Sharks Hockey Odyssey

3/3/11 SHARKS 3, detroit 1

2011-03-05T16:20:00.000-08:00

Man it's good to beat the Red Wings. Detroit is one of the few teams that gets both Sharks players and fans riled up for every contest, regardless of anything else going on (standings, time of year, injuries, floods).

For the players, Detroit is always towards the top of the standings, as they have been for the last bajillion years (except when they sucked and that's why nobody went to the games [cause they still don't go, but there's no real reason why]), so its easy for the players to get up for a challenge like that.

For the fans, Wings fans seemingly come out of the woodwork for games in which their team plays the Sharks, mainly because so many transplants live here (because who would want to live in Detroit when you could live in California?). Wings fans, in my experiences, are one of the least enjoyable fan bases to come into contact with, because they're not knowledgeable, not reasonable, and not sober. This game proved no different, as I saw at least three sets of Detroit fans escorted out of the building by the superheroes in purple coats (they're not blue, you won't convince me otherwise) because they had ever so slightly too much to drink.

To the game itself, the Sharks looked, well, good. They played 60 minutes, which is all you can ask from your hockey team, unless of course the game goes to overtime, in which preferably they play all of those minutes too. Dany Heatley looked good in particular, deciding to making Thursday his one of the next few games in which he's actually going to play hard. Two goals and a buncha great backchecks later, and he's the f***ing all-star that he claimed to be a couple summers ago. Antti Niemi looked good in his second start since signing a four year extension.

Sure, you could say that the Wings were tired after dropping an overtime contest in Anaheim the night before. Sure, you could say that Jimmy Howard, the Red Wings starting goaltender, wouldn't have shot the puck into his own net by bouncing it off of Patrick Marleau, a skill shot that Joey MacDonald managed to accomplish. But I say, SCOREBOARD.

At the end of the day, the Sharks took three of four from Detroit this year, including both games at Joe Louis, and now have won eight of the last ten games they've played against the Winged Wheel (dating back to the playoffs last year). Not too shabby for a team that usually has a mystique that the Sharks cannot crack.

Another big ole nemesis of the Sharks are in town tonight in the form of the Dallas Stars (boo). Dallas has had an up and down year, and fortunately for Sharks fans, the last couple months have been down. The Stars (boo) have fallen out of the division lead, and slipped all the way to 8th. They were believed to be dumping Brad Richards at the deadline, but much to many people's surprise, he was retained. They did move James Neal and Matt Niskanen to Pittsburgh for Alex GeeGoliGoshski, a move that signifies a team that is aiming for the playoffs. Depending on how things shake out, this could be a preview of a first round matchup in those aforementioned playoffs.

GO SHARKS
(WE BOO THE WORD STARS, NOT THE NATIONAL ANTHEM, UNBUNCH YOUR PANTIES)

-Jess

I'M BACK

2011-03-03T15:07:00.000-08:00

So it's been about 16 months since I last posted, and I decided that it was way too long. To all who come to this hockey place, welcome. Please, stay a while, and tip your waitstaff.

I've decided to start blogging about the Sharks again because I enjoy them, and I enjoy talking. Talking about the Sharks to myself is what interested me in this blog in the first place, and to the three of you that will read this, hopefully that will re-interest you in this blog as well.

My goal is to keep a current Sharks related hockey blog for any and all that care to read, with some NHL talk in between. As well, I still have all the old posts around, so if you enjoyed what I wrote in the past, the pictures that I took, or if you've never seen this blog before and want to see what I accomplished in the past, please, have a look around.

The Sharks are still mired in their quest to not be labeled as overachievers, and for the first half of this year, it appeared they had finally solved how to avoid that label; by not achieving much of anything. Even the possibility of missing the playoffs altogether seemed likely all the way up through the new year.

To the enjoyment of Sharks fans everywhere, the boys in teal have figured out how to play strong defensive hockey, led by Joe Thornton, and it has done them quite well. They're not the offensive dynamo that has had analysts as frustrated as the fans have been at their anything-but-the-cup playoff journeys have been, but they are putting up victories in a much more solid fashion.

My timing has come with a bit of purpose as well, as tonight the Sharks face their oldest playoff related nemesis, the Detroit Red Wings. Detroit comes off an overtime loss last night in Anaheim, where a Bobby Ryan penalty shot in OT send the Wings away with just a single point.

GO SHARKS
(IT FEELS GOOD TO BE BACK)

-Jess

10/3/09 Sharks @ Ducks 7p

2009-10-03T06:58:00.000-07:00

So, put simply, Thursday sucked. Evgeni Nabokov looked rusty, the offense looked off-kilter, and the defense looked, well, I don't know how it looked, because most of the game I couldn't really see it.

Colorado, full of energy from their 5 day Joe Sakic slurpathon (might be a slight exaggeration), hit the ice and hit the scoreboard and hit the back of the net and hit a lot of stuff, winning 5-2. #3 pick in last summers draft Matt Duchene didn't have a goal, but looked flashy for the Avalanche.

Dany Heatley had a couple nice chances, and another one that was Teemu Selanne-esque (you know what I'm talking about), but hey, it was his first game as a Shark, the stick was a little tight in his hands, no worries. Mutinied Captain turned poop-deck swabber, Patrick Marleau potted both goals for the Teal, who are now really really really bad in season openers, and unspeakably horrible in road season openers.

Tonight is a new night, however, still in an energized building (after the third inning and before the seventh...er, I mean after the first period and before the third), but this one comes with more hostility. The Ducks hate the Sharks, the Sharks hate the Ducks, the fans hate each other, and the Kings are fine with it. So is the Battle of California. Expect a better effort tonight, because frankly, it can't get too much worse than what we saw (or didn't see, for you DirecTV customers) on Thursday.

GO SHARKS (I'll be in attendance for this one, 443 row A Teal Odgers jersey so a win would be sexyamazing)
-Jess

Opening Night Sharks @ Avalanche

2009-10-01T08:40:00.000-07:00

After a summer of waiting that began way too early AGAIN, the day is finally here. The San Jose Sharks, revamped over the off-season, begin their journey that can't possibly end more disappointing than last year...can it?

For us SF Giants fans, today is poetic. The Giants were officially eliminated from playoff contention last night, effectively ending their season, and today the Sharks begin theirs, with a whole 82+ games to determine their own destiny. Well that all starts tonight, in a building that has seen a couple Sharks seasons end, the Pepsi Center.

The Avalanche aren't the same team of those days, as they come into the season with the third worst record last year. However, this year is a new year, with a clean slate to speak of, which also goes for the Sharks, despite winning the least important trophy in the NHL last year.

Basically, tonight begins another opportunity for the Teal to have a strong October, November, December, January, February, and March not end in a weak April and May.

Sharks @ Avalanche at 7 pacific time, on Versus, unless you have DirecTV, or are driving to Los Angeles so that you can go to the Sharks game on Saturday in Anaheim (like I'm doing, maybe I'll catch you there).

GO SHARKS (it begins here, and hopefully doesn't end until a long time from now)
-Jess

Catching up

2009-09-17T09:45:00.001-07:00

Ok, so its been about 7 months, a gap that won't be kept up following this post.

Quick hits:
- The Teal won the Obama Trophy and were McCained in the opening round of the playoffs by that Disney team in the outskirts of LA.
- Changes were promised by then GM Doug Wilson (still GM, but was thought he might go).
- Despite countless rumors, absolutely nothing happening at the draft and during the free agency period (sorry Scott Nichol and Jed Ortmeyer).
- A couple weeks ago, ole Dougie decided to awake from his summer hibernation (something Canadians do) and make a call up to Vancouver, shipping away Christian Ehrhoff and Brad Lukowich for a couple of minor league schlubs in Patrick White and Daniel Rahimi. A lot of folks weren't fans of Ehrhoff, at least they won't be able to hate his replacement, who will struggle to crack the AHL lineup. A total salary dump, it was a precursor to this...
- TRADING FOR F*CKING DANY HEATLEY!
- ESPN reported a three team trade involving the Sharks, Senators, and Kings, sending Patrick Marleau to LA, Alexander Frolov and Jarret Stoll to Ottawa, and Heatley to SJ. It was quickly destroyed by all three GMs. Suck it John Buccigross.
- The next day, Heatley and a 5th rounder to SJ for Jonathan Cheechoo and Milan Michalek with a 2nd rounder tacked on.

Basically, the Sharks drastically improved their top 2 lines, with Heatley, a pure shooter, playing with Joe Thornton, a pure passer, full time. Marleau can roll on the second line, not too shabby.

The bottom six is looking a little hairy, with some mix of Jamie McGinn, Torrey Mitchell (might be hurt), Brad Staubitz, Scott Nichol, Jed Ortmeyer, Manny Malhotra (just signed to try out), and Dan Hinote. Definitely not as much scoring around, but defense/physicality looks to be up.

The defense lost its fastest blueliner in Ehrhoff and a grinder in Lukowich, and will need to replace both with guys who will win their spots in training camp. Boyle, Blake, Vlasic, Murray are the solid 4, with young stud Nick Petrecki, Kent Huskins, Mike Moore, and Derek Joslin looking to take those last two spaces.

Evgeni Nabokov returns in net, probably with Thomas Greiss backing him up. How much longer Nabby has the starting position remains to be seen, as his contract is up after this season and the Sharks young possible replacements need to prove themselves.

Last night was the Teal and White game, hopefully with no glaring grammatical embarrassments (Who's side are you on?), the Sharks open the preseason schedule tonight against the Kings in Ontario (Ontario, CA doesn't fully explain things, so let's go with Ontario, California).

GO SHARKS (HOCKEY IS BACK and so is the blog)
-Jess

2/9/09-2/13/09 sharks 5-2 and Boston

2009-02-13T05:56:00.000-08:00

First, the city.

Many of you may know this, but Boston is a great sports town. Red Sox, Celtics, Bruins, and while I was here, college hockey as well. There's a ton of history in this town, a lot of it devoted to those teams, the rest of it devoted to this country. While here, I took trips to Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox (1912), Union Oyster House, the oldest and first restaurant in America (1826), Bell in Hand Tavern, the first bar in America (1790) and the Old Massachusetts State House, the site of the reading of the Declaration of Independence and the Boston Massacre.

I stayed at the Holiday Inn Express on Friend Street, right next door to the TD BankNorth Garden. A nice, new-ish hotel tucked in the block, my cab driver actually missed it on our first pass, and when he saw he had passed the address, he reversed about half a block to get me to the front door. There are a bunch of bars in Boston, by the Garden is no exception. While here, I stopped in at a few, most notably Boston Beer Works (brewer of a lot of beers, including the very tasty Chamomile Green and the Bunker Hill Blue-beery Ale, with actual Maine blueberries in it, also be sure to order the fried pickles) and my favorite stop of the trip, The Four's.

As I found out at the end of the trip, The Four's has been voted the #1 sports bar in America, and certainly doesn't disappoint. I visited this fine establishment on Monday night, where I watched the end of the 57th Beanpot, won by Boston University by a score of 5-2. I visited again Tuesday night after the Sharks game, where I was met with joking hostility by some of the guests, who were very kind. I was also there on Wednesday night to watch the Sharks take on the Penguins, when the manager was kind enough to put the Sharks game on 3 tvs for myself, another family of Sharks fans, and a group of Sharks fans from Southern Ontario. Great place with tons of history on the walls, dishes named for players, and tasty food too. Get the buffalo chicken nachos, they're tremendous.

Onto the game. At first glance, the TD BankNorth Garden is a huge gigantic building. Well, at second and third glance and every subsequent glance its still huge and gigantic, too. Once inside though, it becomes apparent why the building is so big. What you can't see from the outside of the Garden is that the bottom floor serves as a train station for Boston, with multiple Amtrak tracks taking people all over the northeast. To get to the Garden, one must go in the doors of the ground floor, and then go up, up, up.

Three stories up is the loge, or lower level seating area for the Garden. The concourse is kinda wide, with food on the inside spotted around the concourse. The seating area is much smaller than you are led to believe by looking at the exterior, only 17,565 can sit to watch a hockey game. The lower level is a checker board pattern of alternating black and gold seat backs, upstairs is just gold. A ton of banners hang from the rafters, half devoted to the Celtics, half to the Bruins.

The game itself was a tale of three periods, the first going to the Bruins, with two goals from who many believe is the second coming of Cam Neely, young Milan Lucic. The Sharks tallied once in the first, a Rob Blake shot that ricocheted off of Dennis Wideman's skate and past goalie Tim Thomas.

The second period was more of a toss up, as the Bruins began the period where they left off in the first. The game seemed to swing when the Sharks were able to kill 49 seconds of a two man advantage, and the rest of the other penalty as well. The Sharks still trailed 2-1 after 2, but the game was much closer after 40 minutes of play.

The third and final period of play was a great one for all of those who came to the arena in teal that night. Captain Patrick Marleau tied the game at 2 just a few minutes into the frame, Milan Michalek gave the Sharks a 3-2 lead just a couple minutes later, and Joe Thornton capped his return with a right-place-at-the-right-time goal, a deflection off his skate that completed a 3 goal in 6:16 span for the Sharks.

There were quite a few Sharks fans in the stands, and quite a few Thornton Bruins jerseys as well. He got a decent amount of boos every time he touched the puck, but at night's end he got the last laugh as the Sharks left with the two points.

The Sharks, and myself, will be in Buffalo tonight for a matchup with the Sabres (4:30 California time). Former Shark Craig Rivet wears the C for the Sabres, who are without leading goal scorer Thomas Vanek who is out with a broken jaw. These two teams met last year in San Jose, a 7-1 dismantling by the Sabres. I wouldn't mind seeing the road team do that again tonight.

GO SHARKS (Condolences to the families of everyone who was on Continental Airlines Flight #3407, a small plane that was to land in Buffalo late last night, but fatally crashed into a home just miles from the airport)

-Jess

2/7/09 COLUMBUS 3, sharks 2 (OT)

2009-02-08T15:13:00.000-08:00

Its been a little while since we last spoke, I've been real busy with the Stealth and moving to SJSU and stuff, but I'm happy to say that I'm gonna get started blogging again. To the important part...

Dan LaCosta. Remember the name, fin fans, because, well, he's some young lucky schmuck who got to face the recently rolling downhill San Jose Sharks. After dropping down 2-0 after one, the Sharks scratched and clawed their way back to even, only to fall under in overtime to the Blue Jackets for the second time this year.

I didn't actually get to catch this one, as I was in San Francisco last night for the belated Chinese New Year parade, but lemme just say, wow, what a parade it was. Some hi-lites: A giant dragon that took somewhere close to 100 people to operate, a float with a swinging door that opened to reveal a cute little girl waving, only to have the door close every now and then, SF Mayor Gavin Newsom out of his parade vehicle walking around shaking hands, exchanging hugs, and performing marriages (one of those might not be right), and even a drum corps that stopped mid-march, rotated, and went half speed.

But back to the Sharks, their loss last night brings their losing streak to three, losing in all three possible ways (regulation, shootout, and overtime, respectively). Its the first three game losing streak all year, and it continues a sluggish patch for the Teal since the All-Star Break. The top line has just 6 points in 5 games since January 25th, Evgeni Nabokov has 2 shutouts, but 3 semi-sloppy games as well. The defense is still missing Brad Lukowich, but the play of Alexei Semenov (until last night) has been solid in his stead. JR is still out, Torrey Mitchell is still out, both look to be back by the end of the month hopefully.

Last night's Jackets game was the first of the annual Sharks February Mostly East Coast Road Trip (for the tennis tournament that takes place at HP), and it was just the tip of the frozen iceberg. Tuesday, the Sharks are in Boston to take on the East leading Bruins, Wednesday they take on the defending East champion Pittsburgh Penguins, Friday they're on the shores of Lake Freezeyfreeze in Buffalo to play the Sabres, and Sunday they match up for an afternoon affair in gloriously safe Newark with the New Jersey Devils.

For selfish reasons, hopefully the Sharks awake from their late January/beginning February slumber, as I will be in attendance for the matchups on Tuesday in Boston and Friday in Buffalo. That's right, the Odyssey is back in the saddle, (or the airplane as it were) for another couple games, this time in the beautiful weather of the NorthEast division. Unfortunately not all 5 cities are in a row, so I won't be able to do like last year, but I will be at a couple. If you will be there, feel free to contact me, I'd love to meet up with you for a beer or something while I'm over there.

I'll check in from frigid Boston tomorrow night, as I will do each night this week.

GO SHARKS (GO WARM)
-Jess

How they're doin

2008-11-11T17:18:00.000-08:00

No Nabby, no Cheech, and up until last Sunday, no problem.

The Teal are clearly motivated to do something this year, because they're playing strong, 60 minute contests. They're hitting, forechecking, shooting, crashing the net, anything it is taking to win, they're doing the job. A quick recap of some highlights recently...

* The Boys in Teal took down both Cup finalists in the same week defeating the Penguins 2-1 and the Wings 4-2.
* A 7 game win streak was only snapped on Sunday with a loss in Phoenix
* Brian Boucher is 1-1 since taking over for the injured (unknown injury) Evgeni Nabokov.
* The Sharks are 9-0 at the HP Pavilion this year

Say what you will about this Sharks squad, but they clearly look like a different team. Games are no longer being won by sitting on leads for 30-40 minutes, they're being won with 60 minutes of pressure. Sure its still November, and the Sharks do have a history of finding themselves on top of the league until April/May when they head out on their annual golf trip only to return and start the whole thing over in September, but I like this team, and think that they could be on their way to something good this year.

Tonight the Sharks look to become only the third team in NHL history to start the season with 10 consecutive wins at home (the record is 11 by Chicago set in the 63/64 season) when they take on the Nashville Predators (7:30). To further pile on the jinx, the Sharks are 7-0-1 against the Predators in San Jose since 03/04. This year, Nashville is 1-6-1 away from home.

GO SHARKS (10?)
-Jess

Games 4-7

2008-10-24T06:03:00.000-07:00

Anyone who has been following the Sharks recently knows three things: 1) The offense is pretty good, 2) the defense is iffy, and 3) us here at the Odyssey (me) haven't been doing a great job at keeping you up to date on all of that. But, just like the Sharks, business here is just beginning to pick up.

Over the past week, we've seen a 5-2 win over Columbus, a 4-0 loss to Anaheim, a 5-4 OT win over Philly, and a wild and woolly one (that's for you, Dan) over the Flyers 7-6 in a shootout on Tuesday.

So what do we know:

*Patrick Marleau is playing pretty well
*Joe looks hurt or something
*Devin Setoguchi has learned how to not disappear after one game
*Jonathan Cheechoo can score goals in the late months of a calendar year
*Rob Blake likes to shoot the puck
*Dan Boyle is everywhere
*Evgeni Nabokov looks kinda tired
*The season needs to end now so the Cup can just be awarded to the Sharks

Before the season began, people expected the Pacific to be tops in the league. Its only 3 weeks in, but that's not the case. After the Sharks, the rest of the division is floundering in mediocrity, with the next nearest team 5 points back (Dallas). I predicted a similar dominance for the PacDiv, but if it stays like this all year long, I'm not sure how much I'll mind.

Tonight the Teal play the second on their three game roadie when they invade the Ft. Lauderdale suburb of Sunrise to take on the Florida Panthers (4:30). The Panthers are 3-3 this year, and offer a balanced attack. With the trade of Olli Jokinen to Phoenix in the off-season, the Cats have turned to kids such as David Booth, Nathan Horton, and even Keith Ballard to provide the scoring. The last time the Sharks played the Panthers, they tricked the Cats into losing, and treated themselves to a late 2-1 win on Halloween night in 2006.

On a side note, tonight San Jose State University football plays what is probably their biggest game in the last few years when they host #13 Boise State tonight at Spartan Stadium (6:00). Each year for the last few, the Spartans have had a chance to make a dent in the BCS standings, coming close to upsets over Boise in 2006 and Hawaii last year, but falling just short. However this year carries more significance, as this season sees SJSU poised for a shot at the WAC crown. The spread is set at just 7, and should SJSU pull off the win tonight, there will be a great deal of partying at 1257 S. 10th. For those of you looking to watch some of both local events tonight, the football game can be seen on ESPN2 live.

GO SHARKS (GO SPARTANS TOO)
-Jess

Opening weekend 2008/09

2008-10-14T07:25:00.001-07:00

I've been incredibly busy recently, and the blog has suffered a bit. But have no fear, the resurgence of the blog is here. I got three games to cover, so let's start there.

But first, an incredibly sad piece of news out of Russia yesterday. Rangers prospect and current KHLer Alexei Cherepanov died of an apparent heart attac yesterday after collapsing during a game. Cherepanov was just 19 years old, and was tearing up the KHL. Condolences to the Cherepanov family, and everyone connected with this youngster.

Back in the States, the Sharks tore up the rest of California this weekend, winning all three of their opening contests by a combined score of 8-2. Sure, it was just one weekend of play and just three measly games in a season of 82 (and hopefully many many more after that), but the Sharks looked pretty dang good against their SoCal rivals.

10/9 SHARKS 4, anaheim 1

Opening night in San Jose, always a fun night, way back to the days of the space-y green lasers that came down from the rafters to draw on the ice and the amazingly cool remote-controlled fins that circled the faceoff dot at center ice. This year, the 17,496 were treated to a stunning display of videos on the ice, and a pregame video set to the music of THE MOST IRONIC SONG EVER, something yadda yadda yadda chorus "it's lights out".

Now, normally I'd think this is hilarious on the part of the Sharks org, and a well played joke, however, this IS the Sharks org. who asked me "Who's side are you on?", so I'm not so sure the joke was intended there.

Either way, the lights did then go out, the Shark head malfunctioned and didn't come down, and I had a crappy view to see the latest banner of mediocrity (Pacific Division Champs 2007/08) dropped from the rafters. After dropping the banner, the Sharks promptly dropped the Ducks.

My Cheechoo was on fire (that's not the last time I'll say that this year), netting a pair of goals, Devin Setoguchi had one, and Christian "Gosh Darn" Ehrhoff hit the back of the twine, although I'm convinced it wasn't purposeful. Dan Boyle and Rob Blake had good debuts, finding themselves in the play often, taking quite a few shots from the blueline. Nabby found his rightful spot in net, and was just a few minutes from a shutout before a deflected point shot trickled past him.

The thing that really struck me the most about opening night was the actual presence of a forecheck. As has been written since by other fans, the Sharks were actually a little suffocating, on the PK, and just for the hell of it. Who knows if this is a trend that will stick around, but god, that'd be amazing if it did. The power play looked good too, three guys down low, someone ALWAYS IN FRONT OF THE NET, and two guys on the point with cannons ready to fire. I could get used to that.

This was the only game of the weekend that I was really able to watch all the way through, so I'm just going to assume that these trends continued through the home/home with the Kings.

