1) Goaltending
Jimmy Howard's save percentage slipped to .919 in the playoffs from .924 regular season while allowing 2.24 goals per game. Nabby, on the other hand, has been great in the playoffs, with a .926 SV% and 1.76 GAA.
The Sharks had a hard time scoring on Anderson at times in the last series, but that is only because the Avalanche were getting in front of every shot it seemed, and Anderson was standing on his head. Goals will come much easier in this next series for the Sharks.
In a battle between two teams that throw a lot of pucks on net, goaltending could very well prove to be the deciding factor.
2) Depth
San Jose's second line accounted for 22 points, nine of the team's 19 goals, and three of the four game winners against the Avalanche.
Clowe-one goal, seven assists
Setoguchi-two goals, four assists
Pavelski (beast)-five goals, three assists (and over 70% on faceoffs)
Our first line has struggled, with only Marleau netting a goal, but they can't stay quiet forever!
3) Hunger
Detroit has 11 Stanley Cups under their belts, but the Sharks? Zero. This i ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Mitch Reber
Five Reasons Why the San Jose Sharks Will Beat Detroit
April 29th, 2010 by Mitch Reber Leave a reply »
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