Battle of the Pacific

Local Sports Missing the Point

2009-05-02T04:26:00.001-05:00

San Jose Sharks coach Todd McLellan came on the local radio program Fitz & Brooks, featuring Tom Fitzgerald and Rod Brooks, on KNBR 680 AM in San Francisco Friday morning. I listen to the show whenever I am in the car between noon and 2:30pm, when I switch over to KFAX 1100 AM to hear Pastor Paul Sheppherd do "Enduring Truth."

This afternoon I made an exception and stayed on KNBR because they were discussing the interview, and it is so rare that they talk about a team I care about.

I am not much of an NBA fan because its officiating is a joke and I am not much of a baseball fan because of the tilted playing field. They are much more likely to talk about those sports than hockey. Even if I were to follow a team in those sports, it would be the Milwaukee Bucks and Brewers who I grew up watching, for I am a Cheesehead.

Which also means I do not care about the sorry Oakland Raiders or even that much about my wife's team, the San Francisco Forty-Niners. For a Packers fan, there is little room in our hearts to love any team other than the only non-profit professional sports team in the world, and the only team owned by the community.

But there is no NHL hockey team in Wisconsin, so there was one team I could adopt from my new home I hope to stay in, the glorious Bay Area: the San Jose Sharks. So even though I am upset at the team for not caring as much as I do, I stayed with KNBR.

Big mistake.

See, it is not that these two guys do not know sports or are not entertaining. It is not even that I am some Christian prude who cannot handle the locker room humour and worldly mentality that the two play to; I know that plays well to their mainstream audience and besides, I used to be in those locker rooms.

It is that they do not know hockey well enough. Even more than that, it is that they measure the Sharks by the pitiful competition in the Bay Area.

Case in point: "Let that be a lesson to you other Bay Area teams—don't make the playoffs, 'cause if you do, you better win the whole thing" or face an unreasonable response what at another point of the show they called "reactionary fans."

So let me get this straight: I am supposed to settle for regular season success just because no other Bay Area team can manage even that? And I am reactionary because I am upset that the Sharks have a losing post-season record over the four years since the lockout, thrice losing to lower seeded opponents and twice to an eight seed?

Oh, man, you are right—that is unreasonable! Four chances is hardly giving them a chance—you know the saying, "five strikes and you're out." And after all, who will remember the post-season success of a team that had so many wins in the regular season?

Quick, can you tell me who the most recent President's Trophy winners have been? Let me give it a shot as far back as I can without looking it up:

* 2009: San Jose Sharks
* 2008: Detroit Red Wings
* 2007: Buffalo Sabres
* 2006: Detroit Red Wings

Okay, that's as far as I can go. I think Tampa Bay may have won the year before the lockout, but I am not sure. I think Detroit won it in either 2002 or 2003. But I can name off the following past Cup winners:

* 2008: Detroit Red Wings
* 2007: Anaheim Ducks
* 2006: Carolina Hurricanes
* 2004: Tampa Bay Lightning
* 2003: New Jersey Devils
* 2002: Detroit Red Wings
* 2001: Colorado Avalanche
* 2000: New Jersey Devils
* 1999: Dallas Stars (not really—Hull absolutely was in the crease)
* 1998: Detroit Red Wings
* 1997: Detroit Red Wings
* 1996: Colorado Avalanche
* 1995: New Jersey Devils
* 1994: New York Rangers

I am pretty sure the winner the year before was Montreal, but it might have been in '92...and you get the picture anyway...final score: Lord Stanley's Cup 14, President's Trophy 4. Looks kinda like the combined score of the Sharks' first-round tilt with Anaheim.

But I am the guy being unreasonable.

Here is a further look at how wrong that opinion is: http://thehockeywriters.com/sharks-heart-not-into-this-relationship/. That is why I could not take their stupidity anymore and turned off the radio.

Sharks Getting Healthy as Playoffs Approach

2009-04-09T19:34:00.001-05:00

The San Jose Sharks reported Wednesday that forwards Patrick Marleau and Ryane Clowe are expected to be back in the lineup for Thursday night's regular season home finale against the Phoenix Coyotes.

They will be following fellow forwards Tomas Plihal and Claude Lemieux, who rejoined the team for Tuesday's win over Colorado. The Sharks also recently saw Marcel Goc, Rob Blake, and Jeremy Roenick return.

At one time or another, 12 different players spent time out for injuries in March, with Dan Boyle, Evgeni Nabokov, and Brad Lukowich also spending games in street clothes. The team has maintained that it expects all players healthy for the playoffs.

Just in time, too. The Sharks have two games left in the regular season, and the playoffs will start next Wednesday or Thursday. You always want to have a few games in for each player before the intensity ramps up, and at least they will have two or three to regain their rhythm.

Unfortunately for the Sharks, neither team they face has much left to play for, and that may make that intensity gap wider. Phoenix is trying to be one of the few teams in the league, and only one in the division, to not lose the season series with the Sharks. Los Angeles, where the Sharks end the regular season on Saturday, is trying to avoid being swept by the Sharks.

This leaves only centre Torrey Mitchell, who was injured early in training camp, and defenceman Ken Huskins, acquired minutes before the trade deadline, on the list. The problem for Huskins and Mitchell is that neither has played a minute this season with their current team.

But at least we know there are a number of players that can step up should the Sharks injury woes strike again in the post-season: 30 players got 10 or more games on the ice, and of the 28 skaters, only one posted a rating lower than -7 with the Sharks. That's the kind of depth that can help a team hoist the Stanley Cup.

Why Sharks Fans Should See 2009 as Different

2009-04-01T03:57:00.001-05:00

With the 2-1 win in Calgary Monday, San Jose has bounced back from their struggles over the past eight weeks to open up a two-game lead over Detroit for the President’s Trophy. It was only their fifth win on the road against a team that has more wins than losses (regulation or overtime).

San Jose plays three at home and three on the road, but three of those games are against teams not even in the playoff hunt. Detroit plays tougher competition down the stretch, but four of their last six are at home. However, Detroit dropped a home game recently to the New York Islanders, who possess the worst record in the NHL.

Their struggles are not alone among the NHL’s elite. Calgary has fallen out of first in the Northwest, Chicago has been struggling for some time, and even New Jersey (my pick to win it all) has dropped five of six since Martin Brodeur became the winningest goalie in NHL history.

Meanwhile, the Sharks are beginning to show moxie. Against Calgary, they won despite being out-shot because of incredible goaltending and disciplined, fundamental hockey. They also have battled through without a healthy roster, with their injury report reaching ten players and including key members like Patrick Marleau, Ryane Clowe, and Rob Blake.

They are supposed to be at full strength by the playoffs, and perhaps the adversity will have them better prepared for it. In years’ past, the knock on them is that they choke under pressure, and that has led to premature playoff exits.

In reality, the problem with the Sharks in previous playoffs has had little to do with traditional examples we often ascribe to choking. The reality is the Sharks have been a team lacking experience in a key position: the blue line.

The last three seasons, the Sharks had no more than one defenceman dressed who was at least 30 years of age. Meanwhile, coach Ron Wilson was relying on players who could not grow a playoff beard. Christian Ehrhoff, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, and Matt Carle were all under 25.

When a defenceman who has little big game experience is put in a pressure-packed situation—i.e. an elimination game on the road in overtime with a forward pressuring you as you dig the puck out of the corner—the chance of a mistake is exponentially higher than with an established veteran. That is what makes this year's team different: the Sharks have Dan Boyle, Brad Lukowich, and Rob Blake in that position, all of whom are over 30.

More importantly, between them they have four Stanley Cup rings. They have been there, and are not going to get flustered in those high-pressure situations. Beyond that, the system new coach Todd McLellan has implemented does not put as much burden on the blue line. Wilson relied on the unit to always be in position, and any mistakes were thus magnified. McLellan encourages his defence to jump up into the play and create scoring opportunities.

This works on two levels. First, it helps the team score more, making each opposition goal allowed less devastating. Second, it mandates that forwards pay attention to players jumping in and cover for them, spreading the responsibility of defence among five players instead of two.

The Sharks blue line now is at or near the top of the league in shots, goals, and points. This has taken some pressure off the forwards for scoring, and the team has been in the top three in the league in scoring pretty much all season because of it. While defence does indeed win championships, the top ten teams in the league in point percentage all average three or more goals per game.

This is not Ron Wilson’s Sharks, so we have every reason to think things will be different this May. Then again, in 2006 we thought Joe Thornton made the team different. In 2007, we thought Bill Guerin would. In 2008, it was Brian Campbell…

But teams that have to mid-season makeovers rarely win the Cup; this team has been together the entire season.

Sharks Man Up Over Weekend, Earn Playoff Spot

2009-03-16T16:03:00.001-05:00

This weekend was all Evgeni Nabokov, as he returned from both illness and the dreaded "lower-body injury" that is just a "tweak" Saturday night.

Against the Los Angeles Kings, who are desperately fighting to stay alive for the playoffs, Nabby was dynamite in his first day back. The only goal he gave up in 24 shots was a rebound Wayne Simmonds punched home, and he stopped six of seven shooters in the shootout. He even turned away a two-on-none shorthanded breakaway.

But Erik Ersberg was better, stopping 38 of 39 shots, with the only goal being a Milan Michalek redirect of a shot-pass by Joe Pavelski. He also turned away five of seven shots in the shootout--not enough to avoid the loss, but that was only because his teammates, coming off a game the previous night in Vancouver, could not match the fresher legs and superior talent of their opponents.

Rob Blake and Brad Lukowich returned for that game, but Christian Ehrhoff was held out because of a "lower-body tweak." Then on Sunday, having to play less than 20 hours after completing the previous grueling contest and after a late-night flight, the line-up was the same. Including in net.

So after not having played for two and a half weeks, Nabby is expected to play for 125 minutes-plus in under 25 hours. Foolish.

The last time Nabby played in back-to-back games, the Sharks lost 6-0 to Detroit. I pointed out in my recap article that he has not been very successful in those outings.

But in this one, Nabby was even better. Anaheim's fresher legs staked them to a 12-7 edge in shots in the first period, and they held that five-shot edge through two. But with about a minute left in that period, Jamie McGinn backhanded a pass through the middle that former Duck Travis Moen deflected over Jonas Hiller's shoulder.

That one goal was all Nabby needed. He stopped all 34 shots he saw, and endured some abuse at the hands of Corey Perry, who in keeping with the thuggish approach of the Ducks, whacked at a puck Nabby had covered after the whistle.

Maybe it wasn't so foolish to play him after all. He stole two games to keep the Sharks within a point of Detroit with two games in hand. Thanks to Nabby, the Sharks still have the best point percentage in the league and are still in the driver's seat for the President's Trophy.

My biggest complaints for the Sharks of late has been not playing with the desperation of their opponents. But there was no problem with the effort this weekend. They out-shot the Kings 38-24 and hung in there on the road against a team who had not played for five days, even though there were less than 20 hours between games.

This is a good sign because the Sharks finish the season with 34 games in 66 days before entering the grueling Western Conference playoffs, in which they are likely to play a lot of long series. They have shown they can muster the energy and clamp down on defence.

But they are not going to face teams like Anaheim, who has lost too much talent to overcome four teams and three points in their final 13 games. Even if they somehow make it in, they are certainly not going to be there in the second round, when the Sharks need to break their jinx.

The Sharks have now become the first team in the league to clinch a playoff birth. They are one point away from clinching the division title. They are a lock to be at least a two seed, since they seven and a half games ahead of Calgary. They are even likely to finish ahead of Detroit thanks to having two more games to play.

At the same time, if they want to win in the playoffs, they will have to figure out how to score. Excluding the shootout, the Sharks have scored just 19 goals in 11 games, and just 18 in regulation.

It is amazing that they are 5-5-1 in that stretch, but only two of the teams in that stretch will be in the playoffs, and they can't blame the scoring on injuries: Rob Blake was the only player out to have scored over 22 points, and he only missed two games. They have even failed in their last 16 power play attempts.

They have 14 games to figure out their scoring. If they cannot, they will get no further than they have in the past three seasons.

Sharks Play Continues to Raise Concerns

2009-03-06T19:12:00.001-06:00

Sharks fans seem blissfully content to point out that their team has the best record in the league, and all too quick to assume that problems in post-seasons past are not going to continue. Most comments to my articles and most poll responses indicate an undeterred expectation of success and rejection of problems as being disconcerting.

Perhaps their view is that I am all-too quick to assume that every problem is systemic, not isolated. And I will agree with them that every team has problems, so are ours so much worse?

Not worse than Detroit's. The only reason I would rather be Detroit than San Jose right now is that I would currently have the Cup, a legitimate chance to keep it, and there would be no monkey on my back. But they absolutely do not have as good a chance of repeating as we have of taking it from them, because they have serious problems in net and their defence is thus not the Cup-worthy one they entered last post-season with.

Not worse than Boston's. The Bruins have an even larger monkey on their backs than San Jose, who at least routinely makes it to the second round. They have some of Detroit's questions in net, with two goalies who have limited playoff success and prior to this season were not consistent. There are questions about resiliency, since this year they have rarely come back from a third period deficit.

Not even worse than Calgary's. The Flames have this made for the playoffs mystique that facts simply do not back up. They made it to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2004, but since have not made it out of the first round.

Chicago and Washington have no playoff experience. The Rangers and Canadiens are a mess and might not even make the playoffs. Vancouver has not made it out of the second round in two U.S. presidential administrations. Pittsburgh started so far back that their road is going to be tough, they are still young, their roster has morphed leaving questions about how they will gel, and they are not a great defence.

Does that pretty much cover it? No, it leaves out New Jersey. That is why I picked them to win it all.

They have an experienced and dominant goalie who will be rested and have a good offence in front of him for the first time in his three-time champion career. They have an upgraded blueline and a system that enabled them to retain the third-best defence in the Eastern Conference despite the loss of their Hall of Fame goalie for more than half the season.

Are they unbeatable? No. Are the Sharks the most likely team to do it? Yes.

But my problems with the Sharks continue. The reason I think they are indicative of larger issues is that there are similarities of this team and last year's.

Both teams had such success (last year after the trade for Campbell, this year up until January) that they could believe they would inevitably win. This leads to the team not playing a full sixty minutes, and that is a bad habit to get into.

Playoff teams are opportunistic, especially those that make it into the second round. They take advantage of those lapses, and a goal surrendered (and along with it, momentum) is harder to make up for than it is in the regular season against lesser competition.

Last season, the Sharks laid an egg in their first game hosting Dallas, then seemed to assume it wouldn't happen again—it did. One of those games was lost because Patrick Marleau jumped out of the way of a Mike Modano power play shot instead of blocking it, in the process screening his goalie, it exemplified how the team's lack of dedication.

The round before, the Sharks were flat in a couple games. In one, they jumped out to a three-goal lead over Calgary and relaxed. The Flames responded by taking it to the Sharks physically, and fought their way back to a 4-3 win because San Jose was unable to recapture the momentum. The series became a seven-game meat-grinder that left them worn down, leading to a 3-0 second-round series deficit for a team too battered to come back from that hole.

Fast-forward to 2009. The Sharks did the same thing in this game, the first time they blew a three-goal lead in the regular season in 13 years. I have written a recap of the game for The Hockey Writers.

Let me make it clear: this is not just about losses. Every team goes through losing streaks, and every team has bad months.

In the playoffs, I would apply Vince Lombardi's famous quote, "Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing." But for the regular season, I would use his less famous theme, "It's not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game."

How you play shows how ready you are, and this team is not ready. To showcase their problems, I go back to three games before they started losing.

The Sharks have played 19 games since their big win over Detroit January 17, and have struggled in 14 of them despite going 9-5-5. (In the playoffs, that is 9-10.) Here are the highlights of their struggles in this stretch prior to Thursday's loss:

1. They did not show up until late in the third period against Vancouver and were bailed out by Evgeni Nabokov, scoring only on a last minute (literally) goal with him pulled before winning in overtime.
2. Ilja Bryzgalov, who trails Evgeni Nabokov with the 28th-best save percentage and the 33rd GAA, stops 27 of 28 shots he faces.
3. They came out flat against Chicago at home, giving up a goal on their first shift, ending their 13-game winning streak over their foes, and taking just their second home loss in regulation, 4-2.
4. They blew a 2-0 lead against Carolina to lose their second straight game at home.
5. They gave up multiple goals in the first period in Columbus, and were unable to recover from it; it was the first of five consecutive games in which they allowed the first goal.
6. It took them over 50 minutes to score their only goal against Marc-Andre Fleury, who is 21st in save percentage and 25th in GAA.
7. They gave up three early goals to Buffalo, then blew a lead with seconds to go, promptly losing in a shootout.
8. They gave up another three goals in the first period and six goals for the game in New Jersey, including a third period lead for the second game in a row.
9. It took more than two periods to score at home against the second-worst team in the league and another mediocre goalie (Kari Lehtonen, 29th in save percentage and 40th in GAA).
10. They managed just 24 shots and one goal against a Dallas squad that had four of their top six players out with injury or illness.
11. They were dominated 4-1 in Detroit by Ty Conklin, who is ranked 17th in save percentage.
12. They were held scoreless for 58:42 of a game against Alex Auld, ranked 25th in save percentage, scoring only on the power play.
13. Once again, San Jose surrenders three first period goals and cannot score more than twice on 48 shots against back-up goalie Jaroslav Halak (20th in save percentage, 32nd in GAA).
14. Manage just 25 shots and one goal while surrendering four at home to a Dallas team coming off a five-game losing streak on their six game homestand.

So why is everyone still so confident? Here are several excuses I have heard:

* The Sharks have players out with injury. Okay, so why has Dallas, missing much more than the Sharks (who are only without role-players), managed to get back into the playoff chase? And are we expecting the team to be healthy in the playoffs, or are we only going to expect the Stanley Cup if they are?
* We've run into some great goaltending. At what point does the cavalcade of mediocre goalies stumping the Sharks start to become an offensive problem instead of opposing goalie play? Because in nine of these 19 games, the Sharks have failed to score more than two goals.
* It's just a temporary funk. Is six wins in 16 games (20 percent of the season) a temporary funk or a pattern forming?
* This team is not the one who lost the last three years. True, but it looks awfully similar at this point.
* They are still the best team in the league. Okay, but in 2006, the Sharks were the best team in the league after acquiring Joe Thornton. In 2008, the Sharks were the best team in the league after acquiring Brian Campbell. The more things change, the more they stay the same...
* The regular season means nothing in the playoffs. I go back to patterns that exist now that have been our undoing in playoffs past. Todd McLellan always talks about the process and playing sound hockey because he knows the games do matter.
* They're still getting points in a lot of those losses. Are there any rewards for overtime losses in the playoffs? Isn't the playoffs what really matter? 'Nuff said.
* They lost a lot of those games on the road. Yes, but they have lost four of their last seven at home, too.
* We still have one of the best road records in the league. True, but we have fewer quality wins on the road than they have home losses (see here). And that record includes overtime losses as a plus, which as I said, means nothing in the playoffs.
* These difficulties test them, force them to scrap, and prepare them for the playoffs. HERE I WILL AGREE, and if we can solve these problems in the next five weeks, we will return to our status as an irresistible force.

2009-03-05T00:23:00.001-06:00

The 2009 NHL Trade Deadline started off slow but really picked up at the end. The Phoenix Coyotes were one of the busiest teams on the day, making a total of four trades. The moves will be significant in both the present and the future of the franchise.

Here are the trades that the Coyotes made and what I think of them:

Phoenix gets a 2010 fourth-round draft pick; Buffalo gets Mikael Tellqvist

With starting goalie Ryan Miller out with an ankle injury, the Buffalo Sabres needed another netminder. The man they acquired was Phoenix Coyotes backup Mikael Tellqvist. Although Tellqvist is not a No. 1, he is a great fill-in who is capable of taking over the Sabres' goal until Miller is healthy enough.

The fourth-round pick that the Coyotes received isn’t much, but you can’t expect much for a backup goaltender. With Tellqvist gone, it is more than likely that Josh Tjordman will become the Coyotes' backup for the rest of the season.

Who got the better end? Buffalo.

Phoenix gets Matthew Lombardi, Brandon and Prust, and a 2009 or 2010 first-round draft pick; Calgary gets Olli Jokinen and a third-round draft pick.

This was probably the biggest trade of all on deadline day. There was a lot of speculation if and where Jokinen was going to go, and it turns out that the team to get him is the Calgary Flames.

The Flames now have a big center that will most likely play on a line with Jarome Iginla. Jokinen will reunite with his former Florida Panthers head coach Mike Keenan.

Jokinen will finally get a shot to play in the Playoffs with Calgary. He wasn’t having the best of seasons with Phoenix but should pick it up by playing with better and more experienced players.

The Phoenix Coyotes got a very quick player in Matthew Lombardi. He is still young at 26 years old and should play on one of the top two lines for the Coyotes. He has recently stepped up his game and was one of the Flames' best players heading into the deadline.

Brandon Prust is a gritty, hard-working player who will most likely be nothing more than a fourth-liner for the Coyotes. The first-round draft pick is either a 2009 or 2010 pick, depending on what the Flames decide. My guess is that the pick will be a 2009 pick, since that will be a late first-round pick.

Who got the better end? It was a tie.

Phoenix gets Scottie Upshall and a second-round draft pick; Philadelphia gets Daniel Carcillo

To be honest, this trade really surprised me. I didn’t think Carcillo would go, but I was wrong, as he was sent to the Philadelphia Flyers.

The Flyers welcome one of the league’s premier enforcers. He currently leads the NHL in penalty minutes, something he did last year as well, as a rookie. Although he is not having the best offensive season, he doesn’t have the worst hands. I still think he is capable of scoring 20 goals a season.

Scottie Upshall is a great third-line energy player who has the talent to put up a decent amount of points. I do not think he has lived up to his potential after being drafted sixth overall in 2002, but he still can be a useful player for the Coyotes. When you add the second-round draft pick, I think it really makes the Coyotes come out as winners in this trade.

Who got the better end? Phoenix.

Phoenix gets Dmitri Kalinin, Nigel Dawes, and Petr Prucha; N.Y. Rangers get Derek Morris

It took a while for Morris to finally get traded, but when he was, it was to the New York Rangers.

The Rangers get a very solid two-way defenseman in Morris; he should help their push to the Playoffs. His numbers aren’t what they used to be earlier in his career, but he is still capable of putting up 30-plus points.

The Coyotes got a great value in return for Morris.

Dmitri Kalinin is a decent defenseman who will take over Morris’ spot in the lineup. But he is a pending UFA, and even if he plays strong for the Coyotes for the rest of the season, I have a hard time believing the Coyotes will re-sign him.

Nigel Dawes is a great young player who will help the Coyotes now and in the future. He has the potential to consistently score 20 goals a season. He is a pending RFA, but expect the Coyotes to re-sign him.

Petr Prucha is the question mark in this deal. He’s got the talent and has shown he can score 30 goals a season, but his point totals have decreased as of late. I think if he gets more ice time, he can produce at least 20 goals a season.

Who got the better end? Phoenix.

Final Thoughts

I actually think the Coyotes did the best out of all the teams on the trade deadline. They got some great forwards who will make an impact this season and for seasons to come. You add the draft picks they received, and their bright future just got a lot brighter.

Sharks Trade Deadline Moves

2009-03-04T23:14:00.002-06:00

The San Jose Sharks made a move at the trade deadline to address the problems I had been pointing to, but it was an inferior one. They traded two prospects, including one of their glut of goalies, and a conditional draft pick (second to fourth) to division rival Anaheim in exchange for thug Travis Moen and stay-at-home defenceman Kent Huskins. Both are in the last year's of their contracts.

Moen, 26, will be able to fill in for Mike Grier on the penalty kill, but not as well as Ian Laperriere, 35, would have. He has neither the experience or offensive capabilities, coming in with just 12 points to Laperriere's 17. He adds the feistiness the team lacks, but does so without honour: Moen is the one who viciously attacked one-armed agitator Steve Ott Saturday. But he does have his name on the Stanley Cup.

It is hard to see Huskins, 29, playing unless there are injuries on the blueline or coach Todd McLellan decides to dress seven defencemen. He has two goals and four assists, as well as a +6 rating, in limited action, having missed half the season with an injury. He is +26 for his young career, showing that he does not make mistakes. However, he does not have Douglas Murray's hitting abilities or any other of the top six defencemen's offensive skills.

Ducks Deadline Deal

2009-03-04T12:48:00.001-06:00

The NHL Trade Deadline is today, 3pm EST (12pm Pacific). So far not much action around the league, but the Ducks made another move.

Ducks Trade D Steve Montador to the Boston Bruins for F Petteri Nokelainen.

I'll have more info on this with some analysis and the rest of the days items as the deadline passes.

Sharks May Lose Grier, Roenick for Rest of Regular Season

2009-03-03T18:35:00.001-06:00

As first relayed to me by DMZ Zalk in a comment on my last Sharks article from the San Jose Mercury News blog, the Sharks may be without the services of Mike Grier and Jeremy Roenick for the rest of the 2009 regular season. Here is the repost directly from the team website:

“Both are going to be out an extended period,” said Sharks Head Coach Todd McLellan.

In order to help shore up the front lines, Brad Staubitz and Lukas Kaspar were called up. Staubitz was in San Jose for the morning skate and skated in a line with Tomas Plihal and Jonathan Cheechoo. The top two lines remained in tact, but it appeared the third line could have a mix of Alexei Semenov, Claude Lemieux, Jody Shelley or Kaspar.

With Evgeni Nabokov still battling a bit of the flu, McLellan will put Brian Boucher in net for the evening’s match up against the Dallas Stars.

“Nabby won’t go tonight,” said McLellan, noting that his No. 1 will still be able to backup. “We wanted to play Boucher more and with Nabby not 100 percent, now is the time.”

This simply makes my suggested trades all the more necessary. The Sharks will have to replace Grier's defence and penalty-killing, as well as Roenick's fire. Ian Laperriere provides both.

Five Trades for the Sharks to Consider

2009-03-01T16:59:00.001-06:00

On the latest road trip, the Sharks went 2-2. On the previous road trip, they went 1-1-3.

Those of you who see the glass as only half-full will tell me that is a .500 road record in February, better than half the teams in the NHL. However, I recognize that a glass that is half-full is also half-empty (and vice-versa).

Overtime losses mean nothing in the playoffs. Excluding all shootouts since they won't happen in the playoffs either, the Sharks are 14-11 on the road. That is not bad, but the following teams among those 14 legitimate wins are not likely to make the playoffs: Kings, Avalanche (twice), Lightning, Predators, Coyotes, Blues, and Senators.

In addition, the Stars (thrice), and Oilers are bubble teams. That's 12 of the 14 legit wins, leaving two of 25 games against quality foes in which San Jose has won on the road without a shootout—eight percent.

The reason the Sharks struggle against the better teams so much is you cannot get away with starting out in a big hole against good teams. This spells seven-game series after the first round (when they will face a bubble team that skated into the post-season) in which San Jose will have to win every home game to win the series or get one of their eight percent quality wins; with nine games, the odds of getting just one such win are 47.2 percent.

Fortunately, the Sharks have won 25 of their 29 home games that did not go to a shootout. But of those 25 games, six came against teams that are not going to make the playoffs (Blues, Kings, Islanders, Thrashers, Lightning, and Maple Leafs) and nine came against bubble teams (two against both the Blue Jackets and Ducks, and one more against the Oilers, Wild, Stars, Rangers, and Penguins).

That means only 10 of 14 non-shootout home wins were against the kinds of teams the Sharks will face after the first round. At that ratio, winning all 12 of their home games in order to win the Stanley Cup is only a 1.8 percent chance.

That's why the Sharks need a trade. They have a 52.8 percent chance of losing all their road games after the first round and, if they do, only a 1.8 percent chance of winning all their home games. All because they do not play for 60 minutes away from the Shark Tank.

They need someone to hold them accountable. They need someone who can win a fight, instead of losing one as Jody Shelley always seems to do, sometimes giving momentum to the other team. They need an energy guy and a leader for both of the checking lines, and they currently have only Jeremy Roenick on the fourth.

So who should the Sharks acquire? They do not need a defenceman, because that would knock someone playing well out of the lineup.

Thus, the following is a list of forwards the Sharks should look at and some potential trades that would work; those at the bottom of the list I would support only because they might shake up the team without destroying its chemistry:

1. Ian Laperriere is a 35-year old player on the worst team in the West in the last year of his contract. They will take almost anything for him, and the Sharks could give away any draft picks it takes. The obstacle for this trade is Laperriere's salary: according to Hockeybuzz.com, Ian's contract is $1.15 million, and the Sharks only have $24,166 in cap space. Even at the deadline, the Sharks would be responsible for over $250,000 of that money. Perhaps The Avs would take Shelley off our hands because he is a younger enforcer under contract next year. Or they might want Lukas Kaspar or Tomas Plihal; then the Sharks would only have to dump Claude Lemieux (let's face it, that experiment has not yielded results) to clear space.
2. Toronto may be a willing partner, and they have two players of the appropriate age and style: Brad May and Jamal Mayers. May would come cheaply enough that the Sharks would only need to dump Lemieux, but would not add much but grit to the team. Mayers would cost a bit more in salary than Laperriere, and offer less; if there is a trade with Toronto, it would probably be for May.
3. Atlanta does have Marty Reasoner, who is a good penalty killer over 30 with some scoring punch in the last year of his contract; he might not fit in the long-term plans of the Thrashers, and costs about the same as Laperriere. The Sharks could go in a different direction with their trade, adding scoring. If this is the decision, Atlanta is a good partner, as well: Jonathan Cheechoo, who has struggled to produce consistently, could be traded for Slava Kozlov, Atlanta's third best scorer. However, I would not do this, as Cheech is younger and better defensively; San Jose would also have to dump Lemieux to get under the cap.
4. Steven Reinprecht is an energy guy and penalty killer who can provide secondary scoring and is good in the faceoff circle. He is also over 30 and in the last year of his contract; perhaps Phoenix would let him go. The Sharks would need to dump more salary to make it work; however, trading Cheechoo for Reinprecht does not make sense unless you are going to use that cap space for another trade, and I doubt the Coyotes would throw young enforcer Dan Carcillo in like they might in my dreams, even if we send picks their way. (Carcillo is my kind of player and a perfect fit for the team.) They might throw Todd Fedoruk in, but I would want a draft pick swap that favours the Sharks in this case.
5. While Gary Roberts fits the Sharks' needs, his salary is too high to justify what the Sharks would have to give up. Mark Recchi does not add enough skill to make a difference at this stage of his career. But San Jose could look at Vaclav Prospal; similar to trading for Kozlov, this would require giving up Cheechoo and dumping Lemieux for a player that is more offence than defence.

Ducks Start the Slow Death of the Season?

2009-02-26T13:34:00.001-06:00

Ducks traded veteran Chris Kunitz today to Pittsburgh for Ryan Whitney. Kunitz is rumored to be joining the highly touted line of Crosby and Malkin for the Penguins playoff push.

Whitney, 26, (6'4 230) had 2 goals and 11 assists in 28 games last year, and has been slowed a bit by injuries. The young defender fills a gap the Ducks have beyond this season, in their defensive corps that stands to lose a large number of players to free-agency this off-season.

Kunitz was by far one of my Favorite Ducks, so thanks for the great years, Chris. Hope life w/ Crosby treats you well, you were a class act, and a great member of the Ducks in both the team and community.

Looks like the GM believes this is time to blow it up.

Sharks Can Take Control on Road Trip

2009-02-23T04:42:00.001-06:00

The San Jose Sharks embark on a four-game road trip to end February that is the second longest of the season and longest remaining trip in both length and distance. It starts in Dallas Monday at 5pm PST and ends Saturday at 4pm PST in Montreal.

What a difference a week makes.

A week ago, this looked like an especially difficult trip. The Stars were surging toward what looked to be a certain fifth or sixth seed in the West, Detroit looked like it would challenge the Sharks for the top seed, Ottawa had won five straight through February 16, and Montreal had added Matthieu Schneider to their defence.

Now, the Stars have lost their best remaining skater, the Sharks lead over the Wings has grown to three games (three points plus three games in hand), and Ottawa has dropped three. Montreal's problems are the stuff of a bad movie: Alexei Kovalev being sent home for a couple games and the Kostitsyn brothers and Roman Hamrlik being linked to organized crime. (Maybe Hamrlik should have used that connection to sabotage Alex Ovechkin's skates before he made him look so bad.)

Perhaps more significantly, San Jose has four of its six injured players back for this trip. Defenceman Brad Lukowich has yet to play, but has been activated and took part in the pre-game skate before Saturday's game before the coaching staff decided to scratch him. Forwards Jody Shelley, Tomas Plihal, and Jeremy Roenick returned to play in that game.

