knowing when you can and can not take chances is a critical factor in a playoff atmosphere when a single turnover can end a season.

Demers showed that situational awareness on San Jose’s first goal of the game in the 2nd period. Coming off the bench on a line change, Demers sprinted to the half wall to beat a Canuck for possession. The Sharks defenseman flicked a quick shot/pass to Ryane Clowe at the side of the net, Clowe deflected it around Schneider to tie the game at 1-1. Despite the goal against, Vancouver kept their foot on the gas. Sustained pressure down low resulted in Logan Couture taking a hooking penalty on Ryan Kesler. On the ensuing power play, former Sharks defenseman Christian Ehrhoff unleashed a booming slapshot (on net). The rebound bounced to Mason Raymond alone at the side of the net, and he quickly lifted a shot targeted for the top corner. A fully extended Antti Niemi pushed hard to his left and got the web of his glove on the puck, enough to deflect the shot just over the crossbar. On a second Canucks power play rush, Niemi could not get over in time for an Alexander Edler one-timer. The Canucks had not one, but two players open on the right wing (Kesler, Edler) ready to take the shot.

The Sharks were starting to buzz in the offensive zone with 9 minutes left in the period, but unlike the Canucks they were a little off. Shots from the outside would occur without bodies in front, allowing Schneider a clear view of the puck. When bodies were in front of the net, shots would miss high or wide, resulting in no second chance or rebound opportunities. Every Sharks center save for Scott Nichol finished in the negative column for offensive zone faceoffs (Marleau 1-3, 33%, Thornton 3-8, 38%, Nichol 2-2, 100%, Couture 0-1, 0%). On the other side of the ledger, former Shark Manny Malhotra won an inspired 14 of 18 draws, 78%. In part, the lack of cohesion could be attributable to ever-changing lines based on performance and those necessitated by injuries. 40 games into the season, there aren’t really any excuses. The Sharks need structure, clearly defined roles, and external motivation if it can not be supplied internally.

The lines were adjusted futhur Monday in the absence of Joe Pavelski (upper body), Torrey Mitchell (lower body), Derek Joslin (upper body) and John McCarthy. Suiting up for his first NHL game was Worcester “Crazed Rats” line member/agitator Andrew Desjardins, he joined fellow Worcester Shark 235-pound left wing Brandon Mashinter in the lineup. Mashinter (3:24) and Desjardins (2:16) each failed to register a third period shift as coach Todd McLellan shortened the bench to 3 lines at the end of the game. The Canucks speed and aggressive transition game took away the Sharks size advantage. Of the 20 players dressed for Vancouver, only defenseman Aaron Rome (222) and left wing Rafi Torres (223) broke the 220 pound barrier. The Sharks iced considerably more large bodies: Douglas Murray (240), Joe Thornton (235), Brandon Mashinter (235), Ryane Clowe (225), Dany Heatley (221), Patrick Marleau (220), Niclas Wallin (220). Size alone is not going to win any games in the NHL, it is the application of that size that can be used as an advantage. Despite Jamal Mayers and Brandon Mashinter dropping the gloves with Tanner Glass in the first and second periods, the Sharks were outhit by the Canucks 25-20, and there was no clear physical advantage along the boards or in front of the net.

The Sharks still had an opportunity in the second period on Henrik Sedin’s hooking call, and they capitalized. Joe Thornton won two clear offensive zone draws against Ryan Kesler, resulting in a shot on goal, and a pair of point blank shots by Marleau and Heatley. In the second power play rush up ice, Dan Boyle fired from the point with Dany Heatley battling defenseman Dan Hamhuis in front. The puck deflected off Heatley, and Marleau pulled it backhand to forehand to bury into the open net.

Jamal Mayers added his second goal of the season at 15:21 to go along with his first period fight. On a slick 3-on-2 rush up ice, Dany Heatley entered the zone along with Scott Nichol, then pulled up and hit a trailing Mayers with a hard cross ice pass. With Nichol driving to the front of the net, Mayers fired his shot from the right wing. Goaltender Cory Schneider fell to the ice on the play, but a slow motion replay showed him tripping of his own accord without any assitance from Nichol. The Canucks still protested from the bench. The Sharks kept pushing in the second period. Defenseman Douglas Murray entered the zone, dropped a pass to the point, then drove the net and tried to tip a shot passed Schneider.

The Canucks would tie the game with less than two minutes left in the second on the back of Danish forward Jannik Hansen. After quick shot from the faceoff circle by Ryan Kesler, Hansen was first to get a stick on the rebound and punch it into the net. Douglas Murray attempted to check Hansen out of the crease instead of playing the stick or the body for the rebound.

The third period was not a disaster for the Sharks, but it was not the style of consistent, defensively responsible play they are trying to establish. They allowed 21 shots on goal in the final 20 minutes. Despite killing off a Vlasic tripping penalty, Alex Burrows was allowed to score the game winner. A 70-foot point shot by Christian Ehrhoff was deflected with a stick over the shoulders by Alex Burrows. With Antti Niemi overextended to his left, Burrows spun and knocked the puck into the empy net at 8:57. The refs did not whistle the high stick, so apparently the goal was not reviewable by the war room in Toronto.

