Theodore Steals The Show

Sharks 1, Avs 3

Wednesday night was just one of those games that was physical, tough, and a little bit nasty. Cheap shots, high-sticks, cross-checks, fighting...the game had all of the rough stuff going. Granted, the referees could be blamed for not taking control because they did miss a lot of calls...a LOT of calls, but it made for a very entertaining game.

In the first period, the Sharks got off to a real quick start and almost scored on the very first shift. This rush gave San Jose momentum, but it didn't last for long. On an inadvertent high-stick by Cody McLeod, Joe Thornton dropped to the ice with a bloody nose and no penalty was called. In response, Mike Grier dropped the gloves with the Avs player and the two went to the box for five minutes each. Later in the period, Colorado became the first team on the board; Ben Guite scored his 7th of the season and gave his team the lead. Though the Sharks had opportunities to score, the ice seemed to be tilted in the Avs favor. In fact, Colorado led San Jose in shots by a count of 13 to 4 at the end of 20 minutes.

In the second period, San Jose got back on their game thanks to the powerplay. At 5:53, Patrick Marleau scored his 10th of the season to tie things up at one goal apiece. On the play, Sandis Ozolinsh made a great fake at the blueline, sending a "slapper pass" right to the tape of Marleau's stick. With Jose Theodore at the top of the crease and out of position, Number 12 in teal snapped it in on the far side of the net. Unfortunately, roughly 13 minutes later, Colorado scored a powerplay goal of their own to take the lead again. The redirect by TJ Hensick gave him his 6th goal of the season, and left Evgeni Nabokov with little chance to make the save. Though San Jose turned the tables on the shot clock (16-5), Theodore stood tall and kept Colorado in the lead.

In the third, San Jose continued to put the pressure on Theodore. Down a goal, the Sharks pulled Nabby with over a minute to go. The last 60 seconds of the game was probably the most exciting as San Jose peppered the net with opportunities. Unfortunately, the game ended and Colorado walked away with two points.

To be honest, Theodore stole this game with his 30 saves. If it weren't for his performance, the Sharks could have won this game by a score of 4 to 2...maybe even 5 to 2. Consequently, I'm as pleased as one can be in a loss. San Jose had a terribly slow start, but turned things up the last 40 minutes of play. That just goes to show you, it takes 60 full minutes to win an NHL game.

A San Jose Sharks Blog