Even an overtime/shootout loss Monday to Dallas would ensure a victory in that season series and keep the Sharks 12 games up on the second-place Stars, who would have just 23 games left to catch San Jose. You can see my preview of that game on The Hockey Writers.

The Sharks have a chance to mathematically ensure a playoff spot before the trade deadline if they win all four games on the trip and the first game back home against Dallas. While that is not likely, what looked like a trip in which the Sharks would be lucky to get three points now seems like one in which anything less than four would be a disappointment.

Look for San Jose to come away with five, beating Dallas and Ottawa and taking Montreal to a shootout. They will go into March still holding a two-point and two-game lead on the Red Wings and as many points as the Bruins, who they will have a game in hand on.

Memo to Big Dave London

2009-02-20T23:04:00.003-06:00

"In regards to your challenge, I'll go 1,000 words with you that the Kings WIN the season series with the Sharks.

If the Kings and Sharks happen to meet in the playoffs...the playoff series winner trumps the regular season winner...got it?"

Those were your words in taking my Pacific Division Challenge, and disappearing from this site doesn't get you off the hook. Now that you cannot win the season series, when—er, if, your Kings don't make the playoffs, you owe me that post if you are a real man. If by some chance y'all DO make it in (in which case you are likely to play us, since it looks like we'll be the top seed or at least second, and you're unlikely to make it higher than eighth or maybe seventh), when—er, if, you lose, be ready with that 1000 words on our superiority.

As for the rest of you, none of you even had Dave's courage to take the challenge...
Hey' it's s'posed to be a trash-talking rivalry blog, so whaddya 'spect?

San Jose Sharks Wish List

2009-02-19T21:40:00.000-06:00

This is a list of what one thing I would instruct the general manager and coaching staff as well as each of the team’s likely 23 active players in the playoffs to focus on to get better. It starts with those I think is most responsible/indispensible to the team’s success and works its way down to the one I think is least important. Some of them require me to really nitpick.

Note: salary and expectations are not a factor in this determination, and thus does not measure over/under-achievement, but it does factor in how much they have to work with, which explains why Setoguchi is ranked below Pavelski and Clowe.

1. Doug Wilson: If this team does not start playing with more consistent urgency, don’t be afraid to make a change in personnel—we need the Cup this year because who knows what the chances will be in the future.
2. Todd McLellan and staff: Light a fire under these guys’ butts, because they are not focused enough! I hate to recommend techniques used by Ron Wilson, but occasionally calling someone out publicly might work if doing it in the locker room so far has not.
3. Patrick Marleau: Be more physical. You are big, play like it.
4. Joe Thornton: Shoot the puck more! People would give you more passing lanes if they had to respect the shot.
5. Dan Boyle: Don’t take so long to wind up on those great slapshots—it’s giving the opposition too much time to clog the shooting lanes.
6. Rob Blake: Your offence and leadership have been great, but you are in the penalty box too much.
7. Joe Pavelski: Your shootout efficiency has dropped, and with it the team’s last four competitions—we need you to be money again.
8. Ryane Clowe: You are my favourite player, but it is ridiculous that your linemate is more effective in traffic in front of the net when he is over 50 pounds lighter than you are.
9. Devin Setoguchi: You still need to keep working on attending to your defensive responsibilities more—don’t make the second-year mistake of cheating for offensive opportunities.
10. Marc-Eduoard Vlasic: Ron Wilson is not coaching this team anymore—you don’t have to be afraid of mistakes so much that you don’t get as involved as you could on the offensive end.
11. Milan Michalek: In your case, a well-placed roughing penalty might send a message on the league to stop picking on you.
12. Christian Ehrhoff: Remember to take something off that slapshot so you can put it somewhere that helps us. When your production disappeared mid-season, you were missing everything from the point. (Or stop whining about every penalty like you’ve never committed one—I’ll take either.)
13. Douglas Murray: Keep the hits coming, but you need to work on that shot!
14. Mike Grier: Stop putting useless shots right into the goalie—aim for a corner or the five-hole on some of those, or bounce one in front of him he needs to fight off.
15. Torrey Mitchell: Just get healthy already, and no more rushing your recovery, causing set-backs!
16. Jonathan Cheechoo: We need the guy that scores back, and you need to work on that until it is as casual as it was in 2006, ‘cause your in a real funk.
17. Brad Lukowich: I’d like to see you more involved in the offence when you finally return.
18. Tomas Plihal: Go to the net, young man, and you will get more points.
19. Marcel Goc: Make sure more of your shots are on net—you’ve blown a few big chances you worked hard to create by missing high and/or wide.
20. Jeremy Roenick: Can’t you bring the fire in the locker room or practice rink? ‘Cause this team lacks it, and Scott Parker used to motivate when he didn’t play.
21. Evgeni Nabokov: What the heck are you doing behind a bunch of people who have missed a bunch of games? Because you are not playing consistently, and if you can’t handle the workload, it is your responsibility to own up to that.
22. Jody Shelley: Too many teams are taking too many liberties with your teammates, and it’s time for you to make them more afraid to do so.
23. Alexei Semenov: See above, and work on your fighting—at your size, you should never lose.
24. Brian Boucher: You have been the team’s best netminder since coming over at last year’s trade deadline. Do whatever it takes to get a coach to put you in net, even if it means kissing butt!
25. Claude Lemieux: Get a point already, or at least do more enforcing.

Sharks in Need of Transfusion From Jeremy Roenick

2009-02-17T14:14:00.001-06:00

Since beating the Boston Bruins on the road last week, prompting me to declare the San Jose Sharks ready to win the Stanley Cup, they have once again given way to the team that I am always nervous about going into the playoffs.

That win has been the only one in a seven game stretch in which the Sharks are 1-2-4. And do not tell me about them getting a point in four of five road games; remember, the goal is winning the Stanley Cup, and overtime losses are just losses after Easter.

They have surrendered the first goal in six of those seven games. They have squandered a third period lead in three of those seven games. They have committed more penalties than their opponents in four straight games.

The one in particular that bothers me is showing up late. How can you not be ready when the puck drops? You have the best team in the NHL, and are the odds-on favourite to win Lord Stanley's Cup playing teams that may be playoff bound—how can that NOT have you jazzed as soon as the puck drops?

Jeremy Roenick is what this team needs. He may not score anymore, but he could always be counted on to light the fire. Claude Lemieux has been unable to get his passion to spread through the team, perhaps because he has yet to get a single point in 10 games. JR might not score much, but this team has seen him score big goals for them and may get behind him and respond to him more readily.

If Roenick does not return soon by next week's road trip, the Sharks need to make a trade to get things going. They play three home games against two bubble teams and one of the worst teams in hockey this week. If they do not win them all, there is a huge problem.

But after that, they close the month with four road games against three playoff teams in six days. Just 1-1-4 so far this month, they will be lucky to finish February .500 and they will be lucky to still be in first in the conference, as one of those road games is against Detroit who is now just one point back (but two games behind in baseball terms, as they have played three more).

If I could suggest a trade, it would be great if we could get someone to take solid but overpaid Kyle McLaren off our hands along with a draft pick, but we would have to clear cap space to do pay the player we get in return. Any trade with McLaren would have to involve another player if it would bring San Jose help right now.

The next most logical trade candidate is Jonathan Cheechoo. It seems clear that Cheech is not going to return to his goal scoring form. He has been one of the league's three best goal scorers after the All Star break in the post-lockout era, but most of that came in his Richard Trophy season. He did finally score against New Jersey, but he is young enough and with a small enough contract ($3 million per year) to make him desirable enough for others.

I like Cheechoo. He always plays hard, and he is good defensively. But he is clearly not the scorer we paid him to be and we need someone on that third line who will put the puck in the net, because right now we only have two lines that can do that.

In return, we need a player with some fire. Even if he is old, since our goal is to win now. Someone like Sean Avery, but a little more evolved. I will be looking at candidates whose teams may be willing to move them in the coming two weeks leading up to the trade deadline.

Sharks Answer the Bell, Win Big in Big Game

2009-02-11T19:31:00.001-06:00

Yesterday, I wrote an open letter to the Sharks. I have been very concerned with their play since the Detroit game, and some legitimate concerns were addressed. I even suggested that it might be time to tweak things a bit.

That was exactly what they did for the game in Boston. In an interview after the game, Joe Thornton literally said, "We tweaked our game a bit" because of the previous struggles.

Thanks for listening, guys! It's nice to know you listen to me. I mean, a lot of fans wear shirts that say things like "San Jose Sharks Assistant Coach" because that's what they fancy themselves. But I guess being a community leader for the team brings real results!

(To show you the extent and limit of my ego, I don't really believe that, but I also don't think it's beyond the realm of possibility. Athletes and coaches read and write blogs, too.)

I have written a recap of the game for The Hockey Writers (I also have written a preview for the Penguins game; please hit the link and subscribe to my articles!), but I want to stress the five most significant accomplishments in Tuesday's victory in Boston:

1. The fact that the Sharks were able to take control of a game on the road in the third period
2. Bouncing back from the only three-game losing streak all season
3. Getting multi-point scoring performances from multiple sources
4. Taming a hot team
5. Winning against a quality opponent on the road with much of the hockey world watching

What is clear to me from this response is that the Sharks were indeed overlooking Columbus, and did indeed suffer a letdown following the match-up against Detroit. While this is disturbing, it does not suggest a team not ready for the playoffs.

It may in fact suggest a team more ready. Teams cannot play at full instensity for the 100-plus games it takes to win a Stanley Cup. Vancouver, Chicago, Carolina, and Columbus whom the Sharks struggled against after playing Detroit are all potential playoff opponents, but they are not likely to be overlooked in a playoff match-up.

It is much more important you win the big games than the little ones. Not only do you get the two points yourself, but you hurt the teams you beat in their quest to catch you. The Sharks have now won both "Games of the Year;" one in Boston and one at home versus Detroit.

I cannot wait for April!

Sharks Open Letter

2009-02-09T22:20:00.002-06:00

Dear San Jose Sharks,

Did you peak too early? Because the play of this team is far from inspired, and I am concerned.

Winning the Stanley Cup is the only thing that matters to me, and I what am I seeing tells me you are not ready to win the Cup. For instance:

1. You are not beating the teams that you are supposed to. Columbus came into Saturday's game with more losses than wins (an overtime/shootout loss is a loss), having played and traveled the night before, and with half the team sick or hurt, including its top three goalies. You were rested and had three players out, two of whom play on checking lines.
2. You do not consistently win the games you really need. You needed this one because you had two previous losses and were staring at four more games against teams either currently in the playoffs or who won the Eastern Conference last season; that one is on the second of back-to-back nights, to boot.
3. You have to avoid a long letdown after big games. Since beating Detroit January 17, you have been flat, particularly on offence. You have gotten only 13 shots past goalies in six games, losing three of them even though four of the six were at home.
4. You cannot have any one player indispensable, and it could be argued that some of the above trouble was because Dan Boyle was hurt for three games, during which only six shots beat a goalie.
5. You have gotten fat off the highest percentage of home games in the league, while playing the fewest number of games overall. This means you will have the most grueling travel schedule in the league over the remaining nine weeks.

Should you be hitting the panic button? Heck, no! There are 32 games left.

But there are concerns, and I think low expectations from fans lead to low expectations by teams. Ask players if letting down their guard is allowed in places like Montreal, where Stanley Cups are the only acceptable goal and regular season success is meaningless.

We all need to raise our expectations. We are sick of hearing about playoff chokes, whether justified or not. We must expect a level of performance that we know means you are ready for post-season success so those comments will not be heard again.

I bring these expectations to you because I expect you to play better. I expect you to play better because I know how good you are. Here is why I still believe in you:

1. You are top five in offence, defence, power play, and penalty kill. No other team can say that.
2. You have twice won games in the same week in which one required six-plus goals and the other was 2-1.
3. You win a lot of close games, going 15-2-7 in one-goal games.
4. You have overcome injuries to key players, including a stretch without two of your top four defencemen and another without your top goalie.
5. You have balanced scoring. Eight players have 30-plus goals and two more have at least two dozen; four of them are defencemen. An astounding 18 players have scored a game-winner, with only six doing so more than once.

Time for Gretzky to Step Down

2009-02-09T00:18:00.007-06:00

Wayne Gretzky will never be fired as the head coach of the Phoenix Coyotes. That is why the only way to make a change is for him is to step down. There is no better time than now with the Coyotes losing six straight games in regulation, the longest such streak since the 1993-94 season, while they were still in Winnipeg.

When Gretzky announced that he was going to go behind the bench for the 2005-06 season, I, like most other Coyotes fans', was ecstatic. Here you have the greatest player to ever play the game behind the bench of my favorite team. There was just so much potential for greatness. Four years later, and the team has been mediocre at best.

Now that I think about it, there were a few reasons why “The Great One” was destined to fail behind the bench of the Phoenix Coyotes.

One reason is because Gretzky, being the all-time leader in points, would be always in the spotlight. He has had pressure from everyone in the media and in the fans alike. He‘s the greatest player of all-time, so why can’t he be at the least a good coach who is capable of taking a team to the playoffs? Like in many other cases were Hall of Fame hockey players go behind the bench, it just doesn’t work out.

One recent example was with the Chicago Blackhawks' Denis Savard, who was fired only four games into the current NHL season. I think this happens because there is a lack of coaching experience.

This is especially the case with Gretzky. He had no previous coaching experience. It’s hard enough to coach a young team like the Coyotes with coaching experience, never mind without.

The last reason his run as coach was meant to fail is because he took over a team that wasn’t very good to begin with. I could probably see him having more success on a better team, but then again there aren’t a lot of times when good teams are looking for coaches.

It’s not like Gretzky had a choice which team he coached, anyways, with him being part owner and head of hockey operations for the team.

The bottom line is Gretzky had his chance and he should be smart enough to know when enough is enough. There are so many good coaches out there with plenty of NHL coaching experience that Gretzky can get to replace himself.

Then just maybe they can get what is turning out to be another disappointing season and turn it into a playoff season.

Phoenix Coyotes Struggling to Put the Puck in the Net

2009-02-04T11:06:00.004-06:00

In the past few seasons the Phoenix Coyotes have always lacked offense. They have recently taken that lack of offense to a whole other level.

In the four games since the all-star break the Coyotes have scored a combined total of four goals. It is safe to say they lost all of those games. There are a few reasons why there is a lack of offense on the Coyotes behalf.

The first reason is their absolutely dreadful powerplay. Their powerplay currently ranks second last in the league with dismal 13.1% success rate. The Coyotes are currently on a 0-19 run on the powerplay. That is simply unacceptable.

Head Coach Wayne Gretzky had the team recently in practice work mainly on their weak powerplay, so far none of that work is showing.

One of the reasons their powerplay isn’t working like it should be is their lack of puck control. One of the best ways to gain puck control is by winning faceoff’s.

The Coyotes are the leagues worse faceoff team. They have a dismal 43.6% faceoff winning percentage. To put it in perspective the second worse face off team, the Dallas Stars have a full 5% higher faceoff winning percentage.

The Coyotes lack any real good faceoff men. It’s too bad they don’t have Yanic Perrault anymore because he could sure teach the Coyotes a thing or two on how to win a faceoff.

Another reason they are struggling to score goals is because they recently have had injuries to a couple of key offensive contributors. Both Peter Mueller and Steven Reinprecht are out with injuries.

They are currently third and fourth respectively on the Coyotes in points. The Coyotes sure do miss both of these key players.

Lastly the Coyotes are just not getting enough production of their star off season acquisition in Olli Jokinen. He is currently on pace for a 54 point season, his worst point total since the 2001-02 season.

That is just way too low for a guy who has the potential and has shown he can score 90+ points. He is not helping on the powerplay or at the faceoff dot either.

The NHL Western Conference is very tight especially from the fifth to the eighth position. If the Coyotes can’t start scoring more goals they can kiss their playoff hopes goodbye.

Sharks Drop Second in Last Five Home Games

2009-02-02T02:43:00.000-06:00

There were a few streaks on the line Saturday night in the matchup between two of the Western Conference's top four teams.

Evgeni Nabokov had a 170-minute, 10-second shutout streak. It took only 48 seconds for the first to fall, as on a delayed penalty in the San Jose offensive zone, the Sharks failed to get possession of the puck.

Former Shark Brian Campbell skated into the attacking zone, dumped a pass to Andrew Ladd and attacked the net. Nabby saved his one-timer, but the rebound came to Shark-hunter Jonathan Toews (6 goals, 2 assists in 5 career games against the Sharks, including the first goal of his career) for the easy put-back.

A strange sequence followed in which it appeared Dave Bolland scored to give Chicago a two-goal lead just 10:59 into the game. But an obscure rule allowed for the referees to reverse the fourth penalty they failed to call on Chicago (they also let one go from the Sharks), and the goal was taken off the board.

Apparently, linesmen can only call majors and double-minors, but they can actually reverse the action that takes place after a non-call if there is any such penalty. Seeing that Jonathan Cheechoo had been bloodied, they reviewed video and assessed a penalty to Kris Versteeg.

Only trouble is, the penalty was commited by Toews, and the officials did not put the extra four or five seconds on the clock, either. Since they were already looking at video, why couldn't they see those two things?

And there are more questions:

1. With no explanation given over the microphone, we are forced to speculate on the nature of the decision. But since the review of video took a few minutes and the call was not made until it was completed, we can only assume it was video that brought the penalty. Why have I never seen this before, when many timesthere is this evidence?
2. How could Cheechoo coming back out of the tunnel with a cut be enough to make them get the call? Couldn't someone simply go cut themselves in the tunnel to get a call at a key time?
3. What difference does it make whether the high-sticking draws blood in deciding a penalty should be a double-minor? Is it not the action that is the infraction, not the result? And wouldn't it be worse if a slash broke my wrist than gave me a bloody nose, even though it would draw no blood? But then that is how the league issues discipline, too: if no one is hurt, you can do anything.
4. Why not allow the linesmen to call any penalties just like the referees? I understand they might not be watching for penalties as much as off-sides, but if they can make some calls, why not others? Wouldn't it make officiating better to have a another couple pairs of eyes in some situations?

In the resulting double-minor, the Sharks capitalized. About half-way through the first of the two minors, Joe Pavelski passed the puck from the point to Ryan Clowe on the half-boards, and he moved it to Chrstian Ehrhoff on the blue line right in the centre of the ice.

Ehrhoff's slapshot found its way through two Chicago defenders and two Sharks teammates screening Nicholai Khabibulin to tie the game. It was his second straight game with a power play goal, both with the Sharks primary man advantage weapon, Dan Boyle, out with an injury.

The power play has clearly suffered without Boyle. The Sharks are 3-14 (21.4 percent) in those three games, and while that is just two percent worse than the season overall, they also gave up a short-handed goal in this game.

Bolland got his point after all, picking up a shot that Ehrhoff heeled and racing in all alone. Ehrhoff tripped him in trying to dive and kick the puck away, making Nabby's save easy. But no one picked up Versteeg who put the rebound home uncontested.

Later saw another of the Sharks' streaks come to an end: three games without having given up a power play goal. That came with 3:45 left in the second and the Sharks having a man without a stick. Cam Barker passed the puck from the point to Patrick Kane, who got it to Toews on the doorstep to Nabby's glove side. Toews roofed a quick shot past Nabby as soon as he went down into the butterfly.

The Sharks gave up another power play goal to Duncan Keith (assists by Brent Seabrook and Versteeg) in the third period, but needed only ten seconds to respond. Pavelski won a faceoff to Blake, who passed the puck from the boards to the blue line, where a streaking Milan Michalek picked it up, split the defence, and skated in for the backhand breakaway goal.

Unfortunately five minutes later, it was clear the Sharks would have a couple other streaks end.

For one, they had a 13-game winning streak over Chicago dating back to 2005. They also were on a four-game winning streak—modest by their standards, but a streak nonetheless. That had helped them to an eight-point lead over the Detroit Red Wings, who are now mired in a five-game losing streak.

San Jose also had earned a point in 25 of 26 home games, with 23 of those coming in victories. And Chicago was playing its third game in four nights half-way across the country from their home.

This should definitely have been a win for San Jose. I am not saying it should have been easy—in fact, I told my wife before the game I expected Nabby to give up four or five goals to the powerful Chicago offence.

What I am saying is that you have to be able to beat a tired team when things are in your favour—you are playing well with a hot goalie, home ice, and a looming dominance over your opponent. Especially when you do not beat many contending teams on the road.

So far this season, of the Sharks' hosts who are currently in the top eight in their conferences in point percentage, only Chicago, Edmonton, Dallas, and Philadelphia lost to San Jose on their home ice. But of those four, only Chicago was playing well enough to be eligible for the playoffs at the time; Philadelphia and Dallas, in fact, were in the basement of their conferences.

With Edmonton's overtime victory of the Sharks, two of those four teams have also beaten San Jose at HP Pavilion, as have the Calgary Flames and Nashville Predators. Since overtime losses are still losses in the playoffs, that means four quality road wins and four home losses, one of which is to a non-playoff team (they would have qualified at the time, however).

Thus, perhaps no team needs home ice as much as San Jose. If San Jose expects to avoid every playoff series going to seven games (no one has ever won a Cup with four seven-game series), they better show they can acquire quality road wins this month, and they will have plenty of chances.

After Thursday's game against the Carolina Hurricanes, the Sharks embark on a five-game road trip. Following that, the Sharks have three at home before going on a four-game road trip to close February. After all that, they will still have one more road game than home game left this season.

February is the month for them to prove they can win on the road and therefore win the Cup. They are expecting to get Boyle back Thursday, and there is a good chance that the Sharks other three injured players—Jeremy Roenick, Brad Lukowich, and Torrey Mitchell—may all return before the month is out, as well.

But at this time of the year, you can neither count on getting nor staying healthy.

Injury Bug Taking Bite Out of the Coyotes

2009-02-01T10:45:00.003-06:00

Last season the Coyotes were fortunate enough to have little to no injuries. This year however has been a different story. The Coyotes currently have four players on the injured list. These players are Viktor Tikhonov (Hand), Peter Mueller (Concussion), Steve Reinprecht (Shoulder), and Kurt Sauer (Lower Body).

Viktor Tikhonov suffered a hand injury on January 8th and hasn’t played since. He is expected to be back in the lineup within a week. Tikhonov has been a great suprise defensively for the Coyotes this season.

When he was in the lineup he was one of the Coyotes top penalty killers. Since he has been out the lineup the Coyotes penalty kill has started to fall off a bit. They currently have the 20th ranked penalty kill in the league. Expect that to rise with the return of Viktor Tikhonov.

Peter Mueller suffered his first notable injury in the NHL when he was forced to leave a game on January 27th against the Anaheim Ducks with a minor concussion.

He is expected to be back very soon. The Coyotes hope he can come back as soon as possible as his presence can only help the league's second worst powerplay.

The first diagnosis of Steven Reinprecht’s injured shoulder had him out for 4 -12 weeks. His status has since been updated to two weeks on the injured list. The two weeks that he will be out are still going to be a tough couple weeks for the Coyotes.

Reinprecht has been one of the Coyotes' best player’s this season. He currently ranks fourth on the Coyotes with 28 points. Not to mention Reinprecht is one of a few veteran leaders the Coyotes have in the locker room.

The most significant injury to the Coyotes so far this season is to that of defenseman Kurt Sauer. Sauer has been out since January 10th but is expected to be back in the lineup in the next couple weeks. When Sauer was in the Coyotes lineup he played huge minutes and was responsible for shutting down some of the league’s top players.

In replacement of Sauer, both David Hale and Keith Yandle were given permanent spots on the Coyotes blue line. While Yandle has stepped up his game both offensively and defensively, Hale has been prone to making some costly defensive mistakes.

The Coyotes defensive group isn’t very deep to begin with so getting a healthy Kurt Sauer back will give much more depth to the Coyotes blue line.

The Coyotes have been patient throughout all of the injuries this season and that’s what they will continue to do. Players like Joel Perrault and Alexander Nikulin have come into the lineup and contributed what they can. The Coyotes should have all their players back in time for the stretch run. At the end of that run could be their first playoff appearance in seven years.

Dallas Leaves Mason And Columbus Seeing Stars

2009-02-01T00:57:00.002-06:00

The Stars may be 12 or so games back, but we all remember who generally beats who in the playoffs. As long as the Stars make the playoffs (which they likely will) I have more than enough confidence the Sharks will again swim home with fin between legs over a failed attempt to buy a Stanley Cup.

The right motivation can make anything easier, and since their season began with a terrible slump, the Dallas Stars are living proof. Since dumping disgraced agitator Sean Avery, the Stars have seen a surge on the ice, a resurgence to the style that made the team so dangerous last season.

The Columbus Blue Jackets learned this lesson all too well on Saturday night.

Dallas, battling to steal points from a playoff spot adversary in the Jackets, seized control and pace early. The Stars controlled every aspect of the first period, especially after taking a 3-0 early lead which caused rookie goalie sensation, Steve Mason, of the Blue Jackets to be yanked.

James Neal played the hero for the night for Dallas, and set the tone early with his 14th goal of the season at 5:58. Matt Niskanen and Mike Modano both assisted. Neal has been a great addition to the Stars this season, even as a rookie.

At 8:22 Loui Eriksson netted his 24th goal of the season unassisted to put the Stars up 2-0, and left Mason shaking his head. Former Anaheim Duck Brian Sutherby added salt to Columbus' wound at 10:43 on a wrist shot goal from Loui Eriksson and Brad Richards.

At 17:32 the Jackets finally knocked the Stars off their dominant streak with a backhand goal by Kristian Huselius. Assists came from Jan Hejda and Marc Methot.

Columbus began the second period with a bang, scoring on the power play at 1:38. Fedor Tyutin scored it on a slap shot from Kristian Huselius and Rick Nash. With the Stars clinging to a one goal lead, the battle on the ice turned into something reminisent of a Civil War battle. Neither side gave up ground without a fight.

The Stars yet again looked for leadership to seize control, and James Neal yet again stepped up to the challenge. Neal's wrist shot beat Dubielewicz- who had replaced Mason after the Stars third goal- at 13:29 with assists from Mike Modano and Chris Conner.

The two goal lead didn't prove to be comfortable enough for Dallas. The Stars kept up pressure on the Columbus back-up goaltender and defense, and at 18:58, Steve Ott scored with helpers from Jere Lehtinen and Mike Ribeiro.

Down 5-2, the Blue Jackets looked to be about to bounce back when Jared Boll scored at 4:34 of the third period, but the Stars ensured a win with smothering play and added pressure. The stifling and focused play by Dallas yielded two more goals.

Stars defenseman Trevor Daley scored at 7:10 on a slap shot. Toby Petersen and Darryl Sydor were credited with assists. Andrew Hutchinson scored his first goal of the season at 18:02, inevitably more than securing the Stars victory. Niklas Grossman and James Neal were credited with assists on the final goal.

With the win Dallas climbs to 7th in the Western Conference, the first time the Stars have been truly in a playoff picture all season. The good news ends there I'm afraid. Dallas is in this spot tied with three other teams having 53 points. Dallas only finds itself where it is due to having played less games.

The main focus for Dallas is winning key games, and closing the gap on Anaheim while being sure to stay above the Coyotes. With the right motivation and hard work, Dallas could find itself second in the division come the end of the season.

Dallas will now face the Calgary Flames, one of the most dangerous teams in the Northwest Division on Feb. 3rd at the American Airlines Center.

Sharks Dominate Another Pacific Foe

2009-01-31T20:56:00.001-06:00

Good to see someone else posted here. Even better to see my "guppies" as he put it are now over a dozen games ahead of his fallen Stars...

On Thursday night, the San Jose Sharks returned home to host the Pacific Division second place Phoenix Coyotes. Both teams came to play, and the game had post-season intensity.

Under four minutes into the game, there was a fight between Daniel Winnik and Ryan Clowe. Both teams had in excess of 30 hits and a minimum of 17 penalty minutes.

The game also featured tight defence. Neither team managed 30 shots on goal, and both goalies made tremendous save after save. Thursday was Evgeni Nabokov's second consecutive shutout, and it has now been 170 minutes, 10 secondssince he let a goal by him.

The only shot that went by either happened when Patrick Marleau passed a rebound of a Devin Setoguchi shot out to Christian Ehrhoff, who slapped it home around a partial Joe Thornton screen. The only other goal came when Ryan Clowe passed the puck across to Marcel Goc, who shot it into the empty net; Alexei Semenov got the secondary assist.

One concern for the Sharks is their failure to score in every game where the first line is broken up; coach Todd McLellan did that again by elevating Clowe to the first line and putting Marleau on the second.

The other time he did that was in Calgary, when the Sharks were outscored 3-0 in the first period before McLellan switched the teams back. Any good defence can shut down one line, and there will be plenty of good defences in the Western conference playoffs.

But for now, the Sharks have shown an ability to win games against tough teams in multiple ways. In this four-game winning streak, they have needed six goals to win one game and a shutout to win another.

Now the Sharks face the Chicago Blackhawks Saturday at home; Chicago will be playing their third game in four days in California, so San Jose should earn their 14th consecutive win over the Original Six franchise.

Glad to be Home

2009-01-30T20:05:00.002-06:00

After a slight hiatus from the blog, and even one from my usual writing duties at Bleacher Report I am back. Thankfully my good friend and guppies fan M.J. has kept this lovely blog afloat. With my return to hockey writing is also even more motivation to write even more after joining a site called The Hockey Writers, an attempt to bring together some of the best blogging minds in hockey together on one site.

I hope my friend M.J will make an attempt to write for them, although they do ask for original material that will not be posted anywhere else other than their site. This is also the main reason I will be covering my usual assignment of Stars hockey for Bleacher Report, while covering the Anaheim Ducks for hockeywriters.com.

A big thanks to M.J. who has truly busted his tail fin on Bleacher Report and this blog to spread Sharks news.

Sharks Send Avs to Davey Jones Locker

2009-01-29T04:14:00.001-06:00

The second half of the NHL season started Tuesday. For the San Jose Sharks and Colorado Avalanche, the setting for Act II was the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado.

This game served as a second act in several ways. It was a reunion of many former teammates and champions from both teams.

The Avalanche are famously without aging stars of their glory days like Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, and Adam Foote, and any chance they have of returning to the playoffs rests on their ability to stay in the hunt until their former studs can return.

The Sharks saw the return of two other teammates of those great Avs teams. The newest Shark, 43-year old Claude Lemieux, returned to one of the few places he is not hated.

Rob Blake not only returned to the Arena he won his Stnaley Cup with, but also returned from what is believed to be a broken jaw. However, that was off-set by the news that fellow blue line addition Dan Boyle reinjured himself in the All Star game. San Jose was also without their other off-season addition, Brad Lukowich, as well as Jeremy Roenick and Torrey Mitchell.

So how would the teams perform without their full compliment? Both have been dealing with this for most of the year; to this point, San Jose has the best point percentage in the league, and Colorado has the ninth worst.

Early on, the Avalanche was getting a majority of the pressure, out-shooting the Sharks 9-5 in the first period. However, two key lapses led to a San Jose lead.

First, former Sharks defenceman Scott Hannan (sorry, Colorado fans: he is no Minister of Defense—that title belongs to the late Reggie White ONLY!) took a penalty for high-sticking. For more than a minute-and-a-half, they did an excellent job killing the penalty.

But then they made their second mistake. Christian Ehrhoff took the puck from Ryan Clowe behind the net, and the Avs left Milan Michalek alone drifting toward the crease; he easily put the one-timer home for a lead just 8:15 in.

The Sharks looked like they might take over the game at the end of the period. Alexei Semenov had one of the best shifts I have ever witnessed (I am officially off his case and about to get on his bandwagon), checking David Jones hard twice and drawing a double minor for high-sticking from Cody McLeod. But the Sharks power play struggled to even get shots against the league's 22nd-ranked penalty kill without Dan Boyle as its catalyst.

A couple shifts into the second period, the assault on Jones continued from Douglas Murray, and that hit sent him to Davey Jones' locker. Just as the pirates of old for whom that term was first used, he did not return.

The physical play helped generate momentum to lead to another score by Michalek just 1:31 into the second. Blake advanced the puck to Joe Pavelski, who found Milan streaking up the right wing. Michalek kept Andrew Raycroft guessing between pass or shot and ripped a quick, hard wristshot to the corner.

Michalek has three two-goal games at the Pepsi Center in the last two years. He now has 10 in his career without a single hat trick.

These events also led to further confrontations. One was a fight between Murray and Chris Stewart, in which Murray landed several shots to his opponent's one, but that one was a doozy. The other was Ryan Smyth being knocked over the back of the net, toppling the cage with him onto Evgeni Nabokov; no one was hurt.

