Round One: Anaheim @ San Jose

Neely4Life wrote:San Jose isnt getting out of the first round.

The Ducks are a bunch of tough muthas. They have teeth. And they eat shark LOL.

Heater is going to be pretty upset about this and might have to eat a little crow in about a week.

Neely4Life wrote:Heater is going to be pretty upset about this and might have to eat a little crow in about a week.

Still lots of hockey to play...



I'm out!

Have a great night, and see you tomorrow...

woooord, later.

Oh oh... choke?

Stanley Cup notebook: Sharks forget to bring their teeth

By Ray Slover - April 17, 2009

Suddenly, the NHL's best regular-season team is getting booed at home. And for darned good reason—the San Jose Sharks, a predator all season, got whitewashed by the Western Conference's eighth seed, the Anaheim Ducks.

OK, so Jonas Hiller was rock-solid for the Ducks. A rookie from Switzerland starting in place of 2007 Stanley Cup hero Jean-Sebastien Giguere, Hiller was sharp and got plenty of help.

But criminy, these are the Sharks—and criminy, these are the Sharks. Playoff failure follows them like remoras stick to their seagoing namesakes.

Hiller made 35 saves, but the Sharks' forwards got nothing going. The Sharks, in fact, played right into the Ducks' wings by playing a passive game. They didn't ruffle any feathers and did nothing with limited power-play opportunities. They went scoreless in six tries.

The Sharks have clearly lost an edge. The Ducks are clearly much better than their seed.

Joe Thornton, perhaps the great white of the Sharks, was particularly absent in this game. One shot—are you kidding? He wasn't alone. Patrick Marleau? Marleau? Anyone?

OK, it's one game. Yeah, the Sharks have enough veterans to shrug this one off. And they have two days off to find a solution. Their five-on-five play was especially odorous.

And you can bet anything the Ducks did wasn't a surprise to the Sharks. Between their season head-to-head games and pre-series prep work, they had all the data they needed.

The Sharks' problem now is between their ears.

Here we go again!

So, No-Show Joe is back I see...

This could be a REAL fun series, and potentially a LOT shorter than some thought.

Neely4Life wrote:Heater is going to be pretty upset about this and might have to eat a little crow in about a week.

Do you think Erixon will be better than Campoli?

It's one game. The Ducks AREN'T for real this year. They're no where near what they were when they won the Cup. Even if they get by the Sharks it doesn't mean they're going far.

Cap'n Clutch wrote:It's one game. The Ducks AREN'T for real this year. They're no where near what they were when they won the Cup. Even if they get by the Sharks it doesn't mean they're going far.

+1.

I iwll wait for at elast another game to start analyzing. Sharks played well.

Cap'n Clutch wrote:It's one game. The Ducks AREN'T for real this year. They're no where near what they were when they won the Cup. Even if they get by the Sharks it doesn't mean they're going far.

Did you watch the game, Cap?

Ducks have teeth in California. cool)

Neely4Life wrote:Heater is going to be pretty upset about this and might have to eat a little crow in about a week.

Me? Look at page one, I called Anaheim in 7. :D: I think Anaheim has 'the goods'.

going into the shark tank and winning game one against the home squad, where they were pretty unbeatable this year, this is huge for Anaheim, if they only win this one, they have shifted the dynamics of the series already.

Exactly. If they do it again, SJ better take a good look at themselves in the mirror.

Plus, I imagine their owner and crew will all have a collective stroke if the Sharks are bounced by Anaheim.

On this one, unlike the Montreal series, I don't see doom and gloom descending on San Jose.

They got surprised, for sure, but I feel that it shouldn't distract them too much from their ultimate goal

I see your point Bee. Game #2 at the Tank will tell a lot in terms of whether the Sharks can regain their touch and form; otherwise, Anaheim may end up taking the collective wind out of their sails permanently and dictate the rest of the series.

Cronie wrote:I see your point Bee. Game #2 at the Tank will tell a lot in terms of whether the Sharks can regain their touch and form; otherwise, Anaheim may end up taking the collective wind out of their sails permanently and dictate the rest of the series.

Both teams are way too talented for one to dominate the other. It's been back and forth all year long for these two.

Seven games sounds about right.