Vancouver's 2-minute drill puts San Jose on brink

Leading up to Game 4 of the Western Conference finals, both teams vowed to stay out of the penalty box.

Neither did Sunday at HP Pavilion, but the Sharks were unable to convert any of their many early power-play chances, and then San Jose suddenly began handing the top-seeded Canucks two-man advantages by the fistful in a 4-2 loss to Vancouver.

The Canucks, who scored a postseason-record three 5-on-3 goals Sunday, have won three of the first four games, and they can close out the best-of-seven series Tuesday night at home.

"If we lose another game, we're done, that's it," Sharks defenseman Dan Boyle said.

San Jose captain Joe Thornton, who leads the team with 17 points this postseason, is a question mark for Tuesday night after missing the final 10 minutes. Sharks coach Todd McLellan said he did not have an update on Thornton's status after the game.

Vancouver, which failed to convert on two 5-on-3s on Friday, did not let any of the opportunities pass Sunday, and the goals came fast and furious - three in less than two minutes in the second period, including two by defenseman Sami Salo.

"We got away with it the last game," Boyle said of Game 3. "Tonight, we didn't."

San Jose had no infractions until Dany Heatley was called for high-sticking 8:15 into the second period. Less than a minute later, Torrey Mitchell went into the box for hooking, and 11 second after that, Ryan Kesler ripped one in from the left circle.

That took Heatley out of the box, but - this is going to start sounding repetitive - less than two minutes later, the Sharks were called for too many men on the ice. That was the only one of the officiating decisions that was contested in the Sharks' room, and even that only a little; center Logan Couture believed Patrick Marleau had exited.

"I thought Patty had come off the ice, I jumped on," Couture said. "I didn't think it was a penalty, but I'd have to see it on tape to make sure."

This time, it took Vancouver 14 seconds to score, with Salo banging one in from the top through traffic.

The next Sharks' miscue came six seconds later when defenseman Douglas Murray sent the puck over the glass, an automatic delay-of-game penalty.

"Obviously, when I shoot the puck over the glass, that can't happen," said Murray, who thought there was a chance that a Vancouver player had gotten a stick on it. "No excuse. ... A rule's a rule."

Ten seconds later, the Canucks got another blast from Salo, who moved into the slot, took a pass from Henrik Sedin and unloaded for a 3-0 Vancouver lead. Salo, who also assisted on the first goal, missed the first four months of the season with a torn Achilles, and he had one goal in his first 12 games this postseason.

Vancouver scored at even strength 5:43 into the third period, when Sedin, who had four assists, streaked on a breakaway with Alexandre Burrows and slid a pass between goalie Antti Niemi's legs as Burrows was arriving in the crease to tap it home.

San Jose responded just more than a minute later when fourth-liner Andrew Desjardins tipped in a shot by Marc-Edouard Vlasic, and with just more than four minutes to go, Ryane Clowe put one in from the left circle. In the final 2:12. Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo stopped three shots, Heatley had two blocked and the Sharks missed the net twice.

And now it's back to Vancouver, where the Canucks won the first two games and had the league's best regular-season home record.

"The series is far from over," Luongo said. "We know that, as we've seen in the first two series, the last one is always the toughest one to win."

Western finals

Sharks vs. Canucks

Canucks lead series 3-1

Game 1: Canucks 3, Sharks 2

Game 2: Canucks 7, Sharks 3

Game 3: Sharks 4, Canucks 3

Game 4: Canucks 4, Sharks 2

Tuesday: at Vancouver, 6 p.m.

Thursday: at HP Pavilion, 6 p.m.*

Saturday: at Vancouver, 5 p.m.*

TV: Remaining games on Versus. Radio: 98.5/102.1.

* if necessary

It's not easy to make history in Detroit, but these Red Wings are close

The history, it’s everywhere. Joe Louis Arena oozes with reminders of the past, from Steve Yzerman Drive out front to walls painted with the name of every Stanley Cup-winning player.

Sometimes it's living history. Like when Ted Lindsay strolls by following a morning skate.

Or like Tuesday night, when Gordie Howe walked through the Red Wings’ dressing room, following one of the best games of the 2011 Stanley Cup playoffs. The Red Wings won 3-1, bringing a smile to the face of Mr. Hockey.

His franchise was still alive.

