Intotheboards.net - NHL Playoffs 2008

POWER PLAY	19TH - 16.8
PENALTY KILL	21ST - 81.4
*FORWARDS*
JAROME IGINLA	50-48-98 (+27)
KRISTIAN HUSELIUS	25-41-66 (+10)
DAYMOND LANGKOW	30-35-65 (+16)
*DEFENSEMEN*
DION PHANEUF	17-43-60 (+12)
ADRIAN AUCOIN	10-25-35 (+13)
ROBYN REGEHR	5-15-20 (+11)
*GOALTENDERS*
MIKKA KIPRUSOFF	39-26-10 (2 SO) 2.69 GA .906 PCT

CURTIS JOSEPH	3-2-0 (0 SO) 2.55 GA .906 PCT

	Calgary vs San Jose

	SCHEDULE
	1	APR. 9	CALGARY 3 - SAN JOSE 2
SEED 7	2	APR. 10	CALGARY 0 - SAN JOSE 2	SEED 2
42-30-10 (94)	3	APR. 13	SAN JOSE 3 - CALGARY 4	49-23-10 (108)
	4	APR. 15	SAN JOSE 3 - CALGARY 2
	5	APR. 17	CALGARY 3 - SAN JOSE 4
	6	APR. 20	SAN JOSE 0 - CALGARY 2
	7	APR. 22	CALGARY 3 - SAN JOSE 5
*San Jose Wins Series 4-3*

SERIES PREVIEW

by Shellie Lima - PROHOCKEYNEWS.COM

For the third time in franchise history the Flames will play the Sharks in the post season. In their last match up the Flames took the 2004 Western Conference final winning four of six games against the Sharks.

Both the Sharks and the Flames have seven players each that remember that last game. For the Sharks it is Evgeni Nabokov, Jonathan Cheechoo, Kyle McLaren, Patrick Marleau, Curtis Brown, Marcel Goc and Christian Ehrhoff. For the Flames the players include Jarome Iginla, Craig Conroy, Robyn Regehr, Stephanie Yelle, Marcus Nilson, Rhett Warrener and Miikka Kiprusoff. But the balance of both teams is different this time.

The Sharks have built up their roster, with more skill and bigger players. They will have the aggressive presence of players like Douglas Murray, Ryane Clowe and Mike Grier. Calgary will counter with Don Phaneuf, Eric Godard and Jarome Iginia.

If it were only about the numbers, then the season record between these teams would tell a story about the Flames winning three of four regular season matches. They were nail-biting affairs, two in overtime and another one-goal decision, but they were victories nonetheless. The Flames have scored regularly on the Sharks, something few teams have been able to do this season.

But, that was prior to the Sharks eleven game winning streak. In the last six weeks of the season, the Sharks went 18-2-2, with two regulation losses in games that didn’t have much of a meaning. The Sharks have been playing a physical game and are high on confidence for the post season.

The Sharks Joe Thornton, led the NHL in assists (67) and the Flames Jarome Iginla was second in goals (50). San Jose’s top scorers were Thornton (96), Brian Campbell (62, 43 which came with Buffalo), Milan Michalek (55), Parick Marleau (48) and Joe Pavelski (40).

The Flames top scorers were Iginla (98), Kristian Huselius (66), Daymond Langkow (65) and Alex Tanguay (58).

In the net, the match up appears pretty even as well, Evgeni Nabokov ranks first in the Western Conference with 46 wins in 77 games, followed closely by Calgary’s Miikka Kiprusoff with 39 wins in 76 games. Both goalies sport 1.07 goals for and against ratio when their teams are five-on-five.

The San Jose team allowed just 193 goals on the season while Calgary surrendered 227. But to counter, Calgary scored 229 to San Jose’s 222 goals. San Jose is third in the league with a goals against average of 2.24 and Calgary is ranked 15th at 2.70. The Sharks had the NHL’s number one penalty kill (85.8) and the Flames were 20th at 81.4. On the power play, the Sharks finished eighth (18.8) to Calgary’s 19th (16.8).

The first game, Wednesday, April 9th at Calgary is sure to be a very physical and exciting match up. My money is on the Sharks in six.