I do know, from the box scores though, Setoguchi had another goal, Tomas Plihal and Joe Pavelski scored, and Lukas Kaspar recorded his first career NHL goal on a shot he didn't even know went in (ok, so that wasn't in the box score, but I couldn't sit through a fully tivo'd game). Brian Bouchutout lived up to his name in his season debut on Sunday in LA, confusing Nabby as he didn't have to play half a year before getting a rest.

So after one weekend of hockey, this much is apparent.
* The Sharks don't appear to be too phased by the change in coaching staff/philosophy for success.
* Rob Blake likes to shoot the puck. He leads the team in doing that.
* Todd McLellan has had his team ready to play for all three games, starting in a fashion Ron Wilson teams didn't.
* There's an incredibly large amount of hockey left, so all this is really pretty moot.

I'll cap this massive recap of the past 3 weeks with my belated predictions for this year. No fancy funny phrases, just some standings. Ok, so my standings may be really funny, but hey, I'm entitled to be just as hilariously wrong as the next guy, no?

EAST

1) Washington Capitals (SE)
2) New York Rangers (A)
3) Montreal Canadiens (NE)
4) Philadelphia Flyers (A)
5) Pittsburgh Penguins (A)
6) Boston Bruins (NE)
7) New Jersey Devils (A)
8) Carolina Hurricanes (SE)
9) Buffalo Sabres (NE)
10) Florida Panthers (SE)
11) Tampa Bay Lightning (SE)
12) Toronto Maple Leafs (NE)
13) Ottawa Senators (NE)
14) Atlanta Thrashers (SE)
15) New York Islanders (A)

WEST

1) Detroit Red Wings (C)
2) San Jose Sharks (P)
3) Edmonton Oilers (NW)
4) Dallas Stars (P)
5) Phoenix Coyotes (P)
6) Chicago Blackhawks (C)
7) Nashville Predators (C)
8) Vancouver Canucks (NW)
9) Columbus Blue Jackets (C)
10) Anaheim Ducks (P)
11) Calgary Flames (NW)
12) Colorado Avalanche
13) Minnesota Wild
14) St. Louis Blues
15) Los Angeles Kings

Back to the present, the Sharks get back to action tonight, to work towards that #2 place in the West when they take on the Columbus Blue Jackets (7:30). The Jackets begin another season long attempt to avoid the futility of missing the playoffs, something that will come soon, but as you can see from my predictions, won't happen just yet. They're coached by Paul Bearer (WWE joke), who has the alias of one Ken Hitchcock, king of the trap. The Sharks have never fared too well against the trap, however this is a team that seems to be able to generate offense from everywhere, making for an interesting matchup.

GO SHARKS (RIP Alexei Cherepanov)
-Jess

Hockey time is here

2008-09-23T09:34:00.001-07:00

Well, Sharks fans. Its here. Finally. Training camp has opened, physicals have been given, numbers assigned, and now, it all gets underway.

Tonight is the annual Teal & White Game, a season ticket holder event that showcases the entire squad against one another in an evening usually full of fun and autographs.

Tomorrow the Sharks will open their preseason schedule when they head to the Pond to face the Anaheim Ducks (7pm). The very same Ducks will make their first visit of the year to the Tank on Friday (7:30pm), while the Sharks will host Vancouver on Saturday (also 7:30). A back-to-back with the Coyotes next week will see a Los Gatos resident play against his favorite team growing up as Viktor Tikhonov will hopefully be in uniform for Phoenix. The Teal will wrap up the preseason with a trip to Vancouver and a neutral site showdown with the LA Kings in Salt Lake City, Utah.

If you're headed to any of these games, I hope to see you there. Most of these games should be available on the internet, just go to the opponent's respective homepage to find out (teamname.nhl.com)

Hockey's a comin' folks, you ready for it?

GO SHARKS (HOCKEY!!!)
-Jess

Dear SWA

2008-08-26T22:29:00.000-07:00

As some of you may remember, or most of you won't, I was on TV in March of 2007. I was interviewed during the 1st Intermission of the Sharks game from Raleigh against the Carolina Hurricanes. While being interviewed, I was asked to give a travel horror story that one such as myself would experience because I didn't get the luxury of traveling on a charter. I spun a yarn of the day that I flew from Dallas to DC via Little Rock and Chicago, with my bag not making it to our Nation's Capital with me.

Basically, without thinking, I said that Southwest (A bigtime Sharks sponsor) was not a great airline for long flights. Now, I haven't gotten any actual criticism from SWA, but my friends, including many of you, have needled me endlessly for it.

Well, over the past few months, and more recently today, I've had the pleasure (and I do mean it) of talking to the great Southwest Airlines Customer Service. I had a couple questions regarding my airline miles, and the two customer service agents were incredibly helpful to me, answering all my questions very clearly and even carrying on a great conversation.

Now, unfortunately, the news and the questions these agents discussed with me were not the greatest of news for me (the gist of it is, I don't get to do anything in Vegas this weekend that will get to stay in Vegas), but hey, that's not their fault. They don't make the rules, they're just unreasonably great at explaining them to those that ask.

So, Southwest Airlines, I apologize for calling you out on the channel then known as Fox Sports Net Bay Area. You have multiple attributes, most of them really good, like your customer service that is actually quick and convenient and helpful and friendly. Such qualities can allow me to forget about losing my bag, or getting stuck with C group and sitting between two large hairy gentlemen with Confederate Flag tattoos and hunting hats, and getting yelled at by an old deranged woman because I wouldn't give her my window seat (partially because I was 85% unconscious at the time).

Southwest, I'm sorry, now please can you schedule your Shamu plane for my next flight? Thank you.

GO SHARKS (if you ever find yourself bored, just give the incredibly friendly folks at Southwest Airlines Customer Service a call, they blow away all other customer service departments)
-Jess

Hockey is just over a month away, expect multiple articles as I get the blog rolling again for the hockey season.

Blake, Boyle, and Lukowich, oh my!

2008-07-19T18:30:00.000-07:00

Its been a little while, so lets catch things up, shall we?

July 3rd, I'm sitting at my computer, and what do I read, but that the San Jose Sharks have signed longtime really old guy Rob Blake. Back in the 60s (or something), Blake was a feared defender, with a strong right-handed slapper and was a threat to lay you out if you weren't paying attention. Back to the present day, Blake is old, still is right-handed, and can lay you out... a nice quilt that he made, because he's really old.

First thought is, ok, this is cool, I think. Rob Blake used to be really good, and can be reasonable, hopefully. At 5 mil a season, its a bit scary should he...you know...suck, but its a risk that Doug Wilson seems to feel is worth taking.

Now, lets move along to July 4th. A day known for fireworks, the Sharks made some explosive noise early in the day, when TSN announced that the Sharks had traded for Dan Boyle from Tampa Bay. When the day was all said and done, the full deal was Dan Boyle and Brad Lukowich for Matt Carle, Ty Wishart, and picks in both the 1st and 4th rounds in the 2009 Entry Draft.

Now, first thought here is, man, I hate this deal. I really thought that with Campbell leaving for richer grounds, Matt Carle would get his chance to blossom and turn into the Norris winner everyone was expecting from him. Well, the path is still clear for Carle, however, now it is in Tampa, where he'll be coached by everyone's favorite mullet. Meanwhile, the Sharks get two guys in Boyle and Lukowich that have age and experience to them, as well as not as lengthy a future.

To complete room for remaining players, Craig Rivet was shipped out to Buffalo for a pair of second rounders, one in 09 and the other in 10.

So, in the span of 24 hours, the Sharks blueline went from:

Carle-Rivet
Murray-Ehrhoff
Vlasic-McLaren

to

Boyle-Blake
Murray-Ehrhoff
Vlasic-McLaren

Quick turnaround, eh?

Basically, the Sharks seem poised for the short run, which goes against the philosophy they've employed since the beginning. If they do raise the silver in the next few years, then obviously, it worked, and no one will complain. If they don't get any closer than they currently have (aka, dying in the second round every year), then it'll be indifferent. If they flat out stink, then hey, at least they tried to get better, right? Right?

GO SHARKS (Hooray summer, I suppose)
-Jess

Free Agency Frenzy

2008-07-02T00:21:00.000-07:00

First day of unrestricted free agency is in the books, with a lot of activity to talk about. After Christmas itself, the start of free agency in the NHL is as close to Christmas as you can get. As has been aptly described by the folks over at HF Boards, July 1st for Sharks fans however is as such.

You wake up real early to run downstairs and see the tree, see the milk and cookies, see all the lights and wreaths and mistletoe and whatnot, and then realize, "Oh yeah, I'm Jewish".

The Sharks have never been big free agency players, but these past few years have defined a new low. Doug Wilson is a cautious GM, one who packs his baskets in what is considered an unorthodox style now a days, by spreading out his eggs to several baskets. In order to do this properly, he scouts and drafts real well, keeping his players throughout their development until they blossom at the top level. This means that picking up impact players from trades and free agency is a rarity. Today was just another example. There is time left, however, and a lot of it. Personally, my fingers are still crossed for a defenseman, but I'll settle for the cream of this summer's crop, Marian Hossa.

Today marked new beginnings for most teams in the league, and endings for 3 Sharks. Nate Raduns is now a member of the Boston Bruins, where he will probably play for Providence (AHL). Patrick Rissmiller is a New York Ranger, where he'll... uh... um... do stuff, and Brian "I want to play in the Eastern Conference to be closer to my family because of family illnesses" Campbell ended up in the long time Eastern Conference city of Chicago. (Note: the previous statement was sarcasm and should be read as muffled anger, as Chicago is in the West, and clearly is the best location because of the amount of green he will be rolling in.)

Tomorrow is day 2 of the UFA period, with Hossa, Orpik, and some well known marginal guys who's names that are escaping me right now. (Another note: the latter is what Wilson is best at signing ala Boucher, Ozolinsh, Roenick, and Semenov last year).

GO SHARKS (merry flippin christmas)
-Jess

NHL DRAFTSTRAVAGANZA 2008

2008-06-20T15:20:00.000-07:00

Ok, so the graphic sucks, but it's ok, because the blog is sure to live up to the quality of the graphic, and none higher, and that's a promise!

So without further ado, LIVEBLOGGING DRAFTSTRAVAGANZA 2008.

3:22pm: I'm in my war room, better known as my couch. I got my computer, my clicker, my dog, and a soda. It's about 96 degrees outside today, perfect weather to be discussing hockey. The Sharks don't have a pick until the fourth round (#117, to be exact), so if the Sharks pick tonight, something big is gonna happen first.

3:36pm: I'm not the best with NHL drafts because the coverage is poor down here, but I'm learning this draft is pretty much Steven Stamkos and a bunch of defensemen (Doughty, Bogosian, Myers, and Schenn). It's kinda funny to think I'm gonna be watching an event with a bunch of kids who are significantly younger than me, however the pain is lessened when I laugh at their ridiculous amounts of acne.

3:55pm: Eugene Melnyk, owner of the Senators, is on the stage, touting Ottawa as the best hockey city in the world. I assume that's why they're hosting the Draft, and not the Stanley Cup Finals. Nice work, Eug. Give me Bettman to boo, please. Thanks. Oh and trot that spartan out again. That's the sign of a true hockey city.

4:02pm: I've made the switch to Versus, er, TSN South. Right away James Duthie tells me a three-way huskerdoo has taken place. Mike Cammalleri to Calgary, #12 pick to LA (from Anaheim), and the #17 (from Calgary) and #28 (from LA) to the Ducks. Bring on more trades.

4:14pm: Blah blah blah Stamkos blah blah blah. I hear booing in the background, which can only mean... da da da daaaaa, Gary Bettman. The commish begins with a classic line amidst the booing. "I love your passion". Bettman, you sir, are king. Nother trade to announce, Olli Jokinen is now a Phoenix Coyote for Keith Ballard, Nick Boynton, and the 49th overall pick.
FIRST PICK...Steven Stamkos. Shocker. Dean "Finnish lover" Lombardi and the LA Kings are on the clock.

4:27pm. TSN points out the Kings will make 9 picks before both the Sharks and Penguins get to pick. Mike Futa of the Kings says Kings fans will be happy cause they'll have 100 picks this weekend. Nice joke, Mike, but you only have 93.
KINGS PICK...Drew Doughty. Seems like a good pick, if you're a Kings fan. Atlanta is #3.

4:36pm. ATLANTA PICKS... Steve Bedrosian er, Zach Bogosian. Mentions in the interview with Duthie that he hates losing. Good thing he's going to Atlanta, they'll turn him around real quick. Another trade. Alex Tanguay to Montreal with #138 for the 25th pick and a 2nd rounder in 09. Tanguay has been a shade of his former self since leaving the Avs. Jarmo Kekalainen makes the announcement Alex Pietrangelo PICKED BY THE BLUES AT 4. Islanders up next.

5:01pm. Toronto trades up to #5, giving NYI the 7 pick, and some strange cocktail of two picks that Gary Bettman had entirely too much fun saying twice. LEAFS PICK...Luke Schenn, Ottawa fans boo. Welcome to the rivalry, kid. Columbus up next at 6.

5:08pm. Bettman makes a trade announcement, the 19th and the 67th to... not the Sharks. Thank god, I think I peed a bit there. Columbus sends that stuff to Philly for RJ Umberger and 118. JACKETS THEN PICK Nikita Filatov. Islanders up next, again.

5:18pm. Isles just don't want to pick, trading 7 to Nashville for 9 and 40. NASHVILLE PICKS... Colin Wilson. Phoenix up now.

5:24pm. Wayne up to make the pick, getting a standing o. COYOTES PICK... Mikkel Boedker. Gretz shouts out to the "nine-ten fans watching in Phoenix". Canadian fans everywhere miss the obvious sarcasm and scream for the Yotes to be moved because Gretz said "nine-ten fans". Islanders up next, maybe, finally.

5:30pm. Garth Snow announces that the ISLES PICK... JOSH BAILEY. Some dude I've never heard of, which is no big deal cause i don't know this stuff very well. Vancouver up next at 10.

5:37pm. VANCOUVER PICKS CODY HODGSON. Hodgson played at Brampton, owners of the coolest jerseys in the CHL. 100 minutes in, we've now seen 1/3 of the first round. Hooray. Blackhawks hold #11.

5:44pm. CHICAGO PICKS KYLE BEACH. Beach is a pissed off kind of hockey player. Beats people up, has a great shot, scores goals. Could be a Jarome Iginla, could be a Scott Parker (the Sheriff was indeed a first round selection of the Avalanche, heh.) Kings up next at 12, from the Cammalleri three way deal earlier.

5:52pm. LA trades 12 to Buffalo for 13 and a 3rd rounder next year. Buffalo is up now.

5:54pm. BUFFALO GETS TYLER MYERS. Myers is a giant defenseman, 6'7 to be exact. This guy can skate like Pierre McGuire can't believe. Kings up now again at 13.

5:58pm. COLTEN TEUBERT SELECTED BY LA. Rough n tough defenseman TSN tells me. Lovely. Carolina selects next at 14.

6:05pm. CAROLINA PICKS ZACH BOYCHUK. His sister is a built athlete apparently, maybe she'll get picked next round. Nashville sits at 15.

6:12pm. Nashville makes a trade that "the people in Ottawa are gonna like". Preds trade 15 to Ottawa for 18 and a 3rd rounder in 09. Senators to pick now. Chris Kelly of Ottawa extended for 4 more years. Daniel Alfredsson to make the pick for the Sens. OTTAWA PICKS...Erik "Killer" Karlsson of Sveeeeeden. Kid is 167 pounds, and won't be coming over this year. Hmm, drafing a guy who won't come over from Europe right away, sounds like the Dean Lombardi special. We're no halfway through the first round, and I've only been bored for most of it. Go me. Boston to pick at 16.

6:22pm. BRUINS SELECT JOE COLBOURNE. Apparently this guy is a Joe Thornton clone. Hmm, Joe Thornton in Boston, yeah... that'll work out well. Anaheim up at 17.

6:29pm. Brian Burke gets booed like mad, is "happy to be back in Ottawa". Not a Burke fan, but that was good. DUCKS PICK JAKE GARDINER. Bob McKenzie said speed like 83 times, so this kid is apparently a drug addict. He'll fit in perfectly in Orange County. Nashville up next at 18.

6:36pm. PREDS PICK CHET PICKARD. A goalie. That's it, got nothin for you. He stops pucks. Philly up next at 19.

6:41pm. FLYERS CHOOSE LUCA SBISA. Puck moving defenseman from Switzerland. Was good in the WHL. He's got a cool name, that's always a plus. Seeing that flying P reminds me, Tony Luke's, best cheesesteaks in Philly. Rangers choose 20th.

6:48pm. RANGERS PICK MICHAEL DEL ZOTTO. He has all the tools, but unfortunately no tool box to put them in. Sad story. New Jersey has 21.

6:53pm. NJ trades 21 to Washington for 23 and 54. Caps on zee clock.

6:55pm. CAPS SELECT ANTON GUSTAFSSON. Could be the second in his family to play for the Caps, has back problems though. As long as he doesn't sneeze (Sammy Sosa) or try to pick up a cracker (Brent Sopel) he should be ok. Oilers up next at 22.

7:03pm. EDMONTON PICKS JORDAN EBERLE. For some reason, I'm seeing Eberle hilites from when he was 8. They really scout 'em young now. This round needs to end soon, I'm running out of humor, if I had any to begin with. New Jersey at 23 is next.

7:15pm. Minnesota trades for 23 to New Jersey for 24 and a 3rd rounder in 09. MINNESOTA PICKS TYLER CUMA. Doug Wilson weeps, as this kid is from Ottawa of the OHL. NEW JERSEY PICKS MATTIAS TEDENBY, who is like 3 feet tall or something. Tedenby is the first player drafted to the NHL from the Lollipop Guild hockey club. Calgary up next at 25.

7:24pm. CALGARY PICKS GREG NEMISZ. Big guy, gonna be a goal scorer, Darryl Sutter kinda guy. James Duthie asks Sutter for insider info, Sutter says Duthie will get nothing and like it. Buffalo picks next with the Sharks pick at 26.

7:30pm. BUFFALO PICKS TYLER ENNIS. Ennis is tiny, 5'8. Speedy, one dimensional, goal scorer. Buffalo now has a huge guy (6'7) and a tiny guy (5'8). Man I want to see that picture. Philly next at 27.

7:35pm. Oh god, another trade. Mercifully let this end. Washington gets 27 for Eminger and 84.

7:38pm. CAPS SELECT JOHN "KILLER" CARLSON. Big bruising defenseman, he's big, and he's bruising, and he's a defenseman. I think the TSN panel said this about 20 times. Wheee. Ducks have 28.

7:40pm. Anaheim trades 28 to Phoenix for 35 and 39. Yotes up now.

7:45pm. PHOENIX SELECTS VIKTOR TIKHONOV. Los Gatos resident Tikhonov is a friend of mine, glad to see he'll be in the division. Congrats to him. Nice to see the whole family in Ottawa, can only hope for the best for him.

ATLANTA PICKS DAULTAN LEVEILLE. Guy with big potential, has never worked out before. Interesting. Last pick upcoming, owned by the Red Wings.

7:53pm. DETROIT PICKS TOM MCCOLLUM. Good American goalie, best glove hand in the draft, and he hugs his grandma.

And with that, the first round is over. 13 trades, 30 picks, and 83 beers consumed. Let's do this again next year, shall we? The draft continues tomorrow at 6:30 in the freaking morning Pacific time on the NHL Network. I won't be up for it, and probably won't miss anything.

Not sure what to make of Doug Wilson not getting a first rounder in what is considered a deep draft, not sure what his plans are from here on out. Lot of guys I would have liked to have seen in teal, obviously that won't happen, at least right away. Oh well. I'll recap the late rounds tomorrow as it is completed.

So ends NHL DRAFTSTRAVAGANZA 2008, thanks for tuning in to my blog. Tip your waitstaff, and watch out for Pierre McGuire.

GO SHARKS (good luck in Phoenix, Vik)

The draft, she's a comin'

2008-06-18T21:16:00.000-07:00

Friday night is the first round of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, held in Ottawa this year. Sharks fans know the draft as Doug Wilson season, when the SJ GM wheels n' deals more than a pizza delivery guy on SuperBowl Sunday. The future of the NHL will be present, however, it won't be known who that future for a few years when they actually become household names and we've all forgotten about their draft night.

As of now, the Sharks have absolutely ZERO first rounders, which means there is absolutely ZERO reason for Sharks fans to watch the first round on Friday night which means there absolutely ZERO else you should be doing besides checking out my exciting, amazing, from the seat of my pants commentary that I am proudly dubbing...

Jess's Friday Night NHL First Round Entry Draftstravaganza 2008.

Yes, I have no reason to watch the 2008 Entry Draft's first round, so that's exactly why I am, and why I'm liveblogging it to boot. So please, stop by, hang around, and enjoy the draft.

FYI: The draft coverage begins at 3 pacific on NHL Network, and the draft begins at 4 on Versus Friday afternoon. The rest of the Draft is Saturday. The Sharks first pick as of now isn't until the fourth round, but the Sharks have been rumored to be moving up, something that wouldn't really surprise any Sharks fan.

GO SHARKS (DRAFT LIKE THE WIND)
-Jess

DRAFTSTRAVAGANZA COMING FRIDAY!

And the new Sharks Head Coach is...

2008-06-12T15:46:00.000-07:00

Who?!?

Yeah, that's pretty much how most Sharks fans feel right now, as the search is over for a new skipper, and the results yielded are just a tad anonymous in nature. Todd McLellan becomes the 7th Head Coach of the Sharks, and will be entering his first year as an NHL Head Coach. Little Mac (I'm coining the term now, please send royalties to me via email) won a Calder Cup as the Head Coach of the Houston Aeros, and most recently won the Stanley Cup with the Red Wings this year.

Word is he's a big time offensive X's and O's kind of guy and was in charge of the Wings PP, which should be just what the Sharks need. He's the right kind of coach to entice Brian Campbell back, and I imagine Matt Carle will see more time to blossom, with Kyle McLaren (Big Mac) probably on his way out, if not just making himself a permanent assgroove in one of the comfy chairs in the press box. Hopefully McLellan will be able to figure out how to make Joe potent as a goal scorer and as a passer.

The draft is next Saturday, and there is the possibility of a big trade rumored, centering around Captain Patrick Marleau, who has a no trade clause that kicks in on July 1st. We'll see soon enough how that works out. Til then, welcome to San Jose, Todd McLellan.

GO SHARKS (ASSISTANT COACHES?!?!?!)
-Jess

Oh Canada (or at least the closed-minded towards warm weather hockey cities part)

2008-06-09T23:53:00.000-07:00

DISCLAIMER: I'm going to reference Canadians a bunch of times, and am not intending to lump every Canadian together. But to save myself and you from having to wade through explanations whom exactly I'm objecting to, I'm pointing it out now. If you are a Canadian and you don't feel negatively towards NHL hockey in warm American markets, welcome aboard.

