The Western Conference Semi Finals got underway right off of the faceoff as a jittery looking Sharks team bobbled the puck and then a misplay by Nabokov resulted in a mad scramble right in front of the San Jose net. The Sharks were able to quickly settle down and get some chances in on rookie goalie Howard, who robbed Setoguchi, Demers, and Heatley (#15) (pictured above) in the early minutes of the first period. The Sharks had a slightly different look to them as Patrick Marleau was out with an undisclosed injury (later revealed to be the flu) but you could tell that they were hungry for the win. Right off the bat that this game had a fast pace to it, even faster than the first round of the playoffs. Being both puck possessive teams, the play went evenly back and forth between the teams until some untimely penalties for the Red Wings put the Sharks on the offensive. An offensive zone faceoff win helped the Sharks establish their Power Play. With Boyle and Demers on the point, they cycled the puck to Pavelski who was hanging off the side of Howard. Pavs shot it over the crossbar but Boyle was able to collect the loose puck and find Pavs right in the slot. With a fast wrist shot, #8 buried the puck past Howard: 1-0 Sharks. Another offensive zone faceoff win for the Sharks found Demers at the point with the puck. He quickly threw it at the net yet Howard made the save, letting a juicy rebound find its way to Joe Thornton. Jumbo used his magic from behind the net and with a fast pass up the slot, found Heater crashing the net. With a simple tap in, another of the Big 3 finally got on the scoreboard, and what a great assist by Jumbo: 2-0 Sharks. I have to point out how huge this assist was for Jumbo. Usually, Joe likes to slow the play down in the offensive zone by drawing the defenders to him and then making a slick pass to one of his wingers who taps it into the goal. It's a slow play that requires a lot of patience and that's exactly what Joe has. Sometimes it's a good thing, other times it results with me screaming at the TV for Joe to do something, anything. During the series against the Avs, Joe didn't have the time and space like he usually does, resulting in poor offensive production from him. In the first 4 games, you couldn't even sense his presence on the ice. In this game, from his first shift you could tell that Joe Thornton was on the ice. He was fast and big, throwing checks and causing chaos for the Detroit puck carriers. He was also much quicker moving the puck, especially with the Heatley goal. Joe definitely picked up the tempo of his game and it showed. I haven't seen Joe Thornton play like that since the Sharks faced off against Joe's old team, the Boston Bruins last season. Hopefully, if Joe keeps on playing like that, he could and will be the difference maker in this series.Another faceoff ensued in the Sharks offensive zone but this time Detroit won the draw. Yet, with tremendous effort from Ryane Clowe, he was able to beat the Detroit defense and still come up with the puck. He quickly passed it to Boyle who in turned moved it to Pavelski who was heading towards the net, yet Joe was checked to the ice. As Pavs was falling, he made a cross-ice pass to Setoguchi who was waiting on the left wing. Seto was able to rip the shot past Howard, the second goal for the Seto, Pavs, Clowe line: 3-0 Sharks. If you are wondering how long it took the Sharks to score 3 goals, it only took 1:19 - yes, that's 79 seconds to build a 3 goal lead against one of the premier teams in the league. The Sharks hadn't clinched the W yet because Detroit still had some fight left in them.
