Five things San Jose Sharks need to do to win against Detroit Red Wings in Game 7 – NHL Playoffs
Going up against a team like the Detroit Red Wings is always intimidating, especially when your teams’ line-up consists mostly of young players who have yet to win a Stanley Cup in the National Hockey League (NHL) playoffs.
The San Jose Sharks might have a young roster, but they are incredibly talented when it comes to performing in tough situations and netting that game winning goal in overtime, as we have seen in game one and three of the Western Conference semifinal series
between them and the Detroit Red Wings.
After gaining a monumental 3-0 lead in the start of the series against the Red Wings, the Sharks have lost three consecutive games themselves and have been forced to play a deciding game seven.
In the quest to not end up as the fourth team in NHL playoff history who has lost a series after putting the opposing team on the verge of elimination since game three, San Jose has a few things they can do to emerge victorious.
We at Bettor.com will try to pinpoint five things that the Sharks can do to successfully put an end to Detroit.
1. Make use of the younger players
As age is unforgiving and Detroit has some of the most aged players in the league, the Sharks can certainly take advantage of this situation. Their All-Star rookie, Logan Couture has shown exceptional performances throughout the series; he has three goals
in three games and six points in the remaining three.
Starting out the game with a few younger players and tiring the older Detroit players in the beginning few minutes will surely put them ahead in the remaining periods of game-play.
2. Guard Antti Niemi
The former Chicago Blackhawks goalie, Antti Niemi is a key factor for their success. Niemi has been responsible for a strong San Jose performance in the Playoffs and maybe it is because of his move to the Sharks that Chicago got eliminated in the first round,
after winning the Stanley Cup last year. The goalie has locked down the Detroit Red Wings a number of times and has not fallen short during the entire post-season.
Problems arise when he is not properly guarded by the Sharks defensemen, leading to him also breaking when the situation gets tight. Dan Boyle, Douglas Murray and Ian White are top notch defensemen for San Jose, however, they have a habit of moving out of
their positions to score. Although that's not entirely a bad thing, they are required at the defensive end more. Keeping them back would help Niemi in accomplishing a complete shutdown which has not happened so far in the series.
3. Shoot more
The reason Detroit won game six was because of their shooting. It might not have been the quality that counted, but the quantity sure got the job done. The Red Wings outshot the Sharks by an enormous 44-25 difference which had Niemi struggling for the puck
all over the place.
Creating more opportunities should be everyone’s job instead of turning over the puck which will only lead to more goals being scored by the opposition.
4. Get more physical
The Sharks are already physical and it has helped them in winning the first three games of the semi-final series. Tackling and playing hard for the puck always pays off in the end but that does not mean giving up power play chances to the other team.
Detroit had accused the Sharks of playing it too rough around their goalie Jimmy Howard but without any evidence; San Jose were not penalised. Continuing and boosting their physical play will give them more chances with the puck and eventually more opportunities
at the goal.
5. Take Advantage of Power Plays
San Jose has given up over 10 Power Play opportunities throughout these past three games, including four added man advantages in the last game alone. That has ultimately led to their defeat. Had they taken advantage of even half of those opportunities, the
Red Wings would have been long gone.
Game seven will take place on Thursday at the HP Pavilion Centre in San Jose, California, which in itself is another advantage the South Californian team will have at taking down the Detroit Red Wings.
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