Re: San Jose V. Detroit Discussion Thread
PostedCOLON Sun May 09, 2010 8:31 am
Another narrow defeat. 4 losses by one goal. 4 losses decided in the third period or overtime.
When it's that close it comes down to the little things...winning faceoffs, converting mistakes and taking advantage of some good fortune. Both goals involved those three things. The first goal was a well-executed faceoff win leading the puck being worked at the point allowing a shot on goal and with two defensemen still standing on the glove side of Howard, no one was there to engage Thornton and he had an easy scoring chance and he buried it. On the second goal...Murray clearly hit Franzen away from the play and he should've been called for interference. The puck goes the other way on an odd man rush and thankfully nothing came of it. However, with Howard having to cover that puck and the ensuing draw in the Wings' end...Rafalski makes a fatal mistake on the attempted breakout play by leaving it for no one and leaving every Red Wing out of position and with precision passing, the puck found Marleau's stick and the puck found the back of the net.
Considering the Sharks fail so often in the playoffs, I suppose it's a reason celebrate. I've experienced 4 championships since '97 but I've also experienced disappointment. This team always regroups and comes back hungry. Enjoy your series win but I wouldn't want to run into the Blackhawks, who are 60 minutes away from another trip to the Western finals. That team was thoroughly beaten last year by the Wings in that same round and I can't see them failing again. They're a younger version of Detroit. The Sharks beat a very battle-tested but battle-worn team by a narrow margin. A younger and more hungry team should be able to overtake them.
When it's that close it comes down to the little things...winning faceoffs, converting mistakes and taking advantage of some good fortune. Both goals involved those three things. The first goal was a well-executed faceoff win leading the puck being worked at the point allowing a shot on goal and with two defensemen still standing on the glove side of Howard, no one was there to engage Thornton and he had an easy scoring chance and he buried it. On the second goal...Murray clearly hit Franzen away from the play and he should've been called for interference. The puck goes the other way on an odd man rush and thankfully nothing came of it. However, with Howard having to cover that puck and the ensuing draw in the Wings' end...Rafalski makes a fatal mistake on the attempted breakout play by leaving it for no one and leaving every Red Wing out of position and with precision passing, the puck found Marleau's stick and the puck found the back of the net.
Considering the Sharks fail so often in the playoffs, I suppose it's a reason celebrate. I've experienced 4 championships since '97 but I've also experienced disappointment. This team always regroups and comes back hungry. Enjoy your series win but I wouldn't want to run into the Blackhawks, who are 60 minutes away from another trip to the Western finals. That team was thoroughly beaten last year by the Wings in that same round and I can't see them failing again. They're a younger version of Detroit. The Sharks beat a very battle-tested but battle-worn team by a narrow margin. A younger and more hungry team should be able to overtake them.