Series Preview
by Kevin Greenstein

Sharks Outlook: The Sharks were one of the NHL’s top teams all season long, but it was trade deadline acquisition Brian Campbell who pushed them over the top and turned them into a bona fide Cup contender. Campbell, a talented puck-moving rearguard, provided a tremendous spark for the Sharks’ offense, tallying 19 points in 20 games with San Jose while posting a stellar plus-nine rating. In particular, his presence was felt most on the power play, where the threat of his shot from the point provided power center Joe Thornton with valuable extra time and space. Captain Patrick Marleau suffered through a terrible first ¾ of the season, but when he wasn’t dealt at the deadline, he responded with a strong finish. Look for Marleau to be a big factor in the postseason. If there’s a question mark, it’s whether Evgeni Nabokov will be worn down after starting 77 of the Sharks’ 82 games. He’d never played more than 67 games in a season before, and head coach Ron Wilson might live to regret not giving him more rest when the games mattered less.

Flames Outlook: Captain Jarome Iginla is an NHL throwback in the best way imaginable, a hard-hitting power forward who impacts games with both his offensive skill (50 goals, 98 points) and his willingness to engage opponents physically. And blue line standout Dion Phaneuf is quite similar, a bruiser (team-leading 182 PIMs) with tremendous offensive skill (60 points in 82 games, including 10 power play goals). If not for Lidstrom’s continued magnificence in Motown, Phaneuf would be amongst the favorites to win the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defender. In goal, Miikka Kiprusoff suffered through a bit of a down year, posting a .906 SV% and 2.69 GAA. But his play improved significantly as the season progressed, and he should life quite difficult for the Sharks, as should the raucous home crowd in Calgary.

Prediction: Sharks in Seven

Game One
Flames 3, Sharks 2
by Andy Santoro

Why Calgary Won: Calgary won this opening game because of Miikka Kiprusoff. He was bombed for 39 shots, but gave up only two goals, with the second being an extra attacker goal in the last minute. He was deservedly named the game's first start.

Why the Sharks Lost: The Sharks lost the game because they could not deal with the Flames' aggressive forecheck. While seemingly controlling the run of play with all the shots, the Flames were able to bottle up San Jose for extended periods. They seemed to want to deny the Sharks time and space to make plays.

Key Play: The key play of the game came late in the second period. Jarome Iginla stole the puck from Brian Campbell, and streaked down the ice for a chance that Stephane Yelle converted for his second goal of the game, before Iginla knocked the net off its moorings. If Iginla knocks the net off a little sooner, the goal would not have counted.

What's Next: Calgary will look to continue their playoff dominance in the Shark Tank, winning 6 out of 7 games there. In their first meeting in 1995, Calgary took 2 out of 3. In 2004, the Flames swept the Sharks in San Jose, 3-0.

Game Two
Sharks 2, Flames 0
by Andy Santoro

Why the Sharks won: San Jose evened the series at a game each because they were able to answer the Flames physical play. Instead of getting pushed around, they worked through the hits, regularly defeating the aggressive forecheck.

Why the Flames lost: Calgary lost this game from a lack of discipline. Conceding 10 power play chances to the Sharks, the Flames consistently took bad penalties, not ones that eliminated scoring chances against. This wore down the Flames, and kept the play in their end.

Key play of the game: Just under 5 minutes to go in the third period, San Jose up 2-0, Calgary's Owen Nolan had what looked like an open net, and a sure goal. Nabokov made a stellar save, driving the San Jose crown into a frenzy through the TV timeout that followed.

What's next: San Jose needs to improve on its power play effectiveness after going 1 for 12 in the first two games. Calgary needs Miikka Kiprusoff to continue his stellar play, giving up only 4 goals while being bombed for 82 shots.

Game Three
Flames 4, Sharks 3
by Andy Santoro

Why Calgary won: The Flames were able to put pressure on the Sharks with their aggressive forecheck. After the storm of the first few minutes, Calgary was able to dictate the play better than the Sharks. The Flames also got some fortunate deflections for two of their goals.

Why San Jose lost: After scoring the fastest three goals to start a game in Sharks history (3:33), they seemed to take their foot off the gas. They had the Flames at 3-0, with the crowd out of the game, and Miikka Kiprusoff pulled, but could never get another goal to kill the momentum of the Flames.

Key Play of the Game: With just over 7 minutes to play in the first period, Sharks captain Patrick Marleau was carrying the puck up the left wing boards. Flames defenseman Cory Sarich stepped into him with a big hit. No penalty was called on Sarich, but the Sharks took exception to it, with Matt Carle going after Sarich. Calgary converted their power play 28 seconds later to start their come back. Between the big hit and the goal, Calgary’s home crowd was back in the game. Without the energy from the crowd, Calgary’s come back could have been thwarted.

What’s Next: The Sharks best players have yet to be their best players. Thornton has been kept to two assists in three games. Cheechoo has yet to score a goal, and Michalek hasn’t registered a shot in three games. Late season acquisition Brian Campbell has been kept to a single assist. If the Sharks are to win the series, these players need to step up.

