Dan Boyle now leads the NHL in points by a defensemen. This guy has been a stud all year and will continue to be for years to come. As Drew said, we should be thanking Campbell for leaving instead of booing him. Thank you Doug Wilson for pulling another brilliant trade!
Not that my email had anything to do with it but...below is an email I wrote to Doug Wilson a year ago (12/19/07)
Hi,
I've been a fan since 94 and have been going to at least a dozen games a year. I don't know why this team lacks passion/intensity for important games, but I do know this:
Our Defensemen are offensively challenged.
If you have been watching, I'm sure you will agree our D men have an adventure when it comes to breaking out of own zone or setting up on the power play.
I am a firm believer that you need at least one bona fide power play QB. Our last truly legitimate player was Gary Suter.
This past summer Souray, Rafalski, Schneider were available. I do believe Dany Markov is still out there too. Why couldn't we pick up any of them? Esp: Rafalski?
If you truly want to win the Cup as you contend, then we need to either develop that power play QB or trade for one.
Sincerely,
Ting
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Friday, December 5, 2008
Random Thoughts
Sorry I have been neglecting this blog lately. Too busy with various things throughout the week. But I don't feel like working right now, so I'll just jot down a few random thoughts I have.
- You can make a lot of money buying and selling Sharks tickets. I just sold my Detroit tickets for 1/17 for $280 on Powerplay (pocketing $252)!! Funny how Peter Fong's been talking about money for the past month or so and how the love of money is evil. I am conflicted =(
- The Sharks played the ugliest game of the season last night... and still won! I'm not sure whether to be happy or upset. It's good to know we can still win when we don't play well (other than Nabby). However, it's also kind of disturbing how a team like Columbus, with inferior talent, can outwork and outplay us so badly. And it's not like we came out responded in the 2nd period after the lackluster first. Where were the adjustments? The step up in intensity? It's not like we played the previous night or had any travel.
- We definitely need some more 3rd and 4th line scoring. This has been a problem for us all year. The first and second lines have been carrying our scoring, as they should be. And while the other 2 lines haven't been playing horribly, they still need to contribute a little bit more. Remember the days of Scott Thornton, Mike Ricci, and Niklas Sundstrom? Those third liners were scoring 15-20 goals. The return of Mitchell and getting Cheechoo healthy should both help, so I guess we'll see.
- Are we not using JR to his full potential? When Todd McLellan threw JR on the top line with Joe and Patty last night, he fit right in. Although he's definitely lost a step since his prime, isn't he being wasted on the 4th line? How is he ever going to score playing with Jody Shelley and (insert Worchester call-up here)? Remember what he did against the Flames last year in the playoffs? And why do you think we continue using him in shootouts? Do you think maybe it's because he knows how to score? I just realized this whole paragraph is made up of questions, so i will end with a statement. I don't know where exactly you would put him in the lineup, but I just don't think he belongs on the 4th line.
- You can make a lot of money buying and selling Sharks tickets. I just sold my Detroit tickets for 1/17 for $280 on Powerplay (pocketing $252)!! Funny how Peter Fong's been talking about money for the past month or so and how the love of money is evil. I am conflicted =(
- The Sharks played the ugliest game of the season last night... and still won! I'm not sure whether to be happy or upset. It's good to know we can still win when we don't play well (other than Nabby). However, it's also kind of disturbing how a team like Columbus, with inferior talent, can outwork and outplay us so badly. And it's not like we came out responded in the 2nd period after the lackluster first. Where were the adjustments? The step up in intensity? It's not like we played the previous night or had any travel.
- We definitely need some more 3rd and 4th line scoring. This has been a problem for us all year. The first and second lines have been carrying our scoring, as they should be. And while the other 2 lines haven't been playing horribly, they still need to contribute a little bit more. Remember the days of Scott Thornton, Mike Ricci, and Niklas Sundstrom? Those third liners were scoring 15-20 goals. The return of Mitchell and getting Cheechoo healthy should both help, so I guess we'll see.
- Are we not using JR to his full potential? When Todd McLellan threw JR on the top line with Joe and Patty last night, he fit right in. Although he's definitely lost a step since his prime, isn't he being wasted on the 4th line? How is he ever going to score playing with Jody Shelley and (insert Worchester call-up here)? Remember what he did against the Flames last year in the playoffs? And why do you think we continue using him in shootouts? Do you think maybe it's because he knows how to score? I just realized this whole paragraph is made up of questions, so i will end with a statement. I don't know where exactly you would put him in the lineup, but I just don't think he belongs on the 4th line.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
We interrupt your regularly scheduled blog....
Ting: im beating you this week in fantasy =P
me: oh yea?
Ting: yes
me: i wouldn't know
=P
am i losing badly?
Ting: and why do you have i heart petr sykora
i thought you heart vlasic
me: sykora's my first love
well sykora and stuart
Ting: gosh
so many
me: dood sykora makes the playoff beard sexy
he's the only player that looks good w/ all that hair on his face
Ting: lies
he looks like a werewolf
me: http://im.sport.cz/985/9852-article-jqito.jpg
he looks better w/ hair
than w/out
Ting: something is not right
and i think its me looking at this picture of a guy
me: you're attracted huh?
i don't blame you
me: oh yea?
Ting: yes
me: i wouldn't know
=P
am i losing badly?
Ting: and why do you have i heart petr sykora
i thought you heart vlasic
me: sykora's my first love
well sykora and stuart
Ting: gosh
so many
me: dood sykora makes the playoff beard sexy
he's the only player that looks good w/ all that hair on his face
Ting: lies
he looks like a werewolf
me: http://im.sport.cz/985/9852-article-jqito.jpg
he looks better w/ hair
than w/out
Ting: something is not right
and i think its me looking at this picture of a guy
me: you're attracted huh?
i don't blame you
all star voting
Nabby just passed Osgood for 2nd in the West.
And Crosby finally broke the stupid Canadians voting in the East!
And Crosby finally broke the stupid Canadians voting in the East!
Homegrown Talent
More Kudos to the Sharks organization for drafting well. What makes this team so exciting and great is that the majority of our roster was homegrown (unlike the New York Rangers or any NY team for that matter)
The following players were either free agents or obtained through a trade.
Blake- Free Agent Signing
Boyle and Lukowich- Obtained through a trade during the summer for Matt Carle (who was drafted by the Sharks)
Boucher- Free Agent Signing
Joe Thornton- Obtained for Sturm, Stuart and Primeau. The first two players were drafted by the Sharks.
JR-Free Agent Signing
Mike Grier-Free Agent Signing
Shelly- Trade
That means the rest of our roster were all homegrown if not indirectly homegrown. I love talent that develops from within an organization. It can save a team a bundle of money by getting NHL talent for cheap price. Let's not forget why Detroit has been so good. They picked up Datsyuk and Zetteberg in the 6th and 7th rounds repsectively!
The following players were either free agents or obtained through a trade.
Blake- Free Agent Signing
Boyle and Lukowich- Obtained through a trade during the summer for Matt Carle (who was drafted by the Sharks)
Boucher- Free Agent Signing
Joe Thornton- Obtained for Sturm, Stuart and Primeau. The first two players were drafted by the Sharks.
JR-Free Agent Signing
Mike Grier-Free Agent Signing
Shelly- Trade
That means the rest of our roster were all homegrown if not indirectly homegrown. I love talent that develops from within an organization. It can save a team a bundle of money by getting NHL talent for cheap price. Let's not forget why Detroit has been so good. They picked up Datsyuk and Zetteberg in the 6th and 7th rounds repsectively!
i <3 Doug Wilson
Doug Wilson is a genius. Maybe 2nd best GM to Ken Holland.
Brought in Todd, Boyle, Blake, and didn't tear up his roster from last year.
David Silva posted this on "Working the Corners", but it was something I thought about too this morning.
He just assigned Armstrong back to Worcester, and brought up Cavanaugh. So far McGinn, Staubitz, Armstrong, and now Cavanaugh have been rewarded with a taste of the big leagues for their great play in Worcester. I love how DW is giving them these guys an opportunity to play in SJ, and it can only help them grow and improve. It also helps that the Sharks are doing amazing right now, and there are a couple injuries, but still, I like how he's giving EVERYONE a chance.
I was surprised when McGinn was sent down again for Staubitz. McGinn had 2 goals and 1 assist in 5 games in SJ, and was playing really well. He only had 2 shots on goal in those 5 games, and both those shots were goals! But it turns out that Wilson wanted to give everyone a chance.
great move.
Brought in Todd, Boyle, Blake, and didn't tear up his roster from last year.
David Silva posted this on "Working the Corners", but it was something I thought about too this morning.
He just assigned Armstrong back to Worcester, and brought up Cavanaugh. So far McGinn, Staubitz, Armstrong, and now Cavanaugh have been rewarded with a taste of the big leagues for their great play in Worcester. I love how DW is giving them these guys an opportunity to play in SJ, and it can only help them grow and improve. It also helps that the Sharks are doing amazing right now, and there are a couple injuries, but still, I like how he's giving EVERYONE a chance.
I was surprised when McGinn was sent down again for Staubitz. McGinn had 2 goals and 1 assist in 5 games in SJ, and was playing really well. He only had 2 shots on goal in those 5 games, and both those shots were goals! But it turns out that Wilson wanted to give everyone a chance.
great move.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Lemieux, Sharks chances...
-According to Hradek of ESPN, the 43 year Claude Lemieux in three AHL games has a goal, an assist, 14 shots and is a plus-2. How nuts would it be if this guy makes the Sharks roster and gets a spot?
Grit is always welcome on this Sharks team.
-With the best start in NHL history for the first 25 games, its hard not to look further down the road of the Sharks chances. The Stanley Cup is the most difficult trophy to win in sports and if the Sharks can overcome some obstacles, we just may be ready to plan for that victory parade off Santa Clara street!
The following are a myriad of possibilities that can go wrong this Spring.
1. Injuries / Depth - I believe this will be the number one determining factor in how far we get in the playoffs. Case in point: The year the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Oilers to win the Cup, they had to go through the Sabres in the ECF in a 7 game battle. The Sabres even led entering the third period of that game 7 but ultimately lost that game and series. However, the Sabres were missing four or five regular starting defensemen for that series! Nobody here wants to see Semenov much come playoff time. Any major injury to our key player or players could derail all hopes.
2. Hot Goaltending- It doesn't matter if the Sharks put 100 shots on net. If they run into a hot goaltender in the playoffs who outplays Nabby and Bouch, we could still lose the series. I think the Sharks have enough firepower to over come this. Be wary, the Detroit Red Wings were the number one team in the regular season in the early 2000's for many years only to be ousted in the first or second rounds by hot goaltending. (Anahiem, Edmonton, Calgary)
3. History is not on Sharks side. Three years in a row. I know, I know different situation, but until proven otherwise, this team need to get over not just the 2nd round hump, but the WCF, and the SC Finals.
Grit is always welcome on this Sharks team.
-With the best start in NHL history for the first 25 games, its hard not to look further down the road of the Sharks chances. The Stanley Cup is the most difficult trophy to win in sports and if the Sharks can overcome some obstacles, we just may be ready to plan for that victory parade off Santa Clara street!
The following are a myriad of possibilities that can go wrong this Spring.
1. Injuries / Depth - I believe this will be the number one determining factor in how far we get in the playoffs. Case in point: The year the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Oilers to win the Cup, they had to go through the Sabres in the ECF in a 7 game battle. The Sabres even led entering the third period of that game 7 but ultimately lost that game and series. However, the Sabres were missing four or five regular starting defensemen for that series! Nobody here wants to see Semenov much come playoff time. Any major injury to our key player or players could derail all hopes.
2. Hot Goaltending- It doesn't matter if the Sharks put 100 shots on net. If they run into a hot goaltender in the playoffs who outplays Nabby and Bouch, we could still lose the series. I think the Sharks have enough firepower to over come this. Be wary, the Detroit Red Wings were the number one team in the regular season in the early 2000's for many years only to be ousted in the first or second rounds by hot goaltending. (Anahiem, Edmonton, Calgary)
3. History is not on Sharks side. Three years in a row. I know, I know different situation, but until proven otherwise, this team need to get over not just the 2nd round hump, but the WCF, and the SC Finals.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
still no love
reason #10 the the NHL All-Star game is B.S.
Even with the Sharks at 20-3-1, no one on the Sharks are in the starting lineup for the West. Joe Thorton is 8th and Marleau is 10th in the forwards. Boyle is 5th (behind Campbell?!) and Blake is 8th. Even Nabby is 3rd behind Luongo and Osgood.
no love at all.
on a separate note, i was trying to do some research earlier tonight to see who has the best 24 game record in NHL history. I read earlier that the Sharks had the 3rd best 20 game record (33 points) behind the 29-30 Bruins (36 points) and the 05-06 Senators (34 points).
Can someone find a website or some stat site that says what the best 25 or 30 game record is? :)
Even with the Sharks at 20-3-1, no one on the Sharks are in the starting lineup for the West. Joe Thorton is 8th and Marleau is 10th in the forwards. Boyle is 5th (behind Campbell?!) and Blake is 8th. Even Nabby is 3rd behind Luongo and Osgood.
no love at all.
on a separate note, i was trying to do some research earlier tonight to see who has the best 24 game record in NHL history. I read earlier that the Sharks had the 3rd best 20 game record (33 points) behind the 29-30 Bruins (36 points) and the 05-06 Senators (34 points).
Can someone find a website or some stat site that says what the best 25 or 30 game record is? :)
Friday, November 28, 2008
3rd line production
First off with an 19-3-1 record there's very little to be nitpicky about an outstanding start so far. But having flamed out in 3 postseasons in a row in the second round, one must always evaluate a team's weakness.
In my opinion the Sharks top 2 lines have been tremendous so far this year. The "O" line of (Seto, Jumbo, Marleau) have averaged a point a game while Clowe Pavs and Michalek have been providing secondary scoring. However, the same could not be said of the third and fourth line. While nobody expects the 4th line to provide much scoring, one thing is disconcerting is JR's drop off of producting from last year. Can we count on him to step up his game in postseason? I think so.
That leaves us with a makeshift third line right now. With Mitchell out and scheduled to comeback sometime in December, the current production of Goc, Grier and Cheechoo have been a thing not to behold. While I personally don't mind if this line doesn't score, it is unacceptable for them to be giving up chances to the other team. Momentum is usually won or lost right after another team scores a goal. From what I have seen so far this third line has not impressed me much. Grier and Cheechoo have been struggling to get on the scoresheet as well as keeping pucks out. Goc is very shaky in his own zone at best.
Stanley Cup teams need production from at least three lines. Anahiem's shutdown line of Pahlsson, Moen and Niedermayer line a few years ago were tremendous in the postseason both shutting down the opposition and putting the occasion puck in the net. Franzen, Maltby and Kopecky played the role of the third line for Detroit's run to the Cup last year.
