Faceoff Factor

Round 2 Preview: Sharks Vs. Stars

Michael Farkas | National Hockey League

Apr 24, 01:56 PM | Hype this story!

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Sharks (2) vs. Stars (5) Conference Semifinals Preview
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The San Jose Sharks aren’t really known for their playoff abilities, and maybe rightfully so, the franchise has only won their second round matchup once in franchise history. Only one player on San Jose has a ring, and that’s non-factor Sandis Ozolinsh. The big game experience (whatever that means) is all on the Texas-side of the table.

For the second straight year, Marty Turco is the big part of the reason why the Stars are still playing. After being labeled a “playoff choker” he has rebounded with back-to-back outstanding performances (a first round exit that included 3 shutouts of his own against Vancouver and this year’s Duck dismantling).

The Stars made upending the defending champs look fairly easy, especially when you consider that they missed Philippe Boucher for half of it and Sergei Zubov for all of it.

The Stars scored 10 times with the man-advantage in round 1. Mike Ribeiro continued his regular season success into the postseason with a team-leading 8 points. Morrow scored all 3 of his playoff goals on the power play. Brad Richards is trying to get back to his Conn Smythe form, so far he’s found 5 points in these playoffs.

On the other side of the coin, the San Jose Sharks survived a scare from the always playoff-dangerous Calgary Flames. The Sharks went down 2-1 to Calgary before coming back to beat them in game 4 which helped them to a 3-2 series lead. In game 7, the Flames got a healthy dose of Jeremy Roenick before finally being put out.

However, the Sharks aren’t exactly coasting into this second round. A physically demanding series that went 7 games certainly puts them at a disadvantage against the Stars. Secondly, they have the same typical disappearing acts (at least in part) as year’s past. Joe Thornton is still not his dominant self in the playoffs, neither is Patrick Marleau, despite some good point totals. Worst of all, big trade deadline acquistion Brian Campbell has 3 assists in 7 games and is a -1. Meanwhile, Milan Michalek was absolutely awful, going scoreless in all 7 games.

Luckily for San Jose, some things did go right. Ryane Clowe resumed the pace he was on in the regular season before succumbing to injury. Not to mention the always stellar Evgeni Nabokov, who made some highlight reel saves over the course of that series for sure.

The Sharks need to use round one as a wake-up call. They won’t be able to get by Dallas with an inconsistent effort. They’ll need Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau to step it up big time and be the game-changers that we all know they can be. Meanwhile, Milan Michalek needs to shoot the puck, when he shoots he scores.

History is on Dallas’ side, the Stars have beaten the Sharks in the previous two playoff meetings, and the Sharks will be looking to reverse it. The key to the series is the Sharks consistency from their big guns, if that’s not there in every game the Sharks aren’t too likely to move on.

For Faceoff Factor staff predictions, click here.

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Team Numbers
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Regular Season Standings
San Jose: 49-23-10; 108 pts; 1st Pacific; 2nd Western; 2nd NHL
Dallas: 45-30-7; 97 pts; 3rd Pacific; 5th Western; 8th NHL

Regular Season Records
San Jose: 22-13-6 at home; 27-10-4 on the road; 4-4-0 vs. Dal; 7-2-1 in last 10
Dallas: 23-16-2 at home; 22-14-5 on the road; 4-2-2 vs. SJ; 3-5-2 in last 10

Playoff Special Teams
San Jose: PP, 19.4% (10th); PK, 72.7% (16th)
Dallas: PP, 26.3% (2nd); PK, 79.2% (10th)

Playoff Scoring
San Jose: 19 GF (t-4th); 2.71 GF/G (t-8th); 17 GA (t-8th); 2.43 GA/G (7th)
Dallas: 20 GF (t-2nd); 3.33 GF/G (3rd); 13 GA (5th); 2.17 GA/G (5th)

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Player Leaders
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Playoff Goals
San Jose: Clowe (4); Pavelski (3); Cheechoo (3)
Dallas: Morrow (3); Eriksson (3); Ribeiro (2)

Playoff Assists
San Jose: Thornton (5); Clowe (4); Pavelski/Marleau (4)
Dallas: Ribeiro (6); Robidas (5); Modano/Lehtinen (4)

Playoff Points
San Jose: Clowe (8); Pavelski (7); Thornton (7)
Dallas: Ribeiro (8); Morrow (6); Modano/Lehtinen (6)

Playoff Penalty Minutes
San Jose: Clowe (8); Mitchell (8); Rivet/McLaren (6)
Dallas: Morrow (16); Daley (10); Hagman (8)

Playoff Wins
San Jose: Nabokov (4)
Dallas: Turco (4)
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Injuries
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San Jose: No Major Injuries
Dallas: Zubov (Sports Hernia, day-to-day) Boucher (lower body, week-to-week)

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Series Schedule
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GAME 1: April 25 @ San Jose
10:00 p.m. ET VERSUS, TSN

GAME 2: April 27 @ San Jose
9:00 p.m. ET VERSUS, TSN

GAME 3: April 29 @ Dallas
7:30 p.m. ET TSN

GAME 4: April 30 @ Dallas
9:00 p.m. ET VERSUS, TSN

~GAME 5: May 2 @ San Jose
10:00 p.m. ET VERSUS, TSN

~GAME 6: May 4 @ Dallas
9:00 p.m. ET VERSUS, TSN

~GAME 7: May 6 @ San Jose
10:00 p.m. ET TSN

~if necessary