Nabby was also dominant. One on occasion, he made a save in which he slid into the net but kept the puck out. On another, he kept a puck from going in despite half the net being open. Rookie defenceman Derek Joslin also beat Wojtek Wolski to a loose puck in front of the crease with Nabby on his back.

From this point, the Sharks began to take over. By the end of the period when they took a penalty, they had registered several unanswered shots and ended the second with a 21-19 lead in shots.

It continued into the third, when the Sharks out-shot the Avs 17-12, including the empty net goal by Patrick Marleau (assisted by Tomas Plihal and Joe Thornton) with 38 seconds to go.

The Sharks come home to HP Pavilion to play the second place Phoenix Coyotes Thursday night at 7:30pm PST. The Coyotes lost to Anaheim to fall 22 points back of the Sharks, who also have three games in hand on their pursuers.

The Sharks got mixed news from their other two hunters, seeing their lead over the Detroit Red Wings, who lost in overtime to the Columbus Blue Jackets, rise to six points with a game in hand.

But Boston was a winner in overtime against Washington, and is thus still able to claim they are tied for the best record in the NHL because of the moronic precedence given to the point system over the fact that they have played two more games. They will maintain that two extra game edge by hosting New Jersey Thursday.

Sharks Dominate Division Like I Dominate This Blog!

2009-01-28T00:11:00.003-06:00

I have written the past 16 entries on this site, and completely dominate the first page. Why does no other writer on this site for the division have anything to say?

Perhaps it is because the Sharks are as dominant in the Pacific Division as I am on this site. San Jose currently holds an almost insurmountable edge on their next closest competitor in the division.

Even by NHL standards (the dumbest way of tracking division leaders ever conceived), the lead is 20 points. But if you factor in that the Phoenix Coyotes have played three more games than the Sharks, that translates into an 11 1/2 game lead by baseball standards.

To put it in perspective, the next biggest lead is six games and 13 points by Boston over Montreal. The difference between the first and last place teams in the Northwest is only seven games and 13 points. Only six teams outside of the Pacific are behind their division leader by more games than Phoenix.

Let's say the Sharks were ravaged by injury and played only .500 hockey for the rest of the season, a pace that only eight teams are currently below. Even then the Coyotes would have to earn 57 of a possible 68 points the rest of the way, an .838 point percentage.

That is 27 percentage points better than the Sharks current success rate of .811, which best in the league by 35 percentage points. Good luck: I project the Sharks will have the Pacific Division mathematically wrapped up on March 12, eight days after the trade deadline.

San Jose Officially NHL's Team to Beat

2009-01-24T03:40:00.000-06:00

With the 2008-09 NHL season entering the All Star break, this is a perfect time to analyze what we have seen so far as well as what we can expect in the remaining 11 weeks. We have seen enough to know the quality of each team, even as far as getting an idea of whether teams might be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline.

So let's get right to it; the top ten teams are listed in order of how I believe they will finish the season in the standings:

1. The Boston Bruins have shown enough to make me believe they can hold on to the substantial lead they have over other Eastern Conference teams and will finish with the best record in the league because they have an easier road than the Sharks or the Red Wings, including a home game against the former in February and a win against the latter already. They lead the league in goals for and goals against, and are eighth in penalty kill and third in power play.
2. The San Jose Sharks are the best team in the league right now. They have proven themselves with an almost invincible home record and are a full game ahead of the Boston Bruins (equal points, two games fewer played). They have survived significant injuries to such key players as Evgeni Nabokov, Jonathan Cheechoo, Rob Blake, Torrey Mitchell (out the entire season so far), Mike Grier, and Jeremy Roenick. They are in the top five in shots on goal and shots against, in goals scored and goals against, and in power play and penalty kill.
3. The Detroit Red Wings are still an elite team, with the league's best power play and offence and the experience and savvy to make things happen—they are definitely clutch. However, they have horrible defence. Only 11 teams give up more goals per game and only 10 have penalty kills ranked lower than Detroit's. This is primarily because of goaltending, as the Red Wings give up the third fewest shots in the league. As we all know, goaltending is the most important position in all of sports, and especially critical in the playoffs.
4. The Washington Capitals will finish with the fourth-best record in the league for a few reasons. First, they survived a plethora of injuries earlier in the season and fought through it. Second, they are in the weakest division in the league, possibly in the history of the league. Third, they have possibly the greatest player in the league in Alex Ovechkin, a player that is not just among the most skilled in the league but has the physicality to play on a checking line.
5. The New Jersey Devils have the league's fifth best point percentage despite playing in a competitive division without one of the five best goalies of all time. Martin Brodeur will be back before the end of the season, and this time will have an offence that is tied for eighth in the league in front of him. They have the savvy and experience to win when they have to.
6. The Calgary Flames have been struggling on defence, with only six teams giving up more goals per game than the Flames. But they have found their offence, ranking sixth in the league in that category, and they have one of the league's best goaltenders and blue lines, so I expect them to turn it around defensively.
7. The Chicago Blackhawks are among the league leaders in points despite a 0-2-0-2 record against the Red Wings, who they do not play again until a home-and-home series in the last two games of the season. By then, the games may mean less to Detroit than Chicago. With two of the other teams in the division being weak, they should be able to have the best record of the non-division winners. They have the fourth-best offence and fourth-best defence, and in the top ten in both power play and penalty kill.
8. Les Habitants de Montreal are doing well despite their typically vaunted power play sputtering—they are currently ranked 24th in that category. Despite this they are tied with New Jersey for the eighth in offence, and they are in ninth in both goals against and penalty kill. Expect their power play to turn around and for them to feast on their mediocre division.
9. The New York Rangers have only spent most of the season in "first place" in the Atlantic because they have played more games than anyone else. They were off to a hot start in October, but their point percentage has been lower than New Jersey and Philadelphia since about Thanksgiving. They have the goaltending and, on paper at least, the forwards and blue line to be an elite team, but they have actually given up more goals that they have scored andseem to often play for the shootout; that will not be a strategy they can employ in the post-season.
10. The Philadelphia Flyers can score with almost anyone and have similar clutch capabilities to the Red Wings, but their defence and goaltending are also similarily suspect, and I do not believe they will be able to win this division with that weakness.

Best of the rest: I expect the Pittsburgh Penguins and Vancouver Canucks to see their positions rise in the remainder of the season. When Pittsburgh gets Sergei Gonchar back, he will be the catalyst for the power play the team needs. Now that Roberto Luongo has returned and Mats Sundin is rounding into form, Vancouver is a dangerous team.

Other playoff teams: Western Conference teams will see great defensive teams in the Minnesota Wild and Columbus Blue Jackets join a young but fundamentally sound Phoenix Coyotes team squeak in, leaving behind the resurging Dallas Stars, Edmonton Oilers, and fading Anaheim Ducks. In the East, the Florida Panthers will ride their weak division schedule into the post-season just as I predicted (and was derided for) before the season, with the Buffalo Sabres being the the odd-team out.

Playoff results by round, Western Conference:

1. Sharks over Blue Jackets in six—Columbus plays the Sharks tough and will be able to slow the game down, with rookie standout goalie Steve Mason making scoring tough. Red Wings over Wild in six—I see a clash of styles with much the same results as above. Flames over Coyotes in five—Phoenix just does not have enough depth of talent to win this series. Canucks over Blackhawks in six—Chicago relies too much on overtime losses for their points and does not have the playoff experience Vancouver does.
2. Sharks over Canucks in six—San Jose has dominated Vancouver and is simply too deep. Red Wings over Flames in seven—Calgary is physical and well-rounded, but their propensity to take penalties will be their undoing against this power play.
3. Sharks over Red Wings in seven—I firmly believe that whichever team wins home ice for this round wins it, and with a three game lead and Detroit's Pavel Datsyuk and Niklas Lidstrom being suspended for the first game after the All Star break, San Jose will hold off the Wings despite a slightly tougher schedule the rest of the way. By avoiding the tougher and more physical opponent in Calgary as well as one less trip over three time zones, San Jose edges out the defending champions.

Playoff results by round, Eastern Conference:

1. Bruins over Panthers in five—Florida's goaltending will get them one win, but they do not score enough to be a serious threat in this series. Penguins over Capitals in seven—I am doing a rare thing here for me by picking a road team in game seven, but I think Pittsburgh is deeper and more experienced than Washington and that will carry them. Devils over Flyers in six—New Jersey is the better all-around team, especially with Brodeur back in net. Rangers over Canadiens in seven—I trust Henrik Lundqvist more than Carey Price in that pressure cooker, so I am picking another road team in a game seven.
2. Penguins over Bruins in six—Boston will be in uncharted territory, and I do not think they are ready. They have only one third period comeback on the entire season, and that does not indicate a team resilient enough to overcome the adversity they are likely to face. Devils over Rangers in six—New Jersey has never had a rested Brodeur in the playoffs, and will be hard to beat with that plus an offence.
3. Devils over Penguins in seven—Pittsburgh avoids the pitfall of the West by playing two of its three series against teams in their back yard, but they will still have to travel more than New Jersey. The Devils are the only team in the East with more late-round experience, they have better goaltending, and they have home ice; this is too much for Pittsburgh to overcome.

In the finals, the one less cross-country flight because of owning home ice will not even compensate for San Jose's much more demanding playoff itinerary. However, New Jersey does not have the depth of talent on the blue line or even among their forwards that San Jose does, and if the Sharks get this far, they will have the confidence of having slain the dragon in Detroit—there will no longer be the worry of choking. Brodeur is a better goalie and will be less weary, but it is not enough; Sharks in seven.

Sharks-Canucks: a Trap Game

2009-01-21T14:26:00.001-06:00

I wrote that Saturday's game against the Detroit Red Wings was a man's game. Tuesday's game against the Vancouver Canucks was a trap game.

It was a trap game because the Sharks were coming off a hard-fought, emotional win against the Stanley Cup champions and chief competitors in the Western Conference. It was a trap game because it was right before the All-Star break. It was also a trap game because the Canucks were coming off a stretch in which they got only one of a possible ten points.

But mostly it was a trap game because, after taking an early lead, the Canucks played the dreaded trap.

The trap was successfully employed by the likes of the New Jersey Devils, who won three Stanley Cups utilizing this suffocating defence that clogs up the area between the blue lines with four or five players, making entry into the attacking zone almost impossible. It also nearly killed hockey.

Ironically, the very strategy that helped the venerable Claude Lemieux win two of his four rings was used against him in his return for the first time since retiring after the 2002-2003 season. He was on the Sharks fourth line and very effective, registering a couple shots on goal and a couple hits.

At least when Lemieux was voted the most hated hockey player ever, it was not by his own teammates like was the case with Sean Avery. I also do not deny that the Sharks need more of what Lemieux brings: an ability to get under the opponent's skin and Stanley Cup experience.

But I had enough problem with the trade for Jody Shelley, who had crossed the line a couple times against the Sharks. Lemieux crossed the line into permanent infamy with that hit on Kris Draper in the playoffs about a decade ago.

But I digress. One good thing about the employment of the trap is that after Saturday night's game recap, I felt my articles were too focused on rehashing the scoring and not enough on other substance.

That cannot be a problem in this game. If it were, this would be the entire article:

Just past the mid-point of the opening stanza, Vancouver got on the board when Daniel Sedin got the puck to his brother Henrik, who skated behind the net. After working his way back and forth, he found Taylor Pyatt in the slot with a backhand feed, and Pyatt put home the one-timer over Evgeni Nabokov's glove for the 1-0 lead.

The Sharks were unable to get through the Vancouver trap for many good scoring chances, and when they did, Roberto Luongo was there to stone them. So with just over a minute left in the game, the Sharks were forced to pull Nabby.

Getting a faceoff in the offensive end with 53.6 seconds to go, the Sharks called a timeout to set up. Despite having lost almost two faceoffs for every one they won to that point, San Jose won this and passed the puck around the zone for about 12 seconds, until Joe Thornton got the puck behind the net from Patrick Marleau.

Coming out the forehand side, he spied Devin Setoguchi drifting back away from the defence and threaded a pass to him at the faceoff dot to Luongo's stick side. Seto's one-timer made it through traffic screening Luongo and just inside the post with 39.1 seconds to go.

In overtime, the Sharks drew a penalty and took less than a minute to cash in on the four-on-three. Thornton got the puck to Marleau on a semi-break, and Luongo made the save. In the ensuing scramble, Pavelski took a whack at it and the puck kicked wide to Thornton, who threaded a pass to Marleau on the other wing for the one-timer, game-winner.

Not much to talk about. The peripheral stuff was definitely better than the game made boring by the trap employed.

After the game-winner, Shane O'Brien, the most penalized player in the NHL, threw his shoulder into Ryan Clowe on his way off the ice, and a scrum ensued. Sharks colour commentator Drew Remenda gave Canucks coach Alain Vignieau credit for keeping the peace, but it was his guys who started it and he was the one yelling at the Sharks as they skated away.

The Sharks defence held Vancouver to just 14 shots, although that was made easier by the Canucks dump and trap approach. Luongo was back in form, turning away the first 28 shots he faced.

But San Jose showed it could fight its way back into a game that they struggled in. Clutch is everything in life, and the first line was clutch Tuesday night.

San Jose goes into the All-Star break with a three-game lead on Detroit (five points and a game in hand) for the top spot in the West, who has just 35 games left to make up that ground. The Sharks are also two points up on Boston with two games in hand.

This is shaping up to be an exciting stretch run.

Sharks Will Way to Victory over Chief Conference Competitor

2009-01-19T03:41:00.000-06:00

Jim Rome often uses the phrase, "Man's game!" Saturday night's matchup between the two top teams in the Western Conference proved to be just that.

The Sharks were coming off their first home loss of the year, and first since Valentine's Day of 2008. They were without two of their top four defencemen (Rob Blake and Brad Lukowich), last year's league leader in game-deciding goals (Jeremy Roenick, who had ten game winners and four shootout winners in 2007-08), and top penalty-killer Torrey Mitchell.

The Red Wings were playing the third game in four days in California. But with Friday night off, by comparison to the other two matchups, this was no adversity at all: in both, the road team had played the night before and been forced to travel before the game.

When the two teams met in Detroit, San Jose had a nine point lead on the Red Wings; now, that lead was down to one point. Granted, the Wings had played one more game, but clearly the Sharks' hold on their status of the best team in the conference was coming into question.

Leading up to the game, both teams referred to the other as the best in the league. But when Devin Setoguchi did it on camera, Joe Thornton leaned over and declared, "We're the best team in the league!"

Then he went out to prove it. But unlike the past few games, his line did not have to do it alone.

It took less than three minutes for the first score. Douglas Murray dumped the puck down and Ryan Clowe got to it. Using his considerable reach to protect the puck, he cycled around the net and passed it up to Dan Boyle, who roofed a sharp-angle shot by Chris Osgood's ear.

Just over a minute later, you got the feeling this was not going to be a good day for goalies.

Niklas Kronwall advanced the puck from blueline to blueline, where Jiri Hudler chipped it to Valtteri Filppula on the wing. He in turn advanced it to the faceoff circle on Evgeni Nabokov's glove side, crossed over to the middle, and found a crease in the traffic of everyone settling into position in the zone. His wrist shot eluded Nabby's glove and went in over his shoulder.

It took just 3:15 more for the Sharks to regain the lead, and once again it was the second line that shone brightly. Murray once again dumped the puck down, and the Sharks battled to control the puck along the half-boards.

Eventually it was kicked back out to Murray, who pivoted to keep it in and shot it on net. The save went to the other halfboards, where Joe Pavelski drew a delayed penalty on former Shark Brad Stuart.

Joe, Clowe, and Milan Michalek managed to control the puck again and, once again, got it to Murray, who passed it to Michalek in open space. Milan skated across the slot and laced a beautiful, no look, backhand pass across to the other wing, past Kronwall, Dan Cleary, and Stuart, to a wide-open Pavelski for the one-timer.

This pass had to make Thornton's jaw drop, and the score gave Murray his fifth point in eight days, after going the first 40 Sharks games without one.

There was no more scoring in the opening period, but the Sharks did appear in control. San Jose was better in the face-off circle (13-8), out-hit the Red Wings 20-9, and out-shot them 13-11 despite giving up four shots on the period's only penalty kill.

The scoring and the Red Wings got going again once there was fresh ice.

Murray went to the box for holding, and it took less than a minute for Detroit to cash in. Brian Rafalski shot the puck in, and much like Murray's shot leading to his second assist, the rebound bounced out to the half-boards. Pavel Datsyuk got the puck on the wing and passed it to Marian Hossa, who one-timed it home.

Less than three minutes later, Tomas Holmstrom advances the puck to Datsyuk, who attacks the defence, drawing Christian Ehrhoff from the far side to support Derek Joslin. He then finds Johan Franzen in front of the crease on the far side and threads a pass by Jonathan Cheechoo, and Franzen taps it home easily for the Wings first lead of the game.

To me, this play exemplified what has been wrong with the Sharks in the playoffs each of the last three years. The team was controlling play, even having forced the Wings to take a timeout after two consecutive icings. San Jose was out-shooting and out-chancing their foes, but young defencemen were making key mistakes that were giving up scores to an opportunistic, quality foe.

However, San Jose was able to draw Detroit's first penalty less than a minute later, and 31 seconds after that, a slashing penalty on Anrdeas Lilja gave the Sharks an extended five-on-three. San Jose, despite facing the league's second-worst penalty kill on the road (75% coming in), could not cash in on the two-man advantage. Devin Setoguchi and Patrick Marleau both had great chances on rebounds, but the puck bounced the wrong way for them.

It was not until there were only seconds left on Lilja's minor that the Sharks made something happen. Clowe chipped the puck up to Michalek, who skated in and shot one on net form the wing. Osgood made the save, but the rebound kicked straight up between the faceoff circles and Ehrhoff was there to put it home for his first goal since October 18.

Detroit's Henrik Zetterberg tallied another goal on a battle in front of Nabby with over four minutes to go in the second, with assists going to Cleary and Hossa. But Cheechoo answered on the power play to tie it up again with just over a minute to go, as Marc-Eduoard Vlasic shot the puck in, it bounced off Clowe, and came out to Cheech on the wing; the rebound was roofed past Osgood.

The second period ended with a scrum that inexplicably saw Thornton get a double minor for standing with his gloved hand in Franzen's face, while Rafalski got just two for driving Setoguchi's head to the ice. In fact, Franzen and Setoguchi, two of the most innocent of those involved, ended up in the box with him, Thornton and Vlasic.

So while San Jose was outshooting their foes 34-23, the score was tied and they were facing the league's second best Power play. However, the Sharks fourth-ranked penalty kill was better in this period, in large part because Nabby rose to the occasion.

In fact, there was no scoring until over half way through the period, when Ehrhoff passed the puck up the boards to Boyle on his own blueline. Boyle chipped it into the air, and Michalek won the race to it at the red line over three Wings, and skated in for the breakaway goal.

About three minutes later, Vlasic got the puck to Clowe, who found Marleau straddling the blueline to stay on side. Marleau also skated in for the breakaway goal, and it appeared the Sharks may finally have worn down their veteran opponents.

But just like veterans do, Detroit got a goal with under two minutes to go from Rafalski (Zetterberg and Hossa got the assists) to make it interesting. However, San Jose staved off a late attack with Osgood pulled to hold on for the 6-5 victory.

The Sharks are expecting to get Blake and possibly Lukowich and Mitchell back after the All-Star break. It appears Blake has a broken jaw since he has a "wiring device" normally used for that, according to the San Jose Mercury News.

There is one more home game prior to the break, on Tuesday against Vancouver. The Sharks return to action the following Tuesday at Colorado.

Sharks Burned by Flames for First Home Loss in 11 Months

2009-01-16T23:41:00.001-06:00

The San Jose Sharks last regulation loss at HP Pavilion in a regular season game was Valentine's Day, 2008. So you might title Thursday night's effort Love's Labours Lost.

During the broadcast, Drew Remenda and Randy Hahn commented that, before the game, Calgary said, "someone's going to beat (San Jose) here—it might as well be us." When the Flames were hanging on to a one-goal lead late in the game, they wondered aloud whether the Flames were prophetic.

The game started out well enough for the Sharks. On the game's second shift, Dan Boyle took an outlet pass from Joe Pavelski and skated it into the offensive zone before dumping the puck into the corner. Milan Michalek forechecked to get the puck free, and Boyle passed it from behind the net to Ryan Clowe on the inside edge of the faceoff circle to Miikka Kiprusoff's stick side.

Before Clowe let it fly, Boyle had both hands raised in the air. Exactly one minute into the game, the Sharks had a 1-0 lead.

Calgary's Craig Conroy answered early in the second. Adrian Aucoin's shot from the point caromed around in front of Evgeni Nabokov until finally Conroy was able to put it home 2:02 into the period.

Joe Thornton had a rebuttal less than four minutes later. He took a pass from Devin Setoguchi and skated into the slot, never even looking to pass for a change, even with Patrick Marleau headed toward the net on the wing. His wrist shot ripped the twine from between the faceoff dots on Kipper's stick side; Boyle got the secondary assist.

But after Calgary evened up the score on a Daymond Langkow power play goal, Joe took a foolish penalty that may have cost the Sharks the game. With a man in the box, Rene Bourque cross-checked Joe and got exactly what he wanted—a retaliation that put the Sharks' best player in the box.

Thus, when Corey Sarich took another penalty 50 seconds later, the key to the Sharks power play could not help his team cash in on 29 seconds of five-on-three or the remaining 41 seconds of the one-man advantage.

This is not the first time a thug team has taken a shot at Joe and then known they did not have to worry about killing penalties. Anaheim did it in the teams' second matchup en route to their first win of the season, a 4-0 drubbing.

There are two successful ways teams respond to opponents taking runs at their stars: score on the power play like Detroit does, or knock out someone's teeth like the Flames or Ducks would.

The Sharks cannot do the former without Joe. That highlights another problem I talked about in my previous article: if teams shut down Joe's line, as we have seen them do time and time again in the playoffs, the Sharks are dead in the water.

And they seem unwilling to respond the other way. Even with Jody Shelley back in the lineup and tough guy Brad Staubitz out there to boot, the Sharks allowed the Flames to take liberties with their players without retaliation, even when it was clear that the referees were swallowing their whistles all night.

Bourque took a boarding penalty for hitting Derek Joslin from behind, but got only two minutes and no knuckle sandwiches. Derek Roy shot a puck at Evgeni Nabokov on a whistle and faced no consequence beyond posturing. Kiprusoff pulled Joe's skate out from under him, sending him face first into the ice...nothing.

Trust me, if David Koci's triple cross-check and gloved punch to the face in a game wherein the outcome was already decided Tuesday had met with an ungloved punch to a now-broken nose, instigators would think twice about messing with the Sharks.

Don't threaten to toss the gloves, do it. Especially if you are Alexei Semenov or Shelley, and having you tossed from the game will not greatly affect the team's chances of winning. That's what you are there for!

In a close game, Joe needs to either let someone else fight his battles or let the referee whistle give his team a man advantage. Then he needs to make the play that makes them pay.

That one goal would have kept this streak alive, but it never happened. Instead, the Sharks went into the third period tied and Dion Phaneuf shot a puck off Marc-Eduoard Vlasic's stick and past a surprised Nabokov for the game winner with about four minutes left.

One of the other things that hurt the Sharks was the departure of Rob Blake. A puck ramped up his stick and into his face with about four minutes left in the first. The team is being very tight-lipped about what the subsequent injury is: according to the team website, the resulting examination was "positive" and more information would be forthcoming.

Without Blake for the last two periods, the Sharks handle on the game slipped away. The team had to rely on over 30 minutes out of Vlasic and Boyle, and had lost a key man on the point in the power play.

Again, one must question the team's depth. The air of invincibility at home is dispelled, and the Sharks have only won three road games over teams that are solidly playoff-bound. The first was at Philadelphia at a time when the opponents had only one win, the second was over Chicago in November, and the other was over Vancouver last week.

That is not the mark of a team ready to win Lord Stanley's Cup. San Jose has a chance at redemption over the other team who most recently embarrassed them, as Detroit comes to town Saturday.

This is a must-win for the Sharks, since Detroit will be playing their third game in California in four days. The Sharks will be on their third game in California in five days...all at home.

If you can't beat the second-best team in the conference at home when you need to bounce back and you have that kind of advantage, you are the second best team in the conference.

Team Teal and Silver with a Touch of Grey

2009-01-15T14:28:00.000-06:00

In fewer than 1200 career hockey games, Rick Tocchet accrued almost 3000 penalty minutes. In a brief stint as Wayne Gretzky's assistant coach in Phoenix, Tocchet was linked not only to gambling on sports, but to a dirty cop with ties to organized crime, and was suspended from the league. Yet he is back coaching a sport that has enough integrity problems.

I guess the old saying is true: fecal matter does roll downhill. Tocchet's team plays like he lived his life, both on the ice and off it. They are just not quite good enough to get the job done cleanly, so they resort to unsportsmanlike behaviour.

With a 7-1 deficit about half-way through the third period, Evgeni Artyukhin hit Mike Grier long after the whistle. When Grier came after him, the officials tackled him and gave him an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty to match Artyukhin's roughing minor.

In my opinion, they had no business tackling a man for defending himself, either to have him avoid that penalty for a retaliation or to stop him from doing it. Plus, by stopping that fight, things just continued to escalate; after all, what difference would another penalty kill make in a game that was already decided?

Two of Tocchet's players were ejected later in the period. Vaclav Prospal was first with 6:15 left in the game, crossing the line in arguing a bad call. You can't blame a guy for that—his team is losing 7-1 on the end of a three game road trip three time zones from home in what is already a long season. He's working his tail off and gets a bogus call and just kind of loses it out of frustration.

The second is another story. After a penalty to Andrej Meszaros for cross-checking seventy seconds later, the Sharks were on a five-on-three power play. With 12 seconds left in it, David Koci (who also attempted to start a fight in the first period with Ryan Clowe) commits three consecutive cross-checks to the back of Alexei Semenov followed by a gloved punch to the face.

Semenov's apparent transgression? Standing in front of the goalie on a power play. Not interfering with him, just screening him. Perhaps the way the Lightning took offence to this, we can understand why they have one of the worst power plays—and teams—in the league.

The fact that San Jose's seventh defenceman who has been playing on the fourth forward line because of injuries is out on a power play despite the dirty play of the Lightning tells you that the Sharks were going out of their way not to rub it in. And this is how that sportsmanship is repaid.

So how did Team Teal get to this point?

For one thing, the Sharks got back into good habits. They got the puck behind the defence and forced them to face their own net. They won face-offs. Douglas Murray laid wood on a few players and set a physical tone early.

But more than anything, the Sharks got pucks to the net. The Lightning were out-shot in all three periods, and 17-8 in the first, when the Sharks took control of the game.

Just a couple shifts into the game, Murray dumped the puck to the corner and Devin Setoguchi fought to poke it to Joe Thornton. Then he dropped back to the slot, where Joe found him; his wrist-shot was ripped short side high for the 1-0 lead.

On the next shift, Tampa had a chance to tie the game. Ryan Malone got a shot on a two-on-one thanks to a great outlet pass with the Sharks pinched up to try to keep the puck in the zone, but was denied by Evgeni Nabokov.

With about six minutes to go and the Sharks on the power play, Thornton tried to get the puck across the crease to Patrick Marleau, but it deflected off an opposition stick and past back-up goaltender Karri Ramo. Marleau and Rob Blake got assists on the play, and the Sharks went into intermission up 2-0.

The second period saw some push-back from Tampa, and it resulted in a score 7:47 in. Artyukhin got a puck to Mark Recchi, who sent a brilliant cross-ice feed to the 2008 top overall pick Steven Stamkos, who deflected it home.

However, that score seemed to wake the Sharks up. At the mid-point of the game, Thornton was able to punch home a rebound after Setoguchi deflected a puck on net on a shot-pass from Marleau.

Then, with less than three minutes to go in the second, the flood gates opened. Milan Michalek started a string of four goals in 4:51 with assists from Jonathan Cheechoo and Marc-Eduoard Vlasic. Ryan Clowe got another power play goal with four seconds left in the period, with Pavelski and Michalek getting the assists.

Joe Pavelski's line was on the ice for the start of the third period, and 34 seconds in, the centre scored his first goal in 2009 when he got to a loose puck in the crease. The scoring ended 2:12 into the third when Semenov worked hard to keep a puck in the zone, passed it across to Brad Staubitz, and Tomas Plihal deflected his shot over Ramo.

Team Teal looked sterling in this game, especially the top power play lines. But there was a touch of grey to the silver lines.

First and foremost, Tampa is not very good, and a team of San Jose's calibre should dominate them on home ice. Furthermore, we must remember that Tampa played the night before and had to travel in between, flying into Oakland and taking a bus to San Jose. We all remember what the hardship of playing and traveling over the previous night did to a much more talented Sharks team in Detroit last month.

Yet despite the tired opponent, the power play failed to score on back-to-back five on threes in the third period. Granted, Todd McLellan put out fourth liners to play it, but you need to have a score there.

More to the point, there was almost no scoring outside of the first two lines. Plihal's goal was the only one despite the ice time given to the checking lines in the third period.

One of the reasons Calgary—the Sharks' opponent Thursday—dominated San Jose last week was that McLellan tried to break up the top line to spread out the scoring threats. It did not work, and it leaves one wondering how this team will do when the top line faces shut-down defensive pairs and checking lines in the playoffs.

McLellan is doing more than spouting lines when he says there is a lot of work to do for this team to be able to meet its ultimate goal. Good thing we have 40 games left to do it.

Sharks Respond with Back-to-Back Wins in Canada

2009-01-11T01:52:00.001-06:00

The San Jose Sharks came into Edmonton Friday night with a disturbing one win in their last six road games. Against teams that would be in the playoffs, they had two losses by three or more goals (Calgary, Detroit) and one in overtime (Minnesota).

Edmonton was a team on the bubble, much like the Dallas Stars that San Jose played last week. And just like that game, the Sharks came away victors, with Evgeni Nabokov allowing just one goal.

The Sharks got on board first with a power play goal 7:54 into the game, and just seven seconds into the penalty to Steve Staios. Joe Thornton won the faceoff back to Dan Boyle, who skated left and dropped the puck back to Devin Setoguchi; his slapshot was wired top shelf stick side on Shark-killer Dwayne Roloson.

Edmonton answered with a power play goal of their own. After San Jose created a short-handed scoring chance, the Oilers got a chance to set up their power play. With 37 seconds left in the hooking minor to Brad Staubitz, Denis Grebeshkov wristed a shot home past Nabby from Andrew Cogliano and defence-mate Lubomir Visnovsky.

Staubitz, born and raised for much of his childhood in Edmonton, got his revenge three minutes later with his first NHL goal, a simple slapshot that went off the glove of Roloson. Douglas Murray got his first point of the season with the primary assist, and Alexei Semenov got the secondary assist, his first point as a forward and second of the year.

With 36 seconds left in the first, Patrick Marleau did what he commonly does: answer with a goal of his own after Setoguchi has scored, maintaining the team lead. Rob Blake tried to shoot the puck at the net from the point, but it was blocked; Setoguchi picked up the puck and whiffed on a shot, then tossed it to Marleau who slapped it home.

That goal was the last given up by Roloson, who was pulled between periods. It also moved Patty past his goal total from all of last season and gave Blake his 500th career assist.

Marleau did extend the lead on a power play with about three minutes to go in the second, after Nabby stopped a great short-handed scoring chance from the Oilers' captain, Ethan Moreau. San Jose advanced the puck, Joe Pavelski shot it into the zone, and Patty got it to Seto, who found Pavelski back on the point. Little Joe's pass looked like one of Jumbo Joe's, coming tape-to-tape from the blueline to a wide-open Marleau at the faceoff dot on the far side for the easy one-timer past Matthieu Garon.

The game was marred by 16 penalties, four of which were fighting majors, and two injuries. Sheldon Souray left the game in the second with an "upper-body injury," and Robert Nilson crashed into the boards with the help of his friend and countryman Murray; he was able to skate away after a short time down.

The win in Edmonton assured Sharks coach Todd McLellan would coach the West in the All-Star game, making him only the second rookie coach to garner that honour. San Jose also out-shot the Oilers 31-26, but the game still did nothing to prove the Sharks were over their road woes.

If they were going to make that claim, they had to win their sixth straight over the Vancouver Canucks. While still without All-Star goalie Roberto Luongo (how does a guy who has played only 19 games and none since injuring himself November 22 get picked for the game?), the hosts had added future Hall of Famer Mats Sundin.

Vancouver had also played the night before—a disappointing 6-4 loss to the Western Conference's worst team, the St. Louis Blues. And while they did not have to travel like the Sharks, McLellan had gotten a chance to rest many of his stars in the third period against Edmonton.

