SHARKSPAGE

CSN California sees a record 6.57 rating for Sharks series clinching game 5 against Detroit

THE SHARKS CELEBRATED A 4-1 SERIES WIN OVER DETROIT SATURDAY

CSN California set record viewership numbers Saturday night for game 5. The Sharks 2-1 series clinching win drew a 6.57 rating, and averaged over 164,250 households. That is up 58% over comparable numbers for game 5 against Colorado in the first round. Saturday’s game 5 ratings soared from 9:15-9:30, with a peak rating of 9.14 and 229,000 households.

It is the highest rated Sharks broadcast ever on Comcast, surpassing the previous high set during the quadruple overtime game 6 loss to Dallas in the 2008 WCSF. That game posted a 5.9 on CSNBA. Numbers were up across the board Saturday night for Comcast. A season high 77,000 households tuned in for the Sharks Postgame live wrapup show, and traffic on CSNCalifornia.com has increased 208% since the first game of the WCQF series against Colorado.

The TSN telecast of Sharks-Detroit on Saturday night was watched by 1.27 million viewers in Canada according to former Globe and Mail media reporter William Houston.

The NHL’s cable partner Versus held exclusive broadcast rights for the first two games of the San Jose-Detroit series. Versus registered 1.4 and 1.6 ratings for the Thursday and Saturday broadcasts respectively. Game 2 alone reached 1.77 million viewers in the United States. It was the largest audience for a Conference Semifinal broadcast in Versus history, and the largest Conference Semifinal audience on cable in 10 years.

End of the Douglas Murray hit on Johan Frazen debate

This CSNCA slow-motion video of Douglas Murray’s third period hit on Johan Franzen ends the debate over whether or not it was an illegal hit to the head. Legal. Shoulder to shoulder, would be a 2-minute minor if Frazen did not just drive into the zone, drop a pass, and turn his back on the defenseman 5 feet in front of him.

WCSF Game 5: San Jose is back in the Western Conference Finals, Marleau and Thornton lead Sharks to 2-1 win with pair of goals

#19 JOE THORNTON CELEBRATES WIN OVER DETROIT, TRIP TO WCF

#20 EVGENI NABOKOV SHAKES HAND OF #35 JIMMY HOWARD AFTER GAME

#13 PAVEL DATSYUK CARRIES THE PUCK INTO THE SHARKS ZONE LATE

#8 PAVELSKI BATTLES FOR A 3RD PERIOD FACEOFF WITH #40 ZETTERBERG

San Jose Sharks head coach Todd McLellan may have sidestepped the question of whether Saturday night’s 2-1 win and WCSF victory over the Detroit Red Wings was a changing of the guard, but one thing is certain. If these two teams meet again, neither will be the same.

For three seasons, the Stanley Cup Finals and Conference Finals in the Western Conference lead through Detroit. The ‘Big Four’ in the West, truely became the ‘Big One’ as the Red Wings played on a level few teams could match in the postseason. That has changed. Gone are key contributors Marian Hossa, Jiri Hudler and Mikael Samuelsson. The Wings became a more top-heavy club, more reliant on Nicklas Lidstrom and Henrik Zetterberg to set the table for Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg.

“It shows the mental toughness of this team, to bounce back after losing a big one,” Joe Thornton told the media after the game. “They have been the best hockey team in the last five years, in my opinion. They’ve dominated this whole League. They’ve gone to conference final after conference final and Stanley Cup appearances. As far as I’m concerned, they’ve been great for the last 20 years, actually.”

It is now the San Jose Sharks who are the more complete team. Stocked with role players and grit, the Sharks now have enough talent to bide their time until Patrick Marleau, Joe Thornton, Dany Heatley or Joe Pavelski can take over a series. For the second time in the last three games, Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton put their stamp on the Red Wings forehead. Thornton and Marleau connected for the breakaway 2-on-1 goal to end game 3. They reunited on the scoresheet in the series clinching game 5.

After being outshot 15-6 in the first period (29-12 Corsi), Brian Rafalski opened the scoring for Detroit with a point shot early in the second period. On the play, Johan Franzen skated up on Thornton from behind, grabbed his stick, and threw it to the ice. Thornton was not able to get back on defense before the goal was scored.

Joe Thornton would answer 2:14 later on the power play. With Brad Stuart in the box for an elbowing penalty, rookie defenseman Jason Demers took several hard lateral strides at the point to open up a shooting lane. Goaltender Jimmy Howard could not control the point shot, and offered up a low rebound. Dany Heatley was stick checked by Nicklas Lidstrom, but he one armed a pass to Joe Thornton at the side of the net. Thornton tucked it around the prone netminder to tie the game at 1-1.

Former San Jose Sharks defenseman Brad Stuart dropped another people’s elbow on Joe Pavelski later in the period, knocking out a tooth with a hard lead elbow to the face before initiating a check along the boards. Pavelski calmly handed his tooth to a trainer on the bench, and returned to the ice for his shift. He would get a golden opportunity for retaliation early in the third period. Stickhandling around defenseman Niklas Kronwall at the blueline, he turned up ice for a breakaway with one hand on his stick. Kronwall reached out and grabbed him, and the officials awarded Pavelski a penalty shot. “The Big Pavelski” has been the Sharks leading shootout goal scorer, utilizing a patented hesitation/roof shot to seal the deal on 14 of 30 opportunities over the last 3 years.

Saturday night the ‘Pavelski move’ resulted in a shot just high and wide of the top corner. Rookie goaltender Jimmy Howard deserves credit on the play, coming out on top of the crease and cutting down the shooting angle.

The game would be decided by San Jose’s top two players, Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau. After a solid forecheck by Dany Healtey pressured Brian Rafalski into a turnover, Thornton set up with his back to the end boards looking for Marleau in front. Marleau dropped to one knee, but got enough on the shot to rifle it cleanly past Howard for the game winning goal. It was Marleau’s 40th career playoff goal, 12 of which have been game winners (30%).

“When you look at Jumbo as the playoffs have evolved, I think you see that he has become more and more comfortable playing a role outside of being a pure setup man and scorer,” Todd McLellan said of Thornton. “He has played extremely physical, and he has been real good in the faceoff circle, he has killed penalties. His turnover ration has really gone down. We couldn’t be happier for him. He is one of the individuals I talked about earlier, one of the players that had to shed a reputation whether it was gained fairly or not. Up to this point, he has done a real good job.”

That was evidenced Saturday as Thornton finished with a goal, assist, 3 hits, and a dominating 10-4 performance (71%) from the faceoff circle. Jumbo was in the zone all night, but his largest contribution may have been on a pair of penalty kills with linemate Dany Heatley in the second period. Neither are known for their fluidity on the defensive side of the ice. Instead, they were a churning and passing menace to the Detroit power play. Twice they pinned the Wings deep in their own zone with Joe Pavelski and Dan Boyle in the box. The performance by the Sharks as a whole during the Pavelski penalty may have been the Sharks best penalty kill of the postseason, and with Boyle out Thornton refused to give up the puck or dump it in. Instead of curling into the neutral zone and waiting to make a play, Thornton carried it deep and forced multiple Wings to take it from him.

It was a “little thing” as hockey insiders like to say, similar to winning a faceoff and sealing off Todd Bertuzzi on a forecheck minutes later. The little things added up, and resulted in a critical 2-1 win on home ice.

“It is a fine line, they were up in the series last time we played them in the playoffs. Ron Wilson was the head coach, and they had a turnover in the neutral zone. Robert Lang ended up making a play and scoring. We ended up winning the series, that is how tight it is,” Detroit Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock said about facing this team in the 2007 playoffs. “There is no difference in this series. There are lots of tight games. I think when your players like Thornton, Marleau, Boyle, Heatley and Pavelski go to the Olympics, they grow and they watch what the really good players do, and how competitive they are. Now they bring that back and it makes their team better.”

“The Sharks have been a very good team the past few years and they play smart. Every time you make the playoffs, you learn more and more and eventually you start playing better in the playoffs,” Detroit center Henrik Zetterberg told the media after the game. “They are playing smarter and they are playing more like a team.”

Evgeni Nabokov also rebounded well from Thursday stopping 33 of 34 shots against. Nabokov withstood a Red Wings onslaught in the second period, allowing only 1 goal on 14 shots, and he locked down the crease during a whithering push by Detroit to tie the game late. “I don’t know if this is redemption or not. Playoffs are such an interesting tournament, I will call it that, where you play a good game and have to forget it and move on. You play a bad game, you have to do the same thing, because the next game is the most important thing,” Nabokov said after the series clinching win. “We wanted to finish at home, and we did… The guys battled, they showed their character, and they did a great job.”

A photo gallery from this blog is available here.

[Update] Sharks 2, Wings 1: Detroit finished in five games – Chris McCosky for the Detroit News.

A couple of minutes later, Johan Franzen took a blindside hit to the head by Douglas Murray in the Sharks’ zone. No call was made and with Franzen down, the Sharks went on a two-on-one rush. Howard bailed them out by stopping Dany Heatley in the crease, but the Sharks maintained the puck in the Wings’ zone.

“He sure didn’t come from the front of me,” said Franzen. “He came from the side. It was a late hit, a blindside hit and it was to the head. I thought two months ago the league tried to take that away. Instead, they come down and get a faceoff in our end instead of us getting a five-minute power play.”

Three problems. First, Frazen has been the player who has complained to the referees the most this series, in this instance to Dan O’Halloran and Tim Peel. His credibility with NHL officiating is approaching Dan Carcillo levels. After a legitimate missed call on a Devin Setoguchi high stick in game 2, Frazen complained and berated the referees to a ridiculous level. At some point, players have to acknowledge a blown call as a blown call and move on. Franzen stood and stared at the referees for minutes, and then argued each step of the way to the box.

