Big game in San Jose

Less than 30 minutes away from the big game, Red Wings - Sharks game tonight.

Here are some interesting stats.

San Jose is 32-6-5. Detroit is 31-7-6.
Since they met on December 18, Sharks are 7-2-2 and the Wings are 10-1-2.
Thursday night they both played. Sharks lost their first game at home this season to the Flames. The Wings shut out the Kings, 4-0, in Los Angeles.
Detroit has at least one point in a season-high 10 consecutive games, 8-0-2.
Both teams are now chasing the Boston Bruins which lead the League with 70 points. A San Jose win puts them back in the lead. A Detroit win and they will be tied with Bruins.

From the Detroit News:
Still, it's the first time to really assess the head-to-head matchup between the teams.
• The Wings were playing on back-to-back nights the first meeting, not to mention their fifth game in seven days. They had dead legs, and the Sharks took advantage for a 4-2 home victory Oct. 30.
• Meeting No. 2 was a different story. The Red Wings were energized and ready Dec. 18 in Detroit. And this time, it was the Sharks who were in the second half of back-to-back games. The result: a 6-0 Red Wings victory.
The advantage tonight still goes to the Sharks in terms of scheduling. The Wings will be playing the fourth in a five-game, 11-day Western swing. The Sharks have been home for nearly a week. But it still should be the best gauge to date.

But the Red Wings aren't worried about that supposed San Jose advantage.
"Most fair," Detroit's Mikael Samuelsson called tonight's game in comparison to the first meetings.
Said goaltender Chris Osgood: "It's difficult to judge teams' records because of where they came from, the traveling, the amount of games they've played in so few nights. But I think we'll both be on even terms (tonight)."

Still all this is just might be blog fodder, because I agree with the Red Wings head coach.
"People will make a lot out of this because it's something to talk about," Wings coach Mike Babcock said. "But you and I both know that statements are made in May and June, not very often in January."

On the flip side the Sharks will be gunning for the Red Wings.

From the San Jose Mercury News:
Leave it to Jeremy Roenick to speak the unvarnished truth.
Do the Sharks have a psychological problem with the Detroit Red Wings?
"We did last year," the veteran forward said this week. "There was definitely a mental block."
Though other players would try to deny it, the Red Wings clearly have taken up residence in the Sharks' collective noggin. They have been there for years. And they will remain there — comfortable and smirking — until the Sharks figure out a way to evict them.
Tonight's game against Detroit is a chance to begin that process. A necessary step if the Sharks hope to hurdle the second-round barrier and contend for a Stanley Cup.
"You prepare like you would for a playoff game," defenseman Rob Blake said. "These games teach you what playoff games are like."
Baggage. Hurdle. History. Call it what you want, but it is definitely there. And tonight is a chance to start removing it.
"We're ready," Roenick said, "to get over that hump."

It should be a good game either way. This is also a game that should be seen on a national level.