Six questions facing Sharks, Canucks for Game 3

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Vancouver can grab a commanding 3-0 series lead in the Western Conference Finals with a win here at HP Pavilion Thursday (9 p.m. ET, Versus, CBC, RDS). While 3-0 leads are not safe in these playoffs -- especially for the Canucks, who blew one in the first round against Chicago and needed to win Game 7 in overtime to advance -- they'd obviously prefer to play with that kind of advantage in Game 4 Sunday (3 p.m. ET, NBC, CBC, RDS).

If San Jose is going to reverse course, much has to change from Game 2.

As you continue to ponder what Game 3 will be like, if the Canucks can grab the 3-0 lead or if the Sharks can snap their eight-game conference finals losing streak, we offer you these six questions to help your water cooler and dining room table debates before Game 3:

1. Will the Sharks be able to corral the twins?

Chicago and Nashville found ways to hit Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin, knocking them off the puck enough that they were not able to work their magic with all that tic-tac-toe passing on every shift. The Sharks have not found a way to do that yet, but they must if they're going to get back in the series.

It's fair to assume that if Henrik and Daniel combine for 7 more points over the two games here at HP Pavilion like they did in Games 1 and 2 at Rogers Arena that the Canucks will either sweep or be in position to win the series in five games.

The problem, of course, is figuring out a way to stop the Sedins when they're playing this well. They are finding all kinds of time and space because Henrik is feeling good and looking good, Daniel is working hard to get open and Alexandre Burrows is working the wall to free up room for his linemates to do what they do best.

Sharks defenseman Dan Boyle said the Sedins deserve respect, but not as much as his team is giving them.

"When all three guys are going like they're going now, they are almost impossible to defend," Canucks center Ryan Kesler said. "They don't look like the biggest guys out there, but they're strong on their feet, they can protect the puck well, take a beating and they can make a backhand sauce pass cross-ice like you saw (Wednesday) all in stride. They're both very good players and that their twins it makes them that much better."

2. Can San Jose stay composed?

If they can't, they will go down 3-0 in the series, because we've already seen that when the Sharks implode, the Canucks will take advantage.

The Sharks' Patrick Marleau probably envisioned something different happening after he dropped the mitts first against Kevin Bieksa in the second period of Game 2. He was likely doing it to pump up his team, which was down a goal at that juncture of the game.

The Sharks instead started to lose it. Ben Eager took a run at Daniel Sedin and the Sharks never regained their composure, taking nine penalties for 42 minutes in the third period. The Canucks scored twice on the power play to salt the game away.

What angered the Sharks even more is that the Canucks, other than Bieksa, didn't fight back. For instance, Maxim Lapierre turned down an invitation from Ryane Clowe late in the game. There was no reason for him to drop the gloves.

"It wasn't like we lost it when it was 5-2 or 6-2. We lost it at 3-2," Sharks coach Todd McLellan said. "That's not the sign of a team that can win a series. That has to get better."

3. Who is going to stop Kevin Bieksa?

The Canucks' soon-to-be unrestricted free agent is running up his price tag in these playoffs -- specifically in this round. Bieksa has goals off the rush in each of the two games and completed a Gordie Howe hat trick with his fight with Marleau and an assist on Chris Higgins' power-play winner in the third period of Game 2.

One thing he's doing extremely well is picking the right times to join the rush and then using his speed to his advantage to get behind the Sharks' forwards and even their defensemen, who are not supposed to be worried about the opposition's blueliners rushing down the wall. It's normally up to the center to stop that play from happening, but Bieksa burned Joe Thornton in Game 1 and again in Game 2.

It's not totally Thornton's fault, of course, but the Sharks have to be more aware of when Bieksa is on the ice. They already knew he would play a menacing, physical role on the back end, but Bieksa clearly has more to his game than just that.

"We can certainly learn from these guys, with their defensemen jumping in late," Boyle said. "We've got to find those opportunities, too, and right now they're not there. At least I'm not seeing them."

4. Will the Sharks get a middle rush and more chances in front of Roberto Luongo?


This starts in the neutral zone, but the Sharks haven't been good there. They're not coming up the ice with any speed or seemingly any purpose. Instead, they are slowing down and looking to dump the puck into the corners, but then they're not winning puck battles there, either.

So, yes, the Sharks have to be better in the neutral zone, and if they are, they then have to be better in the offensive zone. They are not getting nearly enough traffic in front of the Canucks' net, and when they do it is not sustained.

With no pressure coming through the neutral zone and no traffic in front of Luongo, the Sharks are putting zero pressure on the Canucks. That's not a way to win.

"The neutral zone is a big part of it, but for me it's more of a sustained attack in the offensive zone," McLellan said. "We've been there. We've thrown pucks to the net, but all too often we're one and out. When we were playing well against Los Angeles and Detroit, we were able to roam around a little bit in their end, have sustained attack, get fresh people out on a line change. We've done a poor job, and Vancouver has done a real good job."

5. How do the Canucks keep Antti Niemi moving in his crease?

Vancouver has been good in a lot of areas so far in this series, but it has been especially excellent in getting Niemi to move post-to-post. The Canucks' passing game, specifically with the Sedins, has forced the goalie to have to be mobile in his own crease. According to Henrik, that has created more holes in Niemi.

"Every goalie is good when you come down the wing and take shots. You have to have them moving side to side," Henrik said. "(Niemi) tends to open a little more between pads and gloves. If you look at both of Daniel's goals, he opened up between his pads and his glove and the other one went five-hole."

To keep Niemi moving, the Canucks obviously have to continue moving the puck as effectively as they have been. The Sharks want to take away that time and space that Vancouver has had in the offensive zone, but to do so they will have to spend more time playing with the puck on the other end of the ice.

If the Canucks again are allowed to make several passes deep in the offensive zone, Niemi will have no choice but to keep moving all over his crease. We've already seen how that plays to the Canucks' advantage.

6. Which passengers are going to jump on board for San Jose?

Dany Heatley? Joe Pavelski? Ryane Clowe? Devin Setoguchi? The Sharks need them all to be better in Game 3 or else Game 4 could be a potential close-out game for the Canucks.

Heatley, Pavelski, Clowe and Setoguchi have combined for 2 assists, 11 shots and a minus-5 rating in the first two games.

Setoguchi didn't register a shot on goal in Game 2. Clowe didn't have any in Game 1. Heatley hasn't done much at all.

Pavelski's line, including Torrey Mitchell and Kyle Wellwood, has been outplayed thoroughly by the Canucks' third line of Maxim Lapierre, Raffi Torres and Jannik Hansen.

"Sometimes just showing them where they were and how far they've come strikes a chord with them," McLellan said. "To remind them of some of their achievements, not about goals and assists (but) some of their achievements, changes, commitments that they've made to teammates, to themselves and their careers is a very powerful thing. It's not always about rubbing their noses in it."

Follow Dan Rosen on Twitter at: @drosennhl