Faceoff Factor

Sharks vs. Flames: Game 1 Preview

Ashley Gallant | National Hockey League

Apr 8, 01:00 AM | Hype this story!

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Sharks (2) vs. Flames (7) Game 1
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The last time these teams met in the post-season was in the 2004 Conference Finals, when the Calgary Flames (6th seed) beat the San Jose Sharks (2nd seed). Four years may have passed, but the memories are still there considering each team currently has 7 players who played in that series.

The Sharks enter Game 1 as the clear favourite to win the series, but they acknowledge that beating the Flames won’t be easy.

“Their forwards are hard working and they come at you in waves,” defenseman Kyle McLaren said. “Iginla is the driving engine. They get offensive production from two lines and are very tough to play against.”

The challenge for the Flames will be to shut down Joe Thornton while not forgetting about the Sharks’ secondary scoring. The Flames also need to generate offense by outdueling the Sharks in front of Nabokov.

The Sharks, meanwhile, need to forget about the pressure of the playoffs and put to rest the ghosts of playoffs past. They are a team built to win the Stanley Cup this year, and they need to be confident in their abilities.

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Team Numbers
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Standings
San Jose: 49-23-10; 108 pts; 1st Pacific; 2nd Western; 2nd NHL
Calgary: 42-30-10; 94 pts; 3rd Northwest; 7th Western; 14th NHL

Records
San Jose: 22-13-6 at home; 27-10-4 on the road; 1-1-2 vs. Cal; 7-2-1 in last 10
Calgary: 21-11-9 at home; 21-19-1 on the road; 3-1-0 vs. SJ; 5-5-0 in last 10

Special Teams
San Jose: PP, 18.8% (8th); PK, 85.8% (1st)
Calgary: PP, 16.8% (19th); PK, 81.4% (20th)

Scoring
San Jose: 216 GF (19th); 187 GA (3rd)
Calgary: 226 GF (14th); 224 GA (16th)

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Player Leaders
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Goals
San Jose: Thornton (29); Michalek (24); Cheechoo (23)
Calgary: Iginla (50); Langkow (30); Huselius (25)

Assists
San Jose: Thornton (67); Michalek (31); Rivet (30)
Calgary: Iginla (48); Phaneuf (43); Huselius (41)

Points
San Jose: Thornton (96); Michalek (55); Marleau (48)
Calgary: Iginla (98); Huselius (66); Langkow (65)

Penalty Minutes
San Jose: Rivet (104); Murray (98); Shelley (91)
Calgary: Phaneuf (182); Godard (171); Sarich (135)

Wins
San Jose: Nabokov (46); Boucher (3)
Calgary: Kiprusoff (39); Joseph (3)

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Injuries
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San Jose: Norton (Back)
Calgary: None

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Series Schedule
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Game 1: April 9 at 10:00 in SJ; CBC, Versus
Game 2: April 10 at 10:00 in SJ; CBC
Game 3: April 13 at 10:00 in Cal; CBC, Versus
Game 4: April 15 at 10:00 in Cal; CBC

Game 5: April 17 at 10:00 in SJ (if needed); CBC, Versus
Game 6: April 20 at TBD in Cal (if needed); CBC, Versus
Game 7: April 22 at TBD in SJ (if needed); CBC