Sharks Win Series 4-2
There's a good reason why only two teams in NHL history - the '42 Leafs and '75 Islanders - have won a playoff series after losing the first three games. Any team that's good enough win the first three is not fragile enough to lose four straight. Colorado put up a noble fight, but a miracle comeback was not in the cards against a solid team with great goaltending.
The Sharks, after two tentative games, were aggressive on this night. They took a 3-0 lead in the second period, and made the great Avalanche attack look fairly ordinary after that.
There is much speculation in Colorado that coach Tony Granato will be fired, that stars like Teemu Selanne and Paul Kariya will not be back. But the man everyone is waiting to hear from is Peter Forsberg. Rumor is that Forsberg has played his last NHL game, and intends to finish his career back home in Sweden.
Game Five: Avalanche 2 - Sharks 1 (OT) (Sharks lead series 3-2)
The Sharks were ten minutes away from the ceremonial handshake. But once again, Joe Sakic came to the rescue. First he scored a dirty one, getting to the lip of the crease and chipping in a little pass from Teemu Selanne. Then, at 1:54 of overtime, he was in front of the net and wasted no time converting a blind pass from Peter Forsberg.
San Jose scored on a 5-on-3 power play in the first period. But the Avalanche dominated the rest of the game and deserved the win. The Sharks, who looked so composed in recent weeks, are suddenly the team that has to answer all the awkward questions about confidence and killer instinct.
Game Four: Avalanche 1 - Sharks 0 (OT) (Sharks lead series 3-1)
How can so many hockey players, making so much money and in possession of so much talent, blow so many scoring chances? That question must have haunted Colorado fans all night, as bad luck and good goaltending plagued their team. Joe Sakic finally ended the agony at 5:15 of overtime, with a nice snap shot that San Jose goalie Evgeni Nabokov probably should have stopped. He finished with 35 saves; Colorado's David Aebischer had 27.
So the Avalanche are still alive, but still on life support. They have scored four goals in four games, and their defense often looks about as coordinated as Boxing Day at the mall.
Game Three: Sharks 1 - Avalanche 0 (Sharks lead series 3-0)
With nine minutes left, Vincent Damphousse banked a shot off the goaltender's ass to give the Sharks the only goal they would need. Colorado fans can't blame the goalie; David Aebischer is playing well. His team mates are the problem, scoring just three goals in three games.
Evgeni Nabokov stopped 33 shots for San Jose, and several of them were excellent stops. But Colorado's big guns did not come at him in waves. Hejduk, Forsberg, Sakic and company were reasonably well contained by the Sharks, who have the best group of defensemen in these playoffs. Colorado pulled its goalie for the final 1:28 left, but did not manage a single shot on goal.
Both teams have significant injury questions going into game four. Any hope of a miracle comeback by the Avs will disappear if Rob Blake can't play. He left this game in the second period. The Sharks, meanwhile, are worried about two of their best forwards. Scott Thornton struggled to the room with a bad limp in the first period; Mike Ricci did not play in the second, and only sporadically in the third.
Game Two: Sharks 4 - Avalanche 1 (Sharks lead series 2-0)
Milan Hejduk scored first for Colorado. Otherwise, the Avalanche stars did little to help the cause. Joe Sakic and Peter Forsberg took five penalties between them, resulting in a pair of power play goals for San Jose. Forsberg also had a goal disallowed when he crashed into the Sharks' net.
Jonathan Cheechoo scored the highlight goal of this playoff year, tucking his stick between his legs for a behind-the-back shot. Patrick Marleau scored again for the Sharks, leaving Avalanche fans to wonder why no one goes near him when he has the puck in front of the Colorado net. The Avalanche defense looks flustered. They also appear to have the lesser goaltender, though the two losses can hardly be pinned on David Aebischer.
Game One: Sharks 5 - Avalanche 2 (Sharks lead series 1-0)
Nobody turns passes into goals quicker than the captain of the San Jose Sharks. Patrick Marleau uncorked his second hat trick of these playoffs, chasing David Aebischer from the Colorado net in the second period. The Avalanche had a terrible time in their own end, as the Sharks pushed them around and took the puck to the net all night long.
Unnoticed in the scoring rampage was the play of the San Jose defense, which beat up Colorado's forwards for much of the game. This is the first real trouble for the Avalanche in these playoffs. So game two should show us what kind of a team they have. Until further notice, the Sharks look terrific.
Sharks vs. Avalanche: Series Preview
Stanley Cup 2004: Second Round Schedule and Results at a Glance
