Sharks playing uninspiring brand of hockey

I was sitting here trying to think of a creative, clever & witty way to say this. But my head hurts now so instead, I will just say it: The Sharks are playing like crap lately.. They were shut out in LA last night by Jonathan Quick and the Kings in a “we showed up physically but not mentally” type of effort from the boys. This came following two shaky home outings. They beat the Blackhawks 1-0 at home last Wednesday thanks to Antii Niemi’s brilliance and little else. The Sharks may have won the game but they didn’t look cohesive in the slightest. The Blackhawks routinely generated scoring chances and kept the Sharks on their fin heels all night.

Jonathan Quick shuts out Martin Havlat and the Sharks

Saturday night was supposed to be the big measuring stick. The Vancouver Canucks, who last May vaulted up the “teams Sharks fans hate with a passion” list, were in town for what was supposed to be some payback for the playoff ousting. It didn’t happen as the Canucks won 3-1. The Sharks played a little better than they did against the Blackhawks as they did generate some scoring chances, but Niemi wasn’t sharp and Cory Schneider was. Schneider has outplayed Roberto Luongo this year and with Luongo banged up, Schneider is the starter.. for the time being. The Canucks haven’t fully recovered from losing Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals at home last year. But they are still a playoff team and when it comes down to it, they will have a say in how the West is won.

This recent stretch of poor play for the Sharks followed a very solid 15 game run which they accumulated 25 of 30 possible points. To put that in perspective, they would finish the year with 137 points if they got 25 of every 30 points available over the 82 game season. Not too shabby. So lets not take this 2 game losing streak too far. They don’t need to peak right now, far from it. In April and May, it won’t really matter what happened in November and December. But what WILL carry over is habits. Both good and bad. They need to develop a habit of going for the jugular more often. They are a ridiculously talented group and Sharks fans know it. Expectations are high. This team has shown the entire NHL they are capable of being the very best. But that requires being at your very best at the very right time. That time is still several months away, but its time to develop better habits right now.

Antii Niemi lets a Manny Malhotra shot sneak under him

As I have stated many times before, the NHL season is a grind. There will be ups and downs. They went on a really nice run for a few weeks and now they hit the wall a bit. Its time for the coaching staff to get creative. Lately the Sharks attack is looking very average. McLellan continues to tinker with the lines, but this team was built with very specific line combinations in mind. I assure you McLellan doesn’t want to see Torrey Mitchell skating with Joe Thornton, unless they are killing a penalty. And Martin Havlat was not acquired in the offseason to skate on the 3rd line. When you see these things happening, its because the original plan has ceased to work, for now.

On defense, Justin Braun (who was re-assigned to Worcester) is not ready for regular NHL minutes. This is not breaking news. He had a brutal giveaway last night to Ethan Moreau that led to a soft goal on Niemi. Dan Boyle had a nightmare game vs Chicago and overall his season has been a disappointment thus far. At 35, clearly his best years are behind him. But he is the Sharks highest paid defenseman and typically logs the most minutes. If the Sharks are going to win a Stanley Cup, Dan Boyle will need to be a very large part of that. So much of the attack starts with the transition from the defensive end to the ice. They look to Boyle to spark the rush by sending quality passes out of the defensive zone or by just carrying the puck himself. His numbers have dropped off this year and quite simply the Sharks need more from him.

Next chance for the Sharks to get back on track is at home to the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night. Even though the Canadiens rarely play in the Bay Area, Habs at Sharks has created some classic games over the years. That is the kickoff to a 4 game homestand that will see the upstart Florida Panthers, “Nostalgia Night” with the  Minnesota Wild and then the  Sharks BFF, the Dallas Stars. Should make for some compelling hockey games. Oh it just came to me! The Sharks have been playing as ugly as Logan Couture’s mustache lately! Better late than never, story of my life…

Antii Niemi brilliant in blanking of Blackhawks

The Blackhawks played like a desperate team tonight. They had several odd-man rushes and scoring chances galore. They out shot the Sharks 34-21. But they couldn’t solve Antii Niemi who played easily his best game of the year, turning back the frustrated Hawks on several occasions. I was at the Tank tonight and his spectacular save in the 3rd period created quite a buzz in the Arena. Nemo is totally locked in right now. If I may be so bold, I declare that if the Sharks regularly get this type of play from Niemi, they will be in contention for the top seed in the Western Conference.  Yep, life on the limb, its tough. I further proclaim if the Sharks manage 16 wins in the playoffs, they will be Stanley Cup champions. You can’t find this type of analysis anywhere else.

