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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -- Fred Brathwaite's personal rebound
helped the Calgary Flames bounce back from the edge of a disastrous
season.
|  | | Calgary goalie Fred Brathwaite blocks a shot by San Jose's Niklas Sundstrom on a way to a shutout. |
Brathwaite stopped 30 shots for his second shutout in six days,
and Cory Stillman scored with an assist from referee Mark Faucette
as the Calgary Flames beat the San Jose Sharks 1-0 Wednesday night.
The Flames won for the eighth time in 11 games since the teams'
previous meeting Dec. 4 at Calgary, when the Sharks whipped the
Flames 8-0 for the biggest victory in San Jose's history. The defeat woke up Calgary, which was going nowhere at the time but is 8-2-1
since.
"We got embarrassed the last time we played this team, and we
didn't want to be reminded of that game," Brathwaite said. "We
did have a team meeting, and obviously we weren't happy. Now we're
back to playing our kind of hockey."
Brathwaite survived a strong San Jose push in the third period
for his ninth career shutout and third of the season. It gave
Brathwaite, who shut out Vancouver 5-0 on Friday, a three-game
winning streak after he went more than two months without a victory
and was the subject of demotion rumors.
"The puck was a little bit bigger tonight, but the guys also
let me see the shots a whole lot better," Brathwaite said. "We're
still probably not one of the high-skill teams in the league, but
we're playing like a different team now."
Valeri Bure's double minor for high-sticking with 1:42 left gave
the Sharks hope. San Jose even pulled goalie Evgeni Nabokov, but
the Flames didn't allow a shot during 102 seconds of six-on-four hockey.
Slumping San Jose barely generated any scoring chances in the
first two periods, and its dismal power play -- ranked 22nd overall
before the game -- went 0-for-7. San Jose was shut out for the first
time this season.
"Our best penalty-killer of the bunch was Freddy," Calgary
coach Don Hay said. "He didn't give up many rebounds at all. We
played a really solid positional game, and that's a credit to
discipline."
Stillman got his team-leading 15th goal early in the second
period with a strange bit of help from Faucette.
The puck was rolling harmlessly into the Sharks' zone, but
Faucette didn't get out of the way. He allowed the puck to hit him
from behind and stop near the boards.
Stillman, trailing the rush, ripped a hard, beautifully placed
wrist shot through defenseman Mike Rathje's legs and over the glove
of Nabokov, who was caught off-guard.
"I just pulled up and gave it a hard shot," Stillman said. "I
was hoping he wouldn't be ready. Those were the kinds of things we
weren't doing earlier this season when we were struggling."
The Sharks are 2-4-1 in their last seven games, which comprise
the worst stretch of their impressive season. Even the Sharks'
uncanny ability to score late in games deserted them against the
Flames.
"They got their goal and just plugged up the middle," San Jose
coach Darryl Sutter said. "We couldn't get anything through."
Brathwaite was at his best early in the third period, when he
slid post-to-post to stop Niklas Sundstrom's point-blank chance. He
also survived several good shots on a San Jose power play moments
earlier.
"Our shooting has been a problem all season," center Vincent
Damphousse said. "We're good around the boards, but we don't get
enough shots on net. We're standing around too much, looking too
much instead of just going for an opening."
Nabokov was just as strong as Brathwaite, stopping 22 shots
despite losing for the second time in three games. The rookie fell
to 21-6-4 on the season.
"I was expecting the shot, but I didn't see it," Nabokov said.
"Fred played really well. He was like glue."
The Flames played without leading scorer Marc Savard, top
defenseman Phil Housley and enforcer Jason Wiemer. All are out with
concussions.
The Sharks, who have been mostly healthy during their strong
first half of the season, were without two key contributors.
Defenseman Bryan Marchment was a scratch with a pinched disc in his
neck, while forward Todd Harvey was put on injured reserve Tuesday
with a concussion.
Game notes
Calgary has outscored opponents 38-22 during its hot
streak. ... San Jose still leads Dallas by four points in the
Pacific Division. ... Calgary returns to San Jose in exactly two
weeks. ... Housley also is recovering from a case of food
poisoning, although he made the Flames' three-game California road
trip while Savard and Wiemer stayed home in Alberta. Calgary plays
at Anaheim on Friday and at Los Angeles on Saturday.
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ALSO SEE
NHL Scoreboard
Calgary Clubhouse
San Jose Clubhouse
RECAPS
Carolina 3
Tampa Bay 2
Columbus 5
Edmonton 2
Pittsburgh 3
Washington 2
Buffalo 1
Toronto 1
Atlanta 1
Minnesota 1
Chicago 6
Vancouver 0
Anaheim 3
Florida 2
Calgary 1
San Jose 0
FROM
ATHLETESDIRECT
Valeri Bure Official Site
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