Well, the San Jose Sharks showed a lot of heart, but in the end, they couldn't get it done. That had to be one of the most exciting/longest games I have ever watched in my life. Thanks to an absolutely amazing performance by Evgeni Nabokov, Team Teal found themselves in quadruple overtime with numerous chances to move on to a Game 7. Unfortunately, San Jose's special teams simply weren't up to par in this series and it was clearly the difference between these two evenly-matched teams.
Well, it was an uphill battle, but the San Jose Sharks pulled it off and extended their season for at least one more game. After watching them battle back from a 2-0 deficit in the third and then eventually winning it in overtime, I can now call this a series. Before, it was just a blowout, but now, if Team Teal loses tomorrow...I will still be able to hold my head up high and say that I'm a Sharks fan because they've shown me that they have heart...something that was definitely missing in the first three games of this series.
Well, just when I thought the season was over, the San Jose Sharks prove me wrong and win a game. Thanks to some key saves by Nabokov and the continued strong play of Marleau and Michalek, Team Teal's fans get at least one more game this season. As they say in poker, all you need is a chip and a chair to still be in it, but I'm skeptically optimistic about our chances.
What is it that I'm feeling right now? Frustration? Disappointment? Despair? Well, the word that probably best describes my current state of mind is ANGRY. Apparently, I'm not alone. Immediately after Game 3, I received a number of angry messages from other disappointed Sharks fans. One in particular echos my sentiments quite well and I thought I'd share it. Besides, I'm too mad to blog about hockey right now.
What's the definition of "ownage"? Well, if you flip to the glossary of the San Jose Sharks Playbook, you will see a picture of the Dallas Stars...that's what ownage is. However, maybe I'm simplifying it too much. Ownage is winning the 50/50 battle on the boards, it's getting sticks into passing lanes, it's blocking shots, it's getting to loose pucks first, it's making the most of your opportunities, it's making the key save, it's looking like a well-oiled machine while on the road...that's what ownage is and right now...that's what Dallas is doing.
I want to personally thank the San Jose Sharks. Not only because they won Game 7, not only because they won the series, not only because they got the job done, but also because they made it a relatively stress-free game to watch. This morning, I woke up thinking about the upcoming series finale and I actually felt butterflies...pretty ridiculous. Fortunately, Team Teal came out strong, came from behind, and came through in the end.
Sunday morning, I thought to myself, "We need Nabby to steal tonight's game so that we can just wrap things up and head into the second round." Well, there was a shutout, but for the wrong team. Miikka Kiprusoff came up big for Calgary in a must-win game, but I have to admit, the San Jose Sharks didn't do much to make it a difficult night for the goaltender. Yes...Team Teal had a chance to move on, but instead...they just disappointed their fans.
I guess a three goal lead is never safe when it comes to the Flames. Though the San Jose Sharks led Calgary by a score of 4 - 1, the Flames came back and created some nervous moments for Team Teal fans in the last two minutes of regulation. Fortunately this time around, the Sharks got the three goal with less than 12 minutes left in the game and this didn't give Calgary enough time to complete their second amazing comeback in the first round of these playoffs.
On Tuesday night, the San Jose Sharks beat the Calgary Flames in the last few moments of regulation. This last second win ties the series at two games apiece, basically making it a three game series. Fortunately, Team Teal has the home ice advantage. However, more important than home ice advantage, it was great to see the Sharks' top offensive guns get going and put up some extremely crucial goals.
After the San Jose Sharks scored three quick goals against the Calgary Flames, everyone knew what was coming. The players, the coaches, the fans, me...hell, even my dog knew what was coming after putting three quick ones by Miikka Kiprusoff. If everyone knew what was coming, then why did the "rough stuff" strategy still work?
RSS Feed (XML)
MovableType
Subscribe via Feedburner