The Sharks are Thankful to be 1-0 winners

The Sharks may not have generated a ton of scoring chances but that doesn’t mean they didn’t do some things very well. They out-hit the Hawks, won more faceoffs, blocked more shots and killed more penalties. They showed the Hawks that they don’t need to play their very best game in order to beat them. A hot goalie trumps all.

Even though the Hawks didn’t break through tonight, I was very impressed with how dangerous they are. Between Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Marian Hossa, Patrick Sharp, Viktor Stalberg, Duncan Keith, and now the young phenom, Nick Leddy, this squad is uber-talented. Corey Crawford has settled in as the clear cut #1 in net, something the Blackhawks have really lacked since arguably Eddie “The Eagle” Belfour (Every Sharks fans favorite). Even when Niemi backstoppedthe Hawks to the Stanley Cup, he came in at midseason, led them on the Cup run, and wasn’t resigned in the offseason.

Jason Demers scoring the game winner vs the Hawks

Jason Demers scored the only goal of the game on a powerplay with under 3 minutes left in the 2nd period. The game-winner was his first of the year. The Sharks have high hopes for Demers and he had spent the past 2 seasons securing his spot in the top 6. But now he needs to keep getting better in order to hold on to it. He is typically on the 3rd unit, but Justin Braun is nipping at his skate heels. Competition is a good thing however, and depth on defense is something the Sharks have lacked for the past few seasons. Currently they have Boyle, Burns, Braun, Murray, Vlasic, Demers, White, & Vandermeer. All are either young and talented or established veteran. McLellan has to pick 2 guys in that group not to even suit up for the game. It’s a good problem to have and if the young guys can play quality minutes, the group should be reasonably fresh come postseason.

“Barometer week” continues on Saturday night when the Canucks come to town. These two teams are not fond of one another to say the least. Joe Thornton and Ryan Kesler get along about as well as Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort. What this game does represent is another potential Western Conference Finals preview. Roberto Luongo is off to another slow start in net for Vancouver. There was bound to be some type of a letdown for the Canucks after losing the Stanley Cup Finals in 7 games to the Boston Bruins. But the Canucks are still plenty in the thick of things in the West, and anyone who plans on winning the Conference will probably have to deal with Vancouver along the way.

The Sharks have a chance to make it 5 straight wins Saturday night. They now have 15 of 18 possible points in the month of November. They are currently in their most consistent stretch of the year. The Blackhawks may have given the Sharks forwards fits all game long, but the Sharks did what good teams do, find a way to win, regardless of the situation.

Big ups to the people in Section 202 at the Tank, great fans! My sis and I had a blast!

 

 

 

 

San Jose Sharks Thankful to lead Pacific Division

Life is good in Shark land these days. Team Teal has accumulated 13 of a possible 16 points in the month of November. They are now perched atop the Pacific Division, the same Pacific they have won the previous 4 years. Yes the Sharks are the class of Division, that much is for sure. But the rest of the Western Conference isn’t such a slam dunk. The Chicago Blackhawks, who the Sharks face tonight at 7:30 from the Tank, are the leaders of the Central Division. Many have picked them to skate the Stanley Cup for the 2nd time in 3 seasons. They unceremoniously eliminated the Sharks in the 2010 Western Conference Finals en route to their first Stanley Cup since 1961.

The Hawks, who are led by their Captain Jonathan Toews, have an impressive, all-star lineup. Marian Hossa and Patrick Kane are two of the top snipers in the game. They also have one of the deepest blue lines in the league with Norris Finalist, Duncan Keith, shutdown specialist Brent Seabrook and young phenom Nick Leddy who has 15 points in 21 games. They come in a grumpy group however. They have lost their past two outings by a combined score of 14-4. They got humiliated by the upstart Edmonton Oilers 9-2 on Sunday and lost 5-2 to Calgary before that. Before that, they had won 4 straight. This is a dangerous team and i suspect they will be up for this one.

