2011 NHL Playoffs: 5 Things the Sharks Must Do to Steal Game 5 in Vancouver

The Sharks must win three straight games in order to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Two of the next three are in Vancouver, including Game 5 on Tuesday.

It will be a difficult hill to climb; however, the Canucks lost Game 5 to the Predators in the semifinals and dropped three straight to Chicago in the quarterfinals before winning Game 7.

San Jose dropped the first two games in Vancouver.

There is still a lot more hockey to be played, but the Sharks need to be sharp and execute in order take Game 5 and bring the series back to California.

The following are five things that the Sharks must do to win Game 5.

5. San Jose Must Contain Sami Salo on the Power Play

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SAN JOSE, CA - MAY 22: Sami Salo #6 of the Vancouver Canucks waits for a face off during their game against the San Jose Sharks in Game Four of the Western Conference Finals during the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs at HP Pavilion on May 22, 2011 in San Jose

After providing an assist on Ryan Kesler's power play goal to open the scoring, Sami Salo delivered two slappers of his own on the five-on-three.

Both found the twine behind Sharks netminder Antti Niemi.

"Without a doubt, Sami's shot is a big weapon," said Vancouver head coach Alain Vigneault.

"Tonight we were able to throw a couple little things at them that maybe caught them off-guard on that five-on-three and Sami's shot was available."

With extended ice time following injuries to teammates Christian Ehrhoff and Aaron Rome, Salo, who was point-less in the previous three games, exploded for two goals and one assist in Game 4.

"He logged some really important minutes," continued Vigneault about his 36-year-old defensemen. "Sami is one of our veteran players. He's been here a very long time.

"He understands that he...maybe doesn't have a lot of opportunities left."

The Sharks need to handcuff this man on the power play if they expect to say alive in the series.

4. Dany Heatley Must Get His Game Going

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VANCOUVER, CANADA - MAY 18: Antti Niemi #31, Dany Heatley #15 and Joe Pavelski #8 of the San Jose Sharks look on after a goal by Daniel Sedin #22 of the Vancouver Canucks in the third period in Game Two of the Western Conference Finals during the 2011 St

Dany Heatley's high-sticking penalty in the second started a series of three of five-on-threes against San Jose.

"I don't even know," said Heatley when asked about his penalty. "Just coming down the right side and still don't know what happened."

Each time the Sharks put two men in the sin bin the Canucks found the back of the net.

"Compared to other games, probably the same amount of penalties," said Heatley about starting with five straight power plays and then facing three straight the five-on-threes.

"They [just] took all theirs early and [we] took all [ours] later."

Heatley has averaged around 17 minutes of ice time throughout the series and only has one assist to show for it.

"We expect a little more from him," said head coach Todd McLellan. "He has to find a way to put himself in better position on the ice to score."

3. Joe Pavelski and Devin Setoguchi Need to Get out of the Red

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GLENDALE, AZ - JANUARY 17: (L-R) Joe Pavelski #8, Devin Setoguchi #16 and Patrick Marleau #12 of the San Jose Sharks watch from the bench during the NHL game against the Phoenix Coyotes at Jobing.com Arena on January 17, 2011 in Glendale, Arizona. The S

Joe Pavelski has traditionally been the go-to guy in the clutch for the Sharks.

Devin Setoguchi had an outstanding series against Detroit.

However, both players only have one assist in the series. Pavelski is a minus-two and Setoguchi is a minus-five.

Production in Game 5 is a must for both players.

"It's going to take a lot of intensity," said Pavelski. "We're going to have to be focused. We're going to have to do a lot of good things just to get that win."

2. The Fourth Line Must Remain Intact

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LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 24: Andrew Desjardins #69 of the San Jose Sharks skates during warm-up prior to the NHL game against the Los Angeles Kings at Staples Center on March 24, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. The Kings defeated the Sharks 4-3 in shooto

Jamie McGinn, Andrew Desjardins and Jamal Mayers have provided the depth necessary to win games in the playoffs.

"We've been creating enough in the offensive zone," said Desjardins of his line's play.

"We've been keeping the puck in the offensive zone. That's the key. As far as the last few games we've been successful."

After being robbed by Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo in Game 3, Desjardins, who has only played in 17 regular season games, scored in Game 4, his second playoff game.

"It's been good," Desjardins said, evaluating his playoff performance. "A good opportunity just to get in the lineup and just play your game and be given a role that you feel comfortable with and just strive at it."

The fourth line is doing their job. It is up to the next three to come through in order for this team to get the win in Vancouver.

1. The Power Play Has to Be a Threat Again

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SAN JOSE, CA - MAY 20: Joe Thornton #19 of the San Jose Sharks looks to clear the puck out of the defensive zone in Game Three of the Western Conference Finals against the Vancouver Canucks during the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs at HP Pavilion on May 20,

The Sharks started the series five-for-five on the power play, but since then their play with the extra man has lost its luster.

On Sunday, they had five chances at the beginning of the game, but could not find the back of the net.

"We had five power plays in the first 24 minutes," said Heatley after the game. "And we've obviously got to score on at least one of those."

"When you look at our execution," said McLellan, "our passing, our faceoff opportunities to win pucks, we started breaking down all the time.

"When you're against the No. 1 penalty kill in the league, you have to be sharp and we weren't."

San Jose must capitalize on Vancouver's penalties in order to win Game 5.