The No. 1 seed Vancouver Canucks and the No. 2 seed San Jose Sharks meet for the right to play for the Stanley Cup, and the matchup could be the greatest battle since Mega Shark vs. Giant Orca, which we're sure had to be a Syfy Channel original movie at some point.
Also, it'll be nice to have a West Final in which the teams don't bitch all that much about time zones and travel. Until they become factors again in the following round.
The Canucks dominated the Sharks in the regular season, winning three of four games and outscoring them 16-10. Their last meeting was on March 10 in San Jose — a 5-4 shootout win for the Canucks that featured three goals traded between the teams from 17:47 to 19:39 of the third period. Yes please we'll have more of that …
Here are 10 things to know about the Western Conference Final.
1. Two teams that "can't get it done"
This is the eighth playoff appearance in 10 seasons for the Canucks and their first trip to the conference finals since 1994. This is the 12th playoff appearance for the Sharks in their last 13 seasons, making the conference finals for the third time, having never advanced to play for the Cup.
They've both blown 3-0 leads in the 2011 playoffs. They're both known as chronic underachievers in the postseason.
And they both know they're four wins away from helping to either overcome the label or add to its legacy. Said Dan Boyle of the Sharks: "We're sick and tired of talking about this stuff. We just have to win. I'm sure the questions are going to be asked of both teams."
2. Welcome to stardom, Ryan Kesler
It was a hell of a regular season for Kesler, as he scored a career-best 41 goals and is the favorite to win the Selke Trophy for best defensive forward — even if Manny Malhotra shared much of that defensive burden.
But his postseason performance has been extraordinary and diverse.
He took some heat for not tallying a goal against the Chicago Blackhawks, but he was busy shutting down Jonathan Toews, who didn't have a goal until Game 7. Against the Nashville Predators, Kesler again played stellar defense while tallying a point in 11 of their 14 goals in the series — and frequently displaying the kind of ace agitation that characterized the early days of his NHL career.
From the Vancouver Sun after the Canucks eliminated the Preds:
"Well, he's obviously decided to drive the bus," Canucks coach Alain Vigneault said, "and he was our dominant force on the ice, played real strong at both ends of the rink, and we needed that performance — and we need it to continue.
"And," he added, pointedly, "we need some other guys to come on board here, because it's not going to get easier, it's going to get tougher."
Speaking of which …
3. What's the Swedish phrase for 'playoff disappointment'?
Henrik Sedin has a goal and eight assists, but those points have been infrequent. Daniel Sedin has 6 goals and 4 assists, with six of those 10 points coming in the first four games against Chicago. They are a combined minus-16.
Will the San Jose series offer better conditions for the twins? From The Province:
San Jose coach Todd McLellan appeared to seek a Thornton-Sedins matchup in the regular season, so we'll see how that shakes out. The other difference from the Canucks' previous series -and this should also benefit the Sedins -is that San Jose has no true shutdown defence pair like Nashville's all-world Ryan Suter and Shea Weber. Minutemuncher Dan Boyle plays a ton and after that it gets done by committee.
The north-south style that this series shapes up to be should benefit Danny and Hank. "I think they're more of a team that roll their lines and roll their Ds," said Henrik. "We're the same kind of team, so we'll see what happens. We've been through this throughout the regular season and the playoffs, so it's a thing where if some guys aren't scoring then other guys are stepping up."
They need to be more of a presence in the offensive zone, take the scoring pressure off the Kesler line; and, in the case of Henrik, contribute more on the power play, where he has three helpers in 13 games.
4. The Battle of the Playoff Anthems
In the Wiz Khalifa division, we have "Blue and Green" …
Versus "Black and Teal":
And in the radio bit division, we have "Mack The Shark":
Versus Ivan's "Making Love To The 2011 Vancouver Canucks":
Well, if that doesn't help you determine a winner, nothing will.
5. Joe Thornton can win the Conn Smythe
Even as Ryane Clowe's point totals were climbing, Sharks fans were saying the name that should be near the top of the team's Conn Smythe Watch was Jumbo Joe.
He's having arguably his best postseason, with the acknowledgment that the bar for such assessment isn't as high as it is for, say, Hernik Zetterberg. But even when he's been held off the scoresheet, he's been dangerous with the puck on the attack and a real factor defensively — both on the backcheck and on faceoffs.