With Nabby struggling in the second of back-to-back games in net, McLellan saw the wisdom in putting a very solid Brian Boucher in net. For the 13th time in 17 games with the Sharks, Boucher did not give up more than two goals.

Again San Jose got on the board first with a power play goal in the opening stanza. Ryan Clowe got the pass to a wide-open Joe Thornton who reverted to his annoying habit of looking solely to pass. The puck ended up squirting out Blake on the wing. He backhanded a sharp pass that went off the skate of a defender and past Curtis Sanford.

With eight seconds left in the first, on a Sharks penalty that probably should not have been called (there were plenty of those on both sides), Sundin got his first point as a Canuck.The Sharks spent much of the power play scrambling in their own end, including a period wherein Boucher lost his stick.

The score came when Henrik Sundin passed the puck to Kevin Bieksa, whose shot deflected to his new teammate alone on the weak side for the easy goal. The arena erupted and someone held up two front-door mats that said "Welcome" and "Mats."

Early in the second, Marcel Goc chipped the puck to Marc-Eduoard Vlasic, whose shot spun out to Mike Grier. The suddenly hot-scoring (four goals in four games, already matching the nine he scored last season) checking line forward and penalty-killer took a quick snapshot of the unsettled puck that Sanford could not read and put it in the glove-side corner.

Then Vancouver started to take over the game. En route to a 24-17 edge in shots through the fist two periods, Vancouver got a goal with just over five minutes to go from Daniel Sedin, with assists from Shane O'Brien and brother Henrik. Only several big saves in the period by Boucher kept the Sharks in this one.

However, while the hosts maintained pretty good pressure in the third period, the Sharks buckled down enough defensively to keep pucks from the net, allowing only two shots. Eventually, Vancouver lost that edge and their guests managed two Marleau goals among his team's ten shots.

The first went off his skate and was reviewed because he did make a distinct kicking motion; however, by the time he did the puck was already on its way through Sanford's five-hole. Assists went to Dan Boyle and Thornton, who now has 40 assists through 41 games.

The second goal came with 2:06 left, after Tomas Plihal forced Sanford to turn the puck over behind the net. His efforts to get the puck in front of the net were rewarded when Patty's backhand found paydirt.

San Jose has now reached the half-way point with a four-point lead in the West over Detroit and a one-point lead over the Boston Bruins (67-66) for best record in the league. Boston has also played one more game, but San Jose has played one more at home and two fewer on the road.The Sharks play six of their next seven at home, where they do not have a loss in regulation (19-0-2).

Sharks Show Up Late on Road Again

2009-01-07T16:21:00.000-06:00

San Jose got off the flight late. Their bus broke down on the way to the rink. They thought the puck did not drop until 8pm PACIFIC time, rather than Mountain time.

That would explain why the team did not arrive until the second period, when it was already too late.

But they were on the ice, so that was not the problem. The problem was that once again the Sharks could not play an entire game of hockey on the road.

Is it too late to have Ron Wilson coach this team on the road and Todd McLellan coach it at home? Wilson's Sharks had the best road record in the league last year; McLellan's Sharks are on pace (19-0-2) to have the best home record in the history of the league.

This is a real concern. Granted, the Sharks are likely to have home ice at least through the Western Conference, but they will still have to play three of every seven games on the road against good teams. No team has ever won the Cup when playing three rounds of seven games, so San Jose will have to beat someone good on the road.

Overall, the Sharks are still 10-5-2-1 on the road, but in the playoffs that is just 10-8. More to the point, in the recent stretch of nine games, San Jose is 1-2-3 on the road.

That's 1-5 in the playoffs. That's a problem.

The one win was against the Dallas Stars, who are over .500 now but not yet in the playoffs. This continues San Jose's dominance over the rest of the division: the Sharks are 9-2 against their division rivals, including 3-2 on the road.

But only one of those teams (the Anaheim Ducks) would be in the playoffs right now, and the Sharks lost the only road game against them. In the last nine games, the two regulation losses on the road were against the two other division leaders.

In other words, we as fans cannot expect any wins on the road after the first round. That does not bode well for a deep run, just as an inability to win at home made last year's run more difficult. You have to be able to play anywhere.

Now to the actual game...

Calgary had 14 shots and two goals before the Sharks got their first puck to the net, a sharp-angle shot by Mike Grier from the boards that had no chance to go in. Calgary stetched the lead to 3-0 with a 16-4 edge in shots by the end of the first. Two of San Jose's four shots came on their one penalty.

McLellan tried new line combinations, breaking up Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton; the failure to compete is a concern when the Sharks run across defensive pairs who can shut down one line. Despite changing back to what has worked so well, the second period still started much as the first: Calgary's Daymond Langkow scored his second goal of the game just 1:26 in on the team's second shot of the period.

McLellan pulled Evgeni Nabokov after he allowed four goals on 18 shots, but he was not to blame for that poor save percentage. On his best day, he may have stopped two more, and I am sure he feels he should have kept at least one of the two out of the net.

Calgary's second goal came on a pass from uber-villain Todd Bertuzzi through the crease from behind the goal line that Nabby could have stopped. However, once it got through to Langkow, open on the backside at the edge of the crease, it was unstoppable.

One could also argue that the first goal, a wrist shot from Curtis Glencross in the faceoff circle on Nabby's glove side, could have been stopped. It appeared Nabby did not have the stick flush with the ice as the puck glanced off his leg and through the five hole.

That has been a weakness of Nabby's, but after saving the first ten, he was bound to let one in. Shots like this are taken with a fairly high percentage of success.

The other two goals no one could have stopped. The third was a power play wrister by Mark Giordano through traffic, and the one that chased Nabby was a one-timer to the backside.

The Sharks seemed to respond to the move, getting two tallies in the second period on special teams. The first was a rebound goal by Ryan Clowe (assists: Milan Michalek, Dan Boyle) about three minutes later. The second goal was short-handed, with Patty Marleau being persistent enough and showing fantastic hand-eye coordination to poke the puck away from Adrian Aucoin and sending a beautiful pass to Mike Grier for the score.

Have I mentioned before how glad I am that Doug Wilson kept Marleau instead of trading him like I wanted? And while I am talking about where I ahve been wrong, Alexei Semenov has even shown an ability to play forward in relief of Jody Shelley, and even did a nice job in two fights that were both called as roughing minors. (The second "minor" featured several punches by both and lasted longer than many fights—how do you make that call and how can the league let referees who do keep working?)

Grier, who seemed to be struggling earlier this season, has bounced back nicely after returning from injury, much like Nabby and Jonathan Cheechoo. Maybe letting guys who are banged up rest is the best thing in the long run, rather than the macho "play with pain" mantra.

Unfortunately, the Sharks could not get another goal despite out-shooting Calgary 24-12 after the first period. Calgary got one on the ten shots Brian Boucher faced, by David Moss with 9:54 to go in the game, pretty much ending any chance the Sharks had.

The Sharks play next in Edmonton Friday, then will be in Vancouver Saturday. Saturday's game was picked up by Comcast Sports Net Plus, perhaps because Mats Sundin is expected to play by then. I sure hope we see Boucher in net for one of those games.

Sharks and NHL Rants, Raves, and Rankings

2009-01-01T19:22:00.000-06:00

Rants:

1. I just want to say that I have heard a lot of people bad-mouth the Minnesota uniforms. I find them to be classic and colourful—what, do you hate Christmas?
2. Why do only I care that teams who are one point ahead of another in three more games are listed first in the standings? Hockey needs to do like every other sport and recognize "gamesbehind" so standings are legitimate.
3. I cannot stand that the "upper-body" and "lower-body" injury descriptions are used in the regular season now. Most leagues require accurate reports to avoid gambling scandals cropping up because of inside information and the potential influence organized crime could gain on the sport. The NHL has one interim coach convicted of gambling and involvement with organized crime that they inexplicably have allowed back into the game. Perhaps worse, the face of the last generation and current head coach of Phoenix, Wayne Gretzky, was also tied to the same scandal. Sohow can the league allow the secrecy with injuries?
4. Wednesday night's Sharks-Wild game was also another game not televised, and the potential audience missed a barn-burner. San Jose has three games left that are not scheduled to be televised, at Vancouver, St. Louis, and Chicago. My guess is at least two of the three will be picked up by either NBC or Versus since the Sharks are one of the NHL's top stories, Vancouver is a solid team and that game is on a Saturday, and Chicago is one of the other major NHL stories.
5. But given the Sharks' status in the league, it is strange that one would have to go online (there needs to be a partnership between TiVo and the web for me—I am almost always working during the games) to see them play.
6. Wednesday, the Sharks continued their annoying trend of playing down to the level of their competition, being dominated in the first half of the first period. Minnesota is a good team, but I guess the Sharks figured their hosts would be hospitable since they were 3-9-1 in December. But this wasn't the same team, since Marian Gaborik only recently got back in the lineup: San Jose cannot get complacent, because that will cost them in the playoffs.
7. San Jose is 3-1-3 in the last seven games, with the one regulation loss coming in the home of the Stanley Cup champions. This is a pace for over 100 points over 82 games, but I have heard San Jose described as " struggling."
8. Even as badly as San Jose was beaten, the result was not at all a cause for concern as many people have asserted, and it was hardly a "statement game" for Detroit. It was the Sharks' second of back-to-back nights with the same goalie in net despite an overtime in the first game and overnight flight. Those games happen occasionally, and are more likely to under those circumstances.
9. However, one cause for concern has arisen. The Sharks other losses in that stretch, though all in overtime on the road (one point against anyone in their house is nothing to be ashamed of), came against Columbus, St. Louis, and Minnesota. Not one of those teams was in the playoffs as of the time of the puck drop. If it was just this stretch, it would not be a cause for concern, but the Blues and Blue Jackets have out-played the Sharks in their match-ups this season even though the Sharks lead both series.

Raves:

1. Then again, they don't seem to be complacent against the league's best teams. San Jose has earned wins in their two home games during that seven game stretch against teams that would currently be in the playoffs. The one road win came against Dallas, a team that was 4-0-1 in their last five games to get above .500.
2. Evgeni Nabokov has been strong since his return from a "lower-body injury" we all know was a knee problem. He is 10-1-4 in those 15 games, with a .914 save percentage and a 2.31 GAA. However, if you exclude the two games he should not have been in net (both on the second night of back-to-back games with travel in between, situations in which no one, not even Martin Brodeur, should play both games in that situation), Nabby is 9-0-4 with a .924 save percentage and a 2.05 GAA.
3. San Jose can play any game and come out on top. From October 12 to October 22 alone, they won a game 1-0 and another 7-6.
4. The Sharks have shown more savvy than one would expect of a team that usually has the opponent over-matched. The Sharks have the highest shot differential in the NHL, but only two losses when out-shot by the opponent compared to double-digit wins. Fifteen players have scored the 25 official game-winning goals (i.e. not in shootouts).
5. The Sharks are also able to grit out the close games. Almost half of the Sharks victories have been by more than one goal; San Jose is 8-1 in regulation in one-goal games.
6. The Sharks have survived despite many of their regulars missing time. Only five players have been able to be dressed for every game. The following key players have missed at least one game for injury or family issues: Nabokov, DevinSetoguchi, Dan Boyle, Joe Pavelski, Milan Michalek, and Jonathan Cheechoo. Nabby, Cheech, and Jeremy Roenick have all missed more than a week.
7. The players who have been the most-criticized in the past are among the team's best players thus far. No one I knew (especially not me) thought that AlexeiSemenov was worth a darn, and despite rarely playing he has been solid when in uniform. Many of us were calling for Patrick Marleau to be traded, but he has turned last year's disastrous season (19 G, 29 A, -19) around this year (18 G, 22 A, +16 in fewer than half the games). Christian Ehrhoff has not only become solid defensively but is in the top ten on the team in scoring.
8. The Eastern Conference has a lot of compelling teams and is no longer the conference of no defence. Boston is leading the way in both categories, the Atlantic Division is once again the best in hockey even without Brodeur, and there are seven teams who have a real shot at making it to the conference finals.
9. The Central Division has also become deeper. Chicago has become a genuine contender, Nashville continues to play sound fundamental hockey despite the loss of more key players, and Columbus is an exciting team behind the tremendousgoaltending of rookie Steve Mason.

Current Top Ten Rankings:

1. I still expect the Boston Bruins to fall back to the pack a bit, but they have asserted themselves in the nine-game winning streak. They average more goals, fewer goals against, and have played more of their contests on the road than San Jose; that means more than the one point they are behind the Sharks.
2. The San Jose Sharks are still much more sound than anyone else. They have all the elements: top-tier power play and penalty kill, offence and defence, depth, and even experience.
3. The Detroit Red Wings have an incredible offense and the scariest power play in the league. Their depth and experience is unmatched, and they are deep and savvy. But their penalty kill and defence are questionable mostly because their goaltending has been lacking.
4. The Washington Capitals have survived more injuries than any other team in the league and still have the league's fourth-best percentage of possible points. Granted, they are in by far the weakest division, but they could be contenders to win any division if healthy.
5. The Montreal Canadiens have been able to climb to 12 games above .500 despite being in the division with Boston and struggling on the power play. If they get the latter going to more standard post-lockout levels, they will challenge the Bruins for the division crown.
6. Chicago is a dangerous and talented team, although they are too reliant on overtime and shootout losses to get their points; those will not be helpful in the playoffs.
7. The Calgary Flames have one of the deepest defences and best goalies in the game, but thus far have given up almost three goals per game. Still, they sit atop a division with no teams under .500, and I would expect them to tighten up in their own end before long.
8. The Philadelphia Flyers have grit and depth, and just keep winning. I still do not trust their goaltending and defence, but they score enough to have the best percentage of possible points in the toughest division in hockey.
9. The New York Rangers started out hot and have all the elements: depth at defence, one of the best goalies in the game, and two dangerous scoring lines. Still, they have given up as many as they have scored and have shown a propensity to fall apart.
10. The New Jersey Devils are hanging in there without Brodeur, further proof that they should not feel it necessary to play him 75 games a year—maybe he would have more left in the tank in playoffs, so watch out for this team this April.

Other teams to watch: I would still expect the Pittsburgh Penguins to get things together enough to make the second round and I think the Vancouver Canucks will be dangerous when Roberto Luongo returns. They will make noise in their conferences.

Sharks-Stars: If Only All Games Were Against the Pacific

2008-12-31T19:38:00.000-06:00

The Stars have played better since shelving Sean Avery, and the Sharks have been vulnerable. On the road, coming off an overtime loss, this looked like a tough game to win.

Not if Evgeni Nabokov had anything to say about it. He turned away 28 of 29 shots, with the only one he let in being a fluke: Alexei Semenov, playing for Christian Ehrhoff (healthy scratch) reached up to catch a shot and deflected it past his teammate and fellow-countryman with 5:03 to play.

Drew Remenda and Randy Hahn talked about the potential for Semenov to be the goat in what was suddenly a one-goal game. I have derided Semenov as hard as anyone, but there is no way a bad break when he was doing his job makes him a goat, no matter how things turn out.

But just to make sure, he laid out to block a shot in the final minute that helped not only preserve the win, but spring the Sharks' first empty-net goal of the season; Pavelski followed with another block and then got the puck to Ryan Clowe all alone in the offensive zone.

The score with just over a minute left sealed the game, and the Sharks (3-0-0) cannot lose the season series with Dallas (0-3-0). The fact that San Jose had the second-ranked offense in the league without an empty net goal is remarkable.

Nabby was unbeatable any other way, and has been tremendous since coming back from injury, with the exception of the time he played the world champions after an overtime struggle and flight the previous night. If the Sharks have the net shored up, they are going to hard to stop.

San Jose got the first goal from Jonathan Cheechoo 15:10 into the game, even though Dallas had been controlling the play more than their guests. Joe Thornton got the puck back to Dan Boyle on the point, and his one-timer was tipped by Cheech, who has a four-game points streak and five points in the five games since returning from an "upper-body injury."

There were not any more scores until the third period. On the team's 15th shot of the game with 16:05 to play, Milan Michalek scored his eighth goal of the season from his knees. Thornton and Clowe got the assists; San Jose got only four more shots the whole game, including the empty-netter.

San Jose plays in Minnesota on New Year's Eve Day before making a one-game stop at home. Too bad they cannot play a division rival again: San Jose is 9-2 in 11 division games, and has only 13 remaining.

St. Louis Blue-Collars Out-Work Sharks

2008-12-29T03:28:00.000-06:00

In three games against San Jose, Brad Winchester has three goals. He has just two goals more than 30 other Blues games this season.

On Saturday night, his goal tied the game at two, allowing his team to win in a shootout. It was only the eighth time in 35 games this year that San Jose did not leave the rink with a win, and the first time they lost in four shootouts. It also ended the Blues seven-game losing streak against the Sharks.

Things did not begin well for the Sharks, as within the first minute David Parron put a shot through Evgeni Nabokov's five-hole. When Douglas Murray stepped up to drop a forward, the puck sprang free and Parron had a breakaway. Christian Ehrhoff back-checked well enough to force the shot to come without a deke, but Nabby did not play it well enough.

After that, Nabby tightened up. But his skater-teammates just played tight.

At one point in the second period, St. Louis was out-shooting San Jose 16-4. Coach Todd McLellan began to mix up lines to shake things up, and it paid dividends twice before the period was out.

At 12:19, Jonathan Cheechoo extended his points-streak to three games since returning when he took a Joe Thornton feed from behind the net and hit the far corner. Mike Grier, who had been moved down to the fourth line for the beginning of the game, got an assist on the play, as well.

Those three hooked up again just six and a half minutes later, as Thornton's feed to Cheechoo deflected to Grier and he put home his second goal of the year. But Winchester's goal, with assists from Jan Stasny and Mike Weaver, came just six minutes into the third.

It was a battle of goaltenders, as Nabby made 25 saves and Manny Legace made 24, including some doozies. In the shootout, Nabby stopped only one of three and Legace stopped two. One guess who scored the shootout winner...

McLellan was clearly not happy with his team's play: "We weren't prepared to play and to be quite honest with you, you could almost see it coming."

Grier may have summed it up best:"We played our game in spurts and it wasn't good enough. They play a simple game and it's never going to be easy when you play a team like that."

The Blues out-worked the Sharks, who are 2-1-2 in their last five. And it doesn't get any easier.

San Jose is in Dallas Monday night, and the Stars have played well since getting rid of Sean Avery. In fact, a stretch of 4-0-1 has put this team above .500 (15-14-5).

After that, the Sharks travel to Minnesota (17-15-2) for a New Year's Eve afternoon game, come home for one game against the New York Islanders, then make a three-game swing through the Canadian Northwest. Might we be seeing the mid-point of an eleven-game stretch of .500 hockey?

It may be just want McLellan wants to keep this team humble and working hard.

Merry Christmas Sharks Fans: San Jose Wraps This Gift Early

2008-12-25T02:59:00.000-06:00

First, if you are a secularist offended when someone wishes you a Merry Christmas instead of Happy Holidays, you need to get over yourself. If you are a Christian who constantly says there is a war on Christmas just because the store you shop at wishes you Happy Holidays to make sure they don't offend anyone, you do not understand what it means for your faith to be under attack.

As a Sharks fan who celebrates Christmas, I look at the game Tuesday night, the day before Christmas Eve, as a gift wrapped in Teal. It was not perfect, but it was decisive.

It took just 4:22 seconds for the Sharks to get on board. Jonathan Cheechoo got a pass from Ryan Clowe and fired a shot on net that bounced off Vancouver goalie Corey Schneider to the wing. Rob Blake was pinching up and put in the rebound easily.

Henrik Sedin took a penalty 1:16 later, and the Sharks needed just 17 seconds to cash in on the power play. Off the face-off, the Sharks got the puck to Dan Boyle, who shot the puck from the point. Joe Thornton tipped it to Marleau, who circled behind the net and roofed it from a steep angle through a screen by Joe.

Then things got chippy. Former Nashville Predators bad-boy Darcy Hordichuk tried to goad Jody Shelley into a fight. While it didn't work, Mattias Ohlund's check in the back of Tom Cavanagh seconds later nearly did.

Instead, the Sharks did what the world champion Red Wings have always done when someone takes a run at one of them: score on the subsequent power play. This time it took 40 seconds for Marleau to take the puck from Boyle and pass it into the slot for Devin Setoguchi, who redirected it past Schneider.

The Sharks blew three consecutive power plays that included almost two minutes of five-on-three time in the middle of the period. San Jose also caught a break when Tomas Plihal's follow-through caught Alex Edler in the face with just over two minutes to go in the first, drawing considerable blood, but was missed by the officials. (This happens an inexcusable number of times in this league—I can understand missing it occasionally or being wary of a Mike Ribiero-style fake job, but when someone is bleeding profusely?)

Instead of starting the second period on the penalty kill, the Sharks got an even-strength goal on their first shift. Marleau's pass to Setoguchi resulted in a shot that left a rebound for Thornton, who slid it through a narrow opening between Schneider's skate and the post with his back to the goal.

Just 19 seconds later, Plihal stole the puck on a bad turnover and shot it past Schneider from the slot, chasing the goalie from the game. At that point, the Sharks set a record for the fastest five goals in franchise history and were out-shooting Vancouver 15-4.

For the rest of the game, the Sharks seemed to sit on the lead; Vancouver ended up winning the shots-on-goal battle 33-31. But Evgeni Nabokov made every save (as did Curtis Sanford, who relieved Schneider), and the Sharks avoided any big mistakes in finishing off the Canucks.

San Jose goes into the Christmas break with an 18-0-2 record at home and the fourth-longest streak in NHL history of home games without a regulation loss at 29. The record is 37 by the Montreal Canadiens in the 1976-77 and '77-78 seasons.

San Jose has a nine-and-a-half game lead over Anaheim in the division, and a three game lead over Detroit in the conference. Boston has closed to just a game-and-a-half of San Jose, however, and San Jose faces six of the next seven games on the road, starting Saturday in St. Louis.

Sharks Show Heart, Grit Out Win Over Rangers

2008-12-21T20:17:00.000-06:00

On Thursday, the Sharks performance in Detroit was so egregious that I questioned whether the team had enough fight.

Saturday, the Sharks returned home to play the New York Rangers, who waited for their next opponents from their hotels in San Jose and were coming off consecutive victories against Anaheim and an improved Los Angeles Kings squad. They had one more day off, 2000 fewer miles traveled, and were playing better hockey than San Jose.

Once again, the ice was tilted toward the opponent. The Sharks, about to play their fourth game in six days, had to be asking some questions in the locker room.

Can we skate uphill and grit out a win? Can we put the last two losses, including the embarrassment of a 6-0 shellacking, behind us? Can we do it against a Stanley Cup contender with the sixth best winning percentage in the league?

The answer has a familiar ring to it: Yes, we can.

We can do it by getting the power play moving. We can do it by getting big scores out of the top line. We can do it because a goalie who was abused Thursday rises to the occasion, especially in the third period when his teammates ran out of gas.

This is the kind of adversity that prepares a team for the playoffs, so long as it can prove it can overcome the obstacles. After responding with a win, players had to be saying, "Yes, we did."

The Sharks got out to a quick lead when the Rangers took two penalties early in the first. Paul Mara was whistled for holding at 2:31 and Blair Betts for high-sticking at 3:23.

With four seconds left in the five-on-three, Dan Boyle rocketed a one-timer from Joe Thornton past Henrik Lundqvist; Rob Blake also picked up an assist. Just 25 seconds later, Ryan Clowe knocked in a loose puck with Betts still in the box; Jonathan Cheechoo and Joe Pavelski got their first assists since returning from injury on the play.

Boyle made a mistake on a four-on-four a few minutes later, trying to poke the puck through Nikolai Zherdev to Ryan Clowe on the point. Instead, Zherdev was able to turn and pressure Clowe, forcing the puck past him and heading for a two-on-one with Scott Gomez. He kept Nabby guessing between pass and shoot, then got off a quick wrister five hole four seconds after Cheechoo's penalty expired for an unassisted short-handed goal.

Not to be outdone, Patrick Marleau—the man rumoured to be getting traded to Columbus for Zherdev before the draft—got a pass from Thornton off his skate and to his stick for a goal at 6:20 of the second; Devin Setoguchi got the secondary assist. But the Rangers answered again before the mid-point, as Ryan Callahan put home a Brandon Dubinsky rebound.

From that point, the Sharks had to bite down defensively, because the Rangers began to take over play. San Jose out-shot New York 13-9 in the first, and were out-shooting them to that point in the second. After a 17-7 deficit in the third, the Sharks had turned that advantage into a four-shot deficit (34-30).

However, San Jose raised their record to 9-1 in games in which they are out-shot because they played sound fundamental hockey. They blocked twice as many shots as New York (20-10), won 38 of 62 face-offs (61.3 percent), and took only two penalties to New York's five. Both teams had 38 hits.

But more than anything, San Jose gritted out this win because Evgeni Nabokov seemed to take his poor performance Thursday personally. He made about a half dozen spectacular saves and willed his team to a win when they had nothing left to give.

That's the kind of performance a championship team needs to be able to get. And now the Sharks can spend a day recovering because they do not play again until Tuesday, when the Vancouver Canucks come to town.

There will be a lot of Canucks uncertain of how their status might change with the signing of Mats Sundin, who will still not be in the lineup. The Sharks have to take advantage of that uncertainty, because six of their following seven are on the road.

Sharks Unable to Bite Wings

2008-12-19T17:27:00.000-06:00

Evgeni Nakokov had a rough night, and it is understandable that he would look exasperated. It is just that sometimes it looked like he had his eyes closed while facing shots.

The Sharks already had a tough road to hoe. Playing in the second consecutive night—an overtime game, no less—and having to travel in between. That would make any foe, much less the Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings, tough to overcome, especially at Joe Louis Arena.

But there are many ways in which the Sharks made things harder for themselves. For instance, as Coach Todd McLellan pointed out in the interview before the third period, the Sharks were not getting the puck deep. They were constantly on their heels because they did not make the fresher Wings turn to chase the puck.

In perhaps the worst example of this, Marcel Goc threw a puck up the middle that Pavel Datsyuk easily intercepted for an unassisted goal to make it 5-0 and eliminating any possibility of this not being an embarrassment. On a couple occasions, the Sharks were caught watching the puck instead of playing their man. Detroit is not a team you can get away with these mistakes against.

But now I have a bigger problem: playing Nabokov on both nights. Boucher played on Monday after Nabby had played Saturday, when he would have had a day off. Then Boucher does not play in either of the back-to-back nights.

Aside from how much of a drop-off Nabby had in net in April after being overplayed last season, he has not done well in these situations this year: he is 2-1, but with an .815 save percentage and a 3.95 GAA. In the rest of his games, he is 15-2-2 with a .912 save percentage and a 2.34 GAA.

When Boucher is 8-1-1 with a .928 save percentage and a 1.88 GAA, why would you not start him instead of the guy who is tired and struggles when he is? Yo, coach, play the back-up more!

In any event, you cannot give up six goals and score none. The Red Wings have the bad goaltending, not the Sharks, but they get the shut-out and San Jose gives up six.

I do not care that you had no Milan Michalek or Jeremy Roenick. I do not care that Joe Pavelski and Jonathan Cheechoo had not been on the ice for quite some time and likely were rusty and maybe not even fully recovered. I do not care about you having played the night before or traveling in between.

Detroit had to face similar obstacles in the match-up of the two at the end of October, and they at least put up a fight in a 4-1 loss. Someone has to step up for the Sharks and score. Someone has to make an extra save or two, block an extra shot or two, and make an extra hit or two.

In the first period, the Sharks were dominating early. Nine of the first 11 shots were from the team in white. Then Nabby lets two in he should have stopped, and all life goes out of the Sharks.

San Jose is a lot better than anyone else in the league, but we need to see more fight when the chips are down. There is a chance to bounce back at home when they face a New York Rangers team that is more rested Saturday—this has to be a better effort.

San Jose Sharks, the Unseen Games

2008-12-19T02:05:00.000-06:00

The San Jose Sharks are making history. It's just too bad not enough people are watching.

Why? Well, for one thing, the team is on the Left Coast, and plays too late for many people in the East. For another, and astonishing number of their record-setting 31 games have not been televised, even locally.

The last two games marked the first time they were not televised in back-to-back games. But Wednesday was the fifth game not televised (and there have been two unavailable even with NHL's Center Ice package), and there will be two more. After that, the remaining two will probably be picked up by Versus if the Sharks keep playing this well.

Up to nine games not covered for the best team in the NHL, for a team that may set a record for points, and for a team that would be in the middle of the top 10 all time even if games still ended in ties? Ridiculous.

Thus, it is hard to write about the last two nights, even having heard about five of the six periods and subsequent overtimes on the radio, even having seen highlights. Let me instead provide some observations based on the two games:

1. The Los Angeles Kings are much improved, and should still be all right with Erik Ersberg down for a couple weeks. The Sharks are 3-0 in these games, but two were decided by one goal and one of those in overtime.
2. The Sharks do look like they are still susceptible to lapses in intensity, and that's a problem they CANNOT have in the playoffs, and better correct now.
3. The team has the resilience and talent to come back from deficits established during those lapses.
4. San Jose is 9-0 when being outshot (as they were against Los Angeles) but winless when getting 48 or more shots (as they did against Columbus)...weird.
5. The injuries are starting to pile up and the Sharks' depth is depleted. There are currently three minor league forwards playing because of injuries. Apparently it will take several weeks for Jeremy Roenick to recover from surgery following a bad shoulder separation he suffered, so at least one of those players will have to contribute long-term. Joe Pavelski and Jonathan Cheechoo have officially been listed as day-to-day for quite a while, so who knows how long it will be before they return.
6. The Sharks have incredible special teams. They have given up 18 power play goals but scored seven short-handed goals. Meanwhile, they have scored 34 power play goals and allowed only four short-handed goals. That is a total of +19, and only Philadelphia (with an astounding 12 shorties, including three of the four against San Jose) is better.

With the Sharks game going into overtime Wednesday, the hill to climb to beat Detroit Thursday (4 p.m. PST) just got higher.

The Red Wings have not played since Monday, when they and the Sharks were involved in the league's only two games. So they will be at home, better rested, and have their full compliment of players. The Sharks will be at the end of a three-game road trip that spans three time zones and includes a short flight the night after a game before playing the next day.

If the Sharks manage to win this one, I will be surprised and may no longer be able to contain my excitement the rest of the way.

Sharks Overcome Two Soft Goals, Win 5-4

2008-12-15T01:40:00.000-06:00

The spotlight is on Evgeni Nabokov.

If there is one weakness on the Sharks, it is Nabby. True, he has been outstanding since returning from his "lower body injury" that was clearly a sprained right knee. As I pointed out in my last article, he went 6-0-1 with a 1.87 GAA, and .929 save percentage coming into Saturday's game.

On Saturday, he reverted back to his early-season form, giving up four goals on 33 shots (.879 save percentage) including two soft goals. On the Blues' last goal, David Backes let fly a 14-foot backhand from a tough angle over defenceman Dan Boyle to tie the game.

Nabby was visibly angry with himself afterward and appeared more focused, not letting anything past him despite a couple great scoring chances.

However, his save percentage for the season is a very pedestrian .904, and his goals against average is 2.48. By contrast, back-up Brian Boucher has a .928 save percentage and a 1.89 GAA.

I am not suggesting that Boucher should be made the team's starting goaltender. Nabby has earned that, and a goalie controversy is nearly as detrimental to a team as a quarterback controversy in football.

But Nabby has played in back-to-back games on three occasions so far this year, and I see no reason to ever do that when your back-up is out-performing your starter. Give Brian some time between the pipes, and I believe Nabby—who seemed to worn down in the playoffs after last season's workload—would benefit from a little time off now and then.

The Sharks came into Sunday third in the league in team defense (2.34 GAA) behind Minnesota (2.21) and Boston (2.23) because the Sharks give up only 26.1 shots per game, second lowest to (of all teams) the Los Angeles Kings (26.0). But only the top net-minder plays in the playoffs, and giving up an extra goal every two games could be costly if Nabby does not perform more consistently well in net.

However, Nabby's play was far from the only problem is this game. The Sharks gave up three goals in less than two minutes of game play.

The first was on a power play with 19 seconds left in the first period. Brad Winchester got to a loose puck and roofed a quick shot over Nabby's shoulder. This goal was just a bad break, and they happen.

But the Sharks came out in the second period without the intensity necessary to play a blue-collar team like St. Louis. B.J. Crombeen put home a rebound after a failed clear by Marcel Goc that Nabby never had a chance on. Finally, just 1:38 into the second, Winchester got a goal when Nabby went down too soon.

