Bring Back Zeiler

Derek Armstrong- 11:21 TOI, 0 G, 0 A, -3, 0 SOG, 0 PIM

Brian Boyle- 11:19 TOI, 0 G, 0 A, -3, 0 SOG, 4 PIM

Raitis Ivanans- 9:59 TOI, 0 g, 0 A, -2, 0 SOG, 8 PIM



I'm not even mad, I'm impressed.

Kings Gameday: 20 Games In

LA Kings @ Calgary Flames (11-9-1)

6:30 PST, RSW (Regehr Sucks Wang?)

Record: 8-8-3 (49 Goals For, 49 Goals Against)

Special Teams: 16.7 PP% (19th), 84.1 PK% (10th)

Top Scorer: Anze Kopitar, 15 points

Best Forward: Dustin Brown?

Best Defenseman: Drew Doughty

Biggest Surprise: Drew Doughty/Erik Ersberg

Biggest Disappointment: Anze Kopitar

(It's only 19 games in, but tomorrow's Lubo Day so I'm doing this now.)


All coaches search for a balance between top-line talent and depth with their forward lines. At the beginning of the season, the Kings were running 3 lines that were of relatively equal strength, with Brownitar on the top line, Frolov/Handzus on line 2, and O'Sullivan/Stoll on the 3rd. These lines helped spread out the Kings' talent but probably did so a little too much and the Kings had trouble hanging with the top-level talent on other teams. Then Terry Murray apparently had a stroke and screwed with the lines for about 4 or 5 games, banishing O'Sullivan to the 4th line while promoting Kyle Calder to the top line. This gave the Kings the worst of both worlds: it hampered their top players while also neutering their depth.* Finally, the Kings moved Patrick O'Sullivan up with Brownitar to form the fearsome Maxi-PAD Line; since their reuniting, the three sleepy musketeers have tallied 7 points in 2 games. (Is that a lot? I don't know.)

*Of course, the Kings won a bunch of games while this was going on. Hockey is weird.

The reuniting of the Maxi-PAD solves one problem (it forms a top line that instills fear into the hearts of Los Angeles' opponents), but it also creates a depth issue that the Kings are ill-equipped to handle right now. Murray has apparently solved this problem by creating two dynamic scoring lines, a pretty good defensive line, and then (sound of toilet flushing here). Alex Frolov, Jarret Stoll and Oscar Moller have generally been getting assigned the other team's top scoring line and have been doing an admirable job of keeping them off the score sheet. Jarret Stoll should have about 15 goals by now but should start rounding into shape as he and Frolov build some chemistry. Michal Handzus has done a pretty great job of shutting down whatever line Murray sees fit to line him up against, but he desperately needs speed on his wings and Kyle Calder isn't cutting it. Wayne Simmonds looks good in spurts but I still think he could use a little time in the minors. 2 points in 20 games isn't good for him. Basically, the Kings are trying to create a overall mismatch with their top line; stop the other team's top offensive line with their 2nd line; and then prevent any line mismatch with their secondary stopper line. So far, so good.

The bottom line has been the source of much of my ire, and I really think the Kings are missing an opportunity to pile up cheap goals. As it stands now, the Kings' 4th line is pretty much worthless because there's no real reason to put them out on the ice. They aren't going to score, they're not going to control possession and wear down the opposition; the only thing they're going to do is take a penalty. The Kings would be wise to use someone with a modicum of offensive talent and get them involved in the game instead of using John Fucking Zeiler.* A line like Armstrong-Boyle-Richardson would actually help the Kings win a game, which is much more than I can say for Ivanans and Zeiler.

*If you buy into the premise that Ivanans prevents injuries to Kings' players, don't you have to believe that Zeiler is likely to get a King injured because he pisses off the other team and causes them to seek retribution? I don't get why that's not the case.

Overall, the Kings seem to have adapted into a system that relies heavily on their top two lines, both offensively and defensively. This has worked pretty well the past few games, although it remains to be seen how well Michal Handzus can be worked into the game without quality linemates. I keep expecting the Kings to start scoring goals any time now, but we're 20 games in and they haven't really shown signs that they're going to break out. Hopefully it comes soon, because I'd rather hit myself in the head with a hammer than root for the Blue Jackets.

