The Presidents’ Trophy will reside in San Jose if the Sharks
earn two points the rest of the week
SAN JOSE
Fans eager to find out which team the San Jose Sharks will face in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs will likely have to wait until Sunday afternoon to learn of the team’s first opponent.
The St. Louis Blues, in eighth place (88 points) with two games to play, complete the regular season Sunday at Colorado, while Columbus is sixth (90) and Anaheim, which holds the tiebreaker over St. Louis, is in seventh (88). Nashville lost to Chicago Tuesday to remain with 86 points, good for ninth place.
And the Sharks moved closer to clinching the first seed in the Western Conference with a 1-0 shootout victory over the Colorado Avalanche Tuesday night at a sold out HP Pavilion.
Evgeni Nabokov recorded his seventh shutout of the season and 47th of his career, capping the win by denying Colorado’s final shooter, Chris Stewart.
Joe Pavelski was the only shooter on either team to find the back of the net. The centerman snapped a 10-footer inside the left post on the first shot of the shootout. San Jose’s other two shooters, Jonathan Cheechoo and Jeremy Roenick, each missed wide left. Colorado’s first two shooters also missed wide left, setting up the Nabokov heroics against Stewart.
Detroit has three games left and can finish with a maximum of 117 points. To finish first in the conference, San Jose (117) needs one point in the remaining two contests, Thursday’s home finale against Phoenix and the Saturday afternoon game at the Los Angeles Kings. The Presidents’ Trophy will reside in San Jose if the Sharks earn two points the rest of the week.
San Jose shook off a two-shot first period to register a 30-20 edge in shots on net by the end of overtime.