Game Four
Sharks 3, Flames 2
by Andy Santoro

Why San Jose won: The Sharks never gave up, despite playing much of the game down a goal. Their best players were their best players, led by captain Patrick Marleau (1 assist) and Jonathon Cheechoo (first goal of the playoffs).

Why Calgary lost: The Flames were unable to dictate play in this game. They mustered just 10 shots on goal for the game, 3 in the third period while trying to hold on to the lead.

Key Play of the Game: In the final minute of regulation, it looked like the game was going to overtime. San Jose was swarming however, and got one last chance with just under 10 seconds to go. Douglas Murray wristed the puck towards the net for Joe Thornton to tip past Kiprusoff, giving the Sharks their first lead of the game. This capped off all the hard work by the Sharks, showing them it was worthwhile.

What’s Next? Special teams has proven to be a key in this series. The team scoring the most power play goals has won each of the four games so far. The team able to better perform on special teams in the pivotal game 5 may go on to win the series.

Game Five
Sharks 4, Flames 3
by Andy Santoro

Why San Jose Won: Put simply, because the Sharks' best players stepped up. Captain Patrick Marleau scored a goal and an assist to earn the game's first star, second star Jonathon Cheechoo chipped in with two goals, and Joe Pavelski rounded out the scoring with a goal and assist. If Marleau, Cheechoo, and Pavelski continue to produce offensively and provide Joe Thornton with much-needed support, the Sharks will be very tough to beat.

Why Calgary Lost: Despite winning the special-teams battle two power play goals to one, the Flames were unable to score at even strength. Even their final goal was scored with an extra attacker, after Miikka Kiprusoff had been pulled from the net in the closing minutes. The Flames must figure out ways to produce at 5-on-5 if they're to come back in this series.

Key Moment: With just under two minutes to go in the second, Joe Thornton slipped a pass in to a streaking Patrick Marleau. Marleau was able to take a quick shot, picking the top corner before Kiprusoff could settle into position. This reminded the Sharks that they could beat Kiprusoff on something other than a broken play, and that it doesn't take a second, third, or even fourth chance to score on the fabulous Finnish netminder. This goal also energized the home crowd to support the Sharks through the rest of the game.

What’s Next? Ryane Clowe is tied for the league lead in points (4g-4a-8p) with Jarome Iginla and Sidney Crosby. Without much fanfare, he has established himself as a force in this series. Along with Marleau, he has scored in each game of the series so far. Look for him to continue his high level of play as the postseason continues.

Game Six
Flames 2, Sharks 0
by Andy Santoro

Why Calgary Won: The Flames dominated face-offs against the team that was leading the playoffs in face-offs, 35 to 19. This allowed them to dictate play for the length of the game.

Why San Jose Lost: The Sharks got away from how they won Game Five – hitting, second chances, and minimizing mistakes. Calgary badly out-hit San Jose 32 to 14. San Jose was able to muster only 21 shots all game after getting 27 in a period previously in the series, with hardly any rebound shots. They also made far too many mistakes, both giveaways and poor coverage, with the poor coverage leading directly to the first goal.

Key Moment: With just under 8 minutes to go in the second, the score 1-0 Flames, Alex Tanguay was whistled for hooking. This was the best looking power play for the Sharks, but Calgary was able to kill the penalty off. Had the Sharks been able to convert, the rest of the game plays out differently. Instead, the Flames don’t took a 2-0 lead at the end of the second.

What’s Next? While the Sharks have played in game sevens in the past, this will be the first on their ice. How will they respond to playing it at home? Will Kyle McLaren’s groin allow him to play in game 7? Will the emotional leader Jeremy Roenick return to the lineup?

Game Seven
Sharks 5, Flames 3
by Andy Santoro

Why San Jose won: The Sharks got back to the same sort of game that won game five. They hit, not quite as much with only 30 hits, but still a significant amount. They out-shot the Flames, and won face offs (61%). This led to puck possession, allowing them to play their game.

Why Calgary lost: The Flames lost the special teams battle, giving up two power play goals, and only scoring one. They needed better penalty killing than 2 for 4 given that the Sharks were not going to give the Flames many chances.

Key Moment: The key moment came in the second period. Jeremy Roenick, a scratch in game 6, had just scored his first goal of the series, tying the game at 2 goals each. Just over 9 minutes in, with the Sharks on their third power play chance, Roenick took a shot from the left wing half boards. Kiprusoff made the save, but kicked out a big rebound. As Roenick followed his shot, he was able to gobble up the rebound for a second chance that he put home for his second goal of the game, and third point of the night. Momentum swung again San Jose’s way, getting the crowd going to buoy them the rest of the way to the series win. Roenick would later add an assist for a four point night.

What’s Next? The Sharks now get two days off to prepare for Dallas. Dallas has a key injury in defenseman Sergei Zubov recovering from sports hernia surgery. If he can come back in the second round, that should help Dallas’ chances to advance. For the Sharks, Jonathon Cheechoo missed several shifts in the third, with Roenick replacing him on that line. If Cheechoo is hurt, and unable to play, look for Roenick to benefit from significant minutes with the top line.