SAN JOSE, Calif – The San Jose Sharks have shed some of their reputation as post season chokers and eliminated the defending Western Conference champion Detroit Red Wings.
With San Jose it is the tail of two Joes. Joe Pavelski was the first round hero against the Colorado Avalanche and he started the second series strong as well but has cooled off as of late. Not to worry “Jumbo” Joe Thornton has stepped it up and found his playoff form and for the Sharks not a minute too soon. Joe Thornton’s playoff past is not what you would call stellar. His point per game average goes down compared to the regular season and his teams have historically not done well. Whether the playoff reputation is deserved or not and whether the Sharks advance to the Cup final or not his play against the powerhouse Detroit Red Wings was impressive. Even more impressive is how he heated up as Pavelski cooled off which is a sign of a team player. In the second round he has taken back the reigns and become the focal point of the offense.
It is a team game and perhaps the Pavelski line slowed some because they were matched up against the Red Wings top defensive pair of Nick Lidstrom and Brian Rafalski to start the series but that changed in the last couple of games. Even these two stand out D-men could not stop the determined Thornton line which saw Patrick Marleau on the wing with more regularity than we had seen in the previous games. Perhaps Thornton needed a break from the competitions best defensive players to get his swagger back. Whatever was done worked from the Sharks point of view.
Right from the start of game five Thornton was aggressive in both ends of the rink, showed great hustle, was a physical threat and his prowess around the net was a combination of power and finesse. In the first period he drove with the puck from behind the net, to the front and beat goaltender Jimmy Howard but not the post on a low back hand shot. In the second frame he scored on the power play showing great patience to drag the puck past a sprawling Detroit net minder off of a Dany Heatley shot. This goal was monumental because it tied the game less than three minutes after the Red Wings opened the scoring but more importantly it re-gained the momentum back to the home team. The game winning goal was a one timer shot from the slot by Patrick Marleau and was assisted by the game’s first star Joe Thornton at the seven minute mark. If this team is going to be successful in the next round “Jumbo” as they call him will have to be just that.
Right from the beginning of the evening there was something in the air at the Shark Tank. Maybe it is the spring days getting longer or probably playoff fever that brought out the tailgaters in the parking lot. That is not something you see a lot of in the NHL but it caught the attention of the local news crew who were set up in the lot before and after the game. It may be California but these fans take their hockey seriously and inside the atmosphere was more raucous than nervous.
This was a break through victory for this organization and although the Joes were offensive leaders it was a great team effort. For example the bounce back performance by Evgeni Nabakov was impressive stopping 33 of 34 shots thrown his way.
Scott Nichol’s first shift in the third period turned things back around for the Sharks after being outplayed and out shot in the second period 14-3. Nichol who is a spark plug on this team went out and showed great exuberance and got the crowd back into it. Players get ramped up when they see the smallest guy on the team going out there and mixing it up with anybody who is in his way. That is the Nichol effect and that got the sell out crowd at the HP Pavilion going again. This is team has made changes from the past years and the signing of Scott Nichol paid off in the first and last few minutes of the third when he won key defensive zone face-offs.
This was “a very very big win for our organization” is what coach MacLellan had to say in the post game press conference. The coach was proud of his team for overcoming. He also added that “by no means is our task done.”
In order for the Sharks to have continued success they will need to have everybody running on all cylinders and game five was the best we have seen Patrick Marleau play in this years post season. He sniped the game winning goal and got himself involved in the play on both ends of the ice.
The Sharks overcame after having their rear ends handed to them in game four at Joe Louis arena 7-1 and proved to the hockey world they are for real.
Next for the Sharks comes some well earned rest, scouting of the Chicago against Vancouver series and preparation for the next round. The way this team has performed and after everything they have been through as a group over the past few years the San Jose Sharks could very well be this years team of destiny.
Keep your sticks on the ice,
Contact Cam.Gore@prohockeynews.com
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