However, as my mother used to ask me to do frequently, I'll get off my soapbox. Let's look at what went well in Saturday's game:

First line scoring

The first line scored three goals, including the first to take a 1-0 lead, the third to tie the game, and the fifth to win the game. Devin Setoguchi scored the second of these, with Patrick Marleau getting the other two; Joe Thornton had an assist on all three. Other assists on those goals went to Marleau and defencemen Dan Boyle and Brad Lukowich.

Grit

First, Douglas Murray showed what his physicality can do for the team. With eight minutes to go in the opening stanza, Dan Hinote came charging toward Murray who was carrying the puck out of the Sharks zone. Murray simply chipped the puck out and lowered his shoulder, and the hitter became the hittee. Hinote not only went down hard, his teammate Alexander Steen followed him—Murray had registered every checker's dream: a double-knockdown.

The Sharks also bounced back from giving up those goals and eventually got a hard-working goal with under five minutes left in the second. Goc was behind the net and found Tomas Plihal in the slot. His shot deflected off Mike Grier, as announcer Randy Hahn put it, this "proved Mike Grier could score."

This was a reference to Grier missing an empty net from about 20 feet away Thursday night. My response was, "yeah, but only by accident." Nevertheless, the Sharks hard work had resulted in a goal and a change in momentum.

That carried into the third period, and it only took 3:32 for the Sharks to take the lead. The second line chipped in on the power play despite the absence of Joe Pavelski, who left the game with a "lower body injury." Ryan Clowe got the go ahead goal, and Lukas Kaspar and Milan Michalek got the assists.

Then when St. Louis re-tied the score, the Captain stepped up 4:28 later to take the lead for good. The Sharks even weathered a penalty at 18:47 when St. Louis pulled the goalie for the extra attacker.

Home Sweet Home

The Sharks still have not lost at home in regulation (i.e. real hockey) in the regular season since February 14, 2008, a stretch of 27 games. This after struggling at home last season in the first four months of the season. This is pretty important for a team that looks like a strong bet to have that throughout the playoffs.

Now the Sharks embark on a three-game road trip, having played 18 of the first 29 at the Shark Tank, where they are 16-0-2. However, they are still 8-3 on the road, a .727 point percentage—second only to Detroit (11-3-2, .750).

The first of the three is in Los Angeles Monday, and will not be televised. The following game on Wednesday in Columbus will also not be televised, an odd thing for a record-setting team's fans to suffer.

However, the Sharks are televised in Detroit Thursday in what promises to be their toughest game thus far. It is the second of back-to-back nights and after a late plane flight, in legendary Joe Louis Arena where the Sharks have historically struggled, and against the defending champions who have the third-best record in the league.

Notes: Jeremy Roenick has been put on injured reserve with a shoulder separation and is expected to miss about three weeks; San Jose called up Jamie McGinn (5GP, 2G, 1A) to take his roster spot. Pavelski is listed as day-to-day, as is Jonathan Cheechoo. Lukowich returned after missing just two games.

Stars – Red Wings: Brunnstrom, Turco Help Dallas Shut Down Detroit 3-1

2008-12-13T01:03:00.001-06:00

A basic fact of hockey is that a game is composed of three periods. No big news there, but if a team is capable of winning all three periods, or even two out of the three, that team can usually win the game.

This basic mathematical outlook on hockey might just be something the Stars are beginning to learn this season, or at least they exhibited that style of play against the reigning Stanley Cup champion Red Wings tonight in Dallas.

The Stars controlled the tempo for the majority of the first period despite going down 1-0 on a Brett Lebda goal at 6:05. The Stars not only outshot Detroit 12-9 in the first frame, but also saw three power play opportunities to the Wings one on a Trevor Daley hooking penalty at 3:45. Marian Hossa and Lebda sat for hooking penalties at 7:29 and 18:16 respectively. At 18:29 Dan Clearly gave the Stars a 5-3 opportunity with a cross checking penalty, but the Stars wouldn’t be able to convert it for a goal before the end of the period.

The Stars' hard work paid off in the second period, regardless of being out-shot 15-9 by the Wings. At 2:12 Nicklas Grossman got caught for a hooking penalty, but the Stars' penalty killers killed off the Wings' man advantage and seized the momentum for a 1-1 game on a Tom Wandell backhand goal at 5:47. The goal was Wandell’s first of the season in only his second game after being called up by Dallas. Landon Wilson, son of assistant coach Rick Wilson, recorded his second assist of the season on the goal.

At 7:27 Fabian Brunnstrom recorded his ninth goal of the season to give the Stars a 2-1 lead. Mike Ribeiro and Darryl Sydor were given assists on the goal.

“I got a great pass from Ribeiro and I faked the shot first and shot it right away,” Brunnstrom said on the Stars website. “It was a great pass and it was fun to score. It was good luck.”

Later in the period Grossman earned himself the right to sit for another two minutes after being whistled for a cross checking penalty at 18:31. Detroit was not able to score on the power play chance due to the sensational play of Marty Turco.

The third period was more of the Marty Turco show as Detroit fired shot after shot on the Dallas net. The shots on goal in the third were literally 14-3 in favor of Detroit. No that is not a typo. Detroit’s Mikael Samuelsson and Landon Wilson both sat for offsetting minor penalty’s at 12:15. Neither team scored with the four on four opportunity. Detroit got dangerously close to tying it, but with a little over a minute left chose to pull goaltender Ty Conklin in favor of the man advantage. Regardless of the extra player, Mike Ribiero inked the icing on the cake on the empty net for Dallas. Assisting on the goal was Landon Wilson and Matt Niskanen.

“We competed hard, had excellent goaltending and we played well as a group,” Stars coach Dave Tippett said. “We defended really well and Marty was so solid. Our D blocked a lot of shots, made smart plays in our end and really did well tonight. It was a good, solid team effort and it builds a belief system that it doesn’t matter who we are playing, we can find a way to win.”

“It’s probably a good tape to hold on to and recognize what we did,” said Mike Modano. “Our situation is what it is with the injuries and guys missing and calling guys up. It’s a basic game plan, it’s real simple, but it’s a great game to build on. It’s a good confidence for us to start.”

Following the game the Dallas Stars left for Nashville to take on the Predators. According to sources, some of the injured Stars players have been working out and skating and could be back to game form soon, but nothing is confirmed. The Predators and Stars game can be seen on Fox Sports Net Southwest tomorrow at 7pm central. Nashville is currently in eighth place in the conference and five points ahead of the Stars in points.

“It was a great game and as big as it was, tomorrow’s just as big and we got to get re-focused again and another tough one,” Turco said.

Quotes: Courtesy of Dallas Stars website

Original Boxscore: Courtesy of NHL.com

Battle of the Pacific? This Is No Battle, Sharks Win Again

2008-12-12T16:23:00.004-06:00

There was a wall around Evgeni Nabokov Thursday night, and he earned his first shut-out of the year. And I mean earned it.

Before getting hurt, Nabby's play was sub-standard. His save percentage was under .900 and his back-up was outplaying him in GAA, shut-outs, winning and save percentage.

Since his return November 26, he is 6-0-1 with a 1.87 GAA with a .929 save percentage and last night's 31-save shutout. Only once has he allowed more than two goals, and that was in overtime.

But as always, Nabby was quick to defer credit. "The shutout was just icing on the cake. Everyone chipped in."

His counterpart did well for Anaheim. Jonas Hiller stopped 25 of 27 shots, including a couple dynamite chances and all eleven he faced in the third period. Only Devin Setoguchi and Patrick Marleau were able to beat him.

So once again, the Sharks won in a game when they were out-shot. They may lead in the league in shots on goal and shot differential, but they are unbeaten when they are out-shot. This was another game that was by no means a statement win, but showed that this year's Sharks are plucky enough to win when they do not dominate.

Things were chippy early in this contest, with Brett Festerling checking Jeremy Roenick from behind against the boards, a play very similar to the Mike Grier check a few games back that got him a match penalty, though certainly not as hard. Nevertheless, it clearly should have been called boarding.

JR was able to return later, but said after the game, "it's not good." But the Sharks showed they could deal with this kind of crossing-the-line play like their coach's last team, Detroit: score.

With three minutes left in the opening period, the defencemen were pinching up, and Dan Boyle did a great job to keep the Sharks on the attack. Marleau and Mike Grier took up the positions on the point, Marcel Goc got the puck back to Grier on the left, and he passed it across to Marleau for the one-timer.

Just 36 seconds later, the Ducks do what they do, with George Parros, who is nothing but a no-talent thug, getting the best of the Sharks' Jody Shelley—who for the record is not much more. This reminded me of why I cannot stand Anaheim: I got involved in sports for the sportsmanship, and where I was raised, you didn't try to beat someone up just because they scored on you.

No matter, the Sharks just kept playing their game. About mid-way through the second, Setoguchi got to a loose puck in front of the net, and spun off a shot with a defender on him that beat Hiller to the near side corner. Marleau and Marc-Eduoard Vlasic got the assists.

The Ducks did not respond immediately with thuggery, waiting instead until all hope was lost. With about 20 seconds left and their goalie pulled, Nabby stopped another one-timer. Corey Perry came to the net and responded to what could have been called a cross-check by Rob Blake by swinging his stick overhead down onto Blake.

Blake retaliated with a nasty spear, and once again only the retaliator was caught. He was given a match penalty, and in the ensuing scrum, Scott Niedermayer, Perry, and Milan Michalek got penalties.

Afterward, Niedermayer had a predictably one-sided view of the play: "Perry went to the net off a shot, and (Blake) just reacted with a spear. I was just kind of in the middle of the pile." There is no word yet on whether Blake will face a suspension.

With the win, the Sharks lead in the division grows to 7.5 games. They face St. Louis at HP Pavilion Saturday before embarking on a three-game road trip.

Holy Jumpin is Right! Coyotes Finally Figure Out Wild

2008-12-12T12:40:00.001-06:00

I am taking a break from studying. Okay I haven't started yet so maybe this can be classified as a continuation of my procrastination...a student's best friend.

Last week NHL.com had an article about how the Coyotes sophomores, specifically Peter Mueller and Martin Hanzal, were struggling. The color commentator for the Coyotes, Darren Pang, apparently read it and was none too pleased about the content of the article. You can read his take on the Coyotes website here.

But more importantly is the Coyotes game last night. If anyone has been following this team, they know the Minnesota Wild have been a kryptonite for Phoenix. Going into the game last night, the last time the Coyotes had defeated the Wild was on November 16th, 2006. Niklas Backstrom has been an absolute fiend in net coming into this contest 8-0 with 3 shutouts and a 1.13 goals against average against the Coyotes throughout his career.

However, all streaks come to an end. Backstrom let in 3 goals including 2 in the final 30 seconds of the 2nd period. The first came from Zbynek Michalek who continues his unbelievable play as he ripped a shot from the point.

Then just 25 seconds later Peter Mueller came down the wing with Olli Jokinen on the other side after rookie Mikkel Boedker had stolen the puck. He made a beautiful pass across the slot and over the stick of a Wild defenseman to Jokinen who put it by Backstrom. Just like that, it was 2-0.

The third period saw the newest addition to the Coyotes make an impact. Joakim Lindstrom was acquired earlier this week from the Anaheim Ducks for young defenseman Logan Stephenson. Tonight he scored his first goal as he redirected a beautiful pass from Steve Reinprecht into the net. While it was disallowed at first, review showed the puck had hit the white bar inside the net and bounced out.

Olli Jokinen has continued his hot streak since coming back from injury. He now has 3 goals in two games. Steven Reinprecht is also on a hot streak as he now has 6 points in his last 5 games. Ilya Bryzgalov had his best game of the season as he stopped 30 of 31 Wild shots. The Coyotes will need him to continue to play stellar if they want to succeed.

Was this game the turning point of the season? Quite possibly. The Coyotes had not beaten the Wild in over 2 years. Maybe this is where the Coyotes start moving up. They will face a stiff test on Saturday as the Detroit Red Wings come to Phoenix.

Sharks Dominate League One-Third of Way Into Season

2008-12-11T00:39:00.000-06:00

Now that we are a third of the way through the season, most of what we see is more than a mere streak, it is an indication of what to expect the rest of the way.

As a Sharks fan, this makes me really happy.

The Sharks are by far the best team in the league so far. And I cannot believe they are getting less coverage than the Boston Bruins.

Don't get me wrong, Boston is really good. But would even a Bruins' fan, among the most cynical of hockey fans I have come across, can honestly say they believe the Bruins will come out of the East, much less hoist the Cup.

Pittsburgh is too talented, and has more playoff experience to draw from on their roster despite being so young. And they're competing with everyone in the East right now without their best defenceman.

In the rest of the toughest division in hockey, there are the New Jersey Devils, winning without one of the greatest goalies of all time. The bad news for everyone else is he will be coming back before the playoffs to get his game ready, but will no longer be worn down from playing over 70 games. Then there are the New York Rangers, who are long on talent with a well-established goalie.

That's not all. The Montreal Canadiens are perrenial contenders who have yet to get an historically dangerous power play on track. The Washington Capitals are winning with half their roster and have arguably the best player in the world.

Boston will make it to the playoffs. They might even be good enough to win their division, which will allow them to probably allow them to avoid any of the above teams in the first round and get to the second. But that's as far as they will go.

Why? Boston's Tim Thomas is a Vezina Trophy candidate, but he has no track record of playoff success. Historically those goalies do not fair well.

By contrast, the Sharks have Evgeni Nabokov. He is not playing as well as Thomas, but he won more games in the first round last season than Thomas has won for his career, and Thomas is older. Nabokov has won the Calder Trophy and was a runner-up for the Vezina Trophy last year. He has taken his team to the Western Conference Finals.

I know, I've heard it before: the Sharks are chokers. But I ask you, do you say that because they are, or because you keep hearing it? Let's really look at their "lack" of playoff success:

* In 2004, the Sharks made it to the Western Conference Finals as a surprise #3 seed after not being in the playoffs at all the previous season. They beat perennial contender Colorado along the way.
* In 2006, the year after the lockout, the Sharks made it into the playoffs as a #5 seed and lost to Edmonton in the second round. Granted, Edmonton was a #8 seed, but a vastly different team at playoff time because they had made a trade that brought in Dwayne Roloson to solidify their defense. They not only beat the President's Trophy winning Detroit Red Wings in the first round, they would have won the Cup had Roloson not gotten hurt (Ty Conklin replaced him and mishandled the puck, giving a goal to Carolina in a game they needed overtime to win).
* In 2007, once again as a #5 seed, the Sharks lost to the top-seeded Red Wings.
* In 2008, San Jose failed to show up with enough intensity early in the second round against the Stars (and in a couple games in the first round), digging themselves a hole they could not emerge from. This got coach Ron Wilson fired and half the blueline replaced, forcing the Sharks to spend up to the salary cap for the first time since it was instituted.

Thus, San Jose is not even the same team. For the first time in years, this defence has experience to match its talent on the blueline, with three Stanley Cup winning players. And there is still more depth among the forwards than anywhere else in the NHL.

Let's just look at a few ways this team stands head-and-shoulders above most of the league:

1. The Sharks average the most shots on goal in the league AND are in the 90th percentile in shots against, easily giving them the best shot differential in the NHL.
2. San Jose leads the league in scoring from the blueline, while in previous years they were among the lowest in the league. There are four defencemen (Rob Blake, Dan Boyle, Christian Ehrhoff, and Marc-Eduoard Vlasic) who are among the top thirty in the league, meaning they have outscored all defenceman on many teams. Two are in the top ten.
3. The Sharks have seven players with over 20 points.
4. San Jose has the best goal differential in the league, and is one of only two teams to out-score opponents by more than a goal a game (Boston is the other).
5. HP Pavilion, home of the Sharks, has assured the Sharks of at least one point in every contest since February 14, 2008. This year, the team is 16-0-2 in the friendly confines.
6. San Jose is in the top quarter of the league on both the power play and penalty kill.
7. Only Minnesota in the West has allowed fewer goals per game, and only Boston in the East.
8. No one has scored as many goals as San Jose, who is averaging 3.78 per game.
9. San Jose is an astounding 19 games over .500, five games better than Boston and Detroit and 14 better than the second place team in the Pacific division.
10. The Sharks have the most points through 26 games in NHL history, and the fifth-best record if all overtime games were counted as ties as they used to be. All four other teams made the Stanley Cup Finals, and two of them won it.

This is not to say they should start etching names on the Stanley Cup right now. It is the greatest trophy in sports because it is so hard to earn.

Detroit is still a serious contender, and I had them as the league's top team before the season started. Any of the above-mentioned Eastern teams, with the easier travelling schedule and easier playoff run, could be a tough finals match-up if the Sharks get there.

I just hope everyone keeps talking about Boston...no one reads my columns anyway, do they?

Kharma Bites Back at San Jose in the Form of Dwayne Freaking Roloson

2008-12-07T21:39:00.001-06:00

In Thursday's win, the Columbus Blue Jackets out-played the Sharks and lost 3-2, primarily because of Evgeni Nabokov's stellar net-minding. Saturday, Dwayne Roloson stole a game back, in the process reminding everyone of why the Edmonton Oilers beat San Jose in the playoffs in 2006.

Okay, there was no un-penalized high elbow to the face from Raffi Torres (who ironically is now in Columbus) taking away the Sharks most dynamic scorer (Milan Michalek). This team doesn't fold at first sign of facing physical play, either, so all Edmonton had left from that blueprint was Roloson; he was at least close to as much of a factor in those playoffs as the Sharks' spinelessness.

From the outset the Sharks controlled play, pounding Roloson with shots. San Jose had eight shots before Edmonton got its first and only shot of the period; unfortunately for Nabokov, that shot went in.

Just under nine minutes into the game, Tom Gilbert got the puck out of the Edmonton defensive zone to Dustin Penner, who got it to Ales Hemsky. Hemsky skated to the middle of the ice with it, about half-way between the blueline and the circles, and wired a wrist-shot to the corner on Nabby's stick side.

The Sharks added eight more shots before the period ended. After Patrick Marleau drew a double-minor on Penner because his stick drew blood on Patty, the Sharks power play struggled to even control play in the offensive end.

However, with about five seconds left, defenceman Dan Boyle back-handed a pass along the goalline to get it in front of the crease. Instead of creating a scoring chance, it created a score, bouncing off Roloson's thigh and then skate before going in. Assists were credited to Michalek and Joe Pavelski.

The irony in the first period was thick:

1. The Sharks were unable to score with great shot after great shot and then scoring on a fluke.
2. Nabby went an entire period without a save.
3. San Jose had a 16-1 edge in shots and the score was tied 1-1.
4. San Jose had the sixth-ranked power play and Edmonton the 29th-ranked penalty kill, and the only time the Sharks weren't getting shots was on the one Oilers penalty.

The second was a little more even, with the Sharks only garnering a 15-9 edge in shots, helped greatly by being whistled for four penalties to Edmonton's one. San Jose got on the scoreboard first when Jody Shelley and Tom Cavanagh banged away at a loose puck in front of Roloson until Cavanagh was able to kick it over to Jeremy Roenick uncovered at the side of the net for a backhand score.

But then the penalties caught up to San Jose, as with Rob Blake in the box, a shot broke Michalek's stick. He tried to clear the puck with the shaft; by rule, only a goalie can employ a broken stick, so a delayed penalty was called. With the extra attacker on the ice, Edmonton centre Shawn Horcoff passed the puck to Sheldon Souray on the point, whose shot was tipped in by Penner to tie the game.

The third period saw more furious action by San Jose, who out-shot Edmonton 12-5 and drew the only penalty, but neither team scored. In the extra period, Marleau was called for hooking, and with 30 seconds left on the four-on-three, Kyle Brodziak fired a puck across the crease off Christian Ehrhoff's skate and into the net. (Gilbert and Horcoff got the assists.)

Final tally, Edmonton three goals on 17 shots, San Jose two on 43 shots. Hockey is a funny game sometimes, but if the Sharks had needed this one, I wouldn't be laughing. For now, the Sharks are still the only team in the NHL to have no regulation losses at home, increasing the streak to 16 games this season.

The last team to beat San Jose at home in regulation? Edmonton, Feb. 14, 2008. San Jose puts that streak to the test again Thursday against the Anaheim Ducks.

Ken Hitchcock Lays Out Blueprint for Beating Sharks, but Comes up Short

2008-12-06T14:18:00.001-06:00

Before the game, Blue Jackets coach Ken Hitchcock said no team had out-worked the Sharks yet this season. I disagree with that, but now there is no doubt it is no longer true.

Even though his Blue Jackets lost, Hitch may have provided the blueprint for beating San Jose: Get the puck deep and grind, grind, grind.

This was the same game plan I had wanted Ron Wilson to use against the highly-skilled, puck possession style Red Wings in the 2007 playoffs. The difference is that the Sharks were bigger than the Red Wings, so the question is whether anyone can be successful at this when the Sharks are one of the biggest teams in the league.

But at the very least, it gave the Sharks problems. Columbus out-shot San Jose 14-4 in the first period and 31-22 for the game.

However, their style led to four more power plays for the Sharks, and that led to two goals. The verdict: You have to play the grinding style without taking trips to the box.

You also may need to catch Evgeni Nabokov on a bad day. Nabby gave up one goal in the first, when a Rick Nash shot deflected off defenceman Dan Boyle into the net (Jan Hejda and Kristian Huselius got the assists). He wasn't giving up anything else, even stopping Huselius on a two-on-none by swiping the puck right off his stick with the glove while sprawled out on his side.

The Sharks got the equalizer in the second, with Patrick Marleau getting his own rebound and back-handing it past rookie goaltender Steve Mason (Dan Boyle and Marc-Eduoard Vlasic got the assists). Jeremy Roenick got his second goal of the year 44 seconds into the third, putting home a rebound of a Vlasic shot (off a Thornton feed) on the power play.

That didn't last long: Frederik Modin took the puck from the right wing and puck-handled down the goalline, getting a shot off to the far side between Rob Blake's legs (Jarred Boll and Derick Brassard got the assists). But the Sharks answered, when Joe Thornton knocked a Vlasic shot out of the air for the game winner with over 12 minutes left; Devin Setoguchi got the secondary assist.

Nabby had to make a couple more killer stops to put this one in the books, and was very deserving of the first star of the game. The Sharks host Edmonton tonight at 7pm PST.

Sharks Pay Tribute to Former Coach by Dominating His New Team

2008-12-04T22:55:00.000-06:00

Let me get one thing straight: Ron Wilson deserves a lot of credit for the Sharks' current success.

He helped develop a lot of young players, and he got more out of Joe Thornton than anyone had in Boston. More than that, his focus on fundamentals and everyone fulfilling their defensive responsibilities made Todd McLellan's job easier.

That being said, I was leading the charge in calling for him to lose his job this off-season. He just was not the man to take this team to the next level.

This team was not going any further year after year, they played tight in key games, they would stop being aggressive if they had a lead in the second-half of a game...all recipes for disaster.

In the 2006 playoffs, Wilson had his team enter the third period playing to hang on to a 2-1 lead in Edmonton when a victory would have all but ended the series. They gave up a goal and lost in multiple overtimes.

In the 2007 playoffs, the Sharks didn't change from their puck possession strategy even though the Red Wings were out-performing them in that regard; the Sharks were bigger than their opponent and would have benefited from a grinding style. Instead, less than 35 seconds away from a 3-1 series advantage, their Russian Roulette with shots on goal failed as Robert Lang tied the game that Detroit would later win in overtime, and the Sharks never won again.

Then in 2008, the Sharks were not focused or prepared for their first round series against Calgary, and appeared to be worn down by the time they faced Dallas in the second round. They did not play well in their first two home games and were not able to make up that deficit, once again unable to get past two wins in the second round.

Afterward, Wilson infamously said about the season "we should be rejoicing." He was understandably defensive about his job being called into question, considering he has the best coaching record in franchise history. But if you even suggest you should be rejoicing about not being able to get out of the second round when in two of the three years you were the team with home ice advantage, you just don't get it.

And now he was back in town, leading a mediocre-at-best Toronto team to a 9-9-6 record. He say it's his dream job, leading the league's most-storied franchise that he grew up a fan of and played for. Ironically, it is perhaps the only one viewed as more under-achieving than San Jose.

But Wilson is the right man for this job. He will get veterans to be rededicated to fundamentals or give the ice time they feel they are entitled to away to a younger player who is doing the little things. He will make sure their defense is solid so they are in as many games as possible with a chance to win.

Wilson will have this team in the playoffs by 2009. They will probably win a series by 2010. And by 2012 when they still have not gotten past the second round, he will need to be replaced by someone like McLellan.

Then again, Wilson never had the talent to work with that McLellan has. Comparing what the two coaches are able to do with this franchise is unfair on two levels: Wilson laid the roads that McLellan only needed to smooth over, and McLellan was given a $10 million budget to work with.

And Wilson's current team has less talent than the one he coached last year. Toronto is in transition, trying to dump some large salaries and rebuild, a process made harder by contracts other teams do not want. And to make matters worse for Tuesday's contest, they had just played the night before in Los Angeles.

In watching this game I was reminded of a couple flaws persistent in the Ron Wilson era, most notably letting up with a lead. Toronto out-shot San Jose 12-6 in the second period and closed the gap to 4-1 on a goal by Nikolai Kulemin (assisted by Niklas Hagman and Mikhail Grabovski) 9:10 into the period.

But the first line's best period all season came in the first, and that's saying a lot. Joe Thornton had three assists and a goal, Devin Setoguchi had a goal and an assist, and Patrick Marleau had two assists. Other scorers were Dan Boyle and Marc-Eduoard Vlasic, who took a beautiful no-look backhand feed from Thornton across the crease on the power play (the others were all even-strength); Rob Blake also assisted on the Sharks first goal.

Joe Pavelski pretty much ended the game with a short-handed goal (assisted by Milan Michalek) four minuted into the third period. Toronto got a goal in the final 35 seconds from Hagman, with assists by Nik Antropov and Grabovski, to make it appear closer than it was. They out-shot San Jose 31-30, leaving San Jose unbeaten in games they are out-shot (6-0-0).

The win tied the Sharks for the NHL all-time best start through 25 games with 43 points. However, that stat is misleading since prior to the 1999-2000 season no teams earned any points for an overtime loss, and prior to the lockout, there were no shootouts ensuring that someone would get two points in every game. Taking away those "extra" points, the Sharks would have 39, still good for fifth-best all-time.

The good news is that of the four other teams to finish better, all four made the Stanley Cup Finals. Even better is that two of them won it, and that is the only stat I care about.

Sharks Fan's Thanksgiving List

2008-12-01T22:59:00.000-06:00

The San Jose Sharks take on former coach Ron Wilson Tuesday night at HP Pavilion at 7:30pm PST. Last week, they took on former teammate Brian Campbell.

Between those two games was Thanksgiving. This got me to thinking about how we can be grateful to those who failed us if it helps us get the changes necessary to make things better.

After all, if it was not for the insecure department head at my old job in Milwaukee who fired me because I was a threat (I had applied for his job), I would not have gotten my new job and met my wife. If that new job hadn't treated me like a pawn, I wouldn't have left it for the great job I currently have.

But then, not all things I am grateful for when it comes to the Sharks are limited to what changes happened because of our short-comings. This team is on pace for 140 points, and while they certainly won't make it there, with that kind of success comes an abundance of material for a thanksgiving list.

Below are my top 10 things to be thankful for, starting with the two in which management has proven to me I was wrong:

1. The new coaching staff I was skeptical of. They have a handle on what it takes for success and how to motivate players to work a full 60 minutes. Players are blocking shots and making stellar saves with multiple-goal leads in the final minute of games.
2. Keeping Patrick Marleau, who I was sure would have to be traded to upgrade the blueline. Instead, Patty has committed to playing on the defensive side of the ice, too, and has been the Sharks best player so far in my mind. (I am also beginning to think I was wrong about Alexei Semenov, by the way.)
3. That Doug Wilson is in charge and not me, so the right changes could be made. That he could pull off the Dan Boyle trade and still sign Rob Blake (a change I called for) is amazing, and there is no better general manager in the league.
4. Greg Jamison opening up the purse strings and spending up to the cap, about $10 million more than previous years.
5. For the overachieving performances of Christian Ehrhoff and Devin Setoguchi--we had every reason to believe they would be good, but they are playing at an All-Star level.
6. For the adversity we have already faced and overcome. The following players have missed time: Evgeni Nabokov, Torrey Mitchell, Jonathan Cheechoo, Mike Grier, Marcel Goc, Dan Boyle, Douglas Murray, and Jody Shelley. But the Sharks keep winning.
7. Depth. The reason we have been able to endure all of these injuries is because we have so many players who can contribute. 15 Sharks have scored game-winning goals, and no one has more than two.
8. Dan Boyle, Brad Lukowich, and Rob Blake. By changing half of the blueline, the Sharks have added not only skill, but experience. There were many times last year that young defencemen like Ehrhoff were put in pressure cookers and doomed to make that mistake ion their own end; now there is a Stanley-Cup winning, calming influence nearby at all times.
9. Brian Campbell, for not only failing to be enough, but for showing Doug Wilson that adding skill to the blueline would make a big difference in the team's success. Then Campbell saved us from overpaying for him like Chicago did and we were able to upgrade more by losing him.
10. Douglas Murray's hits. I am all about the physical game, and that man flattens players who are trying to flatten him. To an enforcer like me, that is a more beautiful sight than a Joe Thornton tape-to-tape pass.

Then again, I caution everyone about getting too excited. Teams will make adjustments to counter our game, and we'll have to have answers for that. Plus, while games in November mean as much as games in March, they mean less than games in May; all of this means nothing if we don't win then.

Sharks Sweep Weekend Divisional Set

2008-11-30T02:26:00.001-06:00

The Sharks own this division, and everyone else knows it. Only the Anaheim Ducks really have a chance to catch San Jose, and they are six games back with a split in the two games of the season series.

Even with 58 games to go, that hill is a tough one to climb. If the Sharks play .600 hockey the rest of the way (they are currently playing .854 hockey), they will earn 70 points and finish with 111. That means the Ducks would have to get 82 points (and at least seven more wins than San Jose) to catch them, a .707 clip--over 100 percentage points higher than they currently are playing.

In other words, if the Sharks do over one-quarter worse than they currently are, the Ducks still have to do more than ten percent better than they currently are. What do you really think the chances of that are?

And it's worse for the other division teams. Los Angeles is in second place but has lost both of the season match-ups; they are eight games out. The Coyotes have split in the two match-ups so far, but are now nine games back. Dallas has lost both and are 10.5 back.

The latter two teams are the Sharks' latest victims. On Friday evening, the Stars were no match for the Sharks, being thoroughly gutted 6-2.

The Sharks out-shot Dallas 30-27 and still blocked twice as many shots (12-6). Despite losing the face-off battle 32-31, the Sharks had possession of the puck more, thanks in large part to the Stars having 15 giveaways to the Sharks' nine. Yet despite being on the attack more, they were only out-hit by Dallas 17-16.

The Sharks got the most of their early opportunities, while Dallas did not. In the first seven minutes of the game, the Stars had two prime chances. On the first, Brad Lukowich was able to tie up the stick of Landon Wilson. On the second, Mike Modano had a shot at the open net at the backside and could not get good wood on it.

But with just over eight minutes remaining in the first, Ryan Clowe intercepted Matt Niskanen's attempt to advance the puck out of the zone and kept control of it in the offensive zone even though his feet were behind the blueline. He stick-handled his way around Mark Parrish, skated back in and let go a shot from above the circle on the left wing; Joe Pavelski deflected it home.

Dallas did answer back 91 seconds later, with Brad Richards feeding Loui Ericsson the puck from behind the net and Ericsson putting it home off Rob Blake.

But the Sharks earned a power play 1:11 later, when Wilson high-sticked Dan Boyle; it took only ten seconds for them to get a score. Joe Thornton won the face-off back to Marc-Eduoard Vlasic, who advanced the puck up to Patrick Marleau on the half-boards. Marleau fed it across to Boyle, who slapped it hom from the point through a Thornton screen.

Four minutes later, Jeremy Roenick took a pass from Devin Setoguchi and chipped it back to him behind the goalline. Niskanen had a body on him, so he poked it to Thornton on the other side of the net, who found a wide open Boyle pinching down between the circles; Marty Turco never had a chance to make that save, and the Sharks went into the locker room with a 3-1 lead.

The Sharks extended a couple streaks with their first period success, too. All three first line forwards saw their point-streaks extended to seven games, and the Sharks streak of games with a power play goal was extended to eight straight; during that streak, they are 17-48 (35.4 percent). By contrast, San Jose had given up only 14 power play goals all season in 89 chances.

