Game 2: Ready, Set, Go!

There are 8 hours between now and when the Sharks and Avs take to the ice for game 2 of the Western Conference Quarter-Finals.  Game one was a 20/40 game.  What does that mean?  Well, the Sharks played 20 minutes worth of hockey and 40 minutes worth of...garbage?  I can't find the right word.  Actually, that is not true, I just should refrain from using any and all bad words in an article.

So, what the Sharks showed in game 1 was if they want to play a total of 20 minutes worth of hockey, they will lose by a goal to the Avs.  Now, what if those numbers are reversed?  Let's say the Sharks play 40 minutes of very good hockey, and 20 minutes of garbage.  It's better than what they did last game, but considering how Colorado took advantage of the 40 minutes where the Sharks stopped playing I don't see how the result will be much different.  If the Sharks give Colorado 20 minutes worth of time to dominate, the Avs will do so. The Sharks might win, but I would not bet on it with the way Anderson and the Avs defense clamped down around the net.

The Sharks need to play at top speed for 60 minutes.  Period.  No shifts off, no lazy shifts, no lazy plays.  If you can't do that then step aside and bench  yourself because you will be more productive in the press-box than on the ice.  I'm specifically looking at you Patrick Marleau and Dany Heatley.  Was there a more lazy Sharks on the ice on Wednesday than Marleau?  Was there a less effective Shark than Heatley.  The answer to both questions is: probably not.  Joe Thornton, Ryane Clowe, Nabokov,  the third and fourth lines came to play hockey.  Patrick Marleau and Dany Heatley, you want some of that Stanley Cup, pick up your game or get off the ice.

Now, the loss is not all their fault.  To pin a loss on two players is shallow.  It was a team loss.  The team did not play well.  A lot of players played hard, but did not play well.  There is a difference.  You can play hard, out of control and do too much and play poorly, or, like the Avs, you can play hard, in control and do just what you're supposed to do and play wonderful hockey.  Part of this is the fault of coach Todd McLellan who has yet to show that he can actually coach his way out of a wet paper bag come playoff time.  He rolled 2 lines basically with only one player in the bottom six getting over 11 minutes of even-strength ice-time.  He needs to spread out the ice-time of all his forward and allow the bottom six to do what it does best, cause mayhem in the opposing zone.  Make the team less predictable by doing that.

Finally, memo to the Sharks, prove all the nay-sayers wrong and win when  you are supposed to.  It is that simple.  Do it.