Jonathan Toews & The Blackhawks skating the Stanley Cup in 2010

The hope around the Sharks camp is the best is yet to come. Sure the penalty kill is abysmal but other than that, this team is clicking on all cylinders. They have finally got a 4th line together with Andrew Murray, Andrew Dejardins and Brad Winchester. They have been dropping the gloves, great on the forecheck and even contributing offensively. The third line has seen Martin Havlat and Torrey Mitchell interchanging on the wing with Michael Handzus and Jaime McGinn. McLellan occasionally likes to use Mitchell’s speed on the 2nd line with Couture and Clowe. GM Doug Wilson would be a happy camper if McGinn pans out on the 3rd line. That was a glaring weakness last year and coming into this season as well.

And yes, the defense has been great. Thanks in large part to the elevated play of Marc-Eduard Vlasic. He has 7 points in his past 3 games and ranks 4th among NHL defensmen with a +11 rating. His partner Brent Burns has found his sea legs as well and has been playing a very physical brand of hockey the past 10 days. Dan Boyle is having more of a positive impact night in and night out as well. Overall this is a great defensive unit, they just need to keeping progressing.

By way of backup goalie Thomas Greiss’s terrific performance in Colorado on Sunday, that Sharks have two locked in goalies. I expect Niemi to start both tonight against his former team and Saturday against the rival Vancouver Canucks. McLellan used the back to back situation from Dallas to Colorado to get Greiss back in net fairly quickly after his 3-0 loss vs the Coyotes at home on 11/12. It worked and now the Sharks can move forward with confidence in whoever plays in net that game.

Captain Joe Thornton congratulates Antii Niemi after a Sharks win

With Western Finals rematches tonight versus Chicago and Saturday versus Vancouver, this is going to be a great barometer to see how the Sharks stack up with the NHL’s elite. These are two teams the Sharks may need to get through in April and May to achieve their ultimate goal. There should be a decent amount of animosity, particularly on Saturday vs Vancouver. Joe Thornton and Ryan Kesler don’t exactly get along. The Sharks have come up short against both these teams in the playoffs recently.  Until the day comes that they do win the West, they will always be another contender, and not a champion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday Night Fights in Big D, Sharks Dominate

Another game with the Stars, another clear cut example of one simple fact: These teams absolutely detest one another. Like the Hatfield’s and the McCoy’s, or the Montague’s and the Capulet’s or even Mrs PacMan and those little blue guys, it’s WAR! For the second straight outing the Sharks got a significant contribution from their 3rd and 4th lines and beat the Stars handily, 4-1. They also stood up to a physical challenge by Dallas with 3 nice fights and some True Grit.(Dallas, Grit, Western, Cowboys, Feel it?) This team is using a winning combination of pure skill and a chippy demeanor.

In addition to the fact the Sharks and Stars won’t be exchanging Christmas fruit baskets, the other thing I took away from this game: Antii Niemi seems to be settling into a very nice groove. All night he frustrated the Dallas shooters by his aggressive positioning, challenging every shot that came his way. If Niemi would have his way, he would play every night. I’m sure McLellan understands the more Nemo plays, the sharper his cho(m)ps will be. That is why I was surprised to hear Thomas Greiss would start in net @ Colorado.

Antii Niemi flashes the leather on Michael Ryder

The leaders are playing great. Marleau and Thornton each had 2 assists last night and played solid all night. The key will be to keep putting together these types of full, 60 minute outings. They get up for games against the Red Wings and the Stars, lets see if they can bring that same intensity to a game in Colorado in their 3rd game in 4 nights.That is what “consistent” teams do is play a specific game, regardless of the opponent or situation.

Props to a couple of guys: Jaime McGinn has been scoring and playing physical. Keep it up and he can be that 3rd line winger the Sharks desperately covet. He had a goal and a nice fight vs Dallas last night. Brent Burns: after bottoming out on the homestand against Phoenix, he has picked up his game tremendously in the past two contests. He has been physical, responsible in his end and used his big shot effectively on a powerplay goal last night.