Second, shortly before the alleged Murray hit on Frazen Justin Abdelkader hammered Pavelski into the boards on a similar hit from the side. If you call that play on Murray, you call a similar penalty on Abdelkader 10 seconds earlier. Also on Douglas Murray’s alleged “blindside” hit, if you drive the zone and then turn the back on the defenseman 5 feet in front of you, 90% of NHL referees are not going to call the play. A CSNCA slo-mo replay showed the Murray check hit Franzen in the shoulder pads, not the head. Franzen remained motionless on the ice, again for minutes, as Marleau and Heatley created a 2-on-1 in the opposite direction. Franzen got up working his jaw, then switched to vigorously complaining to the ref of a hit to the head. No call. The offensive zone faceoff ultimately resulted in the Sharks game winning goal, one of many careless mistakes that cost Detroit this series.

Third, Franzen and Brad Stuart combined for a heavy check later in the period that left Douglas Murray legitimately motionless on the ice for several seconds. If referees miss a call in the game, players have the option for redress of their own. Detroit took that option. Stuart left his feet and exploded with a violent collision into Murray in front of the Detroit boards. There would be a spectacular photo of that hit on this blog, except there was a referee in the middle of the photo (with arms and legs splayed on either side). Murray slowly headed to the bench with a bloody lip and nose, but later told coach Todd McLellan he was ok.

[Update2] End of an era in Hockeytown? Lidstrom’s decision will dictate Wings’ path – Pierre LeBrun for ESPN.

[Update3] “This is a very big win for our organization for a lot of different reasons” — Todd McLellan – David Pollak’s Working the Corners blog.

[Update4] Despite run, Sharks still face tough questions – John Buccigross for ESPN.

[Update5] Red Wings Will Rebuild, Not Overhaul – friend of the blog Lyle Spector for FoxSports.com.

WCSF Game 5: Post-series comments by San Jose Sharks head coach Todd McLellan

Post-series comments by San Jose Sharks head coach Todd McLellan:

“I don’t know if this is a changing of the guard. They are a very good team, they have obviously been to the finals the last couple years. This is a very, very big win for our organization for a lot of different reasons. One, we get to continue playing in the playoffs here. Two, to shed some of that reputation we have supposedly earned in the past. By no means is our task done or over. The fact that it was a win over a team that has been to the Stanley Cup Finals the last couple years, a team that quite frankly has had our number over the last little bit. The ability to recover from the shellacking we took in their building. I think there was more questions there at the end. A lot of things to overcome. Patrick Marleau scored the winner. We had some individuals, who heading into the playoffs had to answer some questions. To this point they have done it.”

“You have to take emotions out of it as a coach. I have said it before that I have a lot of friends and good memories on that team, and will continue to. But when you start playing the players ultimately decide it. We’re there to give them a little bit of guidance, push them at a certain time, make a few changes. But they decide it. It was fought between the 40 guys tonight, not necessarily the coaches.”

“It was a spanking (in game 4), it was a collective spanking. I mentioned this morning that we weren’t trying to get one or two players to play better, we were trying to get our whole team to play better. I think that helped a little bit. We couldn’t pin it on anybody. The team didn’t pin it on anyone. But, we really believed in the group we had, that they were mentally strong enough to respond to it. Again the questions that were asked from the outside world, I think it motivated us a little bit more as well.”

“When you look at (Joe Thornton) as the playoffs have evolved, I think you see that he has become more and more comfortable playing a role outside of being a pure setup man and scorer. He has played extremely physical, and he has been real good in the faceoff circle, he has killed penalties. His turnover ration has really gone down. We couldn’t be happier for him. He is one of the individuals I talked about earlier, one of the players that had to shed a reputation whether it was gained fairly or not. Up to this point, he has done a real good job”

“Nabokov played extremely well. That is as simple as I can put it. He made some huge saves, especially on the penalty kill when they were moving the puck around. We have now talked about three people, Patrick Marleau, Joe Thornton and Evgeni Nabokov again. Immediately after the 7-1 loss, everyone tied that to the Olympics. That had absolutely nothing to do with the Olympics. I felt real good when I saw Nabby at the pregame skate this morning. He was pretty focused and determined.”

“You could see (Patrick Marleau’s play) evolving from the bench because we had a real good angle on it, if you were on our bench. He got the shot off quick. I don’t know if we were silently asking (Thornton to get the puck on net), we were yelling it. Again, a real good play below the goal line. Detroit did a real good job in this series squashing us below the goal line. We had to fight through it. Jumbo found him, and in it went.”

“Patrick Marleau is a huge, huge part of this team and this organization. His impact on the team, the community, and on our Shark family hasn’t shrunk one bit because he is not wearing that little piece of felt. In fact, I think he is better equipped that he was last year maybe to contribute as a leader. We saw tonight, you can lead through words and cheering. He upped his game when we asked him to and he came away with the winner.”

“We had an excited or a nervous bench (late in the game), which moving forward we are going to have to correct. That starts with us as a coaching staff. You could tell it was real important for the players to get through it. We are going to have to learn how to settle down as we move forward. I looked at Douglas Murray and he was bleeding from his nose and his lip. I asked him if he was okay, and he yelled absolutely. The commitment level was there. It was nice to see.”

“There was a lot (of changes since last season). We can talk about how we play, we play a little different than we did last year. We made some changes. The personel fit the way we wanted to change. The leadership changed. The way we as a coaching staff handled individuals changed a little bit. Collectively, just mentalling getting a little bit stronger and a little bit tougher, not a lot. Just a little bit. That has helped us get to this point.”

“Niclas Wallin has been hurt, so for him to come back in for a situation like this was real big for us and big for him. He played through it tonight. What Wallin gives you is a big, big body. From experience, he is a good penalty killer. When they ended up putting Bertuzzi and Franzen together with Zetterberg, we needed a little more size at times down low. If it wasn’t going to be Murray, it was going to be Wallin and a couple others. He provided that for us.”

“You need every piece, regardless of their minutes, you need every piece to make their mark on the game. It is a tough series for Scott (Nichol) to play because of line rotations, and there were times he sat 6 or 7 minutes then we asked him to take important draws and penalty kills. He was prepared to do it. He did it very admirably.”

“There are two parts to (not talking a timeout with the late 6-on-4 against). We would prefer not to give them time, they had already used their timeout earlier on one of the icings. We didn’t want to give them any time to set up. When the two players we knew, Patrick Marleau or Pavelski, or whover was on the ice at the time, I still can’t remember. I asked him if he was okay, and he said yes. Away we went. We didn’t want to give them the opportunity to set up.”

“I hope Nicklas Lidstrom plays (next season) because he is one hell of a player. What we all don’t understand, you have to be there, is that he is a better person than he is a player, and that is saying something. He has given a lot to the game, and a lot to Detroit. He has got a family at home he probably would like to spend time with. Personally, I hope he plays. The Red Wings will miss him, but also the game will miss him. I know when my kids come to the rink they love watching him. I hope he plays again.”

“Tomorrow the management and the rest of the group will have to sit down and try to give us an idea, a map, or a calender that might come over the next week. We don’t know when we will play, we obviously don’t know who we will be playing. I do know that we will take tomorrow off so the guys can spend the day with their families. They have earned that. It’s Mother’s day. We will probably report to the rink on Monday and make a decision on how much, or whether we will skate or not. Hopefully by then we will get at least a schedule laid out for us. Other than that, I know as much as you do.”

WCSF Game 5: Audio from the Tank

I deserve a fail for attempting to take audio from the game without a proper microphone. 90% of the audio was inaudible due to the extremely loud volume level. Above are a pair of third period chants from the crowd where you can almost make out what is going on.

Shark Tank named ‘Toughest Road Arena’ in Sports Illustrated NHL player poll

ORANGE AND TEAL DOTTED CROWD CELEBRATE GOAL AGAINST COLORADO IN WCQF

Sports Illustrated NHL Player Poll:

[Q] What is the toughest road arena to play in?

HP Pavilion – Sharks 19% (capacity 17,562)
Bell Centre – Canadiens 14% (capacity 21,273)
United Center – Blackhawks 13% (capacity 21,356)
Wachovia Center – Flyers 12% (capacity 19,535)
Joe Louis Arena – Red Wings 10% (capacity 20,066)

Sources: Sports Illustrated, ESPN.

HP Pavilion was named ‘The toughest road arena to play in’ by a recent Sports Illustrated poll of 272 NHL players. In 5 regular seasons since the lockout in 2004-05, opponents traveling to ‘The Tank’ have averaged only 17 wins a season (41.4%), and only 10 in regulation (25.8%).

It has been an inhospitable location for visitors on the ice. Off the ice, recent modifications have added a giant high definition scoreboard and 66 more seats to increase total seating capacity to 17,562. In the first round of the playoffs against Colorado, Versus and Dallas Stars analyst Daryl Reaugh cited the proximity of fans to the ice, and the low ceiling, as factors in the enormous crowd noise generated. He said the roar was even more pronounced the higher you sit in the building as it is redirected and amplified off of the low ceiling.

It may have peaked in the first round for game 2. After a puck off the skate of Rob Blake resulted in a disheartening loss to open the series against Colorado, the Sharks came back from five seperate 1-goal deficits to earn a critical 6-5 win. The Avalanche and Sharks traded 6 goals in the second period, and the resulting noise sampled at ice level and from the press box had the arena wobbling. The decibel peak for the second round against Detroit may have come in game 2. After Ryane Clowe redirected a Joe Pavelski pass between his legs to beat Jimmy Howard, the digital decibel reading reached 114.4. According to the London Telegraph, that is equivalent to a jet engine.

The Sharks and SVSE stoke that excitement before every game by dropping a Shark head from the ceiling. The new high definition audio system thumps Carmina Burana as the ice is bathed in wavering teal light. It is a mix between Conan the Barbarian and Jaws. It is one of the best player entrances in all of sports, and it maximizes the intimidation factor even furthur when they black out the arena and train the spotlights on the Sharks head.

