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Ellis' first career goal lifts Red Wings past Sharks

Oct 19, 2007 - 6:33 AM By Michael Duca PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

SAN JOSE, California (Ticker) -- In their first meeting since the Detroit Red Wings ended the San Jose Sharks' quest for the Stanley Cup last season, one thing was perfectly clear - there's still no love lost between the teams.

Multiple skirmishes broke out between the teams, but while the Red Wings lost many of the battles, they won the war, defeating the Sharks, 4-2, on Thursday night.

Matt Ellis scored his first career goal and defenseman Brian Rafalski collected three assists for the Red Wings, who have won four straight meetings with the Sharks - including the 2007 Western Conference semifinals - and three consecutive games in San Jose.

"Rafalski is good," Detroit coach Mike Babcock said. "We're not surprised - that's why we signed him. He's really good defensively and a good puck-mover offensively. He knows how to play."

With the game tied at 2-2 in the third period, Rafalski intercepted a clearing pass at the blue line and feathered a bank pass to Ellis, who was pinned against the boards. The 26-year-old Ellis spun around and flipped a backhander that trickled between the legs of both defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic and goaltender Evgeni Nabokov for the go-ahead tally at 7:34.

"I heard (Jiri) Hudler and (Tomas) Kopecky yell they were going to the net, and I've learned in my six years as a pro that good things happen when you put pucks in good areas," Ellis said. "It was nice to see the replay to see how it actually got in."

The Red Wings effectively put away the game during a 5-on-3 power play midway through the session. Henrik Zetterberg held the puck for several seconds before sliding a pass through the crease to Pavel Datsyuk, who snapped it past Nabokov, extending the lead to 4-2.

San Jose opened the scoring when defenseman Kyle McLaren received the puck at the top of the right faceoff circle after a draw and snapped a cross-ice pass to Vlasic, who one-timed a shot off the end boards. Mike Grier settled the puck and slapped it past netminder Chris Osgood low to the stick side just 3:20 into the game.

"They took it to us pretty early and we got three penalties because they were playing really well, playing in our zone, forechecking really good," Osgood said. "They took it to us in the first period, that's why we got the penalties, and I thought we were lucky to get out of there down 1-0."

Much like in the playoffs, however, Detroit bounced back vigorously from the deficit. Defenseman Niklas Kronwall intercepted a pass by San Jose's Marcel Goc along the left wing boards, dropped the puck from his glove and one-timed it past Nabokov 4:37 into the second period to even the contest.

"We didn't put much pressure on them, didn't get the puck behind their defense much after the first period," San Jose coach Ron Wilson said. "We didn't respond well when they scored. We seem to be content reading our press clippings."

Less than five minutes later, with Sharks defenseman Christian Ehrhoff in the penalty box for holding, Osgood cleared the puck. Rafalski gained possession in the offensive zone and slid the puck by a defender to Zetterberg, who snapped a 50-foot shot between the pads of a screened Nabokov to put the Red Wings up, 2-1.

With 4:29 remaining in the action-packed second session, Ryane Clowe intercepted an errant pass by Zetterberg on the right wing boards and slid it to defenseman Matt Carle in the high slot. Carle slapped it through traffic low to Osgood's glove side, and Jonathan Cheechoo just got the heel of his blade on the puck, deflecting it into the net to tie the game.

Detroit right wing Dallas Drake was flattened against the end boards by McLaren in the first period and did not return. He reportedly was held out "for precautionary reasons," but no specific injury was revealed.

"I'm sure they will look me over tomorrow," said Drake, who is playing in his 15th NHL season. "I have a bad headache, but that's pretty much expected. I hit my face, my cheekbone, on the partition in the glass and I was a little woozy. It was a clean hit, we were both going for the puck."