***

Defensively, the Kings have been outstanding so far this season. I know, right? Strange. Even crazier: Drew Doughty is leading the team in ice time per game and is third (behind Kopitar and Brown) in power play time per game. The 18 year-old wunderkind is insanely poised for being so young; he looks like he's playing the game at a slower speed than everyone else. He's 5th among defenseman in penalty kill time per game, but that's more because he needs to get rest some time than because he's not good at it. The Kings' 2nd best defenseman? Kyle Quincey, who was waived by the Red Wings earlier in the season and is now leading all Kings' defenseman in points. Third best? Why, that'd be Sean O'Donnell, the wizened greybeard that was forced out of Anaheim due to cap constraints. He's leading Kings' defenseman in both even strength and penalty kill minutes, all while schooling Doughty in the finer aspects of the game. Plus, he kind of looks like Hellboy, so that's cool. 4th best is Matt Greene, who was acquired this last off-season along with Jarret Stoll for Lubomir Visnovsky. Basically, Dean Lombardi rebuilt the entire defense this off-season with one high-profile draft pick and a series of castoffs and renegades. The Kings' blueline looks like the offensive line from The Replacements; no word on whether Denis Gauthier eats a bucket full of eggs before every game. (Although his play makes me feel like I have! Oh snap!)

***

The first 10 games of the season, Jason Labarbera posted a 3.01 GAA and a .884 SV%. The problem wasn't that he was bad in every game, it was that he had a handful of stinkers that crippled the Kings. Since then, Erik Ersberg has started every game and has posted an admirable 2.05 GAA and a .907 SV%. His stats are inflated by the Kings' incredible shot prevention so far this season, kind of like Nabokov's last year, but the point is that Ersberg has been consistent. The Kings know what to expect from Ersberg and thus don't have to overcompensate. His lowest individual save percentage has been .867 and his highest has been .963; everything else has been in the low .900's. Compare that to Labarbera, who had a shutout but also had games like this and this, and you can see why the Kings have stuck with their little cherubic Swede. Of course, teams may start saying, "Hey, why don't we shoot high?" and then Ersberg is doomed, but I'll ride this little wave while it lasts.

Overall, the Kings have been... pretty good. They're limiting shots from their opponents and seem to be building an identity around tough team defense. While I would like them to score more, the reality of the Kings' roster situation makes it hard for them to bring up additional help. If the biggest complaint I can muster is that I'd like to see Brad Richardson play more, than I guess they're doing OK. Now they need to build on their relative success so far this season and make a push towards respectability.

***

Last season the Calgary Flames were the first team to exploit the defensive liabilites of the Maxi-PAD line by teaming up Craig Conroy (who shadowed Kopitar) and Jarome Iginla, who neutralized the Kings' best line by keeping the puck in LA's zone. The game's in Calgary today and the Flames will have the last change, so I expect that strategy to continue. However, that line is much improved defensively and Dustin Brown has actually been shouldering more responsibility carrying the puck, so we'll see how that little strategy looks this time around.

Anyone want to see a Boyle/Phaneuf scrap tonight?

Prediction: Kings win, 4-3. Goals by Moller, Doughty, Calder and... O'Donnell??? Sure why not.

How Do You Deal With a Missed Game?

I missed the Kings game last night. Apparently, I should be thanking my lucky stars. Some people avoid the score when they miss a game until they get home, so they can watch the whole thing with fresh eyes and experience the highs and lows of the game. I can't do that. One, I have an impulsive need to know the score; it consumes me and it's all I can think about. Two, avoiding the game means I can't watch SportsCenter, or go here or Inside the Kings, and I can't really avoid doing that for any length of time without losing my mind. So I usually find out the score from my brother or online. Then I'll watch the Yahoo! highlights when they come up, check out the boxscore and the shift charts, and wait for the game to come available on NHL Gamecenter. I still watch the game; it's actually kind of a unique experience because you already know the score so your mind is relaxed and you can focus on the little parts of the game. Then I get pissed because the Kings get outplayed by the opposing goaltender and Drew Doughty slips and misses his coverage, leaving Daymond Langkow wide open in front of the net.

So how do you guys deal when you miss a game? Avoid it and watch it live? Find out the score and move on? Share in the comments.

TSN is Humorous

Well, he did get in one tussle last season... although he ended up getting hurt in that fight and missed a month.

