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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -- Steve Shields wasn't around to see the
end of his first victory this season. The San Jose Sharks hope he
won't be gone for long.
Brad Stuart's rebound goal with 5:50 left gave the Sharks a 2-1
victory, their first of the year, over the Phoenix Coyotes on
Thursday night.
|  | | San Jose's Bryan Marchment knocks Jeremy Roenick into the boards during the first period. |
But the win was tempered by the loss of Shields, who stopped 25
shots before suffering a high right ankle sprain with 51.2 seconds
to play. X-rays on the ankle were negative, but further tests will
be done Friday.
San Jose's starting goalie left the game after colliding with
Sharks defenseman Mike Rathje. Shields said his skate got caught in
a rut in the San Jose Arena ice, which was criticized by several
players after the game.
"I was trying to turn all my weight," Shields said. "My body
went, and my foot stayed. All my weight went over on it."
Backup Evgeni Nabokov played the final seconds but faced no
shots. Coach Darryl Sutter said the team will recall Finnish goalie
Miikka Kiprusoff from Kentucky of the AHL before Saturday's game
against Boston.
Both of San Jose's goals were scored by defensemen in a
tight-checking game played without both teams' captains, Keith
Tkachuk and Owen Nolan. The Sharks got a strong performance from
their defense and a solid game from Shields.
"It was too bad to see, because he pretty much won the game for
us," Rathje said. "We were pretty good on defense."
The go-ahead goal came when Stephane Matteau's shot on a San
Jose rush was stopped by Phoenix goalie Sean Burke, who had 14
saves. Stuart, the runnerup in last year's rookie of the year
voting, bulled past Travis Green into the crease, where he put the
rebound in an open net and then went flying into the end boards.
"I saw it was coming back at me, and I just tried to get my
stick in front of it," Stuart said. "It's a good sign that we
were able to stick with it and get the win in the end."
Marcus Ragnarsson, a standout stay-at-home defenseman who had
just three goals in 63 games last year, got the Sharks' first goal
when his first-period centering pass banked off defenseman Keith
Carney and into the net.
Mika Alatalo scored in the second period for Phoenix, which lost
for the first time this season after two victories.
"They missed Nolan, we missed Keith," Phoenix coach Bob
Francis said. "I thought we performed well. We just didn't get the
bounces."
Both teams struggled to mount an offensive flow. Counting the
preseason, San Jose has just seven goals in its last six games.
"Right now it's about getting our top players to bear down and
score some goals for us," Sutter said. "Our top players have got
to elevate their games."
An apparent goal by Phoenix's Jeremy Roenick four minutes into
the third period was waved off. Roenick, who had five points in his
first two games but was held scoreless, bumped Shields two seconds
before shoveling a backhand past the Sharks goalie. Roenick was
penalized for goaltender interference.
"I was told I turned into his foot and knocked him
off-balance," Roenick said. "I wasn't going to dispute it. (The
referee) isn't going to change his mind."
The Coyotes played without Tkachuk, who was scratched after
sustaining a minor groin strain during the morning skate. Trade
rumors this week have linked Tkachuk with the New York Rangers, but
the team has dismissed them as unfounded.
The Sharks played their second game without Nolan, their leading
scorer. Nolan signed a five-year contract Wednesday but isn't in
game shape. He's also likely to miss San Jose's game against Boston
on Saturday.
Game notes
San Jose rookie forward Matt Bradley, who had an assist on
Stuart's goal, got his first NHL point. ... Coyotes C Jula Ylonen
played for the first time this season. He missed Phoenix's first
two games with a bruised shoulder. ... The Sharks went scoreless on
five power-play chances to drop to 0-for-12 for the season. ... San
Jose center Vincent Damphousse, who's one point shy of 1,000 in his
career, didn't score. Before the game, the Sharks' game operations
crew rehearsed a scoreboard presentation to be used when Damphousse
reaches the mark.
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ALSO SEE
NHL Scoreboard
Phoenix Clubhouse
San Jose Clubhouse
Sharks captain Nolan ends holdout with 5-year deal
RECAPS
Dallas 4
Philadelphia 1
Detroit 4
Chicago 0
Columbus 3
Calgary 2
Colorado 5
Vancouver 2
San Jose 2
Phoenix 1
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