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Setoguchi, Michalek lead Sharks past Avalanche

Nov 3, 2008 - 4:47 AM By Derek Nagy PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

DENVER (Ticker) -- Devin Setoguchi and Milan Michalek recorded two goals apiece as the San Jose Sharks posted a 5-3 victory over the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday.

Ryane Clowe added a goal and captain Patrick Marleau had two assists to notch his 550th career point for the Sharks (10-2-0), who won their fourth straight game and continued their franchise's best start.

"We're confident right now, we've won 10 games," Michalek said. "We're getting a lot of contributions from everyone and we're having a lot of fun. Hopefully it can stay like that."

San Jose goaltender Evgeni Nabokov finished with 33 saves, including 16 in the third period.

"We had a couple mental lapses here and there and it cost us the hockey game," Avalanche left wing Ryan Smyth said. "The bottom line is getting two points. You can't take a shift off, and it's important that you play every shift like it's your last. The interesting part of this game is that any team can beat anybody in any given night."

Jordan Leopold, Milan Hejduk and defenseman John-Michael Liles tallied for the Avalanche, who suffered their third straight loss after winning five in a row.

San Jose opened the scoring after Michalek blasted a shot from the middle of the left circle, which beat goaltender Peter Budaj. Skating down the ice in transition, Joe Pavelski sent a perfect cross-ice pass that hit Michalek in stride, and his blast went right over Budaj's stick side shoulder for a 1-0 advantage.

The Sharks scored again two minutes later when Setoguchi struck for his first tally of the contest. Joe Thornton skated through Colorado's zone and toward the net on Budaj's left. He then sent a pass through the middle of the crease and Setoguchi was there to punch it in.

"I went to the net, got a couple great passes from Joe and fortunately for myself, I was right there to put them in," Setoguchi said.

After scoring 11 goals in 44 contests during his rookie campaign in 2007-08, Setoguchi had seven goals in 12 games this season.

"Everyone can score," Setoguchi said. "Everyone is putting up points, and every line when they can contribute like that, it's tough for other teams to match lines. When everyone is producing, it's pretty effective for our team."

Leopold halved the deficit with 5 1/2 minutes left in the first, but Setoguchi regained San Jose's two-goal lead with just over seven minutes remaining in the following session.

After Hejduk pulled Colorado within one again, Michalek answered at the 5:44 mark of the third to give the Sharks a 4-2 lead. Jonathan Cheechoo fired a shot on goal that Budaj initially stopped, but Michalek was able to capitalize while sitting on the doorstep.

Michalek had scored just one goal on the season before Sunday.

"We're happy for the win very much," Michalek said. "We didn't play our best game, but we worked hard and stuck to our gameplan and won, so that was good for us."

Liles' strike with 6:19 remaining in the game was the last rebuttal for Colorado, which surrendered a goal to Clowe inside the final two minutes.

"You can't give a team like that that many shots and then many scoring chances," Liles said. "We kept battling, but unfortunately it wasn't quite enough. They have some big players and obviously guys like Thornton and Marleau and big players like that are never easy to contain.

"It doesn't matter how big you are, they are tremendous players. You have to give them credit."