San Jose 4, Dallas 2
Patrick: 6 shots on goal, Game winning goal & 1 assist, plus 1, second game star
31 December 2006
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Marleau Makes The Move
Joe Thornton scored his 200th career goal and added two assists to help the Sharks snap a three-game losing streak with a 4-2 victory over the Dallas Stars on Sunday night.
Joe Pavelski, Jonathan Cheechoo and Patrick Marleau also had first-period goals for the Sharks, coming off a season-worst 8-0 road loss to the Phoenix Coyotes on Saturday night.
"We had a lot to talk about, mainly about effort," Pavelski said.
Coach Ron Wilson had a lengthy game-day tape session with his players and the emphasis was on defense.
"First of all, scoring the first goal for the first time in a long time was huge for us," Wilson said. "Last night we were down 3-0 after the first period. Tonight we get a three-goal lead with the same effort."
Vesa Toskala made 21 saves for the Sharks, who have 52 points, two more than the Stars, for second place in the Pacific Division.
Sergei Zubov and Niklas Hagman scored for the injury-depleted Stars, who had won four of their previous five.
Out for the Stars were left wing Brenden Morrow (severed tendons in his right wrist), center Eric Lindros (upper body injury), and their most skilled offensive player, center Mike Modano (hip flexor/groin injury), who missed his 13th straight game. Dallas is 7-6 since Modano's injury.
The Stars expected an early onslaught from the Sharks, and San Jose delivered, building a 17-7 first-period edge in shots.
"We knew they were going to play a desperate game," Stars coach Dave Tippett said. "This was our fourth game in six nights and we got behind the eight ball early. It takes a lot more energy to chase a team than to protect a lead."
Pavelski's rebound at 1:25 of the first period got the Sharks off to a fast start, scoring the Sharks' first goal against Dallas in the teams' last three meetings. That broke Stars goalie Marty Turco's 143:45 scoreless streak against the Sharks.
"He's been great against us," Thornton said. "We just wanted to get as many shots as we could and crash the net."
Cheechoo's 12th goal on a power-play rebound at 5:18 of the opening period made it 2-0.
Zubov's power-play goal got Dallas within 2-1 at 7:17.
But San Jose made it 3-1 on Marleau's power-play rebound for his 17th goal at 9:05 of the opening period when Dallas again failed to clear the front of the net.
"Cheechoo's goal was a second chance and mine was a third," Pavelski said. "I think we were just getting to the front. We had to work a little bit harder. With the new rules, it's harder to box you out. It seemed like every goal was a second or third try."
At that point, Tippett removed Turco and replaced him with rookie Mike Smith.
"That first goal was big," Turco said. "We didn't have a response. There were battles in front of the net and I couldn't keep those rebounds out."
The Sharks continued the barrage when Thornton notched his 11th goal of the season at 11:36 to extend the lead to 4-1.
"We were just trying to stop the bleeding and look for a change in momentum," Tippett said of the goalie change.
Hagman's goal from the slot at 10:03 of the final period pulled Dallas within 4-2.
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Phoenix 8, San Jose 0
Patrick: 3 shots on goal, minus 3
30 December 2006
Curtis Joseph stopped 40 shots for his 437th win, tying Jacques Plante for fifth on the career victories list, and the Phoenix Coyotes beat the San Jose Sharks 8-0 on Saturday night.
Joseph, making his second consecutive start after sitting out four of the previous five, made 19 saves in the first period en route to his 48th career shutout.
Jeremy Roenick, who entered the night with one goal in 31 games, recorded a hat trick for the Coyotes, who are 8-2-1 in their last 11 home games and Shane Doan had a goal and four assists.
Zbynek Michalek and Ladislav Nagy each added a goal and an assist, and Mike Comrie and Travis Roche also scored for Phoenix, which beat San Jose for the second time in three nights.
Phoenix finished December 6-5-2, its second straight non-losing month after beginning the season 3-9-0.
The Sharks have lost four of five.
Phoenix 3, San Jose 2
Patrick: 1 shot on goal, even
28 December 2006
Marleau and Milan Michalek's brother Zbynek race for the puck
Yanic Perreault scored on a wraparound with 40.9 seconds to play, and the Coyotes recovered from blowing a two-goal lead to beat the San Jose Sharks 3-2 Thursday night for just their fourth road win all season.
Coach Wayne Gretzky hasn't been able to reach his last-place team for much of the season, particularly on matters of late-game execution. He can't remember how many late leads his team has blown -- but in a tough road arena against one of the NHL's best teams, the Coyotes got the hard work and good fortune they needed.
"Against one of the best teams in the league, you need to do a lot of things right, and you need to be a little lucky," Gretzky said. "Our guys played hard, our power play was excellent ... and Curtis was outstanding."
Joseph made 27 saves and kept Phoenix in the game with several stunners in the third period. Perreault then scored easily when Sharks goalie Vesa Toskala got entangled with defenseman Scott Hannan, leaving the net unguarded as Perreault came in from behind.
"We just kept working all night," Perreault said. "I got a rebound, and I had a bit of time, so I went around the net. ... It's huge for us (to win late). Lately, it's been the opposite for us. We've been losing in the last minute, or the last few seconds."
Oleg Saprykin and captain Shane Doan scored early goals for the Coyotes in the first game of a home-and-home series between the division rivals.
Joe Thornton and Marc-Edouard Vlasic scored in the second period to tie it for the Sharks, who finished a disappointing six-game homestand with four losses, including three straight to Pacific Division foes. Toskala made 20 saves, but the Sharks lost consecutive games for just the third time all season.
"I have to give our team credit for competing, but we have a lot of passengers (who) don't realize the bus has already left," Sharks coach Ron Wilson said. "They're important people who aren't competing very hard, and when you aren't competing very hard, you're setting a poor example for the rest of the team."
San Jose's outstanding season slipped during its first sustained home stretch. After beating NHL-leading Anaheim midway through the month, the Sharks have lost three of four to fall further behind the Ducks in the division standings.
The Coyotes still have scored more than three goals in just one game in December, but Joseph's latest outstanding effort against the Sharks kept Phoenix in it. Joseph improved to 33-9-1 against San Jose in his career.
"For us to come into their building and get two points is a huge achievement," Joseph said. "We're starting to play well, especially considering how bad we were at the beginning of the year. We're getting back to being a better team, one with a chance at the playoffs."
