Morning Mashup: No Way, (San) Jose!
There have been few players criticized in the playoffs more than Sharks forward Patrick Marleau. After losing two straight games to Detroit and on the verge of being eliminate in Game 7, Marleau made his impact felt by lifting San Jose to a 3-2 win, and ultimately, a berth in the Western finals. Despite his inability to produce consistently throughout the series, Marleau compensated for his dismal play by ousting the veteran-laden Wings.
The Red Wings, who have 16 former Cup winners on their current roster, battled hard and deserve credit for coming back to force a Game 7. Not only did they deal with adversity, but they also felt the injury bug. Both Henrik Zetterberg and Dan Cleary left last night’s game with injuries. In the end, Detroit has had their time and it is a refreshing sight to see two relatively inexperienced battle in the next round. Neither the Sharks or Canucks have tasted Stanley Cup glory, but one will come that much closer in several weeks time.
The question is, who will that be?
Leafs Links:
Fans’ effort to Own The Leafs just got tougher
Owning the Leafs may be out of reach for Darren Thompson, who is almost one billion short of the MLSE asking price.
Playoff Links:
Sharks clinch series with 3-2 win over Red Wings
Patrick Marleau netted the game winner to help the Sharks secure a berth in the Western Conference finals.
Injured Manny Malhotra skates with Canucks
Malhotra skates for first time since suffering his injury wearing a full face mask.
NHL responds to Thrashers-to-Winnipeg situation
NHL confirms the Atlanta Thrashers ownership is in talks with True North, who are interested in moving the team to Winnipeg.
Nashville Predators seek Music City reunion with Alex Radulov
The Preds are trying to bring Radulov back to Nashville after he bolted for Russia in 2008.
World Championship Links:
Kovalchuk and Russia topple Canada at worlds
Alexei Kaigorodov and Ilya Kovalchuk each scored in Russia’s 2-1 quarterfinal win over the Canadians to advance to the semifinals against Finland.
Last Night in Leafs Prospects:
Owen Sound Attack blue liner Geoffrey Schemitsch scored his first of the post season, proving to be the game winner, in the team’s 3-2 victory over the Majors to force Game 7. Offensive leaders Garrett Wilson and Joey Hishon also scored for Owen Sound in the win, while Jesse Blacker was a plus-1 on the night.
Your Say:
Now that the Sharks have moved on, what are your thoughts on the final four still in the running? Can San Jose challenge the Canucks or did they expend all of their energy in round two against Detroit? Will Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau come up big when the Sharks need it most?
