From: nlu@Xenon.Stanford.EDU (Nelson Lu)
Subject: Sharks lose to Oilers 4-2
Organization: Computer Science Department, Stanford University.
Date: Thu, 24 Dec 1992 05:45:04 GMT

Wednesday, December 23, 6:30 P. M. (7:30 P. M. MST) at the Northlands Coliseum:

The Sharks played very poorly in the first period, and couldn't make it back
despite great effort in the third period, as the Oilers scored 4 unanswered
goals in the first two periods and then held on to the 4-2 win.  Bill Ranford
played an excellent game as he stopped 34 of 36 San Jose shots, including some
that appeared to be sure goals in the third period, to preserve the win.  Jeff
Hackett dropped his 13th straight game, stopping 28 of 32 Edmonton shots.
The Sharks lost their 13th straight game, which ties a franchise record, and
haven't won since losing goalie Arturs Irbe to a knee injury.

The Oilers jumped on the board very quickly, as they out-shot the Sharks 13-6
in the first period, and scored just 25 seconds into the game, as Geoff Smith,
blocking a Kelly Kisio shot, skated up ice and fed Petr Klima (along with
Craig Simpson and Bernie Nicholls) on a 3-on-1, and Klima, skating down the
right side, ripped a hard shot past Hackett.  The lead became 2-0 just 1:05
into the game, as Martin Gelinas, off a face-off won by Esa Tikkanen to the
left of Hackett, skated to the left boards and centered it in front to
Tikkanen, who faked the shot and instead sent it to the right circle to Scott
Mellanby, who ripped the shot past Hackett.  The Oilers extended their lead to
3-0 at 16:50, as, after Hackett made a pair of excellent saves on him, Gelinas
took the puck and skated to the right corner, and as he skated back out, he
centered it right in front to Mellanby, who one-timed his pass past Hackett.

The Sharks began to do some work on Ranford in the second period, as they out-
shot the Oilers 10-6, but could not get anything past Ranford, and late in the
period, the Oilers extended their lead to 4-0, at 17:17.  Off a Smith pass at
center ice, Klima skated down the right side on an 1-on-1, and he skated into
the corner, waited until Hackett committed, and then ripped a shot from a
severe angle that bounced off the left post and into the net.

The Sharks then came out bombarding Ranford in the third period, as they out-
shot the Oilers 20-13 in the period, but Ranford was instrumental in preserving
the victory, as he made a number of excellent stops.  For example, on one play,
he stopped a hard shot by Doug Wilson that threatened to trickle through, and
then stopped David Bruce on the rebound, and on another he, after stopping a
Pat Falloon shot, then, while screened by Falloon, stopped a Neil Wilkinson
wrap around shot.  But he could not deny Rob Gaudreau on the power-play, as
Gaudreau, playing the point on the power-play for the first time, struck at
9:33.  Off a face-off won by Kisio, the puck went back to the right point to
Wilson, who slipped the pass to the left point to Gaudreau, who one-timed the
Wilson pass, and bounced it off Ranford's glove, and it trickled in behind
Ranford.  Gaudreau struck again from the point position on the power-play at
15:22, as Johan Garpenlov dig the puck free in the right corner, sent the puck
back to Gaudreau, who sent the puck to Wilson at the left point and one-timed
Wilson's return pass past a screened Ranford.  The Sharks tried hard in the
final moments to get the puck past Ranford, but the best attempt, a point blank
shot by Falloon, was stopped by Ranford's glove.

Tonight's three stars:

1.	Scott Mellanby
2.	Bill Ranford
3.	Petr Klima

Tonight's lines:

Johan Garpenlov		Kelly Kisio		Rob Gaudreau
Mark Pederson		Mike Sullivan		Pat Falloon
Michel Picard		Dean Evason		Jeff Odgers
David Bruce		Ray Whitney		Perry Berezan

Tonight's defensive pairings:

		Sandis Ozolinsh		Neil Wilkinson
		Doug Wilson		Doug Zmolek
		Tom Pederson		Rob Zettler

Scratches:	Arturs Irbe (knee), Yvon Corriveau (back), Jayson More (groin),
	Pat MacLeod, Lyndon Byers, Larry DePalma, John Carter.  More
	apparently injured his groin against the Winnipeg Jets, and was rested,
	although he probably could have played in an emergency.

Notes:

1.	Gaudreau looked great on the point of the power-play, as that was not
	an unfamiliar position for him to be; he played defense for two years
	at Providence College.  If it goes well...  Maybe the Sharks can think
	about letting him playing D on a full-time basis?

2.	Wilson returned tonight after missing 6 games with a combination of
	a leg contusion and a sore back, and is said to be still playing hurt.

===============================================================================
"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