Pre-3rd overtime update, Pre-4th overtime update, Post-game notes on the Stars 4OT win in Game 6 to advance

Incredible game. A few notes prior to the start of the third overtime:

Milan Michalek is out after a hard hit by Stars captain Brenden Morrow checked him to the ice on the last play of the third period, Curtis Brown was not on the ice for the second overtime and possibly not on the ice for much of the first overtime, Sharks playing with 10 forwards, Time on Ice shift chart for the game in progress, NHL real-time game summary.

Evgeni Nabokov's 1st OT glove save on Brad Richards is yet another example that he is big game playoff goaltender, Nabokov 42 saves on 43 shots after 5 periods, Marty Turco 52 saves on 53 shots, referees are not going to call any penalties from this point forward, Stars captain Brenden Morrow fireman's carried someone to the ice at the Sharks blueline about 8 feet in front of the referee, no call. Hits 73-46 in favor of Dallas after 5 periods. Milan Michalek leads San Jose with 5 hits, Brenden Morrow leads the Dallas Stars with 16 hits.

Both Dallas media blogs are offering twitter-like real time updates. Richard Durrett is manning the Dallas Morning News Stars blog, noting Ribeiro's ice time (41:51), Morrow's number of hits (16), and that it is now Monday in Dallas. Tracey Myers is manning the Fort Worth Star Telegram's Five for Fighting blog, noting Ribeiro's missed scoring chances, and goals by Clowe and Miettinen. Knee Jerk City is also liveblogging Game 6. Not sure what the record is for the longest playoff liveblog, but this game has to be nearing that mark if it does not have it already.

Pre-4th OT update:

This is the longest all-time playoff game for the San Jose Sharks franchise. The previous longest contest was a 3OT game against Edmonton in game 3 of the WCSF May 5th, 2006. According to Richard Durrett, this is the third longest Dallas Stars game, an April 11, 2007 game against Vancouver went into the fourth overtime (Canucks won 5-4), and there was a 5 OT game against Anaheim in 2003 (Ducks won 4-3). This game also featured the most total shots in a Sharks game (110), and the most shots ever taken by a Sharks team in franchise history (61).

Curtis Brown skated in the third OT with Thornton-Cheechoo, and Clowe-Grier. Sharks rookie center Torrey Mitchell had a clean 2-on-1 breakaway halfway through the third overtime. Mitchell moved it to Clowe, who returned the puck back to Mitchell. Torrey chipped the puck off the ice, and an out of position Turco threw his arm behind his body to block the puck, and then trapped it to the ice. Spectacular save, this is an incredible goaltender's duel as both are putting their stamp on this series in game 6. Modano and Daley break into the Sharks zone. Modano showed a burst of speed that looks like he was shot out of a cannon, and it resulted in a scoring chance in front. "No tomorrow for the Sharks" - San Jose radio broadcaster Dan Rusanowsky in the third OT.

Dallas defenseman Nicklas Grossman took a hooking penalty 3 minutes into period number 6. Shock of shocks. I would have lost the house betting on the referees burying their whistles for the duration. Quick flip to NHL on the Fly Final, this has to be the first time all year they are talking about a Sharks game while it is still in progress. Versus is blacked in the Bay Area with the game on Comcast.

Game Winning goal by Brenden Morrow on the power play at 9:03 of the 4th overtime, assists by Robidas and Ribeiro. Morrow finished with 51 minutes of ice time, 7 shots, 19 hits, and the game winning goal in the 4th OT. Dallas Stars goaltender Marty Turco finished with 61 saves on 62 shots to advance to the Western Conference Finals against Detroit. San Jose Sharks goaltender Evgeni Nabokov finished with 53 saves on 55 shots. During post-game handshakes two of the greatest U.S. born players of all-time, Jeremy Roenick and Mike Modano, embraced for an extended moment. Marty Turco and Evgeni Nabokov also had several words with each other. On the way off the ice, a number of Dallas Stars fans and a security guard shook Roenick's hand.

Dallas is going to have to go through Anaheim, San Jose and Detroit just to reach the Stanley Cup Finals. Winning a very tight series against the Sharks without defenseman Brian Boucher, and with Sergei Zubov at less than 100%, the Stars deserve credit for getting the job done with an entire team effort. San Jose battled back in this series, and soon I will post a game recap and a season ending series of notes on the Sharks season. Detroit will be a prohibitive favorite against Dallas by many of the "experts", but if Dallas can play as disciplined and as physical (especially against the Detroit defense that had monstrous injury problems of their own this season), they will make the Western Conference Finals a series.

