Feb 2, 2008 7:34 pm US/Central
Sharks Beat Blackhawks 3-2
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) ―
Jeremy Roenick scored the winner in the fifth round of the shootout, and Evgeni Nabokov stopped four of Chicago's five attempts to seal the San Jose Sharks' 10th consecutive win over the Blackhawks, 3-2 Saturday.
Nabokov made 19 saves for the Sharks, who earned their fourth victory in five games with regulation goals from Jonathan Cheechoo and Marc-Edouard Vlasic. Craig Rivet and Joe Thornton had two assists apiece for the Sharks, who haven't lost to the Blackhawks since Oct. 7, 2005.
Nikolai Khabibulin, who's winless in 10 straight appearances since Dec. 26, made 37 regulation saves, but couldn't prevent Roenick from lifting a shot over his pads in the fifth round. Nabokov then stopped Cameron Barker to win San Jose's opener in a six-game homestand.
Duncan Keith tied it for Chicago early in the third period, moments after Vlasic put the Sharks ahead with his first goal of the season. Patrick Sharp also scored for the Blackhawks, who are winless in four straight.
The Sharks got both a rare shootout victory and their third straight home win, finally boosting their record at the Shark Tank above .500 (12-11-1-3). San Jose has been among the NHL's least successful clubs in shootouts since they were instituted in 2005, going 6-12.
Chicago made its second trip to the Shark Tank in 12 days, and had several chances to win late despite getting thoroughly outshot in the second stop of a season-long seven-game road trip. Rookie Patrick Kane had the best scoring chance in overtime when he turned the corner on Vlasic, but Nabokov stopped him.
Jody Shelley made his debut with San Jose four days after the Sharks acquired the feared enforcer from Columbus for a draft pick in 2009. Shelley played sparingly, and didn't mix it up despite chippy play by both clubs.
The Blackhawks went ahead with 70 seconds left in the first period when Sharp tipped home Barker's shot for his 23rd goal. The Sharks tied it during a two-man advantage early in the second, with Cheechoo pounding home a pass from Thornton for his 11th goal of a season that's been disappointing so far for the 2006 Richard Trophy winner.
Vlasic put the Sharks ahead early in the third period with his first goal of the season on another pass from Thornton. Though Vlasic has developed steadily into one of the NHL's most promising young defensemen, he hadn't found the net since last Feb. 28, 2007 against Nashville.
Keith tied it less than 2 minutes later with a long shot through traffic -- but seconds before the goal, Chicago got away with an offside puck when Keith bobbled a pass at the blue line. Replays showed the puck barely sliding out of the San Jose zone.
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