Hurd By The Bay

Pondering the buzz around the San Francisco Bay Area on a Monday while trying to remember a single playoff goal Patrick Marleau has ever scored that was … well, memorable.

--- Is it too soon to call Joe Pavelski the greatest playoff player in Sharks history? The center continued his ridiculous playoff hot streak and put his team in position to put some of their old playoff demons to rest. Pavelski is only one point shy of matching Marleau’s total in the 2005-06 playoffs --- ironically, the last time the Sharks held a two-game lead in the second round of a series; they blew that series against the Edmonton Oilers --- and his next goal will set a franchise record for the most in a single playoffs. More important, Pavelski has changed the mo-Joe around the Sharks and given them the feel of a team that can go deep in the playoffs. That’s a new development.

--- Pavelski is keeping some pretty nice company this playoff season, and the Sharks can take heart in what happened to the last team with a player who scored multiple goals in three straight playoff games.

---- Just as important in the Sharks’ Game 2 win was getting the other Joe on the board. Joe

Thornton may not consider himself a goal-scorer, but he’s gonna have to score his fair share if this team is to go where it wants.

--- Not sure I agree with KNBR’s Damon Bruce and Bay Area News Group’s Cam Inman that Pavelski is ready to have the building named after him, as they discussed in an interview I'll post as soon as the station does. But I do agree big-time with Bruce’s opinion that a great team takes this series by the throat in Game 3. The Sharks’ history suggests it won’t happen. As it is, the Sharks have set themselves up for a colossal breakthrough or an epic collapse.

--- How starved is the Bay for a winner? Sharks talk is even outdoing discussion about the Raiders and JaMarcus Russell, who did some positive things in the Silver and Black’s minicamp.