Sharks Vs. Avalanche WCQF Games 5-6

With the Western Conference Quarterfinals all tied up at two wins each, both the Sharks and the Avalanche could smell blood in the water. The next win would put a stranglehold on the losing team and give a huge advantage to the winning team. As the Sharks and Avs headed back to San Jose (games 1 & 2 were played in San Jose, games 3 & 4 were played in Colorado), the Sharks had the great opportunity to jump up 3-2 with the home ice advantage. But the young Colorado team wasn't about to let the Sharks get off so easily.

With the drop of the puck, game 5 began and the Sharks quickly entered into an almost unstoppable feeding frenzy, pelting Colorado goalie Craig Anderson with the puck. But Anderson was up to the task, robbing Clowe (pictured at the top) and Heatley numerous times. While even playing injured Heatley had a definite presence at the side of Colorado's net, trying for wraparounds and winning those hard fought board battles. Even the Sharks' defensemen were jumping up in the play and joining the rush, firing rockets from the blue line but again Anderson stood the test and kept the game scoreless. With only minutes remaining in the first period, Patrick Marleau sped off with the puck on a breakaway on his off wing (the opposite side of the ice of a player's position. Since Patty is a left winger, his off wing would be the right side of the ice as you face the opponent's net) and fired a wrister which Anderson fumbled and dropped for a juicy rebound. Unfortunately for the Sharks, the referee blew a quick whistle to stop play even though Anderson had not frozen the puck. But this didn't deter the Sharks as they quickly fired back with Heatley making a nifty pass from behind the Av's net to Malhotra who fired on goal. Anderson made the stop but the rebound found itself on rookie Couture's stick and he tried to rifle one home. Like so many times before, Anderson was a wall that would not break, making a great second effort save (pictured above). The game would go to the second period scoreless but not from lack of effort from the Sharks goal scorers. They outshot Colorado 12 to 2, practically owning the puck for most of the 20 minutes played.

As the second period started, you knew that someone was going to break - Anderson or Nabokov, it was going to happen. The Sharks continued their dominance with every player contributing. Scott Nichol and rookie Dwight Helminen both found themselves on breakaways but were stopped by Anderson. Then finally, almost halfway into the second, a goalie cracked and a goal went up on the scoreboard. The Sharks found themselves on the rush with Patty pushing the puck on the left side with Couture driving towards the net and Heater on the right wing. With a cross ice pass, Marleau laid the puck on Heater's stick and he rifled a shot towards the net, or so Anderson thought. The shot from Heatley was actually a shot-pass that hit Couture's stick and deflected in: 1-0 Sharks. That was rookie Logan Couture's (pictured above) first playoff goal in the NHL. A player from the Sharks affiliate in Worcester, Massachusetts - Couture was brought up during the Sharks losing streak to help spark some life into the team. He did so well that he has been with the Sharks since. With the other injuries to the Sharks, rookie Dwight Helminen was also recalled from Worcester as well as rookie defensemen Jason Demers. Just as a side note, the Worcester Sharks are also in the AHL playoffs and have already moved on to round 2. Just goes to show that even with their top scorers playing for San Jose, the farm team of the Sharks is filled with high caliber talent - great news for the Sharks organization as a whole.

Two minutes later, the Sharks found themselves with the man advantage as an Avs Galiardi was sent to the box. Setoguchi took the face off and quickly won it back to Pavelski who was on the left point. Passing it cross ice to Clowe on his right forced the Avs to shift towards Clowe and open up the slot area (the middle lane right in front of the net). Clowe did a great job of selling a shot, which caused Anderson to slide to meet it, yet Clowe quickly passed the puck back to Pavelski. Unfortunately for Anderson, he stumbled right as Pavelski took the shot and he had no chance to recover: 2-0 Sharks. A few minutes later, Clowe and Seto found themselves on a breakaway. Clowe fired the puck as Seto drove to the net hard. The puck went in and so did Anderson and Setoguchi who was checked from behind by Colorado captain Adam Foote. The play was quickly whistled as no goal by the referee. Ironically, it was very similar to the no goal ruling in game 2 but this time (as should have been the last call) there was no penalty to Seto because in both instances it was an Avs player that checked Seto into Anderson. With less than five minutes to go in the second, the Sharks caught the Avs on a bad line change and quickly rushed up ice. As McGinn and Helminen drove the net, Scotty Nichol shot the puck off the net which resulted in it rebounding off the back boards. Anderson, who had challenged Nichol on the shot (meaning he moved forwards towards the shooter to cut down the angle), found himself out of position as Helminen wristed the rebound up and over Anderson: 3-0 Sharks. Rookie Helminen just scored his first NHL playoff goal, now doesn't that sound familiar. The Sharks would go into the dressing room with a 3 to nothing lead, out shooting the Avs 17 to 9.

