After outshooting the Colorado Avalanche 148-73 in games two through four, the San Jose Sharks finally got rewarded in Game 5 as they were able to dominate on the scoreboard as well as the shot clock.

Despite controlling the play throughout the majority of the first four games, the Sharks were only able to manage a 2-2 split heading into a pivotal game 5.

But upon their return home, the dominance at both end's of the ice finally paid off for the Sharks where it mattered most, on both sides of the goal column.

Not only did San Jose score five goals in Game 5 but by allowing zero, San Jose was able to have all their parts come together to finally win a playoff game in convincing fashion.

Now why is such a complete performance important? 

Because realistically, the Sharks hadn't put together this strong of consistent playoff performances since the first two games of the 2004 Western Conference semi-finals, which coincidentally also came against Colorado.

San Jose won both home games to start that series by finals of 5-2 and 4-1.

Patrick Marleau and Vincent Damphousse powered the offense, Brad Stuart, Kyle McLaren, and Scott Hannan led the defense and Evgeni Nabokov was playing his best hockey.

The Sharks ended up winning the series for their first ever birth in the Western Conference Finals.

Unfortunately, despite having more talent on the roster in recent years, the Sharks haven't been able to instill that same confidence from 2004 over the the last few playoffs.

Until now, that is.

While the Sharks have won just three games out of the 16 necessary to win the Cup, the sheer dominance from top to bottom of the roster hasn't been seen since before the lockout.

Even the two five-game series victories over the Predators in 2006 and 2007 weren't as lopsided shift in and shift out as the current series with the Avalanche has been.

Plus, this lopsided play has come with the San jose's big guns not even contributing half of what they are capable of.

Thornton, along with Marleau and Dany Heatley make up San Jose's "big names" and yet so far they have combined for just one goal and seven assists between them in the series.

These "stars" have yet to carry the majority of the load, nor even their fair share of it in the series.

But with the depth the Sharks have at both forward and defense, San Jose appears to be a team that will never need to be carried by their top dogs.

However, if said players started chipping in their fair share of the work, the Sharks could make quick work of their next round opponent once they finish off the Avalanche.

Even without the top line being the top line, the Sharks have  been able to overwhelm Colorado in four of five games.

In fact, their level of play has made it clear that of all the Western Conference playoff teams, the Sharks are out-playing their opponent by the largest amount.

Each series in the West is now guaranteed to go six games, but unlike the other seven teams, San Jose is the only club playing at a level where it can be argued that their series should already be won.

And when all is said and done, that is how things should be. The top seed in the Western Conference should dominate the eighth seed.

The No. 1 seeded Sharks have a hot goaltender in Nabokov who is stopping everything in sight, and an offense that is getting scoring from up and down the lineup.

By winning in this fashion, each potential Sharks opponent better be aware that confidence is running high in San Jose.

After all, strong goaltending and secondary scoring are the two biggest keys to long term playoff success.

And right now, the Sharks have the best combination of these keys of any of the remaining 15 playoff teams.

Now if their primary goal scoring ever kicks in, who knows just how good this team could become.

If that happens, 2010 could be the year the Sharks' playoff demons disappear for good.

"It is a brand new series." "Best of 7 turned into a best of 3."

San Jose Sharks center Joe Pavelski tied up San Jose's first round series with the Colorado Avalanche at two games a piece on Tuesday night with a wicked wrist shot at 10:24 of overtime.

Pavelski's clutch game winning goal gave the Sharks much deserved new life after dominating most of the series' first four games. Had he failed to score, San Jose might have been facing a second straight 3-1 series deficit.

Last season the Sharks went down 3 games to 1 to the Anaheim Ducks when they were blown out by a 4-0 final in game 4 of the series. That loss made winning three games in a row a daunting task.

Not only was it a difficult to win three in a row, but the fact that San Jose was playing so poorly made it almost impossible for them to overcome the 3-1 deficit. And as we all know, the Sharks weren't able to get it done.