It is a primal fear bobbing up and down in the Pacific Ocean as the sun sets and the water turns black. At one point in time, every surfer will come to the realization that man is no longer at the top of the food chain. Thirty-eight percent of great white shark attacks in the United States occur in the ‘Red Triangle’ cold water feeding grounds just off the coast of Northern California. For opponents traveling to HP Pavilion, the NHL player poll suggests a little guttural fear might exist when lining up to face the Sharks on home ice.

It is as it should be.

WCSF Game 4: Johan Franzen explodes for 4 goals, Wings score five times in first to blitz San Jose with 7-1 win

Notes and links from the Detroit Red Wings 7-1 win over the San Jose Sharks in game 4 of the WCSF will be posted soon.

ECHL National Conference Finals Game 3: Stockton defeats Idaho in triple overtime, longest game in franchise history cuts Steelheads series lead to 2-1

STOCKTON GOALTENDER #31 BRYAN PITTON MADE 49 SAVES IN TRIPLE OT SHUTOUT

IDAHO STEELHEADS LW #27 JOHN SWANSON FIRES A SHOT ON GOAL IN THE 3RD

IDAHO GOALTENDER #31 RICHARD BACHMAN MAKES A DIVING STICK SAVE

It took the longest game in Stockton Thunder franchise history, and the longest scoreless overtime game in ECHL Kelly Cup Playoff history, but Ryan Constant scored a power play goal 36 seconds into triple overtime to earn a 1-0 shutout win and cut the Steelheads Conference Final lead to 2-1.

In his first start of the postseason, Stockton Thunder goaltender Bryan Pitton withstood consistent Idaho pressure to earn a 49-save shutout. “In the first overtime they didn’t get too many shots on goal, in the second overtime they got us a little on the power play,” Pitton said after the game. “Everyone did a fantastic job, this is probably one of the best wins we have ever had.”

Pitton served most of the season as backup to a rotating cast of goaltenders for Springfield of the AHL. Due to the tumultous situation in Edmonton, the goaltending pipeline of Edmonton’s AHL and ECHL affiliates was in a state of flux. Sharkspage favorite Nikolai Khabibulin went down with a season ending injury after playing only 18 games with the Oilers, leaving rookie netminders Jeff Deslauriers (16-28-4) and former Thunder starter Devan Dubnyk (7-9-2) to finish out the season.

Wednesday night the Idaho Steelheads only outshot the Thunder after 80 minutes 31-27, but they pressed hard with an 18-8 margin in the second overtime. They were helped by a pair of penalties on Jordan Bendfeld (tripping) and Igor Gongalski (delay of game). Pitton said the Thunder’s confidence never waivered. “Every time we came in here after a period, it was constant positive energy. I think everyone knew no matter how tired we were, someone was going to get the job done and people would believe in the guy next to him. I think that is why we won today.”

The Thunder shut down both power plays and finished 6-for-6 on the penalty kill, but it was a late tripping call on Idaho Steelheads center Marty Flichel that would prove to be the turning point in the game. It was Stockton’s Igor Gongalski who took an ill-advised roughing call in a scrum at the end of the first period, forcing the Thunder to start the second period down a man. Idaho could not make them pay. Flichel’s tripping call late in the second overtime would carry over into the third OT. It allowed the Thunder to rest at intermission, and use the time to gameplan an attack for the 41 seconds of power play time remaining.

Four hours and fifteen minutes into the game, and with 5 seconds left on the power play, Ryan Constant scored on a long wrist shot with traffic in front. He slid on his knees at center ice before being mobbed by his celebratory teammates. “It was definitely great to get the game winner, we needed that win,” Constant said. “It was a great individual effort by Robinson to get me the puck at the top. I had a wide open lane, and (Jason) Pitton was in front screening him. I just got a shot on net, and it was lucky enough to go through. It only takes one shot.”

“What a character win, our resiliency really came through when we needed it most,” Stockton Thunder head coach Matt Thomas said of the triple overtime victory. “Constant’s goal came as a result of simple hockey needed into a lengthy game like that – getting a screen in front of their goaltender. Bryan was remarkable in net as well – he made the basic saves all night and came through with some big stops when we needed them.”

The game started with physical play. Stockton pinned Idaho in their own zone early in the first period, and hammered them along the boards and in the corner. A half intentional check, half unintentional collision, saw Garet Hunt and Kevin DeVergillo each splayed horizontal in mid-air. Massive 6-foot-3, 214-pound Idaho left wing John-Scott Dickson started throwing his weight around at the end of the first. After laying out two Thunder players at the top of the defensive zone, and then again behind his net, a retaliation by Stockton narrowly missed being called.

The Thunder began to tighten up play in their own zone in the third period. Short, crisp outlet passes allowed them to carry the puck up ice quickly. They were less risky than the long, cross-ice passes that were more susceptible to turnovers earlier in the playoffs. The one area of improvement for Stockton has to be getting the puck deep in the Idaho defensive zone. They need to speed upon entry for puck retrieval and the forecheck, and forcing an opponent to skate 200 feet to beat you will wear them down over the course of a 60-minute game. For a 100+ minute game, the effect would have been more dramatic.

Rookie Idaho Steelheads goaltender Richard Bachman was strong in his own end, but the triple overtime goal by Ryan Constant resulted in his first loss of the playoffs. In 100:36 minutes of play on Wednesday night, Bachman stopped 35 of 36 shots against. The former Colorado College netminder has stopped 205 of 215 shots against in 7 postseason games, earning himself a sparkling .953SV%. Originally a 4th round draft selection by the Dallas Stars in 2006, Bachman was a runner up for ECHL goaltender of the year after registering a 22-7-4 record in the regular season (2.26GAA, .910SV%). In call-up duty for the AHL Texas Stars this season he was 3-3.

Stockton opened the Kelly Cup Playoffs with a 3-1 win over Alaska in the best-of-five NCQF series, and advanced to their first National Conference Final appearance with a 4-1 series win over the Bakersfield Condors in the best-of-seven NCSF. The Idaho Steelheads were awarded the Brabham Cup for the best record of the regular season, and they stole the first two games of the Conference Finals with solid goaltending from Bachman and opportunistic special teams play. A 4-0 lead in the first game was too large a hurdle to overcome despite late goals by Matt Robinson and Ryan Constant. In the second game, Stockton finished 0-6 on the power play and allowed a pair of first period shorthanded goals en route to a 4-0 loss.

The 5-year Thunder franchise lead the ECHL in attendance for its first 4 seasons. In 2009-10 the Thunder finished 3rd in attendance with 217,098 total fans and a 6,031 average over 36 home games. The southern-California based Ontario Reign finished first in league attendance with 232,223 total fans and a 6,451/game average.

A photo gallery from the game is available here.

[Update] Official box score from the game:

Stockton Thunder 1, Idaho Steelheads 0 (3OT)
ECHL National Conference Finals Game 3
May 5, 2010 – Stockton Arena

1st Period- No Scoring. Penalties-Hunt Stk (slashing ), 7:19; Flichel Idh (hooking), 16:11; Gongalsky Stk (roughing), 20:00.

2nd Period- No Scoring. Penalties-Barlow Idh (roughing), 4:13; Constant Stk (roughing), 4:13; Eizenman Stk (cross-checking), 9:06; Kushniruk Idh (roughing), 11:56; Gongalsky Stk (elbowing), 14:52; Tardy Idh (holding), 19:11.

3rd Period- No Scoring. Penalties-DeVergilio Idh (slashing ), 11:03.

OT Period- No Scoring. Penalties-No Penalties.

2nd OT Period- No Scoring. Penalties-Bendfeld Stk (kneeing), 2:09; Gongalsky Stk (delay of game), 6:53; McCutcheon Idh (interference), 7:36; Flichel Idh (tripping), 18:41.

3rd OT Period-1, Stockton, Constant 4 (Robinson, Bates), 0:36 (pp). Penalties-No Penalties.

Shots on Goal-Idaho-49. Stockton-36.
Power Play Opportunities-Idaho 0 of 6; Stockton 1 of 6.

Goalies-Idaho, Richard Bachman (36 shots-35 saves). Stockton, Bryan Pitton (49 shots-49 saves).
A-3,441

Referees-Jean Hebert (27).
Linesmen-Steven Berry (77), Paul Reid (97).

[Update2] Good things come in 3s for Thunder, Longest game in team history has happy ending – Scott Linesburgh for the Stockton Record.

[Update3] Deadlines and hockey thrillers – Stockton Record. The triple overtime game finished at 11:15PM, the Record goes to print at 11:30PM. Mike Klocke describes how the Record sports staff got results in 80-90% of the newspapers for the print run in under 15 minutes.

[Update4] Stockton’s Garet Hunt Fined, suspended for one game – ECHL.com.

Interview with San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed on Sharks-Wings, Joe Pavelski, A’s stadium in San Jose, and the record $116 million budget shortfall

San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed took office in January 2007 and quickly established himself as a straightforward and no-nonsense city leader. Lauded for his fiscally responsiblility, and his efforts to build a more open and transparent City Hall, Mayor Reed is working hard to address one of the most difficult challenges the city has ever faced, a record $116-million budget shortfall.

He took the time to answer a few questions about the San Jose Sharks, the WCSF series with the Detroit Red Wings, Joe Pavelski, the proposed A’s stadium, the financial impact of HP Pavilion, and what needs to be done to address the record $116-million budget shortfall facing the city.

