Game 3

The Preds played a game similar to what they played all year, with the exception that this time they weren't playing Chicago, St. Louis, or Columbus. And, of course, there was no Vokoun. Mason finally allowed two truly soft goals, but you almost expect a soft goal or two when you get outshot 40-17. They could play that kind of game when Vokoun was the goalie, but not now. The Sharks are just too hot of a team. The worst sin is the lack of energy on the team, to the point where I'm having trouble getting properly nervous. I just spent $40 for tickets this Sunday, and I hope I didn't waste it. Without playoff-level energy, this series is over.

The second San Jose goal was scored on a power play after a phantom call, but there were some of those the other way that the Preds did not capitalize on. I'm not sure why twice as many penalties were called on the Preds (10-5), but a lack of puck possession contributed. I officially have no idea what is or is not a penalty anymore. Toskala can knock the goal off it's moorings twice while attempting a save as it's not a penalty. To be fair, I saw Hartnell grab J. Thorton and it was not called. But a player can accidentally step on a defender's stick, and it's a penalty against the defense. It's gotten to the point that any call for either team is automatically suspect. This isn't the NBA - let's start getting some consistency here.