The San Jose Sharks finally clinched a berth in the 2011 Western Conference Finals, beating the Detroit Red Wings in the decisive Game 7 on Thursday and capturing the series in which they had a 3-0 lead.
Sharks players came out strong in the first period and hung on the rest of the way to avoid becoming the fourth team in National Hockey League history (and fifth in all major sports) to blow a 3-0 series lead.
Now San Jose must move forward from the emotional roller coaster Detroit series and prepare for Sunday”s Game 1 against the Vancouver Canucks.
The Canucks finished with the best regular season record in the NHL and have continued their strong play during the playoffs (despite almost blowing a 3-0 series themselves). Vancouver seemed to have San Jose”s number during the regular season, winning three out of four games, but the teams have had surprisingly similar postseasons.
Both are 8-5 going into the conference finals, with each having identical marks at home (4-3) and on the road (4-2). The Sharks have scored five more goals than the Canucks, who in turn have given up three fewer goals than the Sharks.
And both teams have struggled with the same issue: wondering when all their superstars will finally start producing.
Vancouver”s vaunted Sedin twins (brothers Daniel and Henrik) dominated the regular season but haven”t produced consistently in the playoffs. Fortunately for the Canucks, playoff points leader Ryan Kesler has excelled enough to mask the Sedins” inefficiency.
For the Bay Area”s team, regular season point-producers Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton have floundered during the postseason, a trend Sharks” fans are all too familiar with. The team has nevertheless thrived because of the strong play of their line-mate Devin Setoguchi and the goal scoring from lines two through four.
Maybe the trip to Vancouver, where Marleau and Thornton (and two other Sharks) won gold for Canada in the Winter Olympics just more than a year ago, will kick-start the front line”s production.
Then again, the real reason Canada won the gold medal was the unbelievable play of goaltender Roberto Luongo, who happens to start for the Canucks.
One of San Jose”s playoff problems has been getting shots past strong goaltenders. The Sharks have the second-highest shots per game mark this postseason (36.5), but only the seventh-best goals per game average (2.92).
Luongo has played well in the playoffs, boasting a 2.25-goals-against average and a .917 save percentage, so it looks as if the Sharks are going to face another series fraught with a frustrating shots-to-goals ratio.
Luckily for San Jose, its goaltender has played just as strongly.
Antti Niemi, who”s never lost a playoff series in his career, dominated the third period of Thursday”s Game 7 and seems primed to carry the momentum to Vancouver. The Sharks can only win if Niemi keeps it up.
Improving special teams will be another key for San Jose. The Sharks penalty kill has been average (which could easily be helped by them not taking so many dumb penalties), but their power play has been dismal.
The Sharks have only seven power play goals in nearly 50 opportunities this postseason, an unacceptable output for a dominant power-play team. Their inept power play no doubt has contributed to the high number of close playoff games.
San Jose has played nine one-goal games, posting an impressive 6-3 mark, which includes 5-0 in overtimes. Vancouver, on the other hand, is only 2-2 in overtime games so far. Expect many close games this series because of the stingy net-minders.
The unblemished overtime record coupled with the resiliency shown by defeating Detroit has left the Sharks with greater playoff confidence than ever before. And lack of belief has doomed previous Sharks teams.
San Jose is known nationally as a playoff underachiever and downright disappointment, having never won a Stanley Cup (or even making it to the finals) despite being great during the regular season.
But in an odd twist of fate, Vancouver has the same reputation. While the Sharks haven”t won a championship in their 20 years of existence, the Canucks have been shut out in each of its 40 seasons.
Though both fan bases will be nervously hopeful this series, those watching from home in the Bay Area and inside the Shark Tank next week should feel a little bit better. For the first time in recent memory, this year”s team has the parts needed to win: a deep bench and a playoff-proven goalie.
Look for the Sharks to capture at least one of the first two in Vancouver and skate their way into the Stanley Cup Finals, winning the tough series in six games.
Jeremy Walsh is a staff reporter for Lake County Publishing. He can be reached at 263-5636 ext. 37 or jwalsh@record-bee.com.
