One down, five more to go. I say that because I did predict this series to go six games, so after some deep thought and reflection – the Sharks had to lose twice to make that sucker come true….so why not Game One? They got one heartbreak out of the way. I actually thought (and still do) that the series is going to go 2-2 before the Sharks take over and take Game 5 and 6 to move forward.

Mike pointed out in his last post much of the “strategery” we think needs to be changed for Game Deuce. The Sharks need to play like the number one seed, don’t adjust your game to fit the Ducks, make the Ducks adjust to you. If Anaheim is going to try and stand you up at the blueline, go around them with two of the best mobile D-men in the league in Boyle and Ehrhoff. They proved near the end of the game, when the checking should have been at its tightest, that they could gain the zone nearly every time and create chances. In an interview on NHL Live on Friday, Versus analyst Dave Strader recounted a conversation with Penguins head coach, Dan Bylsma, about matching up strategy against the Flyers and Bylsma responding by saying (and I’m paraphrasing) “We don’t match up or change styles against anyone. We’re going to play our way”. I expect this attitude to be on display in the Deuce.

I pondered why Jamie McGinn was here watching and I think we might find out tomorrow. Clearly, I was wrong about dressing Jody Shelley. Love the guy, but having a battle trophy on the bench for two minutes of ice time is a total waste. Dress McGinn or give Stanley Cup champion Lemiuex a chance to add some emotion.

Anyone else for getting Cheechoo off that 3rd line? Solid D has never been Cheech’s thing and it takes him out of the most important aspect of his game, which is attacking the net. Cheech and J.R. could cause the Ducks 4th line the crazies, they could be a hand full. Grier needs to return to that group and I hope we’ll see more of Goc/Moen/Grier on the ice vs. the Ducks top line and that frees up Joe/Marleau/Seto to do their thing. Does this mean the Ducks might score more? Sure. It also means we’re gonna score, and in a 5-4 gunfight, I’d take the Sharks every single time. BANG!

I feel like we’re all kind of waiting for the playoff ceiling to cave in. Like we expect the Sharks to make an early exit. I admit it, I felt that way almost all day Friday – but as J.R. said after the game, this is a long series and we’ve only just begun. And, after all, not many of us thought this was gonna be a sweep – right?

OTHER PLAYOFF STUFF
Oops. Picking St. Louis isn’t looking so hot for me right now, but there was a ton of emotion at the end of Game Two on the Blues bench over some rough stuff at the buzzer – we’ll see if that is the wake up call the Blues need in front of their home fans in Game Three.

Philadelphia just can’t help themselves. They have to take dumb/dumb penalties and they totally blew the game against the Penguins. If you’re gonna give them a 5 on 3 in overtime, you deserve to lose, especially on a stupid slash by rookie Giroux and an interference by Knuble on their own PP. Smooth move, Ex-Lax….couldn’t resist.

So let the naysayers start that well-worn tune again, about how the Sharks are chokers.  We’re one game into the playoffs, and we have a lot further to go.  I have to say, most of the ideas for this post were conceived as grier and I walked home from the game, so it’s not going to be the most positive thing you ever read.  But as I was driving home, listening to NHL Home Ice immediately after Dan Rusanowsky wrapped up his broadcast, the first thing out of the first guy’s mouth was, “Where was the captain?  Where was Joe Thornton?”  And I suppose that’s one way of looking at it.  But I lay a large share of the blame at a guy we haven’t written much about this season.

Todd McLellan.

The way I see it, the Sharks made three pretty big strategic errors in the way they approached the game tonight.