Phoenix went ahead in the first period on Saprykin's power-play goal, and Doan got the Shark Tank grumbling at another slow start when he scored just his second goal in 12 games, also with a man advantage.
San Jose finally scored midway through the second period when rookie Joe Pavelski missed an open net, but grabbed his own rebound and fed Thornton for the reigning MVP's 10th goal.
"We've got to come out of the gate a lot stronger," Thornton said. "It's obviously nice to play at home, but we've got to win at home. We should have played better."
Vlasic, the Sharks' 19-year-old defenseman, tied it with 18 seconds left in the period on a power play, tapping home Mark Smith's shot to snap a personal eight-game scoreless streak.
Phoenix agitator Mike Comrie got a bit rambunctious at the end of San Jose's 4-0 win over the Coyotes two weeks ago, cheap-shotting defenseman Josh Gorges but refusing to fight Mark Bell. Comrie and Bell had a conversation at center ice before this game, but nothing happened later.
Milan Michalek looks to make a move on former Sharks captain Owen Nolan in front of current Sharks captain Patrick Marleau.
MARLEAU TAKES GOOD WILL INTO HIS COMMUNITIES
By Mark Purdy - - Mercury News
28 December 2006
It is funny what can happen in sports. As a kid growing up in a small Canadian village, Patrick Marleau never had Silicon Valley on his radar. He did not know San Jose from Santa Claus.
``I didn't really know California,'' he conceded the other day. ``As a hockey player in juniors, I had only been to Seattle.''
All of that changed in 1997 when Marleau was drafted by the Sharks. At 17, he suddenly found himself in a sprawling city that was 15,000 times the size of his Saskatchewan hometown (population 56). Marleau scored his first goal in San Jose before his 18th birthday, during an exhibition game.
``In those days, I just remember spending a lot of time at the mall,'' Marleau said, with a slight chuckle. ``That, and getting a lot of sleep. You know, I was trying to keep up with everybody.''
As a new father, Marleau doesn't sleep as much these days. Local fans have literally watched Marleau grow up. He slogged through some challenging seasons, then emerged as team captain during the Sharks' ascension from the middle of the NHL pack to their current status as one of the league's top three or four clubs. He has played more games than anyone in a Sharks uniform. With four more goals, he'll become the all-time leading scorer for our beloved Los Tiburones.
All of that is impressive. But if you want an even bigger reason the Mercury News is today naming Marleau the 2006 South Bay Sports Person of the Year . . . well, let me tell you about a phone call that happened last weekend.
Many of the Sharks do community work. But Marleau is usually the go-to man, according to Rob Jaynes, the Sharks' director of fan development.
``He's just one of those guys who loves doing that stuff,'' Jaynes said. ``Last week, we heard from a family in Connecticut with three kids and their dad is in the final stages of ALS, Lou Gehrig's disease. They were Shark fans. I spoke with Patrick and he agreed to have me set up a call to the family last Friday.''
Jaynes, however, grew busy and totally forgot.
``So Patty called me up while he was out Christmas shopping,'' Jaynes said. ``And he asked, `Hey, aren't I supposed to make that call today?' We got the connection for him and Patty stepped outside the mall or wherever he was and talked to the family for about 25 or 30 minutes.''
Of course, this is exactly the sort of thing we hope that rich and famous athletes will do if they are asked. The difference with Marleau is, he often does the asking. He has visited more hospitals than a first-year intern, has cut promotional television spots for numerous charities and has done fundraisers here and in Canada. It is exactly the sort of thing we wanted to highlight when we began honoring an annual South Bay SPOTY five years ago.
Back then, it occurred to me that San Jose was becoming a sports entity of its own, apart from the larger Northern California universe. I thought we should showcase a local sportsman or sportswoman who best exemplifies and represents the South Bay -- in terms of on-field achievements and community impact. We always have several fine candidates. After discussing their merits with Mercury News editors, I make the final selection.
In past years, we have been able to honor such worthy names as Brandi Chastain, Pat Tillman and Jeff Garcia. But it seemed odd that San Jose's most popular native team, the Sharks, had never provided a South Bay SPOTY.
And if ever there was a year to honor one, it would be this one. During the calendar year 2006 -- encompassing the end of last season and the beginning of this one -- the Sharks own the third most victories (53) of any NHL team, trailing only Anaheim and Detroit (54 apiece).
Last season, following the monumental Joe Thornton trade, the Sharks stormed into the playoffs on a roll and beat Nashville in a first-round series during which Marleau set a team record by scoring seven goals. The Sharks subsequently fell to Edmonton in the second round but should challenge again this spring for the Stanley Cup.
Without Marleau, would this be the case? Doubtful. True, he did not win the NHL most valuable player award last season. That went to Thornton. Marleau also did not capture the NHL goal-scoring title. That went to Jonathan Cheechoo, another Shark.
But in hockey, a captain sets the team culture. And it is instructive that Marleau drove to the airport and picked up Thornton when he joined the Sharks after the trade -- even though the deal essentially meant Marleau would be demoted to the team's second line. With that one welcoming move, Marleau sent a message that no one man was more important than the team.
There were numerous other worthy potential SPOTYs in 2006. But the combination of Marleau's on-ice performance and off-ice good works are difficult to beat.
Those good works extend across the border to southern Saskatchewan, where Marleau has a foundation in conjunction with former Montreal player Trent McCleary. They assist athletes who don't have the funds to compete in youth sports. Marleau, for the record, is slightly embarrassed by the extra attention paid to any of these deeds.
``As an athlete, you're put in a good position to do good things,'' Marleau said. ``And it usually only takes an hour or two. That's not much time to brighten up someone's day. Not too many guys that would say no.''
Yes, but how many guys go the extra lap? Back in February over a cup of coffee, Jaynes told Marleau about a local paramedic and firefighter who played amateur hockey and was battling brain cancer.
``Right away, Patty said, `We've got to help him,' '' Jaynes said. ``He told me he wanted to meet the guy and immediately got up and walked around the locker room, grabbing a stick out of each locker and asking each guy to sign one for an auction to raise money.''
The silent auction, held during a Sharks home game, raised more than $26,000. The paramedic subsequently lost his fight. But he knew that Marleau was on his side. San Jose is lucky that the 17-year-old mall rat decided to stick around and make the South Bay a better place.
So did others. But in 2006, Marleau was the captain.
