Round One: Anaheim @ San Jose

caissie_1 wrote:

marakh wrote:I think Detroit is in for another cup

Let's hope your wrong

No let's not. :D:

marakh wrote:I think Detroit is in for another cup

Gee, nothing like a Cup prediction before the quarterfinals are done.



Watch the game tonight.

Enjoy.

Wow, Sharks are truly playoff chokers!

It's over. Sharks, even if they come back in this series, dont deserve to win it IMO. You look at the Ducks, they are the definition of the playoffs. The first line with Pronger and Niedermayer look like they don't even need to think on the ice, they are a scoring machine.
Doesn't help the Sharks that Anaheim's goalie look possessed.

marakh wrote:It's over. Sharks, even if they come back in this series, dont deserve to win it IMO. You look at the Ducks, they are the definition of the playoffs. The first line with Pronger and Niedermayer look like they don't even need to think on the ice, they are a scoring machine.
Doesn't help the Sharks that Anaheim's goalie look possessed.

Marakh, glad to see you are watching the game before you make your decision to jump aboard the Wings Wagon ;-)

Enjoy.

PS Niedermayer continues to demonstrate he is the epitome of the offensive defenseman.

Cheers.

DOnt worry IM not jumping on any bandwagon whatsoever. As I said, Ducks' first line look amazing, but beyond that, I dont think they have another line that will matchs Zetterberg's. Just saying ^^.

The summary of this series is pretty simple. Getzlaf Perry and Ryan, best forwards every game for the Ducks. Thornton, Marleau and Setoguchi, outplayed by CLowe and Cheechoo. I think we know why they trail 3-1.

marakh wrote:DOnt worry IM not jumping on any bandwagon whatsoever. As I said, Ducks' first line look amazing, but beyond that, I dont think they have another line that will matchs Zetterberg's. Just saying ^^.

The summary of this series is pretty simple. Getzlaf Perry and Ryan, best forwards every game for the Ducks. Thornton, Marleau and Setoguchi, outplayed by CLowe and Cheechoo. I think we know why they trail 3-1.

Just ribbing you...all in good fun.


IMHO this series is a continuation of the strategy the Ducks have employed as they stormed back into a playoff spot.

Suffocate the opposition with team defense. Be opportunistic on offense.

The shot count which heavily favours the Sharks...and has throughout these games...is compelling evidence.

But the game, and the series, are not over...yet.

Overtime tonight, perhaps?

That would be delightful.
:##:

Luckiest team on earth. (aside from the Pens)

Wow. What a game. What night.

Perry almost gets it done as the OT opens, and then Marleau saves the Sharkskins.

This series just gets better and better.

:%%:

Anaheim 2, San Jose 3

	1	2	3	OT	T
ANA	0	0	2	0	2
SAN	1	1	0	1	3

Final OT

10:00 PM ET, April 25, 2009
HP Pavilion, San Jose, California

Sharks force Game 6 with OT victory after Ducks rally in third period

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Joe Thornton circled the net in overtime and slid a pass in front. Patrick Marleau and Devin Setoguchi blindly hacked at the puck until Anaheim goalie Jonas Hiller back-heeled it into his own net.

Sure, it was likely the ugliest of Marleau's 10 career game-winning playoff goals. The captain chose to focus on the rough beauty of San Jose's 3-2 victory Saturday night, when Marleau and his old linemates got back together to save the Sharks' season.

With the top-seeded Sharks facing playoff elimination, coach Todd McLellan decided to reunite his top line before it was literally too late.

Marleau got his second game-winning goal of the series 6:02 into overtime, while Thornton had two assists to go with his first goal in 11 playoff games -- and even Setoguchi got a goal.

Reuniting feels so good, but San Jose still is on the brink of elimination in Game 6 in Anaheim on Monday night.


Fast Facts


• Patrick Marleau scored an unassisted goal 6:02 into overtime to prolong the Sharks' season at least one more game.
• Joe Thornton scored his first goal of the series in the first period, snapping a 10-game postseason scoreless streak. Thornton also had two assists.
• Down 2-0 in the third period, the Ducks got goals from Ryan Carter and Corey Perry to send the game into overtime.
• San Jose will need to win the next two games to extend its streak of five-straight, first-round series victories.
-- ESPN Stats & Information

"It felt great to be in that group again, definitely," Marleau said. "We played with desperation, and we have to have it. We lose one more, and we're gone."