The question is, when scoring is a premium come postseason, can the players on the Sharks thrid line get the job done come playoff time?
In my opinion the Sharks top 2 lines have been tremendous so far this year. The "O" line of (Seto, Jumbo, Marleau) have averaged a point a game while Clowe Pavs and Michalek have been providing secondary scoring. However, the same could not be said of the third and fourth line. While nobody expects the 4th line to provide much scoring, one thing is disconcerting is JR's drop off of producting from last year. Can we count on him to step up his game in postseason? I think so.
That leaves us with a makeshift third line right now. With Mitchell out and scheduled to comeback sometime in December, the current production of Goc, Grier and Cheechoo have been a thing not to behold. While I personally don't mind if this line doesn't score, it is unacceptable for them to be giving up chances to the other team. Momentum is usually won or lost right after another team scores a goal. From what I have seen so far this third line has not impressed me much. Grier and Cheechoo have been struggling to get on the scoresheet as well as keeping pucks out. Goc is very shaky in his own zone at best.
Stanley Cup teams need production from at least three lines. Anahiem's shutdown line of Pahlsson, Moen and Niedermayer line a few years ago were tremendous in the postseason both shutting down the opposition and putting the occasion puck in the net. Franzen, Maltby and Kopecky played the role of the third line for Detroit's run to the Cup last year.
The question is, when scoring is a premium come postseason, can the players on the Sharks thrid line get the job done come playoff time?
Monday, November 24, 2008
Meeting Jody Shelley!!
So yesterday, I went to the Westgate Starbucks at around 930AM. And who was in line in front of me? Jody Shelley! It took me 3 seconds to realize who he was. I knew right away he was on the Sharks, but I had to confirm in my head that it was Jody. I don't think anyone else recognized him, since no one talked to him. He had his back to me so I said "Jody?" He turned around and I told him I was a big fan and all that. Then I was nervous and didn't really know what to say, so I said "Good fight last night", even though he had gotten the crap beaten out of him by Donald Brashear. I regretted it the second it came out of my mouth. Anyway, he just played it off and by saying "Eh, it was alright". Then we talked for another half minute or so about how well the Sharks have been playing and he said it was exciting and stuff. I also asked if he lived in the area and he said he lives in Saratoga, so I'll be visiting that Starbucks more often on the Sharks' days off!
Sunday, November 23, 2008
interesting statistics about the Sharks
here are some interesting statistics I read from an ESPN blog.
1) The Sharks have 3 players in the top 15 of scoring (Setoguchi and Marleau tied at 8th and Thorton at 15). No other team, including Pittsburgh and Washington has more than 2.
2) Clowe, Marleau, and Setoguchi all have 10 goals. Only Philly can also lay claim to having more than one 10-goal scorer (Carter and Gagne).
3) 3 of the top 5 scoring defenseman are on the Sharks. Boyle is 1st, Blake is 3rd, and Erhoff is tied for 4th.
4) Nabby is still 5th with 10 wins, despite not playing for 9 games. Boucher has as many wins as Toskala, Giguere, and Bryzgalov.
very balanced team. i like :)
1) The Sharks have 3 players in the top 15 of scoring (Setoguchi and Marleau tied at 8th and Thorton at 15). No other team, including Pittsburgh and Washington has more than 2.
2) Clowe, Marleau, and Setoguchi all have 10 goals. Only Philly can also lay claim to having more than one 10-goal scorer (Carter and Gagne).
3) 3 of the top 5 scoring defenseman are on the Sharks. Boyle is 1st, Blake is 3rd, and Erhoff is tied for 4th.
4) Nabby is still 5th with 10 wins, despite not playing for 9 games. Boucher has as many wins as Toskala, Giguere, and Bryzgalov.
very balanced team. i like :)
Friday, November 21, 2008
a post back from the summer
so I was reading some posts from my own personal blog, and I came across an entry back from July 4th.
---------
Dear Doug Wilson (General Manager of the San Jose Sharks),
I apologize to you Doug Wilson, for ever doubting your personnel decisions. If you happened to stumble over my previous post, I take back everything I said.
I commend you for being such a great GM. Yes, you probably knew Brian Campbell would not resign with the Sharks, so you probably had Plans B and C already lined up.
When Soupy finally left for Chicago on Wednesday, the very next day you signed Rob Blake from LA. Even though he's an older veteran, he can still play...and boy can he still shoot. I am so excited to see him on the powerplay on the right point firing a Joe Thorton pass on goal. I dont think we've had a harder shooter then Al Iafrate from over a decade ago. Blake is a veteran...a former Norris Trophy Winner, and he will definitely be able to teach our young defenseman. What a great signing!
But you weren't done. You knew we still needed a puck moving defenseman. So today, you went out and traded for Dan Boyle from Tampa Bay. I know you were choosing between signing him or Campbell last March, and you ultimately chose Campbell, and now he's gone, but I wont hold it against you. Everyone makes mistakes, but at least you rectified them. It's kind of hard letting go of Carle and a 1st round draft pick and a prospect, but I applaud you for filling our immediate needs on the blueline.
To me these two decisions in two days shows to me that you trust your team, and we just needed upgrades to our blueline, and boy Blake + Boyle is a definite upgrade over Carle + Campbell.
Thank you for getting rid of all my fears for next season. I am now extremely confident that we have the skills and talent to compete for the Cup once again next season.
Thank you so very much!
Your biggest fan,
Jonathan Lee
P.S. If you can sign maybe one more person...maybe a 3rd/4th liner role player, who's also a good penalty killer that would be great! As you probably remember, the Sharks couldn't kill any penalties in the playoffs last season.
---------
Dear Doug Wilson (General Manager of the San Jose Sharks),
I apologize to you Doug Wilson, for ever doubting your personnel decisions. If you happened to stumble over my previous post, I take back everything I said.
I commend you for being such a great GM. Yes, you probably knew Brian Campbell would not resign with the Sharks, so you probably had Plans B and C already lined up.
When Soupy finally left for Chicago on Wednesday, the very next day you signed Rob Blake from LA. Even though he's an older veteran, he can still play...and boy can he still shoot. I am so excited to see him on the powerplay on the right point firing a Joe Thorton pass on goal. I dont think we've had a harder shooter then Al Iafrate from over a decade ago. Blake is a veteran...a former Norris Trophy Winner, and he will definitely be able to teach our young defenseman. What a great signing!
But you weren't done. You knew we still needed a puck moving defenseman. So today, you went out and traded for Dan Boyle from Tampa Bay. I know you were choosing between signing him or Campbell last March, and you ultimately chose Campbell, and now he's gone, but I wont hold it against you. Everyone makes mistakes, but at least you rectified them. It's kind of hard letting go of Carle and a 1st round draft pick and a prospect, but I applaud you for filling our immediate needs on the blueline.
To me these two decisions in two days shows to me that you trust your team, and we just needed upgrades to our blueline, and boy Blake + Boyle is a definite upgrade over Carle + Campbell.
Thank you for getting rid of all my fears for next season. I am now extremely confident that we have the skills and talent to compete for the Cup once again next season.
Thank you so very much!
Your biggest fan,
Jonathan Lee
P.S. If you can sign maybe one more person...maybe a 3rd/4th liner role player, who's also a good penalty killer that would be great! As you probably remember, the Sharks couldn't kill any penalties in the playoffs last season.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Hi I'm Grace and I'm a demanding Sharks fan
Symptoms you may be demanding too much:
- getting mad when the Sharks' last 10 game record is 9-1-0
- wanting them to lead the entire league for the entire season
- obsessively checking on NHL.com to see if any of them made the top 3 stars
- expecting a large goal differential per game
Yeah... I think I've been spoiled =)
- getting mad when the Sharks' last 10 game record is 9-1-0
- wanting them to lead the entire league for the entire season
- obsessively checking on NHL.com to see if any of them made the top 3 stars
- expecting a large goal differential per game
Yeah... I think I've been spoiled =)
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Cheechoo and Google
Sorry I haven't posted lately. Been really busy. I'll catch up one of these days.
Anyway, the reason I'm posting is I was googling Cheechoo to show my friend something and I came across the funniest thing. Google auto-populates your search based on popular searches (I assume) - so what's the first thing that comes up when you type in "cheechoo"??? That's right - "cheechoo girlfriend"!! That means there's lots of girls out there who want to know if Cheechoo has a girlfriend. Hilarious!
Anyway, the reason I'm posting is I was googling Cheechoo to show my friend something and I came across the funniest thing. Google auto-populates your search based on popular searches (I assume) - so what's the first thing that comes up when you type in "cheechoo"??? That's right - "cheechoo girlfriend"!! That means there's lots of girls out there who want to know if Cheechoo has a girlfriend. Hilarious!
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Can't wait to see this man come to town
I was watching the last few minutes of this game... and am reminded of two things
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCFiloUIsXY&feature=related
1)Mike Emrick is an excellent announcer and deserves to be in the Hall of Fame
2) Ovechkin is back! (watch out fantasy teams)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCFiloUIsXY&feature=related
1)Mike Emrick is an excellent announcer and deserves to be in the Hall of Fame
2) Ovechkin is back! (watch out fantasy teams)
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
The State of the Sharks
It's been a while since someone has posted.....(I have a hunch as to the reason for this..if you are curious ask me when you see me online =P ) so I thought I would put a few words in.
So far so good. A 13-3-1 record is a great start and those of you who read the SI article on teams that have won the Cup in the last four or five years all have had a better than .600 or some odd record in October.
The Good
*How bout it Seto? This guy's best quote so far was, "I thought I was fast, but Patty is just flying out there"
*The Captain is on fire. He just looks faster out there doesn't he? Good job Patty!
*Balanced scoring: Clowe, Pavs, The first line, Grier all chipping in
The Bad
Power Play efficiency
Inconsistent play from Michalek and Cheechoo
Boucher has not looked sharp the last two games as a backup
Forcast
The Sharks could use another sniper and or role player in my opinion. This maybe sacriligeous but if Cheech continues to struggle, maybe DW could look into trading him for a sniper come deadline. As to who is available during that time, remains to be seen. A role player like a Peca would be beneficial to help out on the penalty kill. Other than that the only team that could give the Sharks a serious challenge are still the defending Champs.
So far so good. A 13-3-1 record is a great start and those of you who read the SI article on teams that have won the Cup in the last four or five years all have had a better than .600 or some odd record in October.
The Good
*How bout it Seto? This guy's best quote so far was, "I thought I was fast, but Patty is just flying out there"
*The Captain is on fire. He just looks faster out there doesn't he? Good job Patty!
*Balanced scoring: Clowe, Pavs, The first line, Grier all chipping in
The Bad
Power Play efficiency
Inconsistent play from Michalek and Cheechoo
Boucher has not looked sharp the last two games as a backup
Forcast
The Sharks could use another sniper and or role player in my opinion. This maybe sacriligeous but if Cheech continues to struggle, maybe DW could look into trading him for a sniper come deadline. As to who is available during that time, remains to be seen. A role player like a Peca would be beneficial to help out on the penalty kill. Other than that the only team that could give the Sharks a serious challenge are still the defending Champs.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
No Love At All
Seriously, no one cares about the Sharks except Sharks fans. There is absolutely NO LOVE! If you look on NHL.com or ESPN.com, there is no evidence of our amazing start except in the standings. Instead, they talk about what the Devils are going to do about Brodeur, Brodeur is injured, Brodeur this, Brodeur that.... oh, and Ovechkin is coming back.
Do we ever make an appearance in the 3 stars? Nope
Do we ever make headlining news? Nope
Do we ever make an appearance in their little readers' poll? Nope
The only article I've seen is today, and it's about Blake... not about the team
HATERS!!!
NO LOVE!
Do we ever make an appearance in the 3 stars? Nope
Do we ever make headlining news? Nope
Do we ever make an appearance in their little readers' poll? Nope
The only article I've seen is today, and it's about Blake... not about the team
HATERS!!!
NO LOVE!
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
my boy ehrhoff!!!
yahoo sports came out with their latest power rankings and have the Sharks #1.
Here's the blurb from Ross McKeon about the Sharks...
1. San Jose Sharks (10-2-0, Previous: 6) – Christian Ehrhoff’s emergence on the blue line doesn’t surprise insiders, but is rewarding to management, which stuck by his side when it was easy to give up. Ehrhoff is skating, competing hard, showing consistency and finally getting that bazooka of a shot on net (shortened backswing is helping).
Here's the blurb from Ross McKeon about the Sharks...
1. San Jose Sharks (10-2-0, Previous: 6) – Christian Ehrhoff’s emergence on the blue line doesn’t surprise insiders, but is rewarding to management, which stuck by his side when it was easy to give up. Ehrhoff is skating, competing hard, showing consistency and finally getting that bazooka of a shot on net (shortened backswing is helping).
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Man Oh Man
I haven't had much time to watch a lot of hockey. But when I do, I am impressed.
I can't believe we held the Penguins to 11 shots!!!!!! Meanwhile we had a whopping 34 shots.
We've been so good about throwing the pucks at the net and preventing the other team from getting close to Nabby (and Boucher). Too bad this means Nabby's save percentage is going to suck a little. But, at the end of the day, all we care about is getting that W.
This is one crazy year.
I can't believe we held the Penguins to 11 shots!!!!!! Meanwhile we had a whopping 34 shots.
We've been so good about throwing the pucks at the net and preventing the other team from getting close to Nabby (and Boucher). Too bad this means Nabby's save percentage is going to suck a little. But, at the end of the day, all we care about is getting that W.
This is one crazy year.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Upcoming..
Good 2-1 road trip. Any trip above .500 is considered good, especially in the NHL.
Right around this time last year and for most of the year two players were carrying this team: Joe and Nabby. Now with Joe and Nabby off to a slow start (by their standards), the rest of the team especially our defensemen have picked it up. According to stats earlier this week, the Sharks lead the league by points from defensemen. "My Boy" has been deemed the most consistent Shark player by Jamie Baker today on the radio.
Great test this week with Pens and Wings in town. Go Sharks!
Right around this time last year and for most of the year two players were carrying this team: Joe and Nabby. Now with Joe and Nabby off to a slow start (by their standards), the rest of the team especially our defensemen have picked it up. According to stats earlier this week, the Sharks lead the league by points from defensemen. "My Boy" has been deemed the most consistent Shark player by Jamie Baker today on the radio.
Great test this week with Pens and Wings in town. Go Sharks!