With more than half of the first period already played and a 3 goal deficit, the Detroit Red Wings hit desperation mode and started their full on assault against the Sharks. Shift after shift, the Red Wings were able to build some momentum and started to push back. On a broken defensive play that left Red Wing Dan Cleary alone in front of Nabokov (#20, pictured above), The Detroit forward Ericsson was able to make a nice pass to Cleary who tapped it passed a sprawled out Nabokov to cut into the Sharks lead: 3-1 Sharks. The goal helped to spark some much needed life into the Red Wings who took control for the rest of the first period. Nabokov held strong and was able to come up with some big saves to keep the Sharks 2 goal lead into the second.Five minutes into the second, the Sharks won a defensive zone faceoff yet still coughed up the puck to Detroit, with a nifty move in the slot, Franzen "the Mule" was able to beat a screened Nabokov to pull the Wings within one: 3-2 Sharks. With Detroit holding the momentum, the Sharks began to make some sloppy plays, resulting in a few Power Plays for Detroit. Some great defensive moves and key faceoff wins, the Sharks were able to not only keep Detroit from scoring but also launch Nichol and McGinn on a shorthanded breakaway chance that almost resulted in a goal. And when the D did have problems containing the Wings, Nabby was there to come up with the save. The Sharks also did something that they haven't done much in the regular season - get in shooting lanes and block shots. This forced the Wings to cycle the puck and make more passes, keeping them on the perimeter of the Sharks zone. 
In the third period, the Sharks found themselves on an early Power Play. With a play very similar to one in the first period, Pavelski was again hanging on the stick side of Howard. The puck was cycled from Heatley to Boyle at the point, who passed it down to Joe. This time, Howard could not make the save and Joe Pavelski scored his 2nd of the game, 7th of the playoffs: 4-2 Sharks. Detroit quickly answered back as defensemen Brian Rafalski dropped down from the point to rip a snap shot passed Nabokov, the game wasn't over yet: 4-3 Sharks. Once again, the Sharks lost the momentum and took some bad penalties. Manny Malhotra came up big with some key faceoff wins as well as great plays from Captain Rob Blake (#4, pictured above and second from top) who was constantly battling in front of the net. The Sharks got their opportunity to go on the offensive when the Red Wings were assessed a minor penalty. The Sharks pelted Howard with pucks from the point and a mad scramble broke out in front of the net as the puck lay uncovered near the crease. Blake had a prime opportunity to score but flicked the puck wide of the net. With a minute left in the game, Howard was pulled for the extra attacker and the Wings went to work. Once again, Manny was there to win the faceoff and help box out the Detroit Red Wings. With a few huge saves by Nabokov, the clock counted to zero and the Sharks won the first game of round 2.A few things to point out about this game. One is the fact that the Sharks scored twice on the Power Play yet the Red Wings didn't score at all with the man advantage. The Special teams for the Sharks did their part in a huge way. Manny Malhotra was clinch in the faceoff circle, winning a few key draws in the waning seconds of the game as well as making a huge shot block with only a second left in the period. Captain Rob Blake was great on defense as were all the other defensemen, holding the Red Wings to 23 shots on goal, the Wings had 50+ shots on goal in their last game. Even with the high number of goals against, Nabokov was stellar coming up with some huge late period saves. Rookie Jason Demers had 2 assists on the night, setting up Pavelski's first goal as well as Heater's goal. This was also the first game 1 win for the Sharks in 4 straight playoff series. Overall, it was probably the most complete team effort I've seen from the Sharks in these playoffs. Every line pulled their weight and then some. While this win is sweet, the Detroit Red Wings aren't going to take this lying down and will surely be out for blood come game 2.
There is some serious history behind the Sharks and Red Wings rivalry, from playoff upsets to hard fought regular season match ups - it's no wonder why this has become one of the most anticipated playoff match ups for Red Wings fans, and more importantly for Sharks fans. In the Sharks 17 season history, they have met the Detroit Red Wings three times in the playoffs. Compared to the Red Wings, the Sharks are still infants in the hockey world, becoming a team in 1991 versus the Red Wings founding in 1926. The Sharks have zero Stanley Cups, 1 Presidents' Trophy (given to the best team in the regular season), and have only made it to the Western Conference Finals once (03-04). Detroit in comparison has won 11 Stanley Cups, 6 Presidents' Trophies, and have been to the WCF many times - including the last two seasons, where they won their latest Stanley Cup in 07-08.But there is an interesting storyline when it comes to the Sharks and Red Wings. Take the Sharks first playoff experience in 93-94, in the first two seasons for the Sharks resulted in the worst record in the league, winning only 17 games in 91-92 and 11 wins in 92-93. Yet, the 93-94 playoffs rolled around and the Sharks found themselves not only in the playoffs but facing the Red Wings in the Western Conference Quarter Finals. Detroit was number 1 in their Division and were expected to steam roll passed San Jose, yet the Sharks pushed them to a game 7 and won. Detroit got their revenge the next season when they beat San Jose 4 in a row to sweep the Semi Finals without a single loss. The most recent playoff match up was a disappointment for Sharks fans as Detroit took the 06-07 Semi Finals in 6 games. Here we are again, 09-10 Semi Finals and it's the Sharks versus the Red Wings, but this time could be different. The Sharks are a different beast and even though they suffered 3 regular seasons losses (out of 4), the Sharks not only have a different look but a different kind of bite that could make this series one of the more contested in this rivalry's history.
