If you're placing a bet on NHL, you're probably surprised as anyone that San Jose is on the verge of taking out Detroit in the second round of the playoffs. What's more surprising is that it's one game away from being a sweep, something that hasn't happened to the Red Wings since the 2002-03 season.
The first three games have all come by a 4-3 score, and Game 3 in Detroit was an overtime thriller. Joe Pavelski has been a force with four goals and three assists in the series, but most importantly, the Sharks' big line of Joe Thornton, Dany Heatley and Patrick Marleau is finally awake. Thornton has two goals and three assists, while Heatley has added a goal and four helpers. Marleau has just a goal and an assist, but his goal was the overtime winner off a pass from Thornton in Game 3. Heatley and Thornton sparked the Sharks' Game 2 third-period comeback.
As for the Red Wings, they're looking a little old right now, and they're slow to the loose pucks along the boards. Jimmy Howard has a 3.88 GAA and a .886 save percentage, and the nerves could be finally getting to him. The Red Wings may look to bleed some younger players into the lineup next year, along with the core of Nik Lidstrom, Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg and company.
This is the Sharks team we've been waiting for over the last few years, and if the Northbet "Gold-Medal Line" (Thornton, Marleau and Heatley also played together for Canada, albeit not that well) can continue to step up, the Sharks' betting odds for the Stanley Cup could go up.
