Mark Spector

Mark Spector is a columnist for sportsnet.ca

It was a pretty discouraging two games for Sharks captain Joe Thornton.

It's not a choke job anymore in San Jose. This is simply who the San Jose Sharks are, the organizational equivalent of playoff no-show Robert Reichel.

They are a real good hockey team, until the level of the games rises. Then they become the Pacific Division's Pavol Demitra, and disappear before our eyes.

Just look at the post-game quotes from a team that lost Game 2 at home worse than it had lost Game 1 two nights before. We are three rounds into the Stanley Cup playoffs, and the San Jose Sharks are still figuring out that getting to a Stanley Cup requires all-out commitment every night.

"Didn't have nearly enough guys out there," revealed Joe Pavelski said after Chicago thumped San Jose 4-2 to take the proverbial commanding 2-0 series lead. "When we have won so far this season, it's been a commitment by everybody. Everybody's showed up, and that's what we need."

Ya think, Little Joe?

"Obviously as a man, we got to look in the mirror," said Danny Boyle, who must know that if you're still saying that on May 19, there is a problem somewhere. "We'll all see the game needs to be elevated. (Chicago) is a very good hockey team."

In a rite of spring, Sharks goalie Evgeni Nabokov is getting outplayed by the guy at the other end. This year it isn't Chris Osgood, Jonas Hiller or Dwayne Roloson. No, it is Antti Niemi's turn to watch, as Andrew Ladd drifted a long, sad shot past Nabokov to open the scoring in Game 2.

In nearly identical fashion, Patrick Sharp's long wrister had tied the game at 1-1 two nights before. Two crappy goals that opened the door to Chicago, a goaltending deficit, it seems, the Sharks skaters have become tired of overcoming.

"(That) goal took a lot out of us for some reason," coach Todd McClellan admitted. "You could feel it on the bench. It took us a while to climb back and get the energy level back up where it needed to be."

Let's face it: Nabokov is, as they used to say, just good enough to get you beat. Now the series shifts to Chicago, and the Sharks are fighting the "choke" label again this spring.

The hockey world could have rationalized a six-game loss to an excellent Chicago team, but this Western Conference final is quickly turning into a performance by San Jose that will wipe wins over Colorado and Detroit from our memories.

Nabokov looks like Roberto Luongo in Round 2, overwhelmed by the best bunch of net crashers in the league.

"Obviously tonight they got the better of us in that area," said McLellan, who looked very much like Alain Vigneault as he sat behind the post-game microphone, wondering what the solution was and if he had the troops to carry it out.

Remember, it was Dave Bolland who caused Daniel Sedin to lose it in Game 3 of that series. Now Bolland is seriously under Joe Thornton's skin, and like clockwork, the Blackhawks' first line is beginning to take over Round 3 just as it did Round 2.

Jonathan Toews has tied a franchise record with points in 11 straight games, in what is becoming a bullish, memorable run at the Conn Smythe Trophy.

"It's a recurring trend, I think," Toews said. "We start out, maybe have a 1-0 lead, we're down a goal or two coming out of the first period… We feel that we've kind of slowly taken over these games eventually in the third period. It's the right way to play on the road."

The Hawks have won seven straight on the road, unheard of in NHL playoff hockey. And for San Jose, that familiar old band is tuning up. They're fading under the pressure, unable to play the same game in May that made them so formidable in December and January.

In short, they can't find the next level to their game. Even the coach can see that.

"We were playing the game that we wanted to play. It turned on us. That's happened two games in a row," McLellan said. "Somehow … we can't let little bumps in the road slow us down. I'm not sure it's about skating any faster. It's the puck movement. We don't continue to do what we started to do. We try and force it a little bit more. All of a sudden we look slower."

And golf season looks closer.

We thought this series would last six games before Chicago prevailed. Time for a recount.