SAN JOSE, Calif. – The all-time record for home teams in a Game 7 of a Stanley Cup playoff series: 103-73. The San Jose Sharks’ all-time record in Game 7s: 7-4. The all-time record for the Avalanche in Game 7s as a team: 4-6.
Those are all daunting numbers for Avs fans to see as another seventh game looms tonight with the Sharks (7 p.m. Mountain start, a bit earlier than the most recent games). The Avs, in fact, have never won a seventh game on the road since moving to Denver in 1995.
This will be the fourth Game 7 on the road since ’95, with previous losses in Detroit and Dallas (twice).
But, hey, maybe this will all turn out to be one of those “they were due” things and everyone will go on to St. Louis to start a Western Conference final series?
For that to happen, the Avs not only have to buck their own history, but their still pitiful record at the Shark Tank. Since 2009, including these playoffs, the Avs are 3-16-6 in this building.
It should come as no shock that the Sharks are -141 favorites at the big sports books for this one. The Avs’ job of winning won’t be made any easier, either, by the continued absence of forward Matt Calvert.
Although he made the trip to San Jose, Calvert (upper body) won’t play. Jared Bednar strongly indicated he’ll go again with seven defensemen and 11 forwards against a Sharks team that may or may not be getting a key player back in their lineup.
Captain Joe Pavelski, out since Game 7 of the first round because of a head injury, is expected to be a “game-time decision” to play. The Sharks, unlike the Avs, did not hold a morning skate, so there was no further update from coach Pete DeBoer on Pavelski.
My take on this game? The Avs better get out to a better start than they have in all three previous games in this series. If they can get an early goal and – unlike Game 1 – hold on to the lead for a while or even extend it, I like their chances of victory a lot better. If they come out sloppy and get out-worked like they have and the crowd gets into it, especially like in Game 5, they’re going to fly home from another Game 7 with no games to play until fall.
0 Comments (4 conversations)
'@AvsFTW
3-16-6 in the Shark Tank since 2009 … brutal.
As for Pavelski – His wife said today she thinks he has a 75% chance of playing tonight and is feeling good: https://www.mercurynews.com/2019/05/08/sharks-avalanche-game-7-will-joe-pavelski-play-tonight-we-asked-his-wife/
tkredbrewer
Limit turnovers and fix the pp. Same story as all series long.
Abacon21
That record in the Shark Tank is just awful. Win or lose I’m proud of this team. Adrian, is it just me or does the Denver Post check BSN before they write articles? It seriously seems like they release the same stuff ten hours later.
Adrian Dater
AuthorWell, I can’t really comment on that, since I haven’t read the Post in a long time. But thanks for the support here!
B_Smitty
Nikita Zadorov is the worst Defenceman I have seen in these playoffs for any team. He is in the wrong place, makes the wrong play, has a bad stick and is missing plays all over the place. Patrick Nemeth is making simple plays and getting the puck up and out.
The grades in game 6 said Zadorov had bad luck on 3rd goal against. 1. He misplayed the puck 2. He tries to shoot when the simple play is back down the wall 3. After the misplay He DID NOT MOVE and tried to slash opponents stick. EVERY OTHER D in the NHL movers his feet to get out of the zone and doesn’t stand still and make a desperate slash. Watch MacKinnon’s head shake after the goal against. That head shake is “I made a good pass and Z botched it then Z didn’t know what he was doing”.
Tonight in game 7, SOderberg makes a nice short pass to wide open Zadorov in own zone. Z muffs the clear and 20 seconds later the Sharks go ahead with 3rd goal. The grades on Soderberg are negative every game but watch how many simple chips and indirect passes off the wall get the puck out of the zone. Soderberg gets a minus for the 3rd goal against when Z should get 5 minuses.
Go ahead and say “he lays the lumber”… sometimes, not often. He is slow both in feet and mentally. Playoff speed is WAY too fast for him and not Nemeth.
Whichever Avs coach has graded Nemeth behind Zadorov needs to go to film room and show us why that is the case. It is not even close.