Sharks moving on
SAN JOSE, Calif. — After receiving the brunt of the criticism as San Jose squandered three chances to close out the Detroit Red Wings, Patrick Marleau ended up with the game-winning goal and much of the credit when the Sharks finally made it through the second round.
Marleau got his first point of the series when he knocked home a rebound with 7:47 to play and then made the key defensive play in the closing seconds as the Sharks avoided a major collapse by beating the Detroit Red Wings 3-2 Thursday night in Game 7 of their Western Conference semifinal series.
“He’s a world-class player,” coach Todd McLellan said. “He’s won in a lot of pressure situations. We believe in him that much. He was a difference maker tonight.”
Devin Setoguchi and Logan Couture scored in the first period and Antti Niemi made 38 saves for the Sharks, who had lost three straight potential clinching games before eliminating the Red Wings for the second straight year in the second round.
San Jose avoided becoming the fourth NHL team to lose a series after winning the first three games. A franchise known for its playoff flops avoided a colossal one and now heads into its second straight Western Conference final.
“There’s a lot of doubters who said we probably couldn’t do this,” captain Joe Thornton said. “But that’s two years in a row we beat a pretty good team. We’re a pretty good team now, too.”
The Sharks get two days off before beginning the conference final Sunday in Vancouver.
