|
|
 |
 |
|
| |
Friday, Apr. 7 10:00pm ET
Sharks heating up at perfect time | |||||
|
| ||||||
|
RECAP
|
BOX SCORE
PHOENIX (AP) -- Gary Suter hadn't scored in more than two months, and getting a short-handed goal made it even sweeter. "I haven't scored a goal in a while (Jan. 29), so it was nice to finally break through and provide an insurance goal," the San Jose defenseman said after the Sharks beat Phoenix 3-1 Friday night to hold on to seventh place in the Western Conference standings. The Sharks have 87 points -- one more than Edmonton and two fewer than Phoenix -- with one game left for everyone. "Both teams kind of played tight defensively," Suter said. "We realize that's the only way we're going to be successful in the playoffs is if we can shut down the other teams, because both Phoenix and ourselves are going to be playing a high-ranked team." Todd Harvey and Stephane Matteau also scored, and rookie goalie Evgeni Nabokov had 25 saves as the Sharks won their third in a row and split the six-game season series with the Coyotes. Dallas Drake, playing his 500th career game, scored for Phoenix. But it wasn't enough for the Coyotes, who need to win Sunday at Dallas to record their first 40-win season since 1982-83. "They know they're in (the playoffs)," San Jose's Mike Ricci said. "I don't think they played their best game; they realize that. I don't think we did either, but it was a good defensive game by both teams, and I think that's what both teams are probably working on." Phoenix coach Bob Francis thought his squad gave a full effort. "That's a tough one to evaluate," Francis said. "You want to look at your system of play. A couple of individual mistakes ended up in our net." Suter scored his sixth goal 8:29 into the third period and with 15 seconds left in a Phoenix power play. Ricci got his second assist when he swept around behind the net and passed out to Suter, who took a slap shot from the heart of the circle and beat Bob Essensa on the far side. Marco Sturm had a similar wraparound assist in the first period. He carried the puck behind the net, skated into the slot and fired a backhander. Essensa stopped that shot, but was handcuffed when the rebound went to Harvey between the crease and the circle. Essensa flopped to stack his pads, but Harvey lifted it over him 9:48 into the game. The Sharks went ahead 2-0 on Matteau's one-timer 7:36 into the second period, but Phoenix broke through 1:11 later when the puck was kicked out to the circle and Drake pounced on for a low wrist shot that Nabokov couldn't smother. Essensa also tightened up his goaltending in the last five minutes of the second period, stopping a point-blank shot by Vincent Damphousse on a breakaway with 4:45 and shots by Matteau and Dave Lowry in the next 1:45 for three of his 25 saves. "We had our chances," Teppo Numminen said. "I think we played a solid game, period." Phoenix took 13 shots in the third period, but Nabokov, playing his 10th game since breaking into the league Jan. 1, was ready. "They tried to turn it up at the end of the game, like usual," he said. "I was expecting that. I tried to get myself ready." | ALSO SEE NHL Scoreboard San Jose Clubhouse Phoenix Clubhouse RECAPS Pittsburgh 2 Buffalo 1
San Jose 3
  | |||||