San Jose Sharks defenseman Dan Boyle didn’t feel a sense of redemption, only relief.

For Boyle, it’s been a long two days since he scored in overtime on his own goalie, an error that’s been replayed often on the Internet.

He can’t forget the play, just attempt to move on. This, though, helps exorcise some of those demons.

Joe Pavelski scored 10:24 into overtime and Evgeni Nabokov stopped 33 shots, giving top-seeded San Jose a 2-1 victory over the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday night, tying the Western Conference series at two games apiece.

Boyle played an integral role in the Game 4 win, scoring the first goal and then thwarting a golden opportunity in overtime as he slid in the way of a pass.

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

Injured Sabres left wing Thomas Vanek will likely miss Game 3 of Buffalo’s Eastern Conference playoff series against the Boston Bruins.

Vanek, however, didn’t rule himself out of the series tied at a game apiece.

Sabres defenseman Steve Montador expects the team to stick with the same system without Vanek.

“Thomas is hard to replace, but one player doesn’t make a team, and you can say that about any one guy in our lineup,” Montador said. “We want to continue to play hard, play our system and we’ll get the chances that we need if we continue to work.”

Click here to read the full article – By of ESPN.com

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Evgeni Nabokov, above and below, had a game to forget, yielding six goals to Canada.

Yeah, sure he did. In the comfortable one-thing-always-leads-to-another world of the modern conspiracy theorist, whatever failings he might demonstrate in the Stanley Cup playoffs will be directly attributable to Nabokov’s six-goal pummeling by the Canadians in the quarterfinals.

In his world, well, let’s put it this way: The Sharks’ first goaltender was polite when asked if he worries about any lingering hangover from the Russian Olympic flameout, as the 7-3 loss to Canada can be fairly termed, because his answer was always, “I hope not.”

In fact, what he would have said if he weren’t measuring his words was, “Are you kidding? I’m 34 years old. I’m not a kid. I’m not fragile. I’ve been through this dozens of times. Calm the hell down, will you?”

This is the tale to tell as the Sharks begin the final sprint to the postseason – what the Olympics did for, and to, their chances to do more than what they usually do, which is underachieve. And though Joe Thornton, Dany Heatley, Dan Boyle and Patrick Marleau hit it big, and Joe Pavelski hit it almost big, Nabokov’s last memory of the Olympics was getting mauled by the Canadians on Wednesday.

Click here to read the full article – By San Francisco Chronicle

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Team togetherness ended Sunday.

For nine days, it’s rest and relaxation. It’s every man for himself and his family — with some limits (no downhill skiing, please) and exceptions (injured players whose names are on an NHL-approved list can report for treatments).

Rob Blake and his family might head to Southern California. Jed Ortmeyer and his wife are going to Maui. Ryane Clowe is off to Newfoundland to visit family and friends. Even coach Todd McLellan is off to Lake Tahoe for a few days.

The idea is to stay away from Sharks Ice and HP Pavilion — until 2 p.m. Feb. 24. At that moment, the NHL allows practices to resume and McLellan plans to have strenuous daily sessions for everybody not in Vancouver.

“They’re going to have to rest physically and mentally,” he said, “and when they come back, they better bring their work boots, because we’re going to go through a little mini-training camp.”

McLellan said he isn’t worried about any of his players showing up on Feb. 24 in poor shape.

Click here to read the full article – By San Jose Mercury News

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The Sharks are going on their longest trip ever to open a new season — and that says a lot considering they once flew to Tokyo to do just that.

The NHL made it official Tuesday: The Sharks will be one of six teams opening next season in Europe, with two games against the Columbus Blue Jackets in Stockholm on Oct. 8 and 9.

Other two-game series being played overseas involve the Boston Bruins and Phoenix Coyotes in Prague, and the Minnesota Wild and Carolina Hurricane in Helsinki.

The Sharks were asked to open the present season in Europe, but general manager Doug Wilson objected because of the extra travel in an Olympic year with an already compressed schedule. At the time, he said he would support a trip when the timing was better.

