That the San Jose Sharks won a first-round series with almost nothing
from their top line may be their most encouraging and worrisome thought
heading into the Western Conference semifinals.
Every coach would love to go from each playoff game to the next happy
and having faith in his line combinations. But injuries and
underperformance have forced Avalanche head coach Joe Sacco to keep searching for the right
chemistry for his offensively challenged club entering Game 6 against
the San Jose Sharks on Saturday night.
When up in a series with a chance to clinch, hockey's No. 1 rule toward
the opponent remains: Kill them with kindness. Pour out the praise and
respect and admiration, and just hope that helps put them to sleep for
good.
So it was Friday with the San Jose Sharks, who can advance to the second
round of the Western Conference playoffs with a win in Game 6 Saturday
night in Denver.
It is called "regression toward the mean," a fancy term for things always ending up the way they were supposed to. That's what it's starting to look like between the top-ranked San Jose Sharks and eighth-seeded Colorado Avalanche.