Roenick strikes again as Sharks clinch Pacific

03/28/2008

SAN JOSE 3, ANAHEIM 1

ANAHEIM, California (Ticker) -- Jeremy Roenick has scored a lot of clutch goals for the San Jose Sharks this season. His latest gave the team a division title.

Roenick snapped a tie midway through the second period and Joe Pavelski collected a career-high three assists as the Sharks clinched the Pacific Division on Friday with a 3-1 triumph over the Anaheim Ducks.

Captain Patrick Marleau and Curtis Brown also scored for San Jose (47-21-10), which improved to 16-0-2 in its last 18 contests and climbed within five points of Detroit (51-20-7) in the race for the Presidents' Trophy with four games to play.

The division title is the third in franchise history for the Sharks and first since 2003-04.

"It's humongous, it's huge, especially being in the division with the Stanley Cup champions," Roenick said. "Obviously, it's a good feeling, but it's the first step in the process that we have in our minds right now. We've got to continue to play well, but we've also got to get some guys some rest."

"I don't know how important it was, but we wanted to do it and get it over with," Sharks coach Ron Wilson said. "We were in a comfortable position, so we didn't feel any pressure. Now we've got four games where some guys need a little break."

Defenseman Scott Niedermayer tallied for the Ducks (44-27-8), who remained six points ahead of three teams for fourth place in the Western Conference. Anaheim also had its franchise-record 10-game home winning streak snapped.

"I was disappointed in the way we played," Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said. "We didn't play to a level emotionally. We seemed to be flat in our execution. We played OK for the first 10 or 12 minutes, then it started to get away from us."

"I think they wanted it more than us," Anaheim's Teemu Selanne added. "For some reason, we couldn't play at our own level. That's disappointing."

After the teams traded goals in the first period, Roenick put the Sharks ahead for good at 11:10 of the second. Jonas Hiller stopped Pavelski's shot, but Roenick batted the rebound out of mid-air and into the net during a power play for his 14th goal of the season and a 2-1 edge.

"I didn't throw it hard, it was just a rebound and JR batted it in out of the air," Pavelski said. "It was a great play."

Of the veteran's 14 tallies, 10 have been game-winners, tying him with Washington's Alex Ovechkin for the league lead. The goal also was Roenick's 1,200th career point.

"Seriously, sometimes I think I'm in the twilight zone the way that happens," Roenick said of his penchant for scoring game-winning goals. "To come in and help the team is one thing, but for the game-winners to come as frequently as they are, it's almost like fate."

"When he scores, I'm like, 'OK, we're going to leave, the game's over. Mail it in,'" Wilson said. "That's the way it's been this year. It's phenomenal. That was his 1,200th point and he was so excited, he forgot to get the puck."

With 2:54 remaining in the second, Brown doubled the advantage.

Pavelski got the puck behind the net and attempted to wrap it inside the left goalpost. Hiller denied him, but Brown raced in and jammed the puck across the goal line for his third of the campaign and a 3-1 bulge.

"I think we played well in all aspects of the game," Roenick said. "We scored a power-play goal, we scored a couple even-strength goals and we got a goal from our fourth line. That's a huge plus for a hockey club when you have a fourth line chip in and score a goal."

"It's just being around the puck today and getting it to the net," Pavelski said of his three assists. "I just try to get it to the net and let them touch it. If it goes in, it goes in."

Marleau opened the scoring at 6:38 of the first, beating Hiller with a low wrist shot from the slot.

Niedermayer knotted the contest during a man advantage at 11:09, when his wrister from the top of the slot bounced between the pads of netminder Brian Boucher. Mathieu Schneider recorded his 700th career point on the play, making him the sixth American-born defenseman to accomplish the feat.

Hiller made 24 saves for Anaheim, which finished the season series with San Jose with a 5-2-1 record. However, the Ducks believe they could meet the Sharks again in the postseason.

"I have a feeling we're going to see those guys," Selanne said. "Obviously, we have to raise our level a little bit. I really believe we can do it. We have to focus and get better."

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