“It’s exciting, especially with friends and family be able to see us play,” defenseman Douglas Murray said. “My closest family come out to California, but I’ve got a lot of friends who haven’t made it.”

Click here to read the full article – By San Jose Mercury News

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A cool story about Evgeni Nabokov this season is that where there could have been a story, there has been no story. This is his contract year. The Sharks goalie will become a free agent this summer unless he is signed to a contract extension. But I haven’t heard a word from him, in Russian or English, about it. Neither have you.

The reason? Nabokov and the Sharks have mutually agreed not to talk about any of that until we all see how this season’s playoffs turn out. In the NBA or the NFL, that would never happen. Nabokov’s situation, for a player of his stature, would lead to a full-blown season-long soap opera. Not in the NHL.

“You can’t compare hockey to other sports,” Nabokov said with a smile. “You just can’t. I know you guys want to do it. I understand why. But I hear it sometimes, how a goalie is like a baseball pitcher. How? How can you say that?”

Here’s how: A goalie is the one player in hockey who can control a game if he is having a spectacular night. This season, Nabokov has had a few. The NHL goalie statistics don’t lie. Nabokov is among the top four in wins, save percentage and goals-against average. Since the first of December, he has allowed more than two goals in a game just twice.

Click here to read the full article – By Mark Purdy of San Jose Mercury News

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There was always a chance that the trade would flop. That it might stink on ice. People forget that.

Plenty.

This morning, with the Sharks atop the league standings and Heatley on pace for a 60-goal season, it is easy to say that there were no worries about whether he and Thornton would mesh. But the fact is, in those first days after Heatley’s arrival, an anxiety factor did exist. Sharks coach Todd McLellan is honest about that.

“We had hoped it would work the way we wanted it to work,” he said Monday. “But there are no guarantees. You have an elite scorer and elite passer. But what if “…?”

Click here to read the full article – By Mark Purdy of San Jose Mercury News

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Sharks coach Todd McLellan talked Sunday morning about how the return of injured forward Devin Setoguchi would give him different options going forward when it comes to line combinations.

All McLaren did was come through with his first NHL goal to jump-start the San Jose offense in a 4-2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks.

“Against a good hockey team, that’s what you call a good, solid road win,” said defenseman Dan Boyle, whose power-play goal at 6:15 of the second period gave the Sharks a lead they were able to protect the rest of the way.

The Sharks, who were also bolstered by the return of defenseman Rob Blake, looked much improved over the team that was blown away in a 7-2 loss at home to Chicago and barely escaped with a 5-4 shootout victory in Edmonton.

Click here to read the full article – By San Jose Mercury News

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Scott Nichol took care of the small details that led to a big victory for the San Jose Sharks.


Dan Boyle scored with a minute left in the third period to lift the Sharks to a 4-3 victory over the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night.

“We deserved a point and all we need is a save from the goalie and we didn’t get it,” Predators goaltender Dan Ellis said. “We’re playing the best team in the league and we played pretty well for the most part.”

Nichol, the third line center and former Predators player, sparked a third-period rally by hustling down the ice to save an icing call. He intercepted Ellis’ outlet pass, stayed on the ice despite having the wind knocked out of him, and drew the only Nashville penalty of the night.


Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

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Two worrisome losses in the first three games, myriad defensive zone breakdowns, questionable goaltending — not the ideal backdrop for the night when the Sharks raise a Presidents’ Trophy banner to the rafters at HP Pavilion.
But that’s the situation they find themselves in as San Jose opens the home part of the 2009-10 schedule tonight against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Coach Todd McLellan wants an improved performance, and not just because this is the first time the teal-decked crowd gets a look at the Sharks’ reconstructed lineup that includes All-Star left wing Dany Heatley among eight new faces.
“We don’t want to play that way if we had to play in Timbuktu,” he said, referring to Tuesday night’s outing when the Sharks climbed out of a 4-0 hole, but still lost 6-4 to the Los Angeles Kings. “We are not happy with the way we played, and it doesn’t matter where or in front of whom.”

Click here to read the full article – By David Pollak of San Jose Mercury News

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