Game 1	Calgary 3 - San Jose 2
by Tom Schettino - PROHOCKEYNEWS.COM	*Calgary Leads Series 1-0*
An opportunistic Calgary Flames squad led by two goals from Stephane Yelle held off a late rally by the favored San Jose Sharks to jump out to a lead in the series. Yelle opened the scoring when he tipped in a shot from Robyn Regehr. The center won a face-off cleanly and went to the net just in time to tip the puck past San Jose goaltender Evgeni Nabokov. A couple of minutes later Dion Phaneuf gave the Flames a lead they would not relinquish when he converted a pass from Daymond Langkow. With Kyle McLaren off for the first of two minors on the evening Phaneuf snuck below the circle to the left of Nabokov and fired a puck home from the slot after Langkow had delivered it across the crease. San Jose held play for most of the evening and wound up out shooting the Flames by a wide 39-23 margin. Despite the pressure they could not defeat former Sharks netminder Miikka Kiprusoff until Ryan Clowe scored the first of his two goals of the night with 6:06 expired in the first period. With the score 2-1 late in the second period Calgary winger Jarome Iginla attacked Sharks defenseman Brian Campbell and took the puck right off Campbell's stick. Iginla turned the advantage into a partial break and got a shot off on Nabokov which in turn was smacked into the net by Yelle who was following the play and had collected the rebound. San Jose desperately tried to equalize the game and put shot after shot on Kiprusoff until Clowe beat him again with just under a minute left in the game after Joe Thornton found him alone in the slot. The Sharks used the last minute of the game to pepper Kiprusoff, but they were unable to knock in the tying score. The two clubs will go right back at it again on Wednesday as they become the first series in the NHL to play its second game.

Game 2	Calgary 0 - San Jose 2
by Tom Schettino - PROHOCKEYNEWS.COM	*Series Tied 1-1*
It wasn't too long ago Evgeni Nabokov and Miikka Kiprusoff were coming up through the San Jose organziation and battling each other for a full-time job in the NHL. In the end the Sharks decided to keep Nabokov and sent Kiprusoff to Calgary where he has starred. Because of the trade the pair are on opposing clubs fighting each for their respective playoff lives. On this night Kiprusoff was busier than his former teammate, but when the chips were down Nabokov was simply fabulous. Nabokov's first robbery occured when he stopped Jarome Iginla on a two-on-one break in the first period to keep the Sharks in the game. After a scoreless first period a parade of penalties assessed to the Flames took them out of the contest. Calgary was given seven minors in a row in the period, a fact which led coach Mike Keenan to publicly criticize the officiating after the contest. San Jose capitalized on the Flames misadventures and outshot them by a 27-3 margin over the game's middle 20 minutes. The Sharks broke through when Joe Pavelski's seemingly harmless shot was apparently deflected by a Calgary defender past Kiprusoff at the 4:56 mark of the period. San Jose doubled their lead on a power play when Torrey Mitchell went to the net and found a loose puck to jam home. Even though they were down the Flames were not done for the night. Former San Jose star Owen Nolan found himself with a wide open net and pulled the trigger but Nolan, who once scored 44 goals for the Sharks, was shockingly denied by Nabokov. With just under five minutes played in the third period Nabokov had made a save and was out of position for the rebound he had given up. Nolan swooped in and fired but was left shaking his head after a sick glove hand save by Nabokov kept Calgary off the scoreboard. San Jose's win knotted the series at a game apiece and sent the series back to Canada where the two clubs will play a pair of games in front of a frenzied Calgary crowd beginning on Sunday night. The series has been hard-hitting and intense. Because game three will start at 10 pm EST hockey fans can watch other games and then wrap up their weekend of hockey action with what promises to be an excellent and exciting affair.

Game 3	San Jose 3 - Calgary 4
*PROHOCKEYNEWS.COM*	*Calgary Leads Series 2-1*
Calgary - It may be a long time before any team starts a playoff game playing worse than Calgary's did on Sunday night. Conversly, it may be a long time before any team finishes a playoof game better than the Flames did. By the time 3:33 had expired in the first period the Flames had taken a penalty that resulted in a power play goal and Miikka Kiprusoff had given up three goals. It appeared it was going to be San Jose's night as they picked up quick scores from Ryan Clowe, Patrick Marleau and Douglas Murray. Clowe's third goal of the playoffs just 1:31 into the contest came with Calgary's Stephen Yelle in the penalty box for slashing. Joe Thornton picked the puck up just under his own blue line and carried it up ice before dishing it over to Clowe who connected from inbetween the face off circles in the Calgary zone. Clowe was also involved in the second goal at 3:19 of the period when his shot was tipped in by Patrick Marleau. San Jose seemed on their way to a rout when Murray beat Kiprusoff from the lower part of the faceoff circle. Thornton found a streaking Jonathan Cheechoo in the San Jose zone. Cheechoo attempted to get a shot off but was forced behind the net but he still managed to find Murray open for the shot. For some reason Thornton was not given an assist on the goal according to the official scoresheet. Calgary coach Mike Keenan had seen enough of his starting goaltender and replaced him with Curtis Joseph who would eventually be named as the first star of the game. Joseph would up blanking San Jose the rest of the way as he made 22 stops. Jarome Iginla kicked off the Flames comeback when he tipped in a Dion Phaneuf wrist shot to end the first period's scoring. Daymond Langkow converted a broken play on the power play in the second frame to narrow the margin to a single goal after the first 40 minutes of play. Calgary scored twice more in the third period to move back in front of the series. Phaneuf picked up a goal of his own when his slapper beat San Jose netminder Evgeni Nabokov and tied the contest. The end came when Owen Nolan fired a screen shot past Nabokov at the 16:15 mark to give Calgary a 4-3 victory. When all was said and done former Shark Nolan did in his ex-team as he scored the game-winning goal and assisted on the prior two tallies. The two clubs will return on the ice for what will be a crucial game for the Sharks on Tuesday night. Should the favored Sharks lose to Calgary they will return home to California facing elimination.

