Ducks 2, Sharks 0
SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Following their 3-2 shootout win over Anaheim on Sunday, the Sharks looked to capitalize on their second consecutive win over the Ducks. But back-to-back second period goals by Corey Perry and Bobby Ryan sealed the 2-0 victory for the defending Stanley Cup Champions.

Anaheim had the game’s first power play when Kyle McLaren was called for roughing on Ryan Getzlaf, but the Ducks did not generate a strong scoring chance. A subsequent call against San Jose provided the Sharks with a shorthanded scoring chance. The opportunity came when Mike Grier forced the puck behind Giguere at the side of the net and the fans could only groan as it briefly sat unattended in the crease before being swatted away by an alert Ducks defender.

Related Links: Sharks Postgame Analysis Game Highlights Photo Recap Instant Replay Postgame: Rob Davison Postgame: Mike Grier Postgame: Torrey Mitchell Postgame: Ron Wilson

When the Sharks had their first power play, the fans had a bit more to cheer about at as Chris Pronger was the guilty party. However, San Jose could not convert and they watched another puck go through the crease without being tapped in.

As the period wound to a close, Steve Bernier almost set up a go-ahead tally, but Giguere was able to locate the puck.

Less than three minutes into the second, Anaheim found the game’s first goal. On the play, Chris Kunitz carried the puck deep down the left boards and waited until Corey Perry dropped down late on the right side. With a sleek pass across the ice, Perry took it in stride and found the back of the net before Nabokov could slide across.

When Chris Pronger drilled Devin Setoguchi's face first into the boards and no call was made, the Sharks knew they had to responded. First, Kyle McLaren laid a massive hit behind the net and then Rob Davison had a bout with Anaheim heavyweight George Parros.

The Ducks would score the next goal to make it 2-0 with 2:32 left in the middle period. With Anaheim on the power play, a three-on-two rush occurred and Bobby Ryan finished a smooth delivery from Todd Marchant that Nabokov had no chance to reach.

Anaheim would carry the lead into the second break.

Fisticuffs broke out again in the third period. After Parros pushed Nabokov back into his net, a scrum broke out and Craig Rivet and Ryan Carter were exchanging blows.

San Jose was matching Anaheim in the physical portion of the game, however they were still searching for their first goal late in the third period. With 8:30 left in regulation, Marcel Goc appeared to have scored the Sharks first tally, but Giguere absolutely robbed his attempt to go top shelf with the backhand from in close.

The Sharks pulled Nabokov with 31 seconds remaing, but San Jose had no luck with the extra attacker and the Ducks held on for the 2-0 victory.

LINES
Michalek-Thornton-Setoguchi
Goc-Marleau-Bernier
Rissmiller-Mitchell-Grier
Davison-Brown-Pavelski

Rivet-Ehrhoff
McLaren-Vlasic
Murray-Ozolinsh

Nabokov-Patzold

NEXT GAME
San Jose will return to HP Pavilion Thursday night against the Phoenix Coyotes and limited tickets are still available at the HP Pavilion Ticket Office and at www.ticketmaster.com. The game will be on FSN Bay Area, 98.5 KFOX and sjsharks.com.

---

From the AP Wire

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -- Even the freshest rookies can sense that the Anaheim Ducks' meetings with the San Jose Sharks are more momentous than the average Tuesday night game in December.

Bobby Ryan knew it from the moment he stepped on the Shark Tank ice for his sixth NHL game, so the Anaheim youngster took particular pride in keeping the Ducks on top of this lively rivalry.

Jean-Sebastien Giguere made 20 saves in his first shutout of the season, and Corey Perry scored the go-ahead goal in the Ducks' 2-0 victory, just the defending Stanley Cup champions' second win in six games.

Ryan also scored in Giguere's 26th career shutout for the Ducks, who beat San Jose for the third time in four meetings this season. Scott Niedermayer picked up an assist in his second game since returning to the Ducks, leading a strong defensive game to hold the Sharks scoreless for the first time all year.

"It's one of the battles of California," said Ryan, who also scored on the Sharks two nights earlier in San Jose's shootout victory in Anaheim. "I've played most of my games against the Sharks now, and you can tell it's a rivalry. The second you walk on the ice, everybody is booing."

Anaheim Ducks right wing Corey Perry is unable to score past San Jose Sharks goalie Evgeni Nabokov in the first period on Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2007 (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma).

Two nights after Joe Thornton's shootout goal beat the Ducks in a chippy game, the clubs traded punches and hard checks again. The clubs' previous three meetings all went to shootouts, and they'll get their third matchup in seven days Saturday night in San Jose.

"Every time we play Anaheim, it seems like it's a really tight game," Sharks rookie Torrey Mitchell said. "One goal, one hit or one bounce can win the game for you."

Evgeni Nabokov stopped 14 shots for the Sharks, who have lost two of three straight key division games to fall out of first place. San Jose lost for only the third time in 10 games, but the Sharks' lifeless effort in the final two periods concerned coach Ron Wilson.

"You shouldn't play the way we did in a big game like this," Wilson said. "We had an opportunity to put some distance between ourselves and Anaheim, and we didn't do it. ... It's inexplicable to me not to have the extra passion tonight."

Mike Grier, the Sharks' top defensive forward, twice came agonizingly close to scoring midway through the first period - the first time on a breakaway, and the second time when his rebound shot skittered along the goal line before two Ducks saved it behind Giguere.

Perry scored early in the second period when San Jose defenseman Doug Murray lost track of him, allowing Chris Kunitz to hit him with a perfect cross-ice pass.

Ryan, who got his second NHL goal against Nabokov two nights earlier, scored on a power-play rush late in the second period, converting Todd Marchant's pass. Ryan played in Anaheim's first four games this season before a 2 1/2-month stint in the minors that ended last weekend.

"I'm 2-for-2 against the Sharks," Ryan said. "It's nice to hop right on the horse and get one right off the bat. My goal should be overshadowed by Giggy's effort, though. He was outstanding."

Giguere doesn't have spectacular statistics, but the veteran goalie was in all the right places against the Sharks. After beating San Jose just nine times in his first 23 meetings, he has three wins over the Sharks already this season.

"It's always a tight game when we play each other," Giguere said. "These guys are one of the top teams in the division. We know they have a good team, and we have a lot of respect for them."

They also have enmity, particularly after San Jose's Kyle McLaren crushed Francois Beauchemin with a second-period check. Anaheim enforcer George Parros won a fight with Rob Davison moments later, and the two spent part of their time in the penalty box yelling at each other through the gaps in the glass.

San Jose's Craig Rivet evened the score early in the third by pounding Ryan Carter, a rookie in his first NHL fight.

Notes: Sharks D Matt Carle was a healthy scratch for the fourth time in five games. Wilson has been unhappy with the former Hobey Baker Award winner's inconsistent play. ... Anaheim D Kent Huskins returned to the lineup after missing six games with a bruised knee. Shane Hnidy was scratched. ... San Jose, which has the NHL's best road record, fell to 6-8-2 at home.