Vancouver Canucks vs. San Jose Sharks NHL Pick
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The San Jose Sharks will head back home down two games to the Vancouver Canucks, and will desperately be looking to grab a win in Game 3 of the 2011 Western Conference Finals on Friday night.
Date/Time: Friday, May 20, 9:00 PM ET
Venue: HP Pavilion in San Jose, CA.
Broadcast: Versus
Money Line: Vancouver +110, San Jose -130
Spread: San Jose -1 ½
Over/Under: 5½
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The Sharks not only dropped Game 2, 7-3 on Wednesday, they lost respect and their composure after racking up a run of undisciplined third-period penalties that the Canucks quickly converted into a rout.
To add insult to injury, the game could have ended a lot worse if not for the heroics of San Jose keeper Antti Niemi who came up with some huge stops, finishing with 31 saves.
Things were going well for San Jose who jumped out to an early 1-0 lead on a power play goal from Logan Couture at 2:28 of the first period, but would fall 2-1 midway through the first before Patrick Marleau’s goal tied the game at two heading into the first intermission.
Vancouver scored the only goal in the second period before netting four more in the third to take a commanding 7-2 lead.
The Sharks’ Ben Eager scored with 2:33 left, but ended up in the penalty box after having words with Canucks goalie Robert Luongo that sparked a tussle in front of the Vancouver net. Eager finished with five minor penalties and a 10-minute misconduct. The Atlanta Thrashers were eager to move Eager earlier in the season because they were weary of his untimely penalties. The Sharks combined for 53 minutes in penalties and lost their fifth in six games.
Meanwhile, Luongo didn’t need to be exceptional to win, but did complete the game with 28 saves.
San Jose will need to change that in Game 3, while staying disciplined and avoiding the penalty box. Handing Vancouver too many power plays will be fatal. They will also need to repeat their quick start in Game 2 to get what should be a raucous Shark Tank crowd into the game 3
As for the Canucks, they need to have a solid first period when the Sharks will be looking to get on the board early and they cannot let Joe Thornton beat them. If they remain patient, they will get chances.
The Canucks won all three road games in their second-round series against the Nashville Predators, so they have proven they can win away from the Rogers Arena.
The odds makers have the San Jose Sharks as a -1.5 point favorite with an over/under of 5.5.
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Matt’s Free Prediction: San Jose – If the Sharks can play a solid 60 minutes, which they haven’t yet done, they should be able to climb back into this series with a win at home.
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