Sharks vs Canucks - NHL Playoffs - Western Conference Final

This is it! 1,230 games have been completed and the 2nd season begins. 16 teams participate and 1 will hoist the most coveted trophy in professional sports: the Stanley Cup. This is one of the toughest tournaments in the world and P&B will be your round by round guide

Luongo snags a Thornton shot (photo via canucks.nhl.com)

1

VS

2

2011 Season Series:

Vancouver won 3-1

What's the story?:

The Sharks have made it to the Western Final for the second year in a row. For those of you that have a short memory (or if you're a Sharks fans), the Blackhawks swept San Jose on their way to winning the cup. You can't win until you learn how to lose, right?

Thornton and Co. are now fully trained in the art of coming up short and are ready to graduate to the next level. Many believed that they were on their way to choking in epic fashion in their semi bout against the Red Wings, where they stormed out to a 3-0 lead in games only to let them force a game 7. Highly criticize and polarized former Captain Patrick Marleau scored the series clinching goal in the 3rd period. He was called "gutless" by old teammate turned loudmouth hockey analyst Jeremy Roenick which seemed to motivate Marleau. He played one hell of a game 7 proving that he is a key player for this club. The younger players on the team (Couture, Clowe and Pavelski) are providing key minutes while giving them important goals and effort. Former Ottawa 67 Couture has been incredible, racking up 12 points since the tourney started. Former Hawks goalie Niemi has played well even though his GAA is a touch over 3. The Sharks have a great mix of seasoned vets and youth that make them a dangerous team to draw in any round.

The Canucks success can be summed in 2 words: Ryan Kesler. He only has 5 goals in 13 post-season games, but he's done everything else right. 10 assists, + 6, 23:23 average minutes per game, 53.8% on the faceoff dot...just to name a few. He has carried the Canucks on his back by with what seems like pure determination. Kesler is in full on Conn Smythe form. But the humble American believes he can improve and play better. The Sedins on the other hand..not so much. The Swedish twins are a combined -16 which is indicative of their play in the first 2 rounds. The are not being assertive and are playing soft. I understand that they are not the most physical forwards in the game but that is no excuse for their play.  They will need to be more aggressive on offensive and be aware of their defensive responsibilities. Malhotra hit the ice this week after suffering a serious eye injury. There is no timeline for his return even though assistant coach Bowness said that he's done. Malhotra is a great leader for this team on and off the ice. He has been providing feedback from the pressbox so that he can continue to feel that he is involved in their current success.

Questions You Should Ask Yourself Before you pick a winner:

Will the Sedins seriously wake up in this round? Is Kesler the best American born hockey player since Mike Modano? Are they calling this series the Choker Cup? 

Key Playas and Pretendas to watch:

Canucks Playas: Sedins, Burrows, Kesler, Luongo, Edler, Ehrhoff

Canucks Pretendas: Samuelsson, Hanson, Torres

Sharks Playas: Thornton, Couture, Pavelski, Clowe, Boyle, Niemi

Sharks Pretendas: Heatley, Nichol, Marleau

P&B Prediction:

The Canucks are not a team that likes doing anything the easy way. For that reason, they will beat the Sharks in 7.

-Paqman