The Sharks struggled on the first power play of the second period, but still got the same result. Finally able to control the puck in the attacking zone from behind the goalline, Clowe sent it up the boards to Pavelski on the right wing half-boards. He passed to Blake, took the puck back, and quickly fed it between the circles to Clowe, whose shot caromed to Milan Michalek all alone in front of the crease for the easy score.

Near the end of the period, the Sharks widened the lead when Thornton took a carom off the endboards from Setoguchi, skated up the half-boards and fed it up to Blake for the one-timer. That was the last goal Turco would give up, facing 19 shots and saving only 14 (.737 save percentage), but the only goal he even had a chance to stop was the first, and it is hard to blame a goalie for a deflection.

Regardless, Dallas started the second period with Stephan Tobias in net. While he stopped 10 of 11, about half-way through the third he gave up a goal to Tomas Plihal. Roenick attacked up the middle and dropped the puck to Ryan Clowe along the boards just inside the blueline on the right wing. Clowe fed a cross-ice pass to Plihal, whose shot from the face-off dot on the left wing found the corner on the near side.

Dallas got a goal in garbage time, with James Neal showing incredible puck control to skate backwards with the puck in front of the crease until he could get clear of Nabokov and put it home. Parrish and Mike Ribiero got the assists.

Notes: Pavelski and Richards entered the game with the most points for any player without a penalty, and Richards had the league's longest active streak without one dating back to last season. Both were whistled for minors in the third period.

The Sharks game against Phoenix was not televised except on NHL Centre Ice, just as their first match-up. However, this was the reverse of the last one, in which the tired Sharks (also playing in Phoenix the day after a match-up with the Stars) jumped out to an early two-goal lead before relaxing and losing.

This time, the Sharks gave up a goal on the first shift to Derrick Morris through an army of bodies, with assists by Shane Doan and Peter Mueller. Less than three minutes later and 12 seconds into a power play, Ed Jovanovski shot one from the point, Doan got the rebound and tipped the puck over to Kyle Turris for the easy goal.

But the Sharks scored on the only two shots they got on Ilya Bryzgalov. Michalek tried a wrap-around but the puck was blocked. Clowe tried to knock it home, but it was Pavelski who got to the loose puck and got it through traffic with 15:45 left in the first. Just 1:11 later, Marcel Goc took the puck from Plihal and fed it to Rob Blake pinching in along the boards for the one-timer.

Bryzgalov was the Sharks' second goaltending victim in as many days because Blake's shot was not from a good angle. Then both goalies settled things down.

It was not until the third period that the Sharks got the go-ahead goal and eventual game-winner. Lukowich took a pass from Michalek and shot it toward the net. Pavelski got a stick on it and then put the rebound home through the legs of a defender, and the Sharks made it hold up as the game-winner.

San Jose rang two shots off the goalpost in a span of two or three seconds on a late power play, but could not cash in, ending their streak of games with a goal on the man advantage at eight. None of the top line forwards scored, either, ending that streak for all of them at seven games.

However, the Sharks have extended their winning streak to seven games and completed their best-ever two months with a 20-3-1 record. They face the Toronto Maple Leafs and former coach Ron Wilson Tuesday night at 7:30pm PST at HP Pavilion.

Sharks Beat Chicago for Thirteenth Straight Time

2008-11-28T17:20:00.000-06:00

On Wednesday night, the San Jose Sharks extended their now league-leading active winning streak over the Chicago Blackhawks to 13 games. They did it in a way very contrary to how they won the two teams' first match-up, winning 3-2 in overtime rather than 6-5 in regulation. Instead of both teams taking five or more penalties, both were assessed only two.

The first line carried the weight as they have for the past six games, with all three forwards extending their scoring streaks to six games. Devin Setoguchi had an assist and Patrick Marleau had the game-tying goal in the third period on a wrap-around that was the first score against Christabol Huet.

Marleau missed two golden scoring opportunities, including one in which a prone and injured Nikolai Khabibulin was covering only the low portion of the far side of the net. Marleau shot the puck right into his pad, bringing the stoppage of play on Khabibulin's 24th save that allowed Chicago to replace him with Huet. This was one of the reasons it was inexplicable that Marleau got first star of the game, when Thornton had the game-winner 45 seconds into overtime and the primary assist on Marleau's goal.

Prior to the score, Thornton had to fight off the stick of a Chicago defender and slide the pass to Ryan Clowe, who returned it for the give-and-go one-timer and his second assist of the game. His first came on a five-on-three power play late in the first period, when he took a feed from Dan Boyle and got it to Rob Blake for the one-timer.

Sharks radio play-by-play announcer Dan Rusanowsky got the second star right: Chicago forward Jonathan Toews scored both Chicago goals, getting the tying score just past the mid-point and the go-ahead goal as a five-on-three penalty was two seconds from expiring early in the third period.

That power play started with a match penalty for boarding to Mike Grier, who finished a check against the boards on Aaron Johnson even though Johnson's back was to him. Johnson did not return to the game, but the league determined that Grier's punishment in the game was sufficient.

The Sharks out-shot Chicago 17-2 in the first period, but coach Joel Quennville made adjustments that helped his team get the Sharks out of rhythm for most of the rest of the game. The final shot tally was 40-26 thanks to a late flurry of shots in the third period and overtime.

In a side-note, Sharks fans booed former Shark Brian Campbell each time he touched the puck. Campbell left San Jose for a big payday in Chicago, but I believe the source of fans' ire was that Campbell never really gave San Jose a chance to re-sign him.

He said he wanted to play closer to home, which is Ottawa. Had he signed with the Senators, perhaps that would have been more understood, but I think fans felt misled that the team, in giving up Steve Bernier and a first round pick, was going to be considered for re-signing, especially in light of Campbell's friendship with alternate captain Joe Thornton that dates back to childhood.

Before the game, Campbell visited and had dinner at the Thornton home, where he had stayed in his brief time with the team. He said fans had been good to him and he enjoyed his time in San Jose. Apparently, these facts were not enough to even entertain offers from the team, who by all appearances made re-signing the star defenceman a priority.

However, I personally do not hold anything against Campbell, and here's why: Had he stayed with the team, there likely would have been no other changes to a blueline that was obviously not enough as it had been outplayed three seasons in a row. There simply would not have been enough money left over to trade for Dan Boyle and Brad Lukowich and also may not have been enough to add Rob Blake.

I still believe that Campbell, who has comparable skills to Boyle and is bigger, is a better overall defenceman. But even had the team been able to add Blake, possible only had they traded Rivet and Carle anyway, the differences between this year and last would be Campbell and McLaren vs. Lukowich and Boyle. With McLaren available in the event of a long-term injury to the blueline, there is no doubt this year's unit is better.

While Soupy was only here briefly, he proved to general manager Doug Wilson that a more skilled blueline worked better, and his leaving opened the door for Wilson to upgrade the unit. Sharks fans should thank Campbell for the time he was here and then for saving the team money by not giving them a chance to match the over-sized contract offered by Chicago so they had to go in a different direction.

San Jose plays Dallas Friday at 5:30pm PST at American Airlines Center.

Wounded Dog: What is Wrong with the Phoenix Coyotes?

2008-11-25T14:57:00.000-06:00

Well last night the New York Rangers beat up on the Phoenix Coyotes winning by a final score of 4-1, bringing their losing streak to 6 games. Enver Lisin had the only Coyote goal which was the first goal of the game. However, the New York Rangers woke up and put 4 past Ilya Bryzgalov.

Yes I was rooting for the Coyotes. But the Rangers won which is always a positive. Despite playing a game I wouldn't call fantastic *cough* Rozsival *cough* the Rangers were playing a team that is in complete disarray at the moment, that being their 6th straight loss.

Last night confirmed to me one thing that I had been thinking about but was hoping was wrong. The Coyotes are not a playoff team. General Manager Don Maloney said that this team is a team that will be fighting for a playoff spot at the beginning of the year. Things certainly looked that way as Shane Doan, Olli Jokinen and other had some good starts to the year. But the youth factor is very high on this team and that is ultimately what will bring this team down. It would be wonderful to see the Coyotes youngsters start lighting the lamp and being a factor in the offense but they haven't picked up the load that I am sure Don Maloney was looking for.

Should they be shouldered with all that responsibility? Probably not. These kids are barely older than me and are expected to be immediate offensive talents in the NHL when in reality they aren't. I am not saying that some of these guys won't turn into great players but immediate greatness is not in the cards here.

There is one other problem that I know will not be addressed simply because of politics and that is the coaching. Yes Wayne Gretzky has a stake in the Phoenix Coyotes organization as a managing partner and alternate governor. However, that should not give him untouchable status in terms of his job as a coach.

The Coyotes have a very young team which needs a coach who can teach players how to play at the NHL level. You would think that Wayne would be the best person for that but being a coach is more than that. The Coyotes need a system that works and a coach who has been a coach. Someone who can keep the development of the young players going while inputting a system that will be hard to beat every night.

I understand that Gretzky just signed a 5 year extension as a coach but this is what I think. Put Gretzky as an assistant coach for awhile...maybe he can figure out this abysmal powerplay of the Coyotes. When Ulf Samuelsson is your powerplay coach, it isn't going to work. Get a real coach in there for a couple of years. If Wayne is itching to be head coach again then that is fine but for a team that is rebuilding a coach is important in getting a system of play down that will inspire younger players and help them learn the nuances of the NHL game. Afterwards Gretzky can take things back.

It is rough to be a Coyotes fan with the NHL team on a 6 game losing streak. Things aren't much better down on the AHL affiliate in San Antonio where the Rampage have dropped 13 straight games. They are 2-17 on the season.

Sharks Dominate Ovechkin, Capitals in 7-2 Rout

2008-11-23T22:11:00.001-06:00

The Sharks cleared another hurdle in their impressive first season under coach Todd McLellan: they played well rusty.

In years' past, the Sharks were notoriously vulnerable after a long lay-off. Saturday night, while struggling to control play and getting only five shots on goal, they still tallied three first period scores and never looked back.

The game also had a physical element from the start.

Defenceman Douglas Murray chipped a puck in and leveled the forward racing toward the puck. A couple of shifts later, Jody Shelley checked Donald Brashear against the boards behind the Washington goalline right after Brashear advanced the puck, and the two enforcers went at it.

It was a good fight, but Brashear, in my opinion the toughest guy in hockey, ended up on top and bloodied Shelley's nose. He also taunted the Sharks and their fans on the way to the box, with both penalties coming just 3:24 into the game.

Just over nine minutes into the game, defenceman Dan Boyle took a Devin Setoguchi feed from behind the goalline and skated until he had a passing lane. He got the puck to Patrick Marleau just inside the face-off circle to Brent Johnson's glove side, and the captain put a wristshot to the far side half-way up on the first shot of the game for the Sharks.

It took the Sharks just over three minutes to add to that score, but they needed a little help from Washington defenceman Shaone Morrison. Milan Michalek got the puck to the point, where Rob Blake fired it on net. Ryan Clowe got his stick on the rebound, and in trying to clear the puck away, Morrison tipped it into his own net.

Again it took the Sharks only about three more minutes to increase their lead. On the first power play of the game, Marleau got the puck to Thornton in the corner, who flipped a backhand pass to Setoguchi at the face-off dot on Johnson's glove side. Setoguchi's one-timer was wired to the corner on the far side just five seconds after the power play expired, and the Sharks had three goals on five shots in a 6:32 stretch.

Washington responded with a strong opening to the second period, culminating in a score 7:56 in. Blake Sloan got the puck to the net, and Matt Bradley got his stick on it in the scramble. As the puck skitted along the goalline, Tom Poti punched it in from his stomach after being knocked down.

However, that seemed to wake the Sharks up. On the third power play of the game, Marc-Eduoard Vlasic took a feed from Boyle and shot-passed it to Joe Thornton, who redirected it into the net through a screen by Setoguchi.

With the team on a four-on-four in the last minute of the second, Vlasic took a pass from Blake and put it home to all but end the game; Jonathan Cheechoo, relegated to the third line since returning from injury, got the secondary assist.

Instead of resting on their laurels as Ron Wilson's Sharks used to (and, indeed, his Maple Leafs did against Chicago Saturday night), McLellan's Sharks smelled blood in the water and attacked. With a 16-15 shots on goal deficit, San Jose outshot Washington 13-5 in the final period.

The Sharks did surrender the first goal. With Setoguchi in the box for hooking, Nicklas Backstrom got the puck to Alex Ovechkin on the point. Faking a slapshot to get the defense down, he passed to Tomas Fleischmann just outside the crease on Brian Boucher's glove side for the easy one-timer. The assist kept alive Ovechkin's point streak at six and was his first point against San Jose in three career games.

However, it took the home team just 3:25 to answer on a power play of their own. Blake took a pass from Boyle and fed Clowe in the face-off circle the Sharks were doing all their damage. Clowe faked a shot and fed it back to Blake, who one-timed it on goal. Clowe crashed the net and put home the easy rebound.

It was not Blake's last time on the score sheet, either. He head-manned the puck to Jeremy Roenick with a minute to go, and Roenick fed a pass through traffic to Mike Grier, who managed to get just enough on a backhand while muscling off a defender to get it past Johnson. The Sharks spent the final 52 seconds passing the puck back and forth in their defensive zone to run out the clock.

After the game, McLellan said Evgeni Nabokov would be returning to net in the Sharks next game, Wednesday night at HP Pavilion against Chicago. He was dressed for Saturday's game, but McLellan had said he wanted him to get a few more practices before facing game situations. Boucher was 5-1-1 in relief of Nabokov.

Dallas Stars: Brenden Morrow Out 6 Months With ACL Tear

2008-11-22T00:37:00.002-06:00

On Friday afternoon the Dallas Stars announced today that team captain Brenden Morrow will be out for at least six months after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee last night against the Chicago Blackhawks. Morrow will likely require surgery to repair the knee and in his absence the Stars chose to call up Landon Wilson from the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins.

"It's adds to what has already been a frustrating season, but we have to pull together and face the adversity and overcome it," coach Dave Tippett said to the Dallas Morning News. "This will test the strength of our group. Are we willing to bond together?"

Morrow was trying to make a hit in the third period against Chicago on Thursday night when he caught the edge of his skate in a rut on the ice and fell awkwardly. With about six minutes remaining in the game Morrow limped to the Stars dressing room and did not return.

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In 18 games this season Morrow has recorded 5 goals, 10 assists for 15 points with 49 penalty minutes. He was slowly leading the Stars out of the seller with his leadership, but now he will be forced to watch from a press box in a suit rather than suited up with his teammates.

"You can't replace him. There's just not another player like him around," said co-general manager Brett Hull to the Dallas Morning News. "What we have to do is find a way to play without him."

Much like fantasy owners who built a team with Morrow in mind like me, the Stars must also find a way to recover roster wise. The Stars are dangerously close to the salary cap but will likely file for a long-term injury reserve exception on Morrow’s $4.1 million salary.

According to the Dallas Morning News Co-GM Les Jackson said the team is looking into salary cap implication and owner Tom Hicks’ budget to determine the possibility of a trade.

Most likely Dallas must rebuild from within, for now the answer is Landon Wilson but the Stars have many talented prospects and this season could go from being a Stanley Cup year to a rebuilding year after an injury like this. Building up the young talent will be good for this club and make this team very dangerous in the future.

On Saturday the Dallas Stars will face the Pacific division rival Anaheim Ducks at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. The puck drops at 7pm Central and will be radio broadcast on WBAP-AM 820 and on television on Fox Sports Net Southwest..

For Ken Armer’s Ducks vs. Stars preview tune into NHL 2Day at 12:30 central for talk around the league, more news on the Morrow injury and everything else hockey as Armer and Co-host Alan Bass discuss this past week in the NHL.

Image: Courtesy of Yahoo Sports and Getty Images

Quotes: Courtesy of the Dallas Morning News

Stars Press Release: Courtesy of Dallas Stars website

Sharks Punch Back at Predators

2008-11-18T22:58:00.000-06:00

Last week, the Nashville Predators ended the San Jose Sharks home unbeaten streak with an overtime victory at HP Pavilion. It was probably small consolation to the franchise that was knocked out of the playoffs two years in a row by the Sharks, but it may have helped that it springboarded them to a three-game sweep of California teams to end their road trip.

Nevertheless, in the next chance they got after that loss, the Sharks punched back Monday night.

San Jose got on the board with two early tallies in the first period. On the first, Devin Setoguchi stood inside the face-off circle to goalie Dan Ellis' left and rocketed a one-timer pass from Joe Thornton; Patrick Marleau got the secondary assist on the power play goal. On the second, Jody Shelley got his first goal of the year in a scramble in front of the net; Brad Staubitz also got his first point of the season, and Rob Blake got the secondary assist.

After Tomas Plihal put home a slapshot 7:43 into the second, things got nasty. Jordin Tootoo tried to check Ryan Clowe and was knocked down. Unhappy with the embarassment, he went after a smaller target, Joe Pavelski. He received a cross-checking minor for it, but it led to more rough-stuff.

A couple shifts later, the Sharks scored again, Marleau put home a rebound of a Christian Ehrhoff shot (devin Setoguchi got the other assist), and Tootoo was immediately put back onto the ice to instigate.

But the Sharks punched back.

Tootoo dropped the gloves to fight Staubitz, but before Brad could even throw a punch, Tootoo landed a right to his head and dropped him. Inexplicably, Staubitz still got a fighting major, so Shelley tossed the gloves with Greg DeVries immediately. That fight ended in a draw, no matter how much announcer Randy Hahn wanted to claim it as a victory.

That was not the end of the fighting, either. Not only did both pairs have a round two (this time I would say Staubitz had a draw at best, but Shelley won), but Thornton danced with Scott Nichol and clearly won. I did not see this one start or either of Shelley's begin, but the Tootoo fights were clearly initiated by him.

But the Sharks punched back.

Unfortunately, at this point the Sharks seemed more interested in fighting than playing. Even on the power play, the Sharks gave up a short-handed goal to David Legwand, who took a Dan Hamhuis pass and got behind Ehrhoff for a breakaway. He put home his own rebound when the defence did not get to it; Radek Bonk got the secondary assist.

To that point, the Predators had a 13-1 shot advantage in the period, and ended up with a 16-8 edge in the third and 33-32 edge for the game. It was the second straight game in which the Sharks have been out-shot.

After back-to-back nights playing, with travel in between, the Sharks are staying one more night in Nashville to spend time with their fathers on the almost-annual father-son outing. After that, they get much-needed rest before hosting Washington Saturday.

Sharks Outplayed by Chicago, Win Anyway

2008-11-17T22:23:00.000-06:00

You could have billed this as a competition between the defenceman the Sharks acquired late last season, Brian Campbell, to put them over the hump and the one who replaced him, Dan Boyle.

Or a chance for the Sharks to get revenge on the player who bolted from the very house of his childhood friend (Joe Thornton) for a big contract. Or for Chicago to avenge the 11 straight losses they have suffered at the hands of San Jose.

Ultimately, all of those storylines were in play, no matter how much everyone denied it. You listen to the fans bellyache about their team's struggles against a particular opponent, and as a human being who appreciates those who pay your ample salary, you want to make it right.

When a player leaves, you understand it's a business and even the reasoning that a player wants to be closer to home. But you also feel at least a little betrayed. If you are that player or his replacement, you want to show you were worth that contract or your new team is better off than with the other guy.

Boyle scored two goals, Campbell scored only one but added two assists. Tough to call a winner there. Thornton added a goal and an assist.

But the bottom line is who won, and that was the Sharks, 6-5. The power play clicked, getting four goals for the second straight game; the unit has gone 8 for 15 in those contests. In the process, it has jumped from the bottom half of the league into the top 20 percent.

This one was not pretty, unless you are one of those Philistines who just wants to see scoring instead of sound fundamental hockey. The Sharks jumped out to a 1-0 lead on the second period of the game when Joe Pavelski's face-off win came back to Milan Michalek, who snapped off a quick wrist shot high to Christabol Huet's glove side.

But Sharks goalie Brian Boucher gave it back. Handling a puck behind the net on the power play, he hesitated until Chicago rookie Kris Versteeg was close enough to worry about, then threw it toward him. Versteeg poke checked it away from Boucher's stick, recovered it, and backhanded it into the goal before Boucher could stop him.

On the very next shift, Thornton bailed out his teammate, coming up with a loose puck and burying it; Devin Setoguchi and Patrick Marleau got assists. That goal held up until the last two and a half minutes of the period, when Campbell slapped home a D-to-D pass along the blueline from Cam Barker; Martin Havlat got the secondary assist and caused the Sharks problems all night with his ability to penetrate with his puck handling.

Not to be outdone, Boyle got his first power play goal of the game on a pass from Pavelski (Marc-Eduoard Vlasic got the second assist) less than six minutes into the second period. Jeremy Roenick scored his first goal of the season on his former team just over three minutes later, gobbling up a turnover by Brent Sopel and faking Huet to his far side before putting a backhand in near side.

But the Sharks were being outplayed in the second period, as rare a thing for them as being out-shot (31-33 in this game and 15-6 in the second); ironically San Jose is 3-0 when the latter happens. Less than two minutes later, Versteeg got his second goal by bouncing it off a sprawling Boucher from behind the net; Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane got assists.

The pressure of Chicago finally caught up with the Sharks in a big way at the end of the period, as they drew back-to-back penalties and scored on both 18 seconds apart in the last three minutes, and Campbell got the primary assist on both.

On the first, he returned the favour with a D-to-D pass along the blueline to Barker after a feed from Toews. On the second, he took pass from Barker and faked a shot before passing to Kane on the wing for a one-timer.

It was a lesson the Sharks would apply themselves. On the power play in the third, Pavelski took a pass from Vlasic and faked a shot before finding Boyle in the very same place. It was so well-duplicated I am unsure why neither of the announcers or David Pollak of the San Jose Mercury News noted it...it was like watching a replay.

The equalizer for the Sharks came with 4:15 to go, and again on the power play. Thornton got the puck to Christian Ehrhoff at the point, and he found Setoguchi between the top of the circles for a fierce one-timer that Huet may never have even seen well because of the traffic provided by Marleau and Thornton.

Somehow, the Sharks made that hold up. But they made it interesting when Ryan Clowe took a bad penalty with over three minutes to go, then iced the puck with a minute left after coming out of the box and Huet pulled.

The Sharks are playing right now in Nashville (actually, the game must be over by now), and return home to play Washington Saturday.

Sharks Extinguish Flames

2008-11-15T03:33:00.000-06:00

In the first match-up of the San Jose Sharks and Calgary Flames since the nasty first round playoff contest last April, one might have expected fireworks.

After all, this was the one that featured the hit on Sharks captain Patrick Marleau by Flames defenceman Corey Sarich that nearly changed the series. It was a hit that should have been called roughing (high hit), or charging (Sarich lept up into the hit), or some might say boarding (I would not agree there).

More importantly, someone on the Sharks should have come to the defence of their captain. It was not even the first cheapshot on Marleau in the game: defenceman Dion Phaneuf allowed Marleau to touch up to avoid an icing so he could splat him to the boards.

There was nothing illegal about that hit, and cheap or not, it's a legitmate game play. But it should have at least set the Sharks on edge enough that the Sarich hit would have forced a response. Or maybe at least gotten the team to show a little heart and intensity for the rest of the game.

Instead, they folded their tents, and I knew right then I was backing the wrong horse.

When things are going tough, you fall back on what you know. The Flames have always been nasty. Former coach and current general manager Darryl Sutter was always that style.

At the time, the going was definitely tough for Calgary. The Sharks were up 3-0 just a few minutes into the game, looking like they would be recapturing home ice advantage.

It wasn't the first time we saw this, either. Let's take a look at the progression:

While coaching the Flames in 2006, Sutter saw that his team, down 4-1 with under five minutes to go, could not beat the Detroit Red Wings, so they decided to beat them up, especially once the Red Wings scored on the power play that resulted from the first of those penalties.

In the last 4:48, the Flames took 37 minutes of penalties. Captain Jerome Iginla raced up the ice spearing an opponent with the butt end of his stick. Back-up goalie Jamie McLennan swung his stick like a sword at another forward's midsection and received a match penalty. Obviously, there were other infractions.

In 2007, the team hired "Iron Mike" Keenan to coach the team. His reputation is one of a coach who is hard on his players and expects them to play with his personality. The team was as erratic as their coach all season, ranging from the number three to out of the playoffs at various times after the All Star break.

They finished seventh and looked horribly over-matched at times against the second-seeded Sharks. But, in keeping with their coach's personality, they played with more passion and more of an edge in taking the Sharks to seven games.

In 2008, apparently not satisfied with their representation of thuggishness, they signed one of the game's all-time villains, Todd Bertuzzi. His cowardly attack on Steve Moore las left Moore paralyzed for life and rates as one of the worst actions anyone has ever taken in performance of a sport.

The game is shaping up to be pretty nasty, huh? Most fans were expecting fireworks in the form of vicious hits and fisticuffs.

Instead, they got fireworks from the Sharks lighting the lamp.

The Sharks power play came into the game in the bottom half of the league, but they needed only seven seconds of the Flames initial penalty to light the lamp. Christian Ehrhoff passed the puck to Rob Blake, whose shot rebounded off Mikka Kiprusoff and to the stick of Joe Pavelski. Kiprusoff never had a chance on the rebound because defenceman Robin Regehr had ridden Ryan Clowe right into his goalie.

It was the beginning of a big night for all three scorers.

On the very next shift, Dan Boyle advanced the puck to Ehrhoff, who found Milan Michalek racing past the Flames defence. Michalek faked a slapshot to get Kiprusoff into the butterfly position, then skated further until he had an angle to shoot it past the goalie as he was trying to get back up to cut it off.

About four and a half minutes later, Calgary was called for a second penalty, this time for too many men on the ice. The Sharks moved the puck well and controlled it in the offensive zone for more than the first minute but were not getting shots on goal.

After a late clear, Ehrhoff got it back into the zone with only eleven seconds left; Marleau dropped it for Devin Setoguchi, who bounced it off the boards behind the net. It caromed to Joe Thornton, who found Blake at the point for a one-timer. Kiprusoff made the save, but the rebound came to an uncovered Marleau for an easy put-back.

At that point, the Sharks were dominating in shots 18-3, but unlike the playoff game last April, they did not let up. Bertuzzi was called for Calgary's third penalty with a high-stick just over a minute later, and this time the power play had trouble even getting a shot.

With about 30 seconds left in the man-advantage, Boyle kept faking shots to try to see a lane, eventually settling for just sending a soft pass toward the net to hope for a lucky bounce. He got one: Setoguchi could not control the pass, but it bounced off Phaneuf's stick right to Thornton, who put it home past a scrambling Kiprusoff.

The announcers mentioned Sarich's hit and the expectation that Calgary would retaliate, but it never really happened and there was one scuffle on the next shift. The period also ended with Brad Staubitz and Phaneuf taking matching minors (a great trade-off for the Sharks), but the only physical penalties after the first period were matching minors for roughing to Bertuzzi and Staubitz in the last five seconds of the game.

The Sharks ended that first period with a 20-5 edge in shots and chased Kiprusoff in favour of little-used back-up Curtis McElhinney. While a four-on-four would seem to favour the faster-skating Sharks, the puck stayed in San Jose's zone for more than a minute.

Once Boyle's skating freed him up to advance the puck to Ehrhoff, the Sharks wasted no time in getting one past McElhinney. Michalek took a cross-ice feed from him and stuck home the loose puck on his backhand from behind the goalline, taking advantage of Calgary being without their best defender.

The rest of the period was rather uneventful: no scoring and two penalties for each team. The Sharks out-shot Calgary 15-8.

The Sharks scored one more time on a five-on-three power play in the third period when Blake passed to Boyle just outside the face-off circle on the stick-side. The kick save on the one-timer was made, but the loose puck was gobbled up by Pavelski because Michalek got away with a slash of Sarich's stick in front of the net so he couldn't clear it.

Calgary eventually scored when a soft penalty for interference was called on Jody Shelley. Just 23 seconds later, new Flame Mike Cammalleri put a rebound of an Adrian Aucoin flip towards Boucher from behind the goalline through a small opening between Boucher's arm and chest. He also created the original scoring opportunity when he took a Curtis Glencross pass and attacked the net from the right wing, forcing the initial save that started the scramble for the puck.

The Sharks finished with a 46-24 edge in shots and still matched Calgary in blocked shots with 11. After winning the first six face-offs of the game, San Jose managed only a 29-27 edge there and were out-hit 32-24. They had 15 giveaways to the Flames' five, but that's what happens when you control the puck so much more.

This was a game in which the Sharks best players carried them. The power play was 4-9 (the Flames' was 1-4). Blake and Boyle each finished with three assists, Ehrhoff had two and Thornton, Marleau, Setoguchi, Clowe and Pavelski each had one. Pavelski and Michalek both finished with two goals, and Thornton and Marleau each had one.

San Jose's next game is Sunday afternoon (4pm PST) in Chicago.

Sharks Analysis, One Month In

2008-11-14T05:23:00.000-06:00

(I am writing this article as I watch a recording of tonight's game; all stats and analysis are prior to that game.)

After one month, we can get a pretty good read on the Sharks. The tone of all teams is set behind the bench, so looking at how the team looks starts there.

Coaching

This has been their best start ever even after losing two in a row, one of which was in overtime. They are still 13-3-1, good for 27 points (out of a possible 34, a .794 clip) and are on pace for 130 points and the President's Trophy.

They are winning at home this year, going 9-0-1 so far. There have been 10 different players to score the 11 game winners, so everyone's getting involved. Players are going until the clock runs out, like when Christian Ehrhoff blocked a shot with less than five seconds left and the Sharks up by more than one goal.

The Sharks have a gear they never have had before this year, and lead the league in both shots on goal and fewest shots against per game. The team has already set the record for most games with 40-plus shots in a season (eight) just over one-fifth of the way into the season, hitting that mark 47.1 percent of the time so far.

They also have tied their franchise record of 50 shots on the road and broke their franchise record of 49 shots at home with their 57-shot performance Tuesday; 55 of those were in regulation. Ironically, those two games account for half of the Sharks' losses.

(As a sidenote, I have noticed that the Sharks score more often when my wife is in the room; now she must watch every minute of every game until we win the President's Trophy, then every minute of every playoff game until we win the one that matters.)

All of these things point to an excellent system and excellent attention to detail. Only in the Phoenix game did the team lack intensity. All of these things suggest to me great coaching.

Goaltending

This is the most important unit on any team, but it is easily the worst unit on the Sharks. Evgeni Nabokov has a 10-2 record but a 2.72 GAA and a save percentage of just .891 with no shutouts.

By contrast, back-up goalie Brian Boucher, he entered Thursday's game with an inferior 3-1-1 record but otherwise much better statistics. His save percentage was .936 and he had two shutouts with a 1.59 GAA. His only loss in regulation came in a game in which he had finished playing another game less than 20 hours earlier and had to travel in between.

Nabokov is currently out with an undisclosed lower-body injury that everyone knows is his left knee, but no one outside of the franchise knows how serious it is. However, he is doing light skating and is not on injured reserve, so it is not believed to be serious.

The team has called Tomas Greiss up, but he has seen no action. Thus, their overall stats are 13-3-1, 2.39 GAA, .904 save percentage and two shutouts--very average.

Defencemen

This is the unit that is most different from last season, both in personnel and play. The Sharks have always had a young and inexperienced blueline that pretty much stayed at home; last season the Sharks had the fewest points by this unit in the league. Now they have a dynamic and veteran blueline that is leading the lead in points.

Christian Ehrhoff, the whipping boy of so many Sharks fans last season, leads NHL defencemen in points (2 G, 10 A) and is +4. (The fact that I pointed that out should tell you I was an Ehrhoff apologist, but even I thought the team overpaid for him with his new contract.)

The teammates who came over in the trade with the Tampa Bay Lightning have also been stellar, being tied for the team lead with a +7 rating. Dan Boyle leads the unit with four goals, and Lukowich, a stay-at-home defenceman and penalty-killer, has four assists.

The other veteran, Rob Blake, has two goals and seven assists. Marc-Eduoard Vlasic has one goal and seven assists. Douglas Murray is pointless and -2, but as much a physical force as ever but has taken only one minor penalty. Even my personal whipping boy, Alexei Semenov, has an assist and even rating in seven games.

In all, the unit is an average of better than +2, with nine goals and 36 assists. That is outstanding.

Forwards

This unit has been among the league's best since Joe Thornton arrived in late 2005. However, they seem to have reached a new level with the extra support of the defence in the offensive zone.

Patrick Marleau had struggled mightily since the end of the first round of the 2007 playoffs. In the 101 games that the team played since then, Marleau had 46 points and a -26 rating. I was able to recall those statistics from memory I had espoused them so much--I spent much of last season calling for or lamenting the lack of a trade of him for more blueline talent.