Friday, October 24, 2008
thorton playing hurt
i guess its official, and it only confirmed my suspicions to start the season.
thorton just hasn't been playing that well. he hasn't been skating well, and he's giving up the puck a lot.
http://blogs.mercurynews.com/sharks/2008/10/23/thornton-sits-out-practice-as-groin-soreness-returns-plus-a-travel-diversion/
thorton just hasn't been playing that well. he hasn't been skating well, and he's giving up the puck a lot.
http://blogs.mercurynews.com/sharks/2008/10/23/thornton-sits-out-practice-as-groin-soreness-returns-plus-a-travel-diversion/
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Good for the game
San Jose's 7-6 shootout (literally in both ways) win over Philly is what the NHL needs. More high scoring games like the 5-4 games of the 1980s and early 90s. I really do hope the GM's are sensible enough to make the goalie equipment smaller. Sorry Nabby but offense and scoring chances sells both to the casual and die hard. Who here can say they did not enjoy these past two games against Philly?
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Thoughts after the 1st Period of the Crazy Game
7 goals in the 1st period?! what the heck?
sharks are giving the puck up way too often. hopefully they can play more disciplined the rest of the game.
mad props to Chris before the year regarding Ehrhoff.
"put him down for 40 points! 10 goals and 30 assists. heck maybe i'll draft him in the later rounds"
3 Goals! 3 Assists! in 7 games! MY BOY EHRHOFF! :)
*EDIT: They took away Ehrhoff's goal and gave it to Pavelski. Ehrhoff got the primary assist.
sharks are giving the puck up way too often. hopefully they can play more disciplined the rest of the game.
mad props to Chris before the year regarding Ehrhoff.
"put him down for 40 points! 10 goals and 30 assists. heck maybe i'll draft him in the later rounds"
3 Goals! 3 Assists! in 7 games! MY BOY EHRHOFF! :)
*EDIT: They took away Ehrhoff's goal and gave it to Pavelski. Ehrhoff got the primary assist.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Week 2 Fantasy Update
(note im going to talk about myself in 3rd person for clarity sake)
Congratulations to Chris and Grace and Jonathan for their first wins this week. Ting disappointingly got a tie in his first game.
Chris dominated his opponent 8-1.
Grace and Jonathan each squeaked by their opponents 6-4.
Ting tied his opponent 4-4.
Stat leaders from our teams this week...
Goals: Grace with 12. Simon Gagne let it up with 3 this week.
Assists: Tied between Chris and Jonathan with 17. Langkow led Jonathan's team with 4 assists, while Kiba and Cammalleri led Chris's team with 3.
+/-: Jonathan with -1.
PIM: Chris with 53. He got great "help" from Morrow, Boyle, and Blake.
PPP: Pretty even. Chris, Ting and Jonathan each had 12. Grace had 11.
SOG: Ting with 114. Chris and Jonathan were next in the high 80s. Ting had great contribution from Nash who had 21.
W: Chris with 4. He had Garon and Nabby. Both Edmonton and San Jose are off to strong starts. No fair.
GAA: Ting at 3.23. Lundqvist and Gerber had strong starts.
SV%: Ting at .896. Same as above
SHO: Grace at 1. Stupid Giguere shut out the Sharks.
Next up this week...
Jonathan vs Grace: mhm...roster sabotage maybe? :D
Chris vs Tim (my friend): should be an interesting matchup. he has strong goaltending in Brodeur in Legace, as does Chris. The rest of his roster is decently strong as well.
Ting vs "Arsenal FC": My friend's friend. He won his first match 7-3.
Congratulations to Chris and Grace and Jonathan for their first wins this week. Ting disappointingly got a tie in his first game.
Chris dominated his opponent 8-1.
Grace and Jonathan each squeaked by their opponents 6-4.
Ting tied his opponent 4-4.
Stat leaders from our teams this week...
Goals: Grace with 12. Simon Gagne let it up with 3 this week.
Assists: Tied between Chris and Jonathan with 17. Langkow led Jonathan's team with 4 assists, while Kiba and Cammalleri led Chris's team with 3.
+/-: Jonathan with -1.
PIM: Chris with 53. He got great "help" from Morrow, Boyle, and Blake.
PPP: Pretty even. Chris, Ting and Jonathan each had 12. Grace had 11.
SOG: Ting with 114. Chris and Jonathan were next in the high 80s. Ting had great contribution from Nash who had 21.
W: Chris with 4. He had Garon and Nabby. Both Edmonton and San Jose are off to strong starts. No fair.
GAA: Ting at 3.23. Lundqvist and Gerber had strong starts.
SV%: Ting at .896. Same as above
SHO: Grace at 1. Stupid Giguere shut out the Sharks.
Next up this week...
Jonathan vs Grace: mhm...roster sabotage maybe? :D
Chris vs Tim (my friend): should be an interesting matchup. he has strong goaltending in Brodeur in Legace, as does Chris. The rest of his roster is decently strong as well.
Ting vs "Arsenal FC": My friend's friend. He won his first match 7-3.
Defensemen and Power Plays
Last night's exciting victory over the Flyers in OT reminds me why I love hockey. Albeit a regular season game, it had everything from hits, fights, saves and a timely comeback by the home team. I had a bad feeling about this game. Somehow the Sharks fought back from three separate deficits, 2-0, 3-1, and 4-3. Credit the team for their 'resiliency'.
As I look at the stat sheet for the season, three of our defensemen (Vlasic, Boyle and Erhoff) are in the top 5 in scoring for the team. This is what I imagined as McClellan has emphasized the our blueline to shoot more. This is a good thing! Lots of good things happen when you shoot the puck.
Erhoff already has more goals then he had all of last year!
Now lets take a look at a concern. Despite the defensive breakdowns, I am still more concerned with our power play. At times guys are still standing still and waiting for someone to make a play. Even Cheech admitted to doing that. Old habits are hard to break and guys need to move around and have one guy in front of the net. Sounds simple on paper but harder to execute on the ice.
As I look at the stat sheet for the season, three of our defensemen (Vlasic, Boyle and Erhoff) are in the top 5 in scoring for the team. This is what I imagined as McClellan has emphasized the our blueline to shoot more. This is a good thing! Lots of good things happen when you shoot the puck.
Erhoff already has more goals then he had all of last year!
Now lets take a look at a concern. Despite the defensive breakdowns, I am still more concerned with our power play. At times guys are still standing still and waiting for someone to make a play. Even Cheech admitted to doing that. Old habits are hard to break and guys need to move around and have one guy in front of the net. Sounds simple on paper but harder to execute on the ice.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
2008-2009 Fantasy Hockey Preview
Since all 4 of us bloggers are in the same fantasy hockey league, I'll give my analysis on each of the 4 teams, plus a few extra notes. We'll start off with my team, ThsIsSharksTerritory. (WARNING - This analysis may be biased, because I wouldn't have picked anyone who I didn't think would do well)
Goalies
I'll start off where I'm strongest. Not to boast or anything, but I have the best goalie tandem in our league right now. It was a little bit of a stretch to take Nabby with the #6 pick in the draft, but I've always valued goalies very highly. In most standard leagues, there are only 2 roster spots for goales, yet they count for 4 of the 10 scoring categories.
When the 2nd round rolled around, I wasn't planning on taking Luongo, but there were no forwards (or defensemen) that I trusted enough to take that high. Gaborik is injury prone, St. Louis plays for a bad team and only gets points, and Nash also plays on a bad team and gets no help.
I thought my 3rd goalie was also a good steal in round 14. Mathieu Garon is the starting goalie for an improving Oilers team. Garon never put up great numbers in the past, but that's partly due to the fact that he played for the LA Kings. Hopefully, this year, he can reach 30-35 wins, with a 2.50 GAA and a couple shutouts.
Forwards
This is probably where I'm weakest, considering I didn't take a forward until the 4th round. I took Brenden Morrow with the pick because of how well-rounded he is (I know, I know - he plays for the Stars). He had "only" 74 points, but he also contributed a +23 and 105 penalty minutes. I would gladly take him over someone like Eric Staal, who had more points, but was minus player and had less than half the amount of penalty points.
Aside from Morrow, I took a lot of guys who have potential, based on who they're playing with this year. Marleau should be good for 80+ points if he stays on a line with Big Joe, with many of those coming on the power play. Cammalleri should be in the 70 point range, playing with Iginla and have a better +/-, being on a better Calgary team. Steve Bernier also falls into this category. Playing with the Sedins, hopefully he can put together a 30/30 year.
Speaking of the Sedins, Henrik's one of the guys I'm looking to replace on my roster. Yes, he did contribute 76 points (only 15 goals), but he didn't help too much in the other categories. I think I'm just biased and never really liked the Sedins (or the Canucks).
Another team I REALLY don't like is the Ducks. So I have no idea why I took Teemu Selanne in the 5th round. I should've taken into consideration that the Ducks' offense is now pretty horrible and Selanne is now 38 years old. He won't hit 94 points, like he did back in 06-07, but I'm hoping 80 is within reach.
Petr Sykora is a hot guy (that one's for you Grace). Hopefully he can stay healthy enough to stay on a line with Malkin and Staal all year. If he manages to do that, he should pick up 60-70 points easily. Malkin is an absolute stud (100+ points) and Staal should be much improved (he just turned 20!).
Defense
My defensemen are a solid group. I might have taken Boyle a little early (in the 3rd round), but I have really high hopes for him this year and it's nice to have as many Sharks as I can get on the team. With him on the power play with Joe, Patty, Cheechoo, and Blake, he can end up with 40 power play points and maybe 65-70 total.
Blake should have a rebound year too. He was decent last year, but his +/- was pretty bad. He should get about 40 points and also contribute 100 penalty minutes.
Kuba and Timmonen are both solid defensemen who play tons of minutes on pretty good teams (Ottawa and Philly). They'll both put up solid numbers, between 35-45 points. Kuba has led the Senators in ice time in each of the first 3 games and already has 3 power play assists. Timmonen hasn't put up great numbers yet, but has logged at least 27 minutes of ice time in each of the Flyers' 3 losses.
I knew nothing about Byfuglien going into the draft, but anyone who plays as a forward but is eligible as a defenseman should pretty valuable. Last time I checked, he was playing on the 2nd line in Chicago with Sharp and Kane - good company. However, he got less than 14 minutes of ice time tonight, so I'll continue to keep an eye on him. I might drop him in the future if he doesn't step it up.
And that concludes my team. Tune in this weekend and I'll cover the other teams when I have the time.
Goalies
I'll start off where I'm strongest. Not to boast or anything, but I have the best goalie tandem in our league right now. It was a little bit of a stretch to take Nabby with the #6 pick in the draft, but I've always valued goalies very highly. In most standard leagues, there are only 2 roster spots for goales, yet they count for 4 of the 10 scoring categories.
When the 2nd round rolled around, I wasn't planning on taking Luongo, but there were no forwards (or defensemen) that I trusted enough to take that high. Gaborik is injury prone, St. Louis plays for a bad team and only gets points, and Nash also plays on a bad team and gets no help.
I thought my 3rd goalie was also a good steal in round 14. Mathieu Garon is the starting goalie for an improving Oilers team. Garon never put up great numbers in the past, but that's partly due to the fact that he played for the LA Kings. Hopefully, this year, he can reach 30-35 wins, with a 2.50 GAA and a couple shutouts.
Forwards
This is probably where I'm weakest, considering I didn't take a forward until the 4th round. I took Brenden Morrow with the pick because of how well-rounded he is (I know, I know - he plays for the Stars). He had "only" 74 points, but he also contributed a +23 and 105 penalty minutes. I would gladly take him over someone like Eric Staal, who had more points, but was minus player and had less than half the amount of penalty points.
Aside from Morrow, I took a lot of guys who have potential, based on who they're playing with this year. Marleau should be good for 80+ points if he stays on a line with Big Joe, with many of those coming on the power play. Cammalleri should be in the 70 point range, playing with Iginla and have a better +/-, being on a better Calgary team. Steve Bernier also falls into this category. Playing with the Sedins, hopefully he can put together a 30/30 year.
Speaking of the Sedins, Henrik's one of the guys I'm looking to replace on my roster. Yes, he did contribute 76 points (only 15 goals), but he didn't help too much in the other categories. I think I'm just biased and never really liked the Sedins (or the Canucks).
Another team I REALLY don't like is the Ducks. So I have no idea why I took Teemu Selanne in the 5th round. I should've taken into consideration that the Ducks' offense is now pretty horrible and Selanne is now 38 years old. He won't hit 94 points, like he did back in 06-07, but I'm hoping 80 is within reach.
Petr Sykora is a hot guy (that one's for you Grace). Hopefully he can stay healthy enough to stay on a line with Malkin and Staal all year. If he manages to do that, he should pick up 60-70 points easily. Malkin is an absolute stud (100+ points) and Staal should be much improved (he just turned 20!).
Defense
My defensemen are a solid group. I might have taken Boyle a little early (in the 3rd round), but I have really high hopes for him this year and it's nice to have as many Sharks as I can get on the team. With him on the power play with Joe, Patty, Cheechoo, and Blake, he can end up with 40 power play points and maybe 65-70 total.
Blake should have a rebound year too. He was decent last year, but his +/- was pretty bad. He should get about 40 points and also contribute 100 penalty minutes.
Kuba and Timmonen are both solid defensemen who play tons of minutes on pretty good teams (Ottawa and Philly). They'll both put up solid numbers, between 35-45 points. Kuba has led the Senators in ice time in each of the first 3 games and already has 3 power play assists. Timmonen hasn't put up great numbers yet, but has logged at least 27 minutes of ice time in each of the Flyers' 3 losses.
I knew nothing about Byfuglien going into the draft, but anyone who plays as a forward but is eligible as a defenseman should pretty valuable. Last time I checked, he was playing on the 2nd line in Chicago with Sharp and Kane - good company. However, he got less than 14 minutes of ice time tonight, so I'll continue to keep an eye on him. I might drop him in the future if he doesn't step it up.
And that concludes my team. Tune in this weekend and I'll cover the other teams when I have the time.
The last team
With the Niners and Raiders playing for draft picks (and even ready to move according to one source) and the A's and Giants not even close to sniffing the playoffs for a while and the Warriors losing Davis and Ellis, your San Jose Sharks are the Bay Area's last hope. In fact they have been a model of consistency for the last 4-5 years. It's a great time to be a Sharks fan. Enjoy the ride!
Thoughts about last night's game
-Patrick Marleau and Jonathan Cheechoo are back this year
-Columbus really outplayed us. We only won because we capitalized on their defensive mistakes.
Sharks need to work harder against the less talented teams or they will lose on some nights
-The power play needs to remember to move around. Guys were standing around once again. Old habits are hard to break
-If all else fails, the best goalie in the league will save our butts.
Thoughts about last night's game
-Patrick Marleau and Jonathan Cheechoo are back this year
-Columbus really outplayed us. We only won because we capitalized on their defensive mistakes.
