San Jose Sharks vs. Vancouver Canucks NHL Pick
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The two best teams during the regular season in the Western Conference will meet for the right to represent the conference in the Stanley Cup Finals as the San Jose Sharks visit the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday in Game 1 of the 2011 Western Conference Finals.
Date/Time: Sunday, May 15, 8:00 PM ET
Venue: Rogers Arena in Vancouver, BC.
Broadcast: Versus
Money Line: San Jose +150, Vancouver -170
Spread: Vancouver -1.5
Over/Under: 5½ over +115
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Each team has faced adversity during this postseason and has been able to weather the storm.
The Canucks took a 3-0 series lead in the opening round against defending champion Chicago, only to see the series forced to a seventh game which Vancouver won. The Canucks then defeated Nashville in the conference semifinals in six games.
After needing three overtime wins to eliminate Los Angeles in six games in the opening round, the Sharks took a 3-0 series lead in the conference semis against perennial power Detroit, only to see the series forced to a seventh game which San Jose won.
The Canucks are looking to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1994 and for only the third time in club history. They have never won Lord Stanley’s Cup, and are trying to become the first Canadian-based hockey club to bring home hockey’s Holy Grail since Montreal triumphed in 1993. Meanwhile, the Sharks have never advanced to the Finals in their 20-year history.
During the regular season, the teams met four times. Vancouver won two of these contests outright in regulation, while both teams each won once in a shootout. This marks the first ever playoff series between these two teams.
Patrick Marleau was heavily criticized during the Detroit series, but the Sharks forward stepped up when it mattered most by scoring the game-winning goal in Game 7. Ryan Clowe, who has 13 points with four goals and nine assists, leads San Jose in scoring in the post-season. Calder Trophy candidate Logan Couture is just behind Clowe with 12 points. Couture is tied with Devon Setoguchi with a team-best six goals in the playoffs. Goaltender Antii Niemi is 7-5 in the playoffs with a 3.01 GAA.
Vancouver’s counterpart in net is Roberto Luongo, who is 8-5 with a 2.25 GAA. The Canucks leading scorer is Ryan Kesler with a league-high 15 points on five goals and ten assists. The Sedin twins are always dangerous, but struggled during the Nashville series.
The odds makers have the Vancouver Canucks as a -1.5 point favorite with an over/under of 5.5.
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Matt’s Free Prediction: Canucks – This figures to be a long series, with many twists and turns between arguably the two most talented teams in the league. The Canucks should gain the benefit of a few extra days off and a power play clicking at 22.2 percent efficiency during the playoffs to take the opening game.
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