He’s one of the great players of all time. Arguably the greatest. He led some of the best teams to ever play the game.

And yet, none of the Red Wings greats accomplished what this 2011 squad is on the verge of doing. None of the names on the wall did this.

After dropping the first three games of the Western Conference semifinals to the Sharks, the Red Wings have now won three straight. They could become just the fourth team in the history of the NHL to win a playoff series after facing a 3-0 deficit.

The first in Red Wings history.

“We’re not worried about putting something in history. That’s not what we’re here for,” Red Wings forward Dan Cleary said. “We’re here to win a game. We’re here to move on. We all know we want to win at the end.”

It’s about Stanley Cups, we know that. But by carving a story for the ages, this one has the potential to be more special than some of the rest.

The fans in Detroit felt it.

With 9.5 seconds left, and the outcome settled, a frenzied Joe Louis crowd cheered as the lyrics “California, California, here we come!” blared over speakers. The Red Wings were headed back to San Jose for Game 7 on Thursday. Usually it’s Eminem or Kid Rock firing them up, not theme music from The O.C. But it was fitting.

They were witnessing history. Potentially, at least.

“It was fantastic,” Henrik Zetterberg said. “You know what? I don’t think it’s been as loud since I got here.”

It provided the Red Wings the energy they needed in the third period. They dominated this game -- absolutely dominated -- yet it was scoreless after two periods, despite Detroit enjoying a 32-13 shot advantage. Credit Sharks goalie Antti Niemi for that, along with a couple missed opportunities, like when Darren Helm failing to convert a pass from Zetterberg into a goal, or Cleary missing an open net after beating Niemi.

The energy from the building was sapped momentarily when a Logan Couture shot trickled past Jimmy Howard to give the Sharks an improbable 1-0 lead in the third period.

But one bad goal doesn’t beat these Red Wings. We’re having a hard time figuring out what does.

“You keep playing,” Howard said. “That’s the beauty of this game is that you know it’s never over until the final buzzer. No matter what the score is, you keep going.”

That goes for games. That goes for this series.

The final buzzer didn’t sound when the Sharks took a 3-0 series lead. Detroit captain Nicklas Lidstrom said there were conversations among the players after the Red Wings dropped the first three games of the series, and the message from the captain was consistent.

All they had to do was win one game to keep this thing going. When they did that, the focus shifted to the next one.

Here they are.

“We can’t relax because every game has been so tight and so close,” Lidstrom said. “We’re not done yet.”

Sharks forward Joe Pavelski made a wise observation after his team beat the Red Wings to take a 3-0 series lead. Every one of the teams left in the playoffs has had four-game winning streaks this season. He knew the Red Wings were capable of this.

So it’s not a stunned Sharks team that heads back to San Jose. Every game has been close, and chances are the final one will be too. These Sharks won’t just roll over and let the Red Wings coast into history.

“Just ask Detroit. They lost three in a row and their confidence wasn’t frayed. We’re a confident group still,” Sharks center Joe Thornton said after the loss. “You work 82 games to get home ice in these Game 7’s. Now we just have to make it work.”

These are two franchises with dramatically different histories. If the Sharks win, they can alter theirs. If the Red Wings win, they add to theirs.

Until one of those things happen, the significance of Game 6 remains unclear.

“We haven’t really done anything yet,” Zetterberg said. “It’s first to four. You have to go in and play a good Game 7 and win that. If we don’t do that, no one will remember us.”

Sharks know they can win in L.A.

The San Jose Sharks had another meltdown on home ice Saturday night and made another in-game switch at goaltender.

So instead of celebrating a series-clinching win over the Los Angeles Kings, the Sharks are preparing for Game 6 Monday night and facing a brewing goaltender controversy after suffering a 3-1 loss at HP Pavilion.

The good news for the Sharks? They get to play their next game in Los Angeles, where they've won two straight, scoring six goals each time.

"It's the playoffs. Anything can happen," Sharks captain Joe Thornton said after the loss. "We realize this. We realize it's going to be a long, hard series. We expected they were going to try and come quick. We played well for 60, but just not good enough and we'll have to play better next game.

"The upside is we play well in L.A. We played well in L.A. through Games 3 and 4, and now we just got to go win down there."

The Sharks suffered a humiliating 4-0 loss to the Kings in Game 2 at HP Pavilion, when they were booed off the ice. This time they spotted Los Angeles a quick 3-0 lead, committing a flurry of turnovers that the Kings capitalized on.