While Nabokov wasn't tested much in the first 40 minutes of play, he was hammered as the Avs tried to gain some momentum and claw back into the game. But Nabokov had some moves of his own, robbing Colorado player Tucker with a massive pad stack. The Big 3 (minus Heatley who was still playing on the third line) had a bit more bounce this time around as well with Marleau streaking in and Jumbo almost burying the rebound home. At 10:37, the Sharks again rushed up ice and with a pure effort play, Setoguchi fought to stay on side as Clowe and Couture rushed in the offensive zone. On his back hand, Clowe literally outmuscled the Avs defense as he charged towards the net and laid the puck on goal. The rebound popped out to Couture who slapped it home for his second of the night: 4-0 Sharks. The Avs coaches made a tough decision by pulling Anderson and replacing him with backup goalie Budaj. With minutes left in the period and the game pretty much wrapped up, the Sharks showed that they weren't about to quit when they found themselves on the Power Play once again. The Big 3 were reunited for this man advantage and it paid off. Heatley fired the puck towards the net and with Patty Marleau hanging off to the side of Budaj, Patty was able to tip it in - finally one of the Big 3 had scored: 5-0 Sharks. With pure will, skill, and domination the Sharks powered their way through the Colorado Avalanche to gain the 3-2 series lead and the chance to finish off the series with just one more win in Colorado.

Game 6, back in the Mile-High City, the Avs would try to stave off elimination at home and force a game 7 back in San Jose. Anderson was back in goal, ready to redeem himself yet the Sharks weren't about to make his night easy as they started with what has become the Sharks number one offensive line of Setoguchi, Pavelski, and Clowe. Quickly they gained control of the puck and with some hard work down low, Pavelski came up with the puck, wrapped around the net and beat Anderson on the stick side - number four for Joe: 1-0 Sharks. The Avs challenged right back with a great scoring chance of their own but Nabby was able to make the sliding save and keep the Sharks in the lead. Defensemen Kent Huskins (pictured above, #40) also made some great defensive plays, working hard to minimize the Avs scoring chances. Halfway through the first, Clowe tried his own wraparound, choosing to go glove side on Anderson and almost scored but the puck would not go in. In the second period, the Avs would tie it up on a great individual move by Svatos who just powered his way to the net, beating three Sharks players and Nabokov for the tying goal: 1-1 Sharks. The Avs came back hard, forcing Nabokov to make some huge saves. Pavelski's line also threatened to score but Anderson came up with some huge saves to match Nabokov. On the Sharks Power Play, Jumbo Joe and Marleau had great scoring chances but were robbed again by the solid play of Anderson. The Avs got a Power Play of their own in the final minutes of the second and rifled a blistering shot that was gloved by Nabokov, absolutely the best save by Nabokov so far.

In the third, the Big 3 came out strong as they were reunited and dominated in the Avs zone but still could not convert. For the next five minutes, the Sharks seemed to be sleeping on the job and a horrible defensive lapse resulted in Colorado's Yip scoring the game leading goal: 2-1 Avs. Ironically, Yip's goal was like an alarm clock going off and waking up the Sharks who began to push back with some urgency. Pavelski (pictured below) had a great scoring chance and Heater hit the post, yet none could get that elusive game tying goal. Yet on the same play, the puck found its way to Dan Boyle who buried past Anderson: 2-2 Sharks. Not two minutes later, Colorado captain Foote lost a neutral boards battle with Pavelski, springing the Sharks on a two-on-one offensive chance. With Setoguchi driving to the net, Pavelski wound back to shoot the puck but left it behind. He was able to recover and on second effort beat Anderson for his second of the game, fifth of the series: 3-2 Sharks. The Avs began to challenge the Sharks in their own zone and their D-men started to jump into the play which resulted in a few breakaway chances for the Sharks. Manny Malhotra and Heatley had a great look as did Marleau and Torrey Mitchell but none could convert. With great defensive work by Dan Boyle and others, the Sharks were able to keep the lead until Colorado pulled their goalie for the extra attacker in the waning minutes of the third. Yet some great saves by Nabby and two empty net goals by Setoguchi and Murray sealed the deal for the Sharks who defeated the Colorado Avalanche 5-2 and winning the series 4-2. The Sharks were moving on to round 2, the Western Conference Semifinals.

