Jekyll and Hyde or is it Heckle and Jeckle?

I have given up trying to figure out this team. Before game 4 I didn't have any grand illusions of any miraculous comeback. All I asked for was a good effort and play for PRIDE. If you were going to go down, go down fighting...or at least competing in the corners. Through the first half of the game it looked like more of the previous 3 games, losing battles in the corner, can't get the puck out of our own zone, stupid passes. The worst had to be Seto's great centering pass to Lehtinen for the 1st goal. At that point I was done. Ron Wilson was going to be fired, there would be massive player movement, the Sharks would be known as a great regular season but chokers in the playoffs. Then something happened, don't ask me what it was, it just did. Zubov made like a Sharks D-man and coughed up the puck and Patty scored. Then I thought "great, now you guys are getting my hopes up again just to come crashing down in the 3rd." Then once again something happened to start the 3rd period. A different team came out.. and played like.. well the Sharks. The puck was leaving the zone, players were fighting for possession in the corners, Ribeiro and Morrow were being pressured, Grier looked like well..Mike F'ing Grier.

Now believe me, I am not thinking this has changed everything and we are going to steamroll Dallas 3 straight. This all could go for naught if we come out and lay another egg tomorrow, but as Sharks radio guy Jamie Baker said, "all you want to do is plant a tiny seed of doubt in Dallas' mind. Winning game 5 would plant another and put all the pressure back on them for game 6. Ron Wilson lives for another day.

Sleek/Rudy: Feel free to update the picture. I felt like adding player's heads but could not figure out who would be Heckle and who would be Jeckle.

[Sleek Edit: I'm not touching that cartoon; I think it's best left to the reader to fill in. However, the Sharks' win was the subject of today's PuckToon at Fanhouse. Enjoy!]

I Don't Recognize This Team

What is this team I have been watching for the last 3 games? It certainly is not the team I have been watching all season. Even during their inconsistent Round 1 you saw glimpses of brilliance. I don't recognize anyone in teal in this series. This series is pretty easy to figure out. Dallas forechecks the hell out of our D. Our D coughs it up and Dallas capitalizes. The odd thing is that the people making the errors are players I never thought would have problems. Grier looks in a daze making terrible decisions with the puck and in the defensive zone. Was I just seeing things or did he just let Ribeiro just skate around on the game winning goal in OT? Sure, Dallas is getting all the bounces, but you know what they say "you create your own luck." All during the third period and OT I never thought we were going to win. I can remember only once good scoring chance (Milan in OT) in the 3rd period or OT. The whole team is just skating around in a fog. You see Ron Wilson on the bench yelling "wake up" to the team but no reaction. It seems that this team has tuned him out and has no motivation to play for him or each other. I am just at a loss for words to describe this team.

Sharks vs Ottawa Senators photos

Here are a few photos from the Sharks 3-2 overtime win over the Ottawa Senators.

Patrick Marleau is starting to roll. His overtime game winner against Ottawa stretched the Sharks winning streak to 7 games, vaulted the Sharks over Anaheim for 4th place in the Western Conference, and brought the Sharks within 3 points of Pacific-leading Dallas with 3 games in hand. The Sharks captain and oft-lamented trade rumor magnet scored 3 goals and 3 assists in his last 5 games, registering a +4 in that span.

Sharks head coach Ron Wilson strongly noted Marleau's recent turnaround to the media after the game, and said that a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders after the trade deadline expired without him being moved. Wilson also cracked on unidentified hockey reporter (allegedly Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun), for floating a number of foolish Marleau trade rumors. Wilson said that unidentified hockey reporter (allegedly Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun) was too afraid to come to the Sharks side of the post-game press conference and face the music for being so off base.

More photos and notes from Ottawa vs San Jose here.

Sports Illustrated asked NHL players to rank hockey fans by city. Montreal was overwhelmingly named the city with the best fans garnering 35% of the votes. Minnesota was second with 13%, Calgary third with 11%. Only California team to make the top ten... also the second best U.S. based fans according to NHL players... the San Jose Sharks in a 6th placed tie with Toronto at 5%.

Make that Exhibit 1B. Take that Letgokings.com and Allducks.com. War Thefeeder.com and the Hammerhead Booster Club.