Wayne Simmonds, Kyle Clifford and Dustin Penner each scored a goal in the first 8:42 of the opening period against Sharks goaltender Antti Niemi. That was it for Niemi, who gave up those three goals on just four shots. He gave way to backup Antero Niittymaki, who held the Kings scoreless the rest of the way.

Niemi was also pulled from Game 3 for Niittymaki in Los Angeles after the Kings took a 4-0 lead early in the second period. The Sharks rallied to score five goals in the second and went on to win 6-5 in overtime that night, but Niemi was back in goal for Game 4.

So, does Sharks coach Todd McLellan have a decision to make at goaltender for Game 6?

"We have one every night to make," McLellan said. "We feel that we have two quality guys. Again, you look at the goals. The first one was a heck of a deflection. … The second one he makes a great save on the 2-on-1 that shouldn't exist. You turn the puck over and the rebound goes in the net. So I'm not sure you finger the goaltender for that one. And then the third one he's fairly deep in his net, and I think he knows that, but at that point we needed to change something."

Sharks forward Ryane Clowe said it wouldn't surprise him if Niemi started Game 6.

"On the other hand, Niitty, you've got to give the guy credit. I mean, coming in cold again and making some great saves," Clowe gushed. "Too bad we couldn't get a couple for him. He made some game-saving (saves) to give us an opportunity to stay in it."

Kings coach Terry Murray never considered making a change at goaltender, even after Jonathan Quick gave up those 12 goals in two losses in Los Angeles. Quick rewarded his coach by making 51 saves on Saturday night. The Sharks weren't surprised to see Quick respond the way he did.

"He's an elite goalie so nights are going to happen like that," Sharks forward Logan Couture said. "If we can get 50 on him or 40 on him in L.A., I think it will be a little different story. We knew he was going to bounce back. He's a great goalie for a reason."

Patrick Marleau scored the only Sharks goal, hammering a rebound past Quick to make it 3-1 at 5:43 of the second, but that was their last goal, although far from their last chance. The Sharks had three of their four power plays after that, but the Kings killed the final three, just like they did the first one.

"He made a lot of good saves," Sharks defenseman Dan Boyle said. "What did we have, 52 shots? Obviously not all quality chances, but we had a lot of looks. Obviously a handful of mistakes early and three pucks were in our net. Other than that, you can’t question the work ethic or the heart. Everybody was trying hard. Just stupid mental errors early."

San Jose Sharks clinch No. 2 West seed with win

Maybe it did take all 82 games, but the uncomplicated part is over.

The Sharks earned the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference at HP Pavilion on Saturday night with a 3-1 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes, playing the kind of hockey they hope will carry over into the Stanley Cup playoffs that begin this week.

The complicated part -- whom the Sharks will face in the first round -- remains to be sorted out Sunday with the Chicago Blackhawks, Los Angeles Kings, Coyotes and Nashville Predators all a possibility.

"The intensity was there, and it was something we needed to experience this week so we can get ready for what lies ahead," said coach Todd McLellan, whose team had looked uninspired for long stretches in losing its previous two games.

Goals by Ian White, Joe Pavelski and Logan Couture provided the offense, but it was goaltender Antti Niemi, who made 35 saves while giving up a goal to Lauri Korpikoski, who earned much of the credit for the two points that gave San Jose 105 for the season.

"Was he good? When we made mistakes, he was there to make some tremendous saves," McLellan said. "There's not many nights on the bench where I turn to the coaches, and we're all going 'Wow!' "

Had the Sharks lost, they would have had to wait until the outcome of Sunday morning's game between the Detroit and Chicago to know their final spot in the standings, but the Red Wings can no longer catch San Jose for second place.

Now, if Chicago wins in regulation or overtime, the Sharks will face Phoenix. If Chicago loses in overtime, the Sharks will face the Blackhawks. If Chicago loses in regulation, the Sharks will face Los Angeles. And if Chicago wins in a shootout, the Sharks will face Nashville.

The No. 2 seed is significant only if the Sharks advance beyond the first round because it guarantees home ice in the next one.

The Sharks had struggled since clinching the Pacific Division title Monday night, getting blown out in Anaheim and dropping a 4-3 decision Friday night in Phoenix.