While it's pretty obvious who the stars for the Sharks were, Pavelski for sure was the best player as was his line with Setoguchi and Clowe. But I do have three other stars that should get honorable mention for their hard work and effort. Scott Nichol was a key player getting a goal and an assist but he also played a very physical game, throwing huge checks at the Avalanche players. He played gritty and was there when things got out of hand, he was like the sheriff, enforcing the law and protecting the other Sharks players. You could tell that he literally left everything he had on the ice every shift. Evgeni Nabokov was also a huge part of the win. He truly only had one bad game (game 2) and was able to bounce back and provide solid goaltending for Team Teal. Nabokov (along with Jumbo and Patty) have always been criticized for their less than stellar playoff performances, but at least this time, critics don't have much to complain about Nabby. Last but not least is Dan Boyle, the Sharks great offensive defensemen. He scored those key goals at key moments, helping to energize the Sharks and propel them to victory. He also made some great defensive plays to keep the Avalanche from scoring. Overall it was a great series for both teams. The Colorado Avalanche weren't even supposed to be in the playoffs and most critics thought they would be one of the worst teams in the league. Yet they battled their way into the eighth spot and gave the number one seeded Sharks all that they could handle. With Anderson's amazing goaltending and great offensive scorers, the Avs will be an unstoppable force in a few more years or maybe even next year.

As for the Sharks, it's off to round two against the most formidable foe the Sharks have ever faced - the Detroit Red Wings. This is a David and Goliath scenario, even though the Sharks are higher seeded, the Detroit Red Wings have been to the Stanley Cup Finals for the past two seasons and won the Cup the season before last. Oh, did I mention that the Sharks were soundly beaten 3 out of the 4 games that they played against the Red Wings in the regular season. The Sharks only managed to win once on home ice and haven't won a single game at the famous Joe Louis Arena in almost two seasons. Hopefully, the confidence that the Sharks gained from the previous round will help them find a way to power over a stacked Red Wings team and make it into the Conference Final for only the second time in club history. Though I'm sure the Wings will have some momentum of their own, beating the Coyotes soundly in game 7 to advance to round 2. I'm both excited and nervous, the Red Wings are my number one hated team and for good reason. But with players like Pavelski leading the way, the Sharks have probably one of their best chances to finally defeat Goliath and prove that they have the will and skill to be champions.

Horribly Late To The Show

I've never been very good at catching the latest fad or trend right off the bat. I totally missed the Skechers shoe craze, I was late joining the boy band party (and I didn't stay very long), and I've refused to get on the Facebook boat with everyone else. So, needless to say, I usually ignore a lot of the fads and trends of the day. But one such viral outbreak I have to say that I'm ashamed to have missed because of its pure horribleness is Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog.

Starring Neil Patrick Harris as Dr. Horrible with Felicia Day (of The Guild fame) and Nathan Fillion and written by the Whedon brothers. This musical tragicomedy short film was written during the WGA's writers' strike and was designed to be low budget but of professional quality. Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog follows Billy, aka Dr. Horrible, as he attempts to impress Bad Horse, the leader of the Evil League of Evil. Billy also has a crush on Penny who he inadvertently match makes with his arch-nemesis, Captain Hammer. What ensues is a funny and geektastic musical that tugs at the heart strings of all wannabe villains.

I can't believe I almost missed this little Internet gem, luckily Netflix recommended it and I was able to hop on the Dr. Horrible boat, even if I was a little late.