Fortunately, this year is a different story.

Unlike last year, the Sharks have been controlling the play almost every game, and thanks to Pavelski's heroics, San Jose takes a 2-2 series tie back home for Game 5.

Furthermore, through the first four games, the Avalanche have benefited from two lucky bounces to steal their victories.

Other than those two wins, and one pour outing by Sharks netminder Evgeni Nabokov in San Jose's 6-5 victory in OT, the Sharks have been all over Colorado.

It is no question the Sharks have been the better team thus far in the series.

Compared to last year's first round, the Sharks have looked like a completely different squad.

However, the offensive domination seen by the Sharks in this first round series has come from mostly a single line.

San Jose's "second-line" featuring Joe Pavelski, Devin Setoguchi and Ryane Clowe has accounted for five of the Sharks' nine goals, including both game winners.

The leader of the line, Ryane Clowe, has been the best player on the ice for either team and it was his play that led to both of San Jose's game winning goals, "coincidentally" scored by each of his linemates.

After a two assist performance in Game 4, Clowe leads all skaters in the series with 5 points (1G, 4A), and has done so by playing smart, simple hockey.

As one of the few Newfoundland natives in the NHL, Clowe, has used his large frame (6'2", 225 pounds) to his advantage along the boards at both ends of the ice. The former sixth round pick back in 2001 had a career year in the regular season with 57 points and is already having a playoff to remember. No. 29 in teal is as close to an immovable object as a player can be in the NHL.

Thus far in the series Clowe has given Avalanche defenseman fits by holding onto the puck for what seems like eternity each and every shift. In the offensive zone in particular, Clowe has led dominant shifts cycling the puck again and again before attacking the net or shooting when the opportunity arises.

Now if the Sharks are going to break their string of early postseason exits and reach the at-least the third round, they will need Clowe to continue his strong play.

However, Clowe and his linemates are going to need some help from the Sharks' "top line" featuring Patrick Marleau, Dany Heatley and Joe Thornton, before they reach that success.

While Heatley is clearly injured to a significant degree, Marleau hasn't been playing up to his normal self during this series and neither has Thornton.

But for the sake of this piece, why not focus on the former league MVP and scoring leader?

At 6'4" 235 pounds, Thornton, should be a better version of Ryane Clowe. In fact, during the regular season, he is exactly that. Thornton owns the boards and is a more gifted passer than his teammate.

Unfortunately, he hasn't nearly played up to that level in this opening round series.

Why has that been the case? Why isn't Thornton playing as well as Clowe?

Thornton hasn't been playing nearly close to Clowe's level because he continues to rely way too heavily on his skill rather than his sheer athletic prowess.

Instead of using his NFL tight-end type body to shield defenders and tire them out along the boards, Thornton is soft on his stick, and still looks to force the pretty pass across ice instead of holding onto the puck and making the simple play.

Now when Thornton is one of three players to record back-to-back 90-plus assist seasons (joining NHL greats Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux) it is understandable that he is a pass first player.

But that said, the NHL playoffs are a different game and those tape to tape passes that end up in Dany Heatley one timer goals rarely, if ever happen.

Playoff goals are most often scored on either rebounds, weird bounces, or deflections.

Therefore, instead of looking to thread the needle on passes, Thornton needs to put his head down and follow the path that Clowe is paving for the rest of the team.

"Jumbo" needs to do a better job of eating up the clock by being strong on his stick and controlling the puck down low. There is no rush to getting the puck to the net when there isn't a lane, or isn't a teammate open for the pass. Rather than attack the net right away without any help, possess the puck as long as possible.

The longer a cycle lasts behind the net, the better chance a prime scoring opportunity will develop as the defense is worn down on a long shift.

If Thornton can start emulating Clowe's play in the next few games, the Sharks might have two scoring lines dominating in the offensive zone.

And when that happens, well, good luck to Colorado and whoever else the Sharks may face this postseason because for as good as the Sharks have played in this series, they haven't even sniffed the surface of their potential.