Sharks need to work harder against the less talented teams or they will lose on some nights
-The power play needs to remember to move around. Guys were standing around once again. Old habits are hard to break
-If all else fails, the best goalie in the league will save our butts.
Like A Proud Mother
I'm loving the Sharks - I feel like I have some sort of motherly glow when I talk/think about them. I guess I'm only allowed to talk like this cause I'm a girl. I'm sure the guys are cringing as they read this. Some thoughts:
- 4 out of 4 in their first 4 games. That's pretty impressive. However, this does not mean it's ok to slack off - I'm sure McLellan won't let that happen. He's looks very intense on the bench, almost expressionless. But he's definitely whipped them into shape.
- Thornton and Marleau in the top ten in face-offs. That's very very good. When the team is showing improvement in ALL areas, you know they really have improved and it's not just luck.
- Pickles is THE BOMB! Vlasic, Blake, and Marleau are leading the league in +/-.
- We've given ourselves a nice comfortable lead in the league, hopefully the difference will keep widening as the season progresses.
- 2 shorties in 1 game.
- 4 out of 4 in their first 4 games. That's pretty impressive. However, this does not mean it's ok to slack off - I'm sure McLellan won't let that happen. He's looks very intense on the bench, almost expressionless. But he's definitely whipped them into shape.
- Thornton and Marleau in the top ten in face-offs. That's very very good. When the team is showing improvement in ALL areas, you know they really have improved and it's not just luck.
- Pickles is THE BOMB! Vlasic, Blake, and Marleau are leading the league in +/-.
- We've given ourselves a nice comfortable lead in the league, hopefully the difference will keep widening as the season progresses.
- 2 shorties in 1 game.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
We're 4-0!!!
4-0 baby! WOOT!
it was a kind of sloppy game at times. let in two power play goals, and the biggest problem the entire game was that we couldn't cleanly clear the puck out of our zone.
other than that, we looked good!
- Grace's boy Pickles got a goal and had a plus/minus of 4!!!
- Two shorthanded goals were a very nice surprise.
- Michalek and Marleau finally got their first goals
I especially liked the end when JR got into that fight. Way to go JR!
it was a kind of sloppy game at times. let in two power play goals, and the biggest problem the entire game was that we couldn't cleanly clear the puck out of our zone.
other than that, we looked good!
- Grace's boy Pickles got a goal and had a plus/minus of 4!!!
- Two shorthanded goals were a very nice surprise.
- Michalek and Marleau finally got their first goals
I especially liked the end when JR got into that fight. Way to go JR!
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Chicks dig the hockey players
http://www.faniq.com/blog/Video-NHL-Players-And-Celebrity-Women-Go-Hand-And-Hand-Blog-12590
Wanna lace em up Jon and Chris? =P
Wanna lace em up Jon and Chris? =P
Thoughts after the first three games
1. Sharks look good! It's great to go 3-0 in 4 days against our Pacific Division rivals. It's also nice to see Dallas and Anaheim winless through two games so far.
2. I love this new philosophy that Todd McClellan is bringing to this team. Shoot! Shoot! Shoot! Good things happen when you put the puck on net. 41 shots each in game 1 and 2 gave a comfortable enough margin of victory. Only 19 shots in tonights game, and the game was a little closer. But man good things happen when you shoot. Ehrhoff scoring a goal from the blue line in game 1...Kaspar getting his first career NHL goal tonight. Back in the RW era, I would put money down that Kaspar would look to pass first rather than take that shot.
3. I'm loving our goalie situation. Nabby will definitely be a contender for the Vezina again this year, but Todd said that he'll probably cut his games down by 5 or more. It's comforting to know that we have a very able Boucher to come in and give Nabby a rest.
4. I'm loving the balance in offense of this team. Our young guys (Setoguchi, Pilhal, Pavelski, and Kaspar and to an extent Cheechoo and Ehrhoff) have been providing the goal scoring, yet guys like Marleau, Thorton, Michalek, and Clowe have yet to find the net). It's nice to see that even if our big guns aren't find the net, we have others to step up. I love how even these four aren't producing goals, they're still playing great hockey. Imagine how electrifying our offense will be when Marleau, Michalek, and Clowe start lighting up the net.
5. Our power play has been shut out these past two games after scoring 2 in the opener. It's a lot more improved then last year, and I've seen great things come out of it, but I'm thinking that Todd is going to spend some more time on it during practice.
6. I didn't really like the game tonight. The Sharks seemed sloppy at times and a bit undisciplined taking 5 penalties, but I guess that's to be expected after playing 3 games in 4 days. A wins a win though, and that's all that matters.
2. I love this new philosophy that Todd McClellan is bringing to this team. Shoot! Shoot! Shoot! Good things happen when you put the puck on net. 41 shots each in game 1 and 2 gave a comfortable enough margin of victory. Only 19 shots in tonights game, and the game was a little closer. But man good things happen when you shoot. Ehrhoff scoring a goal from the blue line in game 1...Kaspar getting his first career NHL goal tonight. Back in the RW era, I would put money down that Kaspar would look to pass first rather than take that shot.
3. I'm loving our goalie situation. Nabby will definitely be a contender for the Vezina again this year, but Todd said that he'll probably cut his games down by 5 or more. It's comforting to know that we have a very able Boucher to come in and give Nabby a rest.
4. I'm loving the balance in offense of this team. Our young guys (Setoguchi, Pilhal, Pavelski, and Kaspar and to an extent Cheechoo and Ehrhoff) have been providing the goal scoring, yet guys like Marleau, Thorton, Michalek, and Clowe have yet to find the net). It's nice to see that even if our big guns aren't find the net, we have others to step up. I love how even these four aren't producing goals, they're still playing great hockey. Imagine how electrifying our offense will be when Marleau, Michalek, and Clowe start lighting up the net.
5. Our power play has been shut out these past two games after scoring 2 in the opener. It's a lot more improved then last year, and I've seen great things come out of it, but I'm thinking that Todd is going to spend some more time on it during practice.
6. I didn't really like the game tonight. The Sharks seemed sloppy at times and a bit undisciplined taking 5 penalties, but I guess that's to be expected after playing 3 games in 4 days. A wins a win though, and that's all that matters.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Quick Thoughts on Game 1
A few quick thoughts about game 1 before I have to go to a meeting.
- Our powerplay looked great for the most part. We had some trouble getting the puck controlled and into their zone, but once we did, we got some really good chances. Looks like McLellan has our guys moving around on the powerplay. No more of Big Joe on the half-boards trying to create something. Also, it's REALLY nice to have guys like Blake and Boyle on the point. They both have great shots and really know how to work the powerplay. That puts pressure on the opposing penalty killers to get out to the points, giving our forwards more room to move. Another thing I noticed is that we always tried to have someone parked in front of the net, mostly Cheechoo. Even in the post game interview, comparisons were drawn to Tomas Holmstrom, Detroit's pest in front of the net on their PP. I think the traffic paid off, particularly on Ehrhoff's goal. Jiggy was pretty well screened and I don't think he saw the shot all the way.
Okay, I ran out of time so I'll finish this post later.
Continued... I think for the rest of the season, I'll use the following rating system to convey my options. SCORE - good thing. MEH - not good, not bad. FAIL - bad thing. Let's test it out on game 1.
SCORE - Dan Boyle and Rob Blake - Both Blake and Boyle played solid first games for the Sharks. There were no spectacular plays on either end of the ice, but both contributed both offensively and defensively. Blake stood out more because of the bombs he launched from the point on the powerplay and strong play in front of our net, but it's Boyle who can really make a difference, with his smooth skating, fancy puck skills, and quick and accurate shot. Almost as important, he looks to be a solid defensive player, something that can't be said of our previous "star" defenseman.
MEH - Joe Thornton - Big Joe seemed to have a very sloppy game. I don't remember any plays he made that led to a scoring chance for us (aside from his assist to Cheechoo on the 5 on 3 - that was just too easy). He had some trouble with the puck and didn't carry play like he usually does. It was just game 1, so I'll give him a break. At least he made a big hit on Scott Niedermayer to set the tone early in the game.
FAIL - Sharks' 3rd lines - Fail seems like such a harsh word, so I may have to rename my rating system. I guess you can't say the 3rd line failed, but they certainly didn't have a good game. Maybe they're not used to playing together yet, but the line didn't seem to work well together at all. They didn't really generate any scoring chances and had trouble in their own zone. I remember at least a couple shifts where Anaheim was putting on the pressure in our zone and our 3rd line couldn't do much about it. They had trouble clearing the zone and made a few big errors. One play that stands out in my head is when Ryan Clowe tried to pass the puck up the middle but it went straight to a Ducks player in front of our net. They were also on the ice when Anaheim scored their only goal. Once again, it was their inability to get the puck out of the zone that led to the goal.
SCORE - Evgeni Nabokov - I have a feeling Nabby will SCORE often this season. He was solid as usual, only letting in 1 goal on a deflection. He also bailed out the Sharks on a few mistakes, stopping Teemu Selanne and Brad May point blank.
- Our powerplay looked great for the most part. We had some trouble getting the puck controlled and into their zone, but once we did, we got some really good chances. Looks like McLellan has our guys moving around on the powerplay. No more of Big Joe on the half-boards trying to create something. Also, it's REALLY nice to have guys like Blake and Boyle on the point. They both have great shots and really know how to work the powerplay. That puts pressure on the opposing penalty killers to get out to the points, giving our forwards more room to move. Another thing I noticed is that we always tried to have someone parked in front of the net, mostly Cheechoo. Even in the post game interview, comparisons were drawn to Tomas Holmstrom, Detroit's pest in front of the net on their PP. I think the traffic paid off, particularly on Ehrhoff's goal. Jiggy was pretty well screened and I don't think he saw the shot all the way.
Okay, I ran out of time so I'll finish this post later.
Continued... I think for the rest of the season, I'll use the following rating system to convey my options. SCORE - good thing. MEH - not good, not bad. FAIL - bad thing. Let's test it out on game 1.
SCORE - Dan Boyle and Rob Blake - Both Blake and Boyle played solid first games for the Sharks. There were no spectacular plays on either end of the ice, but both contributed both offensively and defensively. Blake stood out more because of the bombs he launched from the point on the powerplay and strong play in front of our net, but it's Boyle who can really make a difference, with his smooth skating, fancy puck skills, and quick and accurate shot. Almost as important, he looks to be a solid defensive player, something that can't be said of our previous "star" defenseman.
MEH - Joe Thornton - Big Joe seemed to have a very sloppy game. I don't remember any plays he made that led to a scoring chance for us (aside from his assist to Cheechoo on the 5 on 3 - that was just too easy). He had some trouble with the puck and didn't carry play like he usually does. It was just game 1, so I'll give him a break. At least he made a big hit on Scott Niedermayer to set the tone early in the game.
FAIL - Sharks' 3rd lines - Fail seems like such a harsh word, so I may have to rename my rating system. I guess you can't say the 3rd line failed, but they certainly didn't have a good game. Maybe they're not used to playing together yet, but the line didn't seem to work well together at all. They didn't really generate any scoring chances and had trouble in their own zone. I remember at least a couple shifts where Anaheim was putting on the pressure in our zone and our 3rd line couldn't do much about it. They had trouble clearing the zone and made a few big errors. One play that stands out in my head is when Ryan Clowe tried to pass the puck up the middle but it went straight to a Ducks player in front of our net. They were also on the ice when Anaheim scored their only goal. Once again, it was their inability to get the puck out of the zone that led to the goal.
SCORE - Evgeni Nabokov - I have a feeling Nabby will SCORE often this season. He was solid as usual, only letting in 1 goal on a deflection. He also bailed out the Sharks on a few mistakes, stopping Teemu Selanne and Brad May point blank.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
San Jose Sharks 2008-2009 Season
Welcome back guys! We've missed you. Let's make this an exciting year!
NHL Opening Night
San Jose Sharks VS. Anaheim Ducks
HP Pavilion
7:30PM
GO SHARKS!
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
The Big Guns
More analysis on our "talent" filled roster starting with the new guys.....
Dan Boyle- When BC bolted for Chicago during Free Agency everyone including myself was crying over the loss of the smooth skating and offensive minded defensemen. (as much as Shark fans hated his playoff performance, one must admit he was the best Sharks defensemen they have had in a long time). Props for DW bringing in one of the top 5 defensemen in the league. That's right Dan Boyle is that good. The added bonus here is that he has a right handed shot and can actually score. While Campbell was good at passing and skating his ability to slap the puck was fairly week. This should not be an issue with Boyle as he can skate shoot and pass equally well. Fans will, mark my words forget about Campbell and relish Boyle for the next five years.
Rob Blake- This 38 year old defensemen who turns 39 in December was an expensive acqusition- 5yr 1 million deal. Was this a good move? Time will tell whether the one time Norris Trophy and Cup winner still has anything left. For DW to fork over that much money means he believes that he does. Looking at Detroit's older statemen in Chelios and Lidstrom, one would hope Blake can still bring it. His biggest asset will be his shot from the point. Also being right handed, I would imagine McCllelan using him on power play units. His mere presence on the power play is enough to effectively change the way teams prepare for the Sharks. In the past we all know Joe would hang out on the halfboards and play catch with Patty in the right wing corner. Teams would always collapse down low to take away the lower part of the net due to a lack of scoring threat from the point. This should change with Blake.
Dan Boyle- When BC bolted for Chicago during Free Agency everyone including myself was crying over the loss of the smooth skating and offensive minded defensemen. (as much as Shark fans hated his playoff performance, one must admit he was the best Sharks defensemen they have had in a long time). Props for DW bringing in one of the top 5 defensemen in the league. That's right Dan Boyle is that good. The added bonus here is that he has a right handed shot and can actually score. While Campbell was good at passing and skating his ability to slap the puck was fairly week. This should not be an issue with Boyle as he can skate shoot and pass equally well. Fans will, mark my words forget about Campbell and relish Boyle for the next five years.
Rob Blake- This 38 year old defensemen who turns 39 in December was an expensive acqusition- 5yr 1 million deal. Was this a good move? Time will tell whether the one time Norris Trophy and Cup winner still has anything left. For DW to fork over that much money means he believes that he does. Looking at Detroit's older statemen in Chelios and Lidstrom, one would hope Blake can still bring it. His biggest asset will be his shot from the point. Also being right handed, I would imagine McCllelan using him on power play units. His mere presence on the power play is enough to effectively change the way teams prepare for the Sharks. In the past we all know Joe would hang out on the halfboards and play catch with Patty in the right wing corner. Teams would always collapse down low to take away the lower part of the net due to a lack of scoring threat from the point. This should change with Blake.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
New Season!
Looking at the Sharks roster this season, there's no reason in my mind why we (The Sharks) cannot win the Cup this year. One could argue it's the most talented roster we have ever had. Shall we count the ways or players?