Interview with San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed:

[Q] Last year the Sharks had a Presidents Trophy winning regular season, they were flirting with historical NHL records early and the constant buzz pulled in a large number of casual Bay Area sports fans and non-sports fans alike. Ultimately they were disappointed in the loss to Anaheim. This playoff season the Sharks have had to battle and overcome obstacles almost every game. What kind of identity do you think the Sharks are forging for themselves this postseason?

[Mayor Chuck Reed] The Sharks’ come-from-behind victories have shown that they’re not going to fold when they run into adversity. They fought through some tough games in the first round, but they really turned it on to close out the Avalanche, and have since they’ve carried that momentum into the Detroit series. They’re going to need that kind of tenacity the deeper they go in the playoffs.

[Q] San Jose Sharks center Joe Pavleksi is having a career year, narrowly losing to Team Canada in overtime during the Olympic gold medal game in Vancouver, now leading the Stanley Cup Playoffs in goal scoring. The building interest in him locally and nationally focuses not just on his talent and intelligence on the ice, but also his character, humility and respect off of it. If Joe Pavelski, or “The Big Pavelski” as broadcaster Randy Hahn likes to call him, is to become the face of San Jose for a few weeks, how do you think he would represent the city?

[Mayor Chuck Reed] Since the Sharks took the ice in the early 1990’s, they’ve been great ambassadors for the City of San Jose. I know Joe’s earned a place in the heart of many of our local Sharks Fans and I have no doubt that he and his teammates will continue to make us proud throughout this playoff run.

[Q] It has been over 5 years since the NHL lockout kept HP Pavilion dark for a year, which had a significant impact on downtown San Jose businesses. Since the lockout, the Sharks have been a strong Western Conference contender each season and their influence seems only to have grown. What kind of economic impact do the Sharks and HP Pavilion have on downtown San Jose over a year, and do you see that growing?

[Mayor Chuck Reed] The Sharks and HP Pavilion have been tremendous assets for downtown San Jose. The City commissioned a study last year which showed that the Sharks generate approximately $113 million in total economic impact every season, including $38 million outside of HP Pavilion in surrounding businesses. This in turn generates approximately $2.4 million in tax revenues for the City of San Jose.

When you factor in all events at the HP Pavilion, the researchers found that the arena has provided a total of $1.7 billion in cumulative economic impact since being built in 1993. That’s one of the many reasons why we’re committed to ensuring that the HP Pavilion remains a world-class venue, not only for the Sharks, but a wide variety of entertainment options.

Link to study:
http://www.sjeconomy.com/publications/pressreleases/ei.hp.pavilion.pdf (PDF file)

[Q] There are arena plans in San Jose for the Oakland Athletics and San Jose Earthquakes, as well as a dual-use NFL facility discussed up the penninsula in Santa Clara. Each has the possibility to cement the South Bay even further in the local and national sports landscape, but even a privately financed arena can have hidden costs. What are some of factors residents need to consider with a new sports complex?

[Mayor Chuck Reed] The success of Sharks and the HP Pavilion highlight the positive impact that sports can have on our local economy. In the case of a potential Major League Ballpark – which would host roughly twice as many home games as the Sharks – our study shows that a downtown stadium could generate $130 million in annual economic impact and $5 million in tax revenue for local governments.

It’s also important to know that the City Council adopted a set of principles which state that the stadium would be privately-built, privately-financed and privately-constructed, and that voters will have to approve any contribution of land or money to the project. However, none of this can move forward until Major League Baseball resolves the issue of territorial rights and gives the A’s an OK to pursue a new stadium in San Jose.

Link to Economic Impact Study:
http://www.sjredevelopment.org/ballpark/EI_Report_09022009.pdf (PDF file)

[Q] The new fiscal year starts July 1st, and San Jose is facing a record $116 million budget shortfall. For residents of San Jose who may not be intimately aware of the current financial situation, what kind of tough decisions are going to have to be made by the city going forward?

[Mayor Chuck Reed] San Jose is facing the most difficult fiscal situation in our history. Our $116 million shortfall is more than the budgets for all of our parks, libraries, community centers, and senior services combined.

In light of these challenges, our city has had to face to prospect of laying off hundreds of city employees and slashing neighborhood services that our residents depend on. Some of the most drastic cuts we’ve had to consider include: eliminating senior nutrition programs, cutting 160 positions in the police department, closing 21 community centers and reducing library branch hours to 3 days per week.

The choices we face this year are extremely difficult, but there is an alternative. To minimize these cuts, I’ve asked all city employees to agree to a 10 percent reduction in pay and benefits. The City Council and top Management staff have already agreed to a 10% cut and I hope the rest of our employees will follow. We can save jobs and vital services if we all share the sacrifice.

Link for more information on the city’s budget situation:
http://www.sanjoseca.gov/BudgetInfo.asp

[Q] Any predictions for the remainder of the Detroit vs San Jose playoff series?

[Mayor Chuck Reed] I’m confident the Sharks will be able to close this one out and I look forward to another round of playoff action in downtown San Jose!

You can find out more about the Mayor and his Green Vision and Open Government policies at sanjoseca.gov/mayor. Thanks for taking the time to talk a little playoff hockey, for your service to the city, and for your honest and informed responses.

This blog also interviewed his predecessor, former Mayor Ron Gonzales, after the 2004 Western Conference Final series with Calgary.

DOH Podcast #98: Marleau and Thornton train leads to 3-0 lead, gripping Red Wings fans, outlook for game 4

Mike Peattie and Doug Santana break down the Sharks 3-0 lead over Detroit in the Western Conference Semifinals, the gripping Red Wings fan base, Patrick Marleau’s winning goal in game 3, and proffer an outlook for game 4 on the 98th episode of the Dudes on Hockey podcast.

This Sharks podcast is posted here with permission. Visit dudesonhockey.com for more coverage of the team, or download the MP3 file directly here.

WCSF Game 3: Marleau scores overtime game winning goal to ice Detroit 4-3, Sharks lead series 3-0

The Sharks went into the belly of the beast at Joe Louis Arena, and they emerged with a hard fought 4-3 overtime win and a critical 3-0 lead in the WCSF. Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau connected for Marleau’s game winning breakaway goal 7:07 into overtime, and both players took a large step towards erasing questions that have been asked all year.

Down 3-1 to start the third period, the Sharks played as they had the entire postseason, they put their heads down and went to work. A faceoff was essentially won by Detroit, but a charging Marleau freed up the puck and Joe Thornton took possession as 4 Wings stood and watched. Thornton curled around behind the net, and fired a seeing eye goal to help the Sharks build momentum for a third period comeback.

“Patty was yelling at me, take it to the net, take it to the net. I took it to the net and shot, and it was just kind of a seeing eye dog shot, and it went in the back of the net,” Joe Thornton said after the game. The puck deflected off of the stick of Pavel Datsyuk in front and beat Jimmy Howard blocker side.

With the lead narrowed to one goal, the Sharks carried the play until an extremely low percentage shot by Logan Couture tied the game at 3-3 six and a half minutes later. Couture fired a shot from the goal line, and the puck found room inside the rookie goaltender. The Sharks hot line of Clowe-Pavelski-Setoguchi generated a point blank scoring chance, but an inopportune Tomas Holmstrom penalty gave the Sharks a late opportunity to end it in regulation on the power play. The Red Wings held firm and did not allow a shot on goal.

The bounces that lead to a difficult start in the Colorado series seem to be bouncing more in San Jose’s direction for the second round. Nicklas Lidstrom’s stick disintegrated and allowed a goal in game 2. Tuesday night with the Red Wings pressing a 3-on-3 rush, Jason Williams fired a point shot from the right boards that sailed over the crossbar. The puck rimmed around the boards and landed near Joe Thornton, who had just stepped on the ice for a late line change. Thornton and Patrick Marleau pressed defenseman Brian Rafalski on a 2-on-1, and Marleau buried a hard one-time pass for his NHL leading 11th game winning playoff goal since 2001.

“We just came off the bench. They missed the net, and it was transition hockey,” Thornton said. “I put a lot of steam on that pass, and there are probably only a couple guys in the locker room that can handle that pass, (Marleau) and Heatley. It was a great play by Patty.” Jimmy Howard aggressively set up far out of his crease to challenge Thornton, and bit on a slight hesitation move before the pass to Patrick Marleau. “Basically Joe used me as a backboard to put it into an empty net,” Patrick Marleau said.

The win gives the Sharks a stranglehold in the series heading into game 4, but from the head coach on down they were preaching hard work and the fact that Detroit should not be taken lightly at any point in the series. “I have been in that other locker room, and I know how much fight is in that team. Our task is going to be tougher for the fourth win that it was for the first three,” San Jose Sharks head coach Todd McLellan said of what it will take to close out the series.

Three keys from Detroit radio prior to the game were shutting down Joe Pavelski, winning the special teams battle, and getting traffic in front of Evgeni Nabokov. The Red Wings were successful to a degree in all three areas, but they still lost the game. With the last line change, Detroit head coach Mike Babcock primarly used the top Pavel Datsyuk line against Clowe-Pavelski-Setoguchi, before switching them late to Marleau-Thornton-Heatley when they started to heat up in the third. There was a definite focus on playing the body hard on Pavelski, Franzen had several shoulder-to-shoulder confrontations in the Detroit zone, and he made an effort to maintain inside body position. On one sequence defenseman Niklas Kronwall planted a shoulder into the chest of #8 before he could carry the puck through the crease. In the third Pavel Datsyuk checked Pavelski hard in the corner, and Brad Stuart made a deserpation block on him from a point blank range. The physical play held Pavelski to 1 assist and 1 shot on goal, and possibly contributed to a 6-10 performance from the faceoff circle (38%). Pavelski averaged 3 points and 8 shots on goal in the first two games, and was a combined 20-14 from the dot.