After all, their best player has yet to even wake up.

Surprise, surprise: The San Jose Sharks dropped the opening game of the Stanley Cup Playoffs to the eighth seeded Colorado Avalanche.

All Sharks fans are thinking it, so I won't tip toe around the fact that the words "Here we go again" is a popular thought amongst us Bay Area hockey followers after game 1.

The Sharks ended up losing a tight 2-1 contest in game one Wednesday night in San Jose. With the loss, the Sharks have temporarily lost the home ice advantage they earned through another impressive regular season.

San Jose did have their chances early in the first and late in the third period, but there was never a sustained high level of play. The Sharks would dominate a shift here and there, but during the majority of the game Colorado was the team dictating the flow.

Now clearly, when the rather unknown Torrey Mitchell is the best player in teal during the opening game, the players themselves didn't live up to their abilities.

And in no way shape or form should the players be let off the hook.

That said, Sharks Head Coach Todd McLellan needs to be given a serious reality check on a couple of issues.

1) The "Team Canada" line is not a playoff line.

and

2) Rookie defenseman Jason Demers doesn't belong on the fourth line.

To start off, I'll discuss the latter of these issues.

Jason Demers has been nothing but hideously awful this season when the opposing team has the puck.

He has Dan Boyle like potential but is at least 2-3 years away from reaching that level of play. And let's get one thing straight, he is a defenseman, not a forward.

Demers played only a couple of games as a forward down the stretch and he hasn't been playing the position long enough to mesh well on the fourth line.

The fact he was playing on the fourth line ahead of Jed Ortmeyer, is appalling. While Ortmeyer had been struggling down the stretch, his overall play throughout the season earned him a playoff spot.

Ortmeyer finished the season with a career high in goals (8) and assists (11) while playing in 76 regular season games.

Clearly, that type of production from a "bottom-six" forward is much more worthy of a spot in the team's playoff lineup than a rookie defenseman who played in just 51 games this season due to his terrible defensive play.

And remember, the lineup spot in question here is fourth line forward spot, and Ortmeyer actually knows how to play that role. He forechecks like a mad man and plays the body much more effectively than Demers.

There is no question about it, playing the rookie defenseman on the fourth line instead of Ortmeyer is a disgrace to the organization and to a player (Ortmeyer) who may end up winning the Bill Masterton Memorial trophy for perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.

Furthermore, it would also be a disgrace to keep the top line of Joe Thornton, Dany Heatley and Patrick Marleau intact after their dreadful performance in game 1.

It seems obvious after last season's playoff collapse, that putting all three of the squad's top forwards on the same line is not the way to go.

Last year the Sharks failed to generate a consistent offensive attack in the playoffs, and their top line in particular---featuring Thornton, Marleau and Devin Setoguchi---didn't produce.

For whatever reason, star players who play for San Jose seem to get complacent when playing together.

Nobody can say with exact certainty why this is, but top players seem to relax when playing with other top players.

They fail to bring a sense of urgency when playing together.

On the contrary, when the stars are split up, the Sharks have showed to be stronger and more balanced. As the saying goes "Great players make those around them better".

Thornton made teammates Ryane Clowe and Torrey Mitchell better.

Patrick Marleau made Manny Malhotra and Joe Pavelski better.

And the combination of snipers Dany Heatley and Devin Setoguchi on the wings of the Sharks' "third line" made rookie center Logan Couture better.

Separating the star players makes the team better, so putting them on the same line is quite puzzling.

Yes, the "Burger Line" was a superb trio during the regular season when time and space to move the puck was available every minute of every game.

But this is the playoffs, when scoring becomes less and less frequently as defenders close off gaps at a much faster rate.

By splitting up the top players in the playoffs, opponents will have a much more difficult time defending the balanced line combinations.

Therefore, it would seem clear as day that a breakup of the "big" line will be coming in Game 2.

If a change isn't made and the Sharks go on to lose game 2, and then the series, Todd McLellan should be fired.

