Anyone else restless? Once you're over the age of 12, the three-day wait between the end of the NHL regular season and the start of the playoffs becomes more grueling than the wait for Christmas, and I was notorious for my impatience during the holidays.
I don't want to bring up Christmas in every blog (I don't want to get typecast or anything) but I can remember unwrapping presents as carefully as I could in the days leading up to the 25th, peeking under the paper, and re-taping the gifts. When my mom asked why each of my presents was surrounded by three feet of scotch tape I would casually say, "I was so tempted to open them, I decided to seal them up." She pretended to be naïve. I thought I was a genius.
In our attempts to peek under the paper and try to figure out what the Sharks-Ducks series contains, it's always interesting to see what the players have to say. One of the biggest factors in this series will be physical play. Anaheim has the reputation as a big, tough gang of bruisers and brawlers, but San Jose has increased both its toughness and willingness to engage in the rough stuff. Still, you can bet the Ducks will try to intimidate the favorites, trying to gain an early edge and throw the Sharks off their game.
“I don’t think it (Anaheim's physical play) affects our style,” said Sharks defenseman Rob Blake. “We’ve played one way regardless of our opponent all season long, and that’s what we have to keep doing. They’ve got a really good presence on their D with Pronger and Niedermayer, but we can’t change our game at this time of the year.”
It's true the Sharks can't change their game, but they will have adapt to whatever the Ducks present. I would expect the SoCal representative to be a loose group, free from the pressure of playoff expectations and realizing this is probably their last go-round with Chris Pronger and J-S Giguere in the lineup. Can San Jose overcome any mental hurdles and match Anaheim's intensity. Joe Thornton thinks so.
“Our game’s changed than in years past,” Thornton said, shedding some light on the issues that have confounded the Sharks and shortened recent playoff runs. “We’re a work mentality team rather than a skill mentality team. This is a new team, it’s not the same team as last year.”
Shark fans are hoping the team has learned from the hard lessons of the past. All that playoff disappointment has to serve some purpose. Up to this point, TV repairmen and retailers have been the only ones to benefit, because I know more than one fan has kicked a hole in his television out of frustration. If the team can draw on past experience they could go a long way, especially if they follow the advice of captain Patrick Marleau.
“Each play is just as important as the next one,” Marleau said. “Through the playoffs it’s best just to learn from a loss and move on.”
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Attention Shark fans! Join us tonight at 9 p.m. PT for the SharksBuzz Playoff Preview Show. We'll be joined by a special guest, Sharks broadcaster Randy Hahn, breaking down the series and taking your phone calls at (724) 444-7444, talkcast ID# 74909. I can't promise any prizes or surprises, just good honest Sharks talk and some great discussion, so get on the blower and let us know what you think.
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