• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Sharks get measure of revenge, down Ducks

Dec 17, 2007 - 6:22 AM By Craig Shultz PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

ANAHEIM, California (Ticker) - Sixty minutes just doesn't seem to be enough time to settle a game between the San Jose Sharks and Anaheim Ducks.

Joe Thornton converted a backhanded goal in the sixth round of the shootout to give the Sharks a hard-fought 2-1 victory over the Ducks on Sunday, ruining the return of 2007 postseason hero Scott Niedermayer.

Each of the three games between the two clubs this season has ended in a shootout, with Anaheim winning the first two meetings. Better yet, the Sharks host the Ducks twice over the next six days.

"There's always really good games against Anaheim," Thornton said. "Every game we come here or they come up to us, it's always an exciting, low-scoring game. We've been having a lot of shootouts against them, so it's nice to win this one."

"Every time we play them, it seems like a playoff atmosphere," said center Torrey Mitchell, who scored a shorthanded goal for San Jose. "We play them two more times before Christmas here, so this is a big win for us."

Niedermayer was Anaheim's captain and the MVP of the postseason as the Ducks won their first Stanley Cup last season. He missed the first two months of this season while contemplating retirement but logged over 23 minutes of ice time and recorded eight shots on goal.

"This is exactly what I expected," Niedermayer said. "It would have been great to win that game. It was an intense game and two pretty good teams playing hard. We just have to keep working and trying to build to eliminate those things. We were right there.

Niedermayer looked as if he didn't miss any time but said he has some catching up to do.

"You have an understanding that these guys have been out here battling for a long time. Somehow, I feel like I owe them a little extra," Niedermayer said. "They've been out here battling right from the start of the season and I want to come in and help them as much as I can."

Thornton, who was surprisingly the sixth choice for the Sharks in the shootout lineup, slipped a backhanded shot high to the stick side by Anaheim goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere for San Jose's third tally of the shootout.

"I had seen Patty (Patrick Marleau) go down there and go far post on (Giguere), so that is all I was thinking is go far post and kick it off the post," Thornton said. "I was lucky enough, he kind of opened that up a little bit. It went off the post and in the net. It's just one of those when you shoot and hope it goes in.

Evgeni Nabokov made 30 saves to improve his record in December to 6-2 for the Sharks, who improved to 12-3-2 on the road this season.

"We knew that it was going to be a hard game, especially with Niedermayer coming back," Nabokov said. "We knew that they were going to be all pumped up and come out hard. It was a kind of a playoff atmosphere, it was exciting. We have to get ready for the next game, it's like a mini-playoff series."

In addition to Niedermayer, Sunday also marked the debut of defenseman Doug Weight, who was acquired from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for Andy McDonald on Friday. In just over 12 minutes of ice time, he assisted on the lone Ducks' goal.

Bobby Ryan, recalled from the minors on Saturday, got the Ducks on the board first via Weight's helper. Weight streaked down the right wing side and sent a cross-ice pass to Ryan, who one-timed Nabokov to the stick side at 13:41 from the left faceoff circle.

Ryan, the No. 2 pick in the 2005 draft behind Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby, had a goal in the season opener, but was sent to Portland of the American Hockey League after appearing in just four games.

"It was nice to see Bobby score," Weight said. "We carried on some confidence and had some good chances from then on in. It was a good hockey game tonight. 'Jiggy' kept us in there. The penalty kill kept us in there and it gave us a shot to win the game."

Torrey Mitchell scored a shorthanded goal to tie the game at 5:13 of the second. It was Mitchell's first goal in 10 games, fifth of the season and third against Anaheim.

Ducks defenseman Mathieu Schnieder lost the puck at the San Jose blue line and Mitchell picked it up. With Schneider draped all over him, Mitchell fell to his knees, got up, deked and scored to the netminder's right side off a backhander.

Anaheim killed all eight San Jose power plays, including a near six-minute stretch in the middle of the second period.

"If we didn't win, it may have been a little bit frustrating," Thornton said of the power play failures. "But we got our chances to stick one in the back of the net and we got our two points."