It only took 28 minutes for Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau to score in the opening series against Vancouver.
It may appear that both players, who have been scrutinized by the media and fans throughout the playoffs, are in good standing with the team. By scoring a goal in Game 1, Patrick Marleau has matched the total he had in a seven-game series against Detroit.
However, before the series began the team insisted that he did not need to score in order to prove that he was putting forth his best effort.
“He takes some heat,” said teammate Joe Pavelski after Game 7, “but it shows what kind of person he is.”
“For him to come out now and score a goal,” Pavelski continued, in reference to Marleau’s Game 7 tally, “some people are going to say, 'Well, that’s what he needed,’ but I think it might have been a little bit of a wakeup call for all of us.”
Like Marleau, Thornton found the back of the net in Game 1.
He opened the scoring late in the first period with an unassisted wrist shot in the last two minutes of the first period and got an assist on the Marleau goal.
“His leadership ability in the locker room has really shown in the playoffs,” said McLellan in front of the press before the series. “He’s our leader and he plays as we play.”
“He’s the leader of our team,” said Devin Setoguchi shortly after. “He’s the catalyst. He’s got to be the best every night for us and we follow.”
By scoring in Game 1, Thornton and Marleau have shown that they will be present both in the locker room and on the ice in the Western Conference Finals.
The Sharks will enter Game 2 looking for their depth to score. Should they come through, the team will get a must-needed split in Vancouver.
Tom Schreier is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained firsthand or from official interview materials from the San Jose Sharks.
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