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Sharks score nine straight goals to trounce Red Wings

Jan 5, 2007 - 8:18 AM SAN JOSE, California (Ticker) -- The rout was on early against Evgeni Nabokov. The San Jose Sharks turned the tables on Dominik Hasek in record fashion.

Patrick Marleau had a goal and three assists and Joe Thornton set up four tallies as the Sharks rallied from a three-goal deficit with nine straight en route to a 9-4 triumph over the Detroit Red Wings.

Entering with a four-game winning streak and victories in 13 of their previous 17 contests, the Red Wings got to Nabokov quickly, scoring three times on 12 shots in the first 11:20 of the first period. However, the tide turned in the Sharks' favor in a big way shortly thereafter.

Rookie defenseman Josh Gorges began the onslaught with his first career goal with 5:36 to go in the opening session, and San Jose tallied four times in each of the next two periods for a shocking 9-3 cushion. The nine consecutive goals set a franchise record, as did the six power-play tallies scored by the Sharks.

"I don't think I've ever seen a game like that," Marleau said. "I've been in games where we came back before, but never with that many goals."

In going 6-for-9 on the power play, the Sharks improved to 16-for-29 over their last three meetings with the Red Wings.

"I don't understand, to be honest with you," San Jose coach Ron Wilson said. "It's just one of those nights. Two things have to happen - one, your power play is having a good night, and two, their penalty kill is having an off-night. Then you get 6-of-9, and that's pretty phenomenal."

"I wish it was like that against other teams," Marleau added.

Hasek yielded a career-high eight of the goals before being pulled, the most he has surrendered since giving up six at San Jose on March 15, 2000.

"We were up, 3-1, after the first and everything was fine," the six-time Vezina Trophy winner said. "All of a sudden, they scored power-play goals and we fell apart completely. ... You cannot win if you give up six power-play goals."

Marleau assisted on the first of Mike Grier's two tallies six minutes into the third for his 452nd point, passing Owen Nolan for the franchise lead. The captain then netted his 205th tally, climbing within one of Nolan for first place on the club's all-time list.

"It's always nice to get a record like this one tonight," Marleau said. "Especially when it comes with a win. It's a lot nicer."

Ryane Clowe scored twice and rookie Joe Pavelski and defenseman Christian Ehrhoff each had a goal and an assist for San Jose, which had lost five of its previous eight games.

"If you look around the league, it was one of those nights," Wilson said. "Boston was leading, (2-1), and the Maple Leafs scored (nine) straight goals. Edmonton, they had a 4-1 lead and Dallas scored four straight, then Edmonton tied it with two seconds to play.

"It's weird how some nights, that's what happens. Fortunately, our guys didn't give up."

Tomas Holmstrom netted a power-play goal for the Red Wings, who have not dropped two in a row since a five-game skid from November 18-25.

"It's like two (different) games," Detroit coach Mike Babcock said. "They had their way with us and we had our way with them early, but the bottom line is, we couldn't keep it up. After the first period, we didn't win any of the battles anymore. We just didn't do anything, and our penalty kill has been so good lately, they shot it in our net at will."

Jiri Hudler gave Detroit a 1-0 lead at 3:18 of the first period and Holmstrom doubled it with a power-play tally less than six minutes later before Jason Williams scored on a breakaway with 8:40 remaining for a three-goal bulge.

"I think everybody was still focused on playing hard and getting back into the game," Marleau said.

Gorges got San Jose on the board with a shot from the left point that found its way past Hasek, and Jonathan Cheechoo made it a one-goal game at 4:53 of the second with a wrister from the right faceoff circle during a power play.

"I'll take 'em any way I can get 'em," Gorges said. "Banked off the back of Hasek's stick. I'd like to say I meant to do that, but actually, I was just trying to get the puck through behind the first guy. The puck was actually going wide. I thought Grier tipped it when it went off the front. I didn't even know it went off Hasek's stick. It was a lucky bounce, but I'll take it."

"It was good to get that first goal," Grier said. "One of the things we were saying on the bench is to try to get one before we go in (for intermission), get a little bit of momentum and start to feel good about ourselves. We were able to do that. It was a big goal by Gorges, his first goal, and it was an important one for us."

Clowe tallied 83 seconds later, and Ehrhoff and Pavelski scored less than three minutes apart late in the period to put the Sharks ahead, 5-3. Grier beat Hasek with a one-timer from the right circle at 6:03 of the third and Marleau cashed in during a 5-on-3 advantage 83 seconds afterward for a 7-3 lead.

Grier completed his 10th career multi-goal game and ended Hasek's night with 8:22 left and Clowe finished the first two-tally effort of his career against Chris Osgood less than four minutes later.

"It was a good response by the group," Grier said. "It's just character, to show the way we bounced back. No one put their heads down, like we did in Phoenix (in an 8-0 loss on December 30). Tonight, we dug in and got better as the game went on."

"I did not want to change," Hasek said. "I was frustrated, but you feel like you want to stay in and hope you're going to make some saves, and all of a sudden, there is the next power play and you give up the next goal, so it was like, 'Seven is enough, I have to stop something,' and they scored after one save. It's almost funny."

Vesa Toskala made 17 saves in relief of Nabokov to pick up the win.

"I changed goalies for the psychological effect," Wilson said. "Not that I thought Nabby was doing anything wrong, we just needed to change the momentum."