So I was perusing an unofficial San Jose Sharks message board and general awesome internet meeting place, I was pointed in the direction of this piece.
This is an opinion piece that was touched on by Yahoo! Sports author Greg Wyshynski in his column below.

Basically, it's another piece of drivel from an ignorant Canadian who seems to believe that the NHL only belongs in Canada and nowhere else. Now, I have no problem with opinions, as the cliche goes, they're like . But as an American hockey fan who was born and pretty much raised on the game that I have read plenty of times I shouldn't be allowed to have, it irks me just a bit.

Over the past 20 years, the National Hockey League has seen its product extend to the warmer parts of North America, thanks to the advances in cooling technology. Since 1991, we've seen franchises pop up in hot weather cities like Anaheim, Atlanta, Dallas, Nashville, Phoenix, Raleigh, San Jose, Sunrise (Miami/Ft. Lauderdale area), and Tampa, with additional franchises in Columbus, Denver, Ottawa, and St. Paul.

Without getting too much into the major history, Canada lost a pair of NHL teams in the mid-90's despite being wildly popular in their communities. With the Canadian Dollar in lé toiletté (French) and no monetary parameters in place, some of the NHL teams north of the border had trouble keeping up with cities in the States that were booming. As a result, the NHL saw the relocations of franchises in Quebec City and Winnipeg to Denver and Phoenix, respectively.

Now, in that time, we've seen tremendous growth of youth hockey in each of those cities, and a general growth of the sport among the community. Just a couple years ago for the first time, a California youth team won the Silver Sticks tournament, a North American tournament held annually. Indoor hockey rinks in Texas have gone up something like 400%. Hockey has become a hot ticket in towns where ice doesn't usually exist anywhere but in a cocktail glass. But for some reason, this seems to be insufficient progress for "hockey-thirsty" Canadians.

In this line of thinking, having an NHL team is not so much a privilege as a right of passage, a pot of gold at the end of a vulcanized rubber rainbow. Cities in the north where ice is available outside in the winter (apparently water freezes and turns into ice, this is an unconfirmed rumor as of this post) are automatically more "qualified" to have a professional team. Just because hockey has been played by kids on a lake in December in a small town in Northern Saskatchewan, they somehow deserve a NHL team more than kids who have to play their hockey indoors, or someone who hasn't been blessed with the ability to see or play the game yet.

As a "Southern US" hockey fan, I'm tired of hearing that I, along with all of my latitudinally challenged US brethren, somehow don't deserve hockey. Because we don't sell out our building every night, we are somehow inferior. Because we don't swarm the team stickboy on the streets when he's just out for a cup of coffee, we are somehow inferior. Because we follow other sports in addition to hockey that are collectively more popular, we are somehow inferior.

Attendance is an issue that is brought up a lot and yes, there are southern cities that have trouble drawing crowds. However, there are plenty of northern cities that have attendance troubles as well, but they're always given a free pass for some extenuating circumstances. For example, the Chicago Blackhawks recently endured the passing of one "Dollar" Bill Wirtz, a shrewd and cheap businessman who ran his on-ice product into the ground, making them a poor hockey team and driving fans away. That's fine and valid, but why is that grounds for a free pass, when a team with Atlanta's history isn't? The Thrashers made the playoffs for the first time in their 9 year history last season, after posting some really bad seasons. They sold out their playoff games, and were really popular down the stretch. Yet, because the team is floundering in mediocrity again, which is keeping some fans away, they're somehow unfit to house a team altogether. Doesn't make sense to me.

I've lived my whole life in San Jose, and due to incredibly lucky timing, have gotten to grow up with an NHL team in my backyard (not literally, of course. After all, I live where it's warm). I played street hockey in high school parking lots from the age of 7 until I got a pair of roller blades, and then I played roller hockey on those same parking lots until high school, when I played on my school team. I've been a Sharks fan since the beginning, and have seen much more hockey than my feeble mind could ever recount. The day the Sharks win the Stanley Cup will be the greatest day of my life, save for my future wedding and birth of my children.

To any Canadian, or really any elitist hockey fan that believes that I, along with anyone else who lives in an area in which hockey has never been considered to be king, shouldn't have a hockey team, I invite you to leave a comment, because I would love to pick your brain. I really truly wish to understand why you feel the way you do towards southern hockey, why you don't think it should be there, and why you don't think it should have a chance to grow and flourish into what you have. We like hockey, you like hockey, why can't we like each other?

GO SHARKS (2008 NHL Entry Draft in just 10 days)
-Jess

Ron Wilson fard and other type news

2008-05-21T22:51:00.000-07:00

So, unless you've been under a hockey based impenetrable rock the past two weeks, you probably know that...

- Ron Wilson got fired. I like that complacency isn't covering it anymore, however, I feel this was a move that made sense after last year's exit, but that he wasn't at fault for this year's elimination. It'll almost definitely be a step backwards for the team in the immediate future, if they somehow advance to or past the second round in 2008/09, my expectations will have been exceeded.

- Sharks raised ticket prices. In other news, the sun rose, then it set, and my dog peed on the lawn. They still somehow didn't "break even", so season ticket holders have to an increasing amount of money for a product that is staying stagnant. That doesn't sound right.

- Dallas tried to one up the Sharks. After dropping the first three games to the Wings in "God we really suck" fashion, the Stars won Games 4 and 5 to make things a bit interesting before dropping Game 6 in that familiar sucky fashion, ending their season with nary a banner to show for it. (Editor's note: yes, I'm bitter that the Stars knocked the Sharks out, but hey, when it's all said and done for this year, both teams were losers, but we get a division banner and they get bupkis).

- Evgeni Nabokov is god. They say Jesus Saves, I say, yes, Nabby does save. A lot. After making the save of the playoffs in the losing effort of the 4OT Game 6 against Dallas, Nabokov went to Quebec City to play for Russia in the World Championships, where he compiled a 5-0 record with a 1.78 Goals Against Average, a 9.29 Save %, 2 Shutouts, and a Gold medal for his efforts. Congrats on a great season of hockey Nabby, the Vezina isn't far away.

- State of the Sharks. This was actually pretty cool, as we found out the team has put in bids for the ASG (it's thought to be around 2012 or 2013), NHL Entry Draft, and NCAA Frozen Four. We also found out Doug Wilson is still pissed about the Raffi Torres on Milan Michalek hit from the '06 playoffs. Helpful.

- Jeremy Roenick is coming back for another year. This was announced at the State of the Sharks, but he deserves his own bullet point. JR is the man, he deserves the C (maybe not on this squad, but it would be a beautiful gesture by the new coach and by Marleau to give it up), and he deserves a Cup. Now the team has to go get it for the old man. This also means the "JR 509" sign will see another year. Hope it gets to go increase.

- Stanley Cup Finals begin Saturday, with the Pittsburgh Penguins visiting the Detroit Red Wings. Pittsburgh has the O, Detroit is bringing the D. Should be a good series, although I'm predicting that the Cup goes to the Motor City after just 5 games.

- It's not October yet. The Giants suck. The Stealth have been eliminated. The SaberCats are mediocre. I hate the A's. It's gonna be a long summer. On the bright side, I do have my new internship, with the San Francisco Dragons of Major League Lacrosse. The Dragons are 0-1, but are poised to have a good year. They are playing at Spartan Stadium in San Jose this year, come on down and see their opener on May 31st at 7pm against the LA Riptide.

GO SHARKS (Just practicing for the fall)
-Jess

5/4/08 DALLAS 2, sharks 1 4OT (Dallas wins series 4-2)

2008-05-06T23:15:00.000-07:00

Took a real long time, but that's how it ends, in Game 6 of the second round. Again.

The Sharks 2007-2008 season came to a disappointing end Sunday night, albeit in a new and different heartbreaking fashion. A tremendous Game 6 saw the Sharks and Stars battle for more than double a regulation contest, making it that much more disappointing when it finally came to an end.

An iffy Brian Campbell penalty (called in my opinion as a makeup call for an iffy Niklas Grossman penalty in the 3rd overtime) lead to a Dallas powerplay that, unlike the Sharks man advantage in the period earlier, didn't fail to capitalize. Captain No Goal Brendan Morrow finally put one in the net on his stick, ending the last game of the series like he ended the first, in sudden death OT.

I waited an extra night to post this, because I wanted to point out that tonight could have, and was so close to being the minutes following Game 7 of this series. Mere inches played the difference in Game 6, but a crappy second period of Game 2 sticks out as the main culprit of the series. An overtime is a crapshoot, but when two teams are equal, more often then not, they even out.

That said, it's a weird feeling to be a Sharks fan right now. On one end, I've seen this story before. A great Sharks team has preseason Cup hopes, has a good regular season, and catches fire towards season's end, gets into the playoffs, wins a round, and just up and dies in Game 6 against a team they should beat.

On the other end, the Sharks, despite their ultimate expectations, and the expectations of everyone around the league, answered the bell when it rang extolling a message of a team that lacked heart, character, and a will to just win.

After losing Game 3 to Calgary in classic "playing not to lose means playing not to win either" fashion, the Sharks battled back and stole Game 4 in the waning moments, came home and won Game 5, and then after laying an egg in Game 6, they played a great Game 7, their first in San Jose, and moved on.

Yes, they did drop the first three to Dallas, but they answered the bell again in Game 4, when some 3rd Period heroics allowed the Sharks to avoid the loss, which still seemed almost inevitable. Then Game 5 happened, and the Sharks battled back from a 2-0 3rd Period deficit forcing an extra period, where Joe Pavelski sent the Tank into a state of euphoria, and almost clinching a Game 7 that was to be played, well, tonight. Obviously, that magical comeback fell one small goal short, and instead of discussing a second Game 7 this spring, I'm left to discuss Sharks hockey that won't be played for five whole months.

In summary, I am proud of this Sharks team. I'm proud of Evgeni Nabokov, who had the season of his career, and hopefully will be rightfully crowned the top goalie of the season with the Vezina Trophy, which will be awarded after the conclusion of the playoffs. I'm proud of Patrick Marleau, who, despite a less than par regular season, had a solid two series, including battling through two of the more bloody hits put on Sharks in recent history. I'm proud of Jeremy Roenick, who stuck a sock in pretty much every critic and fans mouths alike with his inspiring campaign, showing what it's like to play hockey because you just plain love it.

There really isn't anyone I'm disappointed in, at least in a form that matters to anything. I would have liked to see some adjustments made to the power play, a unit that struggled all season long, yet remained virtually the same, minus a month long blip after the arrival of Brian Campbell. I would have liked to see Nabby play less in the regular season, although it doesn't seem to have made a difference, as he was absolutely incredible this post season (that glove save on Brad Richards in the first OT this Sunday is a great save of the year candidate). I would have liked to see the Sharks finally turn the corner, cause I'm really tired of other teams and other fan bases getting to see June hockey in person, while I have to settle for my television set and teams that aren't my own.

I can live vicariously throughout the rest of these playoffs, however. I'd love to see the Flyers win the Cup, because I'm a big fan of underdogs, and to go from the worst team in the Eastern Conference to Stanley Cup Champions would be simply amazing. I guess I'd be ok with the Red Wings winning the Cup, because A) it's not Dallas or Pittsburgh and B) Brad Stuart would get to hold the silver. I can live vicariously through Evgeni Nabokov for Team Russia, Douglas Murray for Team Sweden, and Marcel Goc and Dmitri Patzold for Team Germany, who are competing in the World Championships currently going on in Canada. And lastly, I'm living vicariously through other teams and other fan bases in hopes that one day the good karma may finally pay off, and I might get to live this stuff first hand.

I'll still be posting throughout the summer, I'm going to be working for the San Francisco Dragons of the MLL, the premier professional outdoor lacrosse league in the US in addition to my post with the San Jose SaberCats of the Arena Football League. I am disappointed that I have worn my Sharks jerseys for the last time this season, but even as I hang them in my closet, the faint excitement of Exhibition hockey in September already has me flipping the months of the calendar. Come October, we'll all gather at 525 W. Santa Clara, see the 2007-2008 Pacific Division Champions banner with none of his friends, see Evgeni Nabokov's Vezina Trophy, and see our Sharks, ready to start all over again, ready to end the story differently, and ready to make everyone who cheers for the Teal just a bit happier next spring.

GO SHARKS (Draft day yet?)
-Jess

5/2/08 SHARKS 3, dallas 2 OT

2008-05-04T00:31:00.000-07:00

Ok, forget about last game, this was your stereotypical Sharks elimination game. Sharks kinda show up until they get scored on, then disappear into the summer skies, and lose by a 2-0 margin...wait, they did what? AGAIN? No ****ing way.

Well, it took a third period Dallas meltdown, winding up on the fortunate side of a couple reviewed goals, and energy that I personally haven't experienced since 1994, and bam, hello Game 6.

Brendan Morrow had, what has been coined the McMorrow Sandwich, a disallowed goal (for kicking), followed shortly thereafter by a legal goal (with a stick), and then another disallowed goal (for batting it in with a hand). Jere Lehtinen had a powerplay goal as well, and after 2 periods, it looked over.

With the Sharks trailing 2-0, and not showing much of anything positive, it really did seem over. I was exchanging conversations with my friends, discussing summer plans, and what would change with the team, and who would come in and coach, and all sorts of other things. My dad turned to me and said as the 3rd started that he wanted just one goal. I agreed, that would have been fine by me, just not to see a shutout.

Then Michalek scored, and he turned to me again and said, "ok, I don't want to be greedy, but what if they tied it here". And then JR found Campbell on a great homerun pass up the middle, finding a streaking Soupmeister splitting the D, and rifling a shot over Turco's shoulder. Once again, he turned to me and mentioned how crazy it would be if they won it, regulation or not. After what seemed like the longest 8 minutes ever, OT finally came, and it didn't take long for my dad to get his third and final wish, when Joe Pavelski had what seemed like 30 minutes alone by himself with the puck, and buried it, sending the Tank into a state of absolute euphoria.

The horn went for about 15 seconds (verified later on the tv), but it was so loud in there, and I was so caught up in the moment, hugging and high fiving everyone around me, that I didn't hear it. The concourse after the game was filled with hooting and hollering not seen in the Tank since the early days, but certainly is welcome anytime.

Ok, the series is still in Dallas' favor. They're still up 3-2, and they're going home for Game 6, a situation that they had last series against the Ducks. After losing Game 5 in Anaheim, the Stars returned home and exploded for 3 goals in the 3rd to capture the 4-1 win and the series victory. But there has to be some doubt creeping into the heads of the Stars. After holding a 3-0 lead, their lead has shrunken to 1 game, and if they lose, they'll be under the gun in Game 7 in a hostile HP Pavilion. They'll more than likely bring their best game, hopefully the Sharks can match.

Game 6 is tomorrow night at 6 pm in Dallas. As mentioned above, the Sharks will have to bring their best game, as the Stars surely will be playing their best hockey. I will be watching this game from somewhere other than the comfort of my own couch, something that I won't know is a good thing or not until the conclusion of tomorrow's contest. The San Jose Stealth also have a playoff game, and will be hosting the Portland LumberJax at 3 pm at the arena in the Western Division Semi-Finals. Tickets are available at the Pavilion box office, come on down and experience some exciting playoff lacrosse action.

GO SHARKS (win again again)
-Jess

4/30/08 WCSF #4: sharks 2, DALLAS 1

2008-05-02T00:43:00.000-07:00

Yeah, your stereotypical Sharks elimination game, they show up until they get scored on, then fold up and prepare for the sum... say what? They didn't lose? Well, hey, that's cool.

The Sharks staved off elimination last night, something they're gonna have to do a few more times if they want to move on to the next round of the playoffs. Patrick Marleau recieved a great breakout pass from Sergei Zubov again, and buried a shorthanded breakaway on Marty Turco, Milan Michalek shoved in his third goal of the series on the power play, and Evgeni Nabokov had his strongest game of the series, and possibly of the playoffs, making 17 saves in the win, and the Sharks live to play another day.

The win came on the second night of a back to back in Dallas, caused by the expectation that there would have been a Dallas Mavericks playoff game tonight, but they were eliminated by New Orleans last night. The win gives the Sharks a shred of hope that this isn't quite over yet, and plants that same thought, albeit in the form of doubt, into the heads of the Dallas Stars. As Jamie Baker said eloquently after Game 4, a seed has been planted, and in Game 5, the Sharks need to do in their power to make that seed grow.

Tomorrow hopefully comes some water and sunshine for that seed, when Game 5 faces off at 7 pacific at HP. With Detroit completing their sweep of the Colorado Avalanche tonight, the Sharks can hope that Dallas has been guilty of scoreboard watching and premature scouting, something that can plague a team that is steamrolling the opposition mercilessly. On the other side of things, a possible date with Detroit could have some Sharks licking their lips, thinking a possible revenge could await them in the next round.

Unfortunately, one game does not make the series, and the Sharks aren't close to that revenge yet, but a win tomorrow night will get them that much closer. As of now, there is no Game 6 or Game 7 that the Sharks can even think about, because if they don't win Game 5, then neither of those will ever exist. However, there are ways to make another trip to Dallas necessary: More solid goaltending from Nabby, a continued presence from guys like Mike Grier, Tomas Plihal, Torrey Mitchell, and Devin Setoguchi up front, and solid, pressure from the middle outwards defense, and an extended visit from the special teams, and we could very well be talking about Sunday soon enough.

GO SHARKS (win again)
-Jess

4/29/08 WCSF#3 DALLAS 2, sharks 1 OT

2008-04-30T16:28:00.001-07:00

Before each home playoff game this year, the Sharks have put a heart beat on the jumbotron and ring around the lower bowl, synching it to exciting music and video. Ladies and gentlemen, the Sharks are 60 minutes from flatlining.

On a night that started pretty well, with a pp goal that was disallowed due to poor positioning by referee Don Van Massenhoven, the Sharks still struck first, with a shorthanded goal by Patty Marleau with just 34 seconds left in the first. They were skating, hitting, and playing defense, and actually looked like a team. The second went just as good, and after 40 minutes, the Teal had a 1-0 lead, and looked to be just a period away from making this a series again.

Then the third period came along, and, just like game 2, the lead disappeared quickly, and the Stars just dominated the entire 20 minute frame. A bounce off of JR found it's way past Nabby, who had his strongest game of the series, and just like that, it's 3-0, good night Sharks.

Ok, so the series isn't quite over, but the Sharks, when facing elimination recently (minus Game 7 last series), suck. A quiet 2-0 loss to Detroit last year, a quiet 2-0 loss to Edmonton the year before, and a ever so slightly less quiet loss to Calgary the year before that. Do I expect the Sharks to win tonight? No. Would I like to be surprised and proven wrong? Hell yes.

GO SHARKS (win)
-Jess

4/27/08 WCSF #2: dallas 5, SHARKS 2

2008-04-29T00:21:00.000-07:00

Hmm...sucks.

On the bright side, Game 2 was not like Game 1. Unfortunately, that's because the Teal made more mistakes, and Dallas played much better. Despite a 2-1 lead going to the third thanks to goals by Joe Pavelski and Milan Michalek, the Stars decided to play three periods, while the Sharks were apparently content with just two. Evgeni Nabokov looked unfortunately human, stopping just 21 of 25 shots.

Well, the first two are over now, and I think plenty of people thought this series would be 2-0, but I'm not sure you'll find anyone that thought both games would go to the road team. What seemed like a fluke victory in Game 1 clearly wasn't with a strong showing in Game 2, and, although the series is not complete, it certainly leaves the Sharks with a WHOLE LOT to accomplish in the next two days in Texas.

The Sharks will win the next two if:
* The power play stops being so timid and just begins to let loose. They're getting opportunities, but they're waiting far too long to do anything good with them.
* Nabokov returns to form, starts making big, unexpected saves again. He's looked slow laterally, it could be a groin injury, or just fatigue. The man has played a lot of hockey this year.
* Guys just relax and play their kind of hockey. The Stars play a defensive trap that forces the opponent to get rid of the puck quickly. The Sharks have to find space to make their cutesy passes and stop trying to force things into spaces where there isn't anything to gain.

The bright side, if there is one, is that the Sharks took 3 of 4 from the Stars at the Hangar this year. They also get to play Games 3 and 4 back to back, leaving no time for the Stars to recover if the Sharks can win tomorrow.

Game 3 is tomorrow at 4:30 pm, and is as must win as they get. Win, and it's 2-1, and you have a shot to tie it up and bring it home. Lose, and you're in a slight hole (by slight I mean pretty much over). So, there's a real simple gameplan for tomorrow, win.

GO SHARKS (WIN)
-Jess

4/25/08 WCSF #1: dallas 3, SHARKS 2 (OT)

2008-04-27T11:41:00.000-07:00

Much hyped series, Sharks come up flat in the waning moments, and lose Game 1. I've seen this before.

Despite a strong effort by the Sharks on Friday, the Stars showed up when it counted, and came away with first blood. Brendan Morrow had a pair of goals, Mike Modano had the other, and Marty Turco was stifling. Milan Michalek finally broke his schneid by banging in a puck to take a 1-0 lead early in the 2nd, and Jonathan Cheechoo tied the game late in the 3rd, but a scramble in OT led to a very out of position Evgeni Nabokov, and the game winner.

The good thing is this series isn't over after just one game. The Sharks outplayed the Stars, but Marty Turco stood on his head, and stole the game for the visiting Stars. Play that game again, and with the posts and bounces, it could easily go the other way.

Luckily for the Teal, they will get another chance to play Dallas. Tonight is Game 2 at 6:00 pm pacific, and will be played before an ocean of teal. The Sharks, finally, will be handing out teal t-shirts to everyone in the crowd, in an effort to unify the building in color. Hopefully it works, and the building is a solid upper and lower level of the wonderful half-blue/half-green color that the Sharks have all to themselves. Oh and hopefully the Sharks win too. That's more important.

GO SHARKS (still 12)
-Jess

On a side note, one of my employers, the San Jose Stealth, won their game yesterday against the Colorado Mammoth, 11-6, securing their first ever Western Division regular season title. With the win, they have home field throughout the playoffs, and could possibly host the Champions Cup game, but that's a few weeks and a couple tough games away.

The first playoff game will be next Sunday, May 4th at HP Pavilion at 3 pm against the Portland LumberJax, and will be done before what would be Game 6 of the Sharks and Stars in Dallas. Tickets are available at ticketmaster, come on out and see some cheap fun lacrosse.

Western Conference Semifinals Preview

2008-04-25T10:28:00.001-07:00

The first round was a throwback to 2004, and a lesser extent 1995, with the Sharks prevailing in 7, like they did back in the 90's. This second round matchup is a throwback to the 90s as well, albeit a couple years later. The Sharks and Stars met twice in 3 years (1998, 2000), and, at least one of those series was a big one. Ed Belfour, Owen Nolan, Bryan Marchment, Joe Nieuwendyk, Derian Hatcher, Mike Ricci. Ah, the good ole days.