The special teams battle was a more moderate success for Detroit. After giving up 10 power plays in game 2, the Red Wings allowed only 6 in game 3. Not representative of the 2nd least penalized team in the regular season (8.49 PIM/game regular season, 10:05 PIM/game playoffs), but they did hold the Sharks scoreless on all 6 opportunities with the man advantage. The Red Wings were 0-2 on the power play, including a 7-second power play in the first cut short by a Tomas Holmstrom slashing call. Detroit head coach Mike Babcock would not buy in to the belief among media and fans that poor officiating was tilting the series. “When you go through our penalties, maybe the Homer one, I don’t know if you can say there are any others we didn’t deserve,” Babcock said. “The bottom line is that we took the penalties.” Bertuzzi took a lazy hooking call trying to slow down a Dan Boyle rush up ice in the 2nd. With the game tied 3-3 and less than three minutes remaining in regulation, Holmstrom took a disasterous interference call. He pushed Dan Boyle from behind into Evgeni Nabokov when the play was 20-30 feet up ice. Fox Sports Detroit announcers Ken Daniels and Mickey Redmond savaged the call, but it was not an intelligent penalty taken at the worst moment in the game. The Red Wings turned in a very solid penalty kill to escape regulation with a 3-3 tie, not allowing a shot on goal.

A vocal, partisan Wings crowd at Joe Louis Arena was critical of referees Marc Joannette and Dan O’Rourke from the outset. They launched into a B-S, B-S chant after three penalties, and went apoplectic when a first period Henrik Zetterbeg goal was waived off due to a distinct kicking motion. Evgeni Nabokov made a brilliant goal line glove save on a Henrik Zetterberg penalty shot, but the Wings scored a second goal that also went to video review minutes later. The puck deflected off Cleary’s skate, but he did not alter direction so it was ruled good.

The contact zone in front of Evgeni Nabokov is where Detroit earns its offensive bread and butter. The Red Wings did have a measure of success Tuesday night, but it was not enough. A behind-the-net drive by Nicklas Lidstrom set up Johan Franzen in the first period, and Franzen banked a pass off the stick of Holmstrom for the opening goal of the game. A high stick by defenseman Dan Boyle hit Kent Huskins on the play, and Huskins had dropped to the ice as Holmstrom scored a point blank one-timer. The real estate in front was hotly contested, Rob Blake and Todd Bertuzzi traded 10 cross checks inside of a few seconds in the first. Boyle picked up the cross checking battle with Bertuzzi in front of the net on his next shift. Blake also battled Holmstrom for position in the second period, but in the third period and overtime Detroit was not getting enough bodies in front of the net. According to the ESPN shot chart the Wings scored only 2 goals on 8 shots inside the faceoff circles. The Sharks scored 2 goals on 6 shots inside the circles, not including Couture’s hard angle goal to tie the game late in the third, and Marleau’s breakaway in OT.

[Update] Post-game comments from San Jose Sharks head coach Todd McLellan:

Tomorrow will be the day we remind them how difficult that last win is. I have been in that other locker room, and I know how much fight is in that team. Our task is going to be tougher for the fourth win that it was for the first three. I don’ think anything is going to change.

When we look at the game, at least from our perspective, we didn’t skate very well in the first period. They were very tenacious, very hungry. They beat us to a lot of loose pucks. Won a lot of battles, and had us on our heels. Nabby’s save on the penalty shot was a big wake up call maybe for us. Then obviously Setoguchi’s goal at the end of the first gave us a chance to stay in the game. Then we found our legs a little bit, we found some line combinations that we liked. We overcame again. It is real important for our team to believe they can do that. It has been a theme of ours. We did it in the first round, and we are doing it again. We are going to need it going forward.

It is a big thing in our locker room, but we believe in those players way more than the outside world does. I don’t know how this evolved, I wasn’t around for all of it. You could see a very determined #19 tonight. On the faceoff, he loses it. He has to go and get it, then scores a wraparound goal. I thought Patrick Marleau played his way into the game. He wasn’t his best early in the game, but later on he really played well and skated. It is a big deal in our locker room, but it is probably a bigger deal for all of you guys in here that talk and write about our game.

We were actually late on a line change. They had their fourth line on the ice, and we got our first line out against them, which we were lucky to do in that situation. The puck came right to Jumbo, they missed the net, and away he went. Obviously a world class passer, he even fooled me. I thought he was going to shoot at that point. Very good job to freeze the goaltender, and then Patrick Marleau went to the net with his stick on the ice. A good combination of passer and receiver, and they got the job done.

I don’t think we as a team we out to convince anybody (that we are a different hockey team). You were asking the questions, we were answering them and telling you. We knew we were a different team. I guess what we have to do is to prove that to the hockey world. We believed that, we believed in each other. But don’t get me wrong, I am talking like this is over. We got a long way to go and a lot to overcome and to work through yet.

(Logan Couture) scored in this building before. He scored his first NHL goal and just throught it at the net. Again tonight he ended up down in the corner. Everybody in the rink thought he was going to pass it, and he snuck one in on him. It is playoff hockey. They scored Homer’s goal like that, through it at the net and it went off a skate. I have said it earlier in the series, I don’t think you are going to see a lot of pretty goals. You are going to see a lot of playoff goals scored by the teams that are still playing.

You could say that (there was luck involved in the late line change leading to the game winning goal). We were fortunate they missed the net on their shot. We were fortunate the puck came right to Joe Thornton, but sometimes you make your breaks. This series has gone our way. Look at Lidstrom with the broken stick in game (2). They missed the net and we get a 2-on-1. You have got to keep playing and eventually hope the breaks go your way.

It is just happening (outshooting them 42-25, outscoring them 5-1 in third period). Detroit scares you a little bit. We know if we don’t play, if we don’t compete hard for the full 60, we aren’t winning. We have to keep pushing, manage the game properly. To come back two games in a row in the third period, I don’t think we can count on that a third time. We have to be better earlier in the game.

They didn’t have to win this one, they have to win the next one. That is when it becomes a must-win. My ties with Detroit, I have great memories, I have very good friendships here, but we are two years away from being here, Jay Woodcroft and myself. We moved on. We have the Sharks family we are taking care of now. Our responsibilities and alliances lie there. It does feel good to win in this building, we have had a tough time playing here. That next one is going to be difficult.

[Update2] Updated the Versus ratings post for games 1 and 2 of the SJ-DET series, added ratings for each game and a comment by Versus EVP of Programming, Production and Business Operations Marc Fein on the most watched Conference Semifinal game in 10 years.

[Update3] Comcast Sportsnet California ratings for SJ-DET game 3:

Comcast SportsNet California’s telecast of last night’s (Tuesday, May 4) San Jose Sharks-Detroit Red Wings game three of the Western Conference Semifinal series delivered an average 4.11 television household rating An average of over 102,000 households were watching in the San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose television market. The game drew a peak audience of over 176,000 households (7.06 rating).

[Update4] Interesting video panel at TheHockeyNews.com where Ryan Dixon, Ryan Kennedy and John Grigg discuss the Sharks success against Detroit in game 3. After proclaiming earlier in the series that the Sharks “would not be taken for real” unless they could win on the road at Joe Louis Arena, now they are touting the young Sharks defense as a strong factor in the 3-0 series lead. In the first two games the Wings targeted the third pairing of Huskins-Demers, forcing a coverage mistake that lead to a goal in game 1, and pressuring Huskins and Demers several times to play the puck quickly in game 2. The “bend don’t break” analysis is spot on. Marc-Edouard Vlasic had his best stat line of the series in game 3: 1 assist, +3, 24:45 toi, 2 shots and 2 blocked shots. Full disclosure on the panel: Kennedy writes the usual bleatings of the East Coast and Canadian media, the NHL would be better with a Red Wings comeback. Ryan Dixon also recently penned a column “won’t get fooled again” with regards to picking the Sharks in the playoffs, and dropped a Susan Lucci reference.

San Jose Mercury News beat writer David Pollak notes that Evgeni Nabokov’s spectacular glove save on Henrik Zetterberg’s penalty shot was #3 on ESPN’s top 10 plays of the day. He also reported Logan Couture, Evgeni Nabokov and rinkside TSN reporter Ray Ferarro all believed the hand on the puck call was missed by the officials.

Mlive’s George Malik covers the Detroit and mainstream media reaction after game 3, many a variation on the Sharks battling playoff doubters and Detroit battling a string of biased officiating. Kevin Allen of the USA Today cuts succinctly to the bottom line, “Only two teams in NHL history — the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs and 1975 New York Islanders— have come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a playoff series.” Detroit has its work cut out for them to try to become team number 3.

[Update5] Longtime Sharkspage favorite Scott Ferrall breaks down “Jumbotron’s” goal and assist for NHL.com, and notes that Patrick Marleau’s 39 career playoff goals are reason to “keep the rockstars together” in San Jose.

NHL Playoff statistic: most game winning postseason goals since 2001

Statistics updated from last year:

MOST PLAYOFF GAME WINNING GOALS SINCE 2001-02 SEASON:

SJ, Patrick Marleau – 11
DET, Johan Franzen – 10
NYR, Chris Drury – 9
PHI, Danny Briere – 9
OTT, Daniel Alfredsson – 8
PIT, Evgeni Malkin – 7
COL, Peter Forsberg – 7
DAL, Brad Richards – 7
TB, Martin St. Louis – 7
DET, Nicklas Lidstrom – 7
DET, Henrik Zetterberg – 7
ANA, Teemu Selanne – 7
CHI, Marian Hossa – 7
SJ, Joe Pavelski – 6

source: Sharkspage

Interesting movement Tuesday night on the above chart detailing the most prolific playoff game winning goal scorers since 2001. Patrick Marleau’s overtime game winner at Joe Louis Arena gave the Sharks a stranglehold 3-0 series lead over the Detroit Red Wings. Evgeni Malkin snuck into an 8-player tie for 6th place with a power play goal against the heretofore solid Jaroslav Halak.

