| Team Matchups |
| San
Jose |
| Nashville |
 |
| Offense |
B+ | San Jose showed great resolve when they had to in the
2nd period. Three consecutive goals in the period should have secured the
win. |
B | Nashville got the job done in the 3rd period when the
chips were down. Scoring the tying goal with 51 seconds left in regulation
shows the Preds offens is the real deal. |
|
| Defense |
C+ | Marc-Edourd Vlasic led all skaters with 35 minutes of
ice time. San Jose played solid defense for 40 minutes, then went into a
prevent posture in the 3rd. They must play 60 minutes of of hockey. Craig Rivet
and Scott Hannan had solid games |
C | The Predators let the Sharks push them around. The
size matchup clearly hurt the Predators in the defensive end. The tell tale
sign came in the 2nd period when Marek Zidlicky and Shea Weber backed into
their own goal as a means of defending it. |
|
| Power Play |
D+ | The Sharks did nothing to respond to Cheechoo's
injury on the resulting 5 minute major. They were disorganized and had a
difficult time gaining the zone. They only converted, when skating with a 2-man
advantage. |
D | The Predators were a discombobulated on the power
play as San Jose was. No serious threats generated on 5 chances hurt the
Predators chances of competing early in this game. |
|
| Penalty Kill |
B+ | Curtis Brown and Mike Grier may turn out to be the
biggest acquisitons of the year for GM Doug Wilson if the tandem continues to
shut down opposing power play units. The Predators failed to generate much on
the power play. |
A | The Predators showed why they had the 2nd ranked
penalty kill in the league during the regular season. The Nashville PK kept the
Sharks from generating any serious scoring chances, including a 2 minute
opportunity in overtime. |
|
| Goaltending |
A- | Nabokov was big when he had to be. His stop of Jordan
Tootoo's breakaway attempt gave the Sharks a chance to win. The score may not
reflact his solid play, but Nabokov did his job well. 39 saves ina playoff game
is nothing to sneeze at. |
B+ | Tomas Vokoun kep the Sharks from busting the game
wide open in the 1st period. San Jose controlled the tempo of the game, but
several big stops, including his sliding save on Ryane Clowe's breakaway
attempt early was clutch. his stop on Patrick Marleau's scpring chance late in
the 2nd overtime was huge. |
|
|
| |
| |
| Individual
Matchups |
| |
| |
|
| Hero |
| Patrick Rissmiller - His game winner was the second
most impressive play on the night. His spin move along the end boards before
setting up Mike Grier with the Sharks 2nd goal was something we haven't seen
from Rissmiller in his career in San Jose.
Marc-Edourd Vlasic (Honorable
Mention) - His 35 minutes of solid defense may have been the most impressive
unnoticed thing all night. Vlasic was also a +! in 55 shifts on teh night. |
| J.P. Dumont - Clutch goals, including the tally that
tied the game at 4-4 got the Predators into the extra session. Dumont was the
best skater on the ice for Nashville all night. Pretty impressive for a team
that incudes Peter Forsberg, Paul Kariya and Steve Sullivan.
Alexander
Radulov (Honrable Mention) - Sharks defenseman Kyle McLaren is still trying to
figure out how Radulov got passed him en route to his second goal of the game.
The 2 goal performance is pretty impressive for a guy that was playing in the
QMJHL last year. |
|
| Goat |
| Patrick Rissmiller - His gaff in the final minute of
overtime is a mistake that gets you deluxe seats in the press box for teh
duration of the playoffs. Credit to Sharks head coach Ron Wilson for sticking
with Rissmiller in the overtime periods. |
| Marek Zidlicky - Defensive lapses in the 2nd period
allowed San Jose to capitalize. His soft play on Michalek's goal was the most
obvious mistake, but he was also on the ice when Carle scored and bad
positioning allowed Rissmiller to bag the game winner. |
|