This series has plenty of storylines too, however.
* Marty Turco - Simply put, the man is bonkers. Much like his predecessor, Ed "Drunky P. Drunkerson" Belfour, Turco is a great goalie, and a great headcase. If the Sharks fans (read FANS, not players) can get him off his game like they did in the last regular season contest, the games in San Jose should be that much more fun. He'll have to outduel Vezina finalist Evgeni Nabokov

* Old guys - If you're an American hockey fan, you'll love this series. The top two American born goal scorers are featured (Mike Modano, Jeremy Roenick), and despite being old, both still got it. By it I don't even mean prune juice and a bagel.

* Special teams - The Sharks PK finished right ahead of the Stars PK for the season, with .2 separating the Pacific Division rivals at the top of the league. However, the Sharks PK was abysmal in the first round, while the Stars PK was slightly better. On the other side, Dallas' PP was killer, second highest in the first round behind just the Calgary Flames, who are using their top playoff PP to...golf. The Sharks man advantage was pretty lackluster in the opening round, and if the Sharks are to win, they'll have to get better.

* Almost like family - The Sharks and Stars played 8 times this year, there's no need for introductions, especially from the last game of the year, each team knows their opponents fists well. Don't expect to see the same timid "feeling out" process that is usually prevalent in the first game of a long series. Each team knows how the other plays, look to see the teams come out flying.

* Even steven - The season series between these teams was split 4-4. Technically, the Stars won the series because they went 4-2-2 against the Sharks, losing two games in extra time, 1 in OT, the other in a shootout. Expect a long series, possibly another one of them pesky Game 7 things.

Quick rundown of sorts

Offense: Draw. Both teams have strong top lines, and strong depth.
Defense: Draw. No real weaknesses on either defensive squad, Stars might get Zubov back for Game 1.
Special Teams: In the regular season, the Sharks had the #1 PK ahead of Dallas, Stars had the better PP.
Stars were middle of the road in PPO and TSH, Sharks had 5th most PPO, and 3rd least TSH. If the Stars can't get power plays, they can't score on them. Look for Dallas pest Steve Ott to try to draw a reaction. A reaction like this perhaps

Be careful what you wish for, Stevey.
Goaltending: San Jose. Marty Turco has had two great playoff series. Unfortunately, he's had a few bad ones too. If he's solid, he'll match Nabokov well. If he's not, Dallas will be at a severe disadvantage.

These teams don't like each other, and these teams fans don't care for each other much either. In Dallas, they have a tradition to scream the word "STARS" each time it is said (twice) in the Star Spangled Banner. Here's the response given by Sharks fans at EVERY SINGLE Sharks/Stars game (not a new tradition, Sharks fans been doing this for a long time).

This should be a great series between two great teams, representing both the Pacific Division, and non-traditional hockey markets that go insane for their ice hockey squad. Can't wait.

GO SHARKS ("stars" BOOOOOOOOOOOOOO)
-Jess

4/22/08 WCQF #7 SHARKS 5, calgary 3 (SHARKS WIN SERIES 4-3)

2008-04-23T20:42:00.001-07:00

Jeremy Roenick is God. That is all.

The notion of Sharks/Flames Game 7 throws back to '95, the first time these teams met in the post season, when it was #2 vs #7, albeit in the other direction. Interestingly enough, the difference makers last night were two guys who were playing in '95, for different teams.

JR had a pair of goals, a pair of assists, and a pair of ladies waiting for him after the game (probably not that last one because of the whole married and brought his son to the game stuff, but who knows, he's that godly). Joe Pavelski and Devin Setoguchi, JR's linemates, each had a goal as well, and were the force that propelled the Sharks to a 4 goal 2nd Period, a 5-3 win, and a Game 7 triumph that will bring the slightly disliked Dallas Stars (boo) to town on Friday. Joe Thornton had a goal as well, and Evgeni Nabokov was as solid as he needed to be, making 19 saves in the win.

Before turning focus to the Stars (boo), much respect goes out to the Flames. This was a hell of a series, and deserved to be much more than just a first round matchup. Through the first 6 games, each team had won contests by 2-0, 3-2, and 4-3 margins. Jarome Iginla was God (not the real god, cause that's JR, but a slightly lesser god, Go- maybe), Dion Phaneuf was pretty good, and Kipper was Warren Strelow Goaltending Phenom V6.0. Play last night's contest again, and maybe it turns out the same, maybe it doesn't, but that was the great thing about this series, each game could easily go either way. Lucky for Teal fans, it went our way, and Flames fans everywhere can spend the summer dissecting "THE HIT OF THE CENTURY" (Sarich on Marleau in Game 3) over some sexy July blizzard action.

Tomorrow I'll put up my official Western Conference Semi Finals: San Jose Sharks v Dallas Stars Preview Extravaganza Extraordinaire Spiffy Doo-Dah, complete with a lot of words. Even a day after, I'm still celebrating a bit. But that's gotta end, because there's much work to be done. 1 down, 3 to go. Keep it up, men.

GO SHARKS (12)
-Jess

4/20/08 WCQF #6 CALGARY 2, sharks 0

2008-04-21T19:13:00.000-07:00

Well... that sucked.

From the drop of the puck, it looked like the Sharks were playing for Game 7, and, miraculously, they got their wish. (This statement sounds sarcastic, but isn't really. The Sharks didn't really come out pressing, as if they were saving it for Game 7, and now they get their chance to use it in Game 7).

Owen Nolan continues to haunt the Sharks, and Daymond Langkow had a goal as well, and the Flames answered the call of desperation with plenty of it to force a Game 7 in San Jose tomorrow. The Sharks did very little offensively, generating just 21 shots, and winning 19 of 54 faceoffs. Evgeni Nabokov did all he could in net, making 23 saves in what was easily the most pitiful game by the Teal this season.

There's really nothing fancy to key on here, the Sharks had an opportunity to shut the door, and instead, they slammed it on their backside and it bounced wide open again. Tomorrow is do or die, but it didn't have to be this way. If the Sharks had just stepped it up, and put some effort out, this thing could be over. Instead, they return home tomorrow for a best of 7 series that has been reduced to the ultimate, 1 game for all the glory, and the trip to the second round. If the Sharks win, they'll host Dallas, if the Flames win, they'll head to Detroit. But all that is 60 minutes away.

The game is at 7, watch it, listen to it, attend it. Do something. It'll be the first Game 7 played in San Jose, and hopefully, it'll be memorable for the boys in the hometown teal, and a great experience for the 17,496 in attendance at 525 W. Santa Clara. If not, Doug Wilson will have to, as Ricky Ricardo asked so much of his wife, "have some splainin to do".

GO SHARKS (PLEASE OH PLEASE OH PLEASE WIN)
-Jess

4/17/08 WCQF#5 SHARKS 4, calgary 3

2008-04-20T09:29:00.000-07:00

That's how its done, mostly.

After a strong early half to the 3rd, it looked like the contest was over, with the Sharks rolling on their way to a 4-1 win, but the Flames had other plans. Luckily, those plans ended early.

Jonathan Cheechoo had a pair of goals, Patrick Marleau added one, and Joe Pavelski added another, as the Sharks held serve at home. For the first time this series, the Flames lead on the shot counter, making Evgeni Nabokov work for his victory, stopping 33 shots while doing so.

Well, here we are. A chance to move on. Just a week ago, the Sharks blew a 3 goal lead inside the Saddledome in Game 3, and the series and the season seemed lost. Calgary had all the momentum, had the home ice, and had the next game on that home ice, forcing the Sharks to show up. Little did we know that, come Game 4, the Sharks would show up, and swing the series back to the middle, coming home with a chance to take the series lead. They now head back to the Saddledome with a chance to close things out against a very tough Flames squad.

As the old cliche goes, "The fourth one is always the toughest". We've seen the Sharks defeat adversity in Game 2 by evening the series at 1, we've seen them defeat adversity in Game 4, taking a game in hostile territory, especially after dropping the last one in such heartbreaking fashion. We saw them step up and take control of the series in Game 5 with a strong performance, and now we need to see them do what they have struggled to do all year, putting their feet on the neck of the snake, and keeping it there.

Game 6 is scheduled for 5 PM pacific, and has been scratched from Versus, and will only be seen on CSNBA in the States. Just a quick number here, Calgary is 5-14 all time in Game 6, while the Sharks are a mighty 2-10. So tonight's game should be a battle of the suck, with one team overcoming the crushing weight of history. As long as its the team in white, I'll be happy.

GO SHARKS (13)
-Jess

4/15/08 WCQF #4 sharks 3, CALGARY 2

2008-04-16T11:21:00.000-07:00

BEST. CALL. EVAR. (sequence begins at 1:40)

Well, hey, that was kinda nice. For once, a team suffers a heartbreaking loss in the playoffs, and its not the Sharks.

Ryane Clowe continued his hot streak, netting his 4th of the playoffs, Patrick Marleau played like a captain and a leader for the fourth consecutive game, and Joe Thornton stuck a foot in the mouths of many hockey analysts, professional and self-proclaimed.

Jarome Iginla kicked things off for the Flames in Game 4 much the way Game 3 ended, by wristing a rebound past a disheveled Sharks defense and a screened Evgeni Nabokov. Ryane Clowe tied things up at 1 midway through the second with a wrister from up top that found its way past a screened Miikka Kiprusoff (a theme). A Dion Phaneuf shot got past Nabokov with just a little more than a minute left in the 2nd, and it was then that it just seemed over, that the Flames were just overmatching the Sharks.

Boy was I wrong.

The 3rd period came along, and you could just see the Flames wanting, wishing, hoping the clock would magically read 0:00. Head Coach Mike Keenan kept looking up, Iginla kept looking up, Kiprusoff kept looking up, the fans behind the benches kept looking up. Everyone wanted it to be over, however, they weren't exactly thrilled with how it ended.

Jonathan Cheechoo picked a perfect corner over Kipprusoff's shoulder that just found its way into the net, a play that started with great work down low from rookie Devin Setoguchi, playing in his first career NHL playoff game.

I was happy it was tied, but dreading what seemed to be inevitable. So many times, the Sharks make a strong effort to tie the game, only to be beaten as the last seconds tick off, leaving in heartbreak, and pretty much packing it in for the year. Last night, it was real nice to see Joe Thornton play Moses, tipping that puck home split the Sea of Red faster than well, something really fast. I'm not into the whole seeing people suffer fetish, but it was just amazing to see someone else have to feel the heartbreak I've felt oh so much in recent years.

Yeah, its a bit overblown because it is only Game 4, but hey, consider the flipside. The Sharks lose Game 4, they come back to San Jose down 3-1, needing to win 3 straight against Calgary. Probably not gonna happen. As it stands now, they need to win 2 of 3, and they get the noise, the crowd, the familiarity with their surroundings for two of them. I'd rather have that one.

Game 5 is tomorrow, and at this point, could go either way. We saw how the Sharks responded to choking away Game 3, and that they have some guts and grit inside them. Now we get to see how the Flames respond to the same situation, choking away Game 4 in heartbreaking fashion and having to face the opponent in their house while trying to win.

Should be yet another dandy.

GO SHARKS (14)
-Jess

4/13/08 WCQF #3 CALGARY 4, sharks 3

2008-04-14T23:40:00.000-07:00

Didn't see the game because I had a Stealth game, didn't miss anything I haven't seen before.

Sharks come out, control the game play, strike quick and a lot, and then pack it in after getting physically dominated, because obviously 3:33 is all of a hockey game you need to play to win.

Going off of comments from others, the Sharks didn't really lose this one, as much as the Flames just rose to the occasion. Kiprusoff was chased early, and Curtis Joseph played awesome, and wacky bounces went the way of the home side.

Ryane Clowe, Patrick Marleau, and Douglas Murray all had goals for the Sharks, and Evgeni Nabokov made 21 saves in the loss. Marleau was the evening's sacrificial lamb, getting bloodied twice, with no reciprocation from anyone wearing a teal and white sweater.

So, there are plenty of parallels to draw from this game to games past (WCSF Game 3 2006, WCSF Game 4 2007), all of which eventually resulted in a humiliating, embarrassing, and demoralizing loss to a lesser team that just had more desire, but I don't think the towel can be thrown in just yet.

Sure, they buckled under physical pressure. Sure, they sat back after a lead a bit. Sure, they're on the road and have no momentum but what they can create tomorrow, but there are positives. They did take the crowd out of Game 3, it can be done again in Game 4. They did score three goals against Calgary, and shook Kipper's confidence a bit. Patrick Marleau took an absolute whooping on Sunday, and kept right on going. If that doesn't inspire you, you're probably dead.

Speaking of dead, for all the naysayers calling this series over, wait until tomorrow. If the Sharks lose, yell and scream and complain all you like about this team, sell your tickets for Game 5 for whatever price you can get since you can't be bothered to show your support. If they do win tomorrow, then all this Chicken Littling will have been for nothing, because it'll be a 3 game series, evened up once again. It's a 7 game series folks, the thing ain't done until one side gets 4, not 2.

Game 4 is tomorrow at 7, and it might as well be an elimination game for the Sharks. Win, and like mentioned above, the series is once again knotted, and will return to the Tank for the start of a best of three that would see two games take place at 525 W. Santa Clara St, if it went that far. The Sharks can certainly get it done, they've showed their skill in this series. What's the question is if they have the heart. Hockey games are won by teams, and not individuals, if there aren't 18 + 1 guys working their tails off tomorrow, then kiss 2007/08 goodbye.

GO SHARKS (One at a time fellas, one at a time)
-Jess

4/9-10/08 WCQF #1 (cgy 3-2) and #2 (SJ 2-0)

2008-04-12T06:23:00.000-07:00

Playoff time in hockey is a busy time of year, as much stuff gets decided. Unfortunately, that's the case outside of hockey too. But you don't care about that, this is the hockey odyssey, not the life odyssey. ANYWAYS...

Two games are in the books in the third chapter of Sharks v Flames, the playoff edition, and I think I'm happy with the way they went.

Game 1 brought the Calgary Flames just as expected, rough, gritty, and defensively (goaltending wise) magnificent. Stephane Yelle had a pair of goals for Calgary, Ryane Clowe had a pair for the Sharks. Dion Phaneuf had the other marker for Calgary, who got great goaltending out of Miikka Kiprusoff, who made 37 saves for the win. Evgeni Nabokov made 20 saves in the loss.

Playing back to back proved to be a good thing for the Sharks yet again, who really seemed to be able to put Game 1 behind them. Despite being outshot 10-8 in the 1st, they seemed to control much of the play, getting some good scoring chances. The Teal finally broke through the wall that is Kiprusoff on a pretty soft goal by Joe Pavelski, who just kinda threw it at the net and found its way past an oversliding Kipper. Torrey Mitchell banged in a loose puck later in the period on a power play to give the Sharks a 2-0 lead, and ended up winning by the same score. Kiprusoff was stellar again, this time making 41 saves, but in the losing effort. Nabokov made 21 saves in the shutout win, including a couple point blank glove saves that could be some of the best of the entire playoffs.

I say that I think I'm happy with the result of the first two, because these games just further confirmed what I and most people believed.

* The Sharks are the better team. - By better, I simply mean more skilled, as the better team in this matchup will be decided in three more wins.
* If the Sharks have the drive and will to win the series, they will. - The way the Flames play, it tests your will, determination, and just plain desire to win. If you have it, and can exert it for the entire 60 minute contest, you'll probably take the victory.
* Calgary is tough. - Not only tough in the matchup sense, as they aren't an easy opponent for anyone to face, their strong physical style all over the ice makes then a tough group of customers, pretty much what you'd expect of a Keenan/Sutter squad.
* Warren Strelow is a goaltending god. - The man taught plenty of great goalies, and two of the NHL's best in Kiprusoff and Nabokov. It is a real treat to see these two pupils of such a great coach go at it. I hope the rest of the series has some more supreme netminding.
* NHL officiating blows. - The name of the game for the men in stripes in the regular season was just how damn inconsistent they were, and it hasn't changed a bit.
Game 1 was called like a playoff game, five infractions called the entire contest. The dirty play was still there, but thanks to the double standard that exists in this fine game, stuff that happens in the playoffs needs to be done double to get called.
Game 2, however, was called like it was a regular season game, 18 infractions in all.
Personally, I'd rather see playoff games like Game 2, where a penalty is called a penalty. I understand the double standard, that things mean more in the playoffs and handing out 2 minute PPs like candy could decide a game, but I always respond to that excuse with a big "DUH". Penalties aren't supposed to be a good or acceptable thing, they're supposed to be punishment for breaking the rules. You don't want them to decide a game, DON'T TAKE THEM.
* The Tank is a loud building. - Now, before anyone gets angry and says their building is louder, I wouldn't know, but San Jose is pretty loud. I've seen playoff games in 3 other arenas besides San Jose (Colorado, Detroit, and Nashville), and I can say that the Tank is easily the loudest. The standing o for Nabokov after his glove save on Nolan was probably the loudest I've ever heard that place, and I've been there too much.

With the first 2 finished, the series shifts north of the border to the Saddledome for Games 3 and 4. The raucous Flames fans will probably be a factor, just as the Sharks fans had a part in the first two. The last change should also help Flames coach Mike Keenan, who will make sure Joe Thornton sees a complete dosage of the Flames checking line. Just as it was the goal of Calgary to get a split in SJ, you'd have to think it's the goal of the Teal to do that in the C of Red, and at worst come back to the Tank tied at 2. Whatever happens, it is almost certain to be exciting, and if it isn't, then you're lying.

GO SHARKS (15)
-Jess

Western Conference Quarterfinals Preview

2008-04-09T02:07:00.000-07:00

SAN JOSE SHARKS VS CALGARY FLAMES SCHEDULE (all times pacific)
Game #1 Wednesday, April 9th 7:00 PM HP Pavilion, San Jose
Game #2 Thursday, April 10th 7:00 PM HP Pavilion, San Jose
Game #3 Sunday, April 13th 7:00 PM Pengrowth Saddledome, Calgary
Game #4 Tuesday, April 15th 7:00 PM Pengrowth Saddledome, Calgary
*Game #5 Thursday, April 17th 7:00 PM HP Pavilion, San Jose
*Game #6 Sunday, April 20th TBD Pengrowth Saddledome, Calgary
*Game #7 Tuesday, April 22nd TBD HP Pavilion, San Jose

Ok, #2 vs #7, Sharks vs Flames. Not in this exact scenario, but we've been here before.

Once in 2004, which everyone in Calgary remembers, because the Flames took that series, the Western Conference Finals, in 6 games and went on to the Stanley Cup Finals where they lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning in 7 games. That series saw the Sharks as the #2 seed, and the Flames coming in at #6.

The other series would be remembered by everyone in San Jose, as it was the second consecutive year of first round magic for the Sharks. That one was a #2 v #7 meeting, however it was Calgary with the #2 seed, and the scrappy Sharks coming in at #7. In short, Ray Whitney scored a double OT winner in Game 7 at the Saddledome, shocking Calgary and the hockey world for the second straight playoff season.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, as the case may be, those series mean nothing now. Its 2008, #2 San Jose and #7 Calgary. Here's how I see it break down.

OFFENSE
The Flames are lead by Jarome Iginla, who notched 50 goals this season for the second time in his career. Iginla, the captain, lead the team in Goals (50), Assists (48), and points (98). He also lead the team in +/- (+27). Kristian Huselius and Daymond Langkow are his top supporting cast, as Langkow is his centerman, and Huselius takes care of business on the second line. Dion Phaneuf gets it done on the back end, finishing the season with 60 points, good for 5th in the league.

The Sharks have been the Joe Thornton show for the year, as he led the team in all three main offensive categories. His 29 goals and 96 points were just team highs, while his 67 assists lead the league. Milan Michalek has been strong most of the year, and Jonathan Cheechoo and Patrick Marleau have played solid offensive hockey since February.

The teams are pretty even in terms of offensive production, as the Flames outscored the Sharks by just 7 goals in the regular season, 229-222. However, depth may be an issue for Calgary, as one guy (Iginla) was much more involved in scoring than anyone on the Sharks roster. If the Sharks can shut down Iginla, the Flames may struggle for offense.
EDGE: Wash

DEFENSE
As mentioned above, the Flames have Phaneuf to lead the blueliners. With him is veteran rough man, Robyn Regehr. After them, however, the D seems to drop off a bit, as Adrian Aucoin, David Hale, Anders Eriksson, Cory Sarich, and Jim Vandermeer are scrappy, but overpowerable.

Without any big names, its easy to say the Sharks defense is lackluster (hell, I say it myself all the time). However, the Sharks finished with the 3rd fewest Goals Allowed in the regular season, so something must be working. Marc-Edouard Vlasic headlines this unknown squad of defensemen, along with Craig Rivet, Christian Ehrhoff, and Douglas Murray. Brian Campbell compliments the defensive side of the defensemen nicely, as he can control the puck well as a defensive maneuver, and is usually mistake free in his own end.

As eluded to above, the Sharks allowed the 3rd fewest goals, a mere 187. Calgary finished a bit lower, 15th to be exact, at 224. The Sharks defense and their system seem to hold the edge here, and look for former 2nd round pick (acquired from Calgary for Miikka Kipprusoff in 2004) Vlasic to play on Iginla all series long. If he can do his job, the Sharks will have the opportunity to win it.
EDGE: San Jose

GOALTENDING
Not even worth it to split up these amazing netminders, they're both incredible. Both were students of the late Warren Strelow, and both have had strong careers in the league. Kipper has the edge in terms of depth into the playoffs, going all the way to the finals in 2004, but have failed to escape the 1st round in 2 chances since then. Nabby has more experience, leading the Sharks to post-season battle a few times, amassing many post season wins. Nabby has had the better season, leading the NHL in wins, but we've seen before how Kipper can (no pun intended) catch fire in the postseason.
EDGE: Wash

SPECIAL TEAMS
The Flames have done most of their damage 5-on-5 this year, and the numbers have reflected that perfectly. The PP was 19th in the league at 16.8%, and they were in the middle of the pack in PPO (power play opportunities) with 352, good for 16th in the league. The PK wasn't so hot, tied for 20th in the league at 81.4% kill rate, and were tied for 2nd in the league in TSH (times shorthanded) with 388.

The Sharks thrived on their special teams, at least in the 2nd half. The addition of Brian Campbell revitalized the man advantage unit, finishing the season at 18.8%, for 10th in the league. The Sharks have been good at drawing calls, and were 5th in PPO at 372. The PK, however has been strong all year, as the Sharks finished the season atop the league at killing penalties at a 85.8% clip. Just as they don't give up many power play goals, they don't give up many power play opportunities, as they were 28th in TSH at 310.