Lets begin with the young guys.
Devin Setoguchi- This guy just flat out has wheels and is super confident. He has a great shot and a nose for the net. Look for him to be a staple on the third line and perhaps challenge for a spot on the second line.
Torrey Mitchell- While we are on the topic of speed, there's no faster skater other than Michalek, then this sophomore. Who can forget his short handed goal against Anahiem last year after being tripped up? Look for him to be smarter defensively in his second season and chip in 10-15 goals on the third line and as a penalty killer. Mike Grier linkens him to a Todd Marchant type player.
Marc-Eduard Vlasic- As much as he has struggled his second season, this player perhaps might be the smartest guy on the team. When asked if what he would be doing if not playing hockey, he responded that he would have been an engineer. With the addition of Blake and Boyle, Vlasic can take a few pointers to work on his offensive game. One would hope he blossoms into a solid two way defensemen down the road.
Christian Erhoff- No other player can benefit more from the veteran additions of Blake and Boyle than Erhoff. Renown for his hard shot that never gets on net, one is keeping his fingers crossed that the light bulb will go on. Aside from that, Erhoff is a very good skater than can 'skate it out of trouble' in his own zone. Needs to improve on turnovers in own end and taking penalties at the wrong time.
Joe Pavelski- When the Colorado Avalanche won those Cups years back, one could point out the obvious talent they had. The Forsbergs, Sakics, Roys, Youngs, Deadmarshes. They key player that is often neglected is Chris Drury. A guy who wants the puck on his stick and delivers when the game is on the line. Fortunately for the Sharks, they have a guy they call "little Joe". Not the smoothest of skaters, but a man who knows how to score clutch goals. His first game ever he notches a winner in the waning moments against Detroit. Who can forget his OT winner against Dallas in game 5 last year? This man is smart around the net, likes the wrap around and is absolutely money in the shootouts. Look for him to continue that trend when it really matters.
Besides, any player from Wisconsin gets extra bonus points from me.
More analysis to come on the rest of our roster....
Lets begin with the young guys.
Devin Setoguchi- This guy just flat out has wheels and is super confident. He has a great shot and a nose for the net. Look for him to be a staple on the third line and perhaps challenge for a spot on the second line.
Torrey Mitchell- While we are on the topic of speed, there's no faster skater other than Michalek, then this sophomore. Who can forget his short handed goal against Anahiem last year after being tripped up? Look for him to be smarter defensively in his second season and chip in 10-15 goals on the third line and as a penalty killer. Mike Grier linkens him to a Todd Marchant type player.
Marc-Eduard Vlasic- As much as he has struggled his second season, this player perhaps might be the smartest guy on the team. When asked if what he would be doing if not playing hockey, he responded that he would have been an engineer. With the addition of Blake and Boyle, Vlasic can take a few pointers to work on his offensive game. One would hope he blossoms into a solid two way defensemen down the road.
Christian Erhoff- No other player can benefit more from the veteran additions of Blake and Boyle than Erhoff. Renown for his hard shot that never gets on net, one is keeping his fingers crossed that the light bulb will go on. Aside from that, Erhoff is a very good skater than can 'skate it out of trouble' in his own zone. Needs to improve on turnovers in own end and taking penalties at the wrong time.
Joe Pavelski- When the Colorado Avalanche won those Cups years back, one could point out the obvious talent they had. The Forsbergs, Sakics, Roys, Youngs, Deadmarshes. They key player that is often neglected is Chris Drury. A guy who wants the puck on his stick and delivers when the game is on the line. Fortunately for the Sharks, they have a guy they call "little Joe". Not the smoothest of skaters, but a man who knows how to score clutch goals. His first game ever he notches a winner in the waning moments against Detroit. Who can forget his OT winner against Dallas in game 5 last year? This man is smart around the net, likes the wrap around and is absolutely money in the shootouts. Look for him to continue that trend when it really matters.
Besides, any player from Wisconsin gets extra bonus points from me.
More analysis to come on the rest of our roster....
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Devastated
a loss in the 4th OT of game 6.
I am absolutely devastated. I dont really know what to think right now.
Should I feel sad? Should I feel disappointed? Should I feel let down? What do you feel after a game like this...a series like this...a season like this?
I really dont know. I was absolutely furious at the team after the first 3 games. I was pissed off at their play...their lack of heart and motivation. They really deserved to be down 3 games to 0. They were atrocious.
but they came back in games 4 and 5, and played as they should be playing. They played with heart and urgency. They played such a great game, a strong game, a complete game in game 6, and they lost it on a powerplay.
I am proud of the Sharks for battling back and not giving up when down 3 games. I am proud that they fought through the adversity and showed us what they were made of.
It was just too bad that they dug themselves too deep from the onset. You cant put yourself in a hole against a strong team like Dallas (and a great goalie in Turco).
Sadly, this is going to be an end to an era. Im pretty confident that Ron Wilson will be let go. As much as I love him, we need a new direction. Who knows who else will go? I dont even want to think about who will be sent away, traded, or unsigned.
Everyone I know who grew up in the Bay Area has the mentality that the Sharks will always choke and disappoint in the postseason. They have a great regular season, and absolutely implode in the 2nd round. Sadly, its a reality and I cant argue against it. But they are my beloved Los Tiburones, and I will follow them until I die. The Red Sox didnt win the World Series for 80 something years. While I hope that I wont have to wait that long for the Cup to come home to San Jose, I am confident that it will.
Goodbye 2008 Sharks. It was a roller-coaster ride, and you definitely caused me a lot of sleepless nights. Who knows what will happen next year...but I can only hope.
In the meantime however, it's going to take a while for me to digest this loss.
I am absolutely devastated. I dont really know what to think right now.
Should I feel sad? Should I feel disappointed? Should I feel let down? What do you feel after a game like this...a series like this...a season like this?
I really dont know. I was absolutely furious at the team after the first 3 games. I was pissed off at their play...their lack of heart and motivation. They really deserved to be down 3 games to 0. They were atrocious.
but they came back in games 4 and 5, and played as they should be playing. They played with heart and urgency. They played such a great game, a strong game, a complete game in game 6, and they lost it on a powerplay.
I am proud of the Sharks for battling back and not giving up when down 3 games. I am proud that they fought through the adversity and showed us what they were made of.
It was just too bad that they dug themselves too deep from the onset. You cant put yourself in a hole against a strong team like Dallas (and a great goalie in Turco).
Sadly, this is going to be an end to an era. Im pretty confident that Ron Wilson will be let go. As much as I love him, we need a new direction. Who knows who else will go? I dont even want to think about who will be sent away, traded, or unsigned.
Everyone I know who grew up in the Bay Area has the mentality that the Sharks will always choke and disappoint in the postseason. They have a great regular season, and absolutely implode in the 2nd round. Sadly, its a reality and I cant argue against it. But they are my beloved Los Tiburones, and I will follow them until I die. The Red Sox didnt win the World Series for 80 something years. While I hope that I wont have to wait that long for the Cup to come home to San Jose, I am confident that it will.
Goodbye 2008 Sharks. It was a roller-coaster ride, and you definitely caused me a lot of sleepless nights. Who knows what will happen next year...but I can only hope.
In the meantime however, it's going to take a while for me to digest this loss.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
around the league
wow. interesting matchups in all 4 semifinal series.
In the one completed series so far, Detroit swept Colorado 4-0. Game 4 was an 8-2 BLOWOUT! I thought Colorado would have put up a greater fight. Everyone expected this series to go to at least 6 or 7 games.
In all the other three series, Dallas, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia all won their first 3 games, before San Jose, New York, and Montreal won the 4th game to avoid the sweeps.
yeah...i dont know what analysis im trying to say, so ill just leave it at this.
In the one completed series so far, Detroit swept Colorado 4-0. Game 4 was an 8-2 BLOWOUT! I thought Colorado would have put up a greater fight. Everyone expected this series to go to at least 6 or 7 games.
In all the other three series, Dallas, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia all won their first 3 games, before San Jose, New York, and Montreal won the 4th game to avoid the sweeps.
yeah...i dont know what analysis im trying to say, so ill just leave it at this.
I still have faith
Down 3 games to 1, I feel the Sharks have the talent to push it to 7 games and win it.
Heck, we won 11 straight games this season, and were unbeaten in regulation in 20 straight games. What's winning another 3 games in a row? During this streak, we beat Pittsburgh and Detroit on the road and beat Montreal, Dallas, and Ottawa at home.
Granted these are the playoffs and Dallas is a great team, and everything from the regular season goes out the window, but I still think that the Sharks have the ABILITY to pull off this comeback.
But ABILITY is only part of it. We have to play a complete game, not only 2/3s of a game. In all games, we went into the 3rd, either tied, down by 1 goal, or up by 1 goal. In the two games we were up by 1 goal, we completely imploded in the 3rd period and lost.
Dallas is not the better team. I still think we are. If we play every period, every shift, every minute like its our last, I think we will win this.
Heck, we won 11 straight games this season, and were unbeaten in regulation in 20 straight games. What's winning another 3 games in a row? During this streak, we beat Pittsburgh and Detroit on the road and beat Montreal, Dallas, and Ottawa at home.
Granted these are the playoffs and Dallas is a great team, and everything from the regular season goes out the window, but I still think that the Sharks have the ABILITY to pull off this comeback.
But ABILITY is only part of it. We have to play a complete game, not only 2/3s of a game. In all games, we went into the 3rd, either tied, down by 1 goal, or up by 1 goal. In the two games we were up by 1 goal, we completely imploded in the 3rd period and lost.
Dallas is not the better team. I still think we are. If we play every period, every shift, every minute like its our last, I think we will win this.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
End of an Era
I like Ron Wilson. He's high tech, smart and seems to be a nice guy. Nevertheless, he's had his turn here in San Jose-Bye Ronny it's been nice knowing you.
Why does RW deserve to be fired?
The Sharks breakout scheme is absolutely the worst in the league. Pass the puck back. Keep on retreating and give the forecheckers time to chase you down. Lets go behind the net to set up instead of making the quick outlet pass. Always pass along the board to get it picked off. Couple this with a mostly inexperienced and immobile D corp against a transtion/trapping team and you have a disaster.
Eliminated in the 2nd round for 3 years in a row is not going to win many believers. The way they lost those series stings having gone up each time. And this year is just the icing on the cake.
Offseason wish list.
A new coach with a different scheme
An instigator
At least 2 defensemen can shoot the puck from the point and can skate
Bye everyone. It's been fun knowing you all. Go Penguins!
Why does RW deserve to be fired?
The Sharks breakout scheme is absolutely the worst in the league. Pass the puck back. Keep on retreating and give the forecheckers time to chase you down. Lets go behind the net to set up instead of making the quick outlet pass. Always pass along the board to get it picked off. Couple this with a mostly inexperienced and immobile D corp against a transtion/trapping team and you have a disaster.
Eliminated in the 2nd round for 3 years in a row is not going to win many believers. The way they lost those series stings having gone up each time. And this year is just the icing on the cake.
Offseason wish list.
A new coach with a different scheme
An instigator
At least 2 defensemen can shoot the puck from the point and can skate
Bye everyone. It's been fun knowing you all. Go Penguins!
Monday, April 28, 2008
Disappointed
I am thoroughly disappointed in the Sharks right now.
I took the game 1 loss pretty well. They played hard. They played well. They played with heart. So the OT loss wasn't THAT bad, and it was ok to swallow. Life went on.
Last night, was a different story. They had the 2-1 lead after 2nd, and they completely imploded in the 3rd. It might have been the worst period I've ever watched...ever.
TURNOVERS! TURNOVERS! TURNOVERS! absolutely killed us. All the 4 goals were over turnovers. All 4 goals were because the defense couldn't make that first pass to clear the zone and proceeded to turn over the puck. Well, no. I take that back. The one goal Modano scored out of the penality box was cause Vlasic was out of position. For at least 10 seconds, I kept yelling that Pickles was out of position for the entire shift. I knew he was going to get burned...and I was correct.
Our defense sucks. Campbell, Erhoff, Rivet, Carle, Vlasic all made horrible mistakes, and they couldn't clear the puck! Gosh. They played like a bunch of wusses.
The only good thing about the game was that Section 220, Row 15 has to be the best section in the arena. It's a bunch of hardcore season ticket fans, that get so into the game and are so passionate.
Best line from the game (after a defenseman just happened to pass the puck to an open area on the ice): "Ok guys. Now is not the time to pass the puck to your imaginary friends on the ice."
I took the game 1 loss pretty well. They played hard. They played well. They played with heart. So the OT loss wasn't THAT bad, and it was ok to swallow. Life went on.
Last night, was a different story. They had the 2-1 lead after 2nd, and they completely imploded in the 3rd. It might have been the worst period I've ever watched...ever.
TURNOVERS! TURNOVERS! TURNOVERS! absolutely killed us. All the 4 goals were over turnovers. All 4 goals were because the defense couldn't make that first pass to clear the zone and proceeded to turn over the puck. Well, no. I take that back. The one goal Modano scored out of the penality box was cause Vlasic was out of position. For at least 10 seconds, I kept yelling that Pickles was out of position for the entire shift. I knew he was going to get burned...and I was correct.
Our defense sucks. Campbell, Erhoff, Rivet, Carle, Vlasic all made horrible mistakes, and they couldn't clear the puck! Gosh. They played like a bunch of wusses.
The only good thing about the game was that Section 220, Row 15 has to be the best section in the arena. It's a bunch of hardcore season ticket fans, that get so into the game and are so passionate.
Best line from the game (after a defenseman just happened to pass the puck to an open area on the ice): "Ok guys. Now is not the time to pass the puck to your imaginary friends on the ice."
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Shot blocking
The art of shot blocking is not glamorous. Hardly anyone gets noticed, but like RW said, its the details of the game. Shot blocking requires both timing and courage. The timing part comes when you lay down to block a shot and a guy fakes it, he can skate by you. And courage? Well lets just say its not instinctive to stand in the way of a 90 plus mph slap shot and have it hit you. The Sharks need guys willing to block shots to win the Cup.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Marleau Hop
Anybody have any thoughts on the Patrick Marleau hop on Modano's power play goal? It's generated some heated discussion from fans coaches announcers alike. Looking at the replay, I would have to agree that Marleau SHOULD NOT HAVE JUMPED. Even if he stood there that puck hits his skate probably. Sorry Captain, we need you to show up, sacrifice the body, whatever it takes. Our team goes where you go.
Sharks System
Our supposed puck possession system will not be around longer (which of course means RW and his coaching staff are gone) if the Sharks dont get at least to the WCF.