Sharks-Flames Game 7 photos

Here are a few photos from the Sharks 5-3 win over the Calgary Flames in game 7 for Battle of California, a few more are up here.

First photo is fourth line center Marcel Goc skating out of the Sharks head pre-game. It was his first start of the series, and he played very well. 4-for-5 on faceoffs, 7:04 of ice time, head coach Ron Wilson complimented the line after the game for bringing much needed energy on several shifts. Second photo Nabokov, Flames only put 22 shots on goal in game 7. Third photo is Jeremy Roenick's power play goal. He followed his initial shot and then hammered home a rebound up high on a sharp angle. Fourth photo, not very sharp but noticed that every player was using the same stick. Fifth photo you can see Joe Thornton celebrating his first period goal. In the front row is local radio host Ralph Barbieri celebrating with his Shark-hat wearing son.

Time to Exhale

That was the sentiment of 17,496 fans as the final seconds ticked down last night. Mike has done a good job of describing the scene on the ice so I will concentrate on everything else. I can't imagine how the players were feeling before game 7 as I was nervous, anxious, and full of anxiety. The national anthems were played instrumental and during the Star Spangled Banner the crowd spontaneously started singing out loud. There were several rows of Calgary fans scattered throughout the arena. From my vantage point, they were respectful and took all the shit that drunk bandwagon Sharks fans threw at them. As much as I appreciate all the support from around the city, but "where are you guys during the season?" but that is a rant that I have been on before. Some couple in front of me even had the gall to yell to their friends that they will meet up after the 1st quarter..are you F'ing kidding me. But I digress.

My first game 7 experience was exhilerating and the walk back to the car is always a blast with cars honking, people yelling and towels waving. Usually I have to temper my excitement by saying under my breath "this is only the 1st round people" but even I gave into the excitement and joined the mob mentality. I even went home and watched the game again to see if I missed anything. Nolan: you kicked that goal in you bastard.

Bring on Dallas...the fun continues Friday

This is not gloating (except to Cory Sarich)

I'll put up a Sharks/Stars preview in the coming days, and my only real analysis for what happened in Game 7 is that the Sharks actually came to play. What I mean by that is:

-Evgeni Nabokov was huge when he needed to be.
-In general, the defense contained Calgary well.
-Joe Thornton looked more like his usual self, controlling the boards and the puck with his usual confidence.
-Patrick Marleau, though scoreless, worked harder than I think I've ever seen him, causing a few great scoring chances with his speed, killing penalties, and killing time off the clock with work down in Calgary's zone that frankly I never thought I'd see from the guy. One Calgary reporter said that Patty only had one good game, but I disagree; other than Game 6, which was awful in every facet, I couldn't question Patty's effort or intensity the entire series. Had he had some bounces go his way (see below for more on bounces), he could have easily had another 3 or 4 points this series.
-Brian Campbell, while still not looking great, had one awesome shift where he guarded Jarome Iginla almost like a basketball play. For that play, Iginla's back was mostly to Campbell as Soupy basically boxed him out and forced Iginla to back up.
-Jeremy Roenick. 'Nuff said from this JR fanboy.
-Great efforts by young guys like Joe Pavelski and Devin Setoguchi, both creating plays and working hard on the forecheck.
-Hell, even Milan Michalek looked like he woke up and actually used his speed.

I don't know if it was mentioned on the TV broadcast, but from where I was sitting, it looked like Jonathan Cheechoo wasn't on the bench for the last 10 minutes of the period. I'm guessing that he might have gone in for some minor repairs and Ron Wilson was playing it safe since his team was rolling by that time. Hopefully, he'll be 100% come Friday.

Cheechew told me he thinks the problem with Brian Campbell may be a wrist injury. He suggests this only after noticing that Campbell protected one arm during a goal celebration. If that's true, that explains a ton.

As for the Flames, I am absolutely relieved that I won't have to see Dion Phaneuf or Jarome Iginla until next season. With those two guys going apeshit every shift, I can't imagine how scary Calgary would be if their defense and secondary scoring actually woke up.

Now, I know when you lose an emotional series, there's usually some denial and whining going on. Here's a great stupid quote from one Cory Sarich:

"The third one goes right to Roenick, where no one even has a chance to put a stick on him. It's frustrating when you think you're doing a good job and you end up with a couple going in your net on, I won't say . . . yes, I will say it -- questionable bounces."