1. They dumped the puck in every chance they got, so much so I thought I was watching the Sharks in 1996.  With speedy guys like Marleau, Michalek, Seto, Ehrhoff, hell, even Marcel Goc, this strategy is playing against the Sharks’ strength.  Actually, it plays almost directly into the Ducks’ strength, which, if you heard the podcast, is their defense.   Do you really want to get into a skating contest with Scott Niedermayer, maybe the best skating defenseman in the NHL?  Do you really want to try and go around Chris Pronger, who goes right up to the line of interference EVERY SINGLE TIME?  Sorry to get off on a rant, but how you can take four steps to your left and put your stick in a guy’s ribs when he  dumps the puck in directly in front of you and not get a penalty, I’ll never know.
2. Matching up their top offensive line with Anaheim’s.  If you look at the neato graphical shift chart, you’ll see Joe’s line went up against Getzlaf’s almost exclusively even strength.  Two of the guys on that line never kill penalties- Joe and Seto.  So if you are in a matchup against a better line (make no mistake, the Ducks have the better top line right now), you’re going to spend a lot of time defending.  Having the Sharks’ top line, the line that scored 222 regular season points, about 150 feet away from the goal the entire game is, frankly, a dumb matchup.  Why not Moen, Grier, and Goc (all penalty killers) against those guys?  So what if they don’t score?
3. Not playing 12 forwards.  Jody Shelley got 2:02 in ice time tonight, painfully reminiscent of a game in last year’s playoffs, where, like tonight, he only got three first period shifts.  What, are we trying to do a Calgary impression and play with a short bench?  We know from the last couple of months this team has depth, and we now know this could be a long and arduous series.  Dress guys, and play ’em.  Start with McGinn.

Although this certainly is the biggest (really the only) blast I’ve ever done against TMac, I do have faith in the guy.  The entire coaching staff is resourceful and smart, and I have confidence they will make the necessary adjustments going forward.  It just would have been nice to see those adjustments made after first or second period when the game could have still been won.

This week, we are doing a special two episode playoff schedule for our podcast, Dudes on Hockey, on Thursday and Sunday. Beginning tomorrow, we talk to Adam Brady, the Anaheim Ducks Director of Publications and New Media and official team blogger. His work can be found right here. Should be a fun show and we have another special guest lined up for Sunday…..more on that later.

Watching and reading the abundance of coverage and hype the last two days, it’s clear that NHL people around the league believe that the West Coast match up of Sharks/Ducks could very well be the best first round series this year. There’s no shortage of stories to cover, between the Sharks playoff implosions, the penalty filled final meeting, Perry vs. Nabby, Parros vs. Shelley, Man vs. Food. All of these subplots make for good conversation, which we hope to continue on tomorrow’s podcast with special guest, Adam Brady.

I’m going on the record with my first round picks. Here goes nothin’.

West: Sharks in six, Wings in five, Blues in seven, Blackhawks in five.
East: Bruins in four, Capitals in six, Devils in six, Penguins in seven

This would make for the following 2nd round match-ups:
(6) Blues vs. (1) Sharks
(4) Blackhawks vs. (2) Red Wings
(4) Penguins vs. (1) Bruins
(3) Devils vs. (2) Capitals

Here are a few thoughts going into tomorrow’s game.

-Who is going to play on the 4th line for the Sharks? It looks like, from all reports, that the 3rd line now consists of Cheechoo, Goc and Moen, so the 4th line is Grier, Roenick and TBA. I believe that TBA is Jody Shelley in this series because we know how physical it is going to be. We can’t ask Clowe Moen and Murray to do all the heavy lifting – so Jody will be need for this series, and possibly this series only. This gets to my next point….

– Why is Jamie McGinn here? Shouldn’t he be playing on the top line for the Worcester Sharks playoff run against the NY Rangers AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolfpack? Well, my thought is that McLellan prefers McGinn to his other Shelley options (Plihal, Lemieux) and if the Sharks draw a more up-tempo team in Round Two like St. Louis or Chicago, then McGinn might get the call and he needs to be around the team to make a full impact when he’s needed in two weeks….just a hunch.

– This series could come down to who’s penalty kill is better. The Ducks have been on fire on the PP in the final weeks and the Sharks PK has been one of the worst in the league at 71.4% (consider that the Toronto Maple Leafs had the worst for the year at 74.7%). Luckily, the Ducks were worse, only slightly, at 70.8%. We know how potent both PP’s can be….so the winner in this battle will literally “kill” the others Cup hopes.