S.J.'s Marleau Man burner on ice
By Dave Newhouse, STAFF WRITER - - InsideBayArea
27 December 2006
SAN JOSE — City fathers won't be writing Patrick Marleau's name across the sky anytime soon, even though he will own the San Jose Sharks' most significant records before this hockey season ends.
Marleau isn't the rock star that teammates Joe Thornton and Jonathan Cheechoo are, but he has earned the same respect of Sharks players.
"We know how much he means to us — he's our captain, our leader," Kyle McLaren said.
"I just don't understand why people don't talk about him more," Steve Bernier said. "He's one of the best players in the league. From what I've seen, he's the fastest — and he's 225 pounds."
Marleau flies below the radar screen for some reason, yet he's about to become the Sharks' all-time leader in goals, assists, points and power-play goals. He's already No.1 in games played and game-winning goals.
Drafted by the Sharks in 1997 — the second overall pick — he joined the team in 1999 and quickly became a franchise staple. Before the Sharks played Dallas last Thursday, he spoke of rewriting the team's record book.
Q. Was your goal seven years ago to break records?
A. At that time, it was just to make the team and stick around, to start a career, make a name for yourself right off the bat.
Q. You were known for your blazing speed when you came up. How have you advanced the most as an NHL player since then?
A. It would have to be competing andplaying hard game in and game out. Learning that ishard enough, but especially when I came up, because the rules were a lot different. You had to battle for every inch out there. For a young guy, that takes a little while.
Q. When are you the most valuable to your team?
A. I love playoff hockey, when it's all geared toward your team winning. I'd like to think that's when I'm at my best.
Q. But to set all these records, do you think of yourself as a franchise player?
A. I don't know about that. I've been fortunate to play with a lot of great players. It's tough to say that one guy is your franchise. One guy can't win you games, but we do have a lot of great players now in Joe, Cheechoo, Milan (Michalek) and Bernie (Bernier).
Q. The Sharks have made significant progress since trading for Thornton last year. Is he the reason for the team's fast start this year?
A. Yeah, I think so. And the experience the young guys got last year — Milan, Bernie, Matt Carle — has helped us out this year. And having a bad start last year put that much more emphasis on having a good start this year.
Q. Potentially, is this the best team you've played on?
A. It could be. We have a lot of the pieces the team needs to win. The main thing you need is goaltending, and we have two of the best (in Evgeni Nabokov and Vesa Toskala). And when our defense moves the puck well, we're at the top of our game. And then you have guys up front like Joe, who's probably the best player in the league right now.
Q. What will it take for the Sharks to win the Stanley Cup?
A. Believing in one another, trusting one another, playing for one another. (General manager) Doug (Wilson) has a real feel for what the players want. And I think everybody wants to win.
Q. How has the level of hockey changed since the lockout?
A. I think it's grown a lot because of the rules changes, and the fans being able to see the speed that the players wouldn't have been able to show with the old rules. And the skill levels have been able to come out more.
Q. You've got a match in roughly two hours. When do you get your game face on?
A. You're thinking about it all day, though you try to stay loose. We have a team meeting (in 20 minutes), and that's when it starts happening.
Q. You're 6-2, between 220 and 225, but you're not known as a fighter. What would it take for you to drop the gloves?
A. A combination of things. Sometimes you have no other choice but to, and sometimes you're a little frustrated. When things haven't been going my way for a while, that's when fights happen.
Q. Were you a Golden Gloves fighter as a youth?
A. I have one boxing match win in the ring, when I was about 12.
Q. In your mind, who is the greatest of hockey players and hockey goalies?
A. The one who holds all the records would be Wayne Gretzky. As far as a goalie, it would be Patrick Roy or Martin Brodeur.
Q. If you could pick anyone in hockey to take a game-winning shot, whom would it be?
A. Jaromir Jagr. He has tons of obviously God-given talent, he works hard on it, and he's been around and knows how to put the puck in the net.
Q. And which goalie would you pick to stop him?
A. Martin Brodeur.
Q. You became a father for the first time in October, a son named Landon. How has that changed you?
A. It's been unbelievable, something you can't begin to describe. It's just joy. When you're on the road for a while, you can't wait to be at home, holding him. Especially now when he's starting to do facial expressions, laughing and giggling. I'm not too bad at diapers. He christened me pretty quick.
Q. In the Sharks media guide, you said one of your wishes would be no more terrorism. Could you elaborate?
A. Obviously, you don't want to see those things happen to innocent people. Since 9-11, security lines have just escalated. You do feel safer, but it's a shame that had to happen.
Q. Bringing a child into the world, do you worry about his safety?
A. Definitely. Let's hope it will be a safe world, though.
Q. Also in the media guide, it says that if you weren't a hockey player, you'd be ... an accountant?
A. Math was the only thing I was good at in school (in Aneroid, Saskatchewan). I was thinking of a 9-to-5 job. If I stuck with it, I would have been a pretty good accountant. But not now.
Q. Records aside, how would you want your hockey legacy written?
A. I want to be remembered as a winner. That's where the Stanley Cups come in. You have to start winning those to be considered a winner.
San Jose 4, Calgary 1
Patrick: 2 shots on goal, even
23 December 2006
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San Jose finally gave coach Ron Wilson something he's been looking for -- a game without giving the other team any power plays.
Marcel Goc, Milan Michalek, Mark Smith and Scott Hannan scored goals and Evgeni Nabokov made 21 saves for his fourth straight victory in the Sharks' 4-1 win over the Calgary Flames on Saturday night.
"When you're moving your feet, you're not going to take many penalties," Wilson said. "That's what I asked Santa for. Hopefully we can play like that all the time. It's not that hard."
Joe Thornton had the Sharks' only penalty, late in the first period. However, it coincided with penalties to Calgary's Kristian Huselius and Dion Phaneuf -- giving San Jose a power play.
Matthew Lombardi scored for the Flames, who lost for the sixth time in their last nine road games. Calgary, playing for the first time since its game Thursday night in Denver was postponed because of a blizzard, was 2-3 on a five-game trip.
The Sharks beat Calgary for the second time this season -- handing the Flames one of their three home losses -- after losing three in a row to the Western Conference rival.
Trailing 1-0, the Sharks scored four straight goals to get their fifth win in seven games.
"We had a lead after the first period and we didn't push hard enough in the second," Calgary coach Jim Playfair said. "We let them back in the game."
