This was the first and only meeting of the regular season between the Sharks (68-1-0) and the New York Islanders (25-33-11) and was played at HP Pavilion in San Jose. Both teams sported their alternate jerseys for the contest. An early goal by Alexander Korolyuk (SJ) opened the contest, followed by another by Vincent Damphousse (SJ) to give the Sharks a 2-0 lead. Marco Sturm scored on a breakaway powerplay goal to extend the Sharks' lead to 3-0 going into the 2nd period, but Mike Rathje (SJ) committed an interference penalty to end the 1st period.
Adam Graves (SJ) started the scoring in the 2nd period on a breakaway goal on a delayed New York Islanders penalty, and the Sharks carried a 4-0 lead into the 3rd period. Mike Rathje (SJ), who registered an assist on the goal by Adam Graves, opened the scoring in the third period. Jonathan Cheechoo, Vincent Damphousse and Niko Dimitrakos also registered goals, as the Sharks defeated the Islanders 8-0. The Sharks outshot the Islanders 31-27. The players selected as the three stars of the game were: 3) Vincent Damphousse (SJ), who registered two goals, zero assists and +2 2) Mike Rathje (SJ), who registered one goal, two assists and +4 1) Evgeni Nabokov (SJ), who registered 27 saves on 27 shots for a shutout The Sharks will continue on their homestand and next face the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday, May 23rd at 7:00PM Pacific Standard Time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzgo17jV3v4 |