For eight months, that proved true.
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Uh, excuse me. I mean, as the Sharks approach Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final Thursday night, for only the second time in their 23-game playoff run this spring, they will face elimination with a defeat. “We believe in our players, and we know when the stakes are high, they’re going to be at their best”.
“He feels he can be the difference in a game and he has been for us”, Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said.
“I’m not going to lie to you”, winger Eric Fehr said after practice Wednesday in Cranberry. Whether they win in Game 5 or not, one thing’s for sure, they have put on one heck of a show for us so far.
“I think he’s going to be great tomorrow”, Hitchcock said.
But 28 times in National Hockey League history, teams have won a playoff series after falling behind 3-1 or 3-0. With their season in peril, that success away from San Jose remains their best source for optimism. “A lot of times it’s more simple and a lot more efficient”. When Fleury slipped late in an overtime loss, Sullivan went right back to Murray.
And then there’s Joe Thornton. “You need that when you get to this point”. After the big, bad Boston Bruins literally beat up the Vancouver Canucks to win the Cup in 2011, the playoffs have become a sort of Game of Thrones, with the Los Angeles Kings using a no-nonsense style built around outhitting and outmuscling their opponents to win in 2012 and 2014. In a series that has featured three straight one-goal games all decided either in the final three minutes of regulation or overtime, some of the lesser-known players have delivered the goals. Game 4 is Monday night in San Jose.
It’s hard for me to believe that, as long as there is even a sliver of an opening to win a Cup, those Shark veterans won’t spill their guts trying to maximize the sliver. They’ve made the sacrifices that are necessary in order for us to be in a position where we are.
“We did a better job in the third stretching it out, ” Couture said. Opportunities to win a Cup are rare, and, while the Penguins are intent on remaining businesslike, they know they’ll be competing for a title tonight.
With one more standout performance, Murray could be hoisting the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP along with it.
The Sharks are 5-6 on the road in the playoffs. Couture, Burns and Patrick Marleau have combined for just one goal and four assists in four games, with neither of them finding the scoresheet in the past two games. San Jose lost 3-2 in Game 1 when Nick Bonino scored with 2:33 left. The problem is the Sharks have only managed seven goals on Penguins goalie Matt Murray.
“Improvement every day that I’ve seen him”, DeBoer said Tuesday.
“That is how we look at it”. None of the three could pull the proper trigger on their shot and score. I think that goal is obvious.
San Jose had the second-best record during the regular season (35-6-2) when they scored first, 10-3 in the playoffs.
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While most comments will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive, moderating decisions are subjective. Because of the volume of reader comments, we can not review individual moderation decisions with readers. For us, we don’t have the big heavy guys in the lineup, so you can’t pretend. We’ve asked him to improve in certain areas of his game away from the puck, in the battle areas, and he’s embraced our message.
