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Niedermayer, Ducks hold off Sharks

Feb 7, 2007 - 7:39 AM SAN JOSE, California (Ticker) -- Rob Niedermayer and the Anaheim Ducks earned a big win, but it wasn't easy.

Travis Moen scored twice and Niedermayer added a goal and two assists as the Ducks jumped out to a huge lead and held off the Sharks, 7-4, in the first of a home-and home series. The clubs meet again on Wednesday in Anaheim.

The first-place Ducks increased their lead over the Sharks to five points in the Pacific Division.

We played well for 40 minutes, and that's the bottom line," Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle said. "We didn't do enough for 60, but we were fortunate enough tonight that we had a big enough lead. We started to stand around, and they came at us with a lot more pinching. We started turning the puck over. We got a couple of penalties.

"That's the way the momentum can change in the new NHL. It very quickly changed from one way to another."

The Ducks have won three of their last four while the Sharks are 1-3-1 in their last five starts.

"Obviously, this was a big game for us," San Jose right wing Jonathan Cheechoo said. "It was a chance to try to catch them in the standings, and we let that slip away. We've just got to regroup for tomorrow, come out and make sure we don't fall too far behind. We have to come out with a good solid effort."

Niedermayer scored an unassisted tally at 11:51 of the second period to give Anaheim a 4-1 lead. After Dustin Penner gave the Ducks a 5-1 lead at 16:16, Niedermayer set up Moen's second goal which gave the Ducks a seemingly commanding 6-1 advantage.

"A better start, that's what we were looking for," Moen said. "We wanted to crash and bang and shoot lots of pucks. I think we did that."

Trailing by five goals entering the third period, the Sharks stormed back when Patrick Marleau sliced the deficit to 6-2 at 1:19 and Cheechoo scored twice in under two minutes later in the frame to make it 6-4.

"In the third there, we had enough chances," Marleau said. "We could have tied it up. We shouldn't have had to score that many goals in the third, but it was a good effort in the third."

"At least in the third we recovered some pride, and we played hard and got rewarded," San Jose coach Ron Wilson said. "We have something to build on for tomorrow night. That's about all I can take out of the game."

Anaheim's Ryan Getzlaf iced the win with an unassisted empty-net goal at 18:23.

Samuel Pahlsson and Andy McDonald also scored for the Ducks while goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere recorded 34 saves.

"It was good to see that kind of support," Giguere said. "Whenever you score six, seven goals, you should win games. Even though in the third we didn't play the way we wanted, I think we played good enough overall that we got the win."

Mike Grier scored for San Jose and Vesa Toskala made 24 saves in absorbing just his third loss in his last 10 starts.

"You know what? It doesn't really mean much unless we follow it up with a big game tomorrow," Niedermayer said. "Everything is so tight in our division, every game seems like it's huge. Even now. We know it's a big game tomorrow."