Ducks Take 3-1 Series Lead Over Sharks With 4-0 Win

The Anaheim Ducks changed all the patterns of the series. They became the first team to lead after two periods of play, and they became the first home team to win a game, as they shutout San Jose with a 4-0 victory at home to take a 3-1 series lead with game 5 headed back to San Jose.

The first period was well played by San Jose, despite giving up the first two power plays to the Anaheim Ducks. The Sharks ended up outshooting Anaheim 10 to 8 and controlling much of the offensive pace in the second half of the period. However, everything, including a pane of glass in between the benches, fell apart for the Sharks in the second. At 6:33 in the second period, Bobby Ryan stickhandled around a Sharks defenseman before whipping a shot past Evgeni Nabokov on the far side to give Anaheim the 1-0 lead. Then, Ryan crashed into the pane of glass that seperates the two benches on his next shift, creating an extended delay as both coaches were adamant to have the glass repaired. The big question was how would the teams respond, as Anaheim had all the momentum going their way. But the Ducks were not phased, and caught the Sharks sleeping, as they scored just seconds after the game resumed, as a huge rebound given up by Nabokov slid to the high slot and right to Bobby Ryan's stick, who virtually had an empty net goal for his second of the game to give the Ducks the 2-0 lead.
The onslaught continued in the third period. The Ducks were content to sit back and let the clock wind down, but a huge turnover late in the third period resulted in another Ducks goal. Ryan Getzlaf was the recipient of a San Jose breakout pass, and he shot the puck right off Corey Perry's stick for the deflection goal. With two minutes left in the game, Nabokov was pulled for the extra skater, but another turnover by the Sharks led to a Drew Miller empty net goal to seal the win for the Anaheim Ducks, as they took a 3-1 series lead with their second shutout of the top seeded team in the NHL playoffs.

After the first period, the Sharks were outplayed in every aspect of the game. Both teams were blanked on the power play, as Anaheim went 0-5 and San Jose were a quiet 0-2. But the Ducks outshot San Jose 12 to 9 in the second period, and would've had a greater shot margin if it were not for the blocked shots by the Sharks. Jonas Hiller made 31 saves to record his second shutout of the series and his short playoff career. Ryan Getzlaf and Todd Marchant combined to win 75% of the faceoffs against San Jose's top two lines, which was one of the glaring statistics despite both teams ending up even on faceoffs 28 to 28. At the end of the game, Douglas Murray received a cross-checking minor, causing a fight in the corner which resulted in two game misconducts handed out to Jeremy Roenick and Sheldon Brookbank. It is likely that the league will review the incident and if any player is to be suspended, it will most likely be a San Jose Shark. Game 5 will be back in San Jose, where the Sharks are 0-2 in the first two games of the series, getting shutout in game 1 and falling short of a comeback effort 2-3, as they try to stave off elimination by the hands of their interstate rival.