If the Sharks' goal going into Sunday's game in Chicago was to show their dads how to get a lead, blow a lead, yet comeback and win, well, they were successful.
Before the beginning of this short two-game trip, the Sharks invited the fathers of their players and coaching staff to join them on their annual father-son road-trip.
The opening game of back-to-backs may not have gone exactly according to plan, but the dads were treated to a highly entertaining hockey game. The Sharks slipped past a young and talented Blackhawk team with a 6-5 victory at the United Center Sunday in Chicago.
Milan Michalek got the Sharks on the board early, less than a minute in, with his third goal in the past two games. Joe Pavelski won the face-off in the Blackhawks' zone and drew it back to Michalek who was set up in the slot. Milan wristed one top corner past Blackhawks goaltender Cristobal Huet at the 0:42 mark of the first period.
The same Sharks' power play that turned things around against Calgary got off to an inauspicious start against Chicago. Sharks goaltender Brian Boucher mishandled the puck behind his own net, allowing Blackhawks forward Kris Versteeg to steal the puck and slide it into the unprotected Sharks net for a 1-1 tie.
However, it didn't take much time at all for the Sharks' power-play to get re-organized. Joe Thornton converted on the same power play just 24 seconds later, giving the Sharks back their one-goal advantage.
Thornton was the beneficiary of a rebound of a Devin Setoguchi shot after the Sharks had broken into the zone three-on-two. Joe deposited the rebound in the top corner for his fourth of the season
The lead would last only a little over eight minutes as the Blackhawks tied things up at 2-2 before the end of the first period. At the 17:32 mark, former Shark Brian Campbell one-timed a point shot past Boucher to tie the score.
In the second period, things started to go the Sharks' way, just like in many of the contests so far this season. Dan Boyle converted on a sweet backhand feed from Joe Pavelski on the power-play, giving the Sharks a 3-2 lead at 5:51 of the middle period. Less than four minutes later, Jeremy Roenick got off the schnide, with his first goal of the season.
Another inauspicious give-away, this time by a Blackhawks defender, gave Jeremy Roenick an open look at the net. Roenick skated in on Huet and made a nice deke to his back-hand giving the Sharks a two-goal lead at 4-2.
That would be the end of the good times for the Sharks in the second period, as the Blackhawks scored three unanswered goals. First, at 10:53, Kris Versteeg got his second of the game, once again scoring while Boucher was out of position.
The play started when Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews made a nice move around the Sharks defense and got Boucher to go down. Boucher made the stop but Versteeg picked up the loose puck behind the net and banked it off Boucher to bring Chicago within one.
Things only got worse for the Sharks, as Tomas Plihal was called for a mysterious high-sticking penalty. (Randy Hahn and Drew Remenda said their broadcast team couldn't locate where the apparent "high-stick" took place.) Nonetheless, the Blackhawks went on the power-play and just 28 seconds later Cam Barker tied the score at four apiece with his third of the year.
And then, only nine seconds after Chicago tied the game, Joe Thornton took a terrible penalty when he slashed a Blackhawk forward in the back of the leg for no apparent reason.
Again, only nine seconds later, Chicago scored on the power play. This time it gave them a 5-4 advantage as Patrick Kane floated a one-timer top corner past Boucher on an excellent shot-pass from Brian Campbell.
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about 1 month ago
*note: Jonathan Cheechoo returned to the lineup from injury
about 1 month ago
Good use of the word "inauspicious!" Good summary--sorry I took so long to read it.
from about 1 month ago
np
from about 1 month ago
no worries*
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