The Sharks survived yet another Game 7, defeating the Colorado Avalanche 3-2 at SAP Center on Wednesday night.
Team Teal now is heading to its fifth Western Conference final in franchise history. They'll meet the St. Louis Blues with the series beginning Saturday night at SAP Center.
The Sharks currently hold eight of the necessary sixteen wins to raise the Stanley Cup. Here are some takeaways from the conclusion of Round 2:
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Hollywood-esque return
In the final game of Round 1, Joe Pavelski was the sentimental centerpiece. In the final game of Round 2, he emerged as the unexpected difference-maker. Not only did the captain score the first goal of the night, but he also assisted on San Jose’s second tally. Oh, and the player he displaced in the lineup was Joonas Donskoi, who went on to tally the series-winning goal as part of the fourth line. Fate, right?
No rust for the captain
Looking back on the Pavelski saga, what’s most amazing is how quickly he progressed and re-entered the lineup. The captain hadn’t played a game in more than two weeks, and only participated in one real practice with the team before re-joining them. However, there was no real sign of rust in his game, and actually, the rest his legs got seemed to be of more benefit than anything else.
San Jose Sharks
Jones comes up big
The Sharks were out-shot 15 to 2 in the final period of Game 7 against the Avalanche. It’s not that San Jose was particularly bad in the third, just that the Avs threw all the offense they had at Martin Jones with their season on the line. The San Jose goalie responded as he did virtually the entire series. It’s actually hard to find a Colorado goal from the series that was regrettable from a goaltending perspective.
Negating MacKinnon
Coming into this series, we knew Colorado was a “top-heavy” team, and that Nathan MacKinnon was the potent forward who would present the biggest challenge. But as the series got deeper, the Sharks figured out ways to keep MacKinnon on the periphery. He went without a point in the final three games of the series. A far contrast from the eight-game point streak he held after Game 4.
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Sharks keep getting better
While playing the maximum of 14 possible games through the first two rounds, I’m not sure fatigue has kicked in yet for San Jose. Actually, my observation is the opposite. This group seems to be getting better as the playoffs go deeper. There are still a few individuals with worlds of potential who haven’t had their signature moment of these playoffs, yet. The Sharks could be doing more building and regenerating right now, than the inherent physical and mental depletion of hard-fought games in the second season.