Between the Series – Sharks post PDSF

The Sharks got a well deserved two days away from the rink after winning their series Friday night.  Players were tweeting from around the Bay, enjoying time with family.  (For instance, Pavelski took in the Giants game on Saturday and the Earthquakes game on Sunday.  Burns went camping with the kids — in the driveway. Vlasic played with his three dogs.  A few more “what I did on my weekend off” in the articles below.)

Now the wait continues to see if they’ll play Anaheim or Nashville next.  Nashville forced a game 7 on Wednesday.  The Pacific Division final will start on Friday.

The reasons the Sharks won include:  good goal tending, better defense, good depth (although the scoring part didn’t really kick in until game 5), and health. Sharks lead in the series for nearly 174 minutes, while the Kings just lead about 4 minutes.  (And even in the Kings game 3 win – it was in OT; they never led in the game.)  The Sharks had the size and patience to weather the barrage of hits inflicted by the Kings. The Sharks did not change their lineup for the entire series.

The Sharks will be off six full days between winning round one and opening round two.  Definitely time for the bumps and bruises to heal (or get a whole lot better).  DeBoer addresses the question of “rest vs rust”.  Sharks will want to start fast, regardless of opponent as they will only have one day off between series (and the Preds have to travel from SoCal if they win), and play hard.

Some playoff reflections and news links:

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