Ok, now I've heard of questionable calls by the officials and questionable plays made by players who weren't thinking straight, but I've never heard of anyone complaining about questionable bounces. I mean, isn't the whole idea behind a bounce in sports is that they're unpredictable and can go other way? Like if a puck goes in off Jarome Iginla's leg (as it has during this series) or if the puck lands by Jeremy Roenick? That's just sports. It's not affected by anyone's judgment, be it the official or someone on the ice -- it's just the puck hitting something and landing in a certain place, whether good or bad for your team.

Mr. Sarich, I leave you with a little nugget of wisdom from Carl Jung: There's no such thing as luck, only what you make. I suggest you think about that while you're checking out the golf course.

Sharks Gameday: Do or Do Not

It's Game 7, and really, what else is there that's left to say? I think every angle's already been covered. There's the good (Ryane Clowe, Patrick Marleau, Evgeni Nabokov), the bad (Brian Campbell, Milan Michalek), and the putrid (Game 6). In between, you've got hit-and-miss performances from Joe Thornton and Jonathan Cheechoo, as well as the entire Sharks defense.

The funny thing about Game 7s is that one team can completely dominate but a single bounce can do them in. You can look at percentages and trends and hot streaks and all that other stuff, but it really won't amount to much. Anyone remember Colorado and Patrick Roy imploding against Detroit a few years ago?

So where do we go from here? Logic tells me that based on the Sharks talent and their ability to bounce back from crap performances so far, they will win. Of course, the problem with this team is that they don't follow patterns and they aren't predictable. I think having Jeremy Roenick back in the lineup (Ron Wilson already said that he was going to play) should help put some spark back in the lineup, but you just never know when the tentative bug could strike.

All I can say is this (in my best Yoda voice): Do...or do not. There is no try.

Go Sharks.

What a Waste of Time

Tonight was the epitome of the Sharks season. The story was there to be written. The Sarich hit on Marleau was to be the turning point of the season. From that point on the Sharks grow up and win the Cup...oops! Coming off their most impressive performance of the post-season, the Sharks looked like they could throw their sticks on the ice and win this in 6. There was no passion and no energy shown. Earlier in the day I was watching the Wings/Preds game 6. The Wings showed what you should do to an inferior opponent. At the end of that game I wondering to myself. "Come on boys, that is how you close someone out." Again, watching the Ducks/Stars I saw the desperation the Stars played with knowing they didn't want to go to a game 7. Instead the Sharks flew to Calgary and played like "well if we win, great, otherwise we have game 7 in our barn." The inconsistency they have shown all season was there again tonight with no passion and energy.

-Campbell is playing like he has 2 broken arms. He was fumbling passes all night long. He was not alone as the Sharks were once again playing hand gernade hockey.

-Michalek has continued his disappearing act. Tonight was the ultimate as he led a 3 on 1 break only to stick handle the puck into the corner. Even Randy and Drew were speechless after that one. It felt like their was 5 mins of dead air after that play.

I am curious to see the stats on scoring chances as we had very few. Same old story, Sharks have more talent, yet their opponents are working harder and it shows.

It will be fun (but nerve racking) on Tuesday to have our first ever home game 7. If you believe in the Big Mo, you have to think Calgary has the advantage. The pressure is on the Sharks as they are the pre-playoffs Cup favorites so the Flames should be loose. They know they can win in the Shark Tank and the Sharks have to play like they did on Thursday.

Will both the Sharks and Ducks lose in the 1st round? What will become of BOC if that would to happen? I hate to find out......

Sharks Gameday: Let's Finish This

I'm not terribly keen about the idea of going to Game 7, not just because that would mean that Calgary would have the opportunity to win the series, but also because of the physical pounding that the Sharks have been taking. For the past few games, they've done a decent job of pushing back, but that doesn't heal hurting bodies; time does, and by winning Game 6, it buys the guys a little more time to heal those bumps and bruises.

There's no status update yet on Kyle McLaren, and really, I don't even know why he's seeing ice time. He's obviously hurt and is a pylon out there, so I don't care what his "veteran presence" means, it's hampering the team. That, and he just kinda sucks now and he's been kinda sucky for more than a season now.

