Saturday, Mar. 17 3:00pm ET
Potvin makes 18 saves in overtime win
RECAP
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BOX SCORE
LOS ANGELES (AP) – The San Jose Sharks got Teemu Selanne to add
some punch to a sputtering offense. The Los Angeles Kings picked up
Felix Potvin to keep the puck out of their net.
Potvin did his job Saturday, earning his 16th career shutout,
and Bryan Smolinski scored 40 seconds into overtime as the Kings
spoiled Selanne's debut with a 1-0 victory.
|  | | Teemu Selanne made his Sharks debut after missing 12 days from left knee surgery. |
Smolinski got a lead pass from Glen Murray, stickhandled around
defenseman Mike Rathje and beat rookie goalie Evgeni Nabokov with a
20-footer to the stick side for his 24th goal.
"It was going to take that kind of a goal to win the game,"
Smolinski said. "It was a broken play. Muzzy made a great pass to
me, and it kind of left Rathje flat-footed."
Nabokov, looking for the victory and shutout that would have
tied two San Jose single-season records, stopped 19 shots before
letting in the Kings' only shot in overtime.
Selanne finally got to play with his new teammates 12 days after
being acquired from Anaheim for left wing Jeff Friesen, goalie
Steve Shields and a conditional draft pick. The seven-time All-Star
underwent arthroscopic surgery to remove loose cartilage in his
left knee just one day after the March 5 deal.
"I didn't know until right before the game if I was going to
play. But I felt that if I could play at 70 percent, I could help
the team," Selanne said. "I was nervous because I didn't know if
the knee would hold up. I didn't expect a lot from myself today."
Selanne managed only one shot on net while playing 19 shifts
totaling 18 minutes, 35 seconds.
"It's going to take time," he said. "You're nervous the first
couple of games, but it goes away. I'm excited about this
situation. When we get everything settled down and get used to each
other, it's going to be fun."
The Sharks were shut out for the fifth time this season and
third time by a 1-0 score. They also had a scoreless tie.
Potvin, who made 39 saves in a 4-1 victory at San Jose on
Wednesday night, was not severely tested while recording his second
shutout in 12 starts since joining the Kings in a trade from
Vancouver. He is 8-2-2 with Los Angeles.
"I knew I could come in here and play," Potvin said. "It's
fun. It's a great situation. Right now the team is playing well in
front of me. But I'm not the only one who's playing well."
Despite going without a shot on net through the first nine
minutes of the game, the Kings had the better of the scoring
chances during this chippy and close-checking game – the second of
four meetings between the teams in a span of 14 days.
Smolinski hit the left post from close range with 3:44 left in
the first and Nabokov out of position. Eric Belanger rang another
one off the left post at 1:03 of the second, after Nabokov left a
bad rebound on Adam Deadmarsh's shot from the top of the right
circle.
Sharks defenseman Gary Suter, playing his third game after
undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right knee, made the
defensive play of the game less than four minutes into the second.
He dove forward to knock the puck off Smolinski's stick just inside
the Sharks' blue line and prevent a short-handed breakaway after
Murray chipped the puck out of the Kings' zone.
Game notes
The Sharks started a line with three players whose natural
position is right wing – Selanne, captain Owen Nolan and Niklas
Sundstrom. Selanne was shifted to left wing and Nolan centered the
line. ... Adam Mair made his Kings debut, following last Tuesday's
trade from Toronto for D Aki Berg. ... Sharks defenseman Bryan
Marchment sat out the second game of his three-game suspension for
kneeing Montreal's Martin Rucinsky. He'll also miss Sunday's game
against Detroit before returning to the lineup Tuesday night at
Colorado. ... Sharks leading goal-scorer Patrick Marleau also
missed the game to attend his grandmother's funeral in Canada.
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ALSO SEE
NHL Scoreboard
San Jose Clubhouse
Los Angeles Clubhouse
Selanne returns after surgery, debuts with Sharks
RECAPS
Colorado 5
Detroit 3
Los Angeles 1
San Jose 0
Philadelphia 2
NY Rangers 1
Toronto 5
Florida 3
Boston 3
Montreal 2
Buffalo 3
Washington 2
NY Islanders 3
Columbus 3
Tampa Bay 5
Pittsburgh 1
Nashville 4
Phoenix 1
St. Louis 2
Calgary 2
New Jersey 6
Edmonton 5
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Bryan Smolinski scores the game-winner 40 seconds into the extra period.
avi: 1927 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Felix Potvin fends off the San Jose attack to keep the game deadlocked at zero.
avi: 1449 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
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