But General Manager Doug Wilson found a way to improve the blueline without trading the captain, and coach Todd McLellan found a way to make his captain his best player again. Marleau leads the team with 18 points, and is tied with Lukowich and Boyle with a +7 rating. He has even been used on the penalty kill and has two short-handed goals.

Devin Setoguchi was moved up to the first line and has played better than anyone should have expected. He leads the team in goals with nine and has eight assists and a +6 rating. Joe Pavelski has five goals and five assists and Ryan Clowe has nine goals (five on the power play) and five assists.

Even the rookies are getting into the scoring act. Jamie McGinn has two goals and one assist in five games with a game-winner, and rookie Lukas Kaspar has a game-winning goal in six games.

Even the Sharks top scorers who could be considered to be having off years have been productive. Thornton once again leads the team with 13 assists, Jonathan Cheechoo (four goals, three assists in 14 games) was leading the team in hits before being scratched for injury.

The only real disappointment would have to be Jeremy Roenick, who has just three assists and no goals with a -1 rating. This unit is performing top-to-bottom, with all four lines producing.

Special Teams

The Sharks have a penalty kill that is not only in the top quarter of the league, but is at the top with five shorthanded goals. The net of goals for and against for this unit is the best in the league.

However, the power play has been a big disappointment. Not only does it rank just under the league's mid-point, it has given up more than its share of shorthanded goals--three in two games with Philadelphia alone. Teams will get the idea that they can take a run at San Jose's best players if the power play doesn't start making them pay for it.

Still, what I would consider the league's best penalty kill and a power play just barely in the bottom third of the league balances out to a pretty good special teams unit.

Final Report Card of General Manager Doug Wilson, responsible for assembling players and coaches...

Coaching: A-

Goaltending: C

Defence: A

Forwards: A-

Special Teams: B-

Overall GPA: 3.40

Erik Ersberg Leading Kings Charge

2008-11-12T16:11:00.002-06:00

Erik Ersberg continues to win games and the Kings are moving up the Western Conference standings after a slow start.

Erik has been outstanding in his 4 starts leading the Kings to a 3-0-1 record. The overtime loss was a 1-0 heartbreaker to the Anaheim Ducks.

Coach Terry Murray has already indicated that he will start his 5th game in a row tomorrow night in Dallas.

I was fully behind having a #1 netminder at the start of the season instead of a constant carousel. Jason LaBarbera didn't play poorly, but he just lacked that big save ability. At one point the Kings were 1-6 in games decided by a goal. In Ersberg's 4 starts the Kings are 2-0-1 in one-goal games.

I can't help but ask myself, maybe Erik Ersberg is the ONE that Kings fans have been waiting for.

A lot of hype has gone into Jonathan Bernier and Jeff Zatkoff. Jonathan Quick is also developing well. Erik Ersberg is rarely in the discussion when people discuss the future for the Kings.

In 14 appearances last season Ersberg posted a respectable 6-5-3 record, with a 2.48 GAA and .927 save percentage. His performance was dismissed due to the Kings being out of the playoff race and playing without any pressure. I don't buy this either. It was his first taste of the NHL and that was pressure enough.

This year in 5 appearances he has a microscopic 1.93 GAA. What is it really going to take from this guy for people to start taking notice.

Fans and analysts have written off the Kings this year and every year until Jonathan Bernier makes his arrival. The solution could already be here. It has always been a size issue with Ersberg. He is too small has always been the knock.

He has late bloomer written all over him. Especially when he comments how the NHL has been the easiest league he has played in when it comes to reading the play in front of him. The players are more polished and he knows what to expect.

He makes big saves, he is a black hole when it comes to not leaving rebounds, and the team is playing great in front of him allowing less than 20 shots per game.

It is a little premature, but come January, you should not be surprised if the Kings netminder of the future has a different name than expected.

Sharks-Coyotes: Was that Last Season's Sharks?

2008-11-10T22:16:00.002-06:00

Sunday night, the team with the best record in the league (San Jose, 13-2) played the team coached by Wayne Gretzky, arguably the greatest player of all-time. It was broadcast on NHL Network in Canada, but to get it in the Bay Area, I would have to pay $159 for NHL Center Ice.

Even in a better economy, that is madness. In this economy, it is criminal.

Thus, I was relegated to listening to it on the radio. That's why I am not confirm who was on the ice.

The scoresheet says Dan Boyle scored the first goal of the game and recorded a double minor for high sticking, and he was not a member of last season's squad. Neither was Rob Blake (assist) or Brad Staubitz (fighting).

But I would swear this was last year's squad. Let me showcase why:

The Good: The Sharks ended last season with one of the league's better power play units, but so far this year they are in the bottom half of the league. Sunday, they scored on two of the first three power plays, both on penalties to Dan Carcillo. (Both were from the second unit--i.e. not the one with Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau.)

The Bad: Unlike most games this year, the Sharks did not dominate in shots on goal, with only a 32-29 edge. They actually trailed in the department for most of the game and did not control that stat in the second period like they have this season, being outshot 10-9.

The Ugly: After getting that early 2-0 lead, the team seemed to quit playing. They took two shifts in a row off, and the Coyotes scored on both, at 12:07 and 12:34 of the first period. So because the Sharks took a minute off, they had to work hard for 47, and it was not enough. Very 2007-2008.

Notes: The Sharks second goal was scored by Ryan Clowe, assisted by Blake and Christian Ehrhoff. It was his fifth on the power play and ninth overall, and his fifth game in a row with a goal. He also had an assist on the first goal, along with Marc-Eduoard Vlasic. The Sharks power play was 2-5, and Phoenix went 2-7.

Brian Boucher suffered his first loss of the season and second game of nine as a Shark in which he gave up more than one goal. The Sharks were on the opposite side of the fortunate scheduling this time, as they started this game less than 20 hours after completing their game in Dallas, and had to take the nearly two hour flight to Phoenix to boot. Only the ducks and the Rangers have played more gamesthan the Sharks.

Sharks Outlast Tired Stars, Stay Perfect at Home

2008-11-09T04:33:00.000-06:00

For the second straight game, the Sharks caught a break in the schedule and played a team that had played the night before in Anaheim. However, this opponent was coming off a decisive win over the hot Ducks in a game that seemed to signify a turnaround in the Stars season.

The Stars got Sergei Zubov, their best and most experienced defenceman, back from IR. He quarterbacks their power play, he is essential for getting the puck out of the zone, and he is an underrated defender.

They signed Mark Parrish to a contract after he was released by the Minnesota Wild, and he immediately contributed a hat trick. Marty Turco had been struggling, but he played well, giving up just two goals.

Sean Avery combined with line-mate Mike Modano for a score. Avery was seemingly a target of public comments by Modano, the top-scoring American born player in league history and the only holdover from their days as the North Stars in Minnesota, making him the indisputed face of the franchise. Nothing helps teammates bury the hatchet like scoring together.

Plus, the Sharks were without their designated number one goaltender, Evgeni Nabokov. He will not make the trip to Phoenix for Sunday's game, but is expected to do light skating Monday, meaning it is possible he will return in time for the Sharks' games Tuesday or Thursday.

Jonathan Cheechoo was also out of the lineup, and not only has he been the team's top goal scorer since the lockout ended, he has been the top hitter so far this season. He also will not make the trip to Phoenix but is listed day-to-day.

When I saw Marty Turco in net again, I thought of all the times former Sharks coach Ron Wilson put Nabby back in net on the second of back-to-back nights last season, often even when there was travel between the games. I am sorry, but I think the only time you do that is if your other guy is hurt and you have no one who is remotely ready for the NHL as an option.

Sometimes it works in the short run, but I still think the workload may be one reason Nabokov held a save percentage under .900 until the four-OT thriller against these Stars last May 2. And when someone has been struggling, forcing them to play tired seems even less advisable.

However, if Turco was tired, he didn't show it. But then again, Boucher once again did not look like anyone's backup goalie. This was a goaltending duel reminiscent of the Belfour-Roy playoff match-ups that used to make my heart race in the late 90s.

The officiating was that bad, too.

Early on, cheap-shot Neanderthal Sean Avery took down Brad Lukowich away from the play and stood over him so he couldn't get up, all the while flapping his gums with disrespect. I have always felt there was one answer for a guy like that: send Jody Shelley on the ice and make him back up his talk. If he does, you pull a good player off the ice for the Stars in exchange for a fourth-line grinder; if he doesn't, he loses all impact because he's nothing but a coward who is all talk, no action.

Instead, Ryan Clowe drops the gloves with Brandon Crombeen, essentially allowing Dallas to get the edge in talent taken off the ice. It is absolutely stupid for Clowe to get into that fight because it basically allows the Stars to know that they can be more aggressive because if they are called for a penalty the Sharks will not have their best power play unit on the ice.

The Ducks did this to the Sharks last month with Joe Thornton, and sure enough, that was exactly what happened Saturday night. Clowe might not be Thornton in terms of the unit's importance, but with the team already struggling on the power play and missing Cheechoo, they could not afford to yield more talent.

The bad calls continued throughout the game, and I will provide the other five worst examples:

1. Turco got away with sweeping Thornton's feet out from under him.
2. At the end of the same shift, Joe was called for a boarding penalty when he hit the man shoulder-to-shoulder.
3. Avery was called for a slash that came nowhere near the hands or even the shaft of the stick.
4. Thornton got away with a high-stick on Mike Ribiero two feet from the official.
5. They did not call Mike for the retaliatory slash.

Throughout most of the contest, the Sharks were taking it to the Stars. They out-hit Dallas 43-21 and out-shot them 33-24, with an edge in that department in all three periods as well.

San Jose took an early lead 7:13 into the game when Joe Thornton hustled to keep a puck in and Lukowich controlled it on the blueline. Then he slid it along the blueline to Patrick Marleau in the middle, who found Joe Thornton penetrating to the faceoff dot to Turco's stick side. Dan Boyle, having already read the play when Marleau got the puck, was streaking toward the face-off circle on the weakside, and Thornton found him for the easy goal.

Dallas blocked more shots (17-9) mostly because San Jose took more of them, but they did hold a slight edge in face-offs (27-24) and giveaways were even (12). The one time the Stars did take control was early in the third.

Their pressure paid off 3:41 into the period. Lukowich mishandled the puck behind the net, and Loui Eriksson got to it. He passed it to an onrushing Steve Ott between the circles, then grabbed the carom of Ott's Wild shot off the boards for the easy put-back because both Boucher and Lukowich came out to play Ott.

That ended Boucher's shutout streak to start the season ended. With the way Turco was playing, one had to wonder if the Sharks could extend their perfect record to nine games without a second consecutive shootout win.

Early in the second period, the announcers pointed out how Turco's ability to play the puck drew a penalty on the Sharks for too many men on the ice. Just over halfway through the period, Turco made an incredible save in which he batted away a puck that had already bounced over and behind him. Several times Turco came out above the circles to play the puck and keep the Sharks from the attack.

However, the Sharks got a gift from their goalie nemesis with under 30 seconds left. Turco came out just past the crease to play the puck, but instead of dumping it behind his net, he tried to backhand it past a net-crashing Marleau. The puck went off Patty's skate, who promptly knocked it in front of the net with his stick and then poked it home.

By getting the win in regulation, the Sharks widened their lead over the Dallas Stars to 14 points and six-and-a-half games. Even should Dallas win all five games it has left against San Jose in regulation, they would not cover that ground. With 68 games to play, they would have to earn nearly ten percent more points to overtake the Sharks. That is a huge hole to dig so early against so good an opponent.

The Sharks have the same 14-point lead over every team in the division but Anaheim. Phoenix has the easiest deficit to overcome out of those three teams, with three games in hand and six to go against the Sharks. Even Anaheim is seven points and four games back, and have to win an extra game in every 15 compared to the Sharks to catch them.

This means that the Sharks could come down to earth and still have the division locked up by March. But lest we get overconfident, nothing that matters is won with that many games to go: just ask Major League Baseball's Angels how that worked out for them.

Stars-Ducks: Dallas' Mark Parrish Serves Up Duck on California Roadtrip

2008-11-08T06:58:00.002-06:00

It’s amazing how things can change in a week. Last Friday the Dallas Stars were having their tails handed to them by the Chicago Blackhawks and last night the Stars showed the Anaheim Ducks a team’s record has nothing to do with its talent.

Last week the Stars were looking for a scoring spark and a missing piece that may or may not lead the team out of the depths of a slump. Last night Sergei Zubov the rock on the Stars blue line returned along with new addition Mark Parrish who would record a hat-trick in his first game as a Dallas Star. Way to set the bar high mark.

“Great start by Parrish, we knew he was in his element,” Stars coach Dave Tippett said in the Stars pregame recap. “He had some timely goals on the spot and he was a solid player for us tonight.”

Anaheim may have come into the game seeking redemption after last years disappointing playoffs exit at the hands of Dallas but the Stars would open up scoring at 7:07 of the first with a backhand goal by rookie Fabian Brunnstrom. Mike Ribeiro and Brenden Morrow assisted on the goal. At 9:14 the Ducks Travis Moen took an elbowing penalty setting up the Stars Mark Parrish with a power play goal at 10:44. Sean Avery and Philippe Boucher recorded assists on Parrish’s first goal of the season. Anaheim’s Brendan Morrison, an offseason free agent signing, would chip away at the Stars two goal lead with a tip-in goal at 17:28.

“Brunnstrom is very typical for a young player, good hands around the net and he is an astute learner,” Tippett said. “He is a good player around the net and he’ll continue to improve as he goes.”

The second period would be all Mark Parrish. Parrish would score his newest team two more goals in the period, making the score 4-1. The first goal came on a snap shot and on the power play. Mike Ribeiro and Brad Richards assisted on the goal. At 5:52 Parrish scored his first hat-trick as a Dallas Star. Can anyone believe Dallas got this guy for half a million?

Notable penalties of the second period were a fight between the Ducks Brian Sutherby and the Stars Phillipe Boucher at 3:24, and offsetting roughing penalties at 15:39 between Anaheim’s Chris Pronger and the Stars’ Steve Ott.

The third saw just as much exciting action between the two teams, including a very talented Ducks team refuse to give up on the game. At 9:01 Brad Richards extended the Stars lead to 5-1 on a tip-in goal from Steve Ott and Trevor Daley. Scott Niedermayer would draw final blood on Marty Turco with a power play goal at 10:35. Assisting on the goal were Chris Pronger and Ryan Getzlaf.

Surprisingly enough Anaheim outshot Dallas 30-26. Dallas’ Marty Turco seemed to regain some confidence in himself and his team with the win, especially with a talented goalie like J.S. Giguere across from him being lit up, and replaced by back-up Jonas Hiller. Both Hiller and Giguere faced 13 shots; Hiller stopped 12 while Giguere stopped 9.

“I’ve been working hard and we’ve been through some rough patches, I wasn’t myself, but tonight is a step in the right direction,” Turco said. “Parrish was really good tonight obviously and I think playing the Ducks here brings out the best in us tonight. It’s important to get a win no matter what and build on this moving forward.”

Other Stars News:

- Dallas’ Sergei Zubov recorded 21:09 worth of ice time and seemed more than ready to be back on the ice.

- Mark Parris appears to have been paired on a second line with Sean Avery and Brad Richards.

Ken Armer is the NHL Community Coordinator for Bleacher Report and also serves as the Community Leader for the Dallas Stars. He can be contacted on his profile or by e-mail at karmer@bleacherreport.com.

Original Image: Courtesy of Yahoo Sports via Getty Images

Quotes: Courtesy of Dallas Stars website

Original Boxscore: Courtesy of NHL.com

Sharks Grit Out Win, Stay Unbeaten at Home

2008-11-07T19:45:00.001-06:00

Thursday night, the Sharks faced a St. Louis Blues team that had lost three in a row, including a thrashing at the hands of the Anaheim Ducks the night before.

In that game, they lost their leading scorer, Paul Kariya. They had spent their back-up goalie, Chris Mason. Their starter, Manny Legace, is out thanks to the carpet used for vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin to drop the ceremonial first puck. (In a swing state, that could have cost them the election.) The Blues also started the season without young star defenceman Erik Johnson, and have two other players on injured reserve.

The Sharks were only without Marcel Goc and Jody Shelley, whose wife gave birth to their first child, Owen. Alexei Semenov filled in on the left wing of the fourth line.

The Blues are also in the middle of a road trip two time zones away from their home. They had to fly back to Southern California after the game to play Los Angeles this weekend. Wednesday night, they could not fly into San Jose after their loss to Anaheim because of the city's rules about late night flights, so they had to fly into Oakland and bus into San Jose.

This always has me wondering, why don't teams stay in a hotel in the city they're in and fly into the new town the next day? That way they get a good night's sleep instead of napping on the plane and maybe bus before getting to a hotel exceptionally late and perhaps having their sleep disrupted by the naps. I would do this even if there were not restrictions on flying into a city.

Thus, with so many obstacles for a team that was not a match for the Sharks on paper, a win was required; a blowout should have been expected. Early on, it was clear that was not going to be the case.

Just 3:17 into the first period, one of the Blues players was kicking at a puck under Evgeni Nabokov, and Semenov took exception; his reaction drew a penalty for roughing. Half-way through it, Rob Blake was called for hooking.

With four seconds left in the ensuing five-on-three penalty, the Blues' Keith Tkachuk scored, ending Semenov's penalty. Ten seconds after Blake's penalty expired, Lee Stepniak extended the Blues' lead with a one-timer goal off a beautiful feed from Patrik Berglund.

As many of you remember, I have been brutal regarding Semenov being a waste of salary, roster space, and just about everything else. So how do I feel about this penalty that led to a score?

I thought it was a great penalty. In fact, I thought it should not have even been necessary. How on earth can the officials justify letting a player kick at a goalie with sharp skates and the puck under their control? Shouldn't they have been concerned with that player's safety?

I'm glad someone was, and I'm even more glad it was Semenov. His play has been good the past three or four games, and I would like nothing more than to be wrong about his signing.

However, the Sharks were now left in a 2-0 hole just 6:30 into the game. Last season, the Blues only scored two goals in their four games against the Sharks combined. So how would the Sharks respond?

Just under three minutes later, Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton did a little role-reversal. Marleau got to a Devin Setoguchi dump-in behind the net and fed Thornton for a one-timer just outside the crease; it was Joe's second goal of the season.

The Sharks dominated the second period as they have all season, out-shooting the Blues 12-3, but only scored once. On a power play 7:07 into the period, Rob Blake got his first goal of the season as he pinched in for a big slapshot of a loose puck that was a blocked Christian Ehrhoff shot.

The third period is when things got really strange. The Sharks came into the game as the league's least penalized team, but in two minutes, the Sharks got two penalties; fortunately for them, the Blues answered both with penalties of their own 10 and 32 seconds later. There was so much four-on-four time, it was like overtime had started 5:15 early.

And yes, this one went into overtime, but not without some more scoring. Andy McDonald scored on a wrap-around 7:56 into the third, Evgeni Nabokov's only soft goal in the 29 shots he faced.

Just over a minute later, Ryan Clowe put home a rebound of a Rob Blake shot that was redirected by Jeremy Roenick. But the game did not remain tied long--1:35 later, David Backes knocked a rebound of a Stepniak shot out of mid-air to regain the lead.

That lead looked like it might actually hold up, but during all the penalties late in the period, Clowe scored his second goal of the game. He took a Brad Lukowich feed from his backhand to his forehand while Setoguchi occupied the defence in front of the net at a sharp angle, and rung a shot off the inside of the far post. Setoguchi got credit for a secondary assist; it was Lukowich's third consecutive game with an assist.

Both teams went scoreless in the extra period, but the shootout was drama-filled. The Sharks sent their best two shooters to start, Joe Pavelski and Jeremy Roenick. Both failed to score.

Meanwhile, Andy McDonald beat Nabokov on the first shot. This meant that if Nabokov failed to stop the next shot, the Sharks perfect home record would be lost. He faced former Shark and goal scorer extraordinaire Brad Boyes, and forced him wide on the backhand.

Next up for the Sharks was defenceman Dan Boyle, who had to score in order for the Sharks to stay alive. He put a great deke on rookie goaltender and former University of Maine standout Ben Bishop for the Sharks first goal in the shootout.

But the Sharks were still facing elimination, as Nabby had to stop the next shot to go into sudden death. For whatever reason, Blues coach Mike Kitchen sent David Perron up next, and when Nabby stopped him (nearly sliding back into the net to make the goal count anyway), Kitchen sent Berglund with the game on the line. No Keith Tkachuk, no David Backes, no Lee Stepniak.

By contrast, Sharks coach Todd McLellan knew who to put out: Ryan Clowe. He had scored the biggest two goals of the game and now netted the potential winner in the shootout, just as long as Nabby could stop Berglund.

Nabby came out aggressively to stop him, stopping between the face-off dots before setting up to stop the shot. As Berglund tried to go back to Nabby's left to get an angle to shoot around him, Nabby extended his left leg and forced the shot wide.

Unfortunately, in the process he twisted his knee, and he put no weight on the leg until he reached the tunnel, and then limped badly. By not putting Nabokov on injured reserve, one might speculate that the injury is not serious enough for him to miss more than a week.

The team has officially revealed only a "lower body injury," but they sent Jamie McGinn down to the minors and recalled Tomas Greiss and Brad Staubitz. Thus, it is safe to assume the injury is significant enough for Nabby to be out for at least the next couple games.

Brian Boucher has shutouts in his only two appearances this season, so the team should not be hurt much in the short-term without Nabby. However, they host Dallas Saturday and then travel to Phoenix Sunday, and may have to rely on Greiss or a tired Boucher for the second game.

Ryan Clowe Gets Howe Hat Trick

2008-11-05T22:58:00.000-06:00

When asked if I think Wayne Gretzky was the greatest hockey player of all-time, I always say, "no, Gordie Howe was!"

How can I say that when I never saw the man play? Because no one else in the history of hockey had his level of grit, skill, and intimidation.

The man did it all: he checked, he passed, he scored, he even fought. Hence, the Gordie Howe hat trick: a goal, an assist, and a fight that in my mind must be won, because Gordie would have won it.

Now, I have never played organized hockey. On the pond, I was a very good skater, a big hitter, and needed to tussle more than a few times because either I didn't like someone else's hit or they didn't like mine. And I could pass.

But I could never score goals. I had two one game, and nearly got a third. But that was a fluke as I rarely scored one and never again scored two.

Because of my lack of goal-scoring ability, a regular hat trick would have been much more of an accomplishment for me than the Howe Trick. A fight victory was not that rare, and an assist commonplace.

I never got either hat trick, but despite the increased difficulty of the regular hat trick, the only one I ever wanted was the Gordie Howe. Show me a guy that can do all three phases of the game, and that's the guy I want to go to war with.

Ryan Clowe is that guy. Tuesday, in front of a non-sellout crowd as fans no doubt were watching the historic election that had a chance to have had the highest turnout in a century, Clowe got the first Gordie Howe hat trick I have witnessed by a Sharks player, and the tenth in franchise history.

With a 1-0 deficit and 2:39 left in the opening period, Clowe took a feed from new linemate Tomas Plihal and put a wrist shot off of Mike Grier for the assist. The score remained tied until the 3:11 of third period, when Jamie McGinn got his second NHL goal to give the Sharks the lead.

Then a mere 2:14 later, Clowe pounced on his own blocked shot attempt and wristed it past the exceptional Niklas Backstrom for the goal. Assists went to Grier and Brad Lukowich, who after failing to score in the Sharks' first 11 games has now scored in two in a row.

The last leg of the Howe trick came 3:55 later, when he fought the man who had blocked his initial shot on his goal, Erik Reitz. The fight was competitive, especially before Clowe got Reitz's visored helmet off, but in the end, Clowe was on top of Reitz who was on the ice. Clowe had the trifecta.

More impressive was the Sharks ability to turn it on in the third period, something lacking in their past few games. They outshot Minnesota 22-5 in the third and 49-24 for the game. Their 49 shots tied a franchise record on home ice and was one shot off the franchise record they tied in Florida this year.

Minnesota was without offensive superstar Marion Gaborik, defenceman Brent Burns, and former Shark Owen Nolan. The Sharks next game is Thursday, 7:30pm PST, at HP Pavilion against the St. Louis Blues.

Sharks Struggle to Beat Avs

2008-11-04T00:10:00.001-06:00

The San Jose Sharks came into Sunday's contest leading the league in fewest shots allowed, were second in the league in shots on goal, and had the best shot differential.

Sunday, for only the second time this season, they were outshot in this game (36-29). For the second game in a row, they were outshot in the third period. This time it was 18-7; against Detroit the difference was 14-6. The Sharks still managed to keep up with both on scores (two a piece Sunday, one a piece Thursday).

It is still a point of contention in the locker room: "We've got to have better third periods," said Devin Setoguchi. "They were putting on the pressure and we didn't match their work ethic."

When dealing with a group as successful as the Sharks have been so far this season, the coaching staff needs to seek for things like this to have the team work on in order to maintain their focus. The Sharks are tied for the league lead in wins with 10 and are just one point behind the New York Rangers, who have played two more games. Only Montreal has more of their potential points (.850 vs. .833).

The game was relatively penalty-free, with the Sharks taking three penalties and the Avs taking two, one of which came six seconds into their first power play. However, it featured a lot of end-to-end action and frequent scoring chances and rebound opportunities that were not cleared and made the goalies statistics look worse than they played.

Late in the game, Nabokov made multiple saves as Colorado kept the pressure on. This may have been Nabby's best game this season, and he should be a fugitive in Colorado after his theft of this victory.

The Sharks got out to an early lead with a slapshot goal by Milan Michalek at 7:02 of the first. Brad Lukowich got his first point as a Shark with the headman pass to Joe Pavelski, who got a cross-ice feed between a defender's legs to Michalek streaking across the blueline.

Exactly two minutes later, Devin Setoguchi punched a loose puck past an out-of-position Peter Budaj, who had to slide out to confront a breaking Christian Ehrhoff. Ehrhoff got the puck to Joe Thornton, who shot it toward the net; Joe was not credited with a shot on goal, so Setoguchi must have gotten his stick on it before it reached Budaj.

Six shots, two goals. But Colorado had a quick answer: Jordan Leopold shot a rocket from the point off a Peter Stasny face-off win past a partially screened Nabokov with 5:36 left in the first.

The Sharks best period was once again the second, as they were even with Colorado in shots at 12. At one point, they controlled the puck in Colorado's end for 1:17 with Ryan Clowe able to hold the puck along the boards, allowing the Sharks to get the only line change in the shift.

San Jose also scored the only goal of the period. With 7:17 left, Setoguchi got his second goal on a beautiful feed from Joe Thornton near the net. Captain Patrick Marleau had a secondary assist on the play, and leads the Sharks in points with 12 (6 G, 6 A); he is also second at +7 (Ehrhoff is +8).

Colorado came out the third dominating play against the Sharks third line. Just over a minute into the period, San Jose had to ice the puck; on the ensuing face-off, Milan Hejduk was able to intercept a clearing attempt and put it in behind a defenseless Evgeni Nabokov. Wojtek Wolski and Joe Sakic were credited with assists.

Michalek got his second goal of the game (he has eight career two-goal games, but no hat tricks) at 5:44 of the period, fighting off the defence to knock home a rebound of a Jonathan Cheechoo shot. Rob Blake got a secondary assist on that goal.

But the see-saw battle continued, as Colorado pulled to within one again with 6:19 left as John-Michael Liles got his second goal of the game, a wrister past Nabokov, with assists to Hejduk and Sakic. Ryan Clowe ended the scoring with his first non-power play goal of the season, a rebound of a Mike Grier shot in which Marleau got another secondary assist.

The Sharks next game is Election Night at HP Pavilion against the Minnesota Wild, 7:30pm PST.

Sharks Dine on Wings

2008-10-31T17:03:00.001-05:00

The San Jose Sharks came into Thursday night's game leading the NHL with the fewest shots against per contest. They were also second to the Red Wings in shots for, leaving them with the best shot differential in the league.

But until the Sharks played Pittsburgh Tuesday, they had not played anyone who had a winning record. Now they had to play the defending Stanley Cup champions, the team that provided the blueprint for the Sharks new style of play. The team that was 7-1-2, with victories over the Southeast Division-leading Carolina Hurricanes on the road and the red-hot New York Rangers.

Different class of opponent, same result. The Sharks out-shot Detroit 33-27, but 27-13 through the first two periods when they established a firm lead in the game.

Despite the Sharks' domination early, the Red Wings got on board first. On the first shift of the second period, Marian Hossa got to a loose puck and fired through Evgeni Nabokov's five hole.

The Sharks have been dominant in the second periods of game thus far this season, much as in the past two. I'm not sure I understand this, and if there is one period I would least choose to dominate, it's the second. I'd much rather jump on teams early or close late. I hope this does not come back to hurt us late in the season as it has in previous years.

The Sharks must have remembered which period they were in less than seven minutes later, when they began a barrage of three goals in 3:25 with a beautiful feed from Joe Thornton from behind the net to Patrick Marleau for the one-timer on goalie Ty Conklin's back-side.

Two minutes later, Jamie McGinn got his first NHL goal by punching in a rebound. Just over a minute after that, Ryan Clowe took a feed from behind the goalline from Milan Michalek and one-timed it past Conklin for his fourth goal of the season, all on the power play.

At 6:08 of the third, Joe Pavelski capped the Sharks scoring by poking in a one-timer from a no-look, backhand pass from along the boards from Devin Setoguchi that went between a Detroit defender's legs. Brian Rafalski capped off all scoring on the night by pinching in for a one-timer with 32 seconds left in the game.

Aside from what has been listed above, the Sharks had other assists from McGinn, Pavelski, Jody Shelley, Tomas Plihal, and another from Setoguchi. Detroit had assists from Valtteri Filppula, Tomas Kopecky, and Tomas Holmstrom.

This contest was everything you would expect from two Stanley Cup contenders: the Sharks only had four giveaways in this game and 17 blocked shots. Detroit had only seven giveaways and 14 blocked shots. Both teams had only four minor penalties, and only two which resulted in a power play, but the Sharks outhit the Wings 29-16, including a 14-4 edge in the first period.

It should be noted that not only were the Red Wings on the road, they were coming off an overtime loss in Anaheim the previous night. That was also why they had their back-up goalie in net, although one could see why Conklin had been unbeaten until Thursday--he kept the Wings in the game early with several tremendous first period saves.

It is hard not to consider the Sharks the team to beat so far this season, but it is too early to begin sizing up the trophy case--remember 16 players from this roster were involved in the franchise-best March run that gave the Sharks the second best record in hockey last season, only to finish with a losing record in the playoffs.

However, it can be nothing but encouraging to see the Sharks dominate another opponent, especially one with so much skill, experience, and resilience.

Sharks Ice Pens Offence

2008-10-30T00:24:00.000-05:00

The Sharks came into their tenth game of the season having won seven and lost two. More than that, they had outshot their opponents seven times, and were second in the league in shot differential.

However, until now, they had two games against a team that has gone .500 in their other games this season, both against Anaheim (1-1). Tuesday night, they faced the 5-2-2 Pittsburgh Penguins, last season's Eastern Conference champions.

This year's Sharks are all about puck possession, and puck possession starts with winning faceoffs. Joe Thornton won an astounding 12 of 13 faceoffs (.923), Patrick Marleau won five of six (.833), and Joe Pavelski won 11 of 18 (.611), leading the Sharks to a 30-16 edge (.652).

That will get you the puck a lot. It led to the Sharks getting 34 shots and helped them hold Pittsburgh to 11, even though the Sharks had 21 giveaways and the Penguins only had 10.

(One of those giveaways was just the worst since last year's playoff giveaway to Brad Richards--Douglas Murray passed across the middle deep in the defensive zone right to Evgeni Malkin, who missed a shot from between the circles. If that had been Alexei Semenov, who was a healthy scratch with Murray's return, I would have reminded everyone that I am better than he is, so I felt the need to at least point it out.)

I have been hesitant to make too much of the Sharks impressive start, not wanting to get sucked in like I did by the success at the end of last season before their annual playoff choke. But when you dominate a Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin team that fully, you deserve a lot of credit.

One thing that was a concern in this game, much like in the losses to Anaheim and Florida, as well as the wins over Los Angeles, is the lack of scoring. One would hope that with 34 shots against back-up goalie Dany Sabourin, the Sharks could get more than two to go in. They didn't score any with five men on the ice.

On a penalty kill about half-way through the first period, Milan Michalek and Joe Pavelski pressured D Alex Goligoski into a turnover at his own blueline. Michalek got to the puck first and raced to the net behind the defence. Sabourin stopped his backhand attempt, but Pavelski cleaned up the rebound for a 1-0 lead.