PC Junk Drawer

You know that drawer you have somewhere in your kitchen or office? The one that you put everything that doesn't have a place inside to the point where you don't even know what's in there anymore. It's like a black hole that sucks in useless junk and "thingymabobs". You always mean to clean it out eventually, but every time you open it up, you think "ah, I'll do it later." For me, the kitchen junk drawer houses everything from the tape and scissors to shoelaces and five year old cough drops that somehow keep reappearing even though I've thrown them out on numerous occasions. I hate the junk drawer, I'm a horribly organized person so the random piles of clutter make me wonder if it's safe to reach my hand in and try to locate a permanent marker or if some unknown staple remover is going to bite me. It's one of the few "shared" places in the house to store stuff. Most of my belongings are neatly alphabetized, color coordinated, and tucked squarely in their designated home. Yet, I am finding that a sort of unintentional junk drawer of my own has been slowly massing without my noticing, until now - my digital music collection!

Yes, my collection of assorted tracks that have been ripped, copied, transferred, and downloaded to my computer's music library. While most tracks and albums are neatly organized by artist, album, and genre - I can't help but be bothered by the solitary "Lump" track by the Presidents of the United States or the dozen albums in Kanji that I can only somewhat decipher. Throw in the multitude of French, German, and Russian titled tracks - it only adds to the globulous goop that is in my PC junk drawer. This is why I dislike digital content - books, games, music - they grow to such a mass that you don't even really know what you have and you fear the time and effort to actually go through everything and sort it all out. My CD collection is easy to search through and find what I want almost instantly whether it be the FullMetal Alchemist soundtrack or my collection of Satie and even (heaven forbid) my old NSync albums. Yet for me to find the FullMetal Alchemist soundtrack on my PC, it would require me to break out the Kanji book and figure out which symbols mean what or my French dictionary to try and find the exact track I want.

It seems like it should be a lot easier having everything in a digital format. No extra needed space, easy to buy, easy to access, and relatively cheap - yet the subtle nuisances like inaccurate album information and having my entire collection pop up all at once has kept me going back to my CD collection time and time again. So while I'm still fearful of meddling with my physical and virtual junk drawers, I have at least found enough courage to make a couple decent playlists of the assorted tracks from all the various albums and one track downloads to keep the music playing.

Sharks Vs. Avalanche WCQF Games 1-4

The 2010 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs have begun and what a beginning it has been. Everything that could go wrong for the Sharks has but they have been able to dig deep and find a way to still win. While the Western Conference Quarterfinals aren't finished yet, I thought I would post some of my thoughts on the four games that have already been played. As the number one seed in the Western Conference, the Sharks have earned the right for home ice advantage as well as playing against the eighth seeded Colorado Avalanche. As with tradition, the Sharks players took to the ice for game one by skating through the gaping mouth of the giant shark's head at HP Pavilion.

As the first game began, it seemed like the Sharks were caught off guard by the speedy young Colorado team, who the majority of the players have never been in the post season. There was no team that truly dominated overall and it was quite an even match. The Avs struck first in the second period with a Power Play goal from Liles that was directed on its way to the net. From there on, the Avs dominated most of the second and kept the Sharks off the scoreboard going into the third. Yet, big time playoff guy, Ryane Clowe had something to say about that when he outworked Liles for the puck in the Avs zone and ripped one passed Colorado goalie Anderson to tie the game up. Unfortunately, the bad luck would start when the Av's Stewart threw a puck towards the net on a blind play. It ricocheted off of Sharks captain Rob Blake and past Nabokov, clenching the W of the first game for the Avs.

With only a day between games, the Sharks had to refocus and mentally prepare for another hard fought game because as they found out in game one, the Avs were not going to let them win easily. With top notch goaltending from rookie Craig Anderson, the Sharks were finding it difficult to score and had to figure out something quickly. And boy did the scoring come quickly in the second matchup of the quarterfinals. The Avs struck first again barely a minute into the game yet the Sharks dominated for the majority of the period until with a minute left Manny Malhotra (pictured above) tied it up. Again, the Avs would strike quickly in the second period, only 24 seconds into the game. Yet the Sharks big C answered back with a huge Rob Blake style point shot to tie the game yet again three minutes later. But the Avs answered less than a minute after that with a goal of their own, once again stealing the lead. Hard work from Setoguchi found the puck on his stick and he was able to lift it over Anderson for the tying score. And then the Avs scored, and then tough guy Scott Nichol scored. If you lost count, that was six goals, three for the Avs and three for the Sharks, scored in the second period alone.

