While the San Jose Sharks have been a fixture in the NHL playoffs for more than a decade now—despite some infamous disappointments once there—two phenomena have been all too prevalent in their games in recent years: less-than-stellar opposing goaltenders looking like Vezina winners, and lack of fire in critical situations.
Perhaps nowhere were these more evident than in Round 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs last year against the rival Anaheim Ducks.
Despite being peppered with shots, Ducks goalie Jonas Hiller made a name for himself starting ahead of former Conn Smythe Winner Jean-Sebastien Giguere and consistently frustrated the Sharks, almost single-handedly stealing Games 1 and 2 in San Jose. The Sharks’ collective response was less than impressive and by the time they showed any real measure of fire, they were already in too deep a hole to be able to recover.
They lost the series in six games, despite having claimed the franchise’s first President’s Trophy and accompanying No. 1 overall seed that season – al ...
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Article written by Patrick Goulding II