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Nabokov, Setoguchi lift Sharks past Stars

Feb 24, 2009 - 4:51 AM DALLAS (Ticker) -- Evgeni Nabokov was perfect, even if he did not believe that he was.

Devin Setoguchi scored nearly eight minutes into the third period to snap a scoreless tie and Nabokov turned aside all 29 shots he faced as the San Jose Sharks recorded a 1-0 triumph over the Dallas Stars on Monday in a battle of Pacific Division rivals.

Ryane Clowe and defenseman Christian Ehrhoff were credited with an assist apiece for San Jose, which has won four in a row.

Nabokov stopped 11 shots in the first period, eight in the second and 10 in the third to notch his fifth shutout of the season and 45th career.

"It wasn't an easy game, it wasn't a perfect game, but it was good enough to win," Nabokov said.

"(Nabokov was) fabulous. He was the first, second and third star in my opinion," San Jose coach Todd McLellan said. "He allowed us to escape with the point."

With the victory, the 33-year-old Russian claimed his seven straight regular-season triumph in Dallas.

"Nabby was playing great," Clowe said. "They had six or seven scoring chances in the first period. He did a good job making some plays with the puck, especially when they were coming hard on the forecheck.

"We don't want to have to make him work that much."

The Sharks have outscored the Stars, 12-4, en route to winning all four games between the teams this season.

Marty Turco made his 30th consecutive start and turned aside 23 shots for Dallas, which fell to 9-3-1 in its last 13 at the American Airlines Center.

"You deserve a better fate, you walk away understanding that this style of play is just necessary," Turco said. "Hopefully, we can build momentum, despite losing."

"The effort was what we need every night, a complete effort from everyone," Stars coach Dave Tippett said. "We did some real good things, but we didn't execute well enough. We didn't score a goal and you can't win without goals."

Setoguchi netted the game's lone goal 7:55 into the third period.

The eighth overall pick of the 2005 draft, Setoguchi accepted a brilliant feed from Clowe and wristed a shot from the right faceoff circle past Turco for his 25th goal of the season.

"I saw 'Seto' up the middle. I thought he caught (defenseman Darryl) Sydor kind of flat-footed," Clowe said.

"I saw (Sydor). He kind of stopped at the blue line," Setoguchi said. "I had to make a quick move, and once I did, I could get by him. He could see one of my teammates coming, and that made him indecisive on the blue line."

McLellan credited Setoguchi's work ethic as to why he is having so much success this season.

"Devin's been a very effective player for us," McLellan said. "It's not just his goal scoring. He's worked as hard as anybody coming back on the backcheck. It's physical attention to scrums that allow him to be good."

Defenseman Stephane Robidas attempted to level the contest nearly three minutes later, but his wrist shot caromed off the goalpost.