The San Jose Sharks’ biggest problem isn’t Justin Williams. And it’s not referee Chris Lee, or a National Hockey League rulebook that does not seem to support what happened on the game-winning goal in Game 6.
Their problem is goaltending – their own, and more so the Los Angeles Kings’, as the two clubs head upstate for what could be a historic Game 7 in California. Goaltending wins games like the one scheduled for 10 p.m. ET on Wednesday, and right now the edge at that position is firmly on L.A.’s side.
Jonathan Quick is back to his former Conn Smythe form after posting an .852 save percentage through the first three games of this series. And in the Sharks’ net, Antti Niemi watched Game 6 from the bench while backup Alex Stalock was just good enough to get the Sharks beat. So there is indecision and concern over which goalie (if any) can provide true No. 1 playoff goaltending on the Sharks side — not good.
Meanwhile, this series has ground down to a chip-and-chase, uber-physical style of play that the Kings favour. L.A. gets a ton of credit here — the Kings have found a way to slam the brakes on a runaway series after three games and get it working in their favour again.
Was the call on that winning goal in Game 6 a ripoff for San Jose? Yeah, it was. But we all know there will be breaks, both good and bad, come playoff time. And the team that deals with them the best almost always wins.
Only nine teams have ever forced a Game 7 after being down 3-0, and only three have won that Game 7. The last one, of course, was the Philadelphia Flyers over the Boston Bruins in 2010 — a Flyers team that featured both Mike Richards and Jeff Carter.
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Speaking of goaltending, raise your hand if you didn’t think Ryan Miller would be the icing on the St. Louis Blues’ cake when they made the deal with Buffalo back on Feb. 28. The Blues hung around first place in the NHL all season long with average goaltending. How could Miller not be a difference-maker come playoff time?
Well, he was a difference-maker all right. How about an .897 save percentage? Or a 2.70 goals-against average, ninth best among NHL playoff goalies?
And Miller wasn’t overworked. Of eight goalies who have seen action in six playoff games this spring, Miller faced the fifth most shots. Just like Niemi, Corey Crawford — a Chicago goaltender who never gets credit for being good enough — was better than the Flavour of the Week down at the other end.
Now, what happens in St. Louis?
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Win or lose, Colorado is getting more than a round’s worth of playoff experience out of this Round 1 series with Minnesota. Tight games at home and on the road. Comebacks. Nathan MacKinnon giving us glimpses of a player who looks like he might follow in the lineup of all-around Canadian star centremen behind Sidney Crosby and Jonathan Toews.
Speaking of big-game players, how about Zach Parise with 2-2-4 in a must-win Game 6? That’s clutch. He has a point in every game of the series (3-7-10).
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And finally, a shout out to retiring Calgary Flames radio play-by-play man Peter Maher.
He has been the Voice of the Flames since Year 2, after they arrived from Atlanta, and called all three Stanley Cup appearances. For you Maple Leafs fans, he is the Joe Bowen of Calgary, the Rod Phillips for an Oilers fan, or Calgary’s Jim Robson for a Canucks fan.
For me, well, I recall my first few trips to the press box in the mid-’80s, when I was a nobody making my way out of a college newspaper. Maher, however, always treated people like they were someone, even if he did not know your name — and why would he know mine back then?
He was obviously a fine caller of the game, and a more decent man I’ve never met. Happy retirement, Peter.
Yeah, baby! We’re going to miss you here in Alberta.