RED WINGS AT SHARKS

(San Jose leads the best-of-seven series 1-0)

TV: NBC (HD), TSN (HD), RDS (HD)
 
Big story: There was a time when the Sharks were the team that was chasing the Red Wings, always coming up short. But lately, the script has been flipped. With Friday's 2-1 overtime victory in Game 1, the Sharks have won of 9-of-11 against the Red Wings, including a five-game victory in last year's conference semifinals. But it's not as lopsided as it sounds -- six of those victories have come by just one goal.
 
Team Scope:

Red Wings: They got on the board first in Game 1, but they couldn't generate much offense after their first-period goal. The Wings had 17 shots over the final two periods and overtime. Despite losing in OT, coach Mike Babcock felt the one-goal effort didn't provide an indication of how his team was outplayed.

It's possible the eight-day layoff between games had an effect on the Red Wings.
"We have to skate first," Babcock said. "We didn't skate very well. They skated way better than we did. We looked like a team that had been off for a long time."
There was talk of potentially separating Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg; Babcock said the two will remain on the same line for Game 2, but other lineup changes are possible.

Sharks: Devin Setoguchi said in the morning before Game 1 that the Sharks' recent success didn't mean much, but it would mean that if the Wings got on top early, it wouldn't matter. The Sharks have proven they can beat the Wings in the playoffs, so they wouldn't hang their heads.

He was right. The Sharks got better and better as the game progressed and they eventually tied it on Joe Pavelski's third-period goal and won it in OT on Benn Ferriero's tally. They'll need that same mindset if the Wings bring a more complete effort in Game 2.

"I just expect them to be much better. I don¹t know how they¹re going to change things," said Boyle. "I don¹t see us getting six power plays again this series. They had some players who were on top of their game, but I just don¹t think they had everybody. Everybody is going to be better."
 
Who's hot: Pavel Datsyuk has 2 goals and 5 assists in 5 games for Detroit. … After failing to register a point in the first two games of the playoffs, Sharks captain Joe Thornton has 2 goals and 4 assists in his last five games.
 
Injury report: Chris Osgood, the Wings' backup goaltender, hasn't played since January due to hernia surgery. ... San Jose is still without defenseman Kent Huskins (upper body), but is otherwise healthy.
 
Stat pack: Teams that won Game 2 during the first round of these playoffs went 5-3 in their series.
 
Puck drop: "Both teams have to start at noon, so both teams have issues and things to deal with. Our body clocks and our hockey clocks are set to skate at this time. This is when we practice every day. We come to the rink and we start thinking hockey and breathing hockey. It's a matter of what you do tonight and how you manage your morning and make sure you're prepared. That's an individual choice that each of our players has to make so they come in and play for their teammates." -- Sharks coach Todd McLellan, on his team's first noon (local time) game of the season