SERIES PREVIEW
by Kevin Greenstein

While the Sharks drew what turned out to be the toughest first round opponent (the Calgary Flames), the Stars’ draw was easier than anyone expected. Instead of losing quickly, they ousted the defending Stanley Cup champion Anaheim Ducks in six games. And now Dallas gets to take on the Sharks, another familiar division rival. The Stars and Sharks played eight times during the regular season, each winning four times.

FORWARDS

Sharks: It was no huge surprise when Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau stepped up with strong performances against the Flames in Round One. But Ryane Clowe was nothing short of a revelation, scoring a team-leading eight points in seven games. The Sharks will need to get continued strong play from Thornton and Marleau moving forward, and they’ll also need for Milan Michalek (zero points in seven games) to start stepping up his play.

Stars: Life in Texas clearly agrees with Mike Ribeiro, who has emerged as the Stars’ top scoring threat. Not only did he lead the team in scoring during the regular season, but he’s also begun debunking the myth that he’s not a big-game performer, tallying eight points in six games against Anaheim. Mike Modano (six points), Jere Lehtinen (six points), Brenden Morrow (six points), and Brad Richards (five points) were all predictably excellent against Anaheim, and for the first time, it appears that the Stars are providing netminder Marty Turco with adequate offensive support.

DEFENSE

Sharks: A trio of rearguards contributed on the offensive end for the Sharks, with relative newcomer Brian Campbell (a trade deadline acquisition) complemented nicely by Craig Rivet (three points in seven games) and Christian Ehrhoff (three points in four games). One player the Sharks might have to do without is Kyle McLaren, who left Game Five with a “lower-body injury” and didn’t return for the remainder of the their first round series.

Stars: Perhaps the biggest surprise about the Stars’ Round One victory was that they did it without Sergei Zubov, inarguably their finest rearguard. And it was another former Canadien, Stephane Robidas, who stepped up in his stead, scoring six points in six games to lead the Dallas defense. Also making a huge impact in round one were former Kings captain Mattias Norstrom (two points) and young Nicklas Grossman (one point, plus-four rating).

GOALTENDING

Sharks: Evgeni Nabokov emerged as a workhorse this season after platoon partner Vesa Toskala was dealt to Toronto, and he stepped up with a stellar performance. He started 77 of the Sharks’ 82 regular season games, posting a tremendous 46-21-8 record, and earned a nomination as a Vezina Trophy Finalist (along with the Devils’ Martin Brodeur and the Rangers’ Henrik Lundqvist).

Stars: Ever-steady netminder Marty Turco was excellent against Anaheim, allowing just over two goals per game (2.01) while stopping over 91% of the shots he faced (.913). The knock on Turco has long been that he can’t win big games, but his play in these playoffs and last year’s—combined with his excellent work for Michigan State during his college days—prove those allegations to be wholly unfair.

PREDICTION

Sharks in Six

Game One
Stars 3, Sharks 2 (OT)
by Andy Santoro

Why Dallas won: The Stars were able to capitalize on their limited chances, including going 1 for 5 on the power play. They scored three goals on just 18 shots, being held to just 2 shots in the first period, and 5 shots in the third.

Why San Jose lost: The Sharks were unable to solve Marty Turco for more than two goals, despite carrying much of the play. San Jose outshot the Stars, 27 to 18, and won 59% of the face-offs. Also, the normally disciplined Sharks gave up 5 power play chances against.

Key Play of the Game: The obvious choice here would be the game winner in overtime, but instead it was Dallas’ captain’s first goal at 9:09 of the second. Morrow beat his checker, Christian Ehroff, off the boards to the front of the net, converting for the goal. The lead from that goal let the Stars play a patient game, dumping the puck in and playing for the counter-attack. Their play limited the Sharks' chances from then on, giving Dallas a chance to win in overtime.

What’s Next? Special teams will decide this series. Dallas has a potent power play, as they demonstrated against Anaheim. San Jose must continue to limit the power play chances against, and then kill off the chances they do surrender. Dallas must be more disciplined as they could have been whistled for more penalties than they were. If Dallas surrenders too many chances, San Jose will break through.

Game Two
Stars 5, Sharks 2
by Andy Santoro

Why Dallas won: For the second game in a row, the Stars were able to capitalize on their chances. One was a breakaway resulting from a turn over, and they went 1 for 3 on the power play.

Why San Jose lost: The Sharks did not play the same hard style that they played in the first two periods in the final stanza. This cost them the game, and may very well cost them the series after digging a 2-0 hole. They didn’t hit as much, didn’t shoot as much and gave Dallas all three of its power plays in the third period.

Key Play of the Game: In the first minute of the third period, Joe Pavelski lost an edge near the top of the face-off circle, turning the puck over to trade deadline acquisition Brad Richards. Richards then stepped in to the high slot, and took a shot to beat Nabokov before anyone could get to Richards or into his shooting lane. This tied the game, and deflated the Sharks. After that, the Sharks were unable to generate offense.

What’s Next? While San Jose’s Brian Campbell’s play has improved, is he playing too much? He logged 28:38 in ice time to lead all skaters. Teammate Marc-Edouard Vlasic has one more shift (29 vs. 28), yet was on the ice 7 minutes less. Tired players make mistakes, and despite playing better, Campbell has made mistakes. If he tries to do too much, it can hurt the Sharks.