McGinn won this fight and also scored a goal

Sharks are feeling good after sending the Dallas Stars to their 5th straight loss. Now lets see if they can keep it up tonight in Colorado. The Sharks are widely recognized as one of the top two or three teams in the league. Now lets see if they can become one of the most consistent.

Pickles Leads Sharks to Sweet Win Over Wings

Its funny how things work sometimes. I honestly had on the front of my mind that in my next post about the Sharks I was going to do a couple things: I was going to identify the main problem early in the year for the team: The Defense. Then I was going to identify in that group a few guys who I thought hadn’t been pulling their weight of late. First and foremost on my list: Marc-Eduard Vlasic. But after watching Vlasic have a career night versus the Wings with a goal and 3 assists I had to put that plan on ice.  The Sharks beat Detroit Thursday at the Tank 5-2  thanks in large part to his amazing night. They also got phenomenal goaltending performance from Antii Niemi who was nothing short of spectacular on several of his 40 saves.

"Pickles" is all smiles in his 4 point outing

With this feel good performance over the Red Wings, the Sharks gave us a sneak peak of just what they’re capable of when they get offensive contributions from everywhere. They finally got help from lines 3 & 4 with goals by Torrey Mitchell, Andrew Dejardins and Brad Winchester. They also provided good jump and energy 5 on 5 all night. Nowhere was it more evident than on Vlasic’s goal. Winchester was miraculously holding onto the puck while barely managing to stay on his feet. He looked ready to topple over about 3 times as he held the puck in the zone along the wall. Finally the puck made its way behind the net. Vlasic grabbed the loose puck and quickly wrapped it in. At exactly the same time he was shooting the puck, Winchester was crashing the net and helping screen out the Wings defense. It was a pure hustle play by everyone and it ended up being a really nice looking goal that put the Sharks up 4-1.

Brad Winchester is looking for a hug after his 1st goal of the year

They got some timely goaltending by Niemi. He absolutely robbed Justin Abdelkader (yes, I spelled that correctly) twice and Daniel Clearly once in 3 saves that really stood out. The Sharks defense didn’t do him any favors on both the goals the Sharks conceded. Detroit scored twice with the man advantage and moved the puck with ease. Good thing the Sharks are the 6th least penalized team in the league because that penalty kill is atrocious. Detroit out shot the Sharks 42-28 on the night but it didn’t matter.

With Detroit leading 1-0 and on the powerplay late in the 1st, Joe Thornton changed the momentum of the game entirely. He made a great strip of the puck on the backcheck hustling in his own zone. Moments later he had the puck behind the Detroit net and put a sweet pass to Pavelski in the slot who rifled the shorty into the net. Little Joe has a terrific hockey awareness. What I mean by that is he knows instinctively where to go on the ice at the correct moment. Find that open space and go to it.  And if you get open, Joe Thornton will get you the puck. The fact Pavs has the wherewithal to present Jumbo his stick in the midst of that just speaks to his abilities.Oh yeah and a missile for a shot doesn’t hurt either.The two Joe’s have undoubtedly been the best two Sharks so far this year.

The Sharks definitely get up for games against Detroit and there is no denying the atmosphere is always more intense with the Winged Wheel in town. They Wings outplayed the Sharks at stretches tonight but the Sharks got much better goaltending and strong contributions up and down their lineup. It was a fun and exciting win against a strong Detroit club who was clearly frustrated by Niemi’s solid play all game long. This is one to build on but there are still weaknesses that need to be addressed. This is the first game in a stretch of 3 games in 4 nights. They will be at Dallas on Saturday and Colorado on Sunday. If they are not going to make killing penalties a priority then they will need to stay disciplined and out of the sin bin.

Tonight was a good step for the secondary scoring of this team. It will keep me from complaining about this problem at least for a day. Marc Eduard- Vlasic, live it up my friend. I’m not hating on you today.  But it only legitimizes my claim that if the Sharks DO get regular contributions from these guys, they are hands down one of the favorites to win the Stanley Cup. And when they don’t, they are a very average team. Tonight they were the “Good Sharks”.

