The Sharks are smelling blood

Is there a cooler intro to a power-play in the NHL? Everytime I hear the JAWS music right before a Shark power-play I get goosebumps.

Being down 3-0 in playoff series of any kind is tough. Just ask the Colorado Avalanche. It's so easy to go into a 4th game and think, "Okay, lets just give it our best effort and whatever happens, happens."

What happened was an 8-2 annihilation.

The San Jose Sharks are a different story.

Of course there will be some bias here because I am a HUGE Shark fan. The affair started in 2004 when Niko Dimitrakos scored an playoff OT winner against the Blues. I call it an affair because at the time I still showed blind faith in the Maple Leafs. At that point the Leafs were aging horribly with guys like Brian Leetch and Ed Belfour. But the Sharks were a young, upstart team. One that understood my needs: I needed to cheer for a team that actually had a chance at winning the Stanley Cup. So as quick as Jeremy Roenick went top shelf on Belfour and started jumping around like a giddy schoolgirl to eliminate the Leafs, I jumped ship to the San Jose Sharks.

But lets get back to the matter at hand.

Down 3-0, the Sharks could have easily called it quits. On the road, down 3-0, with the momentum clearly in Dallas' favour. Then boom... Dallas scores first and what seemed like an uphill battle is more like a Mount Everest climb. About 3 minutes after that, the Sharks take a penalty and the Stars have a chance to make it a 2 goal lead. But a botched pass turns into an improbable short handed goal by Patrick Marleau and all of a sudden the Sharks have tied it. Fast forward to an early 3rd period powerplay and the Sharks take the lead and never look back.

"Whatever. So the Sharks win one game. We're still up 3-1 and we've already taken 2 in San Jose. We still have the momentum."

Dallas was right. Only 7 teams in 150 have forced a game 6 down 3-0 in NHL history. That means that San Jose has a less than 5% chance of winning if you look at things historically.

And what do you know? After 2 periods of game 5, the Stars led 2-0. The Sharks were flat the first two periods and would have to hope that they score at least 2 to force overtime. And 6:26 into the 3rd, San Jose scored its first even strength goal in the past 180 minutes of the series to make it 2-1.

"Whatever. So the Sharks scored a goal. We're still up 2-1 and history says that theres a 4.4% chance they score 1 or more goals. We got this guys. We still have the momentum."

Dallas was wrong. All San Jose needed to do was score one goal in the next 13 minutes and the game goes to sudden death. And just about 5 minutes after Milan Michalek scored the first goal, Jeremy Roenick (who coincidentally started my relationship with the Sharks even though he was with Philly at the time) riffles a gorgeous 60 foot pass to the streaking Brian Campbell and all of a sudden its a 2-2 hockey game.

"Ah crap."

Dallas was right. They already had 2 disallowed goals in the game and think they should be up 4-2. As much as athletes like to say that those scenarios are quickly forgotten about, it is human nature to think "the refs screwed us." So after a hard fought 3rd period, regulation time ends tied 2-2 heading for overtime. Who has the momentum?

San Jose.

As much as Dallas could argue that they've beaten the Sharks twice in OT already, in the back of their head they know they shouldn't even be playing OT. They should be popping the champagne bottles celebrating a win. The disallowed goals and a blown 2-0 3rd period lead HAD to have an impact on everyone in that locker room.

Just 1:05 into OT, Joe Pavelski sent the Shark Tank into a feeding frenzy with the game winning goal.

So as it stands, its a 3-2 series lead for the Stars with game 6 in Dallas. Who has the momentum?

It sure as heck isn't Dallas.

Yes, they are up 3-2. Yes, they are going to be playing at home. But this is the DALLAS STARS we are talking about. Choking is their middle name.

Ask yourself when is the last time Marty Turco advanced to the 3rd round in the playoffs (he hadn't even gotten out of the first round until this year). He is now 3-10 in playoff OT scenarios (before this year, his record was 1-9). Does Turks have the confidence that he can lead the Stars to round 3? I highly doubt it.

What is ironic about this whole situation is that both Dallas and San Jose have both had their choking moments the past couple of years. San Jose has been up 2-0 and 2-1 the previous two years in round 2 of the playoffs and lost both series to Edmonton and Detroit respectively. Something has to give.

The reason San Jose has the momentum is because Dallas is starting to second guess themselves.

3-0 : One more game guys!
3-1 : Let them have one, we'll close it out on their turf.
3-2: Not again...

How does Dallas get over it and just play out game 6? Matthew Barnaby says they have to look to the leaders of the team. I gotta say, the NHL is the only place you will hear these overused cliches. The fact of the matter is Dallas WILL NOT get over it. All they can do it play through it and hope their guys are better than San Jose's.

If Dallas does not win game 6, I guarantee the Sharks will win game 7. Dallas is showing signs of their past and if they let the Sharks tie the series at 3 what will be going through their minds? They would have lost 3 straight and up 3-0 becomes a distant memory.

The Sharks smell blood in the water, and they'll have no problem becoming just the 3rd team in NHL history (and 4th team in North American sports history) to come back from a 3-0 deficit.