For a mini-scouting report on the Red Wings, take a look at this January post. Also, that was one of the best photo galleries I have posted all season. Hasek-Turco would be light years more entertaining than Osgood-Turco, they might have to create a new statistical category: MSLR - minutes spent lobbying refs.

[Update] James Mirtle posts the 10 longest overtime games in NHL playoff history:

1. 3/24/36 DET 1, MAR 0 Mud Bruneteau 116:30:00
2. 04/03/33 TOR 1, BOS 0 Ken Doraty 104:46:00
3. 05/04/00 PHI 2, PIT 1 Keith Primeau 92:01:00
4. 4/24/03 ANA 4, DAL 3 Petr Sykora 80:48:00
5. 4/24/96 PIT 3, WAS 2 Petr Nedved 79:15:00
6. 04/11/07 VAN 5, DAL 4 Henrik Sedin 78:06:00
7. 3/23/43 TOR 3, DET 2 Jack MacLean 70:18:00
8. 05/04/08 DAL 2, SJ 1 Brendan Morrow 69:03:00
9. 3/28/30 MTL 2, NYR 1 Gus Rivers 68:52:00
10. 4/18/87 NYI 3, WSH 2 Pat LaFontaine 68:47:00

[Update2] Just an FYI, select posts and photos from Sharkspage will be posted on The Hockey News blog section. There is a permanent link to The Hockey News and the blog section on the right NHL sidebar.

[Update3] Updated the Sharks playoff history page. Overall Playoff Record: 57-62. Overall Playoff Series Record: 9-11.

[Update4] Season Ends In Fourth OT - SJsharks.com.

Facing elimination for the third straight game, the San Jose Sharks looked to force a decisive Game Seven in their Western Conference Semifinal series against the Dallas Stars, but in a cruel twist of fate, they would play the equivalent of a sixth and seventh game, but lose 2-1 in quadruple overtime.

[Update5] More game notes from Alanah at Kukla's Korner:

- Tonight's game officially lasted 5 hours and 14 minutes, beginning at 8:10 pm and ending at 1:24 am. (CST)

- Marty Turco made a franchise-record 61 saves in the game tonight, stopping 61-of-62 shots.

- Dallas had 55 shots on goal. The franchise record is 76 at Vancouver in Game One of their first round series against the Canucks last year.

- The 62 shots against is a Stars opponent record for shots in a playoff game. (was 56 by Vancouver last season).

- Dallas has won four of its last five overtime games in the playoffs. Brenden Morrow has scored the game-winner in three of them (Mattias Norstrom had the other).

- The attendance for Sunday’s game was 18,532, Dallas’ 26th sellout of the season and 12th consecutive sellout (including the last six regular season games). The club has also sold-out 17 of the past 18 home dates.

[Update6] Stars 2, Sharks 1, 4OT - Dallasstars.com.

Captain Brenden Morrow scored 9:03 into the fourth overtime, and Marty Turco made a career-high 61 saves to send the Stars to the Western Conference finals with a dramatic 2-1 win over San Jose in Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals on Sunday night at American Airlines Center. Dallas took the best-of-seven series 4-2 to advance to the conference finals for the first time since 2000.

A photo gallery from the Dallas Stars is available here.

[Update7] Brenden Morrow scores in 4th OT, Stars beat Sharks to clinch series - Canadian Press via TSN.

[Update8] Much more is up, including video interviews, photos, and notes, on sjsharks.com.

Elvis Lives, He wears #8 for the San Jose Sharks, and he sent the WCSF series back to Dallas for Game 6

THE SHARKS CELEBRATE JOE PAVELSKI'S OT GAME WINNING GOAL

#9 MILAN MICHALEK, #56 SERGEI ZUBOV CRASH INTO #35 MARTY TURCO

#10 BRENDEN MORROW, #63 MIKE RIBEIRO REACT TO A DISALLOWED GOAL

Jimmy Hoffa, the Chupacabra, Al Capone's hidden vault, like the San Jose Sharks playoff hopes after Joe Pavelski's game winning goal 65 seconds into overtime on Friday, now is the time to believe. Granted, this has been a tumultous second season for the reigning Pacific Division champions. There were no game-to-game momentum swings in the Sharks opening series win over the Calgary Flames, more like seven playoff game 1's. After dropping 3 games to Dallas in the Western Conference Semifinals, the Sharks earned back-to-back wins to send the series back to Dallas with an option to tie.

Dallas stormed out of the gates in the first two periods, led by of course team captain Brenden Morrow. After tic-tac-toe passing by Modano, Zubov and Lehtinen resulted in the Stars first goal on the power play in the second period, Morrow appeared to add to that total at 15:31. Almost before the puck was in the back of the net, the referee was skating towards the scorer's table with the play under video review. Matt Carle tried to check Morrow as he was making a b-line for the crease, but Morrow arrived and planted one foot into the right leg pad of Evgeni Nabokov before the puck arrived on the play. The puck did deflect off Morrow's back skate and into the crease, but the correct call should have interference on Morrow not just a disallowed goal. Morrow prevented Nabokov from making the play before the puck was in the crease.