On paper, it seems pretty one sided here. The Flames commit a lot of penalties, and aren't great at killing them. The Sharks are great at drawing penalties, and are pretty good at capitalizing on them. On the flipside, the Flames draw a fair number of calls, but can't score on many of them, while the Sharks don't get into the box too often, but even when they do, they don't often pay for it. If this continues into the post season, the guys in the teal will look better.
EDGE: San Jose

COACHING
Crazy man Mike Keenan has won a Cup, mellow man Ron Wilson hasn't. Sometimes, it can be that simple, because once you know how to do something, its real easy to do it again. If you're still waiting for the first sip, however, you just have to keep trying to get it.
EDGE: Calgary

The Sharks are a speedy club with size, the Flames are a big physical team with some speed. Calgary won the season series 3-1, taking both games played in San Jose on OT goals scored by Jarome Iginla, however, the teams haven't played since the Sharks traded for Brian Campbell, and subsequently went 18-2-2 since. Consensus is this is a series the Sharks should win, but if the Flames put the screws to the Sharks hard enough, they might get them to give up, and could scrap out a series win.

I refuse to make a prediction, because I'm that damn superstitious. It should be a good series, I think the Sharks can win it, but if they don't play full 60 minute hockey, it'll be another long summer in Teal Town.

GO SHARKS (douse the Flames)
-Jess

4/6/08 DALLAS 4, sharks 2

2008-04-08T13:57:00.000-07:00

Quick post on this one because I had work, so I missed the game (yeah, I'm a bad Sharks fan, I know).

Was nice to see the Sharks take part in some rough stuff, since they could afford to in the standings. By sticking up for each other, and even the likes of Joe Thornton and Milan Michalek dropping the gloves and scrapping a bit, the Sharks impressed me, because they showed they could handle that kind of game, something they'll need to be able to do in the playoffs. It also showed that it isn't below them to have fun once and a while.

Patrick Marleau and Jonathan Cheechoo had goals, Nabby pitched a scoreless period of play, and Boucher had an ok last 40, giving up 4 goals on 15 tough shots and chances. Again, in a meaningless game, the most important stat is that zero people got hurt.

The regular season is over, the practice is complete, now comes the big time. The Colorado Avalanche defeated the Minnesota Wild, creating a Sharks first round matchup with the Calgary Flames (now old news). Game 1 kicks off Wednesday night in San Jose, look for a preview before then.

GO SHARKS (Mission 16W, ready go)
-Jess

4/3/08 LOS ANGELES 4, sharks 2

2008-04-05T22:36:00.000-07:00

Well, it had to end sooner or later, and later would be much worse to the playoff chances.

Thursday night was a night that didn't matter, and it showed. A few big names were scratched, the names that played had much less time, and the emphasis was on not getting hurt. Joe Thornton had a goal 36 seconds in, assisted by Worcester call-up Tom Cavanaugh, making his NHL debut. Joe Pavelski tied the game at 2 early into the 3rd Period, but the Kings' Anze Kopitar potted the go ahead goal with 5 minutes left, and then iced it with an empty netter. Evgeni Nabokov previously occupied that net, making 23 saves in the loss. The loss ends Nabokov's shot at tying Martin Brodeur's single season record for wins with 48. Nabokov still leads the league with 46 wins.

Its real nice to say that a loss doesn't matter, but it really doesn't. All the loss does is give the Sharks the taste of not victory, and how bitter it is, and maybe they'll try to avoid tasting it too much in the playoffs.

Tomorrow it ends. At least the meaningless ones. The Sharks finish up the year in Dallas to face the Stars (boo) at 12 PM. The Sharks lead the season series 4-3, taking all three played in Dallas, and the finale in San Jose last week. Dallas took the other three at the Tank.

GO SHARKS (so bored with regular season hockey, bring on the playoffs)
-Jess

ON A SIDE NOTE: Tomorrow, the San Jose Stealth host the Portland LumberJax at 4 PM at HP Pavilion. With a win, the Stealth will take over first place in the Western Division, and clinch a spot in the NLL Playoffs. Its Kids Day, and the Festival of Speed, a free carshow in the parking lot with go kart racing. More details can be found at the official website here. San Jose Festival of Speed website

4/1/08 SHARKS 5, los angeles 2

2008-04-02T14:20:00.000-07:00

Well, I feel appreciated. In addition to the surprisingly nice blanket, free Togo's sandwich coupon, and the free Round Table pizza that comes with a 4+ goal Sharks effort, the Teal gave me a nice present last night, a win.

Last night was a sloppy effort, but since they won, and it was a game that really didn't matter at all, I'm willing to let it slide. Captain Patrick Marleau and Milan Michalek were the only expected goal scorers last night, with passy alotty (technical term) defenseman Brian Campbell, and grinders Curtis Brown and Mike Grier notching the other markers. Evgeni Nabokov was appreciatively good in net, making 16 saves for his league leading 46th victory.

Last night was the culmination of a great regular season for the Sharks, and the end of what is hoped to be just a preview to the long second season that awaits the Teal and their fans. The win is the Sharks 4th straight victory, and their 20th consecutive in which they earned a point. Despite the lack of importance, the fans were definitely into the game, including a 17,496 person standing O from 20 seconds remaining until well after the final buzzer.

Needless to say, the fans are ready. They've seen the Sharks play a stretch of hockey that has never before been played in San Jose, and has everyone rightfully excited. The playoffs are set to begin next week, and everyone at 525 W. Santa Clara can't wait to flip their calendars.

Unfortunately, there's two games left before the real season gets going, the first of which is tomorrow night at Staples against the same Los Angeles Kings (7:30). The Kings are still struggling, are still gonna miss the playoffs, and are still a big offensive threat. If yesterday's contest is any indication, however, the game will be a spirited, physical contest between two teams that just don't like each other, which makes for some great hockey. With Tuesday's win, the Sharks lead the season series 4-3, taking all three previous contests at Staples.

GO SHARKS (pretty damn nice blankets too)
-Jess

3/30/08 SHARKS 3, phoenix 1

2008-03-31T14:16:00.000-07:00

Yawn, another win again.

2 more goals for Joe, another strong effort for Nabby, and 1 less game before they start really mattering. Joe knotted the first and second goals, giving him 28 on the year, and 7 in his last 3. Curtis Brown added another, and Milan Michalek had a pair of assists. Evgeni Nabokov had 19 saves for the win.

The win is the Sharks 3rd consecutive win, and 19th consecutive game with a point. The win gives the Sharks an unblemished record in the month of March, surrendering just 2 of a possible 30 to opponents, while capturing 28 of 30 for themselves.

I never thought I'd find myself getting bored with hockey, but at this stage, where the Sharks have clinched the Pacific, its nice to sit back, relax, and enjoy a hockey game without getting worked up...too much. There's three more games, 1 at the Tank, it'll be nice to just kinda rest up, get the throat ready for the playoffs, and watch the fringe playoff teams beat the snot out of each other for the right to get the snot beaten out of them in the playoffs.

The last regular season game of 2007/08 at 525 W. Santa Clara is slated for Tuesday, April 1, at 7:30. Put simply, the Kings have had a crappy year, again. They have much young talent, and will improve, eventually. Until then, we will enjoy beating up on them mercilessly. The season series is tied at three, as the teams will play again on Thursday at Staples Center.

GO SHARKS (WOO FREE BLANKETS TO EVERYONE AT TUESDAY'S GAME)
-Jess

3/28/08 sharks 3, ANAHEIM 1

2008-03-28T22:04:00.000-07:00

Congrats boys, but the work has just begun.

Captain Patrick Marleau got the team going good early, Jeremy Roenick added #509 (which turned out to be the game winner, of course, and Curtis Brown shoved Ducks goalie Jonas Hiller and the puck into the net, and the San Jose Sharks are 2007-2008 Pacific Division Champions. Joe Pavelski had a big night, recording assists on all three Sharks goals, and Brian "english for Evgeni Nabokov" Boucher looked strong in net for the Teal, making 23 saves for the win.

The win clinches the 2007-2008 Pacific Division for the Sharks, their third division title (they won the Pacific in 2001-02 and 2003-04). It also secures the Sharks enter the post-season with a seed no lower than #2, extends their point streak to 18 games (16-0-2), and breaks the Ducks 10 game home winning streak, the longest in the NHL this season. Its the Sharks 27th road win this year, leaving them one short of the all-time record, set by the 1998-1999 New Jersey Devils with 28. The Teal are on the road twice more, Thursday April 3rd in LA, and Sunday April 6th in Dallas.

First things first, however. Before those road games comes finishing up the home schedule, starting Sunday when the Teal welcome the Phoenix Coyotes to town (5:00 PM START TIME). The Yotes are out of the playoff picture this year, but will be there in the future, and are working real hard in these meaningless games. The Sharks lead the season series 4-3, winning 2 of 3 played in San Jose (4-1 on 11/10 and 5-0 on 11/12) and splitting in Phoenix (6-0 on 11/15 and 1-0 on 12/7). The 'Yotes have won the last three, however one in San Jose (3-2 SO on 12/20) and two in Phoenix (5-3 on 1/15 and 5-4 OT on 3/25).

GO SHARKS (Congrats on the division, now for the important stuff)
-Jess

Thanks to poster Led Zappa of hfboards.com for the image, physical banner to be unveiled in the fall.

3/27/08 SHARKS 3, dallas 2 OT

2008-03-28T15:59:00.000-07:00

That one finally went over the line.

It took a 5-on-3 in OT, but the Sharks finally got it done, beating the Stars 3-2 last night. Joe Thornton now has 5 goals in his last 2 games with a pair last night, including the game winner that apparently banked off of Phillipe Boucher's skate. Evgeni Nabokov was his not-as-sleepy-as-Tuesday self, making 23 saves, including an unbelievable goalline plucking that Mike Modano celebrated as though it was in.

The trouble for Dallas star(boo)ted when crazy insaneo netminder Marty Turco, who has always had a short temper, decided to cut off Joe Pavelski's lane to the back of the net by using his stick to block Pavelski's face, opening a cut on Pavelski and getting Turco 4 minutes that was served by Mike Ribeiro. After Soupy Brian Campbell melted onto the ice, Mike Modano stole the puck and walked right in, jersey flapping from the breeze of his ego (and speed, I guess), and proceeded to put the puck under Nabby's pads and wide, then on the stuff back attempt, he was met by the curve of Nabokov's paddle, and denied. For whatever reason, he thought it went in, and gave up, which allowed the Sharks to bring the puck back out, and allowed the 17,496 a chance to apologize for the horrible expletives that came flying from their mouths just moments before.

The unexciting part is when shortly thereafter, Trevor Daley took a stupid hooking penalty, and about 10 seconds later, Thornton banked a pass off Boucher's skate and in, which was initially given to Captain Patrick Marleau. Yes, the game winner, boring.

The win extended the Sharks point streak to 17 games, and moved them to within 3 points of clinching the Pacific Division, something that can be done tonight, on the road against the Anaheim Ducks (ANOTHER 7:00 PM START TIME). The Ducks aren't fully healthy, something that hasn't held them back. Ryan Carter (wrist), Ryan Getzlaf (shoulder), J.S. Giguere (back), Corey Perry (leg), and Chris Pronger (stomping suspension) are all probably out tonight for the Ducks, who have won both games since losing in San Jose last Friday. The Ducks lead the season series 5-2.

GO SHARKS (A win tonight in any fashion clinches the division, so do that)
-Jess

3/25/08 PHOENIX 5, sharks 4 OT

2008-03-26T22:57:00.000-07:00

Well, damn.

I'm gonna do this one a bit different, let me know what you think of it and if I should do it again in the future.

Basic stats:
- Joe Thornton had a hand in every goal, 4 points on 4 goals (3 goals, 1 assist).
- JR filled in well for the injured Cheechoo (keep your head up Kunitz), putting up 2 assists on Thornton's wing.
- Pickles looked good with the puck, and had 2 points (1 goal, 1 assist).
- Nabby had an off-night, making 22 saves. Boucher got the loss, though, relieving Nabby and making 9 saves.

Half-Full:
- Sharks battled back from a 3-0 3rd Period deficit to get a point.
- Joe Thornton dominated offensively.
- The loss doesn't have a killer effect, yet.
- It wasn't "Coyote Ugly", just "Coyote Eh, Not Great"
- Boucher relieved Nabokov in the 3rd, and played real well considering he was cold.
- The offense still clicked minus Cheechoo, and the defense wasn't all bad without Rivet.

Half-Empty:
- Sharks got themselves in a 3-0 hole by playing uninspired and lazy.
- The Teal missed an opportunity to inch closer to clinching the division.
- It's the freaking Phoenix Coyotes (unfortunately, they're not a pushover anymore).
- Nabokov, who hasn't been weak much this season, was. If it happens again, that would be not good.
- The playoffs will bring injuries, and the Sharks struggled with a non-playoff team missing a couple guys.

Notes:
- The Sharks still sit 5 points from the Pacific Division Championship, including tonight's Ducks shootout win over LA.
- The loss puts the Sharks 8 points back of Detroit, pretty much ending hopes to win the Western Conference and the Presidents Trophy.
- San Jose now has a 16 game point streak, last losing in regulation on February 20th in New Jersey.
- When the Sharks went down by 2 goals in the 2nd Period, it was the first time they had trailed by 2 since February 17th at Madison Square Garden against the Rangers.
- The Teal are 1 point from clinching home ice advantage in the 1st round.

Next Game:
The Sharks host the Dallas Stars (boo) for the last time this year tomorrow (SPECIAL 7:00 FACEOFF). The Stars were on top of the division for most of 2008, until mid-February when the Sharks got hot, and rolled right past the Ducks and Stars (boo). Since trading for Brad Richards from Tampa on Feb 26, the Stars (boo) have won twice in nine games, including a 7-4 win in Richards' debut. Richards had 5 points, all assists, in that game. Since then, Richards has had 4 points (2 goals, 2 assists) in 8 games and is a -3. The season series is tied at 3, seeing the road team win every game. The Sharks: 3 wins in Dallas (4-2 on 10/29, 4-3 SO on 11/14, 4-3 on 12/5), The Stars (boo) 3 wins in San Jose: (3-1 on 11/7, 4-2 on 12/15, and 4-2 on 1/17).

GO SHARKS (Beat the Stars [BOO])
-Jess

3/21/08 SHARKS 2, anaheim 1

2008-03-24T08:11:00.000-07:00

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

All is right with the world.

Joe Thornton played well, Jeremy Roenick had a goal that stood up as the game winner, of course, and the Sharks beat the Ducks Friday, inching closer to clinching the Pacific division. Joe scored 40 seconds in on a defensive breakdown by the Ducks, having all the time in the world to to put the puck over Ducks goalie Jonas Hiller. JR snuck one in behind Hiller on a 5-on-3 early in the 3rd, which was the difference maker. Evgeni "Evgeni" Nabokov had to make just 12 saves to get the win.

Roenick's goal was #13 on the year, and #508 for his career, 36th on the all-time goal scoring list. After the game, he was interviewed by everyone's least favorite sideline reporter (I'm not sure why everyone hates him, I don't think he's all that bad), John Schrader.

Now, on top of the huge ovation he got from the crowd before the interview started, and the peek of Joe Thornton naked for all the ladies to see, JR mentioned how he "loved to see the JR meter go up in the corner" which just happens to be up in the corner where I sit... hey, was he talking about me, the JR Meter keeper? Yes, it seems he was.

All season long I've kept the JR meter going, bringing signs to mark 3 additional goals from where he's already at. I've seen him motion a tip of the cap after every goal, and wasn't quite sure who it was directed to, just assuming it was to the entire crowd. Now, it sure seems like that gesture is directed towards me, the number-adder-onner-to-the-waller. That's pretty cool.

Friday's contest may have been just one game, but it was a huge breakthrough for the Teal, as they took on a short-handed Ducks squad and dismantled them. Anaheim, minus Snow White's forgotten dwarves Fluffy, Jerky, and Stompy (Jean-Sebastien Giguere, Corey Perry, and Chris Pronger, respectively), only lost by one goal, but was outshot by the Sharks 43-13. The Ducks attack was entirely shutdown, as they were held without a single shot in the 3rd period.

I'm willing to concede that Friday's game was just one game, but it certainly was a huge boost for the Sharks' confidence. The Teal now sit 6 points from clinching the Pacific Division title, while still trailing the Detroit Red Wings by 7 point for the President's Trophy and the #1 seed in the Western Conference. If the playoffs started today, the Sharks would take on the Vancouver Canucks, a team they swept the season series from. Unfortunately, the playoffs don't start today, so all that is up in the air.

After a weekend to rest, the Sharks will embark on a 3 games in 4 night venture, beginning Tuesday when they hit the desert ice to match up with the Phoenix Coyotes (7:30). The 'Yotes have had a great turnaround this season, as their youngsters came together, and Anaheim GM Brian Burke felt generous enough to give them Ilya Bryzgalov as a present for sucking so long. The Coyotes made a huge step in the right direction, and have a few prospects ready to emerge next year, probably to a playoff berth. The Sharks lead the season series 4-2, taking 2 of 3 played in both San Jose (4-1 on 11/10 and 5-0 on 11/12) and Phoenix (6-0 on 11/15 and 1-0 on 12/7). The Coyotes have won the last two, however, one in San Jose (3-2 SO on 12/20) and the other in Phoenix (5-3 on 1/15).

GO SHARKS (4 plz)
-Jess

There be my JR meter, parked right on the wall of Section 213.

3/19/08 SHARKS 4, minnesota 3

2008-03-21T10:22:00.000-07:00

Even when they win the shootouts, I hate 'em.

Ok, I lied. But I still don't like 'em.

Oh, and PLAYOFFS!!! (the Sharks officially clinched with the win)

Curtis Brown made his comeback noticeable, scoring a goal and adding an assist. Jeremy Roenick also had a pair of points, and Joe Pavelski added a goal as well. Evgeni Nabokov made 24 saves for the victory.

Even though the Sharks blew two 3rd period leads, they still came out on top, which is something they probably wouldn't have been able to do earlier in the year. The win is their 2nd straight, and 14th consecutive game with a point. Since losing 5 straight way back in mid-February, the Sharks have gone 13-0-1, amassing 27 points in that time, and skyrocketing from 6th in the West and 3rd in the Pacific to 2nd in the West and 1st in the Pacific.

Well folks, here it is. Tonight is the showdown, the Melee in San Jose, the Yank at the Tank. NorCal vs SoCal, 1st place vs 2nd place, the challengers vs the champions.

Tonight comes when we find out just how good a chance the Sharks have of going anywhere, when they host the Anaheim Ducks (7:30). Anaheim comes to town winners of their last 3, trailing the Sharks for 1st in the division by 5 points, having played one more than the Teal. The Ducks lead the series 5-1, taking 2 of 3 in Anaheim (3-2 SO on 11/9 and 4-3 OT on 1/13) and all 3 played in San Jose (2-1 SO on 11/17, 2-0 on 12/18, and 5-2 on 12/22). The lone Sharks win came on 12/16 with a 2-1 SO win.

GO SHARKS (3?)
-Jess

3/18/08 sharks 2, LOS ANGELES 1

2008-03-19T01:23:00.000-07:00

Make that a 13 game point streak.

Despite the L on Sunday, the Teal got right back to their recent winning ways by squeaking one out tonight in So Cal. Joe Thornton notched #20 on the year, his 8th season reaching that total, and big time goal scorer Patrick Rissmiller supplied the other goal, his 8th this season. Speaking of #20, Mr. Ironman Evgeni Nabokov had the night off, so superstud backup Brian Boucher got the start. Boucher, in his second game as a Shark, made 29 saves for the win.

The win, coupled with a loss from 9th place Nashville, has dropped the Sharks magic number to 2. 2 is the number of points the Sharks need to gain in the standings (either from a win or a Nashville loss) to secure a spot in the playoffs should they lose the rest of their games and the Predators win all theirs. The Predators next game is Thursday vs Detroit.

The Sharks, on the other hand, return home from Staples for their final non-divisional matchup of the season, when they'll take on the Minnesota Wild (7:30). As crazy as the Pacific Division race is, the Northwest is that much more insane. The Wild sit in 1st, with 86 points. Behind them are Calgary, Colorado, and Vancouver, all with 84. Lurking in the distance is the recently streaking Edmonton Oilers with 79. To say this game doesn't lack importance for both teams would be slightly extremely incorrect. Minnesota comes to town winners of their last 2 after losing 5 straight before that. The Sharks lead the season series 3-0, taking both contests played in St. Paul (3-2 on 12/31 and 3-2 SO on 3/9) and the 1 previous game in San Jose (4-1 on 12/14).

GO SHARKS (CLINCH THE PLAYOFFS)
-Jess

3/16/08 edmonton 2, SHARKS 1 SO

2008-03-18T01:13:00.000-07:00

Well hey, at least now we can talk about the 12 game point streak.

Patrick Marleau had the lone goal for the Teal, and Oilers Dwayne Roloson made a metric buttload of saves. It's not quite profound or wordy, but that's about it. The Sharks dominated this one, and the Edmonton netminder made a large amount of stops to keep his team in it til the skills competition, where they buried it. Evgeni Nabokov was strong as well, making 22 saves in the loss.

The streak is over, but that's about it. They're still atop the Pacific, they still have the second best record in the league, and they're still playing great hockey. There's 10 games left, and if they can win the key matchups, they'll still have the division and a #2 seed to take into the playoffs. Not too shabby.

The Sharks look to rebound from their first non-w of the Brian Campbell era on Tuesday when they head to LA to take on the Kings (7:30). The Kings have had a really bad year, despite bright spots on offense and in goal for the future. They're still a dangerous team on any given night, and of course could be spoilers. The Kings lead the season series 3-2, winning the three in San Jose (5-2 on 11/2, 2-1 on 11/24, and 3-2 SO on 11/28), while the Sharks have taken the pair played at Staples (3-1 on 11/3 and 3-2 on 12/26).

GO SHARKS (1 plz, let's start it over)
-Jess

3/14/08 SHARKS 4, st. louis 1

2008-03-15T16:52:00.000-07:00

Yawn, another game, another win. What else is new?

The Sharks returned home from a perfect roadtrip last night looking to continue their 10 game win streak, and continue it they did. It took the Teal just 70 seconds to light the lamp, and then they added 3 more in 3:03 later in the 1st. Michalek had the first one, followed by goals from Jeremy Roenick, Brian Campbell, and Patrick Marleau. Joe Thornton regained the league lead in assists by notching two. All-Galaxy goalie Evgeni Nabokov made 20 saves for his league leading 41st victory.

There's not a whole lot to be said here, as it's all been said before, but I love seeing hockey at home. The fans are great, the building is great, even the ushers are great. As you may or may not know, I maintain the JR goal counter sign at the top of 213. I've had it all year long, and carry it in a big SVSE Merchandise plastic bag. Anyway, the ushers like to check bags to make sure I'm not smuggling video cameras or beer (priority in that order). Well, the usher who looked at my bag last night took one peek at my bag and said "Oh, you're the guy with the JR sign" and wished me a good game. So good to be home.

