Hawks Bitten By Sharks In OT
(WSCR) - The Blackhawks faced their former goalie Antti Niemi Saturday night in San Jose. Both teams only scored in the first period before going into overtime.
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) Ryane Clowe scored his second goal of the game 3:52 into overtime to give the San Jose Sharks a 2-1 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday night.
Clowe one-timed a pass from Marc-Edouard Vlasic to the inside corner past goalie Corey Crawford, whose seven-game winning streak ended.
Antti Niemi stopped 28 shots to beat his former team, the defending Stanley Cup champions, for the second time this season.
Jordan Hendry scored for the Blackhawks, who lost for the second time in seven games since their last meeting in San Jose on Nov. 24 - a 5-2 Sharks victory.
Crawford made 28 saves, but failed to tie a rookie franchise record for consecutive wins.
Both teams entered having each scored 18 goals in their previous five games.
Niemi and Crawford were up to the task, and the teams combined for only six penalty minutes.
Clowe's goal gave the Sharks an early lead midway through the first period. He one-timed a pass from Jason Demers into the upper left corner. Clowe has points in six of seven games.
Hendry, who played for the first time in 14 games, took advantage by scoring his first goal off an assist from Jake Dowell. Hendry flared the puck, but it found a hole between Niemi's left skate and the post.
Crawford stopped a point-blank shot from Patrick Marleau to keep the game tied midway through the third period.
Notes: Chicago D Jassen Cullimore and C Dave Bolland returned after missing a practice. ... Vlasic has three assists in two games after going scoreless through the first 27 games of the season. ... Clowe was named the Sharks' player of the month for November. ... Blackhawks F John Scott assisted on Hendry's goal, his first point in 21 games. ... The Blackhawks had eight goals in their previous 24 power plays before getting shut out on two opportunities against the Sharks.
Updated December 12, 2010
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