No Puck Luck For San Jose As Anaheim Takes Game Two

 Eventually, if we keep getting those chances, it’ll go in,”--- Sharks Head Coach Todd McLellan    

By Barbara Mason 04/19/2008
Bay Area Sports Drive/Raiderdrive.com

The San Jose Sharks needed their offense to step up.  If they had any designs of progressing past this first round match-up against the Anaheim Ducks it had to happen last night.  There is no way San Jose wants to head south down 0-2.  Coach Todd McLellan has been happy with the way the defense has been playing but the team needs to start putting points up on the board. 

Early in the first period, the Anaheim Ducks went on the power play hoping to put that first score up on the board.  When it looked like the Sharks would successfully kill that power play, Anaheim scored with less than five seconds left and took the lead 1-0.  #9 Bobby Ryan scored the power play goal with assists by #34 James Wisniewski and #19 Ryan Whitney.  San Jose would have their opportunities to tie up the game but the offense just couldn’t get one past Ducks goalie Hiller.  Anaheim had taken more shots on goal than San Jose as the first period came to an end. 

The Sharks seemed to be generating quite a bit more on offense, as the second period got under way.  San Jose had a number of power play opportunities but thus far in the playoffs they have amounted to zilch. At 5:38 in the second period, San Jose found the goal for the first time in the series off the stick of Ryane Clowe and the Sharks had tied up the game 1-1.  He was unassisted.   

It all came down to a crucial third period for the San Jose Sharks.  Mid-way through the period, however, it was Anaheim back on the scoreboard at 9:14 to break the tie 2-1.   At 13:17 it was the Ducks again for a 3-1 lead, a lead that just looked insurmountable. Anaheim’s lead did not impress #14 Jonathan Cheechoo as he drove straight into the net getting one past Hiller at 13:54.  It was his first goal of the playoffs, making the score 3-2.  He was assisted by  #44 Marc Edouard Vlasic and #22 Dan Boyle.  As the last seconds ticked off the clock, it was just not to be for San Jose and they will not head down south in a very, very deep hole. 

We’ve got to score more goals, its plain and simple,” said Dan Boyle after the game.  “We’re down 2-0 that’s reality and most team’s don’t come back from that.  We have to decide if we’re going to be like most teams or if we want to be something special and I certainly believe in these guys in the locker room here.  This is going to be a tough task but we’ve got the right guys to turn this thing around, and we’ll see what happens,” he said. 

Claude Lemieux is no stranger to tough situations much like this.  “It’s the best of seven and that what makes playoff hockey so exciting.  You’ve got to put this one behind you right away and prepare for the next game.  I thought we were ready to play and we showed that we were ready to play tonight,” he said. 

“Obviously, we still need to get the power play going.  We gotta find a way to score there and that would be our biggest concern.  But a lot of the other issues we had heading into Game 2 from Game 1 we addressed and we were better in those areas,” said Head Coach Todd McLellan.  “I don’t think there’s any doubt.  If you asked the guys, they’d probably think they were the better team.  You have to give Anaheim credit; they found a way to win.”  He was pleased with most of the aspects of their game tonight.  “We created more chances, more traffic at the net.  Eventually, if we keep getting those chances, it’ll go in and it will work in our favor.” 

The San Jose Sharks have a very tall order in front of them as they travel down to Anaheim for the next two games, Tuesday and Thursday night.  They have done well in Anaheim this season and so we will see what they can pull out of their helmets.  Despite the result in the last two games, the team is still upbeat and confident in each other.  With the cards stacked against them the way they are right now, you couldn’t ask for more.