San Jose was also missing injured forward Ryane Clowe for a third consecutive game, with Benn Ferriero called up from Worcester to fill Clowe's spot in the lineup.

The game was scoreless into the second period when White's goal at 7:11 on a 52-foot one-timer capped a 57-second sequence that saw the Sharks put three shots on net, send two wide and had three others blocked.

"It seems whenever you get momentum and get some shots off, there's a good chance you're going to get the puck back," White said. "It was a great momentum shift for us, and fortunately one of them went in."

White had gone 21 games without a goal since being traded from Carolina in February, but had one in each of the past two games.

Pavelski's power play goal at 18:37 of the second period from just outside the crease was his 20th of the season and enabled the Sharks to finish the season as the only NHL team with seven players to hit that mark.

Phoenix got on the scoreboard at 8:36 of the final period when Korpikoski blocked a shot by Jason Demers, then scored on the breakaway that followed, but Couture's 32nd goal of the season on a power play at 18:29 assured the Sharks of their second-place finish.

The Sharks finished the past two seasons as the West's No. 1 seed, reaching the Western Conference finals a year ago after being upset in the first round the previous season. Vancouver topped the conference this season.

"Going into the playoffs, we're all excited about it," McLellan said. "I think there's less talk and less hype about our team, which will help us. We've experienced the Vancouver scenario -- I have as a coach more than once -- and that's a tough one. We like where we're at, and it's up to us now to get ready and be prepared."

From White's perspective, it's all good.

"I've been warming up for this for six years now," said the well-traveled 26-year-old defenseman who will be seeing his first postseason action after 401 NHL games.

The victory was McLellan's 152nd since taking over behind the San Jose bench, enabling him to tie Mike Keenan for most NHL wins by a coach over his first three seasons.

But that is one record that the Sharks coach considers less than meaningful.

"You're asking me about a stat that's really quite irrelevant when it comes to me, and I bet Mike Keenan would tell you the same thing," McLellan said recently. "It's different eras, the games are tracked differently."

Seventeen of McLellan's victories, for example, came in the shootout. When Keenan set the mark between 1984 and 1987, games that weren't resolved in overtime ended as ties.

Annual team awards for 2010-11 went to Niemi as the Sharks MVP and Logan Couture as rookie of the year by a media vote. Patrick Marleau won the title of "fan favorite" in online voting.

NHL Report

Cooke gets harsh penalty; Pens win shootout

Oft-penalized Matt Cooke received the stiffest sentence of his 12-season NHL career when the Pittsburgh Penguins' left winger was suspended Monday for the remainder of the regular season, and the first round of the playoffs, for elbowing defenseman Ryan McDonagh of the New York Rangers in the head one day earlier.

Pittsburgh has nine regular-season games to play after beating Detroit, 5-4, in a shootout on Monday night. They meet the Flyers at the Wells Fargo Center on Thursday and on March 29 in Pittsburgh. Cooke will lose $219,512.20 in salary.

Penguins general manager Ray Shero supported the penalty, saying in a statement that the suspension was "warranted because that's exactly the kind of hit we're trying to get out of the game."

It is Cooke's fifth suspension and the fourth since he signed with the Penguins in 2008. It was Cooke's unpenalized hit last season on Boston's Marc Savard that led to the creation of a rule that bans blindside hits to the head.

In the Pens' victory, James Neal scored the only goal in the shootout, and Pittsburgh pulled out the win over the Red Wings in Detroit after blowing a four-goal lead. Pascal Dupuis had two goals and an assist to help Pittsburgh build its big lead.

Noteworthy. Vancouver center Manny Malhotra is out for the rest of the regular season and the playoffs with an eye injury that required surgery, the team announced Monday. Malhotra was hit in the left eye by an errant puck during Wednesday's game against Colorado, and underwent surgery later that night. . . . San Jose rookie Logan Couture sat out practice Monday after leaving the previous game following a hard fall into the boards that injured his right leg. . . . Toronto signed 22-year-old forward Tyler Brenner of Rochester Institute of Technology to a two-year contract. . . . Last-place Ottawa signed 29-year-old goalie Craig Anderson to a four-year, $12.75 million contract. Anderson was acquired Feb. 18 in a trade with Colorado. He is 6-4-1 with one shutout, a .938 save percentage and 2.11 goals-against average.