Before Todd McLellan (pictured above) took over as head coach for San Jose in 08-09, he was the assistant coach in Detroit for 3 years. When he took over the bench in SJ, he brought with him a lot of the plays, style, and skill honing that the Red Wings have been known for and have used to make a successful hockey team. Some key changes were active defensemen who jumped into the offensive zone, controlling and winning board battles, and a puck possession style of gameplay. While these points are used by all of the teams in the NHL, the Red Wings have mastered them and if the Sharks have any chance of winning round 2, they have to prove that they've mastered them as well. Even though the Sharks have only been working under this system for less than two seasons, their improvement in these areas is undeniable. Take Dan Boyle who leads all defensemen in scoring in the playoffs. A key part of the Sharks win over the Avalanche was their ability to win board battles not only in their own zone but they were also able to strip pucks from the other team and shove them into the net. And about the Sharks 14 minutes of solid puck possession, well I think that one is self explanatory. I do believe the Sharks are better equipped this time around to be able to defeat the Red Wings and make it past round 2, but to do that, there are some other key areas and battles that they will have to win. There are also some players that I haven't mentioned or mentioned very little that have to come up big for the Sharks, it's going to take the whole team to defeat a group as solid and technically sound as Detroit. 
San Jose Goalie: Evgeni Nabokov (#20) - Nabokov (pictured above) has a pretty bad record against the Detroit Red Wings and if it was last season, I would be seriously worried. Not known as a good playoff performer, Nabby was clinch against the Avs, stealing a couple of W's for his team. In the entire series, he only had one bad game and in that game, he really only had one bad period. #20 was able to regroup and collect himself to keep his team in the hunt and the Sharks ultimately won that game. So I have confidence that Nabby can and will keep his team in the hunt for the cup.Detroit Goalie: Jimmy Howard (#35) - Drafted by the Red Wings in 2003, Howard (pictured at top) was called up to the NHL just this season and his rookie year has been stellar, so stellar in fact that he was named a Calder Trophy nominee for rookie of the year. Though he doesn't have any previous playoff experience, Howard definitely proved himself in Detroit's first round against the Phoenix Coyotes. And for those of you who aren't hockey history buffs, my all time favorite player, the reason why I wear #33 - Patrick Roy (pronounced wah) was a rookie goaltender with the Montreal Canadians in 1986 when he helped them win a Stanley Cup and was named the MVP of the playoffs. Patrick Roy proved that even a rookie goalie can win championships for their team and I'm sure Howard is going to do his absolute best for Detroit.