Ron Wilson was explaining his idea about dressing essentially 10 forwards: mix and match combos so that the Flames would always be guessing when Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau would hit the ice -- and whether or not they'd be skating together. I like that idea, but I really don't see the point of intentionally dressing a useless body on the blueline to have an excuse for mixed line combos. I mean, really Ron, you can do that regardless, and McLaren's only a liability out there.

So, if it's up to me, I'd basically alternate my top two lines as:

Cheechoo/Thornton/Marleau
Clowe/Pavelski/Setoguchi

Cheechoo/Thornton/Setoguchi
Clowe/Pavelski/Marleau

I don't really see the point about putting Ryane Clowe on Thornton's line right now. He's working well with Joe Pavelski, and Jonathan Cheechoo's getting hot at the right time . Remember, he's a ridiculously streaky scorer. I know he spent some time with Pavelski last game, I just think his game is better suited for Thornton if they're both on. If Cheech is becoming a viable threat again, maybe that'll get the Calgary D to back off Thornton just a little bit. Devin Setoguchi's got speed and tenacity and that might help create some space too.

Really, though, it feels like the forward group's coming together and I'm not too worried about them. What does scare the crap out of me, though, is this defense. Brian Campbell's taking baby steps to becoming good again, but he still looks like a shell of his regular-season self. There are still too many defensive breakdowns, and it's coming down to the team resigning to the fact that (to quote Dan Patrick) they can't really stop Jarome Iginla or Dion Phaneuf, they can only hope to contain them.

Contain those two, keep the struggling Calgary supporting cast quiet, and have the forwards keep doing what they're doing. Push hard for 60 minutes, combine passion and skill, and we'll be heading to the second round.

I'm cautiously optimistic.

Shark vs Flames, Game 5 photo

Sharks line up for Game 5.

[Update] BOOOOOO! Phaneuf seen as bad boy, but Fleury Public Enemy No. 1 in Silicon Valley - George Johnson for the Calgary Herald.

Sharks Gameday: Don't Blow It Now!

You know, all that good mojo that came out of the way the Sharks won Game 4 (effort, clutch scoring, good defense) will go the way of the dodo if they play like the first few minutes of that game: scattered, unfocused, and stupid. A few days ago, I advocated a sort of goon hockey, but it wasn't necessarily the way the Sharks tried it. I mean, I suggested that Jody Shelley actually try to fight with someone if/when the Flames started pushing around the Sharks key players. Instead, you literally had three guys on the ice trying to hit Jarome Iginla at the blueline (and missing), resulting in a whole buttload of missed coverage and a sloppy first goal against.

Let's not do that again tonight, ok?

Still, I consider last game an example of how effort, skill, and smarts can come together with a little bit of luck for a good result. If I was in the locker room, this is what I'd emphasize going into tonight's game:

-Once again, we've seen how Miikka Kiprusoff can be beat by doing a good job of screening him. Drive the net, please!

-Similarly, the Sharks have scored a few goals just by firing shots from unexpected angles. I haven't been the only one to notice that Kipper's positioning is just a little bit off so far in this series (making some of his saves seem more spectacular than they really should be); if they catch him off guard, they'll have success -- if not in the form of a goal, at least a juicy rebound and the ensuing chaos it'll create.

-Sticking up for your teammates is good, but you gotta be smart about it. I don't even think Jody Shelley needs to dress, but I'd put a leash on Ryane Clowe when it comes to retaliatory fighting -- he's been too good to lose for five minutes. Jeremy Roenick said that he wanted an expanded role, and while he's not the bodyguard type, he is a hell of a physical player and has the right type of personality to respond physically if need be. BUT (and that's a big but) it has to be done in a smart, controlled manner. There's a happy medium between Game 4's "Chase Iginla" debacle and Game 3's "Watch Shelley scowl and yap" stupidity.

-Scratch Kyle McLaren. I'm assuming the seven D configuration was done in case Christian Ehrhoff's leg fell off after five minutes. With 21 minutes of ice time, it looks like he's good to go, which means McLaren can deliver pizzas to Doug Wilson in the press box (don't be surprised if it comes with a note that says, "Please don't buy me out.")

-Dress Patrick Rissmiller and Curtis Brown. The line combos were all over the map in Game 4, but this is what I would try, at least to start:

Setoguchi/Thornton/Cheechoo
Clowe/Pavelski/Marleau
Grier/Mitchell/Michalek
Rissmiller/Brown/Roenick

And mix 'n match as necessary.

