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Setoguchi’s hat trick puts Detroit on brink of elimination; Sharks win 4-3 in overtime

Devin Setoguchi

San Jose Sharks forward Devin Setoguchi (16) celebrates scoring the game winning goal in overtime against the Detroit Red Wings with teammates Marc-Edouard Vlasic, left, Patrick Marleau (12) and Jason Demers (60) in Game 3 of a second-round NHL Stanley Cup playoff hockey series in Detroit, Wednesday, May 4, 2011. San Jose won 4-3 to take a 3-0 lead in the series. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

AP

It’s cliché to say that it’s not a series until the home team loses a game. Tonight, the home standing Red Wings lost to the Sharks 4-3 in overtime and it might just be the game that puts a virtual end to the series as the Sharks now lead the best of seven series 3-0.

The hero of tonight’s game was very nearly the goat for San Jose. Devin Setoguchi finished tonight’s game with a hat trick including the game-winning goal in overtime. What nearly made him fall out of favor with Sharks fans was a penalty he took earlier in overtime for holding. While the Wings threatened on the man advantage, they wouldn’t score a goal.

Instead, play turned the other way and it started with an exhausted Joe Thornton spinning and wheeling a pass to Setoguchi who was fresh off the bench and ripped a shot over the shoulder of Howard and into the net to end the game. The win is the third one-goal win over the Red Wings this series and the fifth overtime victory of the playoffs for the Sharks. They’re now 5-0 in overtime games. So much for not being a clutch team.

The Red Wings found themselves getting into familiar jams. Their penalty kill was once again not good as the Sharks scored twice on the power play, including getting the first goal of the game on the man advantage. The Wings having to start off from behind is tough but Nicklas Lidstrom would get a power play goal of his own late in the first period to tie it.

From there, the Wings would twice gain the lead only to give it back eventually as a Patrick Eaves goal in the second at 13:59 was quickly followed by Setoguchi’s second power play goal of the game 50 seconds later. Pavel Datsyuk would score a power play goal later in the second still to give Detroit a 3-2 lead but that too wouldn’t hold up.

In the third period the Wings would hang on to that lead until Dan Boyle scored with just over four minutes to play to force overtime. There, Antti Niemi again played huge finishing the game with 38 saves and keeping the Wings out of the net. Jimmy Howard’s 34 save performance was solid but just not good enough yet again when Setoguchi ended the game at 9:21 of overtime.

At this point in the series, it just makes sense to say that the Sharks are flat out better than Detroit. A 3-0 series lead certainly dictates that thought, but coming up big in overtime and getting such tremendous play from the likes of Setoguchi and Joe Thornton (three assists tonight) both offensively and defensively is making life easier on the Sharks. Who knew that having your big stars stepping up and playing big all together would work out.

For Detroit, they’re not playing terribly. Their PK could obviously use improvement, as could their discipline in taking penalties. The rest of their game is solid though, they just have not been as good as the Sharks have been.