With a chance to finish the regular season on a positive note and remain a contender for the no. 1 playoffs seed in  the West, San Jose Sharks had to battle through another game against a divisional rival Phoenix Coyotes. In the end, the Sharks came out on top in a 3-2 shootout win, and now get an extra day of rest before the rest of the league finishes the season on Sunday. 

Ever since Phoenix Coyotes picked up Ilya Bryzgalov from Anaheim Ducks 2.5 years ago, the Sharks did not have an easy time against them. Even when Gretzky was behind the bench, these games were always my least favorite to watch. Phoenix knows how to meet the Sharks in the neutral zone. They know who is the best match up against who. They know what the Sharks are going to do in a shootout. They even hired a former Dallas Stars coach who had no need for scouting to know how to kill the Sharks entrance into the zone. Finally, the worst part about this match up is that when Nabokov is going against Bryzgalov, both goalies are focused and want to outplay one another. 

Tonight's game was no exception to this trend of defensive hockey. Both teams combined for 30 giveaways. For comparison, in the previous game against the Canucks, there were only 17 giveaways by both teams, and only 13 against the Flames. In such a sloppy game of hockey, the Sharks had to wait till the skills competition to earn the 2 points, and perhaps this is how Coyotes wanted it too.  

Here are the notes from the game. 

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Ezra Shaw - Getty Images

SAN JOSE, CA - APRIL 08: The referees break up one of the numerous fights in the game between the San Jose Sharks and the Vancouver Canucks at HP Pavilion on April 8, 2010 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

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What looked like an easy win for the Sharks with 11 minutes left in the game turned into the Fight Night at the Tank. 

After a shaky first period, San Jose Sharks dominated the second with three goals and the game looked all but finished as the third period was dragging to its logical ending. It all started with a scrum involving Scott Nicol around the boards that put the sharks on a 5-on-3 penalty kill. Whether it was a border-line dirty play by the home team, or a frustration by the Canucks, as they failed to score during a minute of 2-men advantage - but all hell broke lose. The fights were starting one after another and at one point, the Sharks had six players sitting in a small penalty box. Who knew it could fit that many? When the third period was finished, both teams combined for 76 penalty minutes time, in that period alone.

But the game did not start this way. 

Following the last road trip of the regular season, San Jose Sharks looked unfocused and tired in the first period of the game. Playing in his 70th start this season, Nabokov had to put another brilliant performance in the first half of the game to keep the game close. When facing 3-on-1 rush with just 8 minutes into the game, Nabokov came out with the biggest save of the game. He read the play before it happened and knew exactly where the puck would go.  Tw o minutes later, he stopped two more breakaways against him as the Sharks were on a power play.

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San Jose Sharks arrived to Calgary on the last leg of their final road trip of the regular season. A win meant that they would clinch the Pacific Division. On top of that, a win by the Avalanche would mean that the Flames would miss the playoffs for the first time since 2003. 

That's exactly what happened. 

Sharks got on the board first, with a power play goal by Rob Blake. If someone on the Sharks roster benefited from the Olympic break, it is Rob Blake. He's no longer shooting just from the blue line, as he's done for most of the season. Blake is now getting closer to the net, and his offensive vision is still there, if not his slap shot. This is how he scored another goal, as Logan Couture was screening Kipper, and Rob Blake put the shot behind the two. Since the Sharks started winning again, Blake has 9 points in 7 games, including 2 goals. 

As we praise Blake, let's not omit Couture's role in this goal. We don't see Thornton, Pavelski, Marleau or Malhotra - other centers who see power play time - screen goalies as often as we see Couture there. Rookie center loves that spot and it is one of his main assets. 

Second goal of the game was scored by Jamie McGinn as a result of the relentless fore-check by the Sharks. I thought that goal represented everything good that Sharks did in that game. While the Flames were more physical and outhit the Sharks 22-11, the Sharks skated with more energy and determination in the first two periods, and their fore-check lead to a logical goal. The Flames were unable to clear the puck in their zone, it got to Vlasic who shot it from the blue line, and if the first try by Couture to redirect a rebound did not find the net, McGinn made sure the puck still went in. He picked it up as it bounced off Kipper, skated it past him and put it in the open net. 

The commitment by the forwards to play defense was also the reason why none of the players from the HTML line got on the scoreboard. They were mostly invisible tonight in the offensive zone and Thornton's 37% on faceoffs tonight did not help either. But they were busy in the defensive zone. 

The Flames came out in the 3rd period knowing this was likely their last chance to save the season. The Sharks knew it too and they dropped all the way back to sit on the lead. The Flames did score a goal at the start of the period on a power play. Malhotra intercepted the pass, but failed to clear it, and the defense stood still watching the puck go past two Sharks players and Nabokov into the empty net. 

Despite all that, the defensive effort did pay out for the Sharks. Nabokov had another strong night, as did all the defensive units. Nothing stopped the Sharks from earning another two points and a fifth Pacific Division championship in the club's history. 