Game Three
Stars 3, Sharks 2
by Andy Santoro

Why Dallas won: Dallas continued to play its patient game, content to limit the Sharks chances. Again, they made the most of their opportunities, scoring on their single 5 on 3 power play chance. They were also disciplined, surrendering only 3 power play chances to the Sharks, all in the first period.

Why San Jose lost: The Sharks did not generate enough offense, mustering only 20 shots in nearly 65 minutes of play. After the tying goal from Sergei Zubov, in about 23 minutes of play, they managed just 7 shots. Zubov’s goal appeared to deflate the Sharks for the third period.

Key Play of the Game: Thirty five seconds in to the third period, with Christian Ehrhoff having just been called for hooking, Dallas was set to begin a 5 on 3 power play. Joe Thornton took the face-off, losing to Mike Modano. The Stars kept the puck in, converting to tie the game. This set the tone for the period, allowing Dallas to wait for a break. That break came in OT.

What’s Next? Sharks defenseman Craig Rivet was rocked in a head-to-head collision from teammate Brian Campbell after Campbell was checked by Brendan Morrow. After being down on the ice for a couple of minutes, Rivet returned to the game. However, there could be lasting effects that could take him out of the lineup, which would sorely hurt the Sharks. For Dallas, Stu Barnes was rocked by a hard center ice check from Jonathon Cheechoo, later going to the dressing room. If Barnes is knocked out of the lineup, someone will have to step up for the Stars.

Game Four
Sharks 2, Stars 1
by Andy Santoro

Why San Jose won: After opening the game with two periods fraught with questionable decisions, the Sharks were able to play a good third period. They drew two power plays, and converted one for the game winner from Milan Michalek.

Why Dallas lost: The Stars special teams were not special this game. Sergei Zubov had a pass cut off, springing Patrick Marleau on a shorthanded breakaway. Their penalty kill in the third period uncharacteristically became passive, allowing Joe Thornton time and space to make plays.

Key Moment: It would be tempting to pick the game winning goal, but the key moment actually came earlier in the period. After conceding third period opening minute goals in the last two games, San Jose was able to put pressure on Dallas instead. This prevented the Stars from setting an early tone again for the final stanza, allowing the Sharks a chance to win the game.

What’s Next? Dallas’ Stu Barnes missed the game, but may be available for game 5. Barnes is one of the key penalty killers for the Stars, and should improve their special teams, providing he can make it back in to the lineup. If not, then someone else will have to take on those minutes.

Game Five
Sharks 3, Stars 2 (OT)
by Andy Santoro

Why San Jose won: The Sharks won the third period, which they desperately needed to continue their playoff run. They outworked the Stars, with their best players being their best players. Joe Thornton, Jonathon Cheechoo, Milan Michalek, and Brian Campbell all registered points. Captain Patrick Marleau was the game’s third star in spite of not registering a point. He did other things to contribute (3 shots and 5 hits).

Why Dallas lost: The Stars were unable to control the tempo of the game as they had done earlier, especially in the third period. The trapping and counter-attacking game they like to play was unable to bottle up the Sharks in the third period this game.

Key Moment: The key moment of the game came in the third period on the Sharks’ first goal. After Dallas built up a 2-0 lead, and had two goals disallowed, the Sharks were finally able to break through. Jonathon Cheechoo nudged the puck behind the net towards Joe Thornton. Thornton slipped a pass out front to Michalek, who had beaten his check to the front of the net. The building erupted when Michalek opened the scoring. San Jose’s home crowd helped the Sharks tie the score to force OT.

What’s Next? The team that has scored first in each of the games of this series has not gone one to win the game. For the first time, the team winning the special teams battle lost the game, with the Stars scoring the sole power play goal. The team that wants the win the most should win game 6.

Game Six
Stars 2, Sharks 1 (4OT)
by Andy Santoro

Why Dallas won: This was a game either team could have won, but the Stars were able to capitalize on their most important chance – the power play they were afforded in the fourth overtime period.

Why San Jose lost: After Evgeni Nabokov made possibly the most important save in Sharks’ history in the first OT, the Sharks were unable to solve Marty Turco more than once. Bombing Turco with 30 overtime shots, they were simply unable to force a Game 7 that would have been played on home ice.

Key Play of the Game: After Sharks defenseman Brian Campbell was whistled for tripping, the Stars power play went to work. 45 seconds later, Stephane Robidas found Brenden Morrow in the slot, and with Nabokov challenging Robidas for a shot, Morrow was in perfect position for a tap-in-goal, as one defenseman went to pursue Robidas and the other was caught behind Morrow.

What’s Next? Dallas moves on to face Detroit in the Western Conference Finals. Depending on how long they have before their first game, there may be some hangover affecting play in the first game in Detroit. Stu Barnes missed his third game in a row, and while Dallas was able to advance without him in the lineup, he would be a help against a Detroit team clearly firing on all cylinders. After their third second round exit in a row, there will be some serious soul searching for the Sharks. They have to decide if they have the right mix of players and the right coaches. They also need to decide if they want to try to keep trade deadline acquisition Brian Campbell. Campbell had a sub-par playoffs, which may have hurt his stock in the free agent market this summer.