Sharks 4, Mighty Ducks 1

Friday December 27, 2002

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) Owen Nolan's big game came less than 24 hours after he received some big news.

Nolan scored twice in less than nine minutes to snap a six-point pointless streak as the San Jose Sharks beat the Anaheim Mighty Ducks 4-1 on Thursday night.

On Wednesday, Nolan and wife Diana learned she is pregnant with their first child.

``It's exciting but this is still my team and I've got to take care of business first,'' said Nolan, who scored his ninth and 10th goals of the season. ``The couple of opportunities I got, I buried. I didn't do anything special.''

It was Nolan's second multigoal game of the season, but his first since Oct. 29.

Matt Cullen scored for Anaheim, which had won six of its previous seven games. The Ducks have lost four of their last five road games.

``It wasn't one of our best efforts,'' Anaheim coach Mike Babcock said. ``We were a step slow and we didn't skate like we can.''

Former Ducks star Teemu Selanne scored his 19th goal of the season with 2:40 remaining to extend his scoring streak to six games. He has four goals and five assists during that span and has scored in 17 of his last 19 games.

Marco Sturm also scored for San Jose, and Patrick Marleau added two assists. The Sharks are 8-1 against the Ducks since acquiring Selanne from Anaheim in March 2001.

Nolan's first goal came when he got past Ducks defender Keith Carney and beat goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere to the stick side 2:16 into the second period. Nolan held the puck across the crease, then knocked it into the net off Giguere's stick.

Nolan's second goal, with 9:02 left in the period, was set up by a pass from Vincent Damphousse. Damphousse skated down the middle before passing to Nolan on the right side. Nolan squeezed the puck between the post and Giguere's right shoulder.

``We just didn't play well,'' Carney said. ``They outworked us and outplayed us from the start.''

Cullen's goal with 1:48 left in the second period made it 2-1. He skated from behind the net, and around a crowd, to the front of the net and beat Nabokov to the glove side.

Sturm responded with a goal 23 seconds later to make it 3-1. Salei lost the puck in front of the net and Sturm swooped in, gathered it up and fired the puck through Giguere's legs.

``We get that goal in the second period toward the end but then we give it right back,'' Carney said. ``It kills you.''< ^Notes@: Nolan recorded the Sharks' 13th multigoal game of the season, and his fifth multipoint game. ... Marleau has recorded a point in six consecutive games. ... Anaheim was 0-for-3 on power plays after scoring power-play goals in its last seven games. ... Salei's next game will be his 400th. ... Cullen is two points shy of 200. ... Sharks coach Ron Wilson was the first coach in Anaheim history. ... The Ducks fell to 1-6-2 against Pacific Division teams.

(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)