Sharks-Ducks: San Jose Gains Stranglehold on NHL Pacific Division

There was a wall around Evgeni Nabokov Thursday night, and he earned his first shutout of the year. And I mean earned it. Before getting hurt, Nabby's play was sub-standard. His save percentage was under .900 and his back-up was outplaying him in GAA, shutouts, winning and save percentage. Since his return Nov. 26, he is 6-0-1 with a 1.87 GAA with a .929 save percentage and last night's 31-save shutout. Only once has he allowed more than two goals, and that was in overtime. But as always, Nabby was quick to defer credit. "The shutout was just icing on the cake. Everyone chipped in." His counterpart did well for Anaheim. Jonas Hiller stopped 25 of 27 shots, including a couple of dynamite chances and all 11 he faced in the third period. Only Devin Setoguchi and Patrick Marleau were able to beat him. So once again, the Sharks won in a game when they were out-shot. They may lead in the league in shots on goal and shot differential, but they are unbeaten when they are out-shot. This was ... (link)