Quick Stat: After posting a -6 rating in his last 5 games, Brent Burns was a +4 tonight. They Sharks really need this guy to start being a bigger factor 5 on 5.

Sharks are Still a Work in Progress

The book on the San Jose sharks in 2011-12 is only a few chapters old. The main crux of this saga will be told in the April and May. The past two books have left us totally hanging as fans. It was basically two different stories with the same ending. The Sharks being cast out of the playoffs in the Western Conference Finals. (see how i did that?, one book=one season, tricky). This team will make the playoffs. However, simply qualifying for the playoffs is the bare minimum of the expectations for this team.

Granted all teams experience highs and lows during the long grind of an 82 game season to varying degrees. But I’m sensing something deeper with this bunch. With their disinterested play early in the year, i must give them the dreaded “inconsistency” label. This begs the question whether or not the Sharks learned anything by their poor play early in the season last book, er year? They weren’t even securely in a playoff spot until well into February.

They are 9-5-1 at this point. They are right in the middle of the pack in the Western Conference. They have gotten 14 of a possible 20 points in their last 10 games. For a lot of teams, that would be considered a pretty strong stretch. But knowing this team, knowing the expectations & knowing what kind of game they are capable of playing, this group hasn’t found their “A” game yet. They have bounced between the dominating Stanley Cup favorite- see 5 game road winning streak– to the total pretender– see the Saturday night stinker at home getting shut out by  Mike Smith and the Coyotes.

Sharks Douglass Murray battles with Mikkel Boedker on Saturday

One of the main themes of the McLellan regime is bring your “compete level” to the rink every night. So much of taking penalties involve letdowns in your competitiveness; the lazy hook or the careless high stick. And the Sharks are getting burned. The penalty kill hasn’t been nearly good enough for a team of this skill. They have allowed 12 powerplay goals in 15 games and rank 27 out of 32 teams in penalty kill percentage.

Sure the top two lines are probably the deepest in the league, but lines 3 and 4 don’t give the team much night in and night out. The Sharks simply need more from  Torrey Mitchell, Michael Handzus & Jaime McGinn up front. Handzus gets a pass thus far in my book however as he is still grieving the loss of his best friend, Pavol Demitra. He was a player on Lokomotiv in Russia who’s plane tragically crashed a few weeks back. I know what it’s like to lose your best friend and it takes a lot longer than 2 months for life to be anything close to “normal” again.

Handzus hugging Demitra in May, 2011 after Demitra retires in Slovakia

On the back end, Brent Burns personal season is very indicative of his teams thus far. Some nights he looks like the dominant blue chip, blue liner the Sharks thought they were getting. Other nights he looks confused, out of position and is not making good decisions with the puck. He has tremendous skill and I think it’s only fair to give the guy some time to adjust to a new system. his partner, Marc-Eduard Vlasic hasn’t been the most reliable guy either.

And finally the issues in net. Thomas Greiss has stepped in a played about as well as you can expect him to play. He has a few good wins and a few bad goals on the resume. The 2nd goal he allowed versus Phoenix on Saturday was soft by NHL standards. Antii Niemi started the year injured after having a cyst removed from his leg. With the injury to backup Antero Niittymaki already hanging over them, I’m wondering if Niemi came back just a little too soon? He hasn’t looked sharp so far this year, minus a few short stretches. They are relying very heavily on Niemi and his health going forward will be paramount to this teams success. What they really need in net right now is….. consistency.

Thomas Greiss hangs his head after allowing a "softie"

They will have another chance to get on a consistent track on Thursday night versus the Red Wings. The same Red Wings they have consistently beaten the past two post seasons and earlier this year in Detroit. Both teams have identical 9-5-1 this year as Detroit has had its share of ups and downs thus far as well. The Sharks are relatively healthy right now. The top two lines were playing great before Saturday night. They have had the past few days to rest and practice. Now time for one of the better opponents to visit the Tank. The hated Red Wings, Thursday at 7:30.

PS-Sorry for not writing a column for a few days. I had computer problems and then I got sick. Next “Feeding Frenzy” on the Damon Bruce Show will be this Thursday on KNBR 1050.
Thanks for the support, keep your head up in the neutral zone.

