SHARKSPAGE

WCSF Game 5: Sharks let another opportunity slip away, Red Wings score three unanswered goals in third to send series back to Detroit

#8 JOE PAVELSKI TIPS SHOT PASSED #35 JIMMY HOWARD FOR GOAL IN 2ND

#51 VALTTERI FILPPULA WINS FACEOFF AGAINST #21 SCOTT NICHOL IN 3RD

SHARKS CRASHED NET AND #35 JIMMY HOWARD REPEATEDLY IN 1ST

San Jose dominated 41 minutes of game 5, but the Red Wings slowed down the pace of the game and watched along with everyone else as future Hall-of- Famer Pavel Datsyuk took over. Jonathan Ericsson, Dan Cleary and Tomas Holmstrom scored unanswered goals in the third period on hostile ice to overcome a 3-1 deficit and send the series back to Michigan with a 4-3 win in regulation.

“We weren’t giving up at all,” defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom said after the game. “There is a lot of character on our team, there is never any quit,” goaltender Jimmmy Howard added. “Our season was on the line in the third period, and we found a way.”

The comeback was neccessitated after Devin Setoguchi and Joe Pavelski gave the Sharks an early two goal lead to work with. After two unsuccessful power plays, San Jose would finish 0-for-4 on the night, a clean faceoff win by Joe Thornton on Valtteri Filppula set up the opening goal of the game late in the first period. Thornton drew the puck back to Dan Boyle, who backed into a shooting lane at the point and let off a high shot. A moving Devin Setoguchi got his stick on the puck, and deflected it down under goaltender Jimmy Howard. Following a hat trick in game 3 and an overtime game winner against Los Angeles, Setoguchi has 5 goals in 11 playoff contests.

Goaltender Antti Niemi made a spectacular side-to-side extended glove save on Jonathan Ericsson to keep Detroit off the board in the first period, and Jimmy Howard answered with stellar play of his own in the second. Howard stoned a pair of point blank whacks by Dan Boyle, then got his body in front of a backhand rebound attempt by Joe Pavelski. On a subsequent Sharks penalty, Howard helt tight on another pair of point blank chances by Boyle.

A laser of a breakout pass by Kyle Wellwood set up a Sharks rush late in the second. From his own zone, Wellwood banked a pass by two Red Wings onto the stick of Ryane Clowe. Clowe broke with Pavelski for a 2-on-1, and feathered a short saucer pass onto the blade of his stick. Hard on his brakes, Pavelski lunged for the puck and punched it over the top of Howard for a 2-0 lead.

53 seconds later Pavel Datsyuk skated with the puck on his stick like a string, holding on to it long enough for defenseman Niklas Kronwall to skate in for a blindside 1-timer. Datsyuk set the table, and Kronwall buried it to cut the lead to 2-1. After rookie Logan Couture scored 54 seconds into the third period, the Sharks took another penalty again killing any effort to sustain momentum. Dany Heatley took a 2-minute high sticking minor. Detroit was unsuccessful with the man advantage, but before San Jose could reset even strength Pavel Datsyuk carried the puck into the offensive zone and behind the net. He found Henrik Zetterberg, but a quick shot deflected off Heatley to an open Jonathan Ericsson far side. Ericsson deposited it into the empty net to cut the lead to 3-2.

Less than two minutes later, Dan Cleary would score the equalizer on a broken play at the side of the net. Instead of taking his many out of the play, Devin Setoguchi tried to seal the post on a Cleary wraparound. The first shot was blocked but not frozen, and Cleary punched home the unprotected puck off Setoguchi’s foot to tie the game.

The crowd inside HP Pavilion tried to rally the home team, but Detroit kept coming at San Jose in waves. Pavel Datsyuk created a turnover by Patrick Marleau along the wall, then held possession as Marleau tried to check him off the puck. Almost operating in slow motion, Datsyuk saw an aggressive backcheck with all 5 Sharks down low and found an open Niklas Lidstrom at the point. With time, Lidstrom loaded up on a 1-timer that was deflected passed Niemi by Holmstrom in front. After an extended battle for position in front, Sharks defenseman Niclas Wallin was unable to take his stick out on the play.

“I think you put yourselves in a very dangerous position if you start getting back on your heels against that team, but I don’t think that was the case tonight,” San Jose Sharks head coach Todd McLellan said after the game. “We gave up six shots in the third period, and three of them went in.” San Jose goaltender Antti Niemi finished with 18 saves on 22 shots, Detroit goaltender Jimmy Howard stopped 39 of 42 shots against.

A photo gallery from the game is available here.