Thanks in large part to the continued impressive play from center Joe Pavelski, the San Jose Sharks took the victory in the opening game of their Western Conference Semifinal series with the Detroit Red Wings.
With the win, the Sharks won their first series opener since beating the Red Wings in Detroit during the 2007 Western Semifinals, and they are now positioned to take a commanding 2-0 series lead.
But despite winning Game One by a 4-3 final, arguably the most intriguing storyline was the fact Sharks' star forward Patrick Marleau was not in the lineup.
Reports prior to puck drop ranged from an undisclosed injury to flu-like symptoms, and it appears that the latter of the two was accurate.
Marleau, the Sharks' leading scorer with 44 goals in the regular season, was held out of the lineup with flu-like symptoms, but he should be all systems go for Sunday's Game Two.
However, the fact that the Sharks, without their star forward, came away with a Game One victory against the model NHL franchise makes one wonder if Marleau will be retained next season.
I mean, if the Sharks can beat the Red Wings without him, is ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Andy Bensch
Winning without Patrick Marleau: Was Game One a Preview of Next Year’s Sharks?
April 30th, 2010 by Andy Bensch Leave a reply »
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