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NHL
Wednesday, May 18
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Sharks at Canucks: What bettors need to know
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San Jose Sharks at Vancouver Canucks (-150, 5.5)
Vancouver leads series 1-0
THE STORY: A late rally helped the Vancouver Canucks secure the opening game of the Western Conference final. They'll look to build on that third-period momentum Wednesday when they entertain the San Jose Sharks in Game 2. San Jose has lost four of its last five postseason games and will need a stronger finishing effort Wednesday to avoid returning California down 2-0 in the best-of-seven.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, Versus, CBC
ABOUT THE CANUCKS: Sunday's opener belonged to the Sharks for the first 40 minutes, but the Canucks put together a strong third-period effort behind goals from Kevin Bieksa and Henrik Sedin to escape with a 3-2 win. Henrik Sedin finally came to life, setting up the tying goal and scoring the winner less than 90 seconds later. He has just two goals so far in the postseason, but had one of his best games of the playoffs Sunday. The Canucks hope that might spark an offense that had plenty of chances Sunday but had trouble beating San Jose netminder Antti Niemi, who stopped 35 shots and looked solid throughout. Vancouver netminder Roberto Luongo made 27 saves, but had a costly giveaway that led to the Sharks' opening goal.
ABOUT THE SHARKS: Much of the talk following Sunday's loss was whether San Jose had simply run out of gas in the third period after being taken to seven games by the Detroit Red Wings the series before. Head coach Todd McLellan agreed with that assessment. "I thought our team looked tired," he said. "I thought our team looked sluggish. There are nights when we lose our legs but our minds are still pretty sharp. And that was not the case (Sunday). We were like dogs chasing on the freeway. We just weren't catching anybody." An extra day of rest between Games 1 and 2 should benefit San Jose, as will firing more shots at Luongo. The Sharks had just seven in the pivotal third period and were outshot 38-29 for the game.
WHO'S HOT/WHO'S NOT: Canucks F Ryan Kesler extended his point streak to six games with an assist in Game 1. He has five goals and seven assists in that span. Sharks F Patrick Marleau has scored in back-to-back games after being held without a goal over his previous seven contests.
SPECIAL TEAMS: Vancouver finished 1 for 4 with the man advantage Sunday night, while San Jose converted its only power-play chance.
TRENDS:
* Favorite is 11-3 in the last 14 meetings.
* Over is 5-2 in the last seven meetings.
* Sharks are 1-4 in the last five meetings.
LAST WORD: Sharks D Jason Demers is hopeful he'll be in the lineup for Game 2 after sitting out the opener with what McLellan called "bumps and bruises." Kent Huskins took Demers' spot in the lineup and will likely stay there if Demers can't go Wednesday.
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Wednesday, May 18
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sharks at Canucks: What bettors need to know
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San Jose Sharks at Vancouver Canucks (-150, 5.5)
Vancouver leads series 1-0
THE STORY: A late rally helped the Vancouver Canucks secure the opening game of the Western Conference final. They'll look to build on that third-period momentum Wednesday when they entertain the San Jose Sharks in Game 2. San Jose has lost four of its last five postseason games and will need a stronger finishing effort Wednesday to avoid returning California down 2-0 in the best-of-seven.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, Versus, CBC
ABOUT THE CANUCKS: Sunday's opener belonged to the Sharks for the first 40 minutes, but the Canucks put together a strong third-period effort behind goals from Kevin Bieksa and Henrik Sedin to escape with a 3-2 win. Henrik Sedin finally came to life, setting up the tying goal and scoring the winner less than 90 seconds later. He has just two goals so far in the postseason, but had one of his best games of the playoffs Sunday. The Canucks hope that might spark an offense that had plenty of chances Sunday but had trouble beating San Jose netminder Antti Niemi, who stopped 35 shots and looked solid throughout. Vancouver netminder Roberto Luongo made 27 saves, but had a costly giveaway that led to the Sharks' opening goal.
ABOUT THE SHARKS: Much of the talk following Sunday's loss was whether San Jose had simply run out of gas in the third period after being taken to seven games by the Detroit Red Wings the series before. Head coach Todd McLellan agreed with that assessment. "I thought our team looked tired," he said. "I thought our team looked sluggish. There are nights when we lose our legs but our minds are still pretty sharp. And that was not the case (Sunday). We were like dogs chasing on the freeway. We just weren't catching anybody." An extra day of rest between Games 1 and 2 should benefit San Jose, as will firing more shots at Luongo. The Sharks had just seven in the pivotal third period and were outshot 38-29 for the game.
WHO'S HOT/WHO'S NOT: Canucks F Ryan Kesler extended his point streak to six games with an assist in Game 1. He has five goals and seven assists in that span. Sharks F Patrick Marleau has scored in back-to-back games after being held without a goal over his previous seven contests.
SPECIAL TEAMS: Vancouver finished 1 for 4 with the man advantage Sunday night, while San Jose converted its only power-play chance.
TRENDS:
* Favorite is 11-3 in the last 14 meetings.
* Over is 5-2 in the last seven meetings.
* Sharks are 1-4 in the last five meetings.
LAST WORD: Sharks D Jason Demers is hopeful he'll be in the lineup for Game 2 after sitting out the opener with what McLellan called "bumps and bruises." Kent Huskins took Demers' spot in the lineup and will likely stay there if Demers can't go Wednesday.
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