Overview
The San Jose Sharks are going to lean on goaltender Antti Niemi a lot in these Western Conference finals, but the Sharks are also going to have to help Niemi out if they want to get to the Stanley Cup finals. As the online Preakness betting heats up, the Canucks started off the series with an offensive bang that Niemi was equal to. But the Sharks faded away as the game wore on, and left Niemi fending for himself in a third period that saw the Canucks score two goals on 13 shots to help Vancouver take game one.
Many of the NHL scoring leaders are in this series, and many of them had a hand in the final 3-2 score. But the Sharks let the Canucks come at them in the third period, and that kind of diminished defensive effort is not going to win the Sharks a spot in the NHL Stanley Cup finals. The Sharks need to play defense to win this series, and they cannot rely on goaltender Antti Niemi to give the only price per head defensive effort for San Jose in this series.
Vancouver Canucks
It has been a point of contention for years among Canucks fans as to whether it was goaltender Roberto Luongo that let has been letting the Canucks down in the playoffs, or if the Vancouver defense has been the problem. Earlier in these playoffs, it looked like the answer was Luongo. But the Canucks clamped down on defense in the third period of game one of the Western Conference finals, and the result was a win. Luongo only faced seven shots in the third period, and he kept all seven out of the net. Luongo also made 20 saves on 22 shots in the first two periods as well. The Canucks seem to have embraced a more defensive style of hockey in these playoffs, and that was very evident in game one of this series. It is a good combination of tighter defense and more effective offense that keeps the pressure off Luongo and places it on the San Jose Sharks. If the Canucks can keep this up, they could be looking at a berth in the Stanley Cup finals.
San Jose Sharks
Every one knows that the San Jose Sharks can score goals. But the question people had coming in to this series was whether or not the Sharks could play high-quality defense. So far, the answer has been an emphatic no. Goaltender Antti Niemi made some amazing saves in game one of this series, but he had to just to allow San Jose to lose 3-2. The Sharks forwards need to come back and play defense. The wingers need to play tough along the boards, and the centers need to help secure the middle of the ice. Antti Niemi faced 39 shots in game one. If the Sharks cannot cut down on the number of shots against them, then this could be a very short series.
The Bottom Line
The Sharks can body check with the best teams in the NHL, and that will be San Jose’s response in this second game. The Canucks can be physical, but their forte is skating in open ice. San Jose needs to reduce the amount of open ice in game two if they want to win.
Pick: San Jose Sharks
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