4 of the top 13 game winning playoff goal scorers are on display in the SJ-Detroit series. 8 of the top 13 ply their wares in the Western Conference. San Jose Sharks center Joe Pavelski has jumped into a tie for 14th place with 6 game winning playoff goals in only his 4th NHL season.

[Update] Top 10: Scorers in the past 10 playoffs – TheHockeyNews.com. Henrik Zetterberg, Nicklas Lidstrom and Brian Rafalski are all on the list for Detroit, no San Jose Sharks on it as of yet.

Versus ratings up for the first two games of the San Jose-Detroit series, Sunday’s Sharks-Wings most watched Conference Semifinal game in 10 years

Versus numbers for the first two nationally broadcast games of the San Jose-Detroit WCSF playoff series:

Game 1 – Thursday, April 29th – 1.4 HH, 1.45 million viewers
Game 2 – Sunday, May 2nd – 1.6 HH, 1.77 million viewers

The Sharks-Wings series is drawing impressive numbers for Versus. Recently released Nielsen live-plus-same-day numbers point to the largest NHL Conference Semi cable viewing audience in 10 years for San Jose’s 4-3 win over Detroit Sunday night. 1.77 million viewers watched Joe Pavelski light up the Wings for 3 points, and Joe Thornton score the game winner as the Sharks took a 2-0 series lead. Game 1 SJ-DET viewership was also up over 140,000 from the 1.31 million Conference Semifinal average on the network.

“The Sharks have been one of the top teams in the league the past few years, but have never raised the coveted Stanley Cup,” Marc Fein, Versus EVP of Programming, Production and Business Operations said of the viewership boom for San Jose vs Detroit. “This year they’re the top-seeded team in the West with a roster full of household names battling against the Red Wings, one of the NHL’s most storied teams with multiple Cup wins recently, so it’s natural that games in this series will draw huge national interest.”

According to a press release, Versus Conference Semifinal coverage is up 91% over comparable numbers last season, and is strong in many key demographics: Men 18-34 (up 78%), Men 18-49 (up 69%) and Men 25-54 (up 76%). Versus averaged a .7 HH rating and 595,000 viewers during the first round when many regional networks had exclusive coverage rights. It was a 24% increase over last year.

According to Sports Business Journal media reporter John Ourand’s twitter messages, game 2 of the Sharks-Wings series placed 310th on cable in the timeslot with 1.2 million homes. Steve Lepore at Puck the Media notes that the fact that game 2 competed with a solid National League rivalry in Mets-Phils, and earned respectable numbers, is a sign that league viewership is on the upswing.

Comcast Sportsnet California ratings for San Jose-Colorado WCQF series:

Game 1 – Wednesday, April 14th – 3.85
Game 2 – Friday, April 16th – 4.40
Game 3 – Sunday, April 18th – 3.70
Game 4 – Tuesday, April 20th – 4.70
Game 5 – Thursday, April 22nd – 4.15, 104k households, 140k peak
Game 6 – Saturday, April 24th (ratings not available)

[Update] Versus Nets NHL Playoff Highs – Mediaweek.

[Update2] Versus Scores With Red Wings/Sharks – Sports Media Watch.

The Sharks’ Game 2 win over the Red Wings drew 1.8 million viewers on Versus Sunday night, the most for any second round Stanley Cup Playoff game ever on Versus. Sunday’s game ranks as the most-viewed second round game on cable since Avalanche/Red Wings on ESPN in ’00 (1.9 mil).

To put these numbers in perspective, it was just three years ago that Versus averaged fewer than one million viewers for coverage of the Stanley Cup Final

Hockey Notes – 5/4

OCEANS 11 PHOTO OF THE ALLEGED SHARK TOSSERS - YAHOO PUCK DADDY

LEOPORD SHARK WITH OCTOPUS SEWN IN MOUTH THROWN ON ICE IN GM2

– More information is coming out about the 3-foot Leopard Shark (Triakis semifasciata) tossed on the ice after Joe Pavelski’s first period goal in game 2. According to the ABC-7 video report, the Shark thrown on to the ice had a small octopus sewn into its mouth. “It was done for fun, it was done to mock Detroit’s throwing the octopus on the ice. Misson successful,” an anonymous season ticket holder who had his identity hidden told ABC-7’s Mike Shuman.

It is at least the second time an enterprising Sharks fan decided to mock Detroit’s octopus-tossing tradition during the Stanley Cup Playoffs. In the 2007 WCSF series against Detroit, San Rafael native [name redacted] snuck an enormous 4-foot Shark into the arena for game 4 using a combination of velcro and duct tape. The aftermath of the initial Shark toss was a mixture of puzzlement and confusion to some. The question of why toss a dead symbol of your team on the ice was asked. Others were pleased with the simple one-upmanship of Detroit fans.

Cue 2010, and this time an octopus was sewn into the Sharks mouth. Accoring to reports, either a team of 3 season ticket holders, or a team of 6 combined for the most recent Shark toss. According to the Mercury News’ Alex Pavlovic, the endeavor was undertaken in response to Detroit’s tradition to show “the Sharks (are) higher on the food chain.” Pavlovic also reports that the Leopard Shark was obtained from a San Rafael fisherman. When asked if any of the nearby fans could smell what was going on, the unidentified Sharks thrower told ABC-7 “it was pretty fresh”.

In the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, three Detroit Red Wings fans planned a successful octopus toss on the road against Phoenix at Glendale Arena. The perpetrator was fined $500, but even the security guard holding him could not keep a straight face. A collection was taken among visiting Red Wings fans to pay for the fine.

– Yahoo’s Greg Wyshynski has the full story of the Sharks tossers (complete with Ocean’s 11 style photo), as it turns out it is the same crew that instigated the plot in 2007: Inside story of how shark with octopus hit the ice in San Jose. Full disclosure, I once caught an 18-inch baby Leopord shark on the old Dumbarton pier. The shark who took one for the team in the game 2 celebration was most likely a Bay Area marine resident.

– The Sharks have been slaying internal demons all playoffs long. For game 3 in Detroit, an 8-44 record at Joe Louis Arena awaits (3-6 in the playoffs, 5-30 in the regular season). Our history dictates that we haven’t played well in that building, so we’ll have to try to change that and overcome that situation.There is a history and we’re aware of it, but what happened has absolutely nothing to do with May of 2010,” San Jose Sharks head coach Todd McLellan told the AP on Monday.

There has been almost an unconcious advantage for Detroit against the Sharks in its own building. As the Sharks showed in a tumultous first three games against Colorado, and showed again winning on home ice in the first two game, in 2010 they are more than built to overcome obstacles.

“They’re a great team over there and they’re desperate, It’s important that we kind of match their desperation,” Joe Pavelski said. The fourth year San Jose Sharks center leads the NHL in goal scoring with 9, and he is first on the San Jose Sharks with 14 points in the playoffs. Pavelski matched a career high 25 regular season goals in 2010, despite missing 15 games with a foot injury in October and November.

– San Jose Mecury News beat writer David Pollak notes that Jed Ortmeyer might be in for U of M. alumni Dwight Helminen on the fourth line. Ice time for the fourth line dropped in game 2 as Todd McLellan shortened his bench and rolled three lines towards the end.

– Kevin Allen of USA Today checked in with Joe Pavelski’s college hockey coach at Wiconsin to ask what makes the fourth year San Jose Sharks center so successful in the NHL. “It’s the ability he has between his ears… He’s not the biggest, not the strongest, but he has the ability to think and anticipate, and know what he’s going to do before he gets to his puck,” Mike Eaves told Allen.

Pavelski won a NCAA Championship under Eaves in 2006 when Wiconsin downed Boston College 2-1. It was another in a long line of championship caliber successes that he has experienced throughout his hockey career. He scored the game winning goal on an end-to-end rush to win a Wiconson state high school hockey championship for Stevens Point High School (SPASH), and was named USHL rookie of the year before winning a USHL championship with the Waterloo Blackhawks in 2004. With Wisconsin, Pavelski lead the team in scoring his freshman and sophmore seasons. His entry into the NHL in 2006 was a difficult one, “little Joe” scored 7 goals in his first 10 games. He was an intergral part of the Sharks second line in 2009, which was the top skating line down a stretch run that ended in a Presidents Trophy. That line struggled in the playoffs, and he mentioned recently that it still inspires him to make himself more of a factor in each game.

Based on past performance and his play in San Jose, this blog drew comparisons between Joe Pavelski and another notable on-ice leader, Chris Drury. It is more than just a “swiss army knife” comparison that is being thrown around by East Coast and Canadian media, it is a desire to win and the will to go into the contact zone in front of an opposing crease to make it happen. He applies that will and desire to whatever situation on the ice can best help his team, whether it be penalty killing, on the point on the first power play unit, at center on the second power play unit, faceoffs, etc.

– ‘Little Joe’ emerges from shadow of ‘Big Joe’ – Eric Duhatschek for The Globe and Mail.

Accordingly, Tuesday’s third game is shaping up as the Battle Of the Sharks’ Joes (Big and Little) at the Joe – Detroit’s venerable Joe Louis Arena – and may the best Joe(s) win.

Thus far in the playoffs, Pavelski has been something of a revelation for the Sharks, who are on a five-game postseason win streak. In the opening round, Pavelski scored the last-minute tying goal in Game 2 against the Colorado Avalanche, the overtime winner in Game 4 and the series clincher in Game 6.

It has been more of the same against Detroit, where Pavelski has scored twice in each of the first two games, giving him nine goals and the overall playoff goal-scoring lead – not bad for a player who had had only 25 goals in 67 regular-season games, good for sixth place on the team’s overall scoring list.