– Game 1 for San Jose is more important than ever. If the Sharks drop the first one, they have three days to sit around and think about it. I would rather have the Ducks staggering out of the Ultra Lounge, smelling of Goldschlager and corn-nuts on Santa Clara Street when Chris Pronger stops Francois Beauchemin and says. “I don’t think we’re gonna win this one (hiccup) Franny……Where the hell is this Pink Poodle place?”

I love the NHL playoffs. I call it Hockey Christmas. It is the best time of year and the reason why God invented the NHL Center Ice package. I thought I’d offer a few of my thoughts on who I think are the big winners going into the first playoff games on Wednesday.

WINNERS:
BOSTON BRUINS
These guys have to be thrilled with their first round playoff draw. While there is significant history between these two original teams, including last year when the Bruins took Montreal to the brink – the roles have been reversed and this Canadiens team is certainly not up to the task. They are a team in limbo with no identity or constant motor. I had my doubts about Boston’s ability to make a deep run to the Cup, but this is the perfect way for them to start against a Canadiens team that is without Markov, a real head coach and the ability to keep teams from scoring (they allowed 247 goals, 2nd most of any playoff team to Calgary). The Canadiens will be off the see The Wizard in four games to get a heart and Boston will be chillin’ at home waiting for Round Two.

DETROIT RED WINGS
They avoided what could have been a death bullet for them in the Ducks or the Blues. What sort of deal has Ken Holland made with the Devil for them to get this draw? They get easy travel (200 miles each way), the 2nd most offensively challenged team in the playoffs with 226 goals (worst is the NY Rangers), and the BJ’s have the worst power play in the league at 12%. 12% – are you frickin’ kidding me? Columbus doesn’t have the fire power to expose how bad the Wings goaltending is which means Detroit is a big winner and could dispose of the BJ’s in five….or dare I say four. DAMN IT!

PATRICK MARLEAU
On the NHL Radio Network this afternoon on the Phil Esposito show (which can be difficult to listen to at times….oh man, he’s brutal – it took him 30 seconds to say Milan Lucic) they were giving out their own version of post season awards and recognized Patrick Marleau as the Comeback Player of the Year over players like Simon Gange, Patrick Elias and Patrice Bergeron. It was great to here Marleau get the recognition he deserves for turning his career around this season and being the poster boy for the success of the McLellan system in San Jose. Nice stuff. Marleau is a winner.

I had a great time last night as a special guest on Chomp Talk, the San Jose Sharks radio call in show in the Bay Area hosted by Chetan Chaudhari and our very own blogger, Mike. One hot topic that was discussed is who should be on the 4th line along side Roenick and Cheechoo? We bounced back and forth and I think Chetan and I settled on Jody Shelley while Mike took Plihal. My reasoning is that while George Parros only logged six games in the playoffs during the Ducks cup run in 2006, three of them came in Round One against the Minnesota Wild, and they suited up Derek Boogard. Parros was active, collecting 6 PIM’s in that series – and with less depth this year we have to expect he will be out there again against the Sharks. Jody Shelley must play to keep things honest in this round – beyond that, he will likely take a seat depending on the match up.

If you didn’t get to hear the radio show, here is a link to our Dudes on Hockey website to hear it as a podcast. What are your thoughts on the playoff winners and who should be on the fourth line?

We have returned from Vegas and will give a full update on this weeks upcoming podcast. Many good stories and we met many great hockey fans from around the league in various sportsbooks.

I’m sitting here on Easter Sunday doing what any good hockey fan should be doing after church. Watching NHL Center Ice. The game of interest of course is the Blue/Avs, and I’m losing hope that the Avs can pull off a miracle. So, it’s meant to be. The first California playoff series since 1969 (Oakland Seals/LA Kings) will be upon us starting next week – I’m guess Wednesday and Friday are the home games since the brilliant and rarely funny Jeff Dunham is playing The Tank on Saturday night. My head says this is a terrible draw for the Sharks, the toughest that could have come their way….but my heart feels different. This is going to be some good hockey.