The Sharks will try to continue reaping the benefits of being home tomorrow when they host the Edmonton Oilers (5:00). The Oil have won 3 of 4, including 3 straight OT victories, strangely enough, all scored by rookie Andrew Cogliano. Unfortunately though, Edmonton is still having a crappy season, as they're sitting in 12th, but they are only 7 points out of a playoff spot. The Oil lead the season series 2-1, winning the lone game in SJ (3-2 on 2/14) and splitting in Edmonton (Oilers won 3-2 SO on 10/4, Sharks won 3-0 on 1/29).

GO SHARKS (12 Please)
-Jess

On a side note, I start my new job with the San Jose SaberCats tonight as they host the hated Arizona Rattlers at 7:30. Come on down, see some arena football, see the Cats raise the championship banner and get a free trophy if you're among the first 7000 in the door. It's fun, it's cheap, and it's fun. GO CATS.

See, 11. The scoreboard says it, so it must be true.

3/11/08 sharks 2, NASHVILLE 1

2008-03-13T14:34:00.000-07:00

Its been a couple days, and it's still a little weird to look at that L10 in the standings and see the Sharks as 10-0-0. But I'll take it.

In yet another game that seemed like a playoff atmosphere, the Sharks eked it out, getting a goal from Milan Michalek, and another from Joe Pavelski's shin. Pavelski's goal was awarded after a lengthy review concluded that the biscuit just barely made it into the basket, however it may have gotten there. Evgeni Nabokov was solid in net again, making 26 saves in his league leading 40th victory.

Well folks, that's ten now. That's a lot. To think this all started with a 5 game losing streak including 3 effortless attempts to start the Eastern Roadtrip, not a bad turnaround. The real test, of course is the playoffs, as a ten game win streak means bupkis if you're not holding that silvery thing in June. Leading the division is great, but it's not a Cup.

The Sharks return home tomorrow looking for #11 when they face the St. Louis Blues (7:30). The Blues started out hot, and have since mildly imploded. They've lost 9 of their last 10, and come into SJ on a 4 game slide. The Sharks lead the season series 3-0, taking both contests in St. Louis (1-0 on 12/28 and 2-0 on 3/1) and the one played in SJ (4-1 on 1/24).

GO SHARKS (11?)
-Jess

3/9/08 sharks 3, MINNESOTA 2 SO

2008-03-10T10:10:00.000-07:00

It's becoming obvious to me now that the Sharks are getting bored winning games, so they're doing crazy things to make it exciting for them, us as Sharks fans, and the poor souls that cheer for the teams they face.

Captain Resurgent struck on both sides of the puck when the Teal needed it most yesterday, and it paid off. After giving up a lead on an impossible two-Shark pinball ricochet (worth 300,000,000 on replay), Patrick Marleau chose to backcheck on what began as a 2-on-1 for the Wild, swooping in as the Wild shot passed Nabokov, and swatted the netward bound puck out towards center ice, keeping the game going. After a Shootout Jesus (Joe Pavelski) goal, and a Cambell-ian spinorama from Pierre-Marc Bouchard tied the skills competition at 1, the Captain had the chance to win it, and win it he did, rifling a wrister past goaltender Niklas Backstrom. Evgeni "Who else" Nabokov made 21 saves for his league leading 39th victory.

The win is the Sharks 9th consecutive win, a franchise record, and the longest streak by any team in the league this season. For a brief time following the win yesterday, the Sharks did what just 3 weeks ago seemed the impossible, catching and passing the Dallas Stars for first place in the Pacific. The Sharks win put them at 88 points to the Stars 87, only to lose first place a couple hours later when the Stars shut out the Avalanche putting them at 89 points and back on top. I will introduce the "what the Stars and Ducks are doing" segment down at the bottom of each post.

The road trip wraps up tomorrow with a shot at 10 wins, but it won't come easy as the Sharks head to Nashville to face the Predators (5:00). The Predators have had a strange year. They lost big name guys (Forsberg, Hartnell, Kariya, Timonen, Vokoun) over the summer, almost lost their team too, but as soon as October rolled around, the Preds got right back to business, and are poised to make the playoffs for a 4th straight year. They enter tomorrow's game losers of 2 of their last 5, and their last two home contests. The Sharks lead the season series 3-0, taking both contests played in San Jose (3-0 on 10/20 and 4-3 on 2/9) and the one previous matchup in Music City (5-2 on 12/29).

GO SHARKS (DOU-BLE DI-GITS )
-Jess

3/7/08 sharks 3, CHICAGO 2

2008-03-09T10:50:00.000-07:00

For those of you keeping score at home, that's 8. Ties the franchise record, too.

In the presence of such original power forwards as Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita, Jonathan Cheechoo showed he's got a bit of that in him. Cheech netted #22, and the offense was aided by Kyle McLaren [3] and Patrick Marleau [14] who each added markers. Joe Thornton was his normal Joe Thorntony self, adding a pair of assists. Evgeni Nabokov was strong enough, stopping 17 shots in his league leading and franchise record 38th victory. The win was also #200 of Nabokov's career.

It was said that the Sharks could be a force this year, even when they were struggling in December and January. The only key was that they would need to get some scoring from Cheechoo and Marleau, because Thornton couldn't do it all himself (but he's sure as hell tried to). Well, over the past 6 weeks, both have finally brought their sticks to the rink, and the team has seen results. The Captain has 18 points in his last 22 games, while Cheechoo has 16 goals in the same time frame. Not too shabby. As of today's game, the Sharks sit 1 point out of 1st place in the Pacific, and a win today, coupled with an Avalanche win at Dallas, would see the Sharks back atop the division at day's end.

Speaking of today's game, the Sharks continue the road trip, and hope to continue the streak in Minnesota today, when they take on the Wild (1:00). The Sharks come to town riding an 8 game win streak, tying their franchise record, while the Wild come in as losers of their last 3. Both teams are firmly in the division race, with the Wild leading the Northwest, and the Sharks just one point back in the Pacific. The Sharks lead the season series 2-0, taking a game in each building (4-1 in San Jose on 12/14, and 3-2 in Minnesota on 12/31).

GO SHARKS (First place is in the sights)
-Jess

3/5/08 SHARKS 3, ottawa 2 OT

2008-03-06T23:28:00.000-08:00

Heh. I could really get used to this winning thing.

A one goal deficit going into the 3rd Period proved to be no problem for the Teal, as they scored once to tie it up, and then again with just 3 minutes left to tie it again before winning it in OT. Patrick Marleau scored a pair of goals, including the Overtime winner, and Jonathan Cheechoo added the other goal for the Sharks, who have now won 7 straight. Evgeni Nabokov made 17 saves for his league leading 37th victory.

As mentioned above, the Sharks win is their 7th consecutive. Marleau's first goal was on the power play, extending their streak of PP goals to 5, scoring in every single game since trading for Brian Campbell. Once again, the red-haired defenseman had 26+ minutes. Soupy also had another assist, his 3rd consecutive game with a point, and his 5th point in 5 games. It is quite early still, but this trade isn't looking so bad right now.

After adding to the win streak with two home wins, the Sharks head back out on the road for a tough 3 game trip, beginning tomorrow night in Chicago against the Blackhawks (5:30). The Hawks have had a resurgent season, winners of their last 3, and 9 of their last 12. The Sharks have won all three games in the season series, taking both in San Jose (3-2 on 1/22 and 3-2 in the shootout on 2/2) and the lone game played in Chicago (2-1 on 10/10).

GO SHARKS ('Ey, gimme a clean sweep ovah heah [end bad Chicago accent])
-Jess

3/3/08 SHARKS 6, montreal 4

2008-03-05T09:50:00.000-08:00

Best. Game. Ever. This year.

Joe Thornton had 4 points (2G, 2A) against his old nemesis in the East, leading the way for the Sharks. Jonathan Cheechoo, Patrick Marleau, and Jody Shelley also had markers, but it was Brian Campbell's spin-o-rama that stole and sealed the show. With just a couple minutes remaining, Campbell recieved a pass as he entered the offensive zone. Faking to his left and spinning to his right, Mike Komisarek provided a nice look at what it would be like if he was a 6 foot tall traffic cone. Aided by the Sharks highest offensive output of the year (they scored 6 in November @ Phoenix), Evgeni Nabokov earned his league leading 36th win by stopping 27 shots.

Ok, so the officiating was the worst ever seen, each team's defense was porous, and the goaltending was pretty less-than-standard, but the game was by far the most entertaining game I've been to all year. Almost every goal was of the highlight reel variety, and it really kept the crowd in it. Neither team gave up nor did their fans, creating an awesome playoff like atmosphere at one of the louder buildings in the NHL.

The win is the Sharks 6th consecutive, bringing Brian Campbell's record as a Shark to 4-0, and also marking the 4th consecutive game with a PP goal. Usually, the first game back from a long roadtrip, regardless of the team, is a tough game to win. After getting back in the swing of home things, getting to sleep comfortably in your own bed and be with your family in a much better atmosphere, going out and playing a hockey game isn't always the most exciting prospect. But, apparently it was exciting enough, as the Sharks came out, striking early and often, scoring 56 seconds in and pressuring all the way to just under 100 seconds left. The effort and the passion shown by the Teal last night was just plain impressive, but now they gotta keep that up.

The brief homestand concludes tonight, when the defending Eastern Conference Champion Ottawa Senators come to town (7:30). Ottawa has lost 4 of 5, including dropping the Stanley Cup Finals rematch to the Ducks in Anaheim on Monday. They sit just one point back of the Canadiens for 1st in the Northeast Division. Like the Canadiens, the last meeting between these teams was the 2005-2006 season, when the Sharks beat the hometown Senators 2-0.

GO SHARKS (Lost my voice on Monday, wouldn't mind losing it again tonight)
-Jess

3/1/08 sharks 2, ST. LOUIS 0

2008-03-02T09:07:00.000-08:00

Evgeni who?

Brian Campbell was the big acquisition at the deadline for the Teal, and had an assist in 26 minutes of ice time, but it was the other, lesser valued deadline pickup that stole the show, and the two points last night. Brian Boucher made 24 saves in his first appearance as a Shark, shutting down the Blues, and really should just retire now so he can go out on top. Joe Pavelski scored in his second straight game, Mike Grier scored a short-handed goal, the aforementioned Boucher (not to be confused with the Waterboy's Bobby Boucher), and a strong defensive effort by the Sharks.

Its over, it's finally over. 17 days, 8 games, and, most remarkably, 5 wins. When this trip began, the glitz and glamor of New York clearly got to the Sharks, as they dropped contests at MSG, Long Island, and Newark by scores of 3-1, 3-2, and 3-2, respectively. But when they got to the land of the almighty cheesesteak, stuff started to turn. A 3-1 win in Philly turned the tide ever so slightly, and the 2-1 shootout victory in Pittsburgh where all three shooters scored really started to sway things. The deadline came and went, Brian Campbell came in while Steve Bernier went. The roll continued in Columbus when they overcame the Hitchcock trap and pulled off a 4-2 win over the Jackets. Never friendly Joe Louis provided some helpful bounces, and a bit of a shocking 3-2 win over the Wings. And last but not least, the Gateway City welcomed the Teal, who, like I requested yesterday, wrapped the trip up in style, by rolling out the new backup netminder, and getting a shutout anyway, 2-0 over the Blues.

At the start of this trip, it was said this schedule would make or break the Sharks, and, with all 8 games now completed, it seems that it has broken anything. The Sharks scored first in all 8 games on this trip, and come home with a 3 game goal streak on the power play, after reaching a horrible 1-for-30 stretch. We've seen that they can get their stuff together, but the real test will come in the next few weeks, when they take on two of the squads they'll probably have to defeat to get the Cup, the Stars and the Ducks. With just 17 games left, now is the time to get hot, and, at least on the road, they've busted the mercury. It's home that's been difficult all year, and now is when they need to capitalize.

The Sharks finally return to 525 W. Santa Clara, where they will entertain Eastern Canada. First, on Monday, when the Montreal Canadiens come to town (7:30, boy that feels nice to type). The Habs are habing (get it?) a great season, currently leading the Northeast division by a point over Ottawa. Montreal comes to San Jose on a 3 game winning streak, and will pull the California Swing in reverse, playing the Sharks first, and then heading to LA and Anaheim after a stop in Phoenix. The last meeting between the teams was Joe Thornton's second as a Shark, when the lowly Canadiens beat the Sharks in Montreal 6-2. The Habs have offense, the Sharks have defense. Somebody's gotta pull both together for the win. I think.

GO SHARKS (they actually get to play at home?)
-Jess

JR getting the love, even in the Lou.

The Boucher following his first start, a very pretty shutout.

2/29/08 sharks 3, DETROIT 2

2008-03-01T11:49:00.000-08:00

They say weird stuff happens on leap day. Guess they were right.

Devin Setoguchi made his return to the Sharks roster in style last night, burying a pair of goals past Grandpa Snowangel himself, Dominik Hasek. Joe Pavelski added one as well, and Patrick Marleau had a pair of assists in another strong effort by the Sharks, in a building where wins have been scarce. The win, the fourth consecutive victory for the Teal, was just their fourth regular season win at Joe Louis Arena in 31 tries, a tough place to win a game for any visiting squad. Evgeni Nabokov was strong when he needed to be, making 20 saves, tying him for the league lead in wins with 35.

Setoguchi had two goals last night, that much is undeniable. However, what is greatly disputed, is that the second tally was legitimate, and should have counted. While on the power play, a point shot was deflected up and over Hasek and appeared to bounce off the protective netting behind the goal. Now, the Wings on the ice didn't see this, neither did the Sharks, and apparently neither did any of the four on-ice officials. Rule 85.1 (someone else looked this up, I'm not this good) states that in a situation like this, when no linesman or referee sees the puck strike the net, play shall continue, because no whistle has blown. No linesman or referee saw the puck strike the net apparently, so play continued, because no whistle blew, and the puck ricochetted right to Setoguchi who put the puck in the net. It wasn't until after the play that complaints started to come from the bench and the stands, funny because the Wings on the ice didn't see it, but somehow that didn't keep them from complaining. Still counted though. Yay for the Sharks.

The Joe was just as I remembered, cramped concourses, cramped seats, and not exactly a haven for visiting fans. If it wasn't for my #7 Larionov jersey (thanks to my dad for loaning it to me), I probably would not have gotten out alive. Struck some good conversations with Wings fans who had forgotten or never knew that ole Igor was a Shark. Told them the brief history of Igor and the Ov line (Johan Garpenlov, Igor Larionov, Sergei Makarov), and that was that.

With the toughest contest over (regardless of record, the Joe is never easy to get 2 points from), the Sharks wrap up the 8 game, 17 day roadtrip tonight in St. Louis when they take on the Blues (5:30). The Blues, resurgent at season's start, have seem to have packed it in a bit early. Losers of their last 5, St. Louis traded defenseman Bryce Salvador at the deadline for enforcer Cam Janssen, in what was seen to be more of a "sellers" move. The Sharks lead the season series 2-0, winning 1-0 in St. Louis on 12/28, and 4-1 in San Jose on 1/24.

GO SHARKS (wrap this thing up in style)
-Jess

Boucher, french for "I will actually get to play in goal, eventually."

Campbell, canadian for "soup".

Gordie Howe statue, statuese for "really great hockey player who played a lot of hockey games".

2/27/08 sharks 4, COLUMBUS 2

2008-02-28T09:12:00.000-08:00

Figures. The one game on this trip I'm not at, and they bust out for goals.

Jonathan Cheechoo scored again, and the Sharks extended their win streak to three. Cheechoo's marker was his 5th in 6 games, and also extended his goal scoring streak to 4 games. Matt Carle, Joe Pavelski, and Jeremy Roenick also added goals for the Sharks, who got to the 4 goal marker for the first time in 8 games. New Shark Brian Campbell made his presence felt immediately, helping his new teammates on the PP, which went 2 for 5 on the night. The same PP which was 1 for 30 before Soupy made his way to San Jose (well, Columbus). Evgeni Nabokov made 17 saves in the winning effort, his 34th win of the year.

This night commemorated Brian Campbell's first as a Shark, current Shark Jody Shelley's return to Columbus, and, 1000 miles away, Steve Bernier's first game as a Buffalo Sabre. Campbell had an assist, a hit, and four shots on goal in 24:34 of ice time, looking like a perfect fit with defensive partner Douglas Murray. Jody Shelley had 11:28 of ice, 5 hits, a shot on goal, and a nice video tribute/standing ovation from the Jackets crowd midway through the 1st, but it was now former Shark Steve Bernier who had the big night. Bernier, who got to play in his new home, made an instant impact by scoring the first two goals of the game, adding an assist, and carrying a plus three in 15:44 of ice time. Now, it'd be easy to say, oh, Buffalo won the trade, but let's at least let them play two games before we scrutinize this deal so heavily (two games or maybe a full season would be better).

The Sharks enter the homestretch of their roadtrip as they continue westward. The final two games are of the back-to-back variety, the first of which coming tomorrow night as the Sharks head to Joe Louis Arena to face the Detroit Red Wings (4:30). The Wings are struggling mightily, losing their last 3, and 9 of their last 10. They have been hit by the injury bug, sidelining forward Daniel Cleary and defensemen Chris Chelios, Nicklas Lidstrom, Nicklas Kronwall and Brian Rafalski. The only real negative for the Sharks coming into this contest is that the Wings lead the season series 3-0, winning both games in San Jose (4-2 on 10/18 and 6-3 on 1/19) and taking the only contest in Detroit (5-1 on 10/26). This game is just two points, but a win over the Wings would go a long way towards establishing some confidence in the Team Teal lockerroom.

GO SHARKS (Flying to Detroit today, back to the road for a couple more)
-Jess

2/24/08 sharks 2, PITTSBURGH 1 SO

2008-02-26T23:53:00.000-08:00

Well how about that. I got so used to that losing thing, they go and do that winning again. And in style too.

Jonathan Cheechoo recorded a goal in his third straight game, and the Teal shooters buried all three shots in the glorified skills competition Sunday at the Igloo. Cheechoo buried the game's first goal, the fourth time he's done that this road trip (he didn't score at all on Long Island), not only extending his goal scoring streak to three games, but giving him 4 in 5 games. In the shootout, Joe Pavelski, Cheechoo, and Jeremy Roenick all flipped wristers past goalie Ty Conklin, while Evgeni Nabokov made the only save, by stopping shooter Kris Letang. In regulation and overtime, Nabokov made 20 saves for his 33rd victory this year.

Now, its a bit broad when I say this, but the Igloo, also known as the Mellon Arena, is old. Really, really, really freakin' old. And unique, too. From the outside, the building looks like a miniaturized version of the Kingdome in Seattle, a basic round building that could be well described as a silvery pimple on the horizon.

Once inside Gate 3 entrance, which faces the downtown area, you have to make an immediate decision, going up the left or right escalators to your side of seats (only after I made the decision did I realize that the concourse connects up on the main level, so it doesn't matter which side you choose). The concourse is pretty small, and doesn't have signs, which is too bad, because this is the most complicated building I've been to so far (only the North East Division buildings have eluded me). The seating area is basically comprised of 5 levels, the ice lounge, the A/B/C level, the D level, the E Balcony level, and the F Balcony level (there's probably more, but I couldn't discover them). The balconies are just on the sides, and are stacked on top of one another, with the D section in the same slope as the C, B, and A sections, just in higher rows. The scoreboard, like the rest of the building, is ancient, but provides a nice old time hockey barn feel.

Another aspect of old time hockey, at least for current day, is the idea that old stuff is brittle, and breaks. Cut to the ice resurfacing after the pregame warmups. The first zamboni comes out to begin its set of passes over the ice, making it nice and smooth for the first 20 minutes of play. Well, that's what it was supposed to do, anyway. After making it across the blueline, the zamboni stopped just past center ice, no one paying much attention to it. After sitting there for a little while, the smokestack on the machine began to, well, smoke. A lot. After enough sitting, the zamboni finally began to move backwards, only to reveal a large red puddle of red (it was later determined that what was thought to be transmission fluid was in fact just hydrolic fluid, much cooler and much less destructive to the ice than the former). After a big groan and a 25 minute delay of spraying and squeegeeing the ice, the game finally got under way with out a hitch.

With the Atlantic Division behind them, the road travelers continue westward, far enough to be back in the Western Conference. After a couple more days off, the Sharks will invade Central Ohio for a clash with the Columbus Blue Jackets (4:00). The jackets have been up and down all year long, but remain a tough opponent because of their style and coach, Ken Hitchcock. Columbus, who remains in the hunt for their first trip to the playoffs, are winners in their last two games, just like the Sharks. The season series belongs to the Sharks currently, leading 2-1 (the Jackets won the game in Columbus 2-1 on 10/27, the Sharks won both in SJ, 3-2 on 1/5 and 2-1 in OT on 2/8).

As mentioned in my deadline post, the Sharks made a major deal today, trading Right Winger Steve Bernier to the Buffalo Sabres along with a 1st Round Pick for Defenseman Brian Campbell. Campbell is a puck moving defenseman, who will help the PP, mentor the younger D (Carle, Ehrhoff, Vlasic), and feed/clothe the homeless (or so I've heard). According to all reports, he should be in the lineup tomorrow night in Columbus, and I'll get pictures of my own on Friday and Saturday. In addition, the Sharks sent Defenseman/Left Winger Rob Davison to the Islanders for a 7th Round Pick, allowing Davison to finally get a shot at some ice time. The last move made today by the Teal brought a veteran backup goalie to the Sharks, as they signed Brian Boucher away from the Philadelphia Phantoms of the AHL. This move allows Thomas Greiss to get some seasoning in the AHL, where it'll be much more beneficial than opening the door in the big show.

GO SHARKS (Welcome to San Jose, sort of, Brian "Soupy" Campbell)
-Jess

NOTE: All my pictures from the trip can be found here. Also are the pictures from the entire Odyssey last year, and the pictures from this coming weekend in Detroit/St. Louis will be there as well. Below this post is some of the leaky zamboni shots. Remember, this is not blood, because I did not faint while taking these photos. I am a wuss with blood.

The Igloo, in all it's silvery pimply goodness.

Really? The Penguins and Sharks are playing today? What a coincidence, maybe I should go.

A look on the E and F balconies to the left, with part of the D section and C under the overhang.

Same thing, but to the right.

Bleeding zamboni pictures

2008-02-26T23:52:00.000-08:00

TRADE DEADLINE

2008-02-26T09:16:00.000-08:00

Goodbye Steve Bernier, we hardly knew ye, and ye love for thine poutine.

Hello Soupy Brian Campbell. Your name is soup, and my hometown.

More to come later, after the deadline passes at 12:00 Pacific.

TO SJ
Brian Campbell

TO BUF
Steve Bernier
2008 1st Round Pick

2/21/08 sharks 3, PHILADELPHIA 1

2008-02-23T09:49:00.000-08:00

Well, I've seen this game before. Sharks score, stop playing offense, opponent scores, then they run away with it late in the ga...

