A San Jose Sharks Blog

Last night, the Sharks came out slow and soft once again. They didn't have the speed nor the timing and it had me worried. It's as if they still had a little bit of nervousness left in their systems, especially given the pressure of Game Two. A win meant that they'd be back in it, a loss meant an uphill battle and potential first-round exit.

Fortunately, the legs got going and the Sharks started to put some solid shifts together. Much of that is thanks to San Jose's third line of Grier, Mitchell, and Rissmiller. This line used its size and speed, ability to possess the puck, and strong work ethic to generate a number of scoring chances. It's safe to say that I like the way this line is playing...confident, chippy, and with a lot of intensity.

Once momentum was on San Jose's side, this seemed to relax everyone even more. This was evident in Patrick Marleau's skating...the Sharks captain seemed to be flying out there. His strong push into the Flames' zone led to the first goal of the game. Streaking down the far side, Marleau gained the zone and fed a puck over to Vlasic for a one-timer from just inside the blueline. The shot wasn't able to beat Kiprusoff; however, the rebound came out from behind the net on to Pavelski's stick. With a quick pivot, Number 8 slid the puck towards the Flames goalie and beat him between the pads.

Then came the Calgary parade to the penalty box; on the night, the Flames accumulated 12 penalties for a total of 24 minutes. One or two were a bit ticky-tacky, but the majority of them were as clear as day. This gave San Jose a long string of powerplays, much of which was with a two-man advantage. The Calgary PK did a great job to kill almost all of their penalties, but luckily, San Jose finally cashed in. At 18:09 of the second period, Torrey Mitchell scored his first career playoff goal when he chipped in a rebound from inside the crease during a mad scramble in front of Kipper. This gave San Jose the much needed "insurance goal".

In the third, the Sharks shut things down and played more on the defensive side of the puck. With the decreased offensive pressure, the Flames were able to generate some momentum in the Sharks' zone. This led to three Sharks penalties, but San Jose's PK was able to get the job done. Of course, a lot of credit goes to Nabokov who simple stole the game.

On the night, Number 20 stopped all 21 shots on net...two in particular were simply amazing. With open nets, both Nolan and Sarich were robbed by an outstretched mitt coming from San Jose's All-Star goalie.

Overall, a much better performance by the Sharks. It seems that there are a few things that can still be improved, but I was very pleased by the effort and especially the result. Now it's on to Calgary where the fans will be absolutely ready for Game Three. Let's hope the best away team in the NHL can maintain its road dominance, starting on Sunday at the Saddle Dome.

Notes:

• Matt Carle made the most of his opportunity to play in the playoffs. By stopping a potential Nolan breakaway and making a smart decision to pinch on the play that resulted in Mitchell's goal, Number 18 probably guaranteed himself a spot in the lineup this upcoming Sunday.
• Miikka Kiprusoff continues to stop nearly everything in sight. Over two games, the Sharks have put 82 shots on net and he has stopped 78 of them...that gives him a pretty scary save percentage of .951 so far in Round One.
• Douglas Murray continues to be a solid shutdown defenseman. Whenever Number 3 is out on the ice, the Flames' forwards just can't seem to get anything going.
• The Sharks were able to win the game without the following players generating a point: Thornton, Cheechoo, Michalek, and Campbell. Imagine what San Jose can do once these guys get going.