Sometimes when the Sharks do a D to D pass behind the net to avoid the forecheckers, they are just standing there. This gives the forecheckers time to put pressure on your D and eventually the Sharks D men cough it up, get hemmed in their own zone and the puck ends up in their own net. I don't know if Ron Wilson is trying to have puck possession like Detroit, but Detroit's defensemen are lot more skilled than ours. When you have Rafalski and Lidstrom you can play catch all day if you wanted to. Does anyone want to see any of the Sharks defensemen play catch too long in their own zone? I think not.
To summarize, it's better to make one quick pass out of our own zone than making multiple passes to avoid the forecheckers. Both options have there risks, but at least with the quick pass you have the potential to catch the other team off guard.
Sometimes when the Sharks do a D to D pass behind the net to avoid the forecheckers, they are just standing there. This gives the forecheckers time to put pressure on your D and eventually the Sharks D men cough it up, get hemmed in their own zone and the puck ends up in their own net. I don't know if Ron Wilson is trying to have puck possession like Detroit, but Detroit's defensemen are lot more skilled than ours. When you have Rafalski and Lidstrom you can play catch all day if you wanted to. Does anyone want to see any of the Sharks defensemen play catch too long in their own zone? I think not.
To summarize, it's better to make one quick pass out of our own zone than making multiple passes to avoid the forecheckers. Both options have there risks, but at least with the quick pass you have the potential to catch the other team off guard.
Friday, April 25, 2008
Thursday, April 24, 2008
2nd Round Preview
Dallas vs. San Jose
This 2nd round promises to be another long series between two old rivals.
Here are some things to look for on the Sharks
Sharks PK vs Dallas PP
The Sharks vaunted #1 PK in the regular season was absolutely atrocious against the Flames and ranked dead last out of the 16 playoff teams after the first round. Mike Grier took a horrible angle on the Adrian Acouin shot from the point for Calgary's first goal in game 7 and has not been very good along with Mitchell in getting pucks out the whole series. Simply put, our pk guys are not getting to loose pucks and need to work harder. Dallas has more skilled guys and watch out for Modano on the point as well as Robidas who had a tremendous series against Anahiem.
Sharks 3rd line performance
The normally reliable 3rd line of Mitchell, Grier and Rismiller during the regular season managed a combined 2 pts total that whole series (2 assists). While not expected to score a bunch of goals, they need to get better defensively. Rismiller was scratched a couple games and RW put Michalek on that line for a bit as well. This line got hemmed in its own zone way too long for a checking line.
Milan and Brian
Milan looked better in game 7 and had some chances and played well defensively. He needs to chip in some goals to take the pressure of Cheechoo on that 1st line. Campbell looked lost out their at times with Murray giving up at least 2-3 breakaways that series. Calgary's relentless forecheck gave BC little space to skate or operate. Expect Dallas to try the same to make him a nonfactor. The playoffs are about adjustments. Brian needs to lead the offense, especially on the power play. Oh, and please beware of Mike Modano when on the pp on the point. I do not want to seem him going alone on Nabby. He has killed us shorthanded multiple occasions during the regular season.
Things to look for on Dallas
Sergei Zubov
Word on the street is that Sergei is practicing again and is day to day. If he comes back in this series an already lethal Dallas PP (2nd ranked in postseason) will certainly get even better.
Dallas defensemen
The injury to Boucher and Zubov has put the young Dallas defensemen right into the playoff fire. Niskanen, Fistric, and Grossman will have to deal with a much better group of forwards than Anahiem. Look for the Sharks to try to exploit these inexperienced D.
Steve Ott
The Calgary Flames never had an agitator in the truest sense. Fans hated Phanuf, but Dion was a superstar defensemen. An agitator doesn't need to score to get under your skin. Steve Ott fits that description. Think Sean Avery of the NYR. Will the Sharks remained disciplined when Ott tries to goad them into taking penalties? If not, this could be a very short series.
Niklas Hagman
Like Milan Michalek this guy posted goose eggs in the 1st round. Having scored 27 goals in the regular season, if he can't produce and the Sharks remained disciplined, Dallas will have a tough time getting secondary scoring aside from the Modanos, Riberos and Richards.
This 2nd round promises to be another long series between two old rivals.
Here are some things to look for on the Sharks
Sharks PK vs Dallas PP
The Sharks vaunted #1 PK in the regular season was absolutely atrocious against the Flames and ranked dead last out of the 16 playoff teams after the first round. Mike Grier took a horrible angle on the Adrian Acouin shot from the point for Calgary's first goal in game 7 and has not been very good along with Mitchell in getting pucks out the whole series. Simply put, our pk guys are not getting to loose pucks and need to work harder. Dallas has more skilled guys and watch out for Modano on the point as well as Robidas who had a tremendous series against Anahiem.
Sharks 3rd line performance
The normally reliable 3rd line of Mitchell, Grier and Rismiller during the regular season managed a combined 2 pts total that whole series (2 assists). While not expected to score a bunch of goals, they need to get better defensively. Rismiller was scratched a couple games and RW put Michalek on that line for a bit as well. This line got hemmed in its own zone way too long for a checking line.
Milan and Brian
Milan looked better in game 7 and had some chances and played well defensively. He needs to chip in some goals to take the pressure of Cheechoo on that 1st line. Campbell looked lost out their at times with Murray giving up at least 2-3 breakaways that series. Calgary's relentless forecheck gave BC little space to skate or operate. Expect Dallas to try the same to make him a nonfactor. The playoffs are about adjustments. Brian needs to lead the offense, especially on the power play. Oh, and please beware of Mike Modano when on the pp on the point. I do not want to seem him going alone on Nabby. He has killed us shorthanded multiple occasions during the regular season.
Things to look for on Dallas
Sergei Zubov
Word on the street is that Sergei is practicing again and is day to day. If he comes back in this series an already lethal Dallas PP (2nd ranked in postseason) will certainly get even better.
Dallas defensemen
The injury to Boucher and Zubov has put the young Dallas defensemen right into the playoff fire. Niskanen, Fistric, and Grossman will have to deal with a much better group of forwards than Anahiem. Look for the Sharks to try to exploit these inexperienced D.
Steve Ott
The Calgary Flames never had an agitator in the truest sense. Fans hated Phanuf, but Dion was a superstar defensemen. An agitator doesn't need to score to get under your skin. Steve Ott fits that description. Think Sean Avery of the NYR. Will the Sharks remained disciplined when Ott tries to goad them into taking penalties? If not, this could be a very short series.
Niklas Hagman
Like Milan Michalek this guy posted goose eggs in the 1st round. Having scored 27 goals in the regular season, if he can't produce and the Sharks remained disciplined, Dallas will have a tough time getting secondary scoring aside from the Modanos, Riberos and Richards.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Cry babies
Lol. That post by John really gave me a good chuckle. Guys do get emotional...just with their sports teams =P
Here are some quotes from this series (I will leave you to guess who actually said them=) Enjoy!
"..is pissed beyond belief"
"The Sharks touched me tonight"
"now is not a good time to talk to me"
"the handshake got me emotional"
"The Sharks and I are not on speaking terms again"
"I'm speechless"
"I'm so ticked"
"I was moved"
Here are some quotes from this series (I will leave you to guess who actually said them=) Enjoy!
"..is pissed beyond belief"
"The Sharks touched me tonight"
"now is not a good time to talk to me"
"the handshake got me emotional"
"The Sharks and I are not on speaking terms again"
"I'm speechless"
"I'm so ticked"
"I was moved"
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
A love affair
My boy JR was benched for game 6 and came through when it mattered the most. I love you JR!!!
You knew the moment and came through.
The great traditional hockey handshake at the end of the series moved me. Owen Nolan, a fierce competitor and the ex Shark who carried/captained this team in the past played his heart out. He would embrace JR and then Nabby for what seemed an eternity. I feel for that man. It's too bad he's not on our side this year and I'm sure Doug Wilson wouldn't have minded having him on the Sharks after his performance this year. That man, like JR was built for the postseason.
What can you say about this team? Their depth of scoring came through. They had plenty of learning experiences this series. Thank you Flames for participating in the Sharks growth. Tip your hat off to Calgary. They were tough as nails, physical, and played in your face hockey. They also scared the crap out of me (and I'm sure a lot of other fans).
Just looking ahead at the remaining teams in the playoffs, with both Calgary and Anahiem eliminated, the Sharks are probably the best forechecking team left. They faced probably the most physical team of the postseason and came through. The critics should be silenced, at least in terms of their grit. The next series, our penalty killing must get better or Dallas will rip us apart. Go get em boys!!!!
Alicia Keys' song "Falling" best summarized the relationship with my Sharks during this 7 game nail biter. =)
I keep on fallin'... in--- love with you
Sometimes I love ya, sometimes you make me blue
Sometimes I feel good, At times I feel used
Lovin' you darlin', makes me so confused
How do you give me so much pleasure,
cause me so much pain,
'Cause when I
think I'm taking
more than would a fool I start
fallin' back in love with you.
You knew the moment and came through.
The great traditional hockey handshake at the end of the series moved me. Owen Nolan, a fierce competitor and the ex Shark who carried/captained this team in the past played his heart out. He would embrace JR and then Nabby for what seemed an eternity. I feel for that man. It's too bad he's not on our side this year and I'm sure Doug Wilson wouldn't have minded having him on the Sharks after his performance this year. That man, like JR was built for the postseason.
What can you say about this team? Their depth of scoring came through. They had plenty of learning experiences this series. Thank you Flames for participating in the Sharks growth. Tip your hat off to Calgary. They were tough as nails, physical, and played in your face hockey. They also scared the crap out of me (and I'm sure a lot of other fans).
Just looking ahead at the remaining teams in the playoffs, with both Calgary and Anahiem eliminated, the Sharks are probably the best forechecking team left. They faced probably the most physical team of the postseason and came through. The critics should be silenced, at least in terms of their grit. The next series, our penalty killing must get better or Dallas will rip us apart. Go get em boys!!!!
Alicia Keys' song "Falling" best summarized the relationship with my Sharks during this 7 game nail biter. =)
I keep on fallin'... in--- love with you
Sometimes I love ya, sometimes you make me blue
Sometimes I feel good, At times I feel used
Lovin' you darlin', makes me so confused
How do you give me so much pleasure,
cause me so much pain,
'Cause when I
think I'm taking
more than would a fool I start
fallin' back in love with you.
Guys are Emotional
Im still getting over the game, so Im not going to post anything about it tonight...maybe tomorrow. but AMAZING!!!
But here's a conversation that Chris and I had tonight...
Jonathan:
WOW
hhahaah
im so drinaed
in the middle of the 3rd
i just sat in my seat
not doing anything
cause ting and i got so into it in the first 2 periods
but omg
what a GREAT game
im so proud of them
i almost started crying
hahaha
Chris:
haha
when??
Jonathan:
after the 5th goal
Chris:
hahaha
Jonathan:
tears of joy that is :)
Chris:
nice
Jonathan:
JR
what a game
what a class act
and nolan
i love that guy
Chris:
yeah
the handshaking got me pretty emotional
haha
at the end
Jonathan:
i know
me too
Chris:
nolan giving nabby and JR hugs
Jonathan:
HAHAHA
yeaaaah
Chris:
man, we are girls
GO SHARKS!!! BRING ON DALLAS!!!
But here's a conversation that Chris and I had tonight...
Jonathan:
WOW
hhahaah
im so drinaed
in the middle of the 3rd
i just sat in my seat
not doing anything
cause ting and i got so into it in the first 2 periods
but omg
what a GREAT game
im so proud of them
i almost started crying
hahaha
Chris:
haha
when??
Jonathan:
after the 5th goal
Chris:
hahaha
Jonathan:
tears of joy that is :)
Chris:
nice
Jonathan:
JR
what a game
what a class act
and nolan
i love that guy
Chris:
yeah
the handshaking got me pretty emotional
haha
at the end
Jonathan:
i know
me too
Chris:
nolan giving nabby and JR hugs
Jonathan:
HAHAHA
yeaaaah
Chris:
man, we are girls
GO SHARKS!!! BRING ON DALLAS!!!
Bye Bye Flames... Hello Stars
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to go to today's game or watch it on TV. So... I will leave the in-depth analysis for those that watched.
I just wanted to be the first one on here to say congrats to the Sharks on moving to round 2 and congrats to the fans for surviving round 1.
Be prepared for many more near-heart attacks. Good ones of course. *wink*
I just wanted to be the first one on here to say congrats to the Sharks on moving to round 2 and congrats to the fans for surviving round 1.
Be prepared for many more near-heart attacks. Good ones of course. *wink*
Monday, April 21, 2008
Play or Die Hard
No matter what the result tomorrow, we (John and I are going to game 7) are going to be part of history. If the Sharks lose, the makeup of this franchise will be shaken. This maybe the end of the Joe and Patty Era. It's a shame because Marleau has been tremendous, but this is a results business. Ron and even Doug maybe gone. Players will be dealt, traded, or signed.
On the flip side, if Sharks win, they can take plenty of learning experience to the further rounds and will be better off due this Calgary's series.
First ever game 7 in Stanely Cup playoffs in San Jose, CA. 83 percent of home teams have won game 7's.
Keys to tomorrow's game.
Get a quick start and the first goal. Our 1st periods have been atrocious. A bad start in this game will be a disaster.
Play hard for 60 minutes.
Get key saves from Nabby. (He let in a few soft goals these last 2 games)
On the flip side, if Sharks win, they can take plenty of learning experience to the further rounds and will be better off due this Calgary's series.
First ever game 7 in Stanely Cup playoffs in San Jose, CA. 83 percent of home teams have won game 7's.
Keys to tomorrow's game.
Get a quick start and the first goal. Our 1st periods have been atrocious. A bad start in this game will be a disaster.
Play hard for 60 minutes.
Get key saves from Nabby. (He let in a few soft goals these last 2 games)
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Friday, April 18, 2008
Phase 3
The Sharks have been tested twice this series. Game 2 was a test to see if they could bounce back. Game 4 was a test to save the season and the future makeup of the franchise. And now we move on to game 6 and critical test #3. Nobody wants to see a game 7 because anything can happen. Can our team smell blood?
Just how important was last night's win? According to Randy Hahn, 22 out of 25 teams that won Game 5, went on to win the series.
Just how important was last night's win? According to Randy Hahn, 22 out of 25 teams that won Game 5, went on to win the series.
Depth
As Grace pointed out, the Sharks depth of scoring finally came through last night. Calgary is essentially led by two or three guys on offense. If they dont get secondary scoring from Tanguay, Huselius (Useless) or other sources, this series will conclude on Sunday.
How sweet is it for Patty to come through with that goal last night? His quick release and accurate shot was a thing of beauty. I've gotta try that @ the rink sometime.
