Devin Setoguchi scores hat-trick as San Jose Sharks baffle Detroit Red Wings in Game 3: NHL Playoffs
Devin Setoguchi gave a Man-of-the-Match performance on Wednesday as he scored three goals against the Detroit Red Wings, which led San Jose to take a 3-0 lead in the Western Conference semi-finals.
Setoguchi remained in top form throughout the game as he scored the overtime game-winner for his team as the Sharks defeated the Red Wings 4-3 at the sold out Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan.
It has been a great season for Setoguchi this year, as apart from scoring his first career hat-trick in regulation and his first of the playoffs, he became the fifth ever San Jose player to achieve the feat. Also, having only one goal in the previous playoff
games makes this match one he will remember for a long time to come.
"You need people to step up," Sharks coach Todd McLellan said talking about Setoguchi’s leadership. "He's got a tremendous trigger."
This semi-final series has been extremely thrilling for both the Western and Eastern Conference. All teams except for the Vancouver Canucks and Nashville Predators have either ended up or are close to a clean sweep. Along with the San Jose Sharks, the Boston
Bruins are also leading the series 3-0 against the Philadelphia Flyers, while Tampa Bay have already eliminated the Washington Capitals 4-0.
Setoguchi opened up the scoring midway through the first period, scoring on a power-play when Darren Helm was penalized for high-sticking. Nicklas Lidstrom answered back with 22 seconds remaining in the period on San Jose’s second penalty.
Detroit took control of the period when Patrick Eaves and Pavel Datsyuk both notched in their third of the post-season with a minor interference by Setoguchi on another power-play. Both teams gave only a single penalty each in the second period but both
took advantage of each other’s misfortune. After Setoguchi’s tying power-play goal at the 14:49 mark, Datsyuk replied with an added man advantage goal of his own with less than two minutes remaining.
The Red Wings entered the third period with a 3-2 lead but were stunned as Dan Boyle managed to score the only goal for the Sharks, tying up the match and forcing an overtime. Devin Setoguchi was penalized for holding Todd Bertuzzi within five minutes of
Over Time (OT) but returned to score the game winner nearly four minutes later.
"All you're thinking is, 'Don't score, don't score, don't score,'" Setoguchi said. "I thought our penalty killing did a great job on that power play."
Both teams meet again on Friday in Detroit for game four, in which the Red Wings will either face elimination or attempt at becoming the fourth team in the history of NHL to recover after a 3-0 deficit in a playoff series.
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