The Sharks will never overcome the stigma of being playoff losers unless they can make a deep run and beat the best along the way, so why not start with out biggest rival from down south, the Ducks. It is a fitting way to march to the Cup – and what scenario would make Sharks fans more proud than to make it to the Finals by beating the Ducks, Flames and Red Wings? That is the fantasy draw, the three teams we love to hate and to knock them all off on the way to our first championship would be extremely sweet…..but also extremely dangerous. Now, I think there’s little shot of us getting one part of this scenario because the Flames are severely beat up and the Blackhawks have owned them this year – but sub in the Hawks and that is still a thrill ride that would be fun to watch.

I’m not going to get into how we match up with the Ducks, playoff predictions, etc, because there are still two periods to play in Colorado and stranger things have happened this weekend…but it sure looks like West Coast hockey fans are in for a treat next week.

Listen to ChompTalk for a special playoff edition featuring both Mike and I tonight at 9pm on AM 1220. You can stream the show at http://1220kdow.com.

Here’s the podcast for this week.

The Sharks control their own destiny, like several other teams as the regular season is winding down. A win at home, in fact even an overtime loss that nets San Jose one stinking point is good enough to secure home ice against Detroit. A win tonight clinches the President’s Trophy and home ice against any and all comers in the Stanley Cup derby. I’m more stoked about this than others – and I think it could be the key to whacking the Red Wings and forcing Boston to watch one more screening of Paul Blart, Mall Cop on the charter before Game 7.

Mike and I are headed to Vegas for the final weekend of NHL action and my first bet will be to take the St. Louis Blues against Columbus tomorrow night. First, the Blues have dominated this series, winning four out of five this year. Second, the Blue Jackets had their emotional high last night when they clinched their first playoff birth EVER – so they are bound to have a natural let down. Pick number one: St. Louis Blues. Thank you Vegas.

So, there’s still tons of drama to play out before the season is over and the Sharks could play anyone from the Ducks, Blues, Preds and even the Blue Jackets, if they lose their final two. Mike and I will be monitoring and gambling on every bit of it.

I’m excited to be joining Mike on Chomp Talk for a “Dudes on Hockey” special episode where we will tag team Chetan like the Bushwackers, WWF style. Tune in to AM 1220 on April 12 from 9-10pm Pacific time. You can stream the show at http://1220kdow.com.

New podcast here.

The Sharks certainly have the inside track to the President’s Cup, given each year to the team with the most points.  They are 5 points up on Boston and 6 points up on Detroit, though they both have a game in hand.  And the Sharks didn’t particularly play last night like they were fixated on the lesser Cup.  They played one of the more listless games I’ve seen this year in a real snooze-a-rama game against the Avalanche, where a good 50% of the roster was barely known to me.

Of course it’s not a game to be thrilled about as a Sharks fan.  Perhaps I’m seeing the world through 1st place, rose-colored glasses, but it doesn’t particularly bother me that the Sharks couldn’t get their blood going against a last place team in a mostly meaningless game.  The important part is the Sharks being healthy and ready for the playoffs.  With Grier and Lemieux coming back last night, and Marleau and Clowe reportedly coming back on Thursday, great progress is being shown in that department.

I hate stupid sports cliches, and the one about teams not being able to switching intensity on and off is one of the more tiresome ones.  And like most, it has some truth to it.  But you can’t tell me the Sharks are approaching Thursday against Phoenix the exact same way, and with the same internal focus, as they would with a Game 1 against the Ducks.  It’s just not going to happen.  I don’t want the Sharks to just dial it in, but at the same time, I want them to keep their eyes on the real prize- the receptacle you get your name engraved on, not the trophy everyone forgets about a couple years after it’s awarded.

From the Sharks website, via Fear the Fin.  Don’t know what the Masterton is?  Money quote:

The Masterton Trophy is awarded each season under the trusteeship of the PHWA to the National Hockey League player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.

Two out of three ain’t bad.

“This is where we have to learn to knuckle down and play the game we’re supposed to play,” forward Jeremey Roenick said. “We’ve got one week left until (the) playoffs and we can’t have games like this. It’s unacceptable.”

That about sums it up, J.R.

