A San Jose Sharks Blog

Over the regular season, the Sharks handled the Red Wings very well. Having won three out of four games against Detroit this year, San Jose would most likely have a better time in "Hockeytown" than in Southern California. In those four games between the Sharks and Red Wings, San Jose outscored Detroit 18 - 9. However, goal totals don't tell the entire story. Detroit is a very skilled and experienced team that is capable of beating a lot of NHL teams, including the Sharks. Consequently, let's take a look at a potential San Jose game plan that might give them the edge.

San Jose Game Plan (vs Detroit Red Wings)
 - The large San Jose wingers should wear down Detroit's skilled veteran defense over the seven game series. With a little dump and chase, the Sharks will be able to pound the older Chris Chelios, Mathieu Schneider, and Niklas Lidstrom into the end boards on every shift. Not only will this lead to a tired defense, but it will also offer up a lot of turnovers down in the offensive zone.

 - If you combine the bullet point above with the Sharks' speed and ability to possess the puck, then you'll probably see a lot of San Jose scoring chances. Dominik Hasek is still an amazing goalie, but if Team Teal can dominate the offensive zone and pepper him with 30+ shots a night, two or three of them are bound to get by the 42 year old goalie.

 - As everyone knows, the Sharks have a lot of depth and that was seen in Round One of the playoffs. Coach Ron Wilson was able to roll out all four lines and each one was able to contribute to the scoresheet. If the San Jose were to face Detroit, Wilson should continue to do the same. The Red Wings have a lot of gifted forwards, but the third and fourth lines of the Sharks may be too much for Detroit to handle.

Red Wings fans...don't get me wrong. I know that Detroit is a solid team and that their experience and skill earned them 113 points during the regular season. However, those points came from teams such as Chicago, St. Louis, and Columbus. As for Team Teal, their 107 points were earned by battling teams like Anaheim and Dallas. So, who is the better team?

I don't really know the answer to that question...only a Sharks/Red Wings series can answer that. So let's hope the Canucks get it done tonight; otherwise, this post would have been a big waste of time.