To the Sharks credit, they did not wait until the waning moments to attempt a third period comeback. The created sustained pressure in the Vancouver Canucks zone on several opportunities, and unleashed a furious attempt to tie the game in the final 40 seconds. Boyle and Clowe fired shots that missed the net, Setoguchi had a shot blocked by Malhotra, and Schneider shut the door on Couture and Thornton. In addition to handing the Sharks their worst loss of the season in a 6-1 drubbing in Vancouver on November 26th, the Canucks also earned a rare win at HP Pavilion. The Canucks were winless in their last 6 attempts at the Tank, a streak dating back 44 months.

“It wasn’t a defensive collapse by our team, I thought they played very hard, very fast,” San Jose Sharks head coach Todd McLellan said after the game. “We were playing three lines. The coach didn’t have enough confidence in maybe some of the younger players, so we went to three lines. They were a very quick, very aggressive team. They won a lot of faceoffs in our zone, which lead to a lot of shots and rebound opportunities.” San Jose Sharks forward Jamal Mayers offered a more blunt assessment. “Close doesn’t matter,” Mayers said when speaking to reporters. “We need to start winning these games.”

“They played back-to-back games and they have 50 shots tonight. That’s enough said, right there,” Ryane Clowe said after the game. “We just want to cheat at times. They are not afraid to play a sound offensive game, and they will stick to it. We’ve got guys who want to do it occasionally. Not all the time, though – that’s hard work. When you work hard and win, you feel it after a game, and I guarantee you right now, we have guys who don’t feel that tired. We were just terrible. It was my fault on the last goal, he (Burrows) got underneath me, high stick or not. Things like that in the offensive zone are indefensible. We can say we are going to fix it, but when are we going to fix it?”

Game Notes: Andrew Desjardins is one of 5 Sharks that have played their first NHL game this season: Desjardins, Brandon Mashinter, Tommy Wingels, Mike Moore and Justin Braun. According to the Sharks, Desjardins is only the 2nd player in the NHL to have worn #69 (Mel Angelstad, 2003-2004 Washington Capitals). The Canucks were 5-9 at HP Pavilion, and 11-16 against San Jose from 2002-03 to 2009-10. This season the Canucks used a 3-goal third period to hand the Sharks their worst loss of the season, a 6-1 drubbing at Vancouver on November 26th. Monday night they also registered 47 shots on goal, the most the Sharks have faced this season. Only twice last season did the Sharks face 47 or more shots on goal, a 3-2 win at Chicago on December 22nd, 2010 (the Sharks had only 14 shots on goal), and a 3-2 shootout win over Detroit at home February 11th (SJ had 26 shots on goal). Joe Pavelski missed his 4th consecutive game with a lower body injury, Torrey Mitchell missed his 5th game with an injury. Derek Joslin and John McCarthy were also scratched for San Jose. Despite blocking a shot off his foot Sunday in Colorado, Vancouver Canucks forward Ryan Kesler skated in his 202nd consecutive game. Vancouver goaltender Cory Schneider has played in 4 of the last 6 Canucks games. Schneider (7-0-2, .922SV%, 2.45GAA) has not lost in regulation this season. Antti Niemi (9-10-2, .905SV%, 2.97GAA) stopped 43 of 47 shots against. The Canucks win continued their 13 game point streak, and moved them ahead of the Philadelphia Flyers for first overall in the NHL.

A photo gallery from the Vancouver Province is available here. Video Highlights via youtube are available here.

[Update] Sharks Players Direct In Comments, Sharks Definitely Unhappy After Loss Even With Disputed Goal – SJsharks.com.

“I think it’s an individual thing right now, mentally,” Clowe said. “Do you want to score four goals or do you want to win a game? Do you want to win or are you happy losing with five goals? Losing 6-5 maybe or would you rather win 1-0 (like in LA)? Are guys happy then, I don’t know? Maybe they want to score goals and get points. I don’t know. We’ve got to figure it out. It’s probably got to come from leadership. It’s frustrating. (I’m) pissed off, that’s for sure.”

[Update2] Gritty Canucks refuse to lose as they rally to sink Sharks, Three-for-three on the road, six wins in a row, and No. 1 in NHL – Iain MacIntyre for the Vancouver Sun.

[Update3] Willes: Best team in NHL hard to fathom here – Ed Willes for the Vancouver Province.

Well, it was interesting the Canucks did all this against the Fish because that team offers a cautionary tale about the difficulty facing the locals as they try to rewrite their history. The Sharks have been good, damned good, for the better part of this decade. Over the last eight seasons, they’ve averaged 108 points. They’ve also made the Conference final twice. By any objective standard, they’ve been a wildly successful franchise and their achievements have dwarfed the Canucks over a similar time frame.

But the more lasting impression of the Sharks is that of a team which hasn’t measured up; a team which squandered its chance at greatness. They should have been good enough to make at least one deep run at the Cup but when you’ve failed as often as they have, you begin to carry a burden. The window might still be open a crack for the core on this team — Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, Dany Heatley, Dan Boyle — but they’re also starting to look like yesterday’s men. They were good but not good enough; close but not really.

The first place Canucks are sending a hockey-rabid market a little over the deep end. Regular season success and league leading offensive statistics are great, but there should be lessons in the above proclamation that may not be readily apparent to Ed Willes or others in the Vancouver media. Close has nothing to do with it.