How sweet is it for Patty to come through with that goal last night? His quick release and accurate shot was a thing of beauty. I've gotta try that @ the rink sometime.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Statistics
Before I get into this, I will prelude with - due to lack of time (writing this at work) and overall laziness in wanting to go too deep, I have decided to do a quick 'analysis' based on some stats. I am very aware (and had made the conscious decision) that I did not explore every possible variable. This is just a quick and dirty analysis... just don't show this to my old stats professors, they may yell at me. =)
I was looking at our player stats this morning, and compared them with the rest of the league. Here are some things I took note of:
TOTAL POINTS
Team
7: Clowe
5: Thornton
4: Marleau, Pavelski
League
8: Crosby (PIT)
7: Clowe (SJS), Malkin (PIT), Ribeiro (DAL)
GOALS
Team
4: Clowe
1: Pavelski, Marleau, Cheechoo, Thornton, Murray, Mitchell
League
4: Clowe (SJS), Brier (PHI), Koivu (MIN)
3: Datsyuk (DET), Elias (NJD), Morrow (DAL), Phaneuf (CGY), Green (WSH), Avery (NYR), Sykora (PIT)
ASSISTS
Team
4: Thornton
3: Marleau, Clowe, Pavelski
League
6: Crosby (PIT), Ribeiro (DAL)
5: Malkin (PIT)
4: Prospal (PHI), Gomez (NYR), Iginla (CGY), Thornton (SJS), Jagr (NYR), Hossa (PIT), Robidas (DAL)
POWER PLAY GOALS
Team
2: Clowe
1: Mitchell
League
3: Morrow (DAL)
2: Green (WSH), Pronger (ANA), Elias (NJD), Hejduk (COL), Clowe (SJS), Lehtinen (DAL), Briere (PHI)
Naturally, no one's surprised to see Joe leading the team in assists, but who would've thought a month ago that Clowe would represent the Sharks (within the team and in the league) in points, goals and power play goals? However, we can't solely depend on the consistency of Clowe to carry us to the finals. If you look closely at the league stats, several teams have multiple players appearing high up in the stats lists. I'd like to see that happen for the Sharks within the next few games.
Now I know you're probably thinking: even though our top scorers haven't scored much, they've still been contributing a lot to the game (hitting, shots, etc.). Don't get me wrong, I think it's great and extremely important that those responsibilities have been picked up by more players. I would just like to see the same thing (eventually) happen in the area of scoring.
An additional thought, we really need to step it up in the area of special teams. Both our power plays and penalty kills have been on the lower end:
POWER PLAY
Series
23.1%: Calgary
14.3%: San Jose
League
40.0%: Dallas
26.1%: Pittsburgh
23.1%: Anaheim, Calgary
PENALTY KILL
Series
85.7%: Calgary
76.9%: San Jose
League
94.1%: Montreal
92.3%: Pittsburgh
90.5%: Boston
88.2%: Detroit, Colorado
I was looking at our player stats this morning, and compared them with the rest of the league. Here are some things I took note of:
TOTAL POINTS
Team
7: Clowe
5: Thornton
4: Marleau, Pavelski
League
8: Crosby (PIT)
7: Clowe (SJS), Malkin (PIT), Ribeiro (DAL)
GOALS
Team
4: Clowe
1: Pavelski, Marleau, Cheechoo, Thornton, Murray, Mitchell
League
4: Clowe (SJS), Brier (PHI), Koivu (MIN)
3: Datsyuk (DET), Elias (NJD), Morrow (DAL), Phaneuf (CGY), Green (WSH), Avery (NYR), Sykora (PIT)
ASSISTS
Team
4: Thornton
3: Marleau, Clowe, Pavelski
League
6: Crosby (PIT), Ribeiro (DAL)
5: Malkin (PIT)
4: Prospal (PHI), Gomez (NYR), Iginla (CGY), Thornton (SJS), Jagr (NYR), Hossa (PIT), Robidas (DAL)
POWER PLAY GOALS
Team
2: Clowe
1: Mitchell
League
3: Morrow (DAL)
2: Green (WSH), Pronger (ANA), Elias (NJD), Hejduk (COL), Clowe (SJS), Lehtinen (DAL), Briere (PHI)
Naturally, no one's surprised to see Joe leading the team in assists, but who would've thought a month ago that Clowe would represent the Sharks (within the team and in the league) in points, goals and power play goals? However, we can't solely depend on the consistency of Clowe to carry us to the finals. If you look closely at the league stats, several teams have multiple players appearing high up in the stats lists. I'd like to see that happen for the Sharks within the next few games.
Now I know you're probably thinking: even though our top scorers haven't scored much, they've still been contributing a lot to the game (hitting, shots, etc.). Don't get me wrong, I think it's great and extremely important that those responsibilities have been picked up by more players. I would just like to see the same thing (eventually) happen in the area of scoring.
An additional thought, we really need to step it up in the area of special teams. Both our power plays and penalty kills have been on the lower end:
POWER PLAY
Series
23.1%: Calgary
14.3%: San Jose
League
40.0%: Dallas
26.1%: Pittsburgh
23.1%: Anaheim, Calgary
PENALTY KILL
Series
85.7%: Calgary
76.9%: San Jose
League
94.1%: Montreal
92.3%: Pittsburgh
90.5%: Boston
88.2%: Detroit, Colorado
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Sean Avery - the punk
This is kind of off-topic, but did you guys see Sean Avery the other night in front of Marty Brodeur??
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Ec_2oKWe2Gw
It resulted in "The Avery Rule"
"An unsportsmanlike conduct minor penalty (Rule 75) will be interpreted and applied, effective immediately, to a situation when an offensive player positions himself facing the opposition goaltender and engages in actions such as waving his arms or stick in front of the goaltender's face, for the purpose of improperly interfering with and/or distracting the goaltender as opposed to positioning himself to try to make a play."
http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/playoffs2008/news/story?id=3346729
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Ec_2oKWe2Gw
It resulted in "The Avery Rule"
"An unsportsmanlike conduct minor penalty (Rule 75) will be interpreted and applied, effective immediately, to a situation when an offensive player positions himself facing the opposition goaltender and engages in actions such as waving his arms or stick in front of the goaltender's face, for the purpose of improperly interfering with and/or distracting the goaltender as opposed to positioning himself to try to make a play."
http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/playoffs2008/news/story?id=3346729
Quote from ESPN
Here's a breakdown of the series by John Buccigross...though I think this was written before Game 4...
"Every time the Sharks suck you in with their promise and potential, they pull what they pulled in Game 3, when they inexplicably lost to Calgary. They simply don't know how to manage a game like that, and frankly, I thought Brian Campbell's effort on the Owen Nolan goal was weak. He should have done everything he could to block that shot. Even though San Jose lost Game 1, I felt good about its chances. The Sharks appeared to be the better team. Then they went out and proved it in Game 2 and early in Game 3. The Stanley Cup playoffs are about hunger and togetherness. That's it! The Sharks need to make that commitment to each other right now. I expect them to bounce back strong, but they need someone with presence to stand up and say, "Don't disappoint me!" Part of being a leader is convincing people that if you let THEM down, they might never talk to you again and might lose all respect for you. Who wanted Steve Yzerman to lose even a little respect for them as a result of not giving everything they had to the cause?"
Thank you Marleau. Thank you.
"Every time the Sharks suck you in with their promise and potential, they pull what they pulled in Game 3, when they inexplicably lost to Calgary. They simply don't know how to manage a game like that, and frankly, I thought Brian Campbell's effort on the Owen Nolan goal was weak. He should have done everything he could to block that shot. Even though San Jose lost Game 1, I felt good about its chances. The Sharks appeared to be the better team. Then they went out and proved it in Game 2 and early in Game 3. The Stanley Cup playoffs are about hunger and togetherness. That's it! The Sharks need to make that commitment to each other right now. I expect them to bounce back strong, but they need someone with presence to stand up and say, "Don't disappoint me!" Part of being a leader is convincing people that if you let THEM down, they might never talk to you again and might lose all respect for you. Who wanted Steve Yzerman to lose even a little respect for them as a result of not giving everything they had to the cause?"
Thank you Marleau. Thank you.
No guts, no glory...and living on a prayer
That was a gutsy effort. For those who watched the game and read the boxscores, one would think the Sharks dominated this game. And they did. Problem is they were down by one goal with 5 minutes left in the (dare I say season?). This victory took everything the Sharks had: Mental toughness, heart, blood, sweat, tears, hard work, guts, guts, guts..... I am so proud of this team. NO matter what happens the rest of the series or season, the Sharks have inspired me tonight. I am touched. With all the history this team had with chokes in the playoffs and the recent loss of game 3, this team passed another critical test. These boys are growing up to become men. Their resiliency was unequivocally displayed tonight before everyone's eyes.
Before the game and during the third period I prayed. I don't think there's any thing wrong with asking God. Nowhere in the Bible says you can't ask. The worst thing that could happen is that he won't give it to you. Anyways, here was my prayer: (he answered part of it)
Before the game and during the third period I prayed. I don't think there's any thing wrong with asking God. Nowhere in the Bible says you can't ask. The worst thing that could happen is that he won't give it to you. Anyways, here was my prayer: (he answered part of it)
Lord,
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Game 4 Recap
I dont recall a more insane ending in a Shark's game. WOW. WHAT A GAME!!!
Mad props to Chris for taking the positive route these past couple days, unlike me :) But yeah, they have been playing really well, just bad breaks here and there, and even though they were down a majority of the game today, they outplayed the Flames most of the game. They just had a couple breaks against them (11 shots against or something), so it was only a matter of time that things started going there way.
Captain Patrick Marleau. I have to admit, I really wanted the Sharks to trade him this season. He was such an under-performer. But wow. I think this is his official breakout series. The turning point in the game was when Mitchell went to the box for an unintentional high stick...and with our best penalty killer in the box, Ron Wilson sent Marleau out. And then there was a play when he forechecked, forced a slight turnover, and he didnt give up. He kept poking and poking at the puck, which turned into a great shorthanded scoring chance. With his play, I think Marleau definitely motivated the Sharks. Oh captain...our captain. He's scoring, passing, playing physical, and just leading by example. What a great series.
Jonathan Cheechoo. Joe Thorton. The great players in any sports come through in the clutch. When the game, the series, the season, people's jobs are on the line, they come through...and boy did Cheech and Joe come through. Wow...im still speechless.
Im still nervous about our defense. Everyone mishandled the puck and couldn't keep the puck in. I have a feeling its going to bite us in the rear in the end...but again, I'll let Ting talk about the D.
But wow. What a game. The Sharks are back in it.
See you at the Tank on Thursday night.
GO SHARKS!!!
Mad props to Chris for taking the positive route these past couple days, unlike me :) But yeah, they have been playing really well, just bad breaks here and there, and even though they were down a majority of the game today, they outplayed the Flames most of the game. They just had a couple breaks against them (11 shots against or something), so it was only a matter of time that things started going there way.
Captain Patrick Marleau. I have to admit, I really wanted the Sharks to trade him this season. He was such an under-performer. But wow. I think this is his official breakout series. The turning point in the game was when Mitchell went to the box for an unintentional high stick...and with our best penalty killer in the box, Ron Wilson sent Marleau out. And then there was a play when he forechecked, forced a slight turnover, and he didnt give up. He kept poking and poking at the puck, which turned into a great shorthanded scoring chance. With his play, I think Marleau definitely motivated the Sharks. Oh captain...our captain. He's scoring, passing, playing physical, and just leading by example. What a great series.
Jonathan Cheechoo. Joe Thorton. The great players in any sports come through in the clutch. When the game, the series, the season, people's jobs are on the line, they come through...and boy did Cheech and Joe come through. Wow...im still speechless.
Im still nervous about our defense. Everyone mishandled the puck and couldn't keep the puck in. I have a feeling its going to bite us in the rear in the end...but again, I'll let Ting talk about the D.
But wow. What a game. The Sharks are back in it.
See you at the Tank on Thursday night.
GO SHARKS!!!
In perspective
As bad and painful this loss was for Sharks fans, there have been far worst chokes in sports history. The Red Sox down 3-0 series comeback against the Yanks has to be most memorable one in recent history and perhaps all. Twice teams have come back 3-0 in NHL series. But the most recent one I recall in a single game in playoff series would have to be the "Stunner at Staples". LA was down 3-0 with 6:07 remaining and stunned the Red Wings to even and eventually win that 1st round series. The Sharks were only up one goal by the end of the second, so the choke doesn't sound all that bad.
Nightmare on Sharks Street
I don't know how many of you guys actually dream about the team, but I did last night. It was weird, I dreamed that we were down 7-0 and trying to mount a comeback. Somehow we made it close but lost eventually. Anyways....
Wow. Nice post Chris. Clearly you are the bright spot on this blog with an optimistic outlook. Thanks for keeping us balanced.
In the past two years the tests have come in the 2nd round. This year the playoff tests have come one round early. The Sharks showed up for game 2 and now need to show up for game 4 once again, or dare I say the season is over. I would also like to add that if we don't get out of the first round, I'm guessing the coaching staff will not be back next year. (I like RW, but this is a results business)
As far as the defensmen are concerned, I think we need one more legitimate puck moving/shooting defensemen. Brian Campbell is not enough. Every top team has at least 2 guys who are top tier defensemen. We all know that half of our D can be caught flat footed.
Quotable Quotes
"It takes men to play this sport, not a bunch of boys," the Sharks goalie said Sunday night. "And we looked like a bunch of boys out there, and they looked like a bunch of men.
(Note to Nabby, While I love this quote and would say it myself, the Sharks do have some boys, Pickles, Carle and Mitchell)
Wow. Nice post Chris. Clearly you are the bright spot on this blog with an optimistic outlook. Thanks for keeping us balanced.
In the past two years the tests have come in the 2nd round. This year the playoff tests have come one round early. The Sharks showed up for game 2 and now need to show up for game 4 once again, or dare I say the season is over. I would also like to add that if we don't get out of the first round, I'm guessing the coaching staff will not be back next year. (I like RW, but this is a results business)
As far as the defensmen are concerned, I think we need one more legitimate puck moving/shooting defensemen. Brian Campbell is not enough. Every top team has at least 2 guys who are top tier defensemen. We all know that half of our D can be caught flat footed.
Quotable Quotes
"It takes men to play this sport, not a bunch of boys," the Sharks goalie said Sunday night. "And we looked like a bunch of boys out there, and they looked like a bunch of men.
(Note to Nabby, While I love this quote and would say it myself, the Sharks do have some boys, Pickles, Carle and Mitchell)
Game 4 - Pregame thoughts
As ugly as Game 3 was, I still think we have a good chance to advance this round. After winning tonight's game (yes, we are winning tonight), it's basically just a best of 3 series with 2 games at home. We have more talent than them - we just need a few breaks and a few calls and we should win it.
