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Goc, thrust into the lineup due to an injury to Todd Harvey, was playing in just his second ever NHL game. In his first, he set up Mark Smith's series-clinching goal in Game 5 that sent the St. Louis Blues out of the first round of the playoffs.
Vincent Damphousse and Jonathan Cheechoo also scored for the Sharks, who will next face the Calgary Flames in their first-ever appearance in the Conference finals.
Evgeni Nabokov stopped 28 of the 29 shots he faced for San Jose.
Milan Hejduk tallied the lone goal for the Avalanche, who staved off elimination with overtime victories in the last two games after falling behind 3-0 in the series. Joe Sakic, who had the game-winning marker in each of those wins, assisted on Hejduk's goal.
David Aebischer made 30 saves in net, but the effort was not enough for Colorado, which was looking to become the first team since the 1975 New York Islanders to force a seventh and deciding game after falling behind 3-0 in a series.