Goc got it started for San Jose, tying the score with 13:01 left in the second period.
"I haven't scored for a while, so that was good," Goc said. "(Curtis) Brown made a good play. I passed him the puck and my defender took a step toward him so he gave it back to me and I shot it."
Michalek took advantage of a lucky bounce on a power play to give San Jose a 2-1 lead 4 minutes later. Matt Carle took a shot from the top of the left faceoff circle, and the puck dribbled behind Flames goalie Mikka Kiprusoff, who fell trying to save it. Michalek poked it in from the right post for an easy goal.
"I had the puck in the corner and saw (Jonathan) Cheechoo," Michalek said. "I tried to pass it to him but it went all the way to Carle, who shot it. I was there for the rebound."
Smith picked off Kiprusoff's clearing pass to Andrew Ference and slapped in an easy goal 3 minutes into the third period to make it 3-1. Kiprusoff stopped Brown's shot and failed to see Smith lurking behind Ference.
"We came out flat in our last game but we bounced back with a solid effort," Smith said. "As the game wore on they might have slowed down a bit."
Hannan capped the scoring with an empty-netter in the final minute.
Lombardi gave the Flames a 1-0 lead with a short-handed goal with 2:05 remaining in the first period. Huselius picked up a loose puck and got it Ference, who flipped it up the ice to a streaking Lombardi, who easily beat Nabokov.
Marleau makes a move at the Flames line but Regehr watches closely..
NHL.com fan balloting
21 December 2006
With 13 days remaining in NHL.com fan balloting to choose starters for the Jan.24 All-Star Game in Dallas, centers Joe Thornton (535,134) and Patrick Marleau (368,827) of the San Jose Sharks and the Colorado Avalanche's Joe Sakic (363,720) currently are in line to be the starting forwards. Please click banner below to vote for Patrick...
Dallas 3, San Jose 0
Patrick: 1 shot on goal, even
21 December 2006
Marleau works hard on the forecheck and nails Sydor.
Turco made 20 saves for his fourth shutout of the season, leading Dallas past the San Jose Sharks, 3-0 on Thursday night a night after things got so bad the team held a closed-door meeting.
Turco, who also added a rare goalie assist on Jokinen's ninth goal, established a franchise record with his 28th career shutout. He blanked San Jose for the second time this season after he made 25 saves against the Sharks on Dec. 4.
"Any time you reach a milestone or record of any sort, it's something to look back on after your career is over," Turco said. "We played so well, the franchise record feels so insignificant."
Jeff Halpern, Jussi Jokinen and Brenden Morrow each scored goals as Dallas improved to 12-2 against the Pacific Division -- with one of those defeats coming to the Sharks on Oct. 17.
It was the third meeting of the season and third shutout between the teams, who each won on their home ice with shutouts. The Sharks and Stars are two of the NHL's top defensive franchises, both among the top three in the league for fewest goals allowed this season entering the game.
San Jose, playing for the first time in five days, had won four of its last five but looked flat on both ends.
"I have no idea why," coach Ron Wilson said. "For the first five minutes I was feeling pretty good. We had our legs. We were skating. We hadn't taken a shot but we were flying around. As soon as they scored the first goal, we lost the will to battle. At home that is very disappointing."
Dallas appeared to have more energy despite playing on back-to-back nights after losing 4-1 at Anaheim on Wednesday. The Stars bounced back with an impressive win after losing three of their previous four, having given up 15 goals during that span -- a stretch that sparked the postgame meeting after losing to the Ducks.
"From doom and gloom last night, we end up with five or six points and go home with some momentum," coach Dave Tippett said. "They came out and put the words into action."
Mike Modano missed his eighth straight game with a hip injury sustained against the Sharks on Dec. 4, when he had the only goal of the contest. Modano did not travel with the team for this three-game road trip that ended before a disappointed sellout crowd in the Shark Tank.
Halpern put the Stars on the board with his fourth goal of the season 6:56 into the game when got the rebound after a long shot by Philippe Boucher bounced off defenseman Kyle McLaren's stick. Halpern shot into an open net after goalie Vesa Toskala got screened by McLaren. Boucher got the assist and he has recorded points in nine of his last 11 games.
Jokinen, a shootout expert, scored on a one-on-one in which he skated behind McLaren and backhanded the puck past Toskala's right shoulder.
San Jose, coming off an emotional win against the Mighty Ducks on Dec. 16, had its chance to rally in the third period thwarted.
"I don't know what it was," Joe Thornton said. "We didn't seem to have the sense of urgency we had against Anaheim. ... He's a good goalie and he saw every shot tonight. By the third, they're up 2-0 and they're a good enough team to close it out."
Christian Ehrhoff's attempt hit Turco's pads and the Sharks also missed the rebound when it hit the far post. They also had a near power-play goal about a minute later that Turco covered.
Morrow picked up a bad pass and sent the puck to Trevor Daley, whose shot bounced the behind the net. Morrow recovered and flicked it in off Toskala's pad with 7:43 to play for his 10th goal.
Toskala made 23 saves in his first appearance against Dallas this season after Evgeni Nabokov started in goal for the first two meetings.
San Jose 4, Anaheim 3
Patrick: 2 shots on goal, 1 goal 1 assist, plus 1, 2 min hooking penalty
16 December 2006
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In Anaheim's latest thrilling trip to San Jose, the difference between the Sharks and the Ducks clearly was smaller than the width of Scott Niedermayer's shin guard.
And that's exactly where Joe Thornton put the puck that decided the second chapter in what seems certain to be a dynamite rivalry this season.
Thornton's shot deflected off Niedermayer's leg and into Anaheim's net with 2:13 to play, and the Sharks rallied for a 4-3 victory over the NHL-leading Ducks on Saturday night.
Jonathan Cheechoo scored the tying goal with 7:14 left for the Sharks, who capped this Pacific Division meeting between two of the league's top three teams with a third-period surge that snapped Anaheim's seven-game road winning streak.
Thornton realized he got a bit of luck on his decisive goal, but the reigning league MVP thought his club earned the break.
"All 20 guys played great," Thornton said. "It was such a big game, and even the fans were a part of it. For Game 34 (of the season), it was incredible. Both teams were up for it. It's going to be a big game whenever we meet each other."
The clubs have been lukewarm rivals since entering the NHL two years apart in the early 1990s, but they've never been as good at the same time as they are this season. Anaheim has the NHL's best record at 25-4-6, while the Buffalo Sabres -- who have 50 points -- are the only other club with more points than the Sharks' 48.
