San Jose, Calif. – Three times in the first period, it was the NHL’s best power play against the league’s 24th-best penalty-killing unit. For the San Jose Sharks, cashing in on the Avalanche’s troika of penalties was like Tiger Woods with a 1- footer, or Roger Clemens with an 0-2 count on the opposing pitcher at the plate.
San Jose’s two early power-play goals were too much for the Avs to overcome in the Sharks’ 3-1 victory at sold-out HP Pavilion on Monday night. Despite another brilliant performance by goalie Peter Budaj, the Avs couldn’t steal a win as they did Saturday against Anaheim.
Jonathan Cheechoo and Patrick Marleau scored power-play goals in the game’s first 10 minutes, and Joe Thornton added another man-advantage goal in the third period – not long after Joe Sakic got the Avs to within 2-1 with a power-play goal of his own.
The Sharks outshot Colorado 21-10 in the first period, with the shots 20-5 at one point.
“We were awful in the first,” Avs defenseman Brett Clark said. “If it wasn’t for ‘Boods,’ the score would have been way worse than it was. As a PK, we have to bear down better. We gave them too many chances in the slot, which we knew that was what they were looking for.”
The Avs looked helpless against San Jose’s top-rated power play. The 21 shots were the most Colorado has allowed in a period this season; Marleau had six. A roughing penalty by veteran Ian Laperriere led to Cheechoo’s marker, at 7:03, then Marleau converted after rookie Kyle Cumiskey’s hooking minor to make it 2-0 at 9:32.
“The first period must have been our worst period of the year,” Laperriere said. “We didn’t show up in the first, and it hurt us.”
Said Avs coach Joel Quenneville, “We were awful in the first, but that’s also as well as I’ve seen a team play against us this year in the first. Their top guys were real good. (Budaj) was the only reason we were still alive.”
Thanks to the Slovakian netminder, the Avs hung tough to make it a game.
With his father, Marijan, watching from the stands and celebrating his 65th birthday, Sakic fired a wicked wrist shot past Sharks goalie Evgeni Nabokov to make it 2-1 midway through the third.
But Avalanche momentum was stopped when veteran Pierre Turgeon was called for hooking, and Thornton took advantage. Thornton beat Budaj with a shot to the near post, after Budaj had made a couple of top-notch saves. He was trying to slide back into near-side position when Thornton sneaked a shot in.
“I was just a little late getting there,” Budaj said. “They played well. We had some chances, but (Nabokov) made some good saves, too.”
The Avs allowed 82 shots in the two-game Pacific Division road swing. The effect of having three regular defensemen (John-Michael Liles, Patrice Brisebois and Jordan Leopold) on injured reserve seems to be taking a toll, but Clark wouldn’t hear of it.
“We’ve got good enough guys in this dressing room, that’s not an excuse,” he said. “All I can say about tonight is, thank goodness for (Budaj). But we’ve got to be a lot better in front of him.”
Staff writer Adrian Dater can be reached at 303-954-1360 or adater@denverpost.com.
