SAN JOSE, Calif. -- The San Jose Sharks advanced to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs by defeating the Calgary Flames, 5-3, in Game 7 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals.
Jeremy Roenick capped off the game's heroics with two goals and two assists in the first Game 7 ever hosted at HP Pavilion.
To start the contest, San Jose Head Coach Ron Wilson adjusted his roster for the biggest game of the season by inserting Roenick and
Marcel Goc onto the lineup card.
Evgeni Nabokov and Miikka Kiprusoff were charged with protecting the nets for the season ending affair for one club.
The atmosphere inside HP Pavilion was electric and it stayed that way through the first ten minutes.
When the Sharks took to the game’s first power play, they responded with the game’s first goal at the 9:03 mark. In a reversal of roles,
Jonathan Cheechoo took the puck along the goal line and drew a defender. He sent the puck through the slot and found a wide open
Joe Thornton. Not only was Thornton open, but so was the near side of the net as Kiprusoff was guarding against a Cheechoo shot. The Flames netminder attempted to slide over, but could not in time as the Sharks top playmaker roofed the puck.
Calgary would quickly respond. When
Milan Michalek was sent to the penalty box, a point shot just 15 seconds into the advantage was tipped by Jarome Iginla and the game was even again.
With 7:14 to go in the first, a minor scrum occurred at center ice and the end result was four-on-four time thanks to matching minors against
Ryane Clowe and Owen Nolan. No tallies resulted in the open ice.
As the first period clock neared the three minute mark, Team Teal put on an extended shift in the Calgary zone. When the Flames failed to clear the puck, Dion Phaneuf took a penalty against Cheechoo and the Sharks drew a late power play. As the advantage expired, the Sharks were swarming a loose puck that Kiprusoff could not grab, but Calgary was able to clear it.
San Jose outshot the Flames 14-5 in the opening 20 minutes, but the game was tied at one.
Just 3:33 into the second period, Calgary found their first lead of the game. A bad defensive pinch allowed Owen Nolan a long breakaway on Nabokov. The Vezina candidate made the initial stop, but the rebound hit Nolan’s leg and went in the net.
San Jose immediately responded and, less than three minutes later, the game was tied at two. This time Roenick was circling near the blueline and spotted
Devin Setoguchi parked in front of Kiprusoff. The wrister from the Sharks oldest player was invisible to Kiprusoff due to Setoguchi and the shot snuck across the line.
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| Sharks goaltender Evgeni Nabokov and defenseman Brian Campbell celebrate after San Jose's 5-3 victory in Game 7 on Tuesday, April 22, 2008. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma) |
The energy from the play had the crowd and the players fired up and on the ensuing possession, a driving Cheechoo drew another power play when Calgary attempted to stop him from poking one home in front.
San Jose would not let the opportunity go to waste and it was the veteran Roenick who again responded. Controlling the puck near the blueline, Roenick saw the traffic being created out front by
Patrick Marleau and Thornton. Roenick’s shot was stopped, but he was the first to locate the rebound and he put it in upstairs from a tough angle to give Team Teal a 3-2 advantage.
It looked as if Calgary had staved off San Jose’s momentum when they killed off another Sharks power play, but as even-strength play returned, San Jose struck again. This time is was a great play by
Mike Grier that allowed
Joe Pavelski a shot in close and he went up high for the two goal lead.
Mike Keenan tried using the same magic that worked in Game 3 of the series and pulled Kiprusoff for Curtis Joseph, but it would not alter the Sharks mojo.
A moment later, Setoguchi used a little help from Roenick to nab his first Stanley Cup Playoff. Keeping his feet moving on the play, Setoguchi found himself near the left hashmarks and sent one inside the near post.
San Jose would take the impressive 5-2 lead into the second intermission had amassed a 35-13 advantage in shots. The four second-period goals marked the most for San Jose in one playoff period.
Calgary managed to pull within two five minutes into the third when a quirky play from behind the net bounced off the chest of Wayne Primeau and into the net.
As the regulation clock reached the nine minute mark, the Flames had a two-minute power play. Calgary did set up a couple of times, but San Jose washed away any real threats and the crowd was roaring their approval.
The Flames pulled Joseph with more than two minutes left for the extra attacker, but it would not make a difference as the Sharks advanced to the second round to face the Dallas Stars.
LINES
Marleau-Pavelski-Clowe
Michalek-Thornton-Cheechoo
Rissmiller-Mitchell-Grier
Setoguchi-Goc-Roenick
Ehrhoff-Vlasic
Murray-Campbell
Carle-Rivet
Nabokov-Boucher
From the AP Wire
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -- Jeremy Roenick thought Ron Wilson's text message was an electronic fortune cookie.
The San Jose Sharks coach was counting on Roenick for big things in Game 7, he typed. The aging center should expect to be a hero.
Roenick made his coach's prediction come true with one spectacular play after another Tuesday night, also making sure the vibrant veteran's return from semiretirement will last longer than one playoff round.
