Tue Apr 8 12:32:54 2008

Comment | Email | Print

Stanley Cup Finals Preview - San Jose vs. Calgary

---

(Sports Network) - Though they fell short in their quest for the top seed in the Western Conference, no team enters the postseason with more momentum than the San Jose Sharks.

Following a loss to New Jersey on February 20, the Sharks set a new club record by posting at least a point in 20 straight games (18-0-2), a run that included a franchise-record 11-game winning streak that directly followed the loss to New Jersey.

That led San Jose to a franchise-record 108 points and its first division title since 2003-04. The Sharks set their previous club record for most points in a season last year with 107, but that was good enough for only a second- place finish.

San Jose's offense continues to run through Joe Thornton. The playmaking center led the Sharks with 96 points, 41 more than second-leading scorer Milan Michalek and his 55 points. Thornton finished first in the NHL with 67 assists, and added 29 goals and 37 power-play points.

Thornton's ability to set up his teammates doesn't cease in the playoffs, as he notched 10 assists in 11 postseason games last year, and the 28-year-old has 29 assists in 57 career playoff tests.

Teams can't forget about the Sharks' other talented center, Patrick Marleau. Though his 48 points (19 goals, 29 assists) are way down from the 78 he posted in 2006-07, Marleau enters this postseason as the club's all-time leader in playoff points with 51 off 31 goals and 20 assists in 73 games.

Though he didn't play a lot down the stretch because of a sore neck, Jonathan Cheechoo should be rested enough to regain his scoring touch. The forward ended with only 23 goals in 69 games after netting 37 and 56 markers in the pervious two seasons. However, he managed only six points in last season's playoffs.

The Sharks made a big move at the trade deadline in getting Brian Campbell from Buffalo in anticipation of a postseason run, and the defenseman has not disappointed. He skated in 20 games with the Sharks and posted three goals and 16 assists, including 12 points (2g, 10a) on the power play, a unit that should be more deadly with Thornton and Campbell on the ice.

Craig Rivet, who was also rested as the season wound down, led all Sharks defensmen with 35 points, while Douglas Murray led the unit with a plus-20 rating.

After leading the NHL with 46 wins this year, Evgeni Nabokov will try to carry that success over to the postseason. The Kazakhstan-born netminder posted a 2.14 goals-against average and .910 save percentage in 77 starts, getting plenty of work this year.

Nabokov had a solid 2.23 GAA in last year's postseason, though he went just 6-5.

Another player to keep an eye on is center Jeremy Roenick. The 38-year-old center just completed his 19th regular season and has never won a Stanley Cup title.

CALGARY FLAMES (7th seed, West)

REGULAR SEASON RECORD: 42-30-10

2007 PLAYOFFS: Lost to Detroit 4-2 in conference quarterfinals

(Sports Network) - Some would argue that the Calgary Flames will only go as far as Jarome Iginla can carry them. If that is the case, the team might be okay.

Just three seasons removed from an appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals, Calgary hasn't made it out of the quarterfinals since losing to Tampa Bay in the championship round. The Flames were bested by the Anaheim Ducks and Detroit Red Wings, respectively, in each of the last two years, and don't have too much momentum on their side heading into the 2008 postseason.

That's because the club missed out on a chance to win a tight Northwest Division by losing seven of its final 13 games. On top of that, the Flames lost all seven of those tests in regulation, and fell four points shy of first-place Minnesota.

No one will point the finger at Iginla, though. The Flames captain scored in his club's final game of the season to post his 50th goal of the season, the second time in his career he has reached that mark. Add in his team-high 48 assists and you get a career-high 98-point season out of Iginla.

The forward has also dominated the postseason in the past. He totaled 13 goals in 26 games in the Flames' 2003-04 run to the Stanley Cup Finals, and has 21 goals and 15 assists in 41 career playoff tests.

Iginla, who became the franchise's all-time leading goal scorer this season, is going to need help this year, and Kristian Huselius and Daymond Langkow appear the most likely to give it. Langkow was second in the club with 30 goals this year, while Huselius added 25 markers and finished second on the club with 66 points.

Alex Tanguay added 18 goals this season, and Owen Nolan donated 16, but at 36- years-old, one has to wonder how much Nolan has left in the tank for the postseason.

Iginla knows he has help at the blueline in the form of Dion Phaneuf. In just his third NHL season, Phaneuf netted 17 goals and had career highs in assists (43) and points (60). He also had 33 power-play points.

Adrian Aucoin turned out to be a solid pickup for the Flames. Acquired from Chicago prior to the season, the former Blackhawk captain was a plus-13 and totaled 35 points in 76 games. Robyn Regehr and Cory Sarich are also dependable on the back end for the Flames.

Miikka Kiprusoff will try to rebound from a subpar season, at least by his standards. Kiprusoff went 39-26-10 with a 2.69 goals-against average in 76 starts, but his win and shutout total dipped for a third straight year, while his GAA also rose for a third consecutive campaign.

The Finish netminder also struggled in last year's postseason, going 2-4 with a 2.81 GAA. However, he does have a lifetime 2.06 GAA in 43 all-time postseason starts.

MATCHUP

This is a battle between two clubs that were headed in opposite directions as the season wound down, and everyone out there knows that momentum is a big thing heading into the NHL's second season.

However, the Flames hung tough against the Sharks this year, going 3-1-0 against them. Two of those victories came in overtime, with Iginla scoring both overtime winners.

In fact, Calgary's top players all enjoyed success versus the Sharks this year. Iginla and Nolan each had three goals and an assist in the four-game season series, while Langkow added two goals and a pair of assists. Phaneuf led the team with five points (2g, 3a) versus Calgary.

Again, it could come down to how Kiprusoff performs. Though he backstopped the Flames to three wins over the Sharks, he also finished the series with a 3.22 GAA and will now face a red-hot Sharks club.

San Jose will need to carry its momentum into the first round. Thornton was held to just one assist versus Calgary this year, while Michalek had three goals. Roenick chipped in with three assists versus the Flames.

Nabokov was another Shark who struggled versus the Flames, as the 13 goals he allowed versus Calgary was the second most against a non-division club (Detroit - 16).

All four games of that series came before San Jose's winning run, meaning the Flames will be facing a different team on the ice. That will be the difference as the Sharks send Calgary home after the first round for a third straight season.

Sports Network predicted outcome: Sharks in 6