Anaheim scores 4-0 victory, Sharks fall to 4-1
ANAHEIM, Calif.
A perfect goaltending performance by Jean-Sebastien Giguere ended the San Jose Sharks’ perfect start.
Giguere made 38 saves for his 30th career shutout and the Anaheim Ducks’ first victory of the season, a 4-0 decision over the previously unbeaten Sharks on Friday night.
With Giguere shutting down the Sharks, the Ducks (1-4) relied on goals from two defenseman – Francois Beauchemin and Chris Pronger – mixed with goals from checking forwards Travis Moen and Samuel Pahlsson to avoid the worst start in franchise history. Anaheim began the 2003-04 season with four regulation losses and an overtime setback, earning a single point in their opening five games.
“The previous four games we had a plan but didn’t stick to it. Tonight we came out and paid attention to detail and got the win,” Moen said.
Fellow checking forward Rob Niedermayer added two assists and Anaheim killed seven penalties to avenge a 4-1 opening night loss to San Jose.
“It was a good game. It’s always an entertaining game against them. There was a bit of everything,” Giguere said. “There was fighting, there was goals. Both teams are pretty big and play the body. It makes for an interesting game every time we play them.”
San Jose goalie Evgeni Nabokov allowed four goals on 20 Anaheim shots after giving up four total goals in his first three starts.
“They capitalized on their chances. We had a ton of shots and generated a lot of offense, but I don’t think we got good quality scoring chances,” San Jose defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic said.
After killing a lengthy 5-on-3 San Jose advantage, the Ducks opened the scoring on Beauchemin’s first goal of the season, a blast from the right point with 1:47 to play in the first. Kent Huskins and Ryan Getzlaf picked up assists, the first point of the season for Getzlaf. He led Anaheim in scoring last season.
Niedermayer picked up his first assist, keeping a loose puck alive in the slot for Moen to swat it past Nabokov 3:56 into the second.
The Sharks had six power-play chances in the first 29 minutes, but couldn’t beat Giguere, who gave up 13 goals in his first three starts, including four in an opening night loss at San Jose on Oct. 9.
“My positioning was better. I was able to find the puck a little bit better tonight,” Giguere said. “I made the first save and the (defensemen) did a good job to clear the rebounds away. There were not as many sticks in the way, or tips. Tonight the bounces went my way, which wasn’t the case the first three games.”
Pronger fired a 50-foot slap shot past Nabokov 1:50 into the third to end an 0-for-15 start for the Ducks’ power play this season. San Jose led the NHL in penalty killing last season and had killed 16 of 19 chances before Pronger’s goal.
“They worked real hard and earned their breaks,” said San Jose coach Todd McLellan who suffered his first loss as an NHL head coach. “It wasn’t that we just mailed it in. We competed pretty hard and it just didn’t go our way.”
Niedermayer added his second assist in the third, sending Pahlsson in for a breakaway goal against Nabokov with 10:06 to play.
Notes:
San Jose forwards Tomas Pilhal (lower-body injury) and Milan Michalek (upper body) and defenseman Doug Murray (hand) were scratched. … Sharks forward Brad Staubitz made his NHL debut, brawling with Ducks defenseman Nathan McIver in one of three first-period scraps between the division rivals.
