Faceoff Factor

Sharks Vs. Stars Game 2 Preview

Michael Farkas | National Hockey League

Apr 27, 04:08 PM | Hype this story!

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Sharks (2) vs. Stars (5) Game 2
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Series Score: Sharks 0 – Stars 1
Game Time: 9:00 EST
Location: HP Pavilion (San Jose)
Television: Versus, TSN, CSN Bay Area, My27

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Preview
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A late punch-in by Jonathan Cheechoo was enough to force overtime in game one, but not enough to beat the Stars. Brendan Morrow’s second goal of the game was the game winner for Dallas early in the first overtime.

Despite Milan Michalek registering a tally, the team as a whole was simply outworked in game 1. The Sharks may be more skilled, but the Stars are one of the hardest working teams in these playoffs and another spectacular performance by Marty Turco has led Dallas to a 1-0 lead.

Stars defenseman Sergei Zubov will be a game-time decision. Although Philippe Boucher will assuredly miss his fifth consecutive game.

Despite all that, the Stars are a confident bunch and head coach Dave Tippett exemplifies that. “The only time a coach says he wants a split is when he loses game one.” Tippett assures, “We’re not coming here for a split.”

The Sharks, meanwhile, would like to try to better control the pace of the entire game. “They lulled us into their trap, and we went right into it,” said head coach Ron Wilson. “We wanted to be physical with them, be aggressive without taking penalties, and we took the play to them in the first period, but after that, we kind of got lulled into playing their game. (It’s) almost like we were hypnotized, like the way you are with a swinging watch or something.”

Wilson knows it would be a tough road for his troops if they lose both games in their own home tank. He will have his guys fired up and ready for game 2, and watch for the Sharks to create a very physical contest.

Turco is not immune to this either apparently. “We’ve got to jostle him around a little bit because he’ll dive…we have to get in his face, make it more difficult.”

The Stars, meanwhile, will continue to play the game they play best. A smart, hard-working, defensive style that yields offensive chances and limits high quality chances. Dallas has set the tempo in most of their games this year and they force (or “lull”) teams into their style of play and it has been very effective so far in these playoffs.

The Stars and Sharks will meet for game two at the HP Pavilion tonight at 9 eastern.

For a complete list of team leaders and statistics, click here.

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Injuries
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Sharks: No major injuries
Stars: Zubov, Questionable (Sports hernia); Boucher, Out (lower body)