Evgeni Nabokov made 23 saves for the Sharks, who blew a two-goal lead when Ryan Carter and Corey Perry scored in the first 4:42 of the third period to even it for Anaheim. San Jose's top line took care of it in overtime with a goal that was equal parts skill and guile.

"I was able to just go to the front of the net, and [Thornton] obviously made a great pass," Marleau said. "We just kept jamming at it, and finally got it past the goalie. We'll try anything we can. He's playing well, and those are the kind of goals we might have to start getting."

While Ducks center Ryan Getzlaf and coach Randy Carlyle vociferously complained Hiller's pad had been nudged, video review confirmed the officials' call while the Sharks already were in their dressing room.

"The reason the puck went in the net was their player pushed our goalie's pad," Carlyle said. "The puck was loose, their player pushed, and as he pushed, the goalie's pad -- the back of his foot, which is attached to the pad, the back of his skate, knocked the puck in the net. ... I think there needs to be some clarification, because in my view, they are not allowed to push the goaltender and the puck into the net."

Hiller stopped 45 shots in another busy night of work, but the Ducks failed to capitalize on numerous late scoring opportunities, forcing them to attempt another clincher at home.

"I really didn't see it," Hiller said. "I don't know what happened. I couldn't find it, so I just tried to lay down on it, but their guy was faster. ... We had our chances in overtime, and we didn't use them. San Jose is still the best team in the league, and we have to play our best to have a chance."

If the Sharks win again in Anaheim, the series will be decided in San Jose on Wednesday night.

For at least two more days, San Jose avoided becoming the eighth No. 1 seed since 1994 to lose in the first round. San Jose still could be the third Presidents' Trophy winner to flop in the first round since 2004, but it didn't happen at the Tank, where the Sharks were the NHL's best home team in the regular season.

"Everything is fine and dandy right now, but we've still got a noose around our neck," McLellan said. "We've got to be prepared to play even better back in their building."

After losing the series' first two games at the Shark Tank last week, San Jose returned from splitting a pair in Anaheim with more excitement than desperation. The Sharks forechecked, blocked shots and created offense with an intensity they've only rarely showed against the Ducks -- and Nabokov, second in the NHL with 41 regular-season victories, finally was sharp after struggling earlier in the series.

After Thornton banged home Marleau's rebound on a power play in the first period, Setoguchi circled the net and slipped the puck through the sliver of space between Hiller's outstretched pad and the ice late in the second.

But Carter, who didn't join the Ducks' lineup until Game 4, halved the Sharks' lead 55 seconds into the third. Perry then evened it on a pass from Scott Niedermayer, sending the Shark Tank into fearful silence.

Game notes

Ducks RW Bobby Ryan, who had four goals in the first four games, left the ice with 12:59 left in regulation. Anaheim didn't immediately announce whether the rookie star was injured, but he returned to the bench with 2:21 left. ... San Jose has outshot Anaheim in all five games of the series.

I knew Thornton was going to be up for tonight's game. In the early stages, he was calling for the puck all the time and even when he made poor plays with it, it didn't deter him.

Hiller was still awesome. I think he's definitely Switzerland's guy come 2010.

Sharks now have to get it done in Anaheim, though.

asq2 wrote:I knew Thornton was going to be up for tonight's game. In the early stages, he was calling for the puck all the time and even when he made poor plays with it, it didn't deter him.

Hiller was still awesome. I think he's definitely Switzerland's guy come 2010.

Sharks now have to get it done in Anaheim, though.

Hiller is, by the way, no rookie at 27. A very composed and skilled netminder who is only now getting the respect he deserves.

Had the Sharks tanked at The Tank, the shame for Thornton and Marleau would have been beyond description. They are too proud not to have given their best last night.

The odds going forward are against them, though.

