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Cheechoo scores shootout clincher as Sharks top Capitals

Feb 22, 2007 - 4:55 AM WASHINGTON (Ticker) -- With the game on the line, the San Jose Sharks turned to sharpshooter Jonathan Cheechoo to settle matters.

Cheechoo netted the shootout clincher and Patrick Rissmiller and Matt Carle added goals in regulation as the San Jose Sharks rallied for a 3-2 victory over the Washington Capitals.

San Jose bounced back from a two-goal deficit to snap a three-game losing streak by posting their 10th consecutive victory over Washington dating to February 20, 1999.

"We just had the stick-to-itiveness tonight," Sharks coach Ron Wilson said. "That's a good sign in your team, especially when it's been struggling. It could have been easy to throw up a white towel. It was close by, trust me, the white towel. The heat (is) on and we have to perform better."

"We can't afford to fall behind," Cheechoo said. "Our goal is to still win the division, and we had to end the skid sometime, and no better time than now. We have to build a winning streak now and try to keep this going."

The reigning Maurice Richard Trophy winner, Cheechoo ended the game in the third round of the shootout when he placed a backhander inside the left post past netminder Brent Johnson.

"I was waiting to see what (Johnson) did," Cheechoo said. "If he didn't move, I was just going to shoot because he's standing up. When he went down, he takes away a lot of the net, so I tried to move over for a better angle. All I had to do was get it over his pad because goalies have a hard time moving laterally when they go down."

"Four-on-four, we were all over them in the overtime, and I was just hoping that either (Alexander Semin or Alex Ovechkin) would come through again," Johnson said. "But you can't rely on them every night. It's a team effort. Eventually, it's going to go to a shootout and I've got to get a little better in the shootouts."

Matt Pettinger opened the shootout by scoring for Washington before Joe Pavelski evened the session when his second-round shot made it inside the right goalpost.

"It's a little different feeling," Pavelski said. "Some guys like to shoot. Some guys like to deke. Some guys will throw it in on you. That's what (Cheechoo) did. That was a great move."

"We've got so much firepower," Cheechoo said. "(Evgeni) Nabokov made a great save on (Ovechkin in the second round), the poke check. That's all he needed to stop one and feel good about himself."

Defenseman Shaone Morrisonn scored his first goal in 43 games and Brian Sutherby added his fifth of the campaign 49 seconds later in the opening period to give the Capitals a 2-0 lead.

Rissmiller netted his fifth tally with 2:58 of the first session before Carle tied the score for the Sharks when he knocked in his second rebound attempt of Cheechoo's shot at 5:49 of the third.

"The puck had kind of an awkward spin on it when I was looking at it coming," Pavelski said of the tying goal. "I tried to hit it, and it kind of ramped off the stick. ... That's the kind of goal we're going to have to make down the stretch. It's not going to be first shot, second shot. It's going to be third shot, fourth shot. You have to be tough."

Nabokov made 24 saves and evened his record at 13-13-0 for the Sharks, who have split the first six contests of an eight-game road trip.

Johnson stopped 35 shots for Washington, which has lost its last five games and is 4-11-3 in its last 18 contests.

"We're a pretty positive group," Capitals coach Glen Hanlon said. "Focus on the positives. We keep on trying to emphasize the things that we do well. We keep on correcting mistakes. It's a group that works hard. They've got great leadership in there."