-Ryan Covay

“FEEDING FRENZY” update from the Damon Bruce Show, KNBR 1050

This is my most recent update as heard earlier today on the Damon Bruce Show on KNBR 1050.

http://chirb.it/IBs3P8

Keep your head up in the neutral zone and thanks for joining me in THE FEEDING FRENZY!

-Ryan Covay

Sharks Rally Past Penguins in Shootout

They hadn’t gotten a goal from a 3^rd or 4^th liner in over 2 weeks. They hadn’t gotten a goal from Jaime McGinn in almost 11 months. Both of those streaks came to an abrupt end in the 3^rd period, much to the delight of the Sharks faithful at the Tank. McGinn tied the game at 3-3, paving the way for the Sharks to win in the shootout, 4-3.

Thomas Greiss, who relieved starter Antii Niemi at 2:03 of the 1^st period, was brilliant in net making 29 saves and limiting the Penguins to one goal the rest of the way. He also stopped all 3 chances in the shootout, including the game winning poke check to seal it.

This game started out as bad as can be. The Penguins jumped all over the Sharks thanks in large part to the effort of the old Sharks killer, Steve Sullivan. He assisted on goals by Deryk Engelland and Evgeni Malkin and it was 2-0 Penguins and the game was barely two minutes old.

Greiss came in and made some good saves but the Pens continued to dominate a lethargic Sharks unit. They won every battle in the corners and seemed to have a magnetic attraction to the puck.

Before the 1^st period was over, Brad Winchester tried to inspire his team by dropping the gloves with Craig Adams and beat him very convincingly. Then right at the start of the 2^nd period, Ryane Clowe got the gloves off with Engelland. The two had a very spirited scrap and on his way to the penalty box, Clowe was yelling towards his bench trying to inspire his team. After the game Clowe said Engelland had taken a run at Thornton and Clowe “took his number”. Clowe’s bid to inspire the team worked.

Ryane Clowe leading by example with his fists

Patrick Marleau got the Sharks on the board later in the 2^nd on a great give and go with Martin Havlat. Marleau hit Havlat with a pass as he was skating through the neutral zone. Havlat gave it right back to Marleau as he crossed the blueline in stride. Marleau then snapped a quick shot past Marc-Andre Fleury that seemed to surprise the Pens goalie.

The Sharks weren’t done suffering defensive lapses however. Later in the 2^nd Malkin scored on the odd-man rush to make it 3-1 Penguins. Despite allowing the goal though, the Sharks had clearly been the better team in the middle frame.

Ryan Clowe got the goal to close the gap to 3-2 at 9:11 of the 3^rd. Havlat picked up his 2^nd assist of the game in his Shark Tank home debut. This guy has been nothing short of amazing in his brief time in San Jose. Sure it would be nice if he was also scoring goals, but his plethora of assists has helped a ton.

Then with 5 minutes left in regulation, it was time for McGinn’s heroics. Michael Handzus (who also played a very strong game) skated behind the Penguins net. He saw McGinn moving towards the front of the net and centered the puck. McGinn made no mistake and jammed it through Fluery’s five-hole to tie things at 3-3.

The Sharks need to know if Jaime McGinn can be the 3rd line winger they desperately covet. Handzus and Torrey Mitchell need a winger who can play a physical game and provide some scoring. McGinn may have the tools but he didn’t help his case last season scoring only 1 goal in producing 6 points in 49 games. This is after he showed promise in 2009 scoring 10 goals as a rookie. One goal doesn’t guarantee anything except his audition will probably continue. But they need offense from the 3rd and 4th lines and McLellan will keep tinkering until he gets it.

The Sharks got a few breaks down the stretch as the Penguins hit the post twice in the final 10 minutes. Evgeni Malkin had 2 goals and an assist in the game and gave the Sharks fits all night. And Steve Sullivan, who did it as a Blackhawk and Predator as well, had a typical strong outing against San Jose with 2 assists.

But, neither Malkin, Kris Letang or Pascal Dupuis could solve Greiss in the shootout. Ryane Clowe was the only guy to score in the shootout for either side. He faked his patented backhand move and then went forehand for the go- ahead, shootout goal. Then Greiss pokechecked Dupuis in a brilliant move and the Sharks had 2 points.

