Posted by E.J. Hradek
Here are five quick things from another terrific night of playoff hockey:
1. Who knew a second-round playoff exit looked so good? The Sharks couldn't have looked any more demoralized than they did in the final seconds of their 4-0 loss to the Ducks at Honda Center on Thursday. Down 3-1 in the series, they head back to the Shark Tank desperately looking for some answers to their disappointing showing. San Jose coach Todd McLellan continued to fiddle with line combinations, trying to get more out of stars Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau. Neither player has been able to raise the level of their game in this series.
While there is no official word, Marleau appears to struggling to play through the leg injury that kept him out of the lineup down the stretch. Thornton, meanwhile, hasn't been nearly enough of a factor for long stretches during the series. In goal, Ducks playoff newbie Jonas Hiller is clearly outplaying Sharks vet Evgeni Nabokov. After the game, the cameras caught Sharks GM Doug Wilson sitting alone in the visitor's suite at the Honda Center. His sullen expression told the whole story. If things don't change dramatically Saturday night, Wilson will be headed back to the drawing board.
2. Ducks rookie sensation Bobby Ryan turned in another stellar performance in Game 4. He netted the game's first two goals and finished a plus-3 in 21:12 minutes. The big kid who was born in New Jersey and grew up in California is playing a hard, smart game. He's getting to the scoring area and proving to be quite a handful for the Sharks. On Wednesday, the league announced him as a finalist for the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year. I'm pretty sure Blue Jackets goalie Steve Mason will win the award. But if the Professional Hockey Writers' Association took another vote based on what has been happening in the first round, Ryan might have garnered enough support to pull an upset.
3. Devils stopper Martin Brodeur and Canes crease man Cam Ward threw a puck-stoppers party during Game 5 of their tightly contested Eastern Conference quarterfinals series in Newark on Thursday. The two goalies combined to stop 85 of 86 shots during a wildly entertaining 1-0 Devils win. If Carolina is going to rally in this series, it has to get its power play revved up. On Thursday, the Hurricanes couldn't take advantage of any of their five power-play chances. In the series, they're just 1-for-19. That's not going to be good enough to beat the Devils, who have been one of the best 5-on-5 teams throughout the season. Hurricanes coach Paul Maurice opted to scratch defenseman Anton Babchuk for Game 5. Babchuk, who can really hammer the puck from the point, was a key component for the club's man-advantage strategy down the stretch. It will be interesting to see if he returns to action for Game 6.
4. During their season-saving Game 5 win in Pittsburgh, the Flyers really helped themselves by not taking unnecessary penalties. Coach John Stevens' team took just four penalties in the game. That allowed them to build and keep momentum throughout the contest. After a slow start, the Flyers enjoyed the territorial edge for most of the second and third periods. And, c'mon, let's face it, when Arron Asham blasts one past Marc-Andre Fleury from 45 feet, I think you know it's going to be your night. If the Flyers can turn in another disciplined effort Saturday afternoon, we could very easily be looking at a Game 7 on Monday night in Pittsburgh.
5. The Blue Jackets certainly didn't go down without a fight in their crazy 6-5 series-ending loss to the defending champion Detroit Red Wings. The Jackets, who had scored just two goals in the first three games of the series, battled back from a pair of two-goal deficits to forge a 5-5 tie. The Wings, however, were able to ice the game and the Jackets' playoff dreams in the last minute of regulation. Wings sniper Johan Franzen converted on a power-play chance created by a Jackets' too-many-men-on-the-ice penalty. Boy, that's a heck of a tough way to lose a playoff series, eh? On Thursday, Detroit connected on three of its six power-play chances. That's a warning to anyone trying to dethrone the Wings. Don't put them on the power play. That's where Nicklas Lidstrom and his highly skilled mates will kill you.
ESPN.com Stanley Cup playoffs blog
