From: nlu@Xenon.Stanford.EDU (Nelson Lu)
Subject: Sharks lose to Nordiques 8-7 (OT)
Organization: Computer Science Department, Stanford University.
Date: Sun, 13 Dec 1992 08:06:00 GMT

Saturday, December 12, 7:30 P. M., at the Cow Palace:

Despite great efforts at the end, the Sharks saw their losing streak extended
to 8 games in a game that saw two hat tricks (one on each side), total
goaltending breakdown on both sides of the ice (Brian Hayward and Ron Hextall),
a total of 15 goals, and a game that felts like two games.  Excluding the
overtime, if the game were divided into halves at 10:00 2nd, the Nordiques
would win the first one 6-1 and the Sharks the second 6-1.

As mentioned above, goaltending was horrible on both sides, and that was in
halves as well; in the first "half", Hayward was horrible (albeit with little
or no defensive help); in the second "half", Hextall was horrible (albeit with
little or no defensive help).  Hayward stopped just 30 of 38 Quebec shots,
while Hextall stopped just 31 of 38 San Jose shots.

It all started like a Quebec blow out, with the Nordiques out-shooting the
Sharks 18-5 in the first period, and out-scoring them 4-1.  The Nordiques got
on the scoreboard at 1:49 initially, as Joe Sakic took a rebound off an Andrei
Kovalenko shot at the right side of the net and centered it out in the slot for
Steve Duchesne to slap by Hayward.  It became 2-0 at 3:00, as Craig Wolanin
blistered a shot by Hayward off a Mike Ricci drop pass.  Things got worse, as
the Nordiques made it 3-0 at 10:08.  Scott Young had the puck at the lef
boards, and centered it right in front for Ricci, whose shot Hayward stopped,
but Bill Lindsay jumped up and poked the rebound past Hayward.  The Sharks got
a goal back at 13:29, as Ray Whitney took the puck just inside the Sharks zone
and sent it to Michel Picard, who skated up ice on an 1-on-1, and as he was
pulled down in the slot in the Quebec zone, somehow sweeped the puck past
Hextall for the goal.  The Nordiques extended their lead back to three goals,
however, at 18:16, as Alexei Gusarov, right off a faceoff won by Ricci, blasted
the puck through a screen past Hayward.

The Nordiques would make life more miserable for the Sharks early in the second
period.  Young struck for a short-handed goal at 4:55, as Ricci entered the
Sharks zone on a 1-on-1, and dropped the puck in the slot for Young to blast
past Hayward.  Young would score again at 8:38 to give the Nordiques their
largest lead in the game, 6-1, as Wolanin held the puck in on a clearing
attempt, sent the puck to the right boards to Claude Lapointe, who centered
it in front for a streaking Young to poke past Hayward.  However, then the tide
turned (although it would not be known at that time), as the Sharks out-shot
the Nordiques 13-10 for the period (getting just one goal, however).  The
lead was cut to 6-2 at 15:13, as off a faceoff won by Kelly Kisio, Rob Zettler
held the puck in at the left point, and sent the puck right in front for Rob
Gaudreau to send past Hextall.

The Sharks played like a team possessed in the third, as they out-shot the
Nordiques 19-8 and set a club record by scoring 5 times in the period to the
Nordiques' 1 to tie the game.  Gaudreau scored again at 1:16, as he took the
puck on a faceoff won by Kisio, and skated unmolested to the slot and slapped
the puck past Hextall.  Pat Falloon struck at 3:19 to cut the lead to 6-4.
Hextall and a Nordique defenseman (Wolanin?) had some communication problems,
as Hextall, intending to send the puck to his teammate, instead gave the puck
away right in front to John Carter, whose shot Hextall stopped, but Falloon
jumped out and poked the rebound by Hextall.  It appears that the Sharks rally
had been put down at 8:17, as the Nordiques struck on the power-play to widen
the lead to 7-4, as Young one-timed a Sakic pass.  Hayward stopped the hard
shot, but Ricci poked in the rebound.  However, the Sharks would not quit.
At 11:27, Gaudreau completed his second career hat trick (and the Sharks' 2nd
as well), as Kisio, stealing the puck at center ice, fed Sandis Ozolinsh on
a break-away.  Ozolinsh's shot was stopped by Hextall, but Gaudreau followed
up and put the rebound past Hextall for the goal.  Then, the Sharks moved
within 7-6 on the power-play at 13:24.  Falloon, at the left boards, was
exchanging passes with Whitney, at the left point, when he suddenly faked a
pass and instead made a shot that Hextall stopped, but Dean Evason stepped
right in front and poked the rebound past Hextall for the goal.  The Sharks
tied the game at 7-7 at 18:09, as Dave Snuggerud dug the puck free at the
left corner, and made a severe angle shot that Hextall stopped, but Mike
Sullivan then poked the rebound past Hextall.  (How many times did you hear
that tonight?)

