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Red-hot Sharks open postseason against Flames

Apr 9, 2008 - 12:44 PM Calgary at San Jose 10:00 pm EDT Western Conference quarterfinals

SAN JOSE, California (Ticker) - Possibly the hottest team heading into the playoffs, the San Jose Sharks host the Calgary Flames in Game One of the Western Conference quarterfinals on Wednesday.

Before losing the final two games of the season - when they already locked the second seed - the Sharks went 18-0-2 down the stretch.

Joe Thornton led the offensive attack for San Jose with an NHL-best 67 assists, while the goaltending has been stellar.

All-Star netminder Evgeni Nabokov led the league with 46 wins and was third with a 2.14 goals-against average. However, he was just 1-2-1 against the Flames this season.

"It doesn't matter who we are going to face, they (Flames) always come out and play hard and work hard," Sharks captain Patrick Marleau said. "In the playoffs the most disciplined team wins."

Calgary is a veteran, battle-tested team that is in the playoffs for the fourth straight season.

Jarome Iginla scored 50 goals to lead the Flames, while netminder Miikka Kiprusoff, struggled at times, posting a 2.69 GAA - the highest in his four-year career with the team.

Calgary has lost in the quarterfinals the past two seasons after making it to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2004.