Game 4	San Jose 3 - Calgary 2
by Shellie Lima - PROHOCKEYNEWS.COM	*Series Tied 2-2*
Calgary - The San Jose Sharks came back from a 2-1 deficit in the third period to win over the Calgary Flames with a final score of 3-2, in the fourth game of the Western Conference Quarterfinals at Pengrowth Saddledome. There were 19,289 fans in attendance to witness the win which allowed the Sharks to tie the Flames at two games apiece in the series. The Sharks dominated the game with a 35-12 shots on goal advantage. However, a game after he was pulled due to ineffectiveness, Miikka Kiprusoff was a force in the net for the Flames. In the first period the Flames took an early lead with a wrist shot off a rebound for a goal by Jarome Iginla, with an assist from Daymond Langkow and Alex Tanguay. This would be the Flames only attempt at a shot on goal for the next 23 minutes of play. Halfway through the second period, the Sharks’ Ryane Clowe tipped a shot in past Kiprusoff on a power play goal, with assists by Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton. Then with only 1:31 left in the second period Calgary’s Dion Phaneuf tipped a shot through traffic past Evengi Nabokov, with an assist by Iginla, putting the Flames back up 2-1. Just when it appeared the Flames were going to steal a game it all happened near the end of the third period for those of you that fell asleep when the Flames were up 2-1. The Sharks dominated the play in the third, but couldn’t get a shot past Kiprusoff. Then, with only 4:54 left in regulation play, Jonathon Cheechoo fired a slap shot past Kiprusoff to tie up the game with assists going to Joe Pevelski and Devin Setoguchi. In the last few minutes it appeared that overtime would be imminent, but Joe Thornton was in the right place at the right time, when a slap shot from Douglas Murray came towards him, he deflected the puck into the net past Kiprusoff to put the Sharks up 3-2 with only seven seconds in regulation time to play. Both teams will take a day off and travel back to San Jose for game five on Thursday, April 17, at 7:00 p.m. at the HP Pavilion.

Game 5	San Jose 4 - Calgary 3
**by Shellie Lima - PROHOCKEYNEWS.COM**	*San Jose Leads Series 3-2*
*San Jose, CA* - In a body pounding, aggressive game Thursday night at San Jose’s HP Pavilion, the Sharks’ goalie Evengi Nabokov was relentless in the net. Throughout the series, the Flames have lead the Sharks in shots on goal, this game was no different as the Flames out shot the Sharks 36 -26. The Sharks goaltending and offense persisted to come out on top. The first period was scoreless for both teams. The Sharks had a couple of minor penalties, giving the Flames an opportunity for power play goals, which came up empty handed. The first goal came early in the second period, when Jarome Iginla scored on a 5 on 3 power play slap shot. The Sharks had an equal opportunity midway through the second, when Joe Pavelski knocked in a wrist shot to score during a two-man advantage, with assists by Christian Ehrhoff and Craig Rivet, to tie the game at 1-1. The Sharks took the lead for good, when Patrick Marleau flipped in a wrist shot past goalie Miikka Kiprusoff through traffic late in the period to put the Sharks up 2-1. Early in the third period, the Sharks’ Jonathan Cheechoo scored on a rebound off of Kiprusoff with an assist by Pavelski and Ryane Clowe. Less than four minutes later, Cheechoo scored his second goal of the game on a two-on-one breakaway pass from Marleau, putting the Sharks up 4-1. Nine minutes into the period on a power play for the Flames, during a Rivet holding penalty, Daymond Langkow was camped on the doorstep, and tipped a shot past Nabokov. With only 1:17 left in regulation play, the Flames’ Iginla, centered behind the net, passed the puck to David Moss to poke in the goal, closing the gap for the Flames to 4-3. But there wouldn’t be enough tim and the Sharks came out on top with a final score of 4-3, and the lead in the series. Game six will take the series back to Calgary on Sunday, April 20th to see if the Sharks can wrap up the series.