"We knew these are going to be tough games, and it was an intense game out there," Niedermayer said. "That's just a good hockey game. We expected it."
Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry scored early goals for the Ducks, who finished a five-game road trip with just their second regulation loss away from Anaheim all season.
After Dustin Penner and Cheechoo traded goals 31 seconds apart in the third, Jean-Sebastien Giguere had no chance when Thornton aggressively charged the net and bounced a power-play shot off the leg of Niedermayer while the Anaheim captain checked Cheechoo.
"We had lots of bounces go our way before this game, so this is the way it goes sometimes," Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle said. "I'm still real proud of our work ethic."
Mark Smith and captain Patrick Marleau scored 2:49 apart in the second period to erase a 2-0 deficit for the Sharks, who avenged a 5-0 thrashing in Anaheim in the clubs' first meeting last month. Evgeni Nabokov made 32 saves in his fifth victory in six starts.
Giguere made 25 saves for the Ducks, but the Sharks recovered from a lackluster 4-2 loss to Los Angeles on Thursday night with one of their most complete efforts of the season. The Ducks were exhausted from their five-game road trip, and the Sharks knew this game meant a little more than others on the schedule.
"It was one of our better all-around games of the year," defenseman Kyle McLaren said. "We know they're a good team, and we don't feel like we have to prove to them that we are."
San Jose (24-10-0) matched its best start in franchise history with the win. If Anaheim had won, it would have had 58 points -- more after 35 games than any team in NHL history except the 1929-30 Boston Bruins (61) and the 1979-80 Philadelphia Flyers (58).
Getzlaf scored a power-play goal in the first period, and Perry got the Shark Tank grumbling when his innocuous second-period shot somehow slipped between the post and Nabokov, who hadn't allowed more than one goal in any of his previous five starts.
But Marleau scored from the slot a few minutes later, and Smith returned from a seven-game absence with an ankle injury to score a power-play goal on Thornton's rebound. Smith's goal was his first in 21 games since Oct. 9.
The Sharks said Mark Bell's fight with Shane O'Brien sparked them right before Marleau's goal -- and the rivalry got even more heated when Teemu Selanne and Thornton exchanged shoves and gloved punches in front of the San Jose net late in the second period, leading to roughing penalties for both normally well-mannered stars.
Penner scored a power-play goal with 7:45 to play on a sharp pass by Perry -- but Cheechoo tied it 31 seconds later. Last season's top NHL goal-scorer got his 11th of this season on Matt Carle's rebound, tenaciously keeping his feet while Sean O'Donnell checked him.
Note:
MARLEAU'S STREAK ICED: When Patrick Marleau picked up a hooking infraction midway through the third period against Anaheim, it snapped his streak of 21 games without a penalty.
Marleau finished third in the voting for the Lady Byng Trophy (gentlemanly play) last season when he finished with just 26 penalty minutes. He has six this season.
When Patrick Marleau scored to trim Anaheim's lead to 2-1, Marleau's team-leading 15th goal ended his streak of six consecutive games without a one, his longest dry spell this season.
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Marleau celebrates a Sharks goal in front of the Ducks net.
Two of the best skaters in the League, Marleau and Niedermayer fly through the neutral zone.
Street Team Of NHL Players Posts Fliers Promoting Upcoming Game
www.theonion.com
14 December 2006
Citing poor season-ticket sales, lackluster attendance, and the fact that they "just play better in front of a crowd," members of the San Jose Sharks hit the streets Thursday with fluorescent blue fliers promoting their upcoming game against the Los Angeles Kings. "Anyone here into sports at all? 'Cause if you are, I think you'd really like what we do," Sharks team captain and public-relations coordinator Patrick Marleau said to a group of politely attentive shoppers on Santana Row. "There's going to be live organ music, we have beer and nachos and stuff, it's a good atmosphere. You guys should definitely come by later if you aren't busy." Marleau was assisted by Joe Thornton, the Sharks' leading scorer and 2005 NHL MVP, who assisted in tearing off pieces of tape and made sure the 'GAME 2-NITE' posters were level.
Los Angeles 4, San Jose 2
Patrick: 3 shots on goal, minus 4
14 December 2006
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Barry Brust was grateful he had no time to contemplate the enormity of stopping Joe Thornton and his fellow San Jose Sharks.
For the Kings' young goalie, simply doing it was much easier than thinking about it.
Anze Kopitar scored two goals and Brust made 34 saves in his first NHL victory, leading Los Angeles to a 4-2 victory over the Sharks on Thursday night.
Brust, who spent last season and most of this fall with the Kings' AHL affiliate in Manchester, had been enjoying a quiet stint as Dan Cloutier's backup while Mathieu Garon nurses a groin injury. But Brust unexpectedly got the call for his second NHL appearance when a shot hit Cloutier in the arm during pregame warmups.
Instead of pulling on a cap and watching from a folding chair in the tunnel leading to the visiting locker room, he was in the center of the action -- and he responded like a veteran.
"After that first shot, I calmed down and got some confidence," said Brust, a free-agent signee who spent parts of the two previous seasons in the ECHL. "I'm pretty elated. I waited 23 years for this, and it was worth it. ... My confidence built as I made my first saves, and that confidence seemed to get transferred to my teammates."
Derek Armstrong and Michael Cammalleri also scored for the Kings, who avenged a 3-1 loss to the Sharks in Los Angeles on Tuesday night with a rout in the clubs' fifth meeting already this season.
"We played well against them earlier in this week, (but) we had taken a few too many penalties, and that allowed their power play to dictate the game," Kings coach Marc Crawford said. "I thought if we could play them 5-on-5, that's where we want to play them."
Though the Kings got off to a slow 7-13-4 start in Crawford's first season, they have encouraging road victories over West Coast powers Anaheim and San Jose in their last five games. Two rookies starred as the Kings built a four-goal lead and coasted to the win.
Kopitar scored the game's first two goals in the opening 7 minutes before Brust backstopped a solid defensive performance against the lifeless Sharks, who avoided a shutout on Christian Ehrhoff's power-play goal with 10:01 to play.
"Usually we're down a goal at the beginning, and then we're playing catch-up," Kopitar said. "It always energizes you when a fellow teammate steps up like that. (Brust's play) was a real energy boost."
