Chase for the Cup: 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs Roundup

With one series already tied at two apiece heading in to Game Five, the San Jose Sharks were hoping to do the same in their series. Unfortunately, they simply got way too familiar with the penalty box.

The Night that Was:

The San Jose Sharks not only had an opportunity to tie their series at two games apiece, but they had numerous opportunities to bury Vancouver in Game Four before the Canucks could muster any sort of offense. The Canucks handed San Jose three power plays in the first period, then a charging call on Raffi Torres to end the first and a hooking call on Dan Hamhuis early in the second, but San Jose never capitalized on their five-straight power plays. Then it was Vancouver’s turn. Dany Heatley and Torrey Mitchell took penalties 50 seconds apart to set Vancouver up with their first 5-on-3 where Ryan Kesler blasted his sixth past Antti Niemi. After Heatley left the box, the Sharks got caught with too many men on the ice and it would burn them. On another 5-on-3, Sami Salo would be the one set up for the one-timer, scoring his second of the playoffs. Then, after Douglas Murray took a delay of game penalty after Mitchell left the box, a third 5-on-3 led to Salo scoring his second of the game on yet another one-timer. In the third, Alex Burrows would finish off a beautiful setup by Henrik Sedin to make it 4-0, and despite goals from Andrew Desjardins (his first career playoff goal) and Ryan Clowe, the Sharks couldn’t mount a comeback. The 4-2 loss, where they outshot the Canucks 35-13, put them down 3-1 in the series with Game Four going Tuesday in Vancouver. Henrik Sedin had assists on all four goals to lead all scorers.

The Injury Bug:

-Jason Demers missed Game Four while Logan Couture played despite an undisclosed injury that had some wondering if it would keep him out.

-Joe Thornton left last night’s game after an awkward hit from Raffi Torres while Thornton was turned awkwardly. The initial thought was that it was a head injury, but it’s now being reported as a shoulder injury. When asked if he’ll play in Game Five Thornton said “It’s the playoffs, you’ve got to.”

-The Canucks enjoyed this success without Aaron Rome or Christian Ehrhoff as both missed the game with injuries.

-Steve Downie is listed as questionable for Game Five against Boston with an upper-body injury.

What’s on Tonight?

With the series tied at two after splitting both games in Boston and both in Tampa Bay, the Eastern Conference Final returns to Boston as the Lightning take on the Bruins at 8:00pm Eastern.

News and Rumours Around the League:

-Derek Boogaard was laid to rest over the weekend in Regina in front of friends, family, fans, and teammates. Boogaard’s death was attributed to an accidental mix of oxycodone and alcohol.

–Over 200 fans gathered outside Philips Arena on Saturday in one last gasp at keeping their team. Thrashers fans are preparing to lose their team to Winnipeg, and didn’t take to kindly when Harry the Hawk, the mascot of Atlanta Spirit’s other property (the Atlanta Hawks), showed up.

Your Top Playoff Performer of the Night:

Sami Salo made a valiant effort with three points, all of them on the power play with two goals (including the game winner), but Henrik Sedin was in on all four goals Sunday, including a spectacular set up on the final goal by Alex Burrows. He was a plus-one and 10/22 on faceoffs.

You can follow Bryan on Twitter at BryanThiel_88.