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BOX SCORE
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -- The San Jose Sharks are getting back to
the fast-paced, offensive style that marked their strong start. And
once again, Owen Nolan is helping them get there.
|  | | San Jose's Gary Suter, right, knocks Colorado's Peter Forsberg, left, over top goalie Mike Vernon and to the ice. |
Nolan scored a pair of goals to extend his goal-scoring streak
to a team-record sixth game and assisted on another as the Sharks
beat the Colorado Avalanche 4-2 Wednesday night.
It was only the Sharks' fifth win in 15 games after getting off
to a franchise-best 11-6-1 start. But it came in the teams' first
meeting since Colorado ousted San Jose from the playoffs last
season.
"It's a good feeling right now," said Nolan, who leads the
league with 22 goals. "We haven't played this well in a while. For
some reason, we got away from it.
"The way we played tonight was the way we started the season,"
Nolan said. "We outworked them. We outplayed them. We outhit
them."
Nolan's empty-net score with 1:09 remaining gave him his 42nd
career multigoal game and second in a row and sealed the win for
San Jose which pulled within a point of first-place Phoenix in the
Pacific Division.
"Right now, everything that he touches is going in the net,"
said Colorado coach Bob Hartley. "Nolan is having a great season
and look where the Sharks are. You get a couple guys on a team
having a great season, you are going to have a great hockey club."
Nolan, who has already exceeded the 19 goals he scored last
season, said he's just happy his scoring is making a difference for
the Sharks.
"It's fun to score but you want to be part of a winning team,"
he said. "We battled. We got our points out there and now we've
got to continue to make use of this homestand."
The Sharks also got power-play goals from Brad Stuart and Mike
Ricci, converting two of five opportunities with the man advantage after
going a season-worst 0-8 in a 3-3 tie to Tampa Bay on Monday.
Goaltender Mike Vernon stopped 30 of 32 shots, and twice smothered
point-blank shots by Adam Deadmarsh in the final two minutes of
play.
"They look good. That's a very good team and they play
aggressively," said Colorado defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh, the
former Shark who was dealt to the Avalanche four years ago in the
trade for Nolan. "They can go a long way.
"Nolan is playing very well, shooting the puck and scoring a
lot of goals. You have to be aware of him at all times."
Stephane Yelle and Adam Foote scored for Colorado but the
Avalanche went 0-for-5 on the power play. The Avalanche entered the
game leading the league in power-play efficiency with a 27.2
percent conversion rate and had at least one power-play score in
six of their previous eight games.
Goaltender Patrick Roy, who came in with a 15-3-1 career record
against the Sharks, was denied in his bid for his 423rd career
victory. He remains one win shy of tying Tony Esposito for third
place on the NHL's all-time list.
Nolan, who has 20 points in his last 15 games and five
game-winning goals on the year, broke a 1-1 tie midway through the
second period.
Jeff Friesen set up the play with his defense, hounding Martin
Skoula into a bad pass that Nolan intercepted before winding up and
unleashing a slap shot that sent the puck whizzing into the net past
the startled Roy.
San Jose added to its lead with 1:39 left in the second on
Stuart's fifth goal of the season. Nolan sent a pass to Vincent
Damphousse, whose shot was turned away by Roy. But the rebound came
out to Stuart, positioned near the net, and he put it in for the
score.
For just the fourth time in the last 16 games, San Jose scored
first, taking the lead on Ricci's sixth goal of the season at 16:11
of the first period.
Colorado tied it at 5:38 of the second when Shjon Podein sent a
pass across the crease to Yelle, who wristed a shot past Vernon.
Foote narrowed the deficit when he scored his second goal of the
season with 4:35 remaining, taking a cross-ice pass from Chris
Drury and sending a shot rocketing past Vernon.
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San Jose Clubhouse
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RECAPS
Ottawa 0
Buffalo 0
Detroit 6
Nashville 3
NY Rangers 2
Edmonton 1
Dallas 2
Carolina 1
Florida 6
Phoenix 1
Vancouver 2
Anaheim 2
Los Angeles 4
Atlanta 0
San Jose 4
Colorado 2
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Owen Nolan glides in for the score.
avi: 995 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Stephane Yelle scores for Colorado.
avi: 943 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
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