The playoffs is the worst time for making head scratching decisions as a head coach. 

And with a team as talented as the Sharks, back to back first round exits should spell the end of McLellan's tenure in San Jose.

 

PS: When your team lets up a go-ahead goal with under a minute left in a playoff game, it might be wise to use your one and only timeout. I'm just saying...

When the San Jose Sharks traded away Christian Ehrhoff over the offseason, many fans rejoiced. No more point shots a mile wide and no more costly turnovers, right?

Well, as the saying goes, "you never know what you had until it's gone".

And throughout most of this season, the Sharks haven't had the same offensive prowess on the blueline that they had last season.

Not only did they lose Ehrhoff's 42 points from last year, but the German native is now enjoying a career year in goals, points, and plus/minus with the Vancouver Canucks.

Combine Ehrhoff's absence from team teal's blueline with the drop in offensive production from Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Rob Blake this season, and it is no surprise why most fans out there were expecting the Sharks to acquire an offensive defenseman at the trade deadline.

Fortunately, the offense from the defense has recently began producing at last seasons levels and most of the increase in scoring can be attributed to San Jose's 40 year-old captain.

Blake, the 20 year veteran defenseman was struggling at both ends of the ice for the majority of the season.

But perhaps the first year Shark captain realized his value would come in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and was smartly coasting through most of the year.

With his play over the last five games, it doesn't seem to far-fetched to think that the former Norris Trophy winner wasn't exuding maxim effort for most of the season.

For the majority of the current campaign it looked as if Blake had aged five years since the end of last season.

Up until March 23rd, Blake was playing considerably worse than he had just a year ago.

After 61 games played this year, the Ontario native had just 21 points. In other words he was on pace for just 25 points if were he able to reach the same 73 games he played last season.

And last season, Blake registered 45 points.

A considerable drop off, don't you think?

However, over the last five games, Blake has picked up eight points (1 G, 7A = 8P) and finally seems to be showing that offensive prowess which has made him one of the highest regarded defenseman in league history.

Not only has Blake been getting pucks through to the net on a more consistent basis as of late but his shot looks to have more power behind it.

Throughout most of the season Blake's shot seemed to be missing that extra juice that has made him best known for his rocket blasts from the blueline.

Consequently, the majority of his point shots were getting blocked earlier in the season.

Now with the power back and a willingess to shoot more often, Blake has been rewarded with a much larger role in the offense.

In particular on the power-play, Blake has been jumping up in the play and even positioning himself in front of the goaltender despite his normal position being back at the right point.

By having him stationed in front of the opposing netminder from time to time, the power play naturally has more moving parts and players are continuously in motion which leads to an increase in quality scoring chances.

Blake's newfound legs in the offensive end are huge as no matter how hard he works defensively, the veteran defenseman has a difficult time keeping up with younger forwards, some of whom are just half his age.

But if Blake can continue his increased offensive role as of late, the Sharks will be much better off because they have been missing that extra boost from the blueline most of the year.

And with the playoffs just four games away, the Sharks are going to need every single skater at the top of their game.

Now while some Sharks still need to put in some work, one thing is for certain:

The captain is already at the top of his game and he couldn't of gotten there at a better time.

Since the 2005-2006 regular season came to a close, the San Jose Sharks have been amongst the favorites to win the Stanley Cup every single playoffs.

Unfortunately for the Sharks and their fan base, San Jose hasn't even gotten past the second round during this time frame.

Despite a regular season dominance over the last five years, the Sharks have made an early playoff exit each season.

And since the Sharks boast such a talented roster year in and year out, the continual playoff failures have caused fans to frequently ask the same question: Do they have enough will?

They have always had the skill, but do they have enough sheer will to win?

With the playoffs on the horizon, the question is undoubtedly on the minds of all Sharks fans.

Now I could give arguments about the will to win of each individual player on the team, but as I have learned, sports readers have short attention spans.

Therefore, I won't bore you by delving into each player's willingness to do whatever it takes to win.