The only remarks I'll make about Game 3 are positive. I mentioned it in a comment on one of Jon's earlier posts, but especially after last game, Patrick Marleau has been the Sharks' best player so far this series. Not just because of the statistics he's put up, but because I get a good feeling every time he's on the ice now. That honor used to belong only to Joe Thornton, but now he has company. Patty's been creating plays with his speed, forechecking and pressuring the puck, finishing his checks, and just going all out every shift. And after taking those 2 huge hits in the first period and getting right back into the game, I don't think anyone can question his heart.
Where the heck has our first line been? I understand that teams might pressure or hold you more in the playoffs, but it's not like teams don't try to stop you in the regular season. Aside from a couple plays all series, I haven't noticed our top line at all. Joe hasn't had time and space to get set up like he normally does and therefore Cheech and Milan aren't getting the puck in position to score. The Flames are almost always sending two guys at Joe and their forwards are collapsing towards the goal to take away the quick centering pass from behind the net. I think this line needs to try something different to counter. Either not relying on Joe setting up behind the net, or maybe getting the defensemen involved from the point and getting some people in front of the net. I think Clowe would fit well on this line because he could create a lot of traffic up front.
Aside from our top line problems, I think the rest of our forwards have been playing pretty well. If you add one or two goals per game from our top line, we either win or tie every game. Guys like Grier, JR, Pavelski, Mitchell and gang have been playing hard and doing what they're supposed to do.
Now the defense is another topic, but I think Ting has a special place in his heart for D-men, so I'll leave that post to him...
The only remarks I'll make about Game 3 are positive. I mentioned it in a comment on one of Jon's earlier posts, but especially after last game, Patrick Marleau has been the Sharks' best player so far this series. Not just because of the statistics he's put up, but because I get a good feeling every time he's on the ice now. That honor used to belong only to Joe Thornton, but now he has company. Patty's been creating plays with his speed, forechecking and pressuring the puck, finishing his checks, and just going all out every shift. And after taking those 2 huge hits in the first period and getting right back into the game, I don't think anyone can question his heart.
Where the heck has our first line been? I understand that teams might pressure or hold you more in the playoffs, but it's not like teams don't try to stop you in the regular season. Aside from a couple plays all series, I haven't noticed our top line at all. Joe hasn't had time and space to get set up like he normally does and therefore Cheech and Milan aren't getting the puck in position to score. The Flames are almost always sending two guys at Joe and their forwards are collapsing towards the goal to take away the quick centering pass from behind the net. I think this line needs to try something different to counter. Either not relying on Joe setting up behind the net, or maybe getting the defensemen involved from the point and getting some people in front of the net. I think Clowe would fit well on this line because he could create a lot of traffic up front.
Aside from our top line problems, I think the rest of our forwards have been playing pretty well. If you add one or two goals per game from our top line, we either win or tie every game. Guys like Grier, JR, Pavelski, Mitchell and gang have been playing hard and doing what they're supposed to do.
Now the defense is another topic, but I think Ting has a special place in his heart for D-men, so I'll leave that post to him...
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Scoring in the postseason
I read an interesting stat a few days ago that the Sharks have the lowest goal differential compared to any of the past Stanley Cup winners. The bright side is that the Sharks can win close games, the bad is that they have a hard time putting opponents away.
Speaking of scoring, Ryan Clowe and his 6-2 225 Ibs body has been doing the job by going to the front of the net. The same cannot be said for Jonathan Cheechoo or Milan Michalek who have been absent in the scoring department the first two games. While Clowe, Pavs, and Patty's line have been clicking, the #1 line needs to step it up for the Sharks to be successful. The double teaming of Thornton means that Cheech and Milan need to find the open space or create space for themselves (in Milan's case with his speed).
Speaking of scoring, Ryan Clowe and his 6-2 225 Ibs body has been doing the job by going to the front of the net. The same cannot be said for Jonathan Cheechoo or Milan Michalek who have been absent in the scoring department the first two games. While Clowe, Pavs, and Patty's line have been clicking, the #1 line needs to step it up for the Sharks to be successful. The double teaming of Thornton means that Cheech and Milan need to find the open space or create space for themselves (in Milan's case with his speed).
Media in Calgary
If you want to read what the media is saying up in Calgary, here's a link to the front page of the Calgary Herald's coverage of the playoffs.
Calgary Herald
Supposedly the Flames are still ticked off about the officiating from game 2.
Flames still burn over officiating
Calgary Herald
Supposedly the Flames are still ticked off about the officiating from game 2.
Flames still burn over officiating
Friday, April 11, 2008
Game 2
Nabokov's performance tonight is the kind of play that is needed to win the Cup. While his 3rd period save on Nolan was jaw dropping, his two key saves (a backdoor play and another a 2 on 1 ) in the first period kept the Sharks in it. I had expected the Sharks to come out with some fire after game 1, but they still looked shaky being outshot and outplayed in the first few minutes.
I know a certain contributor on this site loves to rip 'his boy', but the Sharks really are missing Christian Ehrhoff. While renown for his inability to hit the net consistently, he has improved tremendously this year (along with Murray) especially in his own zone. Next to Campbell, he is one of the better skaters on the Sharks blueline. Ehrhoff has that ability to skate it out of his own zone when all the passing lanes are covered.
In the meantime, my 'boy' Kyle Mac was more physical and played better-albeit his patented hip check didn't stop anyone tonight. Matt Carle is an upgrade from Semenov and made a great play to swat the puck away from Nolan to prevent a breakaway. Of course, that was followed by a boneheaded pass to nobody on the point. The Sharks D still makes me cringe as they can be caught flat footed and make very poor break out passes.
Sunday's game against Calgary should be fun at the Saddledome. The best road team in the NHL should be focused and ready to go. No more first game jitters. This series is on.
(*We would like to thank the Golden State Warriors for participating in the 2007-2008 regular season. Warrior fans may commiserate at their local sports bars and pick up souvenirs
at the gift shops. Fans interested in following a real team with any potential, should switch over to the men on ice.)
I know a certain contributor on this site loves to rip 'his boy', but the Sharks really are missing Christian Ehrhoff. While renown for his inability to hit the net consistently, he has improved tremendously this year (along with Murray) especially in his own zone. Next to Campbell, he is one of the better skaters on the Sharks blueline. Ehrhoff has that ability to skate it out of his own zone when all the passing lanes are covered.
In the meantime, my 'boy' Kyle Mac was more physical and played better-albeit his patented hip check didn't stop anyone tonight. Matt Carle is an upgrade from Semenov and made a great play to swat the puck away from Nolan to prevent a breakaway. Of course, that was followed by a boneheaded pass to nobody on the point. The Sharks D still makes me cringe as they can be caught flat footed and make very poor break out passes.
Sunday's game against Calgary should be fun at the Saddledome. The best road team in the NHL should be focused and ready to go. No more first game jitters. This series is on.
(*We would like to thank the Golden State Warriors for participating in the 2007-2008 regular season. Warrior fans may commiserate at their local sports bars and pick up souvenirs
at the gift shops. Fans interested in following a real team with any potential, should switch over to the men on ice.)
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Round 1 Game 2
the game was all about Nabby. He kept us in the entire game. He has one of the quickest gloves in the league, as can be seen when he robbed Owen Nolan point blank with 5 minutes remaining to preserve a 2 goal lead.
If we're going to win the cup, I saw we should just give him the Conn Smthe Trophy right now. He played amazingly.
Chris was kind of right...for some reason, the fans didn't seem that into it this game. Granted the arena was really loud at the player introductions and at the end when we gave Nabby a standing ovation...but other than that, it was really quiet, and really disappointing.
maybe the fans are pretty tentative too?
our big guns (thorton, marleau, and cheechoo) havent been producing these past two games, but its good that other players are stepping up. hopeflly they'll show up when we absoutely need them most.
If we're going to win the cup, I saw we should just give him the Conn Smthe Trophy right now. He played amazingly.
Chris was kind of right...for some reason, the fans didn't seem that into it this game. Granted the arena was really loud at the player introductions and at the end when we gave Nabby a standing ovation...but other than that, it was really quiet, and really disappointing.
maybe the fans are pretty tentative too?
our big guns (thorton, marleau, and cheechoo) havent been producing these past two games, but its good that other players are stepping up. hopeflly they'll show up when we absoutely need them most.
Comedy Cast
For those of you interested. Here's a link to a more heated "discussion" of what happened with Comcast last night. http://www.mercextra.com/blogs/buzz/2008/04/10/sharks-comcast-solve-tv-problem-tonight-maybe-at-giants-expense/
And here's my favorite comment from a fan by Tadpole
"So…I see everyone upset at Comcast Sport Net. Good. I gave DishNetwork a call when I could not get to the game…and gave them an earful too. Their comment to me was that Comcast had done a blackout of a home game. The lady I talked to said, “What sport is that, sir?” and I said, “Your daddy didn’t raise you right, did he?” I asked for the supervisor. I gave him an earful. He said he was a Pittsburgh Penguins fan. I said that explained it then. The game came on after a while. What a bone-headed play on their part."
WOW. "Your daddy didn't raise you right"...ROFL
And here's my favorite comment from a fan by Tadpole
"So…I see everyone upset at Comcast Sport Net. Good. I gave DishNetwork a call when I could not get to the game…and gave them an earful too. Their comment to me was that Comcast had done a blackout of a home game. The lady I talked to said, “What sport is that, sir?” and I said, “Your daddy didn’t raise you right, did he?” I asked for the supervisor. I gave him an earful. He said he was a Pittsburgh Penguins fan. I said that explained it then. The game came on after a while. What a bone-headed play on their part."
WOW. "Your daddy didn't raise you right"...ROFL
A look back @ Game 1 and Thoughts for tonights Game
The Sharks best players (Joe, Brian, and Nabby) were out played by Calgary's best players (Jarome, Dion, and Mikka) . That's as simple as I could put it. Unfortunately, I can't give much assessment/analysis due to Crapcast's showing of the Oakland A's and the Toronto BlueJays game instead of the opening minutes of the Sharks game. Missing the first 3 goals is not what anyone expected. And believe me, I "expressed myself" to Comcast via email after that blunder.
As far as the playoffs are concerned, I still believe our potential achillies heal will be our D Corp. Big Mac came back from knee surgery so that would explain some why he is slow. That still doesn't excuse his terrible passing. He and the rest of the D, as Drew pointed out last night need to make quicker passes and better decisions with the puck.
Tonight should be the first real test for the Sharks in overcoming adversity in the playoffs. Being down 2-0 is not the end of the world, but it would be a lot harder hill to climb. Every team that has won the Cup has endured through adversity (Whether down in the game or down in the series, teams had to fight back). Can this team, that is so used to playing with the lead, fight back? Part of the answer will come tonight.
Go Sharks!!!
As far as the playoffs are concerned, I still believe our potential achillies heal will be our D Corp. Big Mac came back from knee surgery so that would explain some why he is slow. That still doesn't excuse his terrible passing. He and the rest of the D, as Drew pointed out last night need to make quicker passes and better decisions with the puck.
Tonight should be the first real test for the Sharks in overcoming adversity in the playoffs. Being down 2-0 is not the end of the world, but it would be a lot harder hill to climb. Every team that has won the Cup has endured through adversity (Whether down in the game or down in the series, teams had to fight back). Can this team, that is so used to playing with the lead, fight back? Part of the answer will come tonight.
Go Sharks!!!
Round 1, Game 2 Preview
From Mark Purdy, San Jose Mercury News
"Opportunism: The Sharks should be glad that the second game in the series is tonight, if only to quickly demonstrate that they believe what they were saying after Wednesday's result. That this was only one game and the next one can be different with some adjustments.
Correct enough. Still, one game is hardly meaningless. The numbers show that since 1919 in the NHL, the team that wins Game 1 of a best-of-seven series has advanced 69 percent of the time. But the team that wins both Game 1 and Game 2 has advanced 87 percent of the time.
The obvious advice for our beloved Los Tiburones this evening: Don't put yourself on the wrong side of that 87 percent."
man. i feel our dreams of bringing home the cup all depends on the outcome of tonight's game.
Playoff Intensity
Players - Even though the Sharks were credited with more hits (41-36), I felt like they lacked the intensity needed to win a playoff series. The Flames seemed to come out flying and threw their weight around in the first few minutes, contributing to an early 2-0 lead. It's inexcusable that a team comes out flat in the opening game of the playoffs. The Flames also seemed to work harder to get to pucks and to win battles along the boards. Maybe it has to do with the coaching. "Iron" Mike Keenan is known as a motivator and got his team ready to play, but I can't imagine Ron Wilson yelling and getting his team jacked up before the game.
Fans - Was it just me or was it not very loud in the building? I remember playoff games being so much louder than regular season games. Yesterday, the playoff atmosphere was almost non-existent. Maybe it was because the Flames took the fans out of the game early or maybe there are just too many corporate/bandwagon fans. In any case, I expect the fans at the Tank to step it up a notch.. and so does Barry Melrose.
"5. Which arena will have the most electricity in the first round?
Melrose: The Shark Tank. It's the loudest building in the NHL. All of the first-round arenas will be great; Washington will be unbelievable. But with all of the optimism and the team's strong finish to the regular season, San Jose will be rockin'." (ESPN.com)
Fans - Was it just me or was it not very loud in the building? I remember playoff games being so much louder than regular season games. Yesterday, the playoff atmosphere was almost non-existent. Maybe it was because the Flames took the fans out of the game early or maybe there are just too many corporate/bandwagon fans. In any case, I expect the fans at the Tank to step it up a notch.. and so does Barry Melrose.
"5. Which arena will have the most electricity in the first round?
Melrose: The Shark Tank. It's the loudest building in the NHL. All of the first-round arenas will be great; Washington will be unbelievable. But with all of the optimism and the team's strong finish to the regular season, San Jose will be rockin'." (ESPN.com)
Round 1, Game 1
The Good: Clowe, 39 SOG
The Bad: 4 & 21
The Ugly: 2 Flames goals in the first 5 minutes, 17 seconds
The Funny: Sitting in section 220 with big, loud men... my dad screaming just as loud as them... in Chinese
Moral: " Opportunism: The Sharks have a chance to do much better tonight. They'd best seize it." - Mark Purdy, SJ Mercury News
The Bad: 4 & 21
The Ugly: 2 Flames goals in the first 5 minutes, 17 seconds
The Funny: Sitting in section 220 with big, loud men... my dad screaming just as loud as them... in Chinese
Moral: " Opportunism: The Sharks have a chance to do much better tonight. They'd best seize it." - Mark Purdy, SJ Mercury News
Intro
So my idea is to have a central place where we can post ideas, thoughts, game recaps, articles, etc...
place where we can gripe and etc :)
place where we can gripe and etc :)
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