After the Sharks’ deciding victory against the Detroit Red Wings last Saturday in San Jose, Sharks players were able to take some time off to rest and prepare for their next opponent in the next stage of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. (As seen here to the left, here is my friend pictured with Sharks star forward Dany Heatley at the Santana Row Starbucks earlier this week. From what I hear, he is very kind and personable, so thank you Dany for being such a good sport – now let’s see some continued dominance this series!) On Tuesday, NHL fans discovered that their opponent is to be the Chicago Blackhawks, after their victory over the Vancouver Canucks in Game Six in Vancouver. Although the Red Wings were arguably the strongest opponent for the Sharks in the playoffs, they should not underestimate the potential of the Blackhawks, the same team that had the upper hand on the Sharks during the regular season. This year, the Blackhawks have a young, fast team. Similar to the Sharks, the Blackhawks have powerful offensive lines with the ability to get the puck into the opposing team’s zone and position the puck well enough to score goals.
Rest aside, the playoffs are only halfway over, and eight games still must be won in order to achieve victory. Sunday begins the challenge against the obstacle that is the Chicago Blackhawks. Fortunately, the Sharks begin the series with two home games. It is time for Sharks fans to rally behind their team and help push them past the Blackhawks, another force to be reckoned with. Their forward line of Patrick Kane, captain Jonathan Toews, and Dustin Byfuglien have already demonstrated this playoff season they can score, and score well. Evgeni Nabokov must be completely on top of his game to defend against the onslaught of Blackhawks shots, Sharks defense must force the puck to go outside to keep the Blackhawks from shooting, and Sharks forwards must continue their dominant in-zone play by winning their faceoffs and using their speed to get around the Blackhawks defense and quick shots to score goals. We have seen some fantastic play by the Sharks this playoff season, and we need to see that continued against the Blackhawks.
Starting Sunday, when this next series begins, we need to see some continued pressure. Time for the Sharks to step it up again and win this series! We have seen this from their experience playing the Detroit Red Wings, and now we need to see the same dominance against the Chicago Blackhawks.
Good luck Sharks!
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