ANAHEIM, Ca – In what has become an annual event the San Jose Sharks were bounced out of the playoffs much earlier than expected. After a 53-win, 117 point President’s Trophy season many thought this was the year the club would shake off the underachiever tag, only to see them knocked out in the first round by the number 8 seeded Anaheim Ducks. While the Sharks finish was disappointing, the series loss was less about how they played and how well Anaheim performed. To simply label the Ducks as a bottom seed would be to ignore the fact virtually the same club won the 2007 Stanley Cup. After an overtime win in Game 5 it appeared the Sharks had shrugged off a start which saw them lose=2 0the first two games of the series at home. Game 6 started off literally with a bang as Anaheim’s Ryan Getzlaf and San Jose’s Joe Thornton fought a spirited battle just seconds after the opening face-off. The fisticuffs set the tone for an evening which would be filled with mean spirits and roughhouse tactics. The first goal of the night was also a good omen for the favored Sharks. After failing to connect on their first two power play chances San Jose struck gold in the form of Milan Michalek who potted a rebound of a Rob Blake blast at the 10:19 mark of the first period. Little did anyone know, or expect, it would be the last goal of the Sharks magnificent regular season. As the two clubs scratched and clawed through the period the Sharks went a little too far in an after the whistle tangle. Three San Jose players were tagged with roughing calls to just two Anaheim players and the Ducks made the Sharks pay. Anaheim’s power play struck to tie the game when Corey Perry went to the front of the net and re-directed Getzlaf’s shot on goal. After the score the two clubs would battle for over 20 minutes of game time without a score until the Ducks put the Sharks away. Teemu Selanne started San Jose’s demise when he decided to toss the puck at the net when he ran out of options. Selanne, who had been scoreless in the series, flung the puck into a crowd in front of San Jose netminder Evgeni Nabokov and the puck struck someone before it went in. Another deflection just over a minute later would for all intents and purposes send Anaheim into the second round. After the Ducks had worked the puck around it went out to defenseman Francois Beauchemin who was manning the left point. Like Selanne, Beauchemin enjoyed a large slice of fortune as his hard shot ricocheted off Dan Boyle’s stick past Nabokov for the Ducks third score. After Beauchemin’s good fortune the two clubs skated again for over 20 minutes without a goal. San Jose had some excellent chances to move closer, but Anaheim goaltender Jonas Hiller played another strong game as he came up with 36 stops. The final goal showed the difference between the two clubs as Anaheim picked up their last goal of the series thanks to true grit. With time running out on the game, and the Sharks, Ducks forwards Drew Miller and Rob Niedermayer battled along the wall to the left of Nabokov. Niedermayer finally dug the puck out and centered it to Getzlaf who ripped a wrist shot to finalize the game’s scoring. With the win the Ducks will go on to face the Detroit Red Wings in a series that will feature the 2007 Stanley Cup winners against the 2008 defending champions. Because the Red Wings are seeded second in the confe rence they will hold home-ice advantage. Note
With the win Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle has won eight of the ten playoff series he has been part of since he took the reigns as coach of the Ducks.
Contact tom.schettino@prohockeynews.com Catch all the playoffs at Intotheboards.net
You must be logged in to post a comment.