The Wings are playing a very big, physical, skilled Sharks team. Their skilled and mobile defense are arriving at dump-ins first, making good decisions and smart passes, allowing the team to get out of the zone very cleanly. Their jerseys are hideous. Joe Pavelski has come up with big moments. They are carrying the puck over the blue-line with much more ease than the Wings, and using their big, physical forward corps to control the puck down low and generate scoring chances. They are winning face-offs at crucial moments and getting far more time on the powerplay. There have been two hotly-contested games at the Shark Tank, both have which resulted in one-goal victories for San Jose.
Are we watching last year's series again? Because it sure seems that way.
Some things have changed. Jimmy Howard is a more confident goalie, and the Sharks have a new guy manning their crease. The Wings are more well rested, and the Sharks have more confidence this time around. Either way, these last two games have been creepily similiar to many of the games last year. Which worries me as a Red Wings fan.
Don't get me wrong, this series is far from over. But it is obvious that the Sharks gear up to play the players donning the Winged Wheel, and the boys in red need to play with a similar chip on their shoulders. San Jose has spent the majority of the first two games in Detroit's zone, and the Wings need to play with more urgency on their forecheck and get more pucks at the net if they hope to turn things around.
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