Mike Grier added a late goal, and Vesa Toskala stopped 27 shots for the Sharks, whose three-game winning streak was snapped in the opener of a six-game homestand. San Jose, which has the NHL's third-best point total, had an inauspicious warmup for the club's first visit from the league-leading Anaheim Ducks on Saturday.
"We just weren't ready to play from the get-go," Sharks coach Ron Wilson said. "It just wasn't there for almost two periods. Maybe the last 15 minutes of the game, we played with a sense of urgency. ... We'll get beat 10-0 if we bring this performance against Anaheim."
Kopitar scored just 5 minutes into the first period to snap his seven-game goal drought, then added his first career short-handed goal moments later on a beautiful pass from Alexander Frolov. Kopitar has 27 points in his first 33 games, putting him second behind Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin among rookie scoring leaders.
"If you don't come to play and you're not hungry, it's hard," Toskala said. "It's hard, especially against L.A., which we should be able to beat every time we play against them."
The Sharks nearly scored twice before Ehrhoff's power-play score, but Mark Bell's second-period goal was waved off because of a high stick, while defenseman Brent Sopel swept Thornton's shot off the line with 14 minutes left in the third. Sopel returned to the Kings' lineup after missing 16 games with a foot injury.
Ehrhoff's goal snapped a 15-game drought for the German defenseman. Grier added a rebound goal with 3:23 left, snapping his eight-game scoreless slump.
Norstrom and Miller interfere with Marleau and Michalek.
Marleau dances at the Kings line with the puck.
Marleau gets inside position on Cammalleri.
San Jose 3, Los Angeles 1
Patrick: 2 shots on goal, even
12 December 2006
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Joe Pavelski is still getting used to his new NHL career.
Playing his 10th game since being called up last month, the 22-year-old rookie scored two goals and Evgeni Nabokov stopped 36 shots in the San Jose Sharks' 3-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday night.
"I was pretty tired at the end," said Pavelski, who helped the University of Wisconsin win the national championship last season and has seven goals in 10 NHL games.
Two of the Sharks' three goals came on the power play, rated second-best in the NHL. They have won three in a row and eight of 10.
The Kings have lost four of six, and trail Pacific Division leader Anaheim by 28 points.
"We're just not good enough," Kings center Derek Armstrong said. "The first two periods we were getting the pucks to the net and I think we tried to play too wide open in the third and it cost us."
Pavelski gave San Jose a 2-0 lead in the second period when, after clearing the puck out of the Kings' zone, Patrick Rissmiller found him alone up the ice and he beat Dan Cloutier 1-on-1.
"They shoot from everywhere and we know that," Sharks coach Ron Wilson said. "They're not always dangerous, but they make the goalie work. We did a good job clearing rebounds."
With Sean Avery sent off for tripping, Pavelski made it 3-0 in the third. He beat Cloutier to the stick side after the goalie was caught looking the other way and fell on his face.
"I've capitalized on a lot of opportunities I've gotten," said Pavelski, who scored in his first NHL game against Los Angeles. "I'm just so new and I want to keep things going."
The Kings were forced into a 5-on-3 situation for 47 seconds when Peter Harrold was penalized for hooking and Avery went off shortly after.
"It opened things up with the 5-on-3, and (Joe Thornton) put the pass right there," Pavelski said. "Anytime Joe has the puck, guys are looking around."
Nabokov's bid for his fourth shutout of the season was spoiled by Lubomir Visnovsky at 10:26 of the third. Nabokov didn't have a clear read on the shot, which went off a player's skate, but the Kings were outshot 15-5 in the final period after taking more shots than San Jose in the first two periods.
"They were putting the pressure on," Nabokov said about the Kings' late flurry. "They were making our defense work. We knew they were going to come out harder."
Rob Blake and Michael Cammalleri were scoreless on eight shots each.
The Sharks led 1-0 in the first on a power-play goal by Steve Bernier. The puck ricocheted off the boards and went to Bernier, who scored his 10th goal of the season on a rebound.
Cloutier made 28 saves in his sixth consecutive game subbing for starter Mathieu Garon, who is recovering from a groin injury.
San Jose 4, Phoenix 0
Patrick: 3 shots on goal, 3 assists, plus 1
Patrick: 2nd star of game
11 December 2006
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Joe Pavelski was reminded how difficult it is to score against Curtis Joseph. He also learned how to sneak one past him.
Pavelski scored for the fifth time in nine games and Vesa Toskala stopped 23 shots for his third shutout of the season, lifting the San Jose Sharks to a 4-0 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes on Monday night.
Milan Michalek, Steve Bernier and Curtis Brown scored for the Sharks, who beat Phoenix at home for the first time in nearly three years.
"We had all kinds of chances and Cujo made some great saves," Pavelski said, referring to Joseph. "We were crashing the net and he kept saving them until it finally opened up."
Toskala made a handful of acrobatic stops to record his seventh career shutout and help the Sharks win at home for the seventh time in eight games.
"The save Vesa made on (Mike) Comrie midway through the second period was huge," Sharks coach Ron Wilson said. "That would have given them some life and tied the game."
The Coyotes, who had won two of three on the road, fell to 3-11 away from the desert.
Pavelski, who helped Wisconsin win the NCAA championship last season, had a goal in his NHL debut on Nov. 22, and four in his first five games. He's gotten at least a point in six of nine games.
Phoenix, next-to-last in the NHL in penalty killing, got through the Sharks' first two-man advantage but not the second.
Jeremy Roenick took a double minor for high-sticking Josh Gorges in front of the Sharks bench, and Zbynek Michalek -- Milan's older brother -- was called for hooking less than two minutes later.
"We just weren't ready to play," Coyotes coach Wayne Gretzky said. "You can't take six penalties in a period and expect to win. We're being selfish out there and that's what is causing the penalties."
Joseph, unbeaten in six games against the Sharks last season, turned back a flurry of shots until Joe Thornton's quick pass opened the net for Michalek's 10th goal, a shot from the top of the crease with 1:29 left in the first period. Joseph stopped 21 shots in the period, and was instrumental in turning back San Jose's first 5-on-3.
Thornton, who had three assists, has a goal and seven assists in three games.
"People are finishing the chances he creates," Wilson said. "He creates so much, he could have had a few more. When things get rolling, everything usually goes his way."
