A San Jose Sharks Blog

For 55 minutes, I thought I was watching Game One all over again. In fact, a small part of me thought it was the beginning of the end. A 3 to 1 disadvantage in a series is extremely difficult to come back from and that is where I thought San Jose was headed. Who can blame me? Calgary just seemed to be all over San Jose. Their forecheck was strong and it created a lot of turnovers and scoring opportunities. Unfortunately, our forecheck seemed to be a second too late...allowing them to make crucial passes out of their zone. Moreover, the Flames seemed to be making all of their checks count, while ours were only partially connecting.

Fortunately, thanks to a goal from Cheechoo, the Sharks got things going. They were moving their feet, they were controlling the puck...they looked like the team I know and love. Take Cheechoo's goal for instance...thanks to some hardwork down low by Setoguchi and Pavelski, Jonathan was able to get off an unbalanced slapper on net which amazingly sniped the near top-side corner. If it weren't for the speed and pressure down low, the goal would never have been scored. Though that goal was critical in the Sharks' comeback, it was not the game winner.

With 10 seconds left in the third period, Jumbo Joe Thornton scored his first goal of the playoffs which ended up being the game winner. After some sustained pressure on the Flames, the puck squirted out to the blueline where Douglas Murray picked it up and launched a quick wrister towards the net. While screening Miikka Kiprusoff, Thornton redirected the puck past the goal line keeping the Sharks' series hopes alive...hell, Number 19's goal kept all Sharks fans' hopes alive.

Now with the series tied once again, the Sharks are coming home for a crucial Game Five. If they can take the last five minutes from Game Four and turn it into 60 mintues in Game Five, then I really like our chances.

Notes:

• Douglas Murray continues to impress me. Not only has he shut down the Flames' big players and laid out some big hits, but he also has registered a goal and an assist in these four games. In my eyes, Number 3 has gone from a number 6 defenseman to a top 3 defenseman over the past month...let's hope he keeps it going.
• Devin Setoguchi stepped on to NHL playoff ice for the very first time in his career and he made an immediate impact. The young winger provided a lot of jump and grit in Game Four, not to mention an assist on Cheechoo's goal.
• Ryane Clowe scored his fourth goal and registered his 3rd assist in these playoffs...the guy is simply a beast out there and the Flames can't seem to contain him. I can't imagine what this series would look like if Clowe hadn't returned to the lineup just in time.
• Coach Ron Wilson's decision to bring Setoguchi into the lineup and dress seven defensmen proved to be a wise one. I've already commented on Seto's play, but having an extra D-man made a big impact as well. It allowed Christian Ehrhoff to comeback and eat up 21:19 of ice time...taking minutes and pressure off of Kyle McLaren who has been struggling a bit. Moreover, I've got to believe that having an extra defenseman kept the D fresh making it difficult for Calgary to get shots to the net (only 10 on the night).