Thanks to Paul Kukla for the link. In a recent conference call with the media, Yahoo’s Greg Wyshynski lead with the question on whether he felt his recent play overshadowed or somehow pressured Joe Thornton’s. “This first series we talked about was overcoming. Didn’t really matter how we got there, we just wanted to win. I think other years he’s led the way at times. It was just important we won,” Pavelski replied.

– Team USA will begin the 74th annual IIHF Men’s 2010 World Championships Friday May 7th against host Germany in front of an expected 76,000+ fans at Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen. The expected turnout should surpass the 74,554 attendance record set by Michigan State on October 7th, 2001.

Team USA will face France today at 11AM (PT) in an exhibition tuneup game. On the roster for Team USA: Kings defenseman Jack Johnson, Coyotes defenseman Keith Yandle, Anaheim’s Ryan Carter, Colorado Avalanche forward T.J. Galiardi, the Islanders Kyle Okposo, and Blues forward T.J. Oshie. In goal for the Americans will be Scott Clemmensen, 6-foot-7 Ben Bishop, and TPS SM-Liiga veteran (TPS Turku) David Leggio.

Good luck, and as always, Beat Canada.

WCSF Game 2: Joe Thornton game winning goal sparks 4-3 win, Sharks will head to Detroit up 2 games

#19 JOE THORNTON SCORES THE GAME WINNING GOAL AT 12:37 OF 3RD

#22 DAN BOYLE AND #36 DWIGHT HELMINEN SKATE THROUGH THE SHARK HEAD

GOALTENDER #35 JIMMY HOWARD REACTS TO THORNTON GW GOAL

The number of teal and black flags around HP Pavilion rivaled the number of Mexican national flags for pre-Cinco de Mayo celebrations Sunday afternoon in San Jose. Center Joe Thornton gave the Sharks faithful something to celebrate. Thornton punched home his first goal of the playoffs, a game winner that capped a come-from-behind 4-3 win over the Detroit Red Wings.

The Sharks will head East with a 2-0 series lead.

Thornton was a handful for Detroit from the drop of the puck, including when the “Team Canada” line with Marleau and Heatley was reunited in the third period. Marleau returned after missing the opening game of the series with an undisclosed illness. The trio combined for 6 points, including a goal and 3 assists in the third period comeback. “I thought we played well all night,” Thornton told the media after the game. “We kept moving our feet, we looked fast, and ultimately the refs had to call some penalties.”

San Jose Sharks head coach Todd McLellan said it would be a challenge for the top line to be put back together down 3-2 in the final period. “They played a lot all year when we needed big goals, they got them for us. There was a lot of talk of them being shut out in the first round,” McLellan said. “I didn’t do it for our lack of performance, I had a gut feeling it was time to put them back together.”

The reunion worked. Marleau, Heatley and Thornton each had a shot attempt on an early 5-on-3 power play. With a mass of humanity collapsed around the net, and goaltender Jimmy Howard extended 10 feet off the goal line making a kick save, it fell to Pavel Datsyuk to play goalie on Dany Heatley. Datsyuk did surprisingly well, credit him with a butterfly save and a stick save in addition to his goal, assist, and team high 7 shots. An unchecked Joe Pavelsi beat three Wings to the rebound. He tucked it into the empty net to tie the game at 3-3.

The big line also connected for the game winning goal nearly 8 minutes later. After unloading a heavy slap shot for the go-ahead goal in the second period, Nicklas Lidstrom’s stick disintegrated on another attempt late in the third. Dany Heatley picked up the loose puck and exploded down the right wing. A snapped shot on goal was kicked by Jimmy Howard into defenseman Brian Rafalski. The deflection set the table for Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau, both driving the net hard. Thornton buried it.

“I don’t think we should question Jumbo’s confidence at all. I think if you purely evaluate his play on goals and assists, I think you are very mistaken,” Todd McLellan said in a comment that should resonate with more than a few East coast hockey scribes. “He has to contribute in the faceoff circle. He has to play against a guy like Pavel Datsyuk… we ask him to penalty kill now, we ask him to keep his shifts short and not turn over the puck.” Thornton held the puck on his stick well in the first, forcing Detroit to play the body hard in order to challenge him. On a breakaway in the second period, Thornton fired a low shot far side that Howard stopped. Driving for the rebound, Thornton cut off a lane and forced a large collision between a Detroit defenseman and Howard.

The Sharks opened the game with a strong shift-to-shift physical intensity, and carried it through for 60 minutes. 6-foot-4, 220-pound Heatley and 6-foot-4, 230-pound Thornton are exhibit 1a and 1b on how the exacting physical toll of this series may wear down the smaller Red Wings. On Sunday night, it was an accumulation of incidents that started to wear Detroit down by the third period until only Pavel Datsyuk appeared to be threatening to tie the game. Of forwards Dan Cleary, Jason Williams, Kris Draper, Darren Helm and Thomas Holmstrom, many of the forwards posted up in front of Evgeni Nabokov, all are under 200-pounds. Of that group, only Holmstrom is 6 feet tall.

At the line of scrimmage in front of Evgeni Nabokov, a fascinating battle in the trenches is being waged by both coaches. At times during the first game the Sharks defense fronted the Red Wings several feet out from the net. They would mix up challenging the shooter and trying to block shots, along with the physical crease clearing duty. Sunday night the Sharks were getting a better edge on one-on-one battles. Rob Blake pasted Tomas Holmstrom as he tried to release around him to get to the net in the first. Douglas Murray lost a heavyweight battle for body position with Todd Bertuzzi. In a 30 second span in the second period, Blake hammered Cleary to the ice after he set up in front. It took 3-4 cross checks before Marc-Edouard Vlasic could send him to the ice again. After a quick change, Boyle won a battle for position inside of Tomas Holmstrom before the Sharks moved the puck up ice.

A veteran and disciplined Red Wings squad melted down late in the game. 5 of 10 minor penalties Detroit took on the night were called in the third period, including a crushing too-many-men on the ice penalty that effectively ended any comeback opportunity with 1:04 left. “There is no sense questioning anything, we are in charge… we can’t be going to the box,” Detroit head coach Mike Babcock said. “We have to look after our own sticks and our own play, but it can’t be 10-4.”

Of the Sharks 4 minor penalties, one was a goaltender interference call on Dany Heatley late in the third. Detroit registered two goaltender interference calls, one on Justin Abdelkader in the first, and another on Todd Bertuzzi in the second. As a coach, it would be tough to fault players for the calls as it was evidence of the net front presence both teams are trying to establish. On the flip side, many of the Detroit stick waiving, hooking and holding penalties were of the outworked and trying not to get beat variety.

The inverted pyramid style of mainstream sports reporting puts the most important facts at the top of the story, then fills out the details below. The Sharkspage reverse inverted pyramid puts the exploits of the first star of the game last. Sunday night that would have to be another 2 goals and an assist by Plover, Wisconsin native Joe Pavelski. The 3-point night increased his scoring streak to 5 games, a span over which he has registered 12 points and three straight multi-goal games. Pavelski leads the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs with 9 goals.

In addition to a power play goal and his game tying goal in the third, Pavelski earned the primary assist on Ryane Clowe’s between the legs tally in the first period. He faked an outside spin move, then cut inside of the defenseman and lasered a hard pass to Ryane Clowe on the doorstep. With his back to the net, Clowe spun and deflected the puck between his legs to beat Jimmy Howard. The crowd erupted with the digital decibel meter on the scoreboard reaching its largest mark of the night, 114.4.

According to the London Telegraph, 114 decibels is more than a Maria Sharapova tennis shriek (103.7), louder than a snow mobile (110), and equal to that of a jet engine. “The Big Pavelski” did not let loose with any tennis shrieks, but he did give one Cheechoo-esque fist pump goal scoring celebration. He also finished with a game high 11 shots on goal and a dominating 13-3 performance from the faceoff circle (81%).

A photo gallery from the game is available here.

San Jose Sharks lines and pairings:

Heatley-Thornton-Couture
Clowe-Pavelski-Setoguchi
Marleau-Malhotra-Mitchell
McGinn-Nichol-Helminen

Boyle-Murray
Blake-Vlasic
Demers – Huskins

Nabokov

Detroit Red Wings lines and pairings:

Holmstrom-Datsyuk-Franzen
Zetterberg-Filppula-Bertuzz
Draper-Helm-Williams
Miller-Abdelkader-Cleary

Lidstrom-Rafalski
Kronwall-Stuart
Ericsson-Lilja

Jimmy Howard

[Update] San Jose sees octopus, raises it with shark eating baby octopus – Greg Wyshynski for Yahoo Puck Daddy.

Reader Mark S. was watching the San Jose Sharks host the Detroit Red Wings in Game 2 of their Western Conference series when all of a sudden Jaws 3-D broke out when Joe “The Big” Pavelski scored his eighth of the postseason. Mark sent the photo above and wrote:

So as I was standing cheering for the first goal of the Sharks game, a fan from Section 114 threw a shark on the ice, as many may have seen on TV. The shark was moved with the snow scoop. No word on if [San Jose mascot] Sharkie took the shark and put it back at his house.

Ah, but that’s not all, apparently. Comcast SportsNet Bay Area reporter Brodie Brazil tweeted that a “dead shark thrown on the ice just now had a baby octopus in its mouth.”

Darryl Hunt: Joslin, WorSharks Even Series After 3-2 Win Over Manchester

The Worcester Sharks used a three point night by Brandon Mashinter and a late third period game winner by Derek Joslin to defeat the Manchester Monarchs 3-2 Saturday night at the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire. The win knots their best of seven series at 2-2, with game five coming Wednesday night in Worcester.

Following Wednesday’s game two overtime collapse and with Friday’s game three 5-0 loss to the Monarchs being one of the worst games ever played by the WorSharks, it was imperative that Worcester come out fighting and establish themselves early in the contest. And luckily for the fans that made the trek to the Granite State, the WorSharks did just that.