Both teams had good chances in the overtime, as the Nordiques had two shots
and the Sharks one, but the Nordiques would eventually finally win the game
that they should have won anyway had they not had the letdown, at 4:19.  Kisio
and Sakic fought for the puck at the right boards, and Kisio finally dug it
free, but gave it away to Ricci, who sent the puck right in front to Young to
blast past Hayward, to complete *his* hat trick.

Tonight's three stars:

1.	Scott Young
2.	Mike Ricci
3.	Rob Gaudreau

Tonight's lines:

Johan Garpenlov		Kelly Kisio		Rob Gaudreau
John Carter		Dean Evason		Pat Falloon
Michel Picard		Ray Whitney		Perry Berezan
Dave Snuggerud		Mike Sullivan		Jeff Odgers

Tonight's defensive pairings:

		Tom Pederson		Rob Zettler
		Sandis Ozolinsh		Claudio Scremin
		Pat MacLeod		Doug Zmolek

Scratches:	Arturs Irbe (knee), Neil Wilkinson (back), Jayson More (knee),
	Doug Wilson (leg), David Bruce (groin), Yvon Corriveau (back),
	Lyndon Byers (foot), Larry DePalma.  All are day-to-day.

Notes:

1.	What a game.  The Sharks never gave up after falling behind 6-1,
	despite being *clearly* (and I mean *clearly*) outplayed by the
	Nordiques at that point.  Too bad it had to end in a defeat.

2.	This was the second time in as many hat tricks that Gaudreau got only
	the third star.  (Unlike the first time, though, I think Young and
	Ricci deserved the higher stars tonight.)

3.	Zettler's assist on Gaudreau's first goal was his first point this
	season, and Picard's goal was his first point as a Shark, leaving
	only Claudio Scremin as the only Shark on roster who hasn't scored a
	point.

4.	If they didn't change the assists to give Mats Sundin one afterwards,
	Sundin's 30-game point scoring streak came to an end tonight.  Pretty
	amazing streak, but it was more amazing that it would end on a night
	when the Nordiques scored 8 times.

5.	George Kingston revamped the lines again tonight, taking Sullivan off
	the Picard-Whitney line, and moving Perry Berezan there, presumably
	to slow things down a bit so that the line would check.  Nothing worked
	in the first "half", but every single line was marvelous later on.

6.	Referee Rob Shick was his normal terrible self, as he allowed some
	atrocities on both sides that even the Bosnian Serbs would be horrified
	by.  The most astounding one was by Hextall, shortly after the Evason
	goal, as Hextall brutally slashed Falloon in the face, but Falloon,
	(perhaps after some stitches) returned to the game.

7.	Arturs, we need you.  Please get well soon.

===============================================================================
"M. C. Hamrlik: Can't Touch This Lightning."
GO LOS ANGELES KINGS!  Luc Robitaille for Hart!
GO SAN JOSE SHARKS!  Sandis Ozolinsh for Calder!  Jeff Hackett for Vezina!
===============================================================================
Nelson Lu (claudius@leland.stanford.edu)
rec.sport.hockey contact for the San Jose Sharks
Newsgroups: rec.sport.hockey