2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Western Conference Finals Preview

The Western Conference finals started last night with game one between the Vancouver Canucks and the San Jose Sharks.

San Jose Sharks

The San Jose roster is stacked with big names. Up to this point in the playoffs, it's been the designated leaders on the Sharks that have been contributing with points.

Forwards:

Captain Joe Thornton and Assistant Captain Ryane Clowe are tied with 13 points in the 2011 playoffs, however, Clowe has the clear +/- advantage over Thornton. Thornton is -2 in the playoffs compared to Clowe who is +6. Thornton had the first goal of game one of the Western Conference finals last night thanks to an embarrassing giveaway by Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo.

Assistant Captain Patrick Marleau is +1 with 7 points in the playoffs. He was credited with San Jose's second and last goal last night when he tipped Dan Boyle's shot from the point. Joe Thornton had the second assist on Marleau's goal.

Defenseman:

Assistant Captain Dan Boyle is tied with Logan Couture for the second most postseason points on the Sharks with 12, but, like Joe Thornton, is also -2 in the +/- category.

Goaltending:

Annti Niemi was named the second star of the game last night in game one with a 0.921 save percentage. Except for a puck he gave-away behind the net that eventually resulted in a goal for Vancouver, Niemi looked pretty solid throughout the night on the 38 shots that he faced. Niemi has a cumulative 0.908 save percentage in the 2011 playoffs.

Vancouver Canucks

The Vancouver Canucks are also a team with a roster full of superstars.

Forwards:

After a quite first two rounds, captain Henrik Sedin and his twin brother assistant captain Daniel Sedin had the kind of game last night that Vancouver has been patiently waiting for. Henrik was named the first star of the game with the game winning goal and an assist on Bieska's goal. The twins have combined for an impressive 27 points in the playoffs so far.

Assistant captain Ryan Kesler owns the number one spot in the league with 16 playoff points and is tied with Datsyuk, Purcell and Giroux for the most assists with 11. He also leads the Canucks with a +6 rating.

Ryan Kesler on last night's game:

I just think we finally found our legs said. We were a little rusty in the first period. I thought we played well, but I think second and third period we found that extra gear and we continued. We forced them and we put a lot of pucks on the net. We generated most of the offense.

Defenseman:

Assistant captain Kevin Bieska netted Vancouver's second goal last night that was assisted by Alex Burrows and Henrik Sedin. Bieska has 5 points in the playoffs so far and is second on the team in the +/- department with a +5 rating.

Despite being a defenseman, Christian Ehrhoff is tied for third on the team with Daniel Sedin with 10 points (two goals, eight assists). Ehrhoff had an assist on Henrik Sedin's game-winner last night. While it is certainly nice to see your defenseman putting points up on the board, their primary job is to stop the puck from going into their own net. At -7, it is going to be critical for Ehrhoff to emphasize his defensive play for Vancouver to be successful moving forward.

Goaltending: