For the first time since the Olympics, the San Jose Sharks were impressive against a quality team.
In that time, San Jose has beaten only one team that finished with over 100 points and had something to play for—a 4-2 victory at home over the Vancouver Canucks that included an empty net goal by Ryane Clowe.
In that game, the Canucks had more shots (37-30) and a better giveaway/takeaway ratio (+3). The Sharks won more faceoffs (34-25), had fewer missed shots (9-17), more blocked shots (15-13) and more hits (39-24).
Thursday night, the Sharks outshot the Detroit Wings 27-23, outblocked them 21-17, outhit them 38-21, and were one better in giveaway/takeaway ratio. Ironically, the only statistic they lost was the one in which they rated best in the league in the regular season, the faceoff battle (32-38).
They also killed five penalties and held the Wings to four shots in over eight minutes of the man-advantage. Meanwhile, San Jose got seven shots and scored two power play goals in seven opportunities, including one 5-on-3.
In the process, the Sharks exorcised some demons . But there are still things to focus on improv ...
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Article written by MJ Kasprzak
Sharks Play Complete Game, Take Advantage in Series
May 2nd, 2010 by MJ Kasprzak Leave a reply »
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