Greiss denies Malkin in the shootout

This game said a lot about the Sharks. They still have a long way to go as a team. But when they do play their game, they are as good, or better, than any team in the league. Even without Sidney Crosby the Penguins are tied for first place atop the Eastern Conference standings. This is a good comeback win against a quality opponent. The key will be to learn from this game. The slow start is unacceptable. They need to show up from the drop of the puck ready to compete at a high level. The Penguins showed them tonight what can happen when they don’t.

But give the boys credit. They stepped it up after the 1^st period. By the end they had outshot the Penguins 37-30 and probably deserved to win the game. Quality win but not one they can be totally satisfied with. Let’s see what they learned. Next up: Nashville @ San Jose, Saturday night.

Sharks get Rolled by Rangers

When this trip began, OF COURSE the Sharks would have told you 5-1 on the trip would be a rip roaring success. But after squeaking out of Long Island on Saturday with a win in a game they probably deserved to lose, they lost in Madison Square Garden tonight in a game they ABSOLUTELY deserved to lose. Under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden, the Sharks fall 5-2 to the N.Y. Rangers. I think maybe the Sharks started reading some of their own press clippings. As the youngsters say these days the Sharks were “feelin’ themselves” just a tad too much. The Rangers (coming off a loss at home which they blew a 4-1 lead in the 3rd) played more desperate and were much more deliberate. The Sharks lacked a quality forecheck and had no sustained pressure on Rangers netminder, Martin Biron the entire night.

The Rangers celebrating at Antii Niemi's expense in their 5-2 win

This trip will be remembered as a success.  When they left on the road they had lost 3 straight and they used this trip to turn things around. And yes, you can probably chalk the loss to tired legs and maybe some complacency on the Sharks bench. The Sharks were playing their 3rd road game in 4 nights. These guys seemed like they already had one foot on the airplane. However, Coach McLellan is not much on excues.  He will tell you they didn’t play well enough to win tonight, bottom line. Douglass Murray says they need to “up their compete level”.

They did have a little fight in them however. They fell down 2-0 midway through the first after giving up —-you guessed it—– a powerplay goal.The Sharks then pushed back.  Joe Pavelksi scored on a rebound after Douglass Murray’s shot hit both posts to make it 2-1 after 1 period. Then Logan Couture tied things up @11:03 of the second period. But that was all the Sharks had tonight in this game and the Ranger onslaught began. By the time the buzzer sounded after 40 minutes, it was 5-2 Rangers.

There have been some disturbing tendencies for the Sharks lately. First and foremost, the penalty kill. Coming into the game Monday night, the Sharks ranked 26 out of 32 teams with a 72.7 success rate. They then gave up 2 goals in 5 chances tonight which will drop them down even further. Michael Handzus was brought here specifically to improve the pk. Sure they are only though a fraction of the schedule, but so far they are on pace to give up 90 powerplay goals this year. They need to be more committed to blocking shots and staying in their lanes. They are taking too many gambles and are constantly out of position. Plus some more timely goaltending would help.

In addition, one of Doug Wilson’s biggies, the “secondary scoring” has been non-existent the past 6 games. On the road trip,  the game-winning goal by Benn Ferriero in Boston was the only goal scored by someone on the 3rd or 4th lines. Basically the Sharks are getting offense from Thornton, Clowe, Havlat, Couture & Pavelski at the forward spot and nobody else. Marleau has picked up a few assists but has basically been invisible. They are going to need more consistent scoring from the 3rd and 4th lines if they are going to become a complete hockey club.

They are now headed home for six and for the Sharks it can’t come a moment too soon. I’m sure Coach McLellan wasn’t pleased with the effort in the past two outings. They need to commit as a group to blocking shots and “selling out” more on a nightly basis. They are still in a great position in the Pacific Division and can hopefully use these next 2 weeks at home to gain some momentum. In the past the Sharks have an annoying habit of laying an egg in their first home game after a long road trip. This is a trend they would love to break this season. They get a chance to do that this Thursday against the Pittsburg Penguins. 7:30 from the Tank. I will be in the press box for my first live game this season.