Sharks vs Blackhawks - 3.21.07
Thornton line too much for 'Hawks
Chicago, IL - Wednesday evening, the San Jose Sharks defeated the Chicago Blackhawks by a score of 4 - 1. The quick-paced game was the last meeting of the season between these two clubs; Team Teal swept the series 4 - 0. Though the Blackhawks competed well early, Jonathan Cheechoo, Milan Michalek, and Joe Thornton proved to be too much, posting a total of 8 points on the night.
Seven minutes into the first period, Cheechoo scored the first goal of the game giving assists to Scott Hannan and Thornton. With the puck on a string, Thornton skated up and down the Chicago zone, evading opponents and looking for a passing lane. Finally ending up near the corner boards, Jumbo Joe let loose a pass back to Hannan at the blue line who then sent the puck down to Cheechoo in the slot. Soon after receiving the pass, Cheechoo rattled one in by Patrick Lalime.
Eight minutes later, the Blackhawks evened the score; off of a rebound, Patrick Sharp swatted in his 17th of the season. The goal seemed to give Chicago some momentum and the first period ended tied at a goal apiece.
Midway through the second period, Michalek scored on the power play, netting him his 21st of the season. Matt Carle showed his great play-making ability by sending a sharp pass across the crease right onto Michalek's tape, who then snapped the puck home for the 2 - 1 lead.
In the third period, Cheechoo scored his 27th of the season on the power play giving assists to Carle and Thornton. The assist was Carle's 39th point of the season, tying him for the most points scored by a Sharks rookie defenseman (1995: Ragnarsson). At 12:48 of the 3rd period, Michalek finished the night's scoring by depositing his second of the game and 22nd of the season.
Nabokov again had a solid outing, posting 28 saves on 29 shots. Looking comfortable in net, Nabby continued to swallow up rebounds and limit the opponents scoring chances. The Sharks' win was their 45th of the season, a franchise record. With little time to rest, Team Teal will fly to Atlanta to face the red-hot Thrashers who have won 8 games in their last 10 contests.
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