OVERALL RECAP

This series has been anything but how the Vancouver Canucks expected it to go. For a team with arguably two of the top goaltenders, they’ve been plagued all season but inconsistent play, and tonight that was on display. With Cory Schneider making his first appearance of the series, he needed a solid game to energize his players. The only players energized tonight were the Sharks, to the tune of a 5-2 victory and a commanding 3-0 series lead.

May 5, 2013; San Jose, CA, USA; San Jose Sharks center Patrick Marleau (12) celebrates after scoring a goal against the Vancouver Canucks during the third period in game three of the first round of the 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs at HP Pavilion. The San Jose Sharks defeated the Vancouver Canucks 5-2. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports

GAME RECAP

Considering how this game ended up, it got off to what can be described as not the quickest start in the books. A solid first period by the goaltenders at either end of the ice, but offensively, Vancouver was just nowhere to be found. At least not to the level that the Sharks were engaging. That engagement paid off for them, getting late in the first period, on an extended power play, Joe Pavelski would put one behind Cory Schneider erupting the fans in San Jose. The Sharks would take their 1-0 lead into the first intermission.

The second period looked like the unwinding was beginning to happen. The Canucks managed to put one in the net this period, though not before Joe Pavelski would strike again. Henrik Sedin and Daniel Sedin finally got some life breathed into this in this series as they set up Alexandre Burrows, who put home his first, making this a 2-1 game heading towards the first. A Jannik Hansen penalty with 15 seconds left in the second would end up unravelling the Canucks team completely in this game.

1:40 into the third period, Logan Couture puts home his second of the series, on the PP, giving the sharks a 3-1 lead. 9 seconds later Patrick Marleau scores and it’s 4-1 Sharks. 3 Minutes later, on another Power Play, Couture scores again, giving the sharks a 5-1 edge and that was the end of Schneider’s night. Roberto Luongo would come in and charge up the team. However that late in the game it was just not enough. Facing 10 shots in the last 15 minutes, Luongo would turn them all aside and absorb the loss in his stats. Dan Hamhuis would put home one for the Canucks, and this game would end 5-2. The Sharks take a huge lead in the series 3-0, putting the Canucks on the verge of being swept for the first time since 2001.

SENSHOT 3 STARS

1 – Logan Couture

2 – Joe Pavelski

3 – Antti Niemi

Ottawa Senators coach Paul MacLean might be in only his second year as an NHL head coach, but he has been through the NHL wars as a player and a coach.  And while he might not have set out to do it from the start, he is now owning Montreal coach Michel Therrien and the Montreal Canadiens team when it comes the battle of wits, even if his counterpart is unarmed.

Mar 30, 2013; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens head coach Michel Therrien behind forward Jeff Halpern (24) and forward Travis Moen (32) and forward Max Pacioretty (67) during the second period against the New York Rangers at the Bell Centre. Canadiens won 3-0. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

The biggest mistake was for Therrien to address MacLean’s comments after game 1 and to call MacLean out for being disrespectful to Lars Eller’s family seemingly because MacLean chose not to out Raphael Diaz for the suicide pass that led Eller into the Erik Gryba hit, instead choosing to refer to him by his sweater number (“Player 61″).

MacLean didn’t fire back, he had fun with it, and used it to his advantage.  Just like he did with the Brandon Prust attacks on his personal appearance.  The Habs today look like the little brother who just kept poking at big brother until big brother had enough and poked back.

And then Therrien has the nerve to call MacLean “classless”?  Nothing more than trying to deflect criticism that will no doubt be directed at him and his players for their failure to compete in a game that showed the Montreal true colors.  They can dish it out, but can’t take it.  Therrien either a) lost control of his team on Sunday night, or b)  instructed his players to turn the game into a gong show with cheap shots and instigating fights.  Either way, it looks terrible on him and he had to try and deflect the criticism by whining about MacLean calling a timeout with 18 seconds left.  To his credit, he did make it through the post-game press conference without breaking into tears, although it looked like he was ready to do so at any moment.

Therrien, go cry to your mommy because you rattled the big dog’s cage with a stick and then got what you and your team deserved when he got loose.  You poked the bear with a stick and then cried when the bear ripped you a new one.  You annoyed your big brother and then cried to the media when he smacked you.

You get the idea.

Game 3 was the turning point of the series, and as I stated before the series started, a turning point in the entire makeup of the Ottawa Senators fanbase.  All the Senators have to do is win 2 more games.