-Remember, Jonathan Cheechoo's a streaky scorer. Tell him to fire the puck as much as possible using the aforementioned off-angle strategy. It's not always going to be a perfect pass from Thornton, but Cheechoo's hard shot can still be an asset in a different way.

-Stop Dion Phaneuf and Jarome Iginla. That's a stupid thing to say, but somehow every time Phaneuf shoots from the point, it somehow goes off Iginla (his leg, ass, or stick) into the net. Since Ehrhoff's back, the Sharks' shotblocking ability goes way up (never thought we'd say that, huh?), and hopefully that will make a big difference in Phaneuf actually being able to get his shot through.

For those of you watching at home tonight, I suggest tuning into Ottawa's Team 1200 online during the first intermission. I will be doing a live call-in from HP Pavilion in the guise of a Responsible Sports Journalist From FoxSports.com, and no, I won't be drunk.

If I coached the god damn Sharks

Going down 3-1 is not the worst thing in the world. Plenty of teams have come back from that deficit before. Still, those teams haven't looked like the shrinking violets that the Sharks have during parts of this series. Let's not forget, though, that there were large portions where they did carry the play, and if they play like they did during March, it is feasible to win three in a row. Lots of ifs in there, though, and here's what I would do/preach tonight:

-Start Patrick Marleau on the wing with Joe Thornton. Doesn't mean you have to keep him there all game, but Patty seems to be the only Shark that is forcing the Calgary D to back off. Put him on the wing to use his speed and create some space for Joe -- and to show Milan Michalek how it's done.

-If the game even turns slightly, slightly physical, have Jody Shelley beat the living crap out of someone in red. I don't normally advocate goon hockey, but there comes a point when you have to send a message that you're not going to be a pushover. If you can instill the fear of Shelley's fists (rather than his dirty looks like last game) so that something like Cory Sarich's hit on Marleau doesn't happen again, mission accomplished.

-Remind the D to skate foreward, not back. I know, I know; big bad Calgary's forecheckers are so fast and scary. Come on, guys, you're not THIS bad. Forwards, that means you've gotta support your D on the breakout.

-Screen the goalie, whoever it is.

Ultimately, the Sharks as individuals need to play better, but within a team concept. You can't have Brian Campbell trying to skate through everyone over and over; it's just not going to work. If they play their best, if they stick together as a team, if they show some measure of toughness, then they can take it back to San Jose as a best-of-three with a little bit of confidence.

No lead is guaranteed. Safe is death. And just to inspire you a little bit more, here's a song from the awesome Stan Bush.



One of my favorite quotes from that movie is when the Autobots are under attack and Springer's loading up a big rocket launcher. During that, he says, "I've got better things to do tonight than die." Going down 3-1 isn't death, but it might as well be, and it's not just losing the series -- it'd be bye-bye to the team as we know it (hey, maybe that's a good a thing). The Sharks have better things to do tonight than die, right? Right?

Sharks Gameday: Joe Thornton= Alex Rodriguez

SJ Sharks @ Calgary Flames

7 PM PST

Calgary leads, 2-1

The biggest crime a player can commit is to not care. Guy gets a DUI? Beats his wife? Gets in a bar fight? That's okay with fans as long as he yells, "Fuck!" when the other team scores a goal. It shows he cares. Guys like Joe Thornton or Alex Rodriguez, who have pretty much the same look on their face no matter what? They are lazy, or cowards, or just indifferent to their sport in general. It doesn't matter how many assists they compile or how many home runs they hit, they'll never be fully accepted into the Pantheon of Sports Gods. It doesn't even have to be great players: people seriously wanted Ladislav Nagy (26 points in 38 games) benched for John Zeiler (1 point in 36 games) because Zeiler "looked like he cared out there."

Joe Thornton scored 96 points this season while the next highest Shark amounted 55 points. He was the 2nd biggest reason (besides Nabokov) the Sharks secured the 2nd seed in the Western Conference. Then the Sharks played 3 games and lost 2, obviously because of a fatal flaw in Thornton's character. Nevermind the fact that Milan Michalek has yet to tally a point and Johnathan Cheechoo has 1 assist. Nevermind that Brian Campbell has played his worst hockey since joining the Sharks and Evgeni Nabokov has looked surprisingly normal. Nope, the real problem is the guy averaging a point a game while the opposing team is gearing their entire system around him. Yep, let's blame that guy.