But offensively, he's had some key moments. He scored the series-clincher against the Los Angeles Kings, and earlier set up Devin Setoguchi's OT game-winner in that Game 3 rally. He assisted Setoguchi's hat trick vs. Detroit, and in Game 7 against the Detroit Red Wings, he had the helper on Setoguchi's key first-period power-play goal.
Kesler vs. Thornton could end up defining this series. Or perhaps it'll be …
6. Luongo vs. Niemi
Roberto Luongo (2.25 GAA, .917 SV%) survived the first round against his tormentors from Chicago, getting pulled twice and benched once in that seven-game series. But he played well in Game 7 and that confidence carried over to the Nashville series, in which he didn't give up more than two goals in five of six games and pitched a Game 1 shutout.
Antti Niemi (3.01 GAA, .906 SV%) also had his first-round struggles and settled down in Round 2. He's doing exactly what he did last season in winning the Cup with the Blackhawks: Providing unheralded performances in goal that add up to championship potential for his team. Said Kesler to NHL.com:
"I think he doesn't get enough credit," Kesler said of Niemi, who signed with the Sharks as a free agent last summer after leading the Hawks to their first Cup since 1961. "He's a very good goalie. We're going to have to play him like we played Rinne. We're going to have to get traffic in front of him. Our 'D' are going to need to get their shots through. We need forwards getting second and third chances. That's the way we're going to have to play this."
Both Niemi and Luongo have shown flashes of disappointment and brilliance in this postseason; who can carry this series?
7. The Sharks' power play is rather important
The Sharks' power play went ice cold against the Red Wings for three games, allowing Detroit to come back in the series. It clicked in Game 7, and San Jose won by a goal.
The Sharks are 6-0 when scoring a power-play goal and 2-5 when they don't. Vancouver is killing at an 86-percent clip (7 goals on 50 times shorthanded). In what could be another close series, this could turn it.
8. The supporting cast
Thornton, Patrick "Hey, Look, Guts" Marleau, Dany Heatley and Dan Boyle get most of the attention for the Sharks. Kesler, the Sedins and Luongo get it for the Canucks. But it's the supporting cast for both teams that could determine the winner.
Ryane Clowe leads San Jose with 13 points, returning from injury to play well in Game 7. "Rookie" Logan Couture is second on the Sharks with 12 points, after a Game 7 goal against the Wings. Devin Setoguchi is an enigmatic scorer, but has tallied some big goals in these playoffs (six total). Joe Pavelski has five and remains one of the teams most clutch scorers.
For Vancouver, Alex Burrows had the game of this life in Game 7 against the Blackhawks and has eight points in the playoffs. But the scoring has to increase from players like Mason Raymond (5 points), Chris Higgins (4 points) and Raffi Torres (2 points), who have played well but haven't hit the box score enough. Mikael Samuelsson flat out needs to be better.
9. Kyle Wellwood and old friends
After facing Shane O'Brien in the Predators series, another old friend comes to visit Vancouver in the conference finals: Kyle Wellwood, who spent two years with the Canucks and made a big impression. (Vigneault would argue it was too big at times.)
Is Wellwood carrying a grudge against the Canucks? No, he told the Mercury News, because his departure signaled a change in personnel philosophy from the team:
"The new players fit their mold well -- they all skate extremely fast, and they'll shoot the puck, and they'll be physical," Wellwood said. "Last year their players were more like me, where we hung onto the puck and played a little slower and were more patient."
Do the Canucks carry a grudge against Wellwood, who questioned their ability to win in the playoffs? Kevin Bieksa called him a "weasel" and said, "When we had him on our squad, we were afraid to lose. He was the smallest third-line centre in the league at that point." Because Kevin Bieksa is rather humorous.
Speaking of which …
10. Finally, Sharks Fans vs. Vancouver Fans
Both teams have boisterous home ice advantages, with buildings that can get rather loud. Both have terrific blogs, including Pass It To Bulis for the Canucks and Fear The Fin for the Sharks.
But really, at the end of the day, what will determine the Western Conference Champion? Comedy, of course! So will it be the hugely popular Green Men:
Or the return of this genius (please oh please return):
And will a San Jose fan find a way to throw a shark with a whale in its mouth onto the ice?