Sharks vs. Flames: Game 2 Preview

Ashley Gallant | National Hockey League

Apr 10, 07:45 AM | Hype this story!
 

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Sharks (2) vs. Flames (7) Game 2 Preview
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Series Score: Sharks 0 – Flames 1
Game Time: 10:00 EST
Location: HP Pavilion (San Jose)
Television: Comcast Sportsnet-Bay Area (HD), CBC.

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Preview
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The Sharks were left stunned when the Flames took an early 2-0 lead in Game 1 and held on for a 3-2 victory.

Stephane Yelle was the hero for Calgary, netting two goals in Game 1 after scoring only three all season. In fact, coach Mike Keenan hadn’t even put Yelle on a line during practice.

Miikka Kiprusoff was the difference-maker for the Flames, taking over the game and making 37 saves. He was very aggressive in challenging the shooters, sometimes coming out of the net 6 feet.

“We earned this game,” Flames forward Craig Conroy said. “We have a lot of players here who have done well in this building, guys who were here in the 2004 playoffs. We came in here, the building was alive, and we took the building out of it early. We know it will be harder tomorrow, but now they have more pressure on them.”

Ryane Clowe was the top scorer for the Sharks, netting both goals. He only returned to San Jose’s lineup on March 30th after missing 67 games due to a knee injury.

Both teams will get a short rest before going back at it tonight in San Jose for Game 2. If the Sharks want to save face in front of their home crowd, then they need to seize every opportunity to score on Kiprusoff. They need to make it hard on the Flames’ goalie and try to wear him down. They also need to neutralize Jarome Iginla (who had 2 assists in Game 1), which won’t be easy considering Keenan has him playing every other shift.

For Calgary to take a 2-0 series lead, they need to do better in the offensive zone. Two shots on net in over 20 minutes of play will not win you many games.

The Flames need to play a physical game to wear down the Sharks, but they cannot take penalties or they will be burned. They also need Kiprusoff to be the goalie that made him a legend in the 2004 playoffs, especially if the players in front of him show any difficulty scoring on Nabokov.

Click here for the series preview, including team and individual stats for the Sharks and Flames.

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Injuries
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San Jose: Norton (back); Ehrhoff (ankle)
Calgary: none

Comments

  1. TIM

    Apr 10, 11:05 AM

    I was surprised at how flat the sharks looked early in that game. It was 2-0 pretty fast and that was the difference maker. That game would have been 3-1 if a Flames D-man had tied Clowe up at all with a min left in the game he had no problem getting his own rebound.

    Calgary has enough talent to win but you are right they need to play tougher. Iginla is going to be pretty tired early on in this series he saw a lot of ice time.

  2. Ashley Gallant

    Apr 10, 11:18 AM

    I think it’s going to be hard for the Sharks to get back in this series. I know they’ve only played one game, but there was a lot of pressure on them coming into the playoffs, not to mention the ghosts of playoffs past lurking around in their closets. If Kipper can create a little bit of doubt…and if the Flames can control the game…this could be an upset.

    As for Iginla, he may be pretty tired (especially tonight), but if there’s anyone in the NHL who can play every other shift and still maintain a high-skill/high-physical presence, it’s him.

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