Shark Attack II, The Fourth Line Show

How about that fourth line?

Several years ago, if you had told me I would ever willingly chant Raffi Torres' name, I would have thought you to be insane. The guy was by far one of my least favorite players in the entire NHL. I called him a punk, a thug, a pesk, a dirty player and everything in between. I hated his face, his face. And believe me, I was none too thrilled when I learned the Sharks traded for him last season. Nonetheless, as he sat in the penalty box during last night's game, I stood up at my seat in SAP Center and joined the crowd, yelling, "RAFFI, RAFFI, RAFFI, RAFFI." The man was absolutely burning up for every second of his 11:43 on the ice. So much so, that I wanted to relive each shift of the fourth line over and over again.

Andrew Desjardins, Mike Brown and Raffi Torres have been incredible through two games, executing their role with near flawlessness. They have created energy through physical shifts and wreaked havoc in the LA zone. After every stoppage, when the fourth line was on the ice, there was a scrum of some sort. They are playing just the type of game Todd McClellan and the rest of the team needs them too. For, as they grind and wear down the Kings, Joe Pavelski, Patrick Marleau, Joe Thornton and Logan Couture wait, ready to light the lamp. I mean, Quick's given up 12 goals in two games, not normal. Heck, the fourth line has even been scoring goals themselves, with both Torres and Brown notching goals last night (Torres had a goal in Game 1 also). An aggressive and momentum building fourth line is something the Sharks playoff teams of recent memory have lacked. Could this be an important factor they've always been missing? I think so.

Now, it has only been two games. Lets not get carried away here, this series could still easily go 6 or 7 games. For the last few years, the home team has dominated when the Sharks and Kings meet. I don't have the exact numbers, but trust me, the home team nearly always wins. So, a strong rebound from LA is likely, San Jose could find the series tied in a flash. However, I don't think that will happen. In 4/6 periods against one of the best defenses in the league, with arguably the best goaltender in the league, the Sharks have looked unbeatable. That's right, unbeatable.

So, hurry up Tuesday, I need to see another shark attack.