Game 6	San Jose 0 - Calgary 2
**by Shellie Lima - PROHOCKEYNEWS.COM**	*Series Tied 3-3*
Calgary - The Calgary Flames conquered in Game 6 at the Pengrowth Saddledome in Calgary, on a cold snowy night, before a sea of red clad fans. In a game that Calgary had to win to keep the series alive, Goalie Miikka Kiprusoff was outstanding in the net and the Flames continually checked the Sharks into the boards to remind them of their never ending presence. Calgary kept the Sharks scoreless, despite three power-play opportunities. In the first period, former Sharks forward Owen Nolan scored at the 11:33 mark, putting the Flames up 1-0. Nolan tipped the puck in from the edge of the crease, with assists by Kristian Huselius and Robyn Regehr. In a nearly scoreless second period, Daymond Langkow scored with only 57 seconds left in the period. This was Langkow’s third goal for series. The Sharks matched the flames shot for shot, but Kiprusoff deflected everything the Sharks had to give him. Nabokov made 23 saves, but the Sharks were never able to find the net. The third period was scoreless, but again, the Sharks matched the Flames shot for shot. With the series now tied at 3-3, both teams will go back to San Jose for game seven, on Tuesday, April 22, at 7:00 p.m. The winner of Game 7 will advance to the Western Conference Semi-final against the Colorado Avalanche. By: Shellie Lima Shellie.Lima@prohockeynews.com

Game 7	Calgary 3 - San Jose 5
**by Shellie Lima - PROHOCKEYNEWS.COM**	*San Jose Wins Series 4-3*
San Jose, CA - In the final game of the Western Conference Quarterfinals at the HP Pavilion, the first ever playoff Game 7 for the Sharks, Jeremy Roenick was the hero. He scored a franchise-record four points in a single playoff game (2g, 2a), leading to a 5-3 win over the Flames. The team captain's set the pace for the game and at 10:57 into the first period, Sharks alternate captain Joe Thornton scored a power play goal against the Flames, on an assist from Jonathan Cheechoo. A few minutes later, on a power play from a minor on Milan Michalek, the Flames tied the game with a goal by Flames captain Jarome Iginla. In the second period, Owen Nolan, scored on a breakaway pass from Kristian Huselius, and walked the puck in on the left side of the net past Miikka Kiprusoff, putting the Flames up 2-1 in the first four minutes. The rest of the period was dominated by the Sharks. A slapshot from just inside the blue line, by Roenick through Kiprusoff's five hole, tied the score at 6:04 into the period. Three minutes later on a power play, it was Roenick again, finishing up a shot by Brian Campbell, that rebounded off Kiprusoff, putting the Sharks on top for the rest of the game at 3-2. The Sharks’ Joe Pavelski made a wrist shot up over the left shoulder of Kiprusoff at 14:01 into the period. The Flames replaced Kiprusoff with Curtis Joseph, but less than a minute later, Devin Setoguchi slipped the puck between Joseph and the bar, putting the Sharks up 5-2. Kiprusoff took a pounding, with 30 shots-on-goal during his 34 minutes of play. The Flames only other scoring opportunity came at 5:18 into the third period with a goal by Wayne Primeau and an assist by David Moss. It wouldn’t be enough to close the gap, and the Sharks won 5-3. Joseph blocked ten shots on goal, allowing one; Evengi Nabokov blocked 19 shots on goal for the game. The Flames’ Jarome Iginla lead the series with 4 goals and 5 assists, followed by the Sharks Ryan Clowe with 4 goals and 4 assists. Both Joe Pavelski and Dion Phaneuf had 3 goals and 4 assists apiece. But it was the Sharks on top in this best of seven series with 4-3. The San Jose Sharks will advance to the Western Conference Semi-Finals against the Dallas Stars, first game on Friday, April 25 at 7:00 p.m. at the HP Pavilion. By: Shellie Lima Shellie.Lima@prohockeynews.com

POWER PLAY	10TH - 18.8
PENALTY KILL	3RD - 85.8
*FORWARDS*
JOE THORNTON	29-67-96 (+18)
MILAN MICHALEK	21-34-55 (+19)
PATRICK MARLEAU	19-29-48 (-19)
*DEFENSEMEN*
BRIAN CAMPBELL	8-54-62 (+8)
CRAIG RIVET	5-30-35 (+3)
CHRISTIAN EHRHOFF	1-21-22 (+9)
*GOALTENDERS*
EVGENI NABOKOV	46-21-8 (6 SO) 2.14 GA .910 PCT

BRIAN BOUCHER	3-1-1 (1 SO) 1.76 GA .932 PCT