It was another puzzling game from a team that has wrestled with their fair share of Rubik's Cubes following the Olympic Break. A brilliant first period followed by a disheartening second, and then a nearly heroic response in the latter half of the third to tie the game. Back and forth the seesaw creaked and groaned.

San Jose's performances right now are like the new Double Down chicken sandwich-- it may look tasty as it begins and ends with chicken fillets and eleven herbs and spices, but ultimately, it is not good for you. Hard to survive multiple heart attacks in a row during the postseason.

The first period was a brilliant effort from the Sharks, as they took the play directly to the Avalanche and refused to let up. In Joe Thornton's first game back since sustaining a right knee injury against Vancouver a month ago, head coach Todd McLellan decided to reunite HTML in preparation for the playoff push. That strategy worked well, with the top line generating quality chances on net, and Thornton looked like he had never left. Sure there was the standard "put on the brakes before I hit the top of the circles and look for a cross ice pass" routine we have become accustomed to, but it was clear McLellan had stuck with his season long gameplan of letting injuries fully heal before throwing his players back into the lineup.

However, Dan Boyle has really seemed to have lost a step since coming back from Canada's gold medal in the Olympics. He is currently fourth in the league with 26:41 of average ice time per game, and that workload seems to have taken a lot out of his legs down the stretch. The skating pop he is known for just doesn't seem to be there right now, and if Boyle continues to teeter around the twenty six minute mark (and there's no reason to expect he won't), you really do have to begin to question whether this is an effective use of resources.

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Despite Minnesota Wild looking like a better team for good portions of the game, San Jose Sharks beat them once again to sweep the season series and officially eliminate the Wild from playoffs race with a 3-2 win. 

Without watching the game, one may think that the Sharks had an easy first period as 2-0 score going into the first intermission may suggest. However, the truth was far from that. In front of their home crowd, and knowing about the recent woes by the Sharks, the Wild wasted no time sitting in their own zone and their attacks were coming in waves one after another. As Rob Blake took a hooking penalty just three minutes into the game, it seemed like it was going to be another game that would go according to a standard Sharks' post-Olympic scenario of going down early. But Nabokov was having none of it, and while the Sharks penalty kill struggled to clear the puck, Russian netminder came to the rescue. When the storm calmed down, Sharks' secondary scoring stepped up, as Manny Malhotra and Scott Nichol got on the scoreboard. 

When the teams returned to the ice after first intermission, the Wild felt that their fans still deserve to watch their team compete. The storm in front of Nabokov returned,  and with two quick goals by the Wild 100 seconds apart from each other, the momentum of the game appeared to have shifted in favor of the home team. A key moment in the game came shortly after, as James Sheppard was hooked by Dan Boyle from behind on a breakaway. The play resulted in a penalty shot, which would have given the Wild a lead in a game.

But this was a game Nabokov had no desire of losing, and he stopped Sheppard's shot to keep the game tied half way through.

The Wild continued to push forward and play a physical game against the Sharks (the Wild outhit the Sharks by a margin of 34 to 19). Overall, they played a strong game, but it was Nabokov didn't care. Sharks' defense also looked more coherent in St Paul than they looked two days ago in Dallas (Demers 3:09 of playing time may have had something to do with that).

On the side of the rink, Logan Couture scored a goal with 3:51 remaining, as he redirected a puck after a shot by Dan Boyle. With that game winning goal , the rookie proved once again that he belongs to the big club. The rest of us are left wondering how the Sharks offense would have looked like this season, had there been a space under the salary cap for Couture to play here from the beginning.

While the Sharks did not look as confident in this game as they did in previous games against the Wild this season, they need to continue restoring their confidence on the road. A win like this carries more meaning than just the two points. 

If the Sharks don't travel to Dallas again in the next few years, it will be too soon.

With Ryane Clowe taking what appeared to be a puck to the face/throat area in the late first period, yet another Sharks player went down with and injury. With Joe Thornton and Marc-Edouard Vlasic also out, it was quickly apparent that this wasn't the same team that shut out Dallas in San Jose last week. Jed Ortmeyer saw time on the power play, Brad Staubitz skated on a line with Patrick Marleau and Dany Heatley at times, zone entry was pitiful and the team lacked chemistry throughout the game. 

The effort level, however, was familiar.

With a win tonight, the Sharks would have all but locked up the first seed in the Western Conference. Instead, the Blackhawks gain two points in the standings with a game in hand, and the Coyotes remain frighteningly close in the Pacific division race (even though they trail Calgary as I write this).

Just as was the issue in the game in Dallas earlier in the month, taken penalties haunted the Sharks throughout the game. Although the penalty kill effectively squashed a 5 on 3, the parade of Sharks to the box killed any momentum the Sharks appeared to have during the first. This lead to a disastrous second period in which the Sharks allowed three goals.