Going into the third, the game was tied 4-4, yet the newly dubbed shark killer, Stewart once again found the back of the net with a more legit goal scorer's goal to reclaim the lead for the Avalanche. More hard work from Setoguchi resulted in a tying goal for the Sharks, yet the referee declared it a no goal and gave Seto a penalty for goalie interference - a questionable call, even for the unbiased announcers. The Sharks were in a do or die situation and at 19:28 in the third period (there is only 20 minutes in a period), Joe Pavelski ripped a shot pass Anderson to force sudden death OT! With solid domination from the Sharks in overtime, Clowe, the experienced playoff hero, stole the puck from an Avs defensemen and with a nifty move shot a low rising puck towards Anderson who was being screened by Seto. At first, the puck looked like it was going to sail wide of the net, but Seto was able to get a stick on it and tip it five-hole on Anderson. The Sharks won in overtime! Unfortunately, there was some bad news to go with the win. Dany Heatley was injured on a play and would not return until game four of the series. The other bad news was Nabokov's less than stellar performance, allowing five goals on 22 shots. In comparison, Anderson allowed six goals on 52 shots. I'd have to wait until game three to see if Nabokov could clean up his game and get the Sharks a 2-1 lead in the series.

Nabby was able to tighten his game up, so much so that after 60 minutes of play, the Sharks and Avs would go into overtime scoreless. That's right, 60 minutes of hard battles, great plays, and even greater saves. The Sharks dominated most of the night, pelting Anderson with 51 shots and holding the Avs to a measly 17. They even held possession of the puck for a solid 14 minutes, there is only 20 minutes in an entire period! Yet bad luck would strike yet again as Dan Boyle (pictured above) would make a common defensive play in his own zone. He was on the side boards with the puck and went to pass it down behind his own net to his defensive partner Douglas Murray. It is a common play that you see hundreds of times in a hockey game, yet as luck would have it, the Avs forechecker (an opposing forward who chases the puck carrier into his own zone) tipped the pass at the last moment, sending the puck careening past Nabokov and earning the W for the Avs in game three. It was the craziest goal I have ever seen and probably will ever see. You could not recreate that scenario even if you tried a thousand times. So once again, the Sharks would have to battle back because they could not afford going down 3-1 in this series of seven.

While it wasn't Dan's fault that the Sharks lost game three, I'm sure he felt like he had to redeem himself in some way and boy did he find the best way to do it in game four. Barely a minute into the first period, on the Power Play, Boyle ripped a saucer shot from the point and beat Anderson glove side, the first time in the series that the Sharks had scored first. While the Sharks didn't dominate like they did in the last game, they were able to keep the Avs off of the scoreboard until the second period. The Avs weren't going to go down easy and were able to score a goal, tying the game and forcing overtime. Going into a third straight overtime, the Sharks came out strong but were quickly hemmed into their own zone for an extended period of time. But a freak outlet pass found defensemen Douglas Murray breaking away in the neutral zone with Pavelski on his left wing and Clowe on his right wing - and in overtime situations, those are the two you want to have with you. Now Murray isn't known as an offense D-man at all. Unlike Dan Boyle who scores a lot, Murray has only scored once this season. So seeing him on the rush, you weren't really expecting much. But big number 3 made a great play by charging straight up the middle, attracting two Avs players to him. Then he used a subtle drop pass to Pavelski, who used the Avalanche Captain, Adam Foote, as a screen and beat Anderson top shelf, glove side. The Sharks had tied up the series 2-2.