The Sharks did not score again until late in the third period, despite four power plays to that point. But while on the penalty kill, Ruslan Fedotenko was called for interference. In the resulting four-on-four, Mike Grier scored on a backhand (assisted by Christian Ehrhoff and Dan Boyle) to give the Sharks a 2-0 lead with 7:08 to play.

Fedotenko made up for it, however, with a goal just 2:25 later, assisted by Crosby and Malkin, and the Sharks had to sweat it out. Even a penalty by Pittsburgh in the last two minutes did little to give the Sharks breathing room, as once they pulled Sabourin they controlled play deep in the San Jose end.

Evgeni Nabokov did not have to make many stops, but he made several good ones. Pascal Dupuis had an early short-handed chance, Matt Cooke got off a shot from close in, and he had to make one incredible glove save on another slap shot from his right. But the Sharks defence got to all loose pucks and smothered the Penguins offence most of the night.

Thursday at 7:30pm PDT, the Sharks host the only team who entered the week with a better shot differential than theirs, the world champion Detroit Red Wings. If San Jose triumphs in that contest, they will be looked at as the early favourite in the Western Conference.

Stars-Capitals: Dallas and Washington Exchange Blows in OT Thriller

2008-10-26T06:51:00.002-05:00

Sometimes as a fan it’s hard to look back on a heart breaking loss and see it as a complete positive. To quote my father, “You can’t win them all”, and that is a perfect way to look at the Dallas Stars 6-5 loss to the Washington Capitals in overtime on Saturday night. Both teams played a strong exciting game keeping Stars fans on the edge of their seats but in the end Alexander Semin would win it all for the Capitals.

The first period would be the highest scoring of all the periods. Dallas’ Sean Avery would score his first goal as a Star at 10:19 on a wrist shot past Jose Theodore. Assists on the goal came from B.J. Crombeen and Mike Modano. Sergei Federov would even the score at one with a power play goal at 12:38 off of a B.J. Crombeen slashing penalty at 11:14. Assists on the Federov goal came from Alexander Semin and Nicklas Backstrom.

Washington would take a one goal lead when Tomas Fleischmann scored at 16:58 with an assist from Michael Nylander. Dallas’ rookie superstar Fabian Brunnstrom would ripple the mesh for his own power play goal at 19:50 of the first. Sean Avery and Stéphane Robidas would record assists on the goal.

The second period would see more of the same for both teams. Washington’s Sergei Federov would score his second goal of the game at 11:23. Assisting on the goal were Alexander Semin and Brooks Laich. The Capitals would take a two goal lead when Tomas Fleischmann ripped a slap shot goal past Marty Turco at 15:16. Michael Nylander recorded an assist on the goal.

The Stars would refuse to give up though, as visible by B.J. Crombeen's tip-in goal at 15:55. Trevor Daley and Mike Modano would record assists on the goal.

Beginning the third period down by one, the Stars would start off aggressively. Loui Eriksson would tie it up for the Stars 56 seconds in with Mike Ribeiro and Brenden Morrow recording assists. At 2:22 Tyler Sloan, a rookie for the Capitals, would score his first NHL goal. Assisting on the goal were Viktor Kozlov and Alexander Ovechkin.

As the Stars faithful held their collected breath, with Marty Turco on the bench for the extra attacker the Stars scored at 19:03 to tie the game at five thanks to Mike Modano. Brenden Morrow and Loui Eriksson recorded assists on Modano’s goal.

“I was just trying to work my way to the net and everything just seemed to open up there,” Modano explained about his goal. “Brenden made a great pass, it was a good play to get it down low to him, but no one was around me, so it was nice that it was a bang-bang play. I was able to get it off before they closed on me.”

Unfortunately for Dallas the back-and-forth of the previous periods would not be able to happen in sudden death. At 2:17 Alexander Semin would get some space in front of the Dallas net and rip the puck over Turco’s shoulder for the game winner.

“The goals-against is a joke. There’s a lot of guilty parties out there,” Stars coach Dave Tippett said in the game recap. “We’ve got flaws from some veteran players right now that we expect to be a lot better than they are. Our goaltending hasn’t been very good. You can’t have an .820 save percentage and survive in this league and we’ve got a young guy behind him that’s very unproven.”

“We hung in there and got a point out of it, but we’re not going to be too successful giving up five or six goals a night,” Modano said on the Dallas Stars website.

In the end, Dallas must now fix the goaltending and defense issues, but smile on the fact they walked away with one point from the game and battled hard to take it to overtime.

“It just seems a bit of up-and-down here,” Modano said after the game. “It comes down to defensive coverage, that ability to defend one-on-one, closing time and space off and backing up one another. We just need to continue to drill that in our heads and understand that’s always been our MO here, the way we’ve played for years. The sooner we understand that and adapt to it, and get it in our game, the better.”

The Stars now get a few days off. They will face the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday October 29^th at the American Airlines Center at 7:30pm central.

Ken Armer is the NHL Community Coordinator for Bleacher Report as well as serving as the Community Leader for the Dallas Stars. He can be contacted on his profile or by e-mail at karmer@bleacherreport.com.

Image: Courtesy of Getty Images via Yahoo Sports.

Original Boxscore: Courtesy of NHL.com.

Quotes: Courtesy of game recap on Dallas Stars website.

Sharks Drop TOugh Game in Florida

2008-10-25T03:57:00.000-05:00

The San Jose Sharks did not lose Friday night, Tomas Vokoun won. Don't get me wrong, the Sharks made their fair share of mistakes, giving up four goals for the fourth game in a row (2-2).

However, unlike the previous three contests, goaltending was not the problem. The defence is solely to blame for that figure Friday night, exposing Evgeni Nabokov on all four of the goals scored (35 shots: .886 save percentage).

Corey Stillman was left open for a one-timer in the middle just inside the blueline to tie the game at one. Richard Zednik was left all alone to clean up a rebound and Nathan Horton was left all alone for a backside feed to Nabby's glove side to close out Florida's scoring in the first.

With under two minutes to go in the second, Stillman redirected a beautiful shot-pass from Keith Ballard, one of his three assists. This came just 37 seconds after Patty Marleau's short-handed goal tied things up.

But the goals were not the only prime chances Nabby faced. He saved his team's bacon on a Dan Boyle giveaway right in front of the net with a beautiful glove save. After a Sharks power play ended with over 13 minutes to go in the third, Florida got four scoring chances in a 90 second-plus span of extended attack resembling a power play.

That attack began when Mike Grier failed to clear the puck, and this is one weakness the Sharks have shown over and over that needs to be addressed. He finally had to ice the puck and San Jose called a timeout to recover. It was not a great game for Grier, whose brother and nephews were shown in the audience: he did have a nice assist on Patty's short-handed goal, but he also was the player who left Horton alone for his goal.

The Sharks had 34 shots and 17 scoring chances through two periods compared to 23 and 12, respectively, for Florida. Nabby turned away all 12 shots he faced in the third period, but Vokoun was more than equal to the task.

Throughout the game, he turned away 47 of 50 shots for a save percentage of .940. And that statistic does not do him justice, as there were several times those shots came on prime scoring chances.

Looking only at the third period, less than two minutes in, the Sharks looked to have evened the score on a scramble for a loose puck in front of the Florida net. Marleau raised his hands in celebration only to find out that Noah Welch had turned Jonathan Cheechoo's rebound of the captain's shot aside just before it went into the net.

Then on a power play with over seven minutes to go, Ryan Clowe had a redirect and a rebound from it on net but came up empty. Finally, with over a minute to go and Nabby pulled, the Sharks could not put home a loose puck in front of Vokoun.

On the plus side, the Sharks did well on special teams. In addition to Patty's shorthanded goal, Joe Thornton netted his first goal of the year on a power play in the game's first minute, and Ryan Clowe had a redirect of a Christian Ehrhoff shot in the second. Meanwhile, they killed off all three penalties and gave up no go shorties of their own on their five power plays.

San Jose travels to Tampa to take on the Lightning next, Saturday at 4:30pm PDT. The game will not be televised except on the Centre Ice package. Let's hope we will see Brian Boucher (a shutout in his only other action) in net so we know Todd McLellan will not repeat the stubbourn mistakes of his predecessor in overplaying his top goalie.

Sharks, Dan Boyle and Brad Lukowich set to Take On Former Teammates

2008-10-24T00:39:00.002-05:00

There will be a lot of storylines featured when the San Jose Sharks and Tampa Bay Lightning square off Saturday night at 4:30pm PDT at the St. Pete Times Forum.

It will be the first meeting since new Lightning ownership pressured Dan Boyle to waive his no-trade clause and leave the city and organization he loved for Northern California. It will also be the first time back in Tampa since the trade for Brad Lukowich and the first time the Sharks will face their 2006 draft pick Matt Carle in another uniform.

It will also be the Sharks' first visit to Tampa since before the lockout, and a chance to look at the two teams that may have had the most significant changes from last season. No team did more to reinvent themselves than Tampa Bay, and no contender in the Western Conference reinvented themselves more than San Jose.

The direction of those changes started with changing coaching staffs and their style of play. Otherwise, their new looks bear little similarity.

The Lightning dumped two veteran defencemen who helped them to a Stanley Cup championship, including one of the premiere players at his position in the league. They signed practically every free agent forward available, including a lot of veterans.

So how has it worked for both sides? The results of those changes, it could be argued, have done little to change the teams' outlooks.

Last season, the Lightning finished with the worst record in the league, and this year they were the second-last team in the league to get its first win. The Sharks finished the 2007-08 season with the league's second best record and currently have its fourth-best winning percentage.

However, looking beyond the surface, both teams are getting what they wanted.

The Sharks kept almost their entire forward unit intact and remade their blueline, adding three key players who not only bring a more offensive skill set to the unit but finally bring the team some championship experience. In the process, they finally scrapped their under-the-cap, build from the draft approach.

The Sharks have an active blueline that has become not just the hallmark of the Western Conference, but is necessary to get through the playoffs. In the end, they have been overmatched in that unit in each of the three years they have been eliminated from the playoffs.

Last season, no team scored fewer goals from the blueline than the Sharks, and they were also at the bottom in shots on goal by that unit. Thus far this season, they have accounted for 35.7 percent of shots (87), five of the 25 goals, and 12 of 45 assists.

Rob Blake and Dan Boyle are among the four players on the team with 25+ shots. Boyle, Christian Ehrhoff, and Marc-Eduoard Vlasic are tied for third in scoring with six points in seven games.

This new look has also improved puck possession for the Sharks, who entered Wednesday's game with the highest average shot differential in the league. Boyle lacks the size to provide the defensive presence of Brian Campbell, the late season trade acquisition who the Sharks lost in free agency over the summer.

However, this is not the Sharks' new focus. As Vince Lombardi once said, "the best defense is a good offense." This is the dimension the team was supposed to have gotten with Campbell trade late last season, but they now have two pairs with players who can provide that pressure.

Losing Ty Wishart and Matt Carle may have mortgaged the Sharks future, but it significantly improves their present. Wishart was probably a year or two away from getting any playing time in San Jose, and Matt Carle was not playing consistently enough to be an every-day player.

However, both add to the core of young players surrounding the Lightning's top draft pick Steven Stamkos. The Lightning will take time to gel their new lines under a new coach who is a very recognizable face of the game even if he has not coached for a decade. With their scoring talent, they have one of the league's most exciting teams and still are generating buzz.

To examine which team did better in this trade can only be done over the long haul: who will get more championships and how great will those players' roles be? But expectations are high in San Jose and excitement is high in Tampa Bay, and the best way to see the impact that has on each organization is to watch Saturday night.

Coyotes Face Tough Schedule Ahead

2008-10-23T10:25:00.001-05:00

Well the Coyotes are 2-3 right now. After 2 wins to start the season at home, they went on the road and dropped 3 in a row to the Blackhawks, Senators, and Canadiens. Now the young Coyotes return home for a 4 game home stand where the competition doesn't get any easier.

Coming in Thursday, Alexander Ovechkin and the high flying Capitals. This is the first trip to Phoenix for Ovechkin since his unbelievable goal he scored 3 years ago. Mikael Tellqvist will get his first start of the season tonight. The Coyotes need to get back on track and beating a difficult team such as the Capitals will certainly help get their confidence back.

Unfortunately, the Coyotes will need to be on top of their game early and need to get some offense from their younger players. Kyle Turris and Mikkel Boedker are the big names but I am sure Coach Gretzky would love to see Viktor Tikhonov and Kevin Porter get on the scoresheet in the goals column. Ed Jovanovski also needs to get going offensively for Phoenix if they want to have an effective offense.

Taking advantage of mistakes made by teams is how great teams are made and Phoenix will have to definitely utilize this mindset against very good teams over the next couple of games. The powerplay has to be effective while the penalty kill needs to shut down the opposing offense. A strong forecheck will promote mistakes among the other team as it will be hard for them to break out and create offense.

The defense needs to stick to their assignments and not just rely on their goalie to keep them in the game. Players like Kurt Sauer and David Hale, who are not really looked to provide offense need to step up and make sure their defense is top notch. Physical play helps but being in position to break up opposing scoring chances is just as, if not more important.

The Coyotes play Washington, Calgary, Pittsburgh, and Minnesota on this home stand and a is an early season test of their home ice play which was not good last season, one of the worst in the league in fact. They need to step it up at home if they want to reach their goal of making the playoffs.

Sharks Prove They Can Play the Shootout

2008-10-23T06:25:00.000-05:00

In Wednesday's San Jose Mercury News, there was an article in which Dan Boyle and Brad Lukowich, the two blueline transfers from the Tampa Bay Lightning, suggested there is no real difference between the Eastern and Western Conferences.

Really? Because the only two games the Sharks have played against the East so far say otherwise.

Saturday night, the Sharks survived with a 5-4 overtime victory. Four nights later, they needed a shootout to emerge victorious 7-6.

And what a shootout it was. The first period began ominously, when on the first shift of the first Sharks power play (on a penalty drawn on the first shift of the game, no less), Jeff Carter scores his second short-handed goal in as many games.

Then the Sharks answered with power play goals on their next two chances, and Joe Pavelski was key in both. The first was a Pavelski redirect of a Christian Ehrhoff shot; the second was a Ryan Clowe put-back of a Pavelski redirect of a Marc-Eduoard Vlasic shot. Thus, they had a 2-1 lead just 8:40 into the game.

But it would not last, as the Flyers' captain Mike Richards scored the game's first even-strength goal less than three and a half minutes later. The Sharks captain Patrick Marleau answered back less than four minutes with a backdoor open net in front of him thanks to a beautiful feed from Devin Setoguchi.

My favourite whipping boy, Alexei Semenov, got an assist on this goal. Since I have been so hard on him, I feel it is my responsibility to point out that he had his best game as a Shark, with no visible mistakes en route to earning a +1.

He also made three other big plays that don't appear on a scoresheet, including two in the first period. He was the only guy able to clear a puck after three or four tries, and he crashed the net and occupied a defender to allow Setoguchi to clean up his own rebound. In the second, he went down to the ice to cut off passing lanes when he was without his stick.

After Marleau's first goal, Scottie Upshall scored on a power play rebound to tie it back up before Setoguchi's goal at the end of the first gave the Sharks a 4-3 lead at intermission.

The Flyers came out with Martin Biron instead of Anterro Nittymaki in the second, but no goalie had any real success stopping the puck. Evgeni Nabokov stopped 23 of 29 (.793) for his third straight bad game; Nittymaki stopped 11 of 15 (.733) and Biron stopped 18 of 20 (.900), but practically gave Marleau his second goal by overplaying him and giving up the wrap-around just 47 seconds into the third period.

Joffrey Lupul faked Nabby to the ice before going top shelf from a tough angle early in the second. He also answered Marleau's second goal just 17 seconds later. Dan Boyle had a goal in the second, and Daniel Briere scored a power play goal in the final minute of the third with Biron pulled for the extra attacker.

In the shootout, Nabby stopped both shooters he faced, waiting out Richards even after going to the ice and stopping Briere's backhand attempt with the help of a well-timed pokecheck. Both Sharks shooters, Pavelski and former Flyer Jeremy Roenick, scored on wristers to clinch the win.

But the entire game was an Eastern Conference-style shootout. I have news for you, Dan and Brad, this is not what it's like out here in the West.

Anaheim Ducks Weekly Recap: Ducks Show Bend-Not-Break Spirit in Week One

2008-10-19T22:25:00.003-05:00

To say the first week of the season for the Ducks was tough would be an understatement; to say it was a failure might be a little much. Instead, I prefer the word under-achieving. Sure, the Ducks have been overlooked all offseason by Dallas and San Jose in the division, but the Ducks still have firepower and grit.

Starting the season 0-4 was not the statement a team battling to be a top dog in the Pacific wanted to show for itself. The only face-saving would come in a romping on Friday night against the San Jose Sharks.

Anaheim @ San Jose (1-4 Loss)

The Ducks start the season limping out of the gate, losing to the new and improved Sharks. The Sharks jumped out to a 2-0 lead after the second period (no goals in the first), adding a third goal at 2:52 of the third period. Rob Niedermayer would put the Ducks on the board at 14:35, but the Sharks would add one more at 15:57, leaving the Ducks hurting after the road loss.

Coyotes @ Ducks (4-2 Loss)

The most looked forward to game of the year for me and I turned it off fairly quickly. During the offseason, I had the epiphany of a fantastic song the Ducks should use as pregame music in the home opener ("Indestructible" by Disturbed).

I emailed my contact within the team, Adam Brady (Ducks Director of Media) and he emailed the appropriate people and they liked the idea. Needless to say, as the puck dropped for the season opener, a packed Honda Center believed along with me that their Ducks were “Indestructible.” Apparently Phoenix didn’t get that memo and the Ducks didn’t soak in the lyrics.

(Click Here for the Ducks Indestructible video)

Ken's Note: I'm not generally one to get gushy, but seeing the Ducks use my idea, although only a small part of the finished product made the 80 some articles I have written about the Ducks more than worth it. I recommend to all current CL's and serious writers to make contacts within the organization if possible.

Feel as though you or a part, if only a small one, of the large media body that covers that team. To leave the Ducks behind for the Stars this season seeing that song represent the Ducks seemed like a touching ending to an unforgettable spring and summer writing for them. I leave behind those amazing memories for new ones with the Stars.

Ducks @ Kings (3-6 Loss)

The Ducks jump to an early two-goal lead with goals by Brian Sutherby and Todd Marchant in the first but remain scoreless in the second period when the Kings add two to the 2-1 game after the first period. The final frame sees the Ducks outscored 3-1 making the grand total of 6-3 for the Kings. Clearly, the expected Pacific Division worst Kings are capable of winning after all.

Oilers @ Ducks (3-2 Loss)

Even with Jonas Hiller in goal, the Ducks can't overcome their losing ways. The Ducks keep it close until the third when Edmonton scored to go ahead and held the lead until the final buzzer. Kent Huskins, and Rob Niedermayer scored goals for the Ducks. The Ducks battled hard but still got the “L”.

Sharks @ Ducks (0-4 Win)

The Sharks entered as possibly the hottest team in not only the division but the conference. The goaltending of J.S. Giguere looked more solid than it has in past games. Giguere looked to have returned to past form and ready to stop anything San Jose shot at him. The defense looked sharp, much like the new pairings were finally starting to click.

“It feels really good,” said Giguere in Adam Brady’s recap on the Ducks website. “It was a good night for us. We still have a lot of room for improvement, but this is a good start.”

The Ducks defense got the scoring going, with a goal coming from Francois Beauchemin at 18:13 of the first. Travis Moen scored at 3:56 of the second, with assists from both Niedermayer brothers and Chris Pronger and Sammy Pahlsson scored in the third to seal the deal for the Ducks.

"We got our first win and we’re happy with it," Giguere said in the Ducks recap. "The last game (a 3-2 loss to Edmonton) was a starting point. Now we just have to keep going forward and try to put some good games together."

The Ducks will look to keep their winning streak alive against the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday at the Honda Center in Anaheim.

Stay tuned next week for the complete weeks analysis.

Image: Courtesy of Getty Images via Yahoo Sports

Quotes: Courtesy of Anaheim Ducks game recaps found on team website.

Sharks Bounce Back After Loss to Ducks

2008-10-19T04:22:00.001-05:00

There are three tough lessons the Sharks and their fans should now have learned:

1. If Evgeni Nabokov plays the night before (and not well) and then travels, he should not be put in net again. Brian Boucher is a good goalie who had a shutout in his only performance, so what are you afraid of?
2. The power play really does stink. No one moves their feet, just like last year, and the results are maddening. The Sharks have scored four goals all season, and only two since opening night. Saturday the team failed to score on a full two-minute five-on-three and gave up as many short-handed goals (one) as they scored in seven chances.
3. The Sharks can dominate play on still be scrambling to stay in a game. They have now done that two games in a row.

However, there are also a couple positives that can be taken out of this. One everyone should already know: keep working and good things will happen.

But the Sharks also killed both penalties, raising their penalty kill percentage to 84.6. This is good for twelfth in the league, and they are now tied with Philadelphia in short-handed goals with three. Thus, the Sharks have scored and given up seven goals on special teams.

San Jose also got 19 of 45 shots and two of five goals from the defencemen. Christian Ehrhoff got the Sharks on the board less than two minutes into the second period to cut the lead to 2-1. Dan Boyle got the game-winner 1:25 into overtime.

While both teams had exceptional shooting percentages, the goaltending was not as bad as it looked statistically. Antero Nittymaki made a world-class save on a shot by Jonathan Cheechoo and kept his team in the game; he even earned the second star.

Evgeni Nabokov may have saved only 13 of 17 (.765), but he was exposed thanks to 18 Sharks turnovers.

On the first Flyers goal, Rob Blake gave up the puck and was caught out of position, allowing Philadelphia to go on the attack. Then a Kimo Timmonen shot from the point caromed off Nabokov, and Daniel Briere was alone on the side of the net for the easy rebound. Marcel Goc had left the centre and Marc-Eduoard Vlasic failed to rotate over, meaning three Sharks failed on that shift.

The next two goals were ones Nabokov should have had, however. At the end of the first period, Braydon Cobourn lifted a backhand from the top of the circle. About a third of the way through the second, a Jeff Carter short-handed wrister from the face-off dot beat Nabby to his glove side.

However, the last goal was an incredible move by Daniel Briere on a breakway given up by Alexei Semenov, who somehow managed to be +1 anyway.

After being down 3-1, the Sharks got big goals from Jonathan Cheechoo and Joe Pavelski. Cheech's was on a redirection of a Vlasic shot, and Joe Pavelski split two defenders to recover his own rebound and tie the game. After Briere's second goal, Devin Setoguchi scooped up a rebound and dragged it past a sprawling Nittymaki before backhanding it into the open net.

The Sharks got assists from Joe Thornton, Boyle (2), Vlasic (2), Ehrhoff, Jeremy Roenick, Ryan Clowe, Mike Grier, and Cheechoo.

However, Vlasic was -2 and had a bad turnover. Thornton was also not having a good game through the first two periods, and was one of the chief reasons the Sharks were not executing well on the power play. He was telegraphing all his moves and not even looking to the net.

But with about three minutes remaining in the third, he provided the defensive play that sprung the two-on-one break in which Nittymaki stole Cheechoo's goal. More importantly, he made the play to set up Boyle's game winner with some nifty stick-handling.

For my money, the best players on the ice for the Sharks were, in order, Boyle (three points, +1), Cheechoo (two points), and Ehrhoff (two points and was great in position and defensive use of his stick, but did have a bad turnover). The best Flyers were Briere (two goals), Timmonen (+1, two assists and some good defensive plays), Carter (+1, two points), and Mike Knuble (+2, two assists).

My three stars: Boyle, Briere, Timmonen.

Stars-Blues Preview: Dallas Looks To Keep Momentum Rolling Against St. Louis

2008-10-16T16:46:00.002-05:00

One night after the Stars recorded their first win of the season and Fabian Brunnstrom recorded his first, second, and third goals of the season Dallas travels to the gateway to west to take on the St. Louis Blues.

So far in the young season the Blues (2-1-0) find themselves doing quite well so far. Andy McDonald and Paul Kariya of the Blues find themselves second and third in the NHL in assists. Not surprising for either playing but this is a good sign for a young Blues team looking to show youth can produce and that the future is now.

Andy McDonald was the lifeblood of the Anaheim Ducks Stanley Cup victory, while Paul Kariya may finally see his numbers surge having a talented center he can rely on in McDonald. The Blues so far this year have 12 goals for, and 11 against.

Tonight’s game against the Stars means a lot to both teams. For the Blues it would likely mean keeping up with the Detroit Red Wings (2-1-0) for the lead in the Central Division.

The Stars on the other hand need a win and two points in an attempt to catch up to the already surging Sharks in the Pacific Division. A win would also likely put the Stars ahead of the second place Coyotes in the Division (4 pts).

In the Stars favor is the momentum and balanced lines Coach Tippett established in last nights game. Moreover the Blues defense will have a heavy focus on the Stars second line of Avery, Richards and Brunnstrom. Although last night it was Brunnstrom with the hat trick, all men on the line are dangerous scorers and could easily find themselves the hero of the stats sheet.

Other good news for the Stars was the always-awesome Mike Modano, he seems reborn with rookie James Neal next to him. Along with Brunnstrom, Neal could likely light the lamp and give the Blues a lot of trouble in the offensive zone.

As well as the surging youngsters, the Stars will likely gain back agitator Steve Ott tonight, who may or may not dress after the Stars success last night. One thing is for sure the Stars have a lot of momentum heading into tonight.

For the Stars to win they must get traffic in front of Manny Legace, and shut down Andy McDonald and Paul Kariya. The Stars must also improve on breaking out of the defensive zone, otherwise with turnovers McDonald and the young Blues will snipe out the lights against Turco and the Stars.

Lines as of last night for Dallas Stars (likely to be the same tonight):

Forwards:

Morrow, Ribeiro, Eriksson

Avery, Richards, Brunnstrom

Crombeen, Modano, Neal

Lundqvist, Petersen, Barch

Defense:

Grossman, Robidas

Niskanen, Daley

Boucher, Fistric

Injuries as reported by the Dallas Morning News:

Dallas: C Steve Ott (undisclosed) is questionable. RW Jere Lehtinen (groin) is doubtful. D Sergei Zubov (hip) is out.

St. Louis: RW Dan Hinote (leg) and RW Lee Stempniak (knee) are questionable. D Erik Johnson (knee) and D Jeff Woywitka (foot) are out.

Tonight’s game will be live from St. Louis at 7:30pm Central. Television broadcast in Texas will be on Fox Sport Net – Southwest and in Missouri on Fox Sports Net – Midwest. The game can be heard on the radio in Texas on WBAP-AM 820.

Image: Courtesy of Getty Images via Yahoo Sports

Injury information: Courtesy of Dallas Morning News Dallas Stars blog.

Stars-Predators Preview: Stars Must Take True Form To Record First Win

2008-10-15T17:16:00.001-05:00

Intangibles:

The Stars have a great record against the Predators at home dating back to when the Stars called Reunion Arena home. Although I’m unable to recall the record, I am thinking it is something like 14-6. Either way, it is a boost for the Stars heading into tonight.

Stars fans are hungry for the team's first real win. The home town crowd will be loud and crazy for their beloved Stars.

Keys to the Game:

The Stars top line must produce. To this point, Mike Ribeiro and Brenden Morrow have been invisible to say the least. When top offensive guys are Trevor Daley (two goals in two games) and James Neal (a rookie who scored a clutch goal), your team is having problems.

The Stars must score on the man advantage. With so much talent there is no excuse to be getting so many opportunities and not be putting the puck in the net. Likely coach Tippett will have found new lines for the power play for tonight’s game.

Sean Avery must avoid misconducts. The NHL allows two per season without the player receiving fines and issues from the league. Avery received his two in the last game against the Predators. He was brought in to add grit, but so far Avery has been like an angry child having a tantrum at Wallmart. Avery can’t score for the Stars if he is pouting in the locker room.

Other News:

The Stars Swede sensation, Fabian Brunnstrom, will likely get his first start tonight. According to Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News, Brunnstrom has been skating with Sean Avery and Brad Richards in practice.

"He's certainly a well-talked-about player, but that doesn't change the process for him," Stars coach Dave Tippett said in Heika’s Stars blog. "The first game he plays isn't going to match a year's hype. That's just not reality. This is a process, and we're just getting started."

Injuries:

Dallas: RW Jere Lehtinen (groin) is doubtful. D Sergei Zubov (hip) is out.

Nashville: C Jason Arnott (hand), RW Steve Sullivan (back), RW Jed Ortmeyer (knee) and C Nick Tarnasky (thumb) are out.

Game Information:

Tonight’s game against the Predators will be in Dallas at the American Airlines Center. Game time is scheduled for 7:30pm Central. Television broadcast will be on Fox Sports Southwest, and radio broadcast will be on WBAP-AM 820. Internet broadcasts can be found on the Stars website and NHL.com.

Image: Courtesy of Yahoo sports online.

Quotes and injury information: Courtesy of Mike Heika's Dallas Stars blog.

Sharks Win Again, but Big Test Coming Friday

2008-10-15T05:19:00.000-05:00

Patrick Marleau is making me more and more glad the Sharks did not trade him

In their previous 16 seasons, the San Jose Sharks have never won their first four games. The last time a coach won his first four NHL games with a team was 2001.

But the only first I am interested in is the Sharks' first Stanley Cup Finals.

On Tuesday night, the Columbus Blue Jackets came into HP Pavilion with a 1-1 record that included an overtime road victory over the Sharks' Pacific Division rival Dallas. They have undergone an overhaul in an attempt to make the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.

They feature a couple good scoring lines that include one of the world's most dynamic goal-scorers in Rick Nash. They also boast a goalie in Pascal Leclaire who was among league leaders in shutouts.

The Jackets jumped out to an early lead with a power play goal by Kristian Huselius just nine minutes into the game, and the first period ended that way. Shots and penalties were even, but the Sharks were playing more sloppy and had more giveaways.

The Sharks giveaway deficit continued in the second (12-4), but as has been the case in their previous three games, they took control of the game in the middle period. Despite one more penalty and one less shot, they outscored Columbus 3-1.

One of those goals came short-handed, as Leclaire's clearing pass along the boards was intercepted by Joe Pavelski. He found Jonathan Cheechoo open in prime real estate between the face-off circles, and Cheech is showing that he does not miss from there when healthy.

However, on the very next shift, still on the power play, Christian Backman found the back of the net to regain the lead. In all, the Sharks dropped to 82.4 percent on the penalty kill for the season, but they have scored as many short-handed goals as they have yielded power play goals (3).
The Jackets' lead lasted less than three minutes: a shot by Ryan Clowe rebounded to the side of the net, and Milan Michalek poked it in just beyond the reach of Leclaire's left skate. Just a minute and 17 seconds later, on one of only two Sharks' power plays all game, Patrick Marleau swept in a rebound of a Devin Setoguchi shot to give the Sharks their first lead.

By the third period, the Sharks higher number of giveaways (5-1) were no longer a factor; it was much more important how big they were. Leclaire gave the puck away behind the net to Mike Grier on a Columbus power play, and he found Patrick Marleau in front of the net unguarded. Leclaire made the first save, but Marleau punched home the rebound.

The scoring ended when Joe Thornton found Marc-Eduoard Vlasic pinching in for a shot through traffic. Thornton finished +2 with two assists, giving him four for the year.

Vlasic was +4, and his defencemate Rob Blake was +3. Christian Ehrhoff added an assist to keep multiple defencemen involved in the scoring for the third time in the Sharks' four games.

However, the Sharks were outshot once more (33-25) and their blueline only contributed seven shots from three players. This is certainly one of the things the team needs to work on getting back to the way things were after their first two games.

In addition, coach Todd McLellan cited the turnovers, slow start (prevalent in all four games), and even the ability of the Jackets' first line to get shots on goal (19). In this game, penalties were a problem: taking too many and not drawing enough.

In short, the Sharks have failed to show me championship form in any of their four games. They have simply taken advantage of opponents who did not play well.
In the first game, Anaheim lacked any semblance of discipline and handed the Sharks too many advantages. In the second and third games, they were playing the cellar-dwelling Kings, and still needed goalie Brian Boucher to steal one.

This one was simply a sloppy performance by the Blue Jackets. I expect the bigger tests to be coming up now: an angry Ducks team in Anaheim Friday followed by an angry Flyers team in San Jose Saturday. Both should be better than their record, and the Sharks may not be as good as theirs.

If they win them both, it won't matter how, they will place themselves in the driver's seat.