The San Jose Sharks responded in the exact way they wanted to in game three against the Vancouver Canucks. They came into game three down 2-0 in a series they could ill-afford to fall behind in. After dropping the first two in Vancouver, the feeling was that game three was as close to a "must-win" without literally being so as you could get. If they couldn't win at HP Pavilion, how can they expect to eventually beat the Canucks at the Rogers Center, which they will have to do to win the series?
Game four is less of a must-win than game three, but they'd be one loss away from elimination heading back to Vancouver, so it's still crucial that the Sharks come out playing their best hockey. With their recent propensity to bad third periods, it would appear that path victory is more than a little clear for the Sharks, as they used it to win in game three ...
It's pretty simple, but much easier said than done: score plenty of points before they reach the third period. If the problem is that they continue to squander leads in the third period, they need to just ensure that it's more than a one-goal lead they take into the frame. As notes, it's definitely easier said than done, because the Canucks match up so well.
If home ice if truly what matters in this series, the Sharks absolutely have to ensure they win the remaining games at HP Pavilion, while hoping they can win one in Vancouver. There's not a ton they really need to change about their on ice play: Antti Niemi has looked fantastic in goal, a far cry from the goalie we saw in the first round against the Los Angeles Kings. Joe Thornton has been on fire, while Patrick Marleau has a fire in him that is making Jeremy Roenick eat his words. Everybody is playing well.
They just need to play well for a full sixty minutes, and that's really the extent that one can saw after these three games thus far. If they do that in game four, the Sharks will even up this series at two games apiece. The game will be on NBC and the puck drops at 12:00 p.m. pacific