Happy New–UGH
The San Jose Sharks battled back from bad turnovers and an early deficit to defeat the Vancouver Canucks 3-2 in a shootout at Rogers Arena on Tuesday.
All three games between the Canucks and Sharks this season have ended in 3-2 victories for the road team after the Canucks took a pair of contests in California in 2011.
The Hat Trick
Hansen, Hodgson Hustle
Jannik Hansen had a hard working game on Tuesday and was rewarded early for a body of solid play with the lucky bounce the Canucks needed to open the scoring.
Flying down the left win on an early three-on-one, Hansen and Cody Hodgson played catch in front of Antti Niemi before Hansen threw it on net past the visiting goaltender.
Hodgson pulled the trigger on the power play to pull the Canucks even midway through the third period, putting home his 9th of the season.
Luongo Looms Large
On a night where the Sedin twins struggled to find the score sheet, Roberto Luongo made several key saves to keep the Canucks close as the team fought to find their groove offensively.
Luongo’s glove save off the stick of Joe Thornton early in the second period kept the Canucks even before Patrick Marleau eventually benefited from the bad luck of Kevin Bieksa, chipping a rebound past the felled defenceman.
Ryan Kesler and Jason Demers fight for control - (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Jonathan Hayward)
Jumbo Joe
Captain Joe Thornton was all over the ice on Tuesday, but struggled to control the puck and convert his chances against the Canucks. Thornton coughed up the puck on several occasions the Captain managed to escape without any of his turnover’s costing the club.
Like Thornton, the Canucks were unable to convert on their chances in a quiet game for big names in the attacking zone.
V’s Thoughts
The Canucks and Sharks battled in another hard hitting and tightly contested game on Tuesday, resulting in the third straight 3-2 victory for the road team. The Sharks were the better team Tuesday, but still had to overcome some late hard luck to secure the extra point against their rivals.
Torrey Mitchell’s last second shot beat Roberto Luongo but not the clock, forcing the teams into overtime after what appeared to be the game winner launched past Luongo.
Quote
“A point is a point, bud.” Roberto Luongo made no mistake regarding the extra point the Sharks skated away with on Tuesday.
3 Stars
1st - Cody Hodgson – GOALS: 1| PTS: 2| ASST: 1SOG: 2| PLUS/MINUS: 1
2nd - Patrick Marleau – GOALS: 1| PTS: 1| ASST: 0 SOG: 2| PLUS/MINUS: 1
3rd - Roberto Luongo – SAVE PCTG: 0.943
BOXSCORE | Q’s POST GAME RECAP
San Jose 3, Vancouver 2
When: 8:00 PM ET, Monday, January 2, 2012
Where: Rogers Arena, Vancouver, British Columbia
Referees: Tim Peel, Dean Morton
Linesmen: Don Henderson, Brad Lazarowich
Attendance: 18890
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About Kevin Vanstone