And the Ducks are not gracious hosts in Anaheim.

the home team has only won the last two games of this series before this the first three was won by the visiting team not saying there is anything to it but the sharks have won one on the duck pond so they can do dont know if they will or if they deserve it

San Jose at Anaheim

GAME SIX, STANLEY CUP WEST QUARTERFINALS
ANAHEIM LEADS SERIES 3-2

10:30 PM ET, April 27, 2009
Honda Center, Anaheim, California

CBC/Versus

Sharks-Ducks Preview

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -- Perhaps now it's the Anaheim Ducks' turn to grip their sticks a little bit tighter.

The Ducks missed their first opportunity to complete a remarkable playoff upset in Game 5, losing 3-2 in overtime to the top-seeded San Jose Sharks. Anaheim now has its best chance in Game 6 Monday night in front of a supportive home crowd eager to witness the Ducks becoming the eighth No. 8 seed to win a playoff series since 1994.

Although coach Randy Carlyle might disagree, Anaheim hasn't faced much external pressure in the all-California series up to this point.

Although the Ducks had more talent and a better playoff pedigree than several teams above them in the Western Conference standings, they were heavy underdogs to the Presidents' Trophy-winning Sharks before winning three of the first four.

With the spotlight trained squarely on the home bench in Game 6, it's tough to predict how the Ducks will respond.

They haven't been consistent winners all season long, leading to their low seeding, but the veteran core led by defensemen Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger has been in tougher situations.

"I think everybody in this room realizes that this is part of the process," said Ducks rookie forward Bobby Ryan, who missed about 10 minutes of the third period of Game 5 while getting his skate fixed -- not because of an injury. "You dwell on (Game 5) for two hours, but then you put it behind you. That's the beauty of the playoffs. When you're in the lead, you're going to get another shot to end it two days later."

But the Sharks also have a shot to force Game 7 on Wednesday back in San Jose -- and after four mostly tepid outings, the regular-season NHL leaders finally seem to be heating up a bit.

They gave their most comprehensive effort of the series in their first elimination game, getting goals from all three forwards on their top line: Patrick Marleau, Devin Setoguchi and Joe Thornton, who had a goal and two assists while playing with a noticeable bad temper for the first time in the series.

"Their backs are against the wall," Pronger said. "They have to win, or they are done. That's a dangerous position to be in, and we understand that. You saw the way they came out. How we played in the third period (of Game 5), that's how we have to play from the start. You know (Marleau and Thornton) will get their points eventually. It's up to us to shut them down. Hopefully we can do a better job of it Monday."

San Jose also got a boost from a new line of Jeremy Roenick, Jonathan Cheechoo and Torrey Mitchell, who skipped Sunday's practice to rest up for Game 6.

Even goalie Evgeni Nabokov looked solid for the Sharks after a less-than-impressive series, although both goals he surrendered appeared stoppable. Nabokov hasn't been nearly as impressive as Jonas Hiller, the Swiss goalie who stopped 45 shots in Game 5 for his latest gaudy stat line.

Roenick feels the importance of each playoff game in a way most of his teammates can't understand. After 20 years in the NHL, Roenick will strongly consider retirement after the season -- and he's still hoping the Sharks have a chance to bring him his first Stanley Cup ring.

"That's what I try to instill in everybody," Roenick said after his club's skate Sunday at the Shark Tank.

"Be afraid that this is your last game. Be worried, and then go out and do something about it. ... We carried most of the game again (in Game 5), but we've got to find a way to put the puck in the net. We had a lot of chances."

Does anyone think Anaheim will pull this one off tonight?

If the Sharks can pull off another effort like last game they should win and could turn this series around. I doubt it but you never know.

Really tough to say what happens...I thought originally that it would be more evenly matched than Anaheim running out to a 3-1 series lead, so who knows...I think if Anaheim wants to do it anywhere though, that home ice is the place.

Great point PK. That's why I'm really curious to see how Anaheim (and Washington for that matter) come out in what are pivotal games in both scenarios in front of their faithful supporters?

Either way, I think we will be treated to some fantastic, hard-nosed, edge-of-your-seat hockey!!