On the other side of the special teams battle, the Sharks squandered multiple opportunities. The power play will undoubtedly be lacking until Joe Thornton returns, but the Sharks ineptitude in this area tonight was really frustrating. Not only do the Sharks have to count on the aforementioned Jed Ortmeyer to eat up minutes with the extra attacker, but the team looks vastly different without the crisp passes of Joe Thornton. Without him the Sharks look like they're trying too hard, and no where is that more evident than in the play of Patrick Marleau who had his worst game of the year.

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Devin Setoguchi scored his first goal in six games, and added another, to extend the Sharks winning streak to four despite playing without Iron Man Joe Thornton.

It was a good win for a team that needed some success after disheartening performances following the Olympic Break, and coupled with the 3-2 victory over Vancouver on Saturday night, San Jose managed to knock off two Western Conference playoff teams in the process. Passes have been crisper, skating more defined, and previously underperforming players such as Torrey Mitchell and Ryane Clowe have managed to elevate their game when the team has needed them the most.

Things are looking to be returning to normal here in San Jose.

• Patrick Marleau and Ryane Clowe wore the A's tonight as Rob Blake and Joe Thornton were out with various ailments. Surprising to see Pavelski not get the nod here, but with Clowe's resurgence of late, it's probably fitting he gets a pat on the back and a letter on his sweater.
• The Colorado forwards gave San Jose a lot of trouble throughout the game, and that's something to look for down the stretch. It was a win, but far from a perfect outing. During the first two games of this current winning streak San Jose gave up 46 shots-- this weekend, they gave up 82.
• Thomas Greiss may have given up some big rebounds during the first two frames but was excellent throughout the course of the game, making 42 stops in the win. In the third period he was nothing short of a thick blanket, deadening slap shots from all angles and forcing faceoffs in the defensive zone. I wonder why he hasn't played more this season.
• Although Staubitz headed to the box for what seems like the 15th straight game, that was one i don't mind him taking. Kent Huskins got caught up in a footrace to the puck behind Greiss and fell awkwardly into the boards. With Thornton going down in a quasi-similar manner yesterday, it sent a message that the Sharks wouldn't be taken advantage of.
• Speaking of the penalty parade, San Jose ran into trouble when both Jamie McGinn and Jed Ortmeyer headed to the box for a 5 on 3 during the second period. That's probably doing nothing to help get them out of McLellan's doghouse. Might as well take out a mortgage right now.
• Dan Boyle saw 25 minutes plus again. A workhorse in every sense of the word. I would like to see McLellan manage his ice time a little more down the stretch here, as Boyle has seemed to lack that skating spark he is known for since returning from the Olympics, but I understand how hard it must be to not call his number when he's on the bench.
• More on Demers tomorrow, but it was nice to see him step in and log 16:54 at evens. McLellan had him paired up with Vlasic for what seemed like the majority of the game, which is a nice idea considering Vlasic's excellent defensive play. We will have to wait and see if that is the route the team takes when Blake returns.
• Matt Duchene opened up the defense with a nice move to the net on the Avs second goal, and followed that up with an even better feed to find Mueller in the slot who ripped it short side to put the Avalanche up 2-1. Tyler Myers likely deserves the Calder, but Duchene is a player who is going to be terrorizing the Sharks for years to come. Great player, was buzzing around the puck all night.
• Logan Couture continued his trend of banging in some ugly goals by driving hard to the net (Ed. Note: Ortmeyer eventually was credited with the goal). It's a story that has been rehashed ad nauseum on Fear The Fin by now, but he truly has been a breathe of fresh air since being recalled from Worcester two weeks ago.

Go Sharks.

UPDATE #1, 10:36pm - According to Comcast Bay Area post game show, Thornton is currently listed day-to-day and will be reevaluated before tomorrow's game against Colorado. No update on Malhotra's injury. 

UPDATE #2, 11:48pm, from WTC, "McLellan did say that Manny Malhotra appeared to be in good shape despite some serious bleeding after he took a puck to the face and had to leave the game with 41 seconds left."

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San Jose Sharks won an important game tonight, but the victory may have come at a very high cost. 

As Plank mentioned in the game preview, this game was going to be a true test to the Sharks confidence. Going into this game on a two game winning streak, the team was looking to build on all the good things that have happened this week. It's a one thing to beat two teams who are no longer in a playoff race. It's quite another to beat a team who's at the top of the Western Conference standings. On top of that, a victory in regulation pretty much meant that the Sharks secured a home ice advantage in the first round of playoffs, as the lead over no. 5 Nashville would have extended to ten points. 

The way the game went, it was a tale of three periods.

In the first period the Sharks came out ready to battle and to skate. However, it turned out to be a challenging task as the Canucks did what they do best - fill the neutral zone with forwards and defensemen and completely kill any momentum on the Sharks attack. This kind of game of chess hockey lead to just one shot by both teams in the first ten minutes of the game. The Sharks were unable to complete their crisp first passes, and the Canucks were controlling the boards and all rebounds. Add a puck that farted out of Nabokov's pads to give Canucks their first and only lead in this game, and you get one of the ugliest first periods played this season in the Sharks Tank. 

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