The Sharks made it 2-0 late in the second period. Taking advantage of an odd-man rush, Patrick Marleau drew coverage along the right boards and flipped a backward pass to Bernier in the slot, who sent the puck into the upper left corner of the net just moments before tripping over a teammate and sliding into the boards.
"We did a good job of working down low and using our speed," Marleau said. "We threw a lot of rubber at them and finally got one in there."
Pavelski redirected Thornton's slap shot past Joseph on a power play to give the Sharks a 3-0 lead with 2:19 left in the second period.
"(Penalties) are a problem that needs to be fixed or we're not going to be winning games," Phoenix's Shane Doan said. "It was tough on Cujo to be on the defensive so much."
Brown scored just over four minutes into the third period. Thornton used the back of the net to bounce a pass to Brown, who flipped it into the upper right corner of the net.
"Cujo was keeping them in it," Brown said. "When goalies come up big like that, you can get frustrated. We didn't get frustrated and kept our feet moving."
Notes
Marleau played in his 671st NHL game, matching Mike Rathje for the Sharks' franchise record.
Marleau curls behind CuJo and the Phoenix cage.
San Jose 3, Nashville 1
Patrick: 1 shot on goal, 1 assist, minus 1
9 December 2006
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More than a year after the trade that changed Jonathan Cheechoo's life, he's still grateful for every chance to receive Joe Thornton's passes.
Cheechoo scored two goals on assists from Thornton, and the San Jose Sharks got back on track with a 3-1 victory over the Nashville Predators on Saturday night.
Thornton and Cheechoo also assisted on Curtis Brown's opening goal, and Evgeni Nabokov stopped 20 shots in another strong home start as the Sharks snapped a two-game losing streak with their sixth victory in eight games.
Cheechoo, who led the NHL with 56 goals while Thornton fed pucks into his wheelhouse last season, scored late in the first period on a dynamic 2-on-1 break with Thornton. Cheechoo added his 10th of the season during a two-man advantage in the final minutes of the third.
Cheechoo, who also connected with Thornton two nights earlier to snap a monthlong goal drought, has scored in consecutive games for the first time all season -- and finally looks like the hard-swinging shot machine that became a star last year.
"It's been a while since I got a shot like that off," Cheechoo said of his first goal. "It's nice to get one of those chances again. They were both great passes. He makes those passes look easy."
Thornton, who arrived from Boston last Nov. 30, had three assists for the fifth time this season for San Jose, which took a two-goal lead in the first period and hung on to win a matchup of two top Western Conference teams who met in the first round of last season's playoffs. Nashville hasn't won in the Shark Tank in four years.
"He makes it look easy sometimes," Thornton said of Cheechoo. "If you get Cheech the puck, good things will happen."
Josef Vasicek scored his first goal since opening night for the injury-plagued Predators, who wrapped up a West Coast road trip with their fourth loss in five games. Chris Mason made 23 saves, but Nashville struggled to score while playing without several injured regulars -- including high-scoring forward Steve Sullivan, who sat out with a strained groin.
"I thought we executed a very good game plan," Nashville coach Barry Trotz said. "They only had 15 shots with 6 minutes to go. ... We played a solid game, but not good enough to beat the Sharks in their own rink."
Both Nashville and San Jose opened the season with a significant majority of their games on the road -- 17 of 28 for San Jose and 19 of 29 for Nashville. But the Sharks began a stretch with 12 of 15 games at home on Thursday night, while the Predators play eight of their next 11 in Tennessee.
Brown put the Sharks ahead less than 5 minutes in when he got a pass from Cheechoo and tucked the puck under Mason as he drove the net, tumbling over Mason in the process.
Thornton connected with Cheechoo on a 2-on-1 break later in the period, with Cheechoo burying Thornton's knuckleball pass.
Wilson was admittedly stunned by Cheechoo's incredible numbers last season, but that didn't excuse his more normal point totals this fall -- or his sub-par effort in certain games.
"Cheech worked a lot harder tonight, and it showed," Wilson said. "If you compete harder in your own end, you'll be rewarded."
Vasicek snapped a 16-game goal-less drought with a quick shot past Nabokov, who hasn't lost at home since Nov. 2, with less than 6 minutes left in the second period. But San Jose tightened up its defense and held Nashville to six shots in the third period.
Referee Francois St. Laurent injured his knee and missed most of the third, but Paul Devorski called two quick penalties to put Nashville two men down in the final minutes. Cheechoo scored easily on another pass from Thornton, who rebounded his own shot.
"You can't take penalties in the last 5 minutes," Nashville center Scott Nichol said. "That killed us. It's been a long road trip."
Colorado 5, San Jose 2
Patrick: 4 shots on goal, minus 1
7 December 2006
Marleau finds open space on the half boards.
Sakic and Brett Clark each had two goals and an assist, and the Avalanche snapped out of a slump with a 5-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Thursday night.
Clark had his first career two-goal game and Brett McLean also scored for the formerly last-place Avalanche, who had lost three of four before handing the Sharks their first home loss in five weeks. Jose Theodore, who played his first NHL game in San Jose, made 28 saves in his 150th career victory.
After a disheartening 3-0 home loss to Columbus on Tuesday, the Avalanche desperately needed a reassuring win. They got it at the Shark Tank, thanks to steady offense and a handful of key saves by Theodore, who stopped a penalty shot by Mike Grier.
"We needed this one," Sakic said. "We didn't play very well the other night, and I thought right from the get-go, guys were hungry, were strong on the puck. You really have to be against that team, because they've got a great hockey club over there. We seemed to get the jump on them."
Vesa Toskala made 20 saves for San Jose, but lost for just the third time in 16 games this season when he couldn't stop McLean's go-ahead goal and Clark's second score 5:04 apart late in the second period.
Colorado killed a lengthy two-man disadvantage in the third before Sakic, who has 65 points in 47 career games against the Sharks, added his 11th goal of the season.
The five goals were the most allowed this season by Toskala, who entered the game with a 1.98 goals-against average. Colorado coach Joel Quenneville couldn't ask much more from his beleaguered club, which outworked San Jose in a 4-3 loss in the teams' first meeting in Denver last month.
"We got through some trouble and came out of it with a great effort," Quenneville said. "We were real disappointed with the last game ... so this is a big win, huge game for us."
Joe Thornton and Jonathan Cheechoo scored for the Sharks, who weren't sharp in their return from a strong four-game road trip. San Jose, which played just 11 home games in the season's first nine weeks, began a stretch with 12 of 15 games at the Shark Tank.
