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Roenick, Sharks edge Wild in shootout

Thu 20th, March 2008

San Jose, CA (Sports Network) - Jeremy Roenick scored once in regulation, and the deciding shootout goal, as the San Jose Sharks slipped by the Minnesota Wild, 4-3, at HP Pavilion.

Joe Pavelski and Brent Burns scored for the Sharks and Wild, respectively, in the first round. Then Niklas Backstrom and Evgeni Nabokov made saves in the second. But in the third round, Roenick's shot hit off Backstrom's glove and deflected into the net, giving the Sharks a one-score edge.

Nabokov then forced Mikko Koivu to the right, and denied his offering wide of the post, sealing the Sharks' second consecutive win and 13th in their last 14 games overall. San Jose improved its points total to 97, keeping the club five ahead of Anaheim for first place in the Pacific Division -- the Ducks beat Dallas, 2-1, Wednesday night.

Pavelski and Curtis Brown also scored for the Sharks, who host Anaheim on Friday. Nabokov stopped 21-of-24 shots in the win.

Marian Gaborik scored twice in regulation for Minnesota, which picked up the point and has 87, three in front of idle Vancouver, Calgary and Colorado in the tightly contested Northwest Division. Stephane Veilleux also scored, while Backstrom allowed three goals on 33 shots in defeat.

The Wild also had defenseman Kurtis Foster carried off the ice on a stretcher in the second period with an apparent leg injury. He was stabilized and taken to local O'Connor Hospital.

Roenick had the only goal of the first period, at the 17:54 mark. Intricate but rapid San Jose passing gave Roenick the puck in the slot, and he quickly slid it past Backstrom for a 1-0 Sharks lead.

But Veilleux tied it up just 49 seconds into the middle frame, as he tipped in a shot in front of the net. Brown, though, restored the Sharks' lead on a nice backhand goal. Roenick fed him a pass while on a breakaway, and Brown skated between defenders to the right circle, where he lofted a backhand shot over Backstrom at 3:28.

Shortly thereafter, though, came the scary moment involving Foster. The Wild defenseman was chasing after the puck toward the endboards with San Jose's Torrey Mitchell. Foster got tangled up, dipped below the glass, and hit the boards with full-force.

Medical personnel came out and stabilized Foster, putting his right leg in a splint, and moved him to the hospital. Play resumed, and a few Minnesota players took some specific shots at Mitchell, though none were flagrantly violent.

The Wild tied up the game, again, at the 5:49 mark of the third period while on the man-advantage, as Gaborik ripped a one-timer over Nabokov's glove.

In the middle of the third period, the Sharks' Devin Setoguchi left the game in almost an exact replay of the Foster incident. Setoguchi got tripped up by a stick while chasing the puck near the endboards.

Setoguchi, though, fell completely parallel to the ice, and slammed into the endboards on his side. He left the game under his own power and went into the locker room for examination.

Pavelski then broke the tie with just 2:02 left, setting up a manic finish. Wild defenseman Martin Skoula failed to clear the puck behind his own net, and Sharks winger Milan Michalek gathered up the disc. Michalek dished a quick pass out to Pavelski, who whirled around and put the puck past Backstrom.

But with 28.7 ticks left, Gaborik notched the power-play equalizer again. He got a clear shooting lane just to the left of the slot, let the puck fly, and a screened Nabokov couldn't make the save as the disc got through by the left post.

In overtime, the teams played 3-on-3 for two minutes, and raced up and down the ice with counter-attacks. But neither team could score, and the game went to the shootout.

Game Notes

Minnesota was 2-for-3 on power plays...San Jose went 0-for-2 with the man advantage...The Wild visit Vancouver on Friday...Brian Rolston had two assists for Minnesota.

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