In contrast, look at Jason Arnott. He's the captain of the Nashville Predators as well as their leading scorer. He was pointless until last night (when he scored a goal), but he has yet to receive any real criticism. Why? Because he does things like curse out loud and break his stick and (when he finally scored) jump into the glass and twist his ankle. Oh, and he wasn't drafted first overall so he didn't have unreasonable expectations placed on him. (He was drafted 7th overall, by the way.)

Joe, if you're reading this (and I can't imagine why you wouldn't be), let me give you some advice: try to break your stick tonight. Wait until you make a beautiful pass and Cheechoo mucks it up and just slam your stick into the ice. You don't have to change the way you play* or give some big dramatic speech to your teammates or anything like that; all you have to do is break your stick. You can do what you have been doing (you know, creating goals) but all you're going to hear is how you couldn't carry your team on your back when the game was on the line. And honestly, I bet that's really fucking annoying.

Prediction: Sharks win, 4-1. Thornton assists on all 4 goals and is criticized for passing off responsibility.

*Also, a common criticism I've heard about Joe is that he's not shooting enough. You know why he doesn't shoot, right? Because his shot sucks. I'm pretty sure Marty Turco has a better shot than Joe Thornton. His goals are set up because the goaltender is expecting him to pass. He's like Steve Nash in a way: you take away his passing lanes and make him beat you himself. It's effective because the goalie knows he can't pass and can concentrate on his shot, making him incredibly unlikely to score. That's why he doesn't shoot.

One key for Game 4, brought to you by Don Cherry

To quote the great Don Cherry:

I know it's the new and lovely NHL. I know it's kinder, and they play volleyball before...

I want to see a little hate. I am paying 300 bucks and I see these guys, I want to see a little hate in this thing. I remember Rocket Richard, I know you will say I'm ancient... He was in a rail car and Detroit was inbetween him and the dining car. He didn't eat.

That's what you got to get back in the game.

Amen.

Zapruder slow motion video of the Sarich elbow

Here you can see the elbow in slow motion, he plants it directly in the face of Patrick Marleau. Cory Sarich was not penalized on the play.

Motherfuc...

...ker.

(Sleek, feel free to insert a cartoon here)

Best I could muster on short notice. --Sleek
I always feel a little wary about taking a really fast multiple-goal lead. It gives way more than enough time for a team to pull it together. That's what happened tonight, but it still doesn't excuse anyone from tonight's Sharks meltdown against Calgary.

I see three big issues here:

1) Joe Thornton isn't doing anything other than making stupid passes. I understand that he's being pressured like no one's business, but damn it, he knows how to control the boards. That's his freakin' game. That's what's so aggravating about this.

2) Brian Campbell was brought in as a #1 defenseman. He played like a #1 defenseman for the rest of the regular season. So far, he hasn't just looked mediocre, he's probably been the worst Sharks blueliner aside from Kyle McLaren. They really, really need Christian Ehrhoff and his speed back.

3) Milan Michalek hasn't used his speed to back off any of the defensemen. Patrick Marleau's done this very effectively so far, so you know that it will work. Michalek can't keep trying to play his game on the boards because that's NOT his game. He's gotta take the puck through the neutral zone, back the defensemen off, and create more space for Joe Thornton to thread the puck through.

The good news? They're only down 2-1. You split in Calgary and then it's a 3-game series. It's not going to be pretty, but the series is far from over. The Marleau line's been great, the Mike Grier/Patrick Rissmiller/Torrey Mitchell line has done what it should be doing; it really comes down to Joe Thornton and the defense.

Big Joe, Soupy, the focus is on you. Since they're living together, maybe someone's poisoned their water or something. Someone's gotta lace it with Red Bull or something.

[Update] Game 3 Notes Calgary vs San Jose, Sarich's elbow to head of Patrick Marleau earns Flames a decisive power play - Sharkspage.

Do what you do best...

...and that is for the Sharks to kick ass on the road. A few tidbits of news before tonight's game:

-While Mike Keenan's being his usual self and bitching about the refs, most of the Calgary media is not. In fact, they're being surprisingly objective for local media and blaming the team for taking stupid and selfish penalties. That's really refreshing, and I guess it shows the difference between the Calgary media and some bozo in Ottawa.