San Jose Defensemen: Jason Demers (#60), Kent Huskins (#40), Marc-Edouard Vlasic (#44) - Everyone knows I Love SJ defensemen Murray, Boyle, and Blake - and for good reason. But there are three other Sharks defensemen that while they don't get mentioned a lot in the reviews and highlight reels, they are a key cog of the San Jose machine. Demers is a rookie d-man, called up from the Sharks affiliate team in Worcester and he has done an outstanding job for the Sharks. Defense is probably the hardest position to play, especially with so many demands to be both offensively productive and defensively sound. Demers is in the top 25 in assists this playoffs and has been a very affective member of the Power Play. Huskins was brought over from Anaheim last season but didn't play because of a broken foot. His first games back on the ice in 09-10 were rough but he quickly found his legs again and has been a quiet yet strong force in the Sharks' own zone with his great defensive plays. Huskins also had a breakaway of his own and has been a solid part of the Penalty Kill. I've always been critical of Vlasic (pictured above), paired with Captain Rob Blake, it's an odd couple kind of match since Vlasic is one of the youngest Sharks players and Blake is the oldest. Yet, despite his age, Vlasic has been a permanent member (unlike Demers, who has been shuttled back and force from minors to SJ) of the Sharks for quite a few years. He played tremendously last season but seemingly broke down during the post season. He was sidelined this year with an injury that kept him out for a few weeks, but he's slowly got back into a rhythm and has come up big. While, I still think he plays the defensive zone weakly, his style of play hasn't cost the Sharks yet which is apparent by his zero plus/minus rating (+1 is given to a player who is on the ice when his team scores, -1 is given to a player who is on the ice when his team is scored against).Detroit Defensemen: All 6 - 4 of the 6 Red Wing defensemen are in the top 15 in the playoffs for scoring compared to the Sharks 2. They are like forwards in their own right, activating from the point and dropping deep in the offensive zone. They are lethal, not only in an even strength (5 on 5) match up but they are just as deadly on the Penalty Kill. Yes, when they are down a man, the Red Wings are just as deadly and have scored many short-handed goals. Don't get me started on the Power Play, let's just say they convert almost every time, so the sharks need to keep out of the box to win this series.
San Jose Forward: Manny Malhotra (#27), Torrey Mitchell (#17), Scott Nichol (#21) - Faceoffs are going to be huge in this series. With both teams being powerful puck possessors, the faceoff is one of the sure ways to get control of the puck early. Losing a faceoff in your own zone could result in a goal for the other team while winning one in the offensive zone could give you a marker on the scoreboard. Manny Malhotra was the number 1 faceoff guy in the league (though he didn't quality for official recognition because he did not draw enough faceoffs in the regular season) with a 72.3 win percentage in the playoffs. Manny is one of the Sharks clinch players, great on the PK and a strong defensive forward. Mitchell was out for almost two full seasons with a broken leg that he suffered during training camp. Speedy #17 is back and has been playing with Jumbo and Patty while Heater was on the mend. With his speed and skill, Mitchell is a great addition to the Sharks and while he hasn't scored yet, he has threatened to quiet a bit. Scotty Nichol did have enough faceoff draws to be named the number 1 guy in the league with a 62.4 win percentage. I mentioned Nichol as being a key factor for the Sharks win over the Avs and I'm sure he will be a big part of their success against the Red Wings with his great ability to antagonize and pester the other team. Detroit Forward: Pavel Datsyuk (#13) - Datsyuk is like Detroit's Joe Thornton, he makes beautiful plays out of unfathomable situations. Unlike Jumbo Joe, he also scores a lot. If he has the puck, he is deadly and if he doesn't have the puck, he is equally as deadly. While there are many lethal forwards for the Red Wings, Datyuk is one that and will tip the scales towards his team. When playing against Phoenix in game 7, he scored the first 2 goals, helping his team get rolling and eventually win the game and the series. This could and will be a turning point for the San Jose Sharks, for good or for worse. General Manager Doug Wilson made it very clear after last year's horrific round 1 loss that there would be no "next year" after this season. With many players coming to the end of their contracts, Doug Wilson promised huge changes (and delivered some) if the Sharks did not find post-season success. The Sharks have found a little of that success with their defeat of Colorado, but will they be able to to muster enough will and skill to topple the giant that is Detroit? Only time will tell if the Sharks finally have what it takes to reach the end of all ends - the Stanley Cup.