Wait, what happened? The Sharks scored first, gave up the tying goal late, and still won? Really?

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

Jonathan Cheechoo had a goal, his third in four games, Milan Michalek hit goal #20, and Douglas Murray tallied the first of many in his career, as the Teal finally got a W to hang on this road trip. Cheechoo scored just a few minutes in for the Sharks, who broke a 5 game losing streak. The Flyers tied it with 5 seconds left in the 2nd Period, the status quo on this trip. But Michalek and Murray scored 42 seconds apart in the 3rd, the streak, and the status quo, appeared to be broken. Thanks to 26 saves by Evgeni Nabokov and his league leading 33rd win, it was.

Philly is a town that loves: A) its history, B) its food (pizza, cheesesteaks, tastykakes), and C) its sports. All the professional teams play in the same area, known just as the Sports Complex. Among these are Citizens Bank Park (Baseball's Phillies), Lincoln Financial Field (Football's Eagles), Wachovia Spectrum (Former home of the Flyers, current home of the AHL's Phantoms), and the one I visited (Basketball's 76ers, Lacrosse's Wings, Arena Football's Soul, and of course, Hockey's Flyers).

The Center, despite being built in 1997, seems like a much newer building. The concourses are wide, plenty of food stands, two separate concourses for each level, and a massive seating area inside. The upper level seats have a weird lump on the bottom of them. Of course, I didn't find out until after the game that this lump was a locked box of binoculars, that could be rented for a buck. Figures.

With the streak broken, the Sharks, after a two day rest, will head to the other half of PA (that's the local slang for Pennsylvania, not Palo Alto) to face the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday (12:00). The Pens are currently Sidney Crosby-less, but you'd never know if you didn't know. Since Crosby went down in mid January, Evgeni Malkin has had a point in every game but two, and is currently on a 10 game point streak, earning 24 points in those games. The Pens are on a 3 game win streak, and are 7-3 in their last 10, with a game Saturday afternoon against the Ottawa Senators. I consider success in Philly as eating as many cheesesteaks as possible. Success in hockey is scoring goals. In my 36 hours, I had four of the local delicacies, while the Sharks only scored three times. That means I win. Go me. Go Sharks.

GO SHARKS (For the record, Tony Luke's is by far the best.)
-Jess

Flyer forever, Shark for now.

Pregame ceremony congratulating JR. Was nice.

The old busted, the Philadelphia Spectrum, set for demolition this year.

The new hotness, the Wachovia Center, set for a hockey, basketball, or lacrosse game probably tomorrow.

2/20/08 NEW JERSEY 3, sharks 2

2008-02-21T14:30:00.001-08:00

5.

That's what we're at now. So glad I made this trip.

Thomas Greiss did all he could in net, Jonathan Cheechoo and Kyle McLaren added the offense, but it still wasn't good enough to pull the Teal off the skid. which at 5 games is their longest since they lost 10 straight in 2005. Greiss gave Evgeni Nabokov his second night off this year, unfortunately ending in the same result as the last time, making 17 saves in the losing effort.

For most of this year, the Sharks have been known as the road warriors, owning a mediocre record at HP, but a far superior mark when away from San Jose. Whatever the case, that strong visitor mentality has disappeared, if just momentarily, as the road losing streak is at 4 games. Kicked out by the SAP Open taking place currently at 525 W. Santa Clara, the Sharks have 5 more contests away from home to re-establish themselves as a good traveling team.Chance number 4 comes tonight, the 4th game in 5 nights for the Teal, and their last contest until Sunday, giving them ample rest time.

While last night's game wasn't great, at least the building was. The Prudential Center is exactly like it's nickname "The Rock" suggests, being a solid arena. The newest arena in the league, the Rock truly is a palace. Holding 17,625 when full, those that visit this building certainly have the opportunity for comfort. Those opting to splurge for club seats are treated with access to either of the concourse club lounges, aptly named "Fire" and "Ice". Free food and free sodas are always a good way to sell tickets, and lucky for my dad and I that the alcohol (fully stocked bar) cost just as much as always.

The Club level seats themselves are leather, an interesting luxury for hockey, and are branded with the familiar "NJ" logo. These seats, however, seem to be narrower than the red seats in the corner that I had the opportunity to try, making for a funny sight when two large fellows pile in next to each other. After McLaren brought the Sharks within one, I tried to stand up, but was impeded by the narrowness of the seats, and instead went more sideways, kept from going totally to the ground by the railing right next to me. I would again like to point out that the bar cost lots of money, clearing my name from being completely trashed at this point (I had one beer, and finished it by the 1st Intermission.

Tonight, the Sharks travel down the coast to Philadelphia to take on the Flyers (4:00 Pacific). The Flyers may be the one team in the NHL that's having a tougher time of things than the Sharks. Losers of 8 straight, Philly's depleted roster received some heartbreaking news yesterday, learning that top sniper Simon Gagne has been recommended to sit out the rest of this season with his concussion. On the shelf with Gagne are Steve Downie, Derian Hatcher, and Joffrey Lupul. Tonight's contest could be one that sees the winner emerge with a shootout victory, or more likely the win will come from a goaltender feeling pity for the opposing team's offense and turning around to deposit the puck into his own net.

Much like my train which is just pulling into Trenton, NJ right now before it continues to Philly, one of these teams will be pulling the brakes on their speeding losing streaks. Based on what I've heard about the Philly fans, I'm not sure which to hope for.

GO SHARKS (Just kidding, go Flyers, er Go Cheesesteaks, er, GO SHARKS)
-Jess

This way to where, pray tell?

Prudential Center? Through these doors? Hooray.

Well that's handy, there's these cute little signs at the train station saying the Prudential Center is this way, and what do you know, there it is. Well done, signers.

Ooh, Devils logo on the floor in red light, scary.

2/18/08 NEW YORK (LONG ISLAND) 3, sharks 2

2008-02-19T22:50:00.000-08:00

I have no scoreboard picture, because they took the final score down at the whistle, here is a much less heartbreaking score on the scoreboard.

2 games, 2 entirely different ways to suck. Awesome.

Sunday it was giving up a 1 goal lead in the 1st Period, and now a 2 goal lead in the 3rd, oh what do the Sharks have in store for us now? Marcel Goc had a goal, Joe Thornton had a goal, Evgeni Nabokov had a facial laceration, and the Eye-lin-duhz fans went home happy, as the hometown squad came away victorious yesterday. Despite outplaying the Isles for the first 45 minutes, as soon as they got their first goal, you could kinda tell it was over. Nabokov made 18 saves, Griess made 1 save in his brief appearance late in the 2nd. The loss is the 2nd in two days for the Teal, and brings their streak now to 4 games in the L column.

MSG is the 2nd oldest arena in the NHL, and just behind in 3rd is the small concrete fortress on the Island. Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum is surrounded by a hotel, a road, some small office buildings, and a whole lotta nothing. Inside, it's much like the arenas of the 60's: one small, tight, cramped concourse, entry doors to get to the seating area, stairs up to the upper level and down to the lower level, and creaky old seats.

The fans at the Coliseum are just as knowledgable as those at MSG, and can get just as loud and boisterous. There are plenty of banners in the rafters, which are so low that they're practically in front of you in the upper level. The sightlines are incredible, with absolutely no reason to ever need to lean forward to see the play. Besides the schlep to get out there and the small concourse, there really isn't a whole lot bad to say about the building referred to as the Mausoleum (by Rangers and Devils fans), other than that it is really old.

From a old building that has seen lots of history to a new building with a lot of history looking to be replicated, the Sharks Wednesday will grace the brand spankin' new Prudential Center in Downtown Newark with their presence, when they take on the New Jersey Devils (4:00 pm). A closer to real time for a hockey game, the Sharks will face a strong Devils club that leads the Atlantic Division with 73 points. New Jersey has won 4 of their last 5, and 7 of their last 10 contests, including bringing a 2 game win streak to this contest. The last meeting between these teams was last year in San Jose, when Joe Thornton put one past Martin Brodeur and an empty netter was added in a 2-0 Sharks win. Similar results tomorrow would be nice, but at this point, I'll take an OTL over another empty-handed effort.

GO SHARKS (No more New York to lose to, beat New Jersey)
-Jess

Shot of the arena from the seat

The many banners in the low hanging rafters

The very orange and blue concourse. How handy that an orange and blue team happens to play there

I'm glad they told me the Isles play here, cause I never would have guessed they'd play AT A HOCKEY ARENA

2/17/08 NEW YORK 3, sharks 1

2008-02-17T21:22:00.000-08:00

Arena was great. Fans were great. Game was poop.

In a game played today at 10 AM on the Left Coast, it was apparent that the road team in white with teal trim clearly forgot to put their clocks ahead to New York time. Jonathan Cheechoo poked a goal past Henrik Lundqvist just 3:31 into the game, giving the Sharks and the many Sharks fans in attendance a false sense of the effort to come. Evgeni Nabokov was strong in net, however, stopping 30 shots in the loss.

Today's game was at MSG, Madison Square Garden. Known by some locals as "The New Garden", MSG is touted as "The World's Most Famous Arena". Famous as it is, it's pretty cool too. Before the game, my family and I took a tour of the place, getting to see the suite level, the club bars, and then early entrance into the arena (non-gameday tours feature a look to the locker rooms and the theater, but both were occupied today). Anyways, some thoughts about the Garden.

* Its small. For 18k hockey seating, it's surprising the tinyness of this building. There aren't really levels, it's all one bowl with the 400's stacked on top. The concourses are pretty narrow and sorta plain, but where there is stuff, it's pretty cool.

* The atmosphere is great. Potvin sucks chants, Let's Go Rangers chants, they're all over it. And they're loud. To be here for an important game would be spine tingling.

* The ceiling is the ceiling. It's famous for a reason.

Tomorrow the Sharks hit New York #2, heading out to Lawnguylan to face the Eyelinduhz (11 AM Pacific). The Isles have won 3 in a row since dropping 7 straight, keeping them in the heart of the Eastern Conference playoff picture. Lead by blink-of-an-eye Shark Bill Guerin, the Isles are good, but not when they're bad. In essence, they're two-faced, like the Sharks. Should be a good game between two good teams, or maybe not.

GO SHARKS (LETZ GO SHARXZZ [no way to New York that up I guess])
-Jess

The entire roll of pictures can be seen here.

Not many people know, but the ceiling is really a giant venus fly trap.

Regardless of outcome, this is still really cool.

2/14/08 edmonton 3, SHARKS 2

2008-02-16T07:21:00.000-08:00

At least the quality of the picture is now higher. Really a sad indication of sorts when I'm reaching for silver linings each night.

The Sharks seemed to not care if they won their last home game for 3+ weeks, since they didn't put out much effort. It's a good thing they didn't care, because they weren't able to skate by with 10 minutes of strong effort this time around. Joe Pavelski whacked home a loose puck in the slot and Mike Grier converted on a beauty of a short-handed breakaway for the Sharks, who won't be back in San Jose until March 3rd when they host the Bleu, Blanc, et Rouge (Montreal Canadiens). Evgeni Nabokov stopped 18 shots in the loss.

This post is intentionally short because 1) I feel that when writing about the game, I should show the same energy and effort that they brought, and 2) Its early and I'm rushed for time because I'm leaving in an hour to fly to NYC. The first one makes me sound more angry, frustrated, and snarky, and less lazy than the second one, so I'll go with that.

The Sharks now embark on their season long eight game road trip, which will take them all the way to the East Coast and will work them back to the west. 8 cities, 15 nights, 4351 miles, and hopefully many wins. The trade deadline is Tuesday, February 26th at 3:00 Eastern, so if the Sharks get anyone on deadline day, they'll probably debut in Columbus on the 27th. Last year GM Doug Wilson gambled, trading for defenseman Craig Rivet and Right Winger Bill Guerin at the deadline, the former worked out nicely and will be in teal for the next few years, the latter is the Captain out on Long Island.

Tomorrow, the road trip begins, with an early matinee showing of Sharks hockey from Broadway as the Teal meet the Broadway Blueshirts (10:00 AM). The Rangers have been all over the map this year, since signing Chris Drury and Scott Gomez this summer, to a stretch where they could barely muster a goal in each game. 2-3 in their last 5, the Rangers sit in 4th place in a very tight Atlantic Division. While the Sharks get to rest and see the sights today, the Rangers will be entertaining their upstate rival Buffalo Sabres, hopefully the Sharks will be able to take advantage of a tired New York squad and pluck two points from The World's Most Famous Arena.

GO SHARKS (Hello cold, hello New York)
-Jess

New camera time at the Odyssey, so playing around with my abilities. Here's a wide shot of the score, can you read it?

How about now?

2/12/08 calgary 4, SHARKS 3 OT

2008-02-14T02:20:00.000-08:00

Well, at least it wasn't Owen Nolan again.

Ok, so that's not very decent silver lining, because really, there isn't any. Jarome Iginla did it again in OT, and the Sharks dropped another game that they had won in the final minute of regulation. Sure, Marcel Goc had a pretty goal. Sure, Milan Michalek's goal and Patrick Rissmiller's goals were nice too, but they had the game won. They totally dominated the Flames all game long, outshooting them 43-18 throughout the course of the night. Evgeni Nabokov made some decent saves, only making 14 in all.

You notice my tone is a bit different while writing this one, and it's because this stings. Too many times we've seen the Sharks choke away a victory by ceasing to play offense towards the end of the game, opting to just sit back on D. Whether it's a saying someone else has or not, here it goes. "If you're not playing to win, you're playing to lose." So profound, if it's never been said before, I now trademark it as my own. Now, I'm not gonna get too ranty, because it is just one game, and there is another one tomorrow, but still, folks around here, and not just me, are starting to get unhappy. Teal Town is stirring, and not with anything happy.

The Sharks finish their homestand tomorrow with a game they really should win, when the Edmonton Oilers stumble into San Jose (7:30). Edmonton comes to San Jose winners in 3 of their last 5, but still toiling around the bottom of the Western Conference standings. With leading scorer Shawn Horcoff is out for the year, leading red-headed jerkface Raffi Torres is out for the year too, and leading big-giant-seemingly-overpaid-defenseman-with-a-shot-that-could-penetrate-a-tank Sheldon Souray out for an indefinite amount of time, the Oilers have thrived on their youth, just as they've done all year long. Get used to names like Gagner, Brodziak, and Cogliano, because they're good, and they're young, so they'll be around for a while. This is the last Sharks home game until they host the Montreal Canadiens on March 3rd, having to leave town for the SAP Open tennis tournament. That roadie, of course, is an 8 gamer, the longest of the year, and I'm proud to renew the Odyssey if just for this short time, hitting 7 of the 8 games (Sorry Columbus).

GO SHARKS (make this last home game a good one)
-Jess

2/9/08 SHARKS 4, nashville 3

2008-02-12T01:44:00.000-08:00

It's been said already, but here it is again. Jonathan Cheechoo has returned.

The oft-unsteady winger recorded his first hat trick of the year, including potting the eventual game winner on the Power Play with just a couple minutes left in the contest. Cheech had a hand in every goal, setting up Milan Michalek midway through the 3rd. Michalek had a multi-point night himself, recording two assists to go with his goal, Joe Thornton had a ho-hum night, assisting on all three of Cheechoo's markers, giving him a league leading 50 helpers, and even Marc-Edouard Vlasic was invited to the multi-point party, recording a pair of assists. Evgeni Nabokov wasn't needed much, but made a couple big saves when he needed to, notching 10 saves in all, earning his league leading 31st victory.

The Teal sit 6 points back of division leading Dallas with 5 fewer games played, putting them at 4th in the Western Conference. Early in the year, a home game for the Sharks pretty much meant a loss for the Sharks, however, since the new year, the Teal are 8-4 at 525 W. Santa Clara, which isn't dominating, but is much better than it was midseason. The Sharks have two more home games before they are chased out of town by the Sybase/Siebel/SAP Open, the annual tennis tournament that takes place at the San Jose Arena/Compaq Center/ HP Pavilion, which will send them on an 8 game trip all the way out to the East Coast.

First things first though, as the Sharks play the second to last home game before that trip tomorrow night when they host the Calgary Flames (7:30). This will be the final matchup with the Flames this year, who lead the season series 2-1, winning each of the last two contests (3-2 in OT in San Jose on 1/3 and 5-4 in Calgary on 1/30), while the Sharks took the first meeting (4-1 in Calgary on 10/22). The Flames visit San Jose losers in 3 of their last 5 contests. Calgary sits in 7th in the West, but until the end of the season, the rankings will change as frequently as the day. Former Shark Owen Nolan had a hat trick when these teams last met, would be fine with me if that wasn't replicated tomorrow.

A couple of milestones to mention, Joe Thornton hit assist number 500, Ron Wilson got coaching win 500, and Jeremy Roenick suited up for career game 1300. Congrats boys.

GO SHARKS (Put out the Flames)
-Jess

Hats, duh.

2/8/08 SHARKS 2, columbus 1 OT

2008-02-09T08:14:00.000-08:00

Last year, Joe Thornton famously said after late game heroics from Joe Pavelski, "We don't do overtime."Well, Joe, I guess it's time for a correction.

Jumbo, as he's affectionately known in the Sharks locker room, took matters into his own hands last night, potting the Power Play winner midway through Overtime. The play was set up beautifully with a great knockdown faceoff win by the Captain, Patrick Marleau, who tossed it back to Sandis Ozolinsh on the point. Ozolinsh dished it to Thornton, who put it back to the defenseman up top. Ozolinsh faked the shot, passed to Thornton, who walked it in, and wristed it past Jackets netminder Fredrik Norrena. Marcel Goc had the other goal for the Teal, a quick turnaround wrister on a broken play in the slot that made it's way past Norrena.

Very rarely can the guy who scores the OT winner not get the first star of the game, especially when the final score is only 2-1, but last night was not really Joe Thornton's night. That distinction belonged to the guy with the next number up from Joe. Plain and simple, if it wasn't for Evgeni Nabokov last night, the Sharks don't win, they lose 10-1. Nabby was incredible last night, stopping three breakaways and a penalty shot, making 31 saves.

After an emotional OT win, the best thing to do is get right back out there to do it again. Lucky for the Sharks, they get to do just that, when they host the Nashville Predators tonight (SPECIAL 7:00 PM START TIME). The Preds come to town fresh off a three game win streak, snapped at the hands of the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday night. The Teal lead the season series 2-0, winning a game in both SJ (3-0 on 10/20) and Nashville (5-2 on 12/29).

GO SHARKS (you don't have to do OT, but when you do, do it well)
-Jess

2/6/08 colorado 3, SHARKS 1

2008-02-08T10:16:00.000-08:00

Welcome back, ****** Jose Theodore. The returning Colorado netminder had a strong game in net, making 30 circusy saves for the win over the Sharks Wednesday night. Patrick Marleau scored a beauty on the Power Play, and Jonathan Cheechoo had a bunch of great chances, but Theodore held tough for the win. Evgeni Nabokov had 22 saves in the loss.

As this was written after the Columbus game, it does me no good to preview the Jackets now. They came into San Jose losing 4 of 5, and visited the Tank on the second night of a back-to-back that saw them play Thursday night in Phoenix. The season series was tied at 1 game a piece, with each side winning their home game (the Jackets won 2-1 in Columbus on 10/27, the Sharks won 3-2 in SJ on 1/7).

GO SHARKS (I have a good feeling about this one, don't tell me how I know, I just do)
-Jess

Two Sharks fans proudly display their Divealanche t-shirts.

2/2/08 SHARKS 3, chicago 2 SO

2008-02-04T21:52:00.000-08:00

Ok. Get this. Sharks win a game at home. Ok, that's fine, that happens. Sharks win a game in the shootout. Ok, that happens a bit too. But, here's the kicker, the Sharks win IN THE SHOOTOUT, AT HOME. Yeah. Say it with me.

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

Jonathan Cheechoo notched his 4th goal in 5 games, Marc-Edouard Vlasic got marker #1 of the year, and Evgeni Nabokov made 4 of 5 stops in the glorified skills competition, as the Sharks pulled out the 2 points in an afternoon matinee at the Tank. Cheech struck on the PP, which has been hot as of late for the Sharks, smacking home a beautiful cross crease pass from Joe Thornton. Pickles wristed home what looked to be the eventual game winner in the 3rd before the Hawks got it back less than 2 minutes later. In the shootout, Patrick Kane scored for the Hawks, and Joe Pavelski kept the Teal in it when he scored. JR then came up in the 5th round and wristed home the goal that put the Sharks ahead, leaving Nabby to shut the door for the 4th consecutive shooter. Nabokov had 19 saves in 65 minutes of play, earning his league leading 29th victory of the year

Chicago, still missing Jonathan Toews, should have been a pushover, but hung in tough, making for a pretty entertaining and physical contest. Jody Shelley made his debut in teal, starting on the left side of Joe Thornton and Jeremy Roenick for the opening faceoff, and took care of plenty of physicality. Shelley opened the game with a thunderous check in front of the Chicago bench, resulting in a scrum and a Douglas Murray fight just 17 seconds into the contest. Shelley recorded 4:55 of ice time, just enough for an enforcer. He'll be a bigger part when the Sharks face bigger fighting teams like the Blue Jackets and Ducks shortly.

With just 30 games left, every two points is an important 2 points. Lucky for the Sharks, or may be not, the Teal have 5 more home games before the traditional 2 week February roadie due to the tennis tournament. The Sharks sit in 2nd in the Pacific, 2 points back of the Stars, but with four games in hand, things aren't too bad. The Ducks loom just 4 points behind, however the Sharks have 4 games in hand on them too.

Game 1 of 5 comes Wednesday night when a familiar face by the name of Scott Hannan comes back to the Tank again (7:30). Hannan, a long time Shark, made his first return to San Jose with his new team in November. The Sharks lead the season series 2-1, winning that contest on 11/30 by a score of 3-2 before heading to Denver on 12/2 to do the same thing by the same 3-2 score. Colorado won the first contest of the season way back on 10/7 by a score of 6-2. The Avalanche are slipping in the standings right now, partially due to the strong injury bug that has hit the team. Joe Sakic, Ryan Smyth, Paul Stastny, and Marek Svatos have all been injured for Colorado, who comes to SJ losers in 3 of their last 5 games. It was real nice to see the boys pull one out in the shootout on Saturday, but I'd be fine if they just won it in regulation. They got a chance to take advantage of a weak team in the Avalanche on Wednesday, which usually spells disaster. I hope I'm wrong.

GO SHARKS (Hey Scotty, you still made the wrong choice)
-Jess

1/30/08 CALGARY 5, sharks 4

2008-01-31T08:34:00.000-08:00

Good news: Owen Nolan had a hat-trick in the Sharks game last night. Bad news: Owen Nolan is not a Shark.