With Justin Azevedo off for a delay of game minor after flipping the puck into the stands over the Manchester bench, Ryan Vesce would beat Monarchs star goaltender Jonathan Bernier. Bernier, who went undefeated in three starts for the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings this season, made several nice saves in a row but couldn’t control the rebound after a right pad save of a Mashinter shot. Vesce scooped up the loose puck low in the left wing faceoff circle and shot it over Bernier for the 1-0 lead at 11:12 of the first. Benn Ferriero had the second assist. The goal snapped a WorSharks scoreless streak that lasted just under 101 minutes.

A nice individual effort by Monarchs center Gabe Gauthier knotted the score 1-1 at 12:36 of the second period. After a draw to the left of Bernier Gauthier picked up a loose puck along the blueline and skated down the left side. Gauthier used WorSharks defenseman as a screen and ripped a slapshot that beat Worcester goaltender Alex Stalock and just snuck inside the far post. Just 63 seconds later Azevedo would make amends for his earlier miscue by giving Manchester a 2-1 lead after banging home a Bud Holloway backhand pass from behind the WorSharks net.

Worcester did not roll over and continued to pressure the Manchester defense, including outshooting the Monarchs 13-2 over the final 20 minutes. Cory Quirk would make that hard work pay off at 10:54 of the third period. Rookie defenseman Nick Schaus pinched all the way down to the goal line to grab Mashinter rebound and flipped the puck into traffic in the slot. Quirk was able to get a stick on the pass and deflected it just inside the left post to tie the game.

The WorSharks continued to pressure Manchester as the Monarchs seemed to get caught in the same prevent defense mindset that doomed Worcester in game two, and more hard work in the slot lead to Joslin’s game winner. With time ticking down and Dan DaSilva and Mashinter working hard low in the slot, Bernier was twice unable to cover the puck. Joslin crashed the net and was able to jam the puck just over the goal line to light the lamp with 33.3 seconds remaining.

Bernier immediately jumped to his feet to protest, saying Joslin kicked the puck into the net. Referee Ghislain Hebert, who was standing directly behind the net when the game winner was scored, quickly dismissed Bernier and ruled the goal good. Manchester would pull Bernier for an extra attacker, but could not mount any sort of offense as home ice flipped back to Worcester’s advantage.

GAME NOTES
After Friday’s pathetic performance WorSharks head coach Roy Sommer made several line up changes and for the first time all season broke up the “Crazed rats” line. Worcester scratches were Joe Callahan (who will be finally medically cleared to play for game five), Joe Loprieno, Tony Lucia (played in game three), James Marcou (played in game two), Nick Petrecki, T.J. Trevelyan (who was injured in game one but is expected to return for game five), Brett Westgarth (who played in game three at forward), Michael Wilson (scratched for the first time this series). Frank Doyle was the backup goaltender.

With Matt Irwin dressing for Worcester in game four that means every former college player added to the roster late in the season that played in a regular season game has now played in the playoffs.

After knotting the series 2-2 Worcester guaranteed themselves another trip to Manchester for Friday night’s game six. Should the series go the distance, game seven would be back in Worcester on Saturday.

The game winner was originally credited to Cory Quirk, who was also banging away at the loose puck in the crease. It was after the game the goal was changed to Joslin, which is why Quirk was announced as the first star of the game.

The three stars of the game were:
1. Quirk (game tying goal
2. Azevedo (g)
3. Mashinter (3a)

Mashinter was also the AHL’s number three star of the night, and Derek Joslin’s game winner earned him the number one star of the night.

The Sharkspage player of the game was Derek Joslin.

Even Strength Lines
Zalewski/Desjardins/Vesce
Mashinter/Quirk/DaSilva
McCarthy/Ferriero/Strong
McLaren/Henderson/McCauley

Moore/Braun
Groulx/Schaus
Joslin/Irwin

BOXSCORE

Worcester 1 0 2 – 3
Manchester 0 2 0 – 2

1st Period-1, Worcester, Vesce 2 (Mashinter, Ferriero), 11:12 (pp). Penalties-Mullen Mch (hooking), 3:16; Schaus Wor (interference), 8:12; Azevedo Mch (delay of game), 10:32; Moore Wor (tripping), 12:17; Joslin Wor (roughing), 12:42; Lewis Mch (roughing), 12:42; Schaus Wor (tripping), 15:17.

2nd Period-2, Manchester, Gauthier 2 12:36. 3, Manchester, Azevedo 2 (Holloway, King), 13:39. Penalties-Cliche Mch (goaltender interference), 3:46; Piskula Mch (delay of game), 4:03; DaSilva Wor (goaltender interference), 8:48.

3rd Period-4, Worcester, Quirk 2 (Schaus, Mashinter), 10:54. 5, Worcester, Joslin 4 (DaSilva, Mashinter), 19:26. Penalties-Cliche Mch (high-sticking), 11:55.

Shots on Goal
Worcester 12-11-13-36
Manchester 10-9-2-21.

Power Play Opportunities
Worcester 1 of 5
Manchester 0 of 4.

Goalies
Worcester, Stalock 6-3-0 (21 shots-19 saves)
Manchester, Bernier 6-2-0 (36 shots-33 saves).

A-3,343. Referee-Ghislain Hebert (49). Linesmen-Landon Bathe (80), Chris Libett (19).

Sharkspage.com moving from Blogger to WordPress

Blogger.com discontinued off-site FTP publishing today. After 9+ years on the service, this blog is switching to open source WordPress blogging software. All archives and links will be available shortly. The entire site template should be changed over in a few days.

Old front page is available temporarily here. Permanent links to each monthly archive will be available on the sidebar.

WCSF Game 1: San Jose Sharks set tone with hard work and three points by Joe Pavelski in game 1, down Red Wings 4-3

#8 JOE PAVELSKI FALLS BUT WINS FACEOFF VS #40 ZETTERBERG IN 1ST

FANS CELEBRATE JOE PAVELSKI'S SECOND GOAL ON 3RD PERIOD PP

#33 DRAPER AND #22 BOYLE CRASH INTO GOALTENDER #20 EVGENI NABOKOV

Notes from the San Jose Sharks 4-3 win over the Detroit Red Wings in game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals will be posted soon. Youtube video highlights from the game are available here. A Sharkspage photo gallery from the game is available here.

WCSF Game 1: Detroit Red Wings gameday skate video, pre-series comments by head coach Mike Babcock

A few raw video clips of the Detroit Red Wings morning skate, a shoot around with starting goaltender Jimmy Howard, and the post-practice media scrum with head coach Mike Babock is available on youtube here.

The lineup at the Sharks morning skate was status quo, with Torrey Mitchell joining Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton on the top line according to beat writer David Pollak. That could change prior to the 6PM drop of the puck, or during an in-game adjustment. Pollak also noted Todd McLellan’s wish to spread the offense around, and checking forward Dwight Helminen’s 3-year University of Michigan playing background.

On the Red Wings side, mLive.com’s Ansar Khan noted that defenseman Brian Rafalski was the only player who did not skate in the pregame practice. Lines for Detroit apparently will remain status quo according to Khan: Franzen-Datsyuk-Holmstrom, Filppula-Zetterberg-Bertuzzi, Draper-Helm-Eaves and Miller-Abdelkader-Cleary.

The NHL’s national cable broadcast partner Versus will air the first two games of the series, game 1 Thursday at 6PM (PT), and game 2 Sunday at 5PM. HP Pavilion in San Jose is booked on Friday and Saturday for an Eagles concert. According to a press release, there will be a pre and post-game Hockey Central highlight show before and after each nationally broadcast game. Versus will be the exclusive home for the East and West Conference Finals, and games 3 and 4 of the Stanley Cup Final.

Comcast SportsNet California announced today that exclusive coverage of games 3-7 can be found on their channel. Each game broadcast will also include a Sharks Pregame Live and Sharks Postgame Live half hour analysis and highlight show. A special edition of Chronicle Live will be aired tonight at 5PM with guests including President/CEO Greg Jamison, EVP/GM Doug Wilson, and former player Jeremy Roenick among others.

[Update] When stars shine, Red Wings are hard to beat – Detroit News.

[Update2] Former comrades Mike Babcock, Todd McLellan have mutual admiration – Detroit Free Press.

McLellan worked as an assistant for Babcock in Detroit in 2005-08, until he was hired by the Sharks to help exorcise their record of regular-season achievement followed by playoff failure. He had a rough opening year, with the Sharks getting upended by Anaheim in the first round last year, but there’s little question he’s a very talented coach.

“He’s smart,” Babcock said this morning at HP Pavilion. “He’s a good man, he’s a good family guy. I rode to the rink with him every year for three years. I coached against him in junior hockey. When I was going to hire him, I met with him early, it was during the lockout year — I think it was Cincinnati, could have been anywhere — and kind of put a bug in his ear and met with him a few times.

[Update3] Best of the West fill out its final four – Ross McKeon for Yahoo.com.

[Update4] Prepare for the ‘master versus apprentice’ storyline as Red Wings’ Babcock tangles with Sharks’ McLellan – George Malik for Snap Shots. Not even sure if Malik is aware the Skywalker Ranch is a short hop across the Bay from HP Pavilion. Darth Babcock?

[Update5] Red Wings could be fined for breaking San Jose curfew – Greg Wyshynski for Puck Daddy.

WCSF Game 1: Detroit Red Wings gameday practice photo gallery

DETROIT RED WINGS ROOKIE GOALTENDER #35 JIMMY HOWARD THURSDAY IN SJ

GOALTENDER #35 JIMMY HOWARD, 6-FOOT-0, 210-POUNDS, 26 YEARS OLD

A small photo gallery from the Detroit Red Wings pregame skate Thursday is available here. Video of the practice and pregame notes will be posted soon.