Flames and Sharks face-off in Round 2
24.04.04
Flames welcome Marleau and the Sharks in Second Round action
The San Jose Sharks dispatched the Dallas Stars in 6 games earlier this week and now face the Calgary Flames, a team they played 4 times during the regular season. The Season series was a close one with Calgary having the slight edge winning 1 and tying 3.
The Flames match up well against their second round foes, except when it comes to goaltending. J-S Giguere has slowly carved out a niche as a top tier goaltender, but Sharks' goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff (pictured) has emerged as one of the league's best. The Vezina Trophy finalist this season leads the league in Goals Against Average and Save Percentage.
"We like how we stack up against them, but Kiprusoff can win games on his own." Said Flames Captain Jarome Iginla. "We're going to have to work twice as hard to help (Giguere) win some games. It falls on the scorers to score."
Both teams are strong in net, but the Flames have a slight edge with the talent and depth on the forward ranks and on the blueline, even without Boyle eating valuable minutes.
"We'll miss him for sure, but we handled Vancouver well enough in the last round. We can do it, as a team." Coach Maurice added. "Their strength is in net, so it'll be a grind. A goalie can make all the difference in the spring, but we have a good one too."
The second round begins tonight, with the 3rd place Sharks visiting the second place Calgary Flames.