"I've seen this before," Sharks coach Ron Wilson said. "Your first game back after a fairly successful road trip, and your guys aren't ready to play. We were just completely out of sync. That was obvious."
Cheechoo, who has just three goals in his last 14 games while recovering from a leg injury, got an easy power-play goal in the first period off a pass from Thornton, who assisted on 38 of Cheechoo's NHL-leading 56 goals last season.
Sakic banged home a long rebound left by the Sharks' shoddy defense early in the second period to snap a personal seven-game goal-scoring drought. Thornton got his eighth goal of the season moments later, scoring uncontested after Theodore was surprised by a long shot.
"I don't think we were bearing down on the offensive side, and we were giving up a lot of odd-man rushes," Thornton said. "A lot of guys didn't bring their 'A' game."
McLean put Colorado ahead 3-2, keeping the puck on a 2-on-1 break for his fifth goal of the year, snapping a nine-game drought of his own.
Grier was awarded a penalty shot moments later, but hit Theodore's pad. Clark then slipped a half-hearted shot past Toskala -- who was screened -- with 53 seconds left in the period.
"We knew we had to come out with an intense effort against these guys," Clark said. "It's a very nice feeling for me, but I owe a lot to those players out there with me."
Dallas 1, San Jose 0
Patrick: 1 shot on goal, even
4 December 2006
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Marty Turco bailed out the short-handed Dallas Stars with a stellar display of goaltending.
Turco stopped 25 shots for his 26th career shutout and Mike Modano scored a power-play goal before leaving with an injury on Monday night in the Stars' 1-0 victory that ended San Jose's season-high five-game winning streak.
"We hadn't been playing well and we had a depleted corps, so this was a big confidence builder for all of us," Turco said. "It's all about the wins and giving the team a chance. (The Sharks) are a good team. We couldn't totally shut them down, but we did a good job of limiting their chances."
With 1:47 left and the Sharks with the extra attacker after pulling goalie Evgeni Nabokov, Turco made a glove save on a close-in shot by Joe Pavekski to preserve his second shutout of the season.
Turco was called for a tripping penalty when he used his stick to take down San Jose's Steve Bernier in front of the net with 47 seconds left, but the Sharks were unable muster a decent scoring chance on the ensuing power play.
Turco also had a pad save on a shot by Jonathan Cheechoo that seemed ticketed for the lower right corner of the net with 6:38 remaining. Officials checked replay and ruled that the puck stayed under Turco's pad and never crossed the goal line.
"He made a nice save," Cheechoo said. "I don't even think he saw it. He just slid across with two pads and it hit him, but he made a nice save to get over there."
Turco came up with a tough stick save on Patrick Marleau with 11 minutes left, and made a sliding stop on Marleau's point-blank attempt with 9:20 left.
"Marty's been there for us all season," Stars defenseman Philippe Boucher said. "He's an outstanding goalie and he proved it again tonight."
The Stars finished the game minus six injured regulars, including Modano, who exited for the locker room in the second period with an unspecified lower body injury and did not return.
Stars coach Dave Tippett said Modano will be evaluated on Tuesday.
Also out for Dallas were left wing Brenden Morrow (groin), forward Eric Lindros (bruised foot), defensemen Trevor Daley (concussion) and Darryl Sydor (arm) and right wing Antti Miettinen (lower body).
Rookies Loui Eriksson, Niklas Grossman and Joel Lundqvist got extensive ice time for the Stars.
"We have a lot of people nursing injuries," Tippett said. "We had a lot of guys who did some good things. We battled and found a way to win."
Nabokov made 12 saves for the Sharks, who wrapped up a 3-1 road trip.
Modano capitalized on the game's first power play with a one-timer from the right circle at 7:46 of the opening period.
The goal was Modano's 10th of the season and 495th of his career.
San Jose turned up the pressure in the final two periods with a 19-8 shots advantage and four power plays, but the Sharks were unable to solve Turco.
"Marty Turco had a great night, five or six huge saves," San Jose coach Ron Wilson said. "We just couldn't finish and a lot of it had to do with him."
Marleau looks for the tip.
San Jose 3, Detroit 2
Patrick: 2 shots on goal, 1 goal, minus 1
2 December 2006
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The San Jose Sharks have no desire to play any longer than 60 minutes.
Joe Pavelski's goal with 5.9 seconds remaining capped San Jose's comeback and gave the Sharks a 3-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday night.
San Jose, which won its fifth straight, also got goals from Patrick Marleau and Mark Bell.
The Sharks' only overtime game this season came in the opener.
"When we scored ... Joe Thornton said, 'We don't do overtime!', San Jose coach Ron Wilson recalled. "I said, 'Thank God we don't do overtime.' We were getting ready for the overtime."
Mikael Samuelsson and Mathieu Schneider scored for Detroit.
After a turnover by Dan Cleary just inside the Red Wings' blue line, Pavelski took a pass from Milan Michalek, cut in from the left side, made a move and beat Joey MacDonald with a forehand shot.
"He made a a great pass," Pavelski said.
MacDonald was spectacular with 32 saves in his third NHL start.
"Turnover ... then Pavelski came out and walked in from the slot," MacDonald said. "He made a great shot."
Bell tied it at 2 with 3:31 left in regulation when he put his rebound past MacDonald.
"It was kind of a weak shot. I kind of had it in my skates," Bell said of his original shot. "I just wanted to get it off. It hit him in the pads, he went down and the puck came back to me."
After playing solid hockey for two periods, Detroit repeatedly turned the puck over in its own zone in the third period.
"We stopped making the easy play," forward Henrik Zetterberg said. "We started trying to make the hardest play."
Samuelsson and Schneider scored 1:22 apart in the second period to give the Red Wings a 2-1 lead. Samuelsson tied it 1-1 at 11:27 with a wrist shot from the inside edge of the right circle. Only nine seconds after San Jose's Marc-Edouard Vlasic went off for hooking, Schneider sent a shot from the high slot that trickled between Vesa Toskala's pads. It was Schneider's seventh goal.
Toskala stopped 17 shots.
The Sharks opened the scoring on Marleau's power-play goal 3:14 in when he scored on a rebound.
An apparent goal by Schneider with 3:13 left in the opening period was waved off because Red Wings forward Tomas Holmstrom was ruled to be in the crease. Replays showed that Holmstrom's skates were outside the painted area.