Guerin out for Game 5

So the cut to Guerin's face might be more than just a bad cut, because the AP is reporting Guerin will be out for Game 5. If you get hit in the head with a object traveling that fast, it figures that a concussion might go along with it.

So I guess this means either Pavelski or Bell will be back in the lineup, along with Mark Smith. Smith wasn't an impact player in Game 4, but he certainly didn't play badly. His energy is something the Sharks need, and is a fan favorite, although it could be because he has blue hair and plays in a band. Personally, I think he's a role player that plays hard, has an above average wrist shot, and below average puckhandling skills. He's a fourth liner, an 'energy' player that doesn't really fight.

At this point, that's an improvement over Guerin, face intact or no. The question becomes, how do we get that line going? In this playoffs, it seems like the second line has been Marleau and some combination of the state of California. Ron Wilson has tried everything. I would personally try Marleau-Pavelski-Clowe next, but that's probably been tried already. Mike Chen over at Battle of California is speculating Marleau is hurt, but I thought he was effective in the Nashville series. It's hard to tell the difference between nagging/recurring injury and listlessness.

Will the Sharks have urgency for 60 minutes, or will they continue to try and skate by (pun intended, I guess) with flashes of brilliance followed by stretches of watching the Wings cycle and shoot? Once that question is answered, we will know how the series will turn out.

Oh yeah, thanks Vancouver, for putting up a fight. Bastards. This is why I wanted to play the Ducks next. Though if we did, and played the same way we played the last four games, we might have already met the Canucks' fate.