Three and a half minutes later, Morrow added a second goal for the Dallas Stars sans video review. Antti Miettinen hit Brad Richards with a long pass up ice through the neutral zone, and Richards spun and found Miettinen cocked and loaded in the slot. Miettinen's shot was blocked through traffic, but he gathered his own rebound and fed Brad Richards for a point blank chance on the doorstep. Evgeni Nabokov deflected the play wide to his right, but Miettinen had position on 4 Sharks who were focused on the puck. Morrow snapped a shot home from a sharp angle with Miettinen in front, and then glared at the referee. Allowing an even strength goal with 55.3 seconds left in the period briefly sucked the life out of HP Pavilion. Later in the game, Morrow had another goal disallowed on the power play after he tried to toss the puck to his stick only to have it cross the goal line first.

Cue the third period, Patrick Marleau explodes up ice after receiving a breakout pass from his own zone. Marleau splits the defense before they can turn to face him. Marleau makes a move to his right, but Turco dives out of his crease with an extended poke check to cut down the time he had to make a play. After the initial save, the Stars D clear the puck under pressure to prevent a second scoring chance with their goalie far out of position.

The noise level in the third period was loud. San Jose head coach Ron Wilson actually took a shot at the fans after the game for booing their own team when they turned back with possession to get a better breakout opportunity, but the fans played an important part in the third period comeback. Jonathan Cheechoo gets the puck deep, and Joe Thornton digs the puck out from behind the net, spins, and finds Milan Michalek driving the net with his stick on the ice. Goal Michalek, and HP Pavilion is possibly the loudest it has been all season. What was different about Friday night, the noise level and intensity from the fans never died down the remainder of the period. The Sharks pressed the action, and Jeremey Roenick found Brian Campbell accelerating through the neutral zone and rifled a hard tape-to-tape pass. Campbell crosses the blue line, cuts to his left, and rings the game tying goal off the crossbar at 11:07. Fans explode. Ron Wilson does have a point about booing a team on home ice too quickly, at times during the regular season it caused the Sharks to try to force a play that wasn't there. There is so much energy inside the building, it really calls for the need of an organist to channel that into more of an anti-Morrow, anti-Stars, or anti-Belfour direction.

Overtime has not been kind to the Sharks in this Western Conference Semifinal series, Brenden Morrow scored the game winner 4:39 into OT in game 1, and Mattias Norstrom scored off a deflection on Jeremy Roenick's stick to earn the decision in game 3. The Sharks tried to "push the pace" against Dallas in the extra period according to center Joe Pavelski. After getting the puck deep, Antti Miettinen can not clear it out along the wall. Christian Ehrhoff pinches in and passes to Pavelski, who turns and takes the puck directly to the slot. Zubov tried to weakly check Marleau in front, Miettinen dives to the ice to try to get back into the play, and defenseman Nicklas Grossman is caught too far out of position to make a move on Pavelski or to drop down and block a shot. Pavelski holds on to the puck, and then lifts a shot over the shoulder of Turco to send the series back to Dallas. The entire Sharks team converge en masse on Pavelski in the corner.

A photo gallery from the game is available here. Video highlights are available via Versus or Youtube.

[Update] ESPN'S Barry Melrose said last night the San Jose having the most pressure of any team facing elimination in the Semifinals, that the coaches and the players feel pressure after past playoff early departures, and he breaks down Joe Pavelski's game winning overtime goal against Dallas in Game 5.

[Update2] Little Joe. Big goal. San jose shows some grit in comeback against Dallas - SJ Mercury News.

There was desperation, but between the end of the third period and the start of overtime, there also was a plan: Push the pace.

More from the Merc's Mark Emmons, Mark Purdy, and Ann Killion.

[Update3] Twice bitten: Dallas Stars lose 2-0 lead in 3-2 overtime loss - Dallas Morning News.

[Update4] That's the breaks: Sharks stay alive against Stars in OT - Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

The Dallas Stars have talked about earning breaks, making breaks, capitalizing on breaks.But on Friday night, an awful break went against the Stars. And despite a two-goal lead, the Stars couldn’t hold off the Sharks.

The Stars were denied a goal in the second period, and the Sharks came back with three unanswered goals to claim a 3-2 victory over the Stars in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals at HP Pavilion on Friday night. The series, which the Stars still lead 3-2, goes back to Dallas for Game 6 on Sunday night.