However, what I will do is center my argument between the pipes.

Evgeni Nabokov and Thomas Greiss are the options San Jose has in net this season.

Clearly, Nabokov is the undisputed No. 1 goaltender and barring injury, will be the Sharks' starter in the postseason.

As a two-time All-Star, a Vezina Trophy finalist and an Olympian, there is no denying the high level of skill that No. 20 in teal brings to the ice.

Some of the saves he has made in his career have been simply mind boggling. The save in my article photo for example is arguably the greatest stop by any goalie over the last decade.

But a save is a save no matter how flashy or amazing it may have been.

Even if Nabokov were to save 40 out of 43 shots in a particular contest (with many stops being of the spectacular variety), what will stand out in the end is whether or not the goals allowed were stoppable.

Soft goals have a tendency to deflate the rest of the team and come playoffs the bad feeling afterward can linger for quite some time.

Now while Nabokov is having a career year this season, some of the problems that have plagued him over the years are still evident. The five hole is gigantic, top corner glove side is a weakness, and his compete factor is being questioned.

OK, maybe I should pass out the disclaimer that I have never been a huge fan of Nabokov.

However, there was one particular goal he allowed this season that should have left even the biggest Nabokov fan scratching his head.

The goal came on January 6th against the St. Louis Blues.

San Jose would end up winning by a 2-1 final in overtime but the goal Nabokov let in was extremely disturbing.

Without taking multiple lengthy paragraphs to describe the sequence leading up to the goal, why don't you just watch for yourself?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0P0h3CVD154 (1:30 mark)

Tell me, where is the will to win? Why doesn't Nabokov scramble back into position? A good 3-4 seconds elapse with Nabokov out of the net before the Blues score. The Shark netminder just sits there as Rob Blake tries to play goalie.

If that is Dan Boyle wearing goalie gear, do you think he just minds his own business out of position for 3-4 seconds while the Blues are attempting to score?

I don't think so.

Yet in the post-game comments Nabokov didn't seem to care much about allowing a weak goal. He was merely "upset" that their wasn't any penalty called for interference.

Did he take responsibility for not getting back into position? Nope.

Did he say that he should have played to the whistle rather than complain about the non call? Not in the slightest.

But I'll guarantee you this, a goaltender like Greiss would have scrambled back to the net on a play like that.

Who knows, St. Louis may have scored on that play no matter who was in net but the way Nabokov gave up on the play was embarrassing.

Greiss on the other hand would have at least made his best effort to try and make the stop because he isn't of the stature to shake off one bad goal like it's no big deal. Each soft goal he allows is one giant step backwards in an attempt to earn a starting job in the future.

However, Nabokov has a starting job for as long as he wants one, which is one of the issues that concerns me.

How much does Nabokov actually care? Sometimes when athletes have a contract that demands they play, attention to detail can be thrown out the window.

Now I'm not around Nabokov every day (nor any day for that matter), so maybe my analysis is off base.

But as far as I can tell, when getting the nod to start in goal, Greiss is the goalie who works harder to keep the puck out of the net.

And after allowing a terrible goal that cost the Sharks a comeback bid in his first action of the season, Greiss has played very well this year.

In 11 starts, San Jose's backup netminder has registered a .918 save percentage, just .03 worse than Nabokov's mark this season.

Does this mean I feel Greiss should be the playoff starter instead of Nabokov? No, not in the slightest.

What it means is that with the way this Sharks season has gone between the pipes, wouldn't it have been wise to give Greiss more starts?

Clearly he has a stronger will to win than Nabokov because he has much more to prove. But by seeing the Shark backup play so few games this season, we don't know just how inferior he is talent wise.

Had he played 10-15 more games this season, the Sharks would have a much better clue to his strengths and weaknesses as a goaltender.

With the postseason less than two weeks away, playing the goalie with the best combination of will and skill is a must.

And when it comes to the Sharks, it is frustrating seeing them go into the playoffs without truly knowing which goalie has that stronger combination.