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Five Thoughts: Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton are shaking off preconceived notions

Vancouver Canucks v San Jose Sharks - Game Three

SAN JOSE, CA - MAY 20: in Game Three of the Western Conference Finals during the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs at HP Pavilion on May 20, 2011 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images)

Victor Decolongon

Here’s to hoping you’re all enjoying your day of rapture and knowing that if it all does come crashing to an end that you saw the San Jose Sharks play one of their best games of the playoffs last night. Sure that 4-3 final score made it seem a lot closer, but that was a dominant effort from the Sharks. Besides, if you’re going out in style today you can at least get one more hockey game in with Bruins-Lightning Game 4 going on at 1:30 p.m. ET on NBC. As for more from last night, here’s some thoughts you could give a penny for.

1. Patrick Marleau sure picked a great time to go on one of his patented hot streaks. Marleau’s two goals last night now gives him five in his last four games and it all goes back to the goal he had in Game 7 against Detroit. Sometimes it doesn’t take much to get the ship righted, and for Marleau it only took a rebound tap in to get him rolling once again. Oddly enough, we saw this same sort of thing happen for him last season in the playoffs.

After two rounds of the playoffs last year against Colorado and Detroit, Marleau scored just three goals and four assists in the ten games he played in there (missing one against Detroit). In the conference finals where San Jose bowed out to Chicago in four games, however, Marleau went off scoring five goals and assisting on one other. It can be frustrating to have a guy be so streaky, but similarly to last season, Marleau is the one guy showing up consistently in the conference finals yet again.

2. Speaking of showing up in the playoffs and destroying previous notions, there’s Joe Thornton. Thornton added three assists to his playoff point total in last night’s win giving him 17 points in these playoffs. That total puts him on top of the leaderboard for points scored for the postseason and given his snarly leadership in these playoffs, this isn’t the Joe Thornton you’re used to seeing from the past.

This version of Joe Thornton is playing with a focused determination that’s giving the Sharks the sort of edge they’ve needed out of him (and others) for some time now. Thornton, meanwhile, is doing the sort of thing he’s always done in the past for the regular season. He’s doing the majority of his damage in setting up teammates for goals while adding a defensive element to his game that helps make life tough on opposing scoring forwards. During Game 3, coach Todd McLellan was making sure that Thornton was shadowing the Sedins line. Their line on the night? One goal from Alex Burrows and one assist on the power play from Henrik Sedin. Keeping Henrik and Daniel Sedin off the score sheet like that is something the Sharks will take every time.

3. One thing that’s been easy to see that makes a world of difference so far for San Jose is how effective their power play is against Vancouver. Last night in Game 3, Vancouver couldn’t get out of their own way and the Sharks took advantage going 3-10 with the man advantage. In Games 1 and 2 they combined to go 3-3 on the power play.

Going 6-13 in a series is an unreal amount of production and points toward a major problem in how Vancouver is defending against the power play. After all, going 46% on the power play isn’t a normal thing and while you’d like to think that statistical correction will eventually come into play here, if there’s a weakness the Sharks have found in the Canucks’ game they’re in big trouble.

4. It should come as no surprise that the Sharks scratched Ben Eager in Game 3. That said, McLellan opting to shake up his entire fourth line by bringing three new guys into the mix was a bit of a stunner. McLellan did a lot to praise Eager’s game after his monumentally dumb Game 2 saying that the physical edge he provides is something he likes to see out of him and that if he could cut out on the penalties he’s an asset to the team.

Instead, with the team down 2-0 in the series and special teams proving to be a huge factor through the first two games, McLellan knew that having a guy out there that handed power plays to the Canucks like they were candy was a bad idea. I’d like to think we may not see Eager back out there for a bit, but Jamie McGinn (one of the three new players inserted into the lineup) took a bad penalty of his own that gave Vancouver a five minute power play late. On the major the Canucks scored twice and narrowed the deficit to one. Those sorts of mistakes won’t cut it in the playoffs and McGinn has twice taken majors in the playoffs. For guys that only played up to six minutes in the game, they had a major impact on it. Every little bit counts.

5. Looking for a positive from the Canucks? How about Kevin Bieksa. Bieksa’s play all season long has been that of a man motivated to prove his worth. After all the trade rumors he had during the offseason about how the Canucks were going to have to get rid of someone making a good chunk of money, Bieksa’s play has made him a force along the blue line.

Bieksa scored his fourth goal of the playoffs in the third period to make it 4-3 San Jose and that gave him eight points in these playoffs. He’s provided offense, a physical presence, and been perhaps the most consistent player in Vancouver’s defensive corps. He’s able to play the physical game with an edge but one that doesn’t go too far and means he’s costing his team with it. In short, he’s giving the Canucks the kind of play from a defenseman that you dream of in the playoffs. If they can get the others to follow his lead, they’ll be sitting pretty the rest of the way.