The first sweep of the 2013 NHL Playoffs is complete. The Vancouver Canucks were brushed right out of the postseason as the San Jose Sharks completed a 4-3 victory in overtime. Chants of "Sweep" poured down in HP Pavilion as the Sharks will now move on to the second round and one step closer to the Stanley Cup.
The Canucks failed to look at all competitive during the playoff series. They lost the first two games at home before heading to San Jose. A switch at goaltender did nothing as the Canucks were no match for the scoring attack brought by the Sharks. Patrick Marleau, the franchise's all-time leading scorer in the playoffs, knocked in a rebound shot to give the team the over-time power play goal and the win.
The series sweep was the first ever by San Jose, coming just one year after the St. Louis Blues beat them in five games. The Caunucks on the other hand have now lost back-to-back opening playoff series since reaching the Stanley Cup Finals in 2011. Vancouver was beaten in five games last year to the Los Angeles Kings. They entered this playoff series as Pacific Division champions and could not get out of the first round.
"This year, this is not the way we wanted to end. It was almost like we were a first-time playoff team going to the box too many times. A lot of guys have been together for a long time. It's very disappointing because you only have so many chances," said captain Henrik Sedin.
The Sharks will now have plenty of time to rest and get healthy prior to the next round. As they are the first team to move on in the Western Conference, the Eastern Conference is seeing its fair share of drama. The Pittsburgh Penguins were assumed to sweep the New York Islanders and instead find themselves in a series tied at 2-2. The Penguins lost Tuesday night to the Islanders forcing the series to now become a best-of-3.
The game sat tied 4-4 midway through the third period until John Tavares rocked the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum with a tie-breaking goal. The Islanders would go on to win 6-4. As the top seed in the East, many believed it would not take more than five games for Pittsburgh to get rid of New York. Instead, captain Sidney Crosby struggled to make an impact and the Penguins lost again.
Crosby struggled in the Game 4 loss, even appearing injured at one point. With 7:14 left, Crosby was drilled up high by a slap shot, just missing his newly designed face mask. He sat hunched over before skating off to the bench to be examined by a trainer. He was held to just one assist and went 4-14 in the faceoff circle. Pittsburgh opened the series with a shutout victory against New York and have yet to look like the same team since.