It definitely looks like my prediction of the Sharks winning the series in six games might come true, but first, they have to seriously fix some things. The biggest problem right now are the Big 3, Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, and Dany Heatley - who have yet to score. I'll give Heater some slack, he missed most of game two and all of three with an injury. Even returning in game four, you could tell he was hurting and spent the entire game on the third line, resulting in less ice time. Yet even hurt, Heater made two great plays which almost resulted in goals, missing the net by mere inches. He paid the price for those chances as well, being pummeled into the boards both times. Even injured, I'm betting Dany will score soon. But Jumbo Joe and Patty are totally different stories. They call Thornton "Jumbo" for a reason. He is one of the largest Sharks and he's a powerful player so its a bad sign when he is not playing physical and has very little "presence" on the ice. Game four, he played a lot better, but he has not been a factor at all in any of the scoring. Don't even get me started on Patty, all I can say is it doesn't even look like he's playing. His mistakes have been major and have cost the Sharks greatly. If he isn't going to play, they should just bench him. Thank goodness for the super line that is Pavelski's. All three (Pavelski, Setoguchi, Clowe) have been a key part of the Sharks success. But the whole team is going to have to start pulling their weight (especially the Big 3) if they want to win this series. Game five is on later tonight and it is a must win for the Sharks. They have not lead in this series once and whoever wins this game is going to have the choke hold on the other team. It is a best of seven series, the first to four wins and right now the Sharks and Avs are tied 2-2. Tonight is when the tide could change in the favor of either team. Let's just hope Team Teal will get their act together and come out on top.

From Crying Baby To The Kevin Butler

Can you believe the change in Sony's marketing strategy as of late? I can't, it seems like only yesterday when I was cowering from fear of the PlayStation 3's "White Room" TV Spots featuring melting Rubik's Cubes and possessed baby dolls. Actually, before The Kevin Butler, VP of Everything PlayStation came along, I can only remember a few good PlayStation commercials. The ones that come to mind are Canada's "The Wait is Over" PS3 ad as well as the PS2's memorable "PS9" TV Spot. All I can say, is after Sony's bad run of advertising campaigns of scary crying babies to tagging buildings with graffiti and even a racially charged billboard ad, the "Dear PlayStation" commercials are a welcomed sight. Here's hoping that The Kevin Butler stays VP for a long long time.

Update: Speaking of Sony's odd and crazy ads, I ran across an article that actually has photos from some of their most creative and controversial ads, minus the crying babies. Check it out.

Nucks/Avs Vs. Sharks Review (March 27/28, 2010)

Simple plays and hard fought battles were the themes of the Sharks double header that I traveled down to see. After a long losing streak that lasted six games, the Sharks got back to the basics and I had the fortunate timing of being there when they regained their winning ways.

The Vancouver Canucks were the first to roll into San Jose on Saturday, March 27th. As I took my seats in the stand, the Tank was buzzing. It had been six games since the Sharks were back home and with only a few weeks left of the regular season, the fans were eager to see their team play. Of course, the Nuck fans were not to be outdone and had a large attendance. As the puck was dropped and the game started, I noticed one major thing right off the bat - the lines! There are four offensive lines and three defensive lines (blue line pairs) in hockey. An offensive line consist of a left winger, centerman, and a right winger while a defensive line consists of two defensemen. The four offensive lines usually have a specific role with the first line being made up of the top scorers, the second line consists of some additional scorers, while the third line is primarily a checking line (physical, often defensively focused), and the fourth being acting as an energy line (gritty and strong skating abilities). McLellan decided to break up the big three (Marleau, Thornton, and Heatley) and shuffle players around to form four vary different looking lines. At first, I didn't think it was working because the Canucks scored halfway through the first period.

The Sharks stayed strong defensively and were able to make it out of the first period with just the one goal allowed. Douglas Murray made some great defensive plays including a few great picks as well as flattening a few Canucks who were running around. One of the newer Sharks, Niclas Wallin, made a horrible play by not challenging for a loose puck which resulted in a great scoring opportunity for Vancouver. Number 7 ended up making up for that mistake by some hard backchecking and a big hit, to stop the breakaway later in the second period. Just three minutes into the second, the Sharks found themselves with the man advantage and found themselves in a shaky position when the Canucks came attacking Nabokov, trying to get the shorthanded goal. But Nabby was able to make the save and lanch the Sharks forwards quickly up the ice, catching the Canucks in the middle of a line change. Once over the blue line, Heatley ripped a shot that beat Luongo to tie the game up.

