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Sharks sweep Canucks

May 8, 2013 - 6:49 AM San Jose, CA (Sports Network) - Patrick Marleau's power-play goal with 6:42 left in overtime secured San Jose's first-ever sweep of a seven-game series, as the Sharks downed the Vancouver Canucks, 4-3, at HP Pavilion to advance to the Western Conference semifinals on Tuesday.

Vancouver forward Daniel Sedin was whistled for a borderline boarding call at the 13:03 mark of the extra session and the Sharks quickly cashed in, as Joe Thornton rifled a shot from the high slot that Cory Schneider fought off.

Schneider wasn't able to secure the rebound however, and the puck trickled to the low left side, where Marleau pounded it home to send the Sharks into the second round.

"I was just going to the net and found some garbage again and was able to put it in the back (of the net)," Marleau said of his game winner.

Joe Pavelski potted a pair of goals in regulation, including the game-tying goal with 4:27 remaining to force overtime. Brent Burns also lit the lamp, while Thornton added a trio of helpers for the Sharks, who received 32 saves from Antti Niemi.

Alexandre Burrows and Mason Raymond recorded a goal and an assist apiece, while Alexander Edler scored once for Vancouver, which suffered its second straight first-round exit. Schneider stopped 43-of-47 shots in defeat.

"You've got to give credit where credit is due, San Jose played great hockey," Vancouver coach Alain Vigneault admitted. "Their power play gave them momentum and we weren't good enough."

San Jose led 2-1 after 40 minutes, but the Canucks scored twice in just under two minutes near the midpoint of the third to seize control.

A roughing penalty against San Jose center Andrew Desjardins eight minutes into the final frame helped set up the first marker, as Burrows buried a one- timer from in front off a nice backhand feed from Sedin to knot the score at the 9:12 mark.

Just 1:50 later, Edler let fly a slapper from the high slot that sailed high over the blocker side of Niemi to give the Canucks a 3-2 lead.

The Sharks answered on a power play of their own at the 15:33 mark after Kevin Bieksa went off for cross-checking with 5:01 left in the contest.

On the ensuing man-advantage, Logan Couture poked a rebound away from Schneider at the low left side and the disc squirted to the low right side, where Pavelski buried it into the back of the net to tie the game.

Just over 13 minutes into the extra session, Sedin checked Tommy Wingels into the boards deep in the San Jose end. Sedin appeared to get Wingels from the side, but the San Jose center went awkwardly into the boards, causing the officials to issue a boarding minor on Sedin that set up Marleau's series- clinching goal.

"It's playoff overtime and it was shoulder to shoulder," Sedin said of the penalty. "I thought it was a bad call. We didn't lose the series on that call. We should have been better early on."

The Sharks struck first on Burns' tip-in just 2:41 into the contest, but the Canucks answered 5:13 later when Dan Hamhuis' shot from the high slot was deflected in off the stick of Raymond.

With the Sharks on a power play late in the first period, Pavelski buried a long rebound from just inside the right circle to send the Sharks into the second with a 2-1 advantage.

Game Notes

Sedin was issued a game-misconduct for abusive language following his boarding minor in overtime ... These teams met just once before in the playoffs, with the Canucks taking the Western Conference final series in 2011 in a five-game victory ... Vancouver was the top-seeded team in the West last spring when it was eliminated in the opening round by Los Angeles ... The Canucks have lost 10 of their last 11 playoff games since taking a 3-2 lead over the Boston Bruins in the Stanley Cup Finals two years ago ... It was the first time the Canucks were swept in a best-of-seven series since losing four straight to Colorado in the opening round of the 2001 playoffs ... San Jose won all three regular-season encounters against Vancouver.