Last night was a chance for the Sharks to completely bury the Red Wings, to pull eight points ahead making it impossible for Detroit to grab home ice. Instead, we saw the Ryan Getzlaf show. The Sharks could not stop the Ducks top line of Ryan, Getzlaf and Perry – they were dominant and capitalized on every scoring chance presented. I honestly didn’t think the Sharks played that poorly in the first two periods, even when the Ducks went ahead two goals in the 2nd. The Sharks couldn’t finish while the Ducks buried every good scoring chance they had. It just wasn’t the Sharks night. No excuses. No blaming it on “no Marleau and Clowe”. San Jose should have wanted the win as much as the playoff starved Ducks did. As J.R. said, “It’s unacceptable.”

I fully expect the Sharks to respond tonight by getting at least a point in a hard fought battle. I think we’ll see some fights, we’ll see some big hits and we’ll see if the Sharks can make a statement. Now, one might say: What do the Sharks need to prove, they are the #1 seed. They have to prove to themselves and everyone in the league that this is not going to be the same old late season nose-dive. The Sharks need to respond tonight.

A few other thoughts from the game:

Here I go again, but if any Sharks fan reading this blog feels the need to boo this team, a team that has dropped only four regulation games at home this year, a team that has been the most entertaining squad in hockey for most of the year – then you should move to Colorado. That team and franchise deserves to be booed. It is unreal to me to hear Sharks fans booing the team at the end of the game or when a power play goes wrong. Shame, shame, shame – you don’t deserve this teams success.

Christian Ehrhoff was up to his old tricks again last night. When things went wrong (out of position, not able to hold the zone on the power play, poor passes across the crease in his own end) Ehrhoff seemed to be the guilty party. He wasn’t alone in being a -2, but his was the most noticable to me.

When Grier, Marleau and Clowe get healthy, who are the three Sharks that are going to sit? Staubitz is a lock to grab some pine, but after that it gets a little cloudy. I think Jamie McGinn is making it extremely difficult on Coach McLellan to remove him as a regular. He finishes every check and his line with Moen and Goc was the best San Jose line last night. I think Shelley and Plihal could be the healthy scratches…

The Worcester Sharks have won four in a row and recently got back Kyle McLaren, who scored a goal and was a +2 in last nights win over the LA Kings AHL team, Manchester. They received an injection of skill and youth when Logan Couture’s junior team, the Ottawa 67’s, lost a Game Seven heartbreaker and Couture has joined Worcester for the stretch drive. He had a fight in his first game (huh?) and hasn’t registered a point yet, but it’s not for lack of trying – he has eight shots in two games. I’m telling you, this kid is a gamer. Congrats to Worcester and hopefully they can hang on and make a run for the Calder Cup.

New podcast is right here.

The San Jose Sharks are so close I can smell it like Madonna smells another orphan in need. They are getting healthy – Blake and Goc were leaned upon for over 36 minutes of ice time tonight as the Oilers threw everything they had at the Sharks for the final 22 minutes after Gagne’s goal and they still couldn’t beat the Sharks. The NHL season is a stretch of hot and cold and the Sharks have experienced both – and now they are getting hot again at just the right time.

What else could go right?

Well, 1900 miles away the Red Wings lost their third straight at home to a St. Louis team that is busting its ass and playing way over its head right now. I was rooting for those darn’ Blues the whole way. I even made myself a Dan Hinote jersey out of garbage bags, duct tape and the body of Paul Kariya. Thanks to my new uni and the Blues determination, tonight the Sharks are six points ahead of Detroit with five games to go.

What else could go right? How about a storybook ending.

The Sharks could make it nearly impossible on the Red Wings by beating the Ducks at the Tank on Saturday night. Its a perfect way for San Jose to a) bury the Wings, b) show the Ducks who is boss in case they do battle in round one, c) for Shelley to hold down Parros while Staubitz shaves that porn-stache with a Man Groomer…..okay, maybe Option A is a little out of the question, but the others are very doable.

The Tank is going to be exploding with playoff atmosphere on Saturday night, especially since this could actually be a first round couple. So…what else could go right? How about beating the Ducks, demoralizing the Wings all while getting Patrick Marleau back.

All I need is a beer and this dream night is complete.