Dan Boyle had an assist and scored the game-
winner in the shootout, as the San Jose Sharks won their sixth consecutive
game with a 3-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena.
After the first three shooters missed to begin the shootout, Boyle fired a
wrister that found the upper right-hand corner of the net. Evgeni Nabokov then
made a pad save on Rick Nash to secure the win for San Jose.
Dany Heatley and Joe Thornton each lit the lamp for the Sharks, who haven't
dropped a game since losing to Tampa Bay on October 22. Nabokov stopped 26-
of-28 shots for the victors.
"They are a team that really collapses (defensively) and waits for mistakes.
We made a few mistakes here and there and we got a power play goal and Nabby
(Nabokov) shut them down in the shootout," Heatley said.
Nash and Jason Chimera scored for the Blue Jackets, who have lost four of
their last five tilts. Anton Stralman had a pair of assists for Columbus,
which got 36 saves from Steve Mason in defeat.
"The confidence is we can play with all the good teams. Now, it's whether we
can motivate ourselves every night -- that's what the good teams do. No matter
who it is, (the good teams) play well every night and that's what we're trying
to get to. We want to prove we're a good team. We got guys digging in. We're
emotionally starting to connect with everybody," Columbus head coach Ken
Hitchcock said.
The Sharks drew first blood at the 6:32 mark of the first period. Ryane Clowe
controlled the disc behind the net before sliding a pass in front to Thornton,
who chipped the puck past Mason.
Columbus used a Chimera score to tie things up at the 9:18 mark. Fedor
Tyutin's slapper from the top of the left circle deflected off Chimera's stick
and into the back of the net.
Heatley's power-play goal at the 4:17 mark of the second gave San Jose a 2-1
lead. Thornton's shot set up a rebound in front, and Heatley was there to tip
in the loose puck.
Nash's power-play goal with 3:15 left in the second made it a 2-2 game.
R.J. Umberger gathered the disc in front and passed off to Nash, whose shot
from the bottom of the right circle got past Nabokov.
Mason made 13 saves in the third, while Nabokov stopped six shots to send the
contest into overtime.
Neither team could score after a combined four shots in OT, sending the tilt
into a shootout.
Game Notes
Columbus has scored at least one power play goal in five straight games, going
6-for-24 during that span. It is the first time since October 17-27, 2007 that
the club has scored a power play goal in five consecutive games...Stralman
played the 100th game of his NHL career...The Blue Jackets activated
defenseman Jan Hejda off injured reserve Wednesday. Hejda had been sidelined
since October 13 with a sprained left knee. Hejda had nearly 24 minutes of ice
time on Wednesday...The Sharks beat the Blue Jackets, 6-3, on October
8...San Jose plays at Detroit on Thursday, while Columbus travels to
Atlanta on Thursday.
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