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Rissmiller atones for Sharks' third-period collapse

Apr 12, 2007 - 6:11 AM NASHVILLE, Tennessee (Ticker) -- Patrick Rissmiller gave the San Jose Sharks a victory they should have had more than an hour earlier.

Rissmiller scored 8:14 into the second overtime as the Sharks rebounded from a tough third period to post a 5-4 triumph over the Nashville Predators in their Western Conference quarterfinals opener.

Game Two is Friday at Nashville Arena.

The Sharks, who eliminated the Predators in five games in last year's quarterfinal matchup, netted three straight goals in the second period to erase a deficit and carry a 4-2 lead into the third. But Nashville battled back as rookie Alexander Radulov and J.P. Dumont each scored his second of the contest in the latter stages of the period, forcing overtime.

"We battled through," Radulov said. "Of course, we're not happy about the loss, but I think we are a good team. ... We just have to regroup and play more disciplined and not take a lot of penalties."

"We let a very good team back into the game," Sharks defenseman Craig Rivet said. "You have to give them credit, they took it to us in the third period."

Dumont's tally came with 50.4 seconds remaining.

After nothing was decided after 20 extra minutes, the game went to a second overtime. Rissmiller, who recorded an assist earlier in the night, made sure a third was not needed.

"Patrick Rissmiller wore the goat horns on goal four (by Nashville," Sharks coach Ron Wilson said. "He persevered and managed to make up for it."

As Patrick Marleau carried the puck, Rissmiller skated past defenseman Marek Zidlicky in the left faceoff circle. The Sharks captain slid a pass by Zidlicky to Rissmiller, who slipped the puck past goaltender Tomas Vokoun from the bottom of the circle for his third career playoff goal.

"It's nice, but to win the game is the most important thing," Rissmiller said. "I saw Patty with it, so I just cut behind the D and Patty made a (heck) of a pass there. As soon as I got it, I knew that I had to shoot it right away. I tried to get it upstairs, I know he goes down. When you get it on net, good things happen."

"I was able to make a play to Riss," Marleau said. "He was able to make a great play."

Rivet and Mike Grier each had a tally and an assist and Joe Thornton set up a pair of goals for the Sharks, who received a 39-save performance from Evgeni Nabokov.

"Playoff hockey is about good goaltending," said Rivet, who was acquired from Montreal on February 25. "Since I've been here, he's been fantastic."

Blue-liner Shea Weber set up two tallies and Vokoun made 33 saves for Nashville, which was participating in the first overtime playoff game in franchise history.

"It was a good effort," Vokoun said. "Coming back in the playoffs from two goals down, it's a good effort. Both teams played hard, they were just a little bit lucky at the end."

Despite gaining the victory, the Sharks lost high-scoring right wing Jonathan Cheechoo, who left the game nine minutes into the second period with a knee injury. Cheechoo, who won the Maurice Richard Trophy last year with 56 goals and scored 37 this season, was skating in the neutral zone before Scott Hartnell inadvertently delivered a knee-on-knee check.

"It was an unfortunate accident," Hartnell said. "I was going after him to try to finish my check and he was trying to get out of the way. His leg was just out there and it could have hurt me as bad as it hurt him. I think it will show in the video that it was pretty clean. I was going to hit him in the upper body and I didn't stick out my knee to get a piece of him."

Cheechoo was helped to the locker room and did not return, while Hartnell was given a five-minute kneeing major and game misconduct. According to Wilson, the knee injury was not the only damage done to his leading goal-scorer.

"It was a two-part attack," Wilson said. "It was an elbow to the mouth that knocked a tooth out, and the knee-on-knee contact. You've got two of the worst things we have in hockey - a head shot and a knee-on-knee. If that's not trying to hurt somebody, I don't know what is.

"Fortunately, both referees saw it and they removed Hartnell from the game. That's an intent to injure with an injury sustained. I don't think you can get it any worse than that."

Nashville coach Barry Trotz disagreed with his counterpart.

"Did (Hartnell) stick his knee out? No," Trotz said. "It's unfortunate when anybody gets hurt in the game, but looking at it, I thought it was a pretty clean hit. I mean, they did collide knee-on-knee, but there was no sticking out of the knee."

Mark Bell nearly put San Jose ahead 56 seconds into the contest, but his goal was negated by Bill Guerin's interference penalty. However, the Sharks did open the scoring as defenseman Matt Carle's pass attempt to Milan Michalek from the left faceoff circle caromed off the skate of Predators blue-liner Ryan Suter and past Vokoun at 7:18 of the opening period.

Radulov drew Nashville even at 2:35 of the second, beating Nabokov to the stick side with a wrist shot after receiving a back pass in the right circle from Peter Forsberg. Dumont made it 2-1 just 81 seconds later, chipping in Jason Arnott's feed from behind the net.

Grier tied it at 5:31 with his 11th career playoff goal, converting a backhand pass from the left corner by Rissmiller, and Rivet put the Sharks ahead during a 5-on-3 power play with 7:03 to go with a one-timer from the top of the left circle.

Michalek completed San Jose's outburst with 4:08 remaining, firing a shot over Vokoun's right shoulder from low in the left circle.

Radulov began Nashville's comeback with 6:55 left in the third. Skating down the right wing, the 20-year-old Russian went around defenseman Kyle McLaren and beat Nabokov to the far side.

"I thought he was outstanding," Trotz said. "First playoff game, obviously the great move on the one goal, that was classic. He was real good, he was dangerous, he had numerous scoring chances."

Dumont forged a 4-4 tie when he tipped Weber's one-timer from the blue line just inside the right goalpost.

Nabokov kept the contest even in the first overtime, stopping Jordin Tootoo on a breakaway chance with 6:43 remaining.

"In playofftime, you need some big saves," Marleau said. "(Nabokov) made a big save on the breakaway in the first overtime. That kept us in the game."

"Nabby made some huge saves, especially on that bad change in the first overtime," Wilson added. "He made a great breakaway save on Tootoo. He made three or four others that he didn't see, but he stopped because he was in good position."