The Sharks were back home at the Tank, ready to face the Detroit Red Wings in Game 5. A win here would result in the end of the Wings season and the advancement of the Sharks to the Western Conference Finals, a place they have only been once before. HP Pavilion was packed and rocking, with the fans ready to celebrate a win. Even with the pre-game interviews during warm ups, the crowd was deafening.As the puck was dropped and the game got under way, you could tell that there was excitement and some jitters from both teams. The play was even between the two teams, with Detroit getting some quality ice time in the Sharks' zone. The early tests on Nabokov showed that he had indeed bounced back and was fully prepared this time around. The all around defense was also better as gaining the blue line and entering the offensive zone proved to be difficult for both teams. When the Sharks did get their chance, it was the combination of Patrick Marleau (#12, pictured at above) and Joe Thornton (#19, pictured below) who almost put the Sharks up by one. With a nifty pass from behind the net, Patty found Joe near the net and Jumbo was able to beat Howard but not the post. The game would remain scoreless after 20 minutes, the first time in the series that a goal was not scored during a period.
As the second period started, both teams now had their skates underneath them and the game began to pick up its pace. As the Red Wings entered the Sharks zone and were able to cycle the puck up to defensemen Brian Rafalski who fired a blazer passed a screened Nabokov: 1-0 Red Wings. Less than 3 minutes later, Jumbo Joe won an offensive zone faceoff by shear will and was able to pass it back to the point where Jason Demers was waiting. He fired a quick shot that Howard was able to stop but he let out a juicy rebound that Dany Heatley quickly passed to Joe Thornton. With a nifty little toe drag, Jumbo was able to gain some space and beat Howard for the game tying goal (play pictured below): 1-1 Sharks.
Unfortunately, that was the only good news for the Sharks in the second period, which has been their worst frame throughout the playoffs. They were guilty of taking three penalties which resulted in some amazing chances for Detroit, but Nabokov stood his ground and was able to come up big when his team needed him. The Sharks were also able to go on the Power Play twice in the middle frame, but were completely shut down by the newly reorganized PK unit for Detroit. The grittiness from Game 4 carried over with Jumbo, Patty, Nichol, and Douglas "Crankshaft" Murray hitting anyone in red. Detroit also repaid the Sharks with checks from their own big guys including Bertuzzi and Franzen. Neither team could get the go-ahead goal and after 20 minutes, the game remained tied.
With the start of the third period, the Sharks were able to gain some offensive momentum after they started staying out of the penalty box. Pavelski was able to bust through the Red Wings' zone on a breakaway but was handcuffed by the back checking Red Wing defense. The result of which was a penalty shot awarded to Pavelski. Usually, a dynamite scorer in the shoot out, Pavelski had the prime opportunity to put the Sharks in the lead, early in the third. As he made his way towards Howard, he tried to fake the shot and freeze Howard, but the Red Wing goalie stood his ground. Pavelski tried to go top shelf but ended up firing the puck up and over the net. The game would remain tied. Thirteen minutes in the third period, the Red Wings won a defensize zone faceoff and send the puck around the boards. A big hit by Heatley, freed up the puck and Jumbo found Marleau all alone in the slot. With one slick pass, Joe put it on Patty's stick and Marleau wristed a shot passed a sprawling Howard (play pictured above). Patty celebrated on one knee (pictured at top) as the Sharks were now ahead by one: 2-1 Sharks.The game wasn't over yet though as the Red Wings pulled Howard for the extra attacker late in the game and then Dan Boyle was called for holding with over a minute left to play, resulting in a 6-4 advantage for the Wings. There were mad scrambles for the puck as bodies collided with each other. Nabokov came up big again with some key saves and the PK unit for the Sharks did a great job by keeping the Wings on the perimeter of the zone. With only two seconds left in the period, the Sharks were able to clear the zone. As the fog horn sounded, the Sharks had won Game 5 by 2-1 and had defeated the Red Wings 4-1, guaranteeing a spot in the Western Conference Finals.
Finally, the Sharks had beat a nemesis that they haven't been able to beat since the 90s. The Detroit Red Wings were the proverbial kings of the Western Conference and the Sharks were able to finally dethrone them. The Sharks will get some much needed rest as they wait to see who comes out alive in the Chicago Blackhawks versus the Vancouver Canucks series that has Chicago leading 3-2 but Game 6 in Vancouver. Again, the Sharks are familiar with both teams and will be well prepared to take on whoever makes it out. The Sharks are one step closer to earning Lord Stanley's Cup and putting to bed all of those years of playoff failure. Bring on the Western Conference Finals!