-I expect the refs to be closer to Game 2 (call a bunch of stuff even though you miss a bunch of stuff on both sides) than Game 1 (let them slash the hell out of each other); you have to remember that the directive, starting all the way from Gary Bettman and Stephen Walkom down, is to actually focus on stick/holding infractions. Regardless of what Keenan says, I'm sure the refs are more intimidated by their bosses rather than one of the coaches.

-Christian Ehrhoff skated yesterday and, presumably, today. Ron Wilson is mum about whether or not he'll play, but I'm guessing he will considering how bad Kyle McLaren has been.

-Keenan's experimented with a few different line combos during Saturday's practice, flipping Craig Conroy and Daymond Langkow on the first and second lines.

-A word to Joe Thornton: They're cutting off your passing lanes. Shoot the puck more. It'll help, I promise, especially on the power play.

-A word to Patrick Marleau, Ryane Clowe, and Joe Pavelski: Keep it up.

Let's take control of the series tonight.

Game 2 post-game photos

A few locker room photos after the Sharks 2-0 win over the Calgary Flames to even up the WCQF series. The media coverage in San Jose has increased ten-fold with the influx of Canadian Press, and the number of local television stations sending camera crews to the tank. They came in two waves, with the local media and television crew getting their questions and footage first, followed by the Canadian press after their time in the Calgary locker room.

Evgeni Nabokov mentioned that the Sharks needed a big win because they could not head to Calgary down 2-0, it would put a serious hurdle in front of them against a very good team. In the post-game press conference, long time SJ Mercury News opinion columnist Mark Purdy asked San Jose Sharks head coach Ron Wilson if he ever has to say anything to Nabokov before a game. Wilson said no, Nabokov is the expert on goaltending. With a few minor exceptions, he self motivates and battles hard from start to finish (as seen in the skills competion and 2nd shutout period of the ASG).

Joe Thornton noted the Sharks intensity from the drop of the puck, something that did not happen in game 1. The Sharks still looked tentative with the puck at times, even with 7 second period penalties by Calgary, but overall they moved the puck well out of their own zone. The addition of Matt Carle in place of Alexei Semenov, and a hard charging Brian Campbell initiated the offense and contributed to the Sharks dominating time of possession with the puck. After the game when asked about a physical checking series, Ron Wilson said you can not hit someone when you have the puck. The more you have puck possession, the less hits a team will register.

Joe Pavelski's line, with Patrick Marleau and Ryane Clowe, did the bulk of the damage for San Jose. Pavelski opened the scoring with a critical second period goal, the Sharks were 38-13 in the regular season when scoring first. Pavelski also mentioned that he wanted to take full advantage of postseason opportunities given to him after he was a scratch for several playoff games last year.

Game 1 video, Calgary vs San Jose

Here is a short video from game one, with most of the pre-game atmosphere that was blacked out for many on Comcast Sportsnet Bay Area and Dish Network, not to mention the first three goals of the game by Yelle, Phaneuf and Clowe. Will post a few notes from game 2 later tonight.

The Shark head drop to Carmina Burana "O Fortuna" is pretty incredible, but it actually worked better in past years when they used a wavy teal light on the ice to mimmick ocean water and kept the lighting in the arena dim. At age 5, on a tour of Universal Studios I almost jumped off the back of the tram on the Jaws set when the fake shark pops out of the water. Seeing a jerky mechanical jaws come out of the water now, it is hard to think it ever looked real. A couple years later I was in Half Moon Bay a few days after a windsurfing board was attacked by a great white. They had it on display, and from the size of the bite it looked like it would have taken about a third of the windsurfer with him. That was the first and last thought I had whenever I stepped into the water to go surfing or bodyboarding.

Bottom line: 17 years later and just outside of the great white "red triangle" feeding grounds, the Sharks still have one of the best franchise identities in sports. It may take a little more tweaking in the coming years, a little less orange, but eventually they will hit on a logo and crest that will stand the test of time. I have never been a huge fan of teal, pacific teal is slightly better, but they have made it work and built a huge following behind it. Next year when teams have an option for a third jersey, San Jose needs to opt for a dark navy jersey with a simple "SHARKS" on the front. Lean, mean, and ready to rupture Anaheim's spleen.