Posted by E.J. Hradek
Here are five things I jotted into my playoff notebook while watching the Ducks put the Presidents' Trophy-winning Sharks into a 2-0 series bind Sunday night at the Shark Tank.
1. Anaheim goalie Jonas Hiller's game has had few holes so far in the California classic. The Swiss-born stopper, who grabbed the net because longtime Ducks starter Jean-Sebastien Giguere was struggling, has been rock solid, turning back 77 of 79 San Jose shots. For a guy who is working in his first two NHL playoff games, Hiller has been pretty calm in his crease. He has done a good job of controlling his rebounds. And when Hiller has left a loose biscuit around his cage, the Ducks' defenders have done a good job of cleaning up the mess. On the flip side, the Sharks have to find a way to earn more second-chance opportunities. They have to shoot with a purpose (low shots to create rebounds) and get to the net on a consistent basis.
2. The Sharks finished the regular season with the third-best power-play unit in the league, converting at a 24.2 percent clip. In the first two games of this first-round playoff series, that same power play has been a dud. The Sharks are an unsightly 0-for-12 and have failed on six chances in each tilt. Hiller has been a big part of the problem. He's playing well. The Ducks' penalty killers deserve a lot of credit, too. Obviously, it's nice to have defenders like Scott Niedermayer, Chris Pronger and Francois Beauchemin working down low. But I've been impressed with the smart work of forwards Todd Marchant and Mike Brown. Marchant is a wise veteran who can win an important faceoff (he has won 15 of 23 defensive-zone draws in the first two games), while Brown is a high-energy skater who pressures opposing puck carriers. If the Sharks are to get back into this series, Joe Thornton and his pals must start taking advantage of their power-play chances.
3. The Ducks' top line of center Ryan Getzlaf, right winger Corey Perry and left winger Bobby Ryan is among the most dangerous trios in the league. But I think you probably already knew that. (Did you see Ryan's spectacular power-play goal in the first period?) On Sunday, though, I was really impressed by the big line's last shift. Ducks coach Randy Carlyle sent those players out to protect a one-goal lead in the final minute, and they did a great job. The Ducks burned precious seconds off the clock, hemming the Sharks in their own zone. In that situation, Perry and Ryan worked a hard, short shift and skated back to the bench for a change. Smart. These three guys, none of whom has reached his 24th birthday, are pretty special young players.
4. Sharks coach Todd McLellan changed his lines in Game 2. He broke up his top unit of C Thornton, LW Patrick Marleau and RW Devin Setoguchi. McLellan moved Jeremy Roenick and Jonathan Cheechoo onto a line with Thornton while shifting Marleau back to the middle with wingers Setoguchi and Travis Moen. I wasn't crazy about the moves. I like Moen as a checker, but I don't see him as a complement to Marleau and Setoguchi. That line combo generated just five shots. (Moen didn't record a shot.) On the top line (the Thornton line), Cheechoo responded with a goal, but it was more a terrific individual effort than the result of a good, long shift.
The move created more ice time for Roenick, who finished with 17 minutes, 31 seconds -- nearly 10 minutes more than in Game 1. I don't know whether the changes benefited Thornton, who made at least three sharp passes that could have resulted in goals. In the end, the Sharks' most productive line was the one unit that stayed the same. The trio of C Joe Pavelski, RW Ryane Clowe and LW Milan Michalek accounted for a goal and a combined 14 shots. I guess we'll see what McLellan does in Game 3.
5. In Game 3 on Tuesday night in Anaheim, Carlyle will have the last change. That means he'll be able to get the matches he wants. Carlyle definitely will take advantage of that opportunity. When you talk to other coaches, they'll tell you Carlyle will consistently look for matches throughout the game. When possible, he seemed to want his big line (Getzlaf, Perry and Ryan) to play against Thornton's line in Game 2. When you're watching Game 3, keep an eye on which players are facing one another. Carlyle will be scripting a lot of those moves.
ESPN.com Stanley Cup playoffs blog
