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Sharks missed their chance
By
Bruce Garrioch, Ottawa Sun
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  San Jose Sharks goalie Antti Niemi reacts as the puck goes into the net off the stick of Todd Bertuzzi during the first period of Game 4. (REUTERS/Rebecca Cook) |
The night didn’t finish with a celebration for the San Jose Sharks.
That has been put on hold.
After falling behind 3-0 in the first period to the Detroit Red Wings Friday night, the Sharks came storming back in Game 4 of the Western Conference semi-final, but still dropped a 4-3 decision at Joe Louis Arena.
As a result, the Sharks have more work to do.
“One could argue we lost that game in the first 17 or 18 minutes,” said Sharks blueliner Dan Boyle. “We were a little sloppy defensively. Regardless, we showed some character, we showed some heart. We fought back.
“Unfortunately, at the end, they showed more poise than we did and got the winning goal. We certainly fought. We just needed to show a bit more poise coming out of the gate early. It probably cost us the game.”
The good news is the Sharks still have a 3-1 lead and can close this out at home Sunday.
“We wanted to finish it here,” said Boyle. “I’m not happy with the split. I don’t think anybody here is. We all wanted to win and now they’ve got momentum on their side. We need to get back to work and use our home-ice advantage.”
_ Bruce Garrioch
