[quote name="Shredder"]The key to this series is staying out of the box and I think the Hawks can do that. The Sharks are actually in negative territory in terms of goals for and against 5-on-5 despite going 8-3 in the playoffs so far. They averaged 6.2 powerplays a game against the Wings and there's no chance in hell the Hawks are going to be shorthanded that much. We were shorthanded 3.2 times a game during the regular season and 4.4 so far in the playoffs.
Even if the we do take penalties, we're killing them off at 88.7% in the playoffs compared to the Avs at 80.8% and the Wings at 81.2%. During the season series, the Hawks went 15-18 on the PK against the Sharks (i.e. shorthanded 4.5 times a game). Of course, the Hawks also led the league in shorties during the regular season and are tops in the playoffs too.
Another interesting statistic is of course the fact that the Hawks outshot the Sharks 147-98. I find it difficult to envision Nabokov pulling a "Halak" on the Hawks in a seven-game series. Could happen, obviously, but Niemi seems like just as good a bet to do it as Nabokov, so that's a wash going in.[/quote]
If the Hawks continue what they did with the Nucks in crashing the net & screening, they will be in good shape. The shot total differential alone is not as formidable as it might appear, but when you combine it with the strategy the Hawks employed against Vancouver, it bodes well for the team getting a lot more high percentage opportunities.
