Red Light District Hockey has a great article today on how Joe Pavelski has stepped up for the San Jose Sharks, while Joe Thornton has once again fallen off the face of the planet once the playoffs began.
“There was not going to be any quit on our part,” Pavelski said. “We wanted this one. We knew we were going to get our chances, a couple of chances. Let’s bury them when we get the opportunity and they went in.”
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He goes on to mention the dominant performance of Pavelski’s line. Skating alongside Setoguchi and Clowe, the “second” line combined for nine goals and 22 points and was a plus-16 in the series to lead the San Jose attack.
If the Sharks have any hope of slaying their postseason demons, they’ll need much more than a great performance by Joe Pavelski and his line to do so. Somehow, any way possible, Thornton will have to find a way to get over this massive hump he’s facing.