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| San Jose Sharks center Joe Pavelski (8) scores past Calgary Flames goalie Miikka Kiprusoff (34), of Finland, as left wing Eric Nystrom (23) watches in the second period in Game 7 of an NHL hockey Western Conference playoff series, Tuesday, April 22, 2008, in San Jose, Calif. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma) |
Roenick had two goals and two assists, including the tying and go-ahead scores midway through the Sharks' four-goal second period Tuesday night in a 5-3 victory over the Calgary Flames in Game 7, finishing their opening-round playoff series.
"I didn't come back to have a feeling this good," said Roenick, who was forcibly rested by Wilson in the Sharks' loss in Game 6. "I didn't expect to feel this good, this early. To contribute like that, I don't want to say it's a surprise, but it's just so great."
Evgeni Nabokov made 19 saves for second-seeded San Jose in front of a deafening crowd at the first Game 7 in Shark Tank history. After the Sharks fell behind 2-1 early in the second period, San Jose's formidable talent finally overwhelmed the Flames with four goals in less than nine minutes, chasing goalie Miikka Kiprusoff.
Roenick led the way, adding two goals to his four previous scores in six career appearances in a Game 7. After 18 NHL seasons, Roenick doesn't flinch under pressure - but in the waning years of a career without a Stanley Cup title so far, he also doesn't want to waste any more time.
"I might be 38 years old, but now I feel like I'm 19," Roenick said. "You don't like to have the career that I've had and sit out a potential clinching (Game 6). It was nice that I could come back and contribute in this way."
The Sharks earned their fourth straight trip to the second round, where they'll face the Pacific Division-rival Dallas Stars.
Roenick tied the franchise record for points in a playoff game, sparking the Sharks offense with his typically relentless play in the decisive second period.
Joe Thornton,
Joe Pavelski and rookie
Devin Setoguchi also scored for the Sharks, who took 41 shots while thoroughly controlling most of the final two periods.
The win capped an exhausting two weeks for the Sharks, who fell behind 2-1 in the series before rallying for two late goals to steal Game 4. San Jose then gave its worst effort of the series in Game 6, leaving many wondering whether the Sharks had the grit necessary to survive a physical opponent.
"For all the people who critique Joe or Patty (Marleau) or the whole organization, tonight was as dominant as a team could be in a seventh game," Wilson said. "Our team played its best hockey when it mattered most."
Owen Nolan, captain Jarome Iginla and Wayne Primeau scored for the seventh-seeded Flames, who fell apart defensively after forcing Game 7 with a shutout win in Calgary two nights earlier.
"We came into this game believing we were going to win," Iginla said. "We were up 2-1 in the second period, and we didn't sustain it and didn't stay after them. In a game like that, it's not something we'd believe was going to happen, so it's definitely numbing to be out and have to watch them after a good series."
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| Calgary Flames right wing Owen Nolan (11) is hugged by San Jose Sharks center Jeremy Roenick as Evgeni Nabokov (20) and Sharks coach Ron Wilson look on at the end of game 7 in an NHL hockey Western Conference playoff series in San Jose, Calif., Tuesday, April 22, 2008. San Jose won 5-3. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) |
Kiprusoff couldn't stop the franchise that groomed him for NHL stardom, allowing four goals on 30 shots before Curtis Joseph replaced him late in the second period. San Jose put its formidable depth to full use, rolling four talented lines while racking up 35 shots in the first two periods.
"I don't think it was controversial," said Calgary coach Mike Keenan, who coached Roenick in Chicago way back when both men had more hair. "Kipper didn't play very well. He just wasn't on tonight. They started the game with a strong push, and our team didn't respond very well. Especially when we had a 2-1 lead, we should have kicked it up a notch. We ignited their resolve, and they really turned it up, took control from there."
The Flames pulled Joseph for most of the final 3 1/2 minutes, but couldn't add to Primeau's goal early in the third period. They haven't won a playoff series since 2004, when they beat the Sharks in the Western Conference finals on the way to a seven-game Stanley Cup finals loss to Tampa Bay.
San Jose's power play was an awful 4-for-27 in the series' first six games, but Thornton scored his second goal of the series on a pass from
Jonathan Cheechoo midway through the first period. Iginla got his own power-play score just 86 seconds later, and Nolan put the Flames ahead early in the second period when defenseman Doug Murray botched his assignment, giving a breakaway to the former Sharks captain.
The Shark Tank was morbidly silent until San Jose's fourth line broke through. Roenick's long, low shot slipped past Setoguchi's screen and through Kiprusoff's legs - and Roenick then put the Sharks ahead exactly 3 minutes later, slipping through Calgary's penalty-killers and wiring a remarkable shot into the top corner of the net.
When Pavelski added a rebound goal, the Flames yanked Kiprusoff - but Setoguchi scored 52 seconds later on Roenick's setup.
Notes: Keenan coached his NHL-record 10th Game 7, while F Stephane Yelle participated in his 11th, most among active players. ... D Adrian Aucoin had two assists for Calgary. ... D
Kyle McLaren missed his second straight game for San Jose with a groin injury. ... Sharks LW
Milan Michalek finished the seven-game series without a point.
San Jose Sharks Staff
Associated Press