The Canucks immediate began pushing back, dominating in the Sharks zone for some time until a great stick lift sent Marleau up the ice on a breakaway, and once Patty starts to skate, no one can catch him. All that was left to do was deke and back hand the puck into the net, making it a 2-1 game. Less than two minutes after Marleau's goal, Pavelski rushed down the right wing, shot the puck, got his own rebound back, and scored. One of the two players I picked to be key in these back to back games, Joe Pavelski was playing great all night so you knew it was only a matter of time before he scored. Unfortunately, my other pick, Joe Thornton, was unable to fully shine in this game. Jumbo was playing great, shooting and passing but a hard check sent him flying into the boards awkwardly and he remained laying on the ice for a few minutes before being helped into the dressing room. Thornton's injury ended up keeping him out for three games, the first time he has ever missed playing a game in his career as a Shark.

It would be touch and go throughout the third period as the Canucks scored to bring them back within one. As the period began to wind down, Canucks' goalie Luongo was pulled for the extra attacker as Vancouver tried to tie it up. Another Shark ended up going down with an injury as a shot hit Manny Malhotra in the face (he doesn't wear a visor). Though Manny would not return to the game, he didn't sustain any major injuries and was back playing the next day. A great steal resulted in the empty net goal by Clowe which sealed the win for the Sharks, beating the Vancouver Canucks 4-2. While it wasn't an easily won game, the Sharks showed that they could keep it simple, fight back, and maintain the lead. With such a great physical game played, I wondered how well the Sharks would fair against the Avs when they came in for a early game the next day.

Hockey games usually don't start until 7:00pm or 7:30pm so a 5:00pm start can really mess up a player's game day routine. Especially when that 5:00pm start time is for the last game of a back to back double header. Luckily, the Sharks weren't the only ones who played the night before, the Colorado Avalanche also had a game the night before which had me thinking that this was going to be a very dull game - I was very wrong. The pace was fast, the hits were big, and there was a lot of action going on everywhere. Six minutes into the first period, a fight broke out and while it wasn't much of a fight, you could tell that these two teams were serious.

Without Joe Thornton, the lines once again looked different but they all were firing and working hard. With 9 minutes to go and on the Power Play, Boyle ripped a shot from the point and Setoguchi was able to tip it past Avs goalie, Anderson, for the lead. Back up goalie, Thomas Greiss was in net and was able to keep the lead through the first period. In the second, the Avs came back strong scoring both an even strength goal and a Power Play goal to give them the lead. With the period winding down, it seemed like the Sharks would be going into the third down a goal, but no one told that to Jed Ortmeyer who was able to score the game tying goal on the rush.

This back and forth game continued with the Avs and Sharks fighting for domination of the puck. Greiss was stellar and helped to keep things close as the Sharks defense sometimes left him all alone with a shooter in white. With the start of the third period, the Sharks found themselves pelting Anderson with the puck and one finally went in when Boyle shot a sneaky pass that was deflected in. Five minutes later, the Avalanche answered back with a goal of their own, once again tying the game up. With five to go in the period, Pavelski rips a shot from the high slot and Setoguchi was on the back step, able to tap it past Anderson for the go ahead goal. But the Avs weren't going to go down easily and pulled their goalie to get the extra attacker in the waning moments of the game. Greiss was the one to have the last word on the matter with a game winning save on Liles and kept the Sharks on top with the 4-3 win. Hard fought back and forth game with a ton of action and excitement - definitely the best game I went to this 2009-2010 season.

Oh, and there's more. The Sharks were able to clinch not only the Pacific Division title for the third year in a row, but the best regular season record in the Western Conference for the second time. Seeded number one in the Western Conference, the Sharks will be facing the eighth seeded Colorado Avalanche in a round one seven game series as both teams try to make it to the Stanley Cup Finals. This is going to be an amazing match up with both teams being very familiar with each other. This is also the first time this playoff match up has happened since I've been a Shark fan. The last time the Sharks and Avs met in the playoffs, I was wearing the Av's colors as I watched the Sharks upset my favorite team. Now that I'm a true teal blooded hockey fan, I can only hope that the Sharks can pull off another victory over Colorado and I'm predicting that they are going to do it in six games. The playoffs start in a few more days and I will definitely be glued to the television as I watch the 16 best teams in the NHL battle it out for Lord Stanley's Cup.