It was the same result exactly a year later for the San Jose Sharks. With the scored tied at 3-3 going into overtime and a 2-0 series lead, the Sharks went out there and won the game, though it was Devin Setoguchi this time with the game-winner in overtime. Joe Thornton took the puck to the boards and fired it to Setoguchi right in the middle, who fired off a good one to beat Jimmy Howard, giving the Sharks a 4-3 overtime win and a 3-0 series lead over the Detroit Red Wings.
The overtime period was mostly dominated by the Red Wings, and it forced Antti Niemi to rise to the occasion. Rise he did, stopping several scoring opportunities, and when he finally looked like he was about to succumb to the puck onslaught, Dany Heatley threw his body in the way of the empty net, making one of two or three saves at the net he'd made in the last twenty minutes. The Sharks got their licks in, but it was mostly Red Wings in that period.
It came down to the power play, once again, with the Sharks scoring two of their four goals on the power play, and the Red Wings scoring two of their three with the man advantage. Setoguchi got the scoring started in the first period, when Darren Helm was called for a hi sticking penalty. Thornton knocked the puck to the middle once again, and Setoguchi buried it on the rebound. Detroit got a power play near the end of the period, and with less than thirty seconds remaining, Henrik Zetterberg passed the puck to Nicklas Lidstrom, who beat Niemi no problem, bringing it to 1-1 to end the first.
When the second period came along, we were treated to intensely fast-paced hockey. Both teams exchanged scoring opportunities and both goalies played far and above the level they'd played for most of the postseason. Helm fed Patrick Eaves, who beat Niemi to put the Red Wings up 2-1, but Setoguchi struck again shortly after. Detroit was called for another penalty, and Setoguchi beat Howard on an off-speed shot that completely fooled Howard, who jumped the wrong direction. Pavel Datsyuk struck, as he always will, late in the period to put the Red Wings up again.
Period three was again, mostly evenly matched until the very end, when Dan Boyle beat Howard after circling around the back of the net and catching a rebound. Regulation ended with an offensive bombardment from the Red Wings, taking shot after shot at Niemi and co, and just before overtime, Datsyuk came very close to scoring with no time left on the clock. After that, it's all gravy.
The Sharks improved to 5-0 in overtime in the 2011 playoffs. Setoguchi had himself a hat trick, while Joe Thornton notched an assist on all three goals. Niemi stopped 38-of-41 for a .927 save percentage, while Howard stopped 34-of-38, good for .895. Play resumes on Friday, May 6th in Detroit, and the puck is set to drop at 4:00 p.m.