Wednesday, November 28, 2007

11/24/07 los angeles 2, SHARKS !



Call the Sharks turkeys, because on Saturday, they got stuffed.

The ugly stat that was 1-5-1 (the Sharks record in games when having more than 2 days of rest beforehand) got one number larger in the middle, as the Teal decided to show up for just the final 7 minutes of the contest Saturday, falling one goal short. Evgeni Nabokov introduced Thomas Greiss to the backwards cap/chair combination, as Nabby got his 23rd start in 23 games this year. Milan Michalek had the lone goal for the Sharks, a beauty snapshot off a faceoff won by Joe Pavelski.

Michalek's goal Saturday was just the Sharks second in their last two games. For a team that was supposed to be the offensive juggernauts of the league, the Sharks sit second in the league in least goals allowed, a position no one thought they'd be in. Despite their lack of firepower thusfar, the Sharks superb defense and goaltending has kept them mostly afloat.

At Saturday's game, I had the pleasure of sitting behind a young boy and girl with their parents. I'm unsure about the adults, but the kids were attending their first hockey game. Now, it was heartbreaking that these youngsters didn't get to see the Sharks win in their first hockey game, but both kids seemed to enjoy themselves, which is all that matters.

On a side note, today I grabbed a Subway sandwich for lunch, and I encountered a man wearing a Toronto Maple Leafs sweatshirt. Unaware of what the Leafs did last night, I asked the man how the Leafs finished. After pausing for a few seconds, he looked down at his sweatshirt, proclaimed "oh, right" and said,"I'm sorry, I don't know how they did".

This is what I miss most about my trip, especially my time in Canada. When someone in Canada wears a hockey related piece of clothing, and that team played the previous night, they could tell you who won, who scored, probably even run down the summary of the penalties, all in french. Now, this isn't a knock against hockey in the States, just a longing for what hockey was like in Canada. Oh well, maybe again someday.

The Sharks get back to hockey tonight, after another decent layoff, to find the same faces on the opposite side of the ice that they fell to four days ago, when they take on the Kings again tonight (7:30). The Kings are 2-0 at the Tank this year, usually a fortress for the Sharks, however it's been a fairly penetrable castle this season, especially for the purple and black royalty from the south. Thomas Greiss is back in Worcester, meaning everyone's favorite door opener, Dmitri Patzold, is back at the helm, making sure the portal to the bench is closed tight. With some times to clear the cobwebs back out, the Sharks should be able to build on the momentum gained from the end of the contest on Saturday, and buzz early.

GO SHARKS (BEAT LA... please?)
-Jess


Starting them young, just as you should.

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