NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs - Conference Finals

The NHL Conference finals are in full gear. The higher remaining seeds (Boston and Vancouver) seem to have full control of their respective series. However, Friday and Saturday night will answer a lot when it comes to how the Stanley Cup Finals will play out.

Tomorrow night, a must-win for the San Jose Sharks. While staying in the game for the first 40 minutes, the third period has allowed the Canucks to show the distance. The speed of Vancouver's forwards and aggressiveness of the blue liners has tilted the ice. Will the puck-possession style of play be an advantage on home ice for the Sharks? 

I'm curious to see how the home ice advantage (allowing the final line change on a stoppage) can create mismatches to the Sharks advantage. Unfortunately, the camera doesn't always show the bench and who comes on and off the ice. It's something a person in attendance would have to carefully observe before the next puck drops. It's fascinating to see how Sharks' head coach Todd McClellan utilizes his forward combinations after Vancouver's hand is shown by head coach Alain Vigneault. 

In the Eastern Conference Finals, finally some defense showed tonight and Boston Bruins' goaltender Tim Thomas shutout the Lightning 2-0, thus showing his ability to stop the puck. While surrendering a total of 10 goals in the first two games, Thomas proved why he is a 2011 Vezina Trophy finalist.