The Teal didn't come away from the 'Dome victorious last night, but they didn't give up either. Yeah, it's a small battle won, but after a snowball quickly rolled downhill in the 2nd, the Sharks brought their best mittens and tried til the end to roll that sucker back up hill. Captain Patrick Marleau netted the opening goal halfway through the first, getting the Sharks on the right foot, Unfortunately, they got off-balance in the 2nd, when former Sharks Owen Nolan and Wayne Primeau scored, capped with a PP goal from Dion Phaneuf. Nolan added goal #2 of the night early in the 3rd, before Tomas Plihal got his first career goal. Not exactly a pretty marker, but hey, they don't draw pictures on the scoresheet. Nolan capped his hatty, and all seemed lost for the Sharks, officially that is. Patrick Rissmiller potted a slapper with just two minutes left, and just 59 seconds later, Jonathan Cheechoo knocked a puck out of mid-air to make it 5-4. Unfortunately, that's all they'd get, but for a team that seemed to fold easily late in blowout games in th first half of the year, it sure was nice to see the boys battle back. Evgeni Nabokov wasn't bad, but wasn't great last night, stopping 24 in the loss.

The Sharks did lose last night, but yet this loss is a bit more palatable because of their win Wednesday night, and their effort in the 3rd last night. The season is awfully long, to dwell on one game for more than about 10 minutes following the final horn will just throw off your focus. Fortunately, or not, we as fans don't need to focus on the upcoming game, so we can dwell on one game, but last night doesn't seem dwell worthy: they came out strong, got outworked by a fresher team in the 2nd, and battled the best they could and made the Flames and their fans sweat a bit, and not because of the high heat in the Saddledome.

Out of the cold, and back home, where a Bay Area chilly 45 seems like Rio de Janeiro, for the Sharks next game on Saturday, when they host the Chicago Blackhawks (NOTE, GAME IS AT 2:00PM PACIFIC TIME). The Sharks have won both games against the Hawks this year, 2-1 in Chicago on 10/10 and 3-2 in San Jose 3-2. Chicago comes back to the Tank just 12 days after losing 3-2, the first game in what has turned into a 3 game slide.

On a side note, and I'm not sure how I forgot to mention this yesterday, the Sharks made what would be classified as a minor deal, even though the man they traded for has nothing minor about him. Sending a 6th round pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, Doug Wilson acquired longtime enforcer of the Columbus Blue Jackets, Jody Shelley. Shelley was a huge fan favorite in Columbus, and apparently is a great character guy, but fell off the depth charts when younger guys with more offensive spark and upside came into the picture. Shelley may be best remembered by Sharks fans as the man who delivered the punch to the back of the head of Brad Stuart, an act that has everyone here in Teal Town believing that is what altered Brad Stuart and totally stunted his on-ice growth. Regardless, that's in the past now, and Shelley is a guy you'd rather have on your side. Welcome to SJ, Jody, hopefully you get to see some time.

GO SHARKS (Again, welcome to not freezing cold San Jose, Mr. Shelley)
-Jess

1/29/08 sharks 3, EDMONTON 0

2008-01-30T08:13:00.000-08:00

There was one thing that was incredibly cold last night, and, for a change, it wasn't the Teal attack.

The Sharks took advantage of an overmatched opponent to continue just where they left off, playing strong, winning hockey, all the while playing in -8,000,000 weather. Joe Pavelski opened the scoring [11] at 11:48 of the 2nd on a rebound that he shoveled past Oilers goalie Mathieu Garon (Setoguchi, Rivet). Mike Grier, who isn't usually known for his offense, capitalized on a late 2nd Period 3-on-2, slapping a Patrick Rissmiller pass top shelf on Garon [6] (Rissmiller, Mitchell). Rissmiller added an empty netter with just 30 seconds left in the game to seal the deal. Evgeni Nabokov only had to stop 13 saves in the win, his league leading 28th victory this year.

Nabby made his job look real easy last night, partially because, well, his defense made it easy for him. The Sharks blueliners let just 13 shots make their way to the net, while blocking 16 more from even seeing Nabby. They had 6 takeaways, and forced 19 giveaways, playing what looked to be one of their most complete victories this year. They did lack a bit in the faceoff department, an area where they're usually tops, going 15-32 in draws on the evening, a tiny 32% win percentage.

It's too bad the Sharks played so well last night, because that is the kind of game you want to just sit back and smile about, saying, "I only want them to play again if they're gonna play like that". I only say it's bad that they played so well, because they're right back on the ice tonight, a couple hundred miles to the south, visiting the Calgary Flames in the Saddledome (6:30). Calgary is deeply entrenched in the Northwest division race, sitting in 2nd today with 58 points. The Flames enter tonight's contest winners of three straight. The season series is split between the teams 1-1, San Jose winning the contest in Calgary in October (4-1), and the Flames stealing an OT victory on San Jose ice just a couple weeks ago. It's expected to be cold again tonight in Calgary, and fire doesn't usually do so well in such cold. It'll take another strong stifling effort by the Sharks to keep the Flames cold, and get out of frozen Alberta on fire.

GO SHARKS (do it again boys)
-Jess

ASG and my announcement

2008-01-27T23:21:00.000-08:00

First the ASG, which started off lame, got real interesting, and finished very well. Joe Thornton had a pair of assists, and Evgeni Nabokov pitched a scoreless 2nd Period, stopping all 8 shots he faced, and making a couple highlight reel saves on hometown almost hero Ilya Kovalchuk. The real big news of the weekend is that neither Shark got hurt, and both will be ready for the push for the playoffs and beyond, beginning on Tuesday with Edmonton.

Now, if I can provide a shameless plug here, is my announcement. In a couple weeks, the Sharks hit the road for the normal February road trip. I am proud to say that I'm gonna be there for the majority of this trip, that hits all five Atlantic Division cities in one fell swoop. Even prouder to say that this time, my family is able to accompany me.

The trip begins on February 17th, with an afternoon contest at the arena of all arenas, Madison Square Garden. After a matinee the next afternoon on Long Island, a day off to sightsee through Manhattan and the surrounding burroughs. Wednesday brings a train ride to downtown Newark and a visit to the brand spankin new Prudential Center for the Sharks/Devils game. Thursday I'll head to the city of brotherly love (no brothers must be present at Eagles games [just kidding, please don't kill me]) when the Sharks take on the Flyers. The trip then breaks until Sunday, allowing me time to sample some eats from Philly, and then on to Pittsburgh on Saturday for some more eats sampling. The first half of the trip concludes on Sunday with another early game, this time at the Igloo against the Penguins.

A week off for school, because I gotta pretend like I have a life outside of hockey, while the Sharks head to Columbus for a Wednesday matchup with the Blue Jackets, and then I'll pick up the trip for the last two contests, Friday night in Motown against the Red Wings, and Saturday night against the Blues. I'll post my seat locations in a separate post below, feel free to stop by before, during, or even right after the game. Drop me an email if you want to meet up outside of the games for a pre or post game bite.

Again, the Sharks resume play Tuesday night in Edmonton (6:30). Tune in on Versus for the action.

GO SHARKS (Nice work Nabby and Joe)
-Jess

Where I'm sitting (2/17/08-3/2/08)

2008-01-27T23:20:00.000-08:00

Here are the seats I'll be in for the February roadie. Stop by if you like. Feel free to drop me an email if you wish to meet outside of gametime, some sort of Sharks fan or just general hockey fan solidarity.

2/17/08 Sharks @ New York Rangers
Sec 347 Row F Seats 11-14

2/18/08 Sharks @ New York Islanders
Sec 337 Row E Seats 1-4

2/20/08 Sharks @ New Jersey Devils
Sec 7 Row 6 Seats 1-2

2/21/08 Sharks @ Philadelphia Flyers
Sec 222A Row 3 Seat 7

2/24/08 Sharks @ Pittsburgh Penguins
Sec D7 Row C Seat 1

2/29/08 Sharks @ Detroit Red Wings
Sec 105 Row 1 Seat 3

3/1/08 Sharks @ St. Louis Blues
Sec 324 Row E Seats 11-12

1/24/08 SHARKS 4, st. louis 1

2008-01-25T11:01:00.000-08:00

Yes, we can't get too carried away, because it's just one game, but still,
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

Jonathan Cheechoo possibly broke his schneid for good last night with a pair of Jonathan Cheechoo-esque markers. Milan Michalek added a goal and two assists, and Joe Thornton was, well, Joe Thornton, racking up three assists in the victory. Cheechoo's first goal was a beautifully set up power-play that resulted in a one-timer [8] that found it's way past a beaten Manny Legace (Michalek, Thornton). The second was equally as Cheechoo-y, but wasn't really as pretty, as late in the game, the shaky skater whacked a rebound home [9] (Michalek, Thornton). Michalek had a goal of his own [17] (Thornton, Carle), and Steve Bernier added one as well [13] (Marleau, Rivet). Evgeni Nabokov had another strong performance, making 17 saves in his league leading 27th victory.

Not only did the Sharks play winning hockey last night, but more importantly, they won playing Sharks Hockey. Sharks hockey is what GM Doug Wilson designed this team to play. Hard hitting and quick skating all around, strong emphasis on back-checking by the forwards, lots of passing through the neutral zone and dumping and chasing to penetrate the offensive zone and getting guys in front of the net to deflect shots and bang home rebounds and one-timers. Having the best PK in the league and a top 10 PP isn't too shabby either.

Fact is, at the break, the Sharks sit on top of the Pacific Division with 61 points. Dallas also has 61, and Anaheim is right behind with 60, but the Sharks have played 4 fewer games than both the Ducks and Stars. They're top 10 in both sides of the special teams, a necessity for success in the post-season. Goaltending is still elite, and the defense could be considered underrated, since there aren't really any "big-name" guys lining up on the blueline.

The offense is really the only consistently underachieving part of this team, last night's contest was the third consecutive game in which the Sharks couldn't record a shot in the first ten minutes of the contest. For the Sharks to succeed in February, March, April, and beyond, the goal production really needs to pick up. The top line feasted last night, Michalek (1+2) - Thornton (0-3) - Cheechoo (2-0), a sight that will have to continue. When that line can produce, goals from the likes of Bernier, Marleau, Roenick, Pavelski, Mitchell, and the defense can actually be considered secondary scoring, not a threat to score every night, but definitely not forwards to sleep on either.

There is no hockey until Tuesday, when the Sharks will take on the Oilers (6:30). Edmonton has been king of the shootout this year, going 13-3 in the glorified skills competition. When looked at that the Oilers have just 23 wins this season, that puts them at 13 shootout wins, and just 10 regulation victories. Edmo comes to SJ after touring the SouthEast division, where they went 2-3. The Oil lead the season series 1-0, winning the season opener 3-2 in a shootout on 10/4.

This weekend is the All-Star Game in Atlanta. The Skills competition is on at 4 on Saturday, and the game itself is Sunday at 3. All times Pacific. See you guys after the weekend, pending an announcement I'm working on making shortly.

GO SHARKS (Good luck to Evgeni Nabokov and Joe Thornton at the ASG)
-Jess

1/22/08 SHARKS 3, chicago 2

2008-01-23T20:47:00.000-08:00

Coming into last night, the Sharks defense had chipped in for just 11 goals all season. That number got ever so slightly higher last night.

Christian Ehrhoff broke through for his first goal of the year, and Sandis Ozolinsh added another, as the Sharks broke their four game losing streak last night. After a Jack Skille goal gave the Hawks an early 1-0 lead, Ozolinsh [3] tied the contest 8 minutes later on the PP with a slick backhand past goalie Patrick Lalime (Rivet, Thornton). Joe Pavelski made his best Torrey Mitchell impersonation when he pickpocket Chicago rookie phenom Patrick Kane, and raced down the ice to tally a shorthanded goal [10] (Ehrhoff). 1:44 later, Ehrhoff struck, again on the PP, with a booming point shot that a screened Lalime really had no shot at stopping. Evgeni Nabokov returned to form, making 28 saves, quite a few of the circus variety, earning his 26th win of the year.

The win broke the Sharks 4 game winning streak, as well as snapping the 4 game winning streak of the Hawks. The Teal recorded a pair of PP goals, upping their total to five goals on the man-advantage in the last two games.

Tomorrow brings the last game before the All-Star Game, a visit from the St. Louis Blues (7:30). The Blues are a much improved hockey team, lead by All-Star goalie Manny Legace, however, they haven't shown it as of late, arriving in San Jose losers of their last 6 games, including a shootout loss tonight in Vancouver. It was awfully nice to win last night, and another win at home would bring the Teal back to .500 when playing at 525 W. Santa Clara. The Sharks sit 2 points back of 1st place Dallas, and 1 back of 2nd place Anaheim, with 4 games in hand on each. Dallas does play tomorow, when they host Buffalo. A Sabres win, coupled with a Sharks win, and we're looking down on the division during the break. Only one thing left to do now.

GO SHARKS (make it happen boys)
-Jess

1/19/08 detroit 6, SHARKS 3

2008-01-21T02:55:00.000-08:00

Detroit came into last night's game as the best team in the league. They left that way too.

Devin Setoguchi did have a goal in his first game since being recalled from AHL Worcester, Jonathan Cheechoo did get off the schneid with a fake wrap-around that was an absolute beaut, and Steve Bernier put a puck past the much disliked "snowangel" tactics of Dominik Hasek, but it wasn't nearly enough for the Teal, who dropped their second straight at home, and 4th consecutive overall. Sandis Ozolinsh had 3 assists in the losing effort, which saw the Sharks strike 3 times on the Power Play. Evgeni Nabokov continued a tough stretch, letting in 6 goals on 28 shots, making just 22 saves.

Saturday's game marks 4 straight losses for the Teal, a stat that has Sharks fans everywhere upset. Just before that, however, we were witness to a team that won three straight on home ice no less, and before a tough OT loss, had gone 4-0 on a calendar year ending roadtrip. Whether it's the parity in the NHL, or just a very bi-polar Sharks club, it's an interesting time to be a fan of the San Jose Sharks, because you truly don't know which team will show up. They have the ability to look so utterly inept at home, but can go into other teams' houses and push them around. They can generate 10 shots per period one night, then finish the next night with just 15 in the entire game. The power play can go 3 for 5 one night, and can go 0 for 10 the next. It is still a long way to April, but each day the path gets one step closer. Last week the Sharks were in 1st in the Pacific, 2nd in the West, and now they've dropped to 3rd and 5th, respectively. They do, however, still hold 4 games in hand on both Anaheim and Pacific leading Dallas, games that will be important to win should they want that division title, #3 seed, and the advantage (or possibly not) of having home ice in the opening round of the post season.

The path becomes one brick shorter after Tuesday night's contest, when the Chicago Blackhawks make their first visit to San Jose in the 2007/08 season (7:30). The two teams have faced off but once, with the Sharks coming out victorious 2-1 in Chicago on 10/10. The Hawks are streaking themselves, winners of 4 straight following a streak of 8 losses. They are missing rookie phenom Jonathan Toews, but still have this year's 1st rounder Patrick Kane in the line-up (#88).

GO SHARKS (win?)
-Jess

1/17/08 dallas 4, SHARKS 2

2008-01-19T00:36:00.000-08:00

They say it's not how you start, it's how you finish. Boy how right they are.

For the third consecutive game, the San Jose Sharks have scored the game's first goal, and for the third consecutive game, the same San Jose Sharks have lost, yielding the game winning goal in the final period of play (3rd Period/Overtime). Milan Michalek had the opening marker this time, scoring on a broken play started by cement-footed defensive tower Alexei Semenov. After a a pair of goals by the Stars, the Sharks opened the 3rd Period by knotting up the score on a Joe Thornton shot that took a crazy bounce off a defenseman's stick and past goalie Marty Turco. Evgeni Nabokov made the start in net, and stopped 27 shots in the loss.

The Sharks loss to Dallas is their third this year on home ice. Despite that lop-sided stat, however, the season series is now even at 3, as the Sharks have won the 3 games played in Dallas. Home ice advantage? Naw.

Saturday brings a familiar opponent to the Tank, and a formidible one too in the Detroit Red Wings (7:30). The Wings are somehow managing to run all over the league again, despite having guys that are 73 years old (Chelios, Hasek, Osgood). They're currently in 1st in the Central division, 1st in the Western Conference, 1st in the league, and 1st in our hearts (ok, maybe not, thank goodness), however they've cooled a bit recently, losing 3 of their last 5 contests. The Wings lead the season series 2-0, winning 4-2 in SJ on 10/18 and 5-1 in Detroit on 10/26. I don't know many people that are expecting a Sharks win tomorrow, but that doesn't mean they won't be happily surprised.

GO SHARKS (SURPRISE ME)
-Jess

1/15/08 PHOENIX 5, sharks 3

2008-01-16T23:03:00.000-08:00

Well, that sucked.

After the anticipation of the Sharks/Ducks matchup left a sour taste in the mouths of the Sharks and their fans alike, redemption was figured to be had against Phoenix. Yeah, not so much. In one of the sloppier games played by the Teal this year, not a whole lot went right, as shown by the final score.

Jonathan Cheechoo did get off the schneid with an incredibly ugly net-crashing goal i.e. the Cheechoo special, Joe Thornton added a goal, and Curtis Brown scored his first tally of the season, but that wasn't enough, dropping the Sharks record to 21-2 when scoring 3 or more goals in a game. Evgeni "game 1 of a new consecutive streak" Nabokov played goal, in what was easily his worst game this season, making 23 saves in the loss. Whether he is injured, or just out of his groove, he was clearly off his game last night. It'd be nice to have it back for tomorrow.

Last night further proved the parity in the NHL this year, as the team most expected to win not only didn't win, but didn't look very good either. Since Ilya Bryzgalov came to the Coyotes in November, they are now 2-1 against the Sharks, hardly a number the Sharks can be hapy about. As the season gets closer to the end, every point matters for playoff positioning, especially when in the running for a division title.

The race for the division is especially important tomorrow, when the Dallas Stars (boo) come to town (7:30). Dallas currently stis in 3rd in division, but is just 2 points behind the Sharks. The Sharks still lead the season series, 3-2, winning all three games played in Dallas (4-2 on 10/29, 4-3 on 11/14, and 3-2 on 12/5), the Stars (boo) have won both contests in SJ (3-1 on 11/7 and 4-2 on 12/15). As you can see, the home team has yet to win a game when these two face off. Tomorrow can break the trend, I won't mind.

GO SHARKS (stars [boo])
-Jess

1/13/08 ANAHEIM 4, sharks 3 OT

2008-01-14T23:39:00.000-08:00

Hey Alexei Semenov's foot, "you suck".

The ill placed foot of the Russian defenseman provided a big bounce for the Ducks, who just wouldn't go away. The ill-fated bounce came with just 28 seconds left in the game, and although it didn't cost the Sharks the game directly, it swung momentum away from the Teal for good, as the Ducks then ended the game just 33 seconds into OT. With Steve Bernier out, Jeremy Roenick stood in his place on the top line quite admirably, recording career marker #504, adding an assist as well on Milan Michalek's goal in the 2nd. Joe Thornton had an assist on each of the first two goals, giving him 7 helpers in the last 3 games. Torrey Mitchell had the other Teal tally, converting a beautiful pass from Mike Grier on a Sharks 3-on-1 rush on a Sharks PK late in the opening frame.

The real story of the game was the ending of streaks. The loss was the Sharks first on the road in more than a month, ending their 10 game victory streak away from home. Scoring 3 goals and losing was something the Teal hadn't done until last night, bringing their record in such an instance to 21-1. And lastly, and probably largest of all, Evgeni "Iron Man" Nabokov recieved a night off from goaltending, ending his consecutive streak at 43 games this year. Whether it was because of injury, or just to rest the All-Star netminder, rookie Thomas Greiss made his NHL debut, looking a bit shaky, but standing mostly strong, stopping 25 shots in the losing effort.

When reviewing games like these, the idea is real simple. Think about it for about 15 minutes afterwards, then move on to the next one. From one division opponent, to the next, as the brief roadtrip comes to a close tomorrow as the Sharks visit the desert and the Phoenix Coyotes (6:30). Phoenix is not a bad team anymore, as showcased by their surprise shootout win over the Sharks in San Jose in their last meeting. The season series now stands at 4-1 in favor of the Sharks.

GO SHARKS (just gotta move on)
-Jess

1/12/08 SHARKS 3, toronto 2

2008-01-13T13:39:00.000-08:00

You know the drill.

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

Vesa Toskala made his return to San Jose last night, looking for a win against his old teammates, and all went real well...for the first two periods of play. The much suffering Maple Leafs have had a less than par season, and a less than par California roadtrip as well. Looking for a win in their first visit to California since '03, the Leafs struck early, on a one-timer from Nik Antropov. Defenseman Pavel Kubina made it 2-0 in the 2nd with a slapper low glove on Evgeni Nabokov. However, after the horn sounded at the end of the 2nd, all started to change. Early in the third, a Patrick Marleau shot trickled it's way past Toskala. Craig Rivet followed that up with an absolute blast, his 3rd goal in the last four contests, and Joe Pavelski capped the scoring when he tipped a Jonathan Cheechoo shot past the former Shark. Evgeni "you kept the right goaltender, Doug Wilson" Nabokov turned 23 shots aside for his league leading 25th victory in the net.

The home win was the 9th of the season for the Sharks, and their 3rd consecutive victory on the sheet at 525 W. Santa Clara. It also caps a tremendous homestand, seeing the Teal capture 7 of 8 possible points. If you had said a month ago that the Sharks would win 3 of 4 games in this homestand, I would have hugged you for two reasons. 1) I would be in admiration of your ignorance of the truth, and blind optimism in your team and 2) You clearly are insane, and are in serious need of some affection. The newly discovered momentum will have to take a break, however, as the Sharks leave the Tank for a brief two game roadie.

The trip begins tonight, on the second end of a back-to-back (a situation in which the Sharks are 6-2 so far this season) when the Sharks head to Anaheim for a showdown with the Ducks (5:00). The season series has tilted to the south with the Ducks winning 4 of the 5 played, dropping only a shootout contest to the Teal on 12/16. San Jose has won 10 straight road contests. #11 anyone?

GO SHARKS (yes please)
-Jess

It's tradition now.

1/10/08 SHARKS 3, canucks 1

2008-01-12T00:57:00.000-08:00

Guess what...yup...they did it again...no fooling, I promise...see, I even have the visual evidence to prove it.

Told you so. 2 in a row even. May I just say, this calls for another

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

Jeremy Roenick's powerplay #503 was the difference maker yet again, his 6th GWG of the year, in a 3-1 victory last night. JR crashed the net, backhanding a Craig Rivet shot that bounced right off goalie Roberto Luongo and onto the stick of Roenick. The goal was #503, putting him ahead of Joey Mullen, elevating him to 2nd all-time on the list of American born goal scorers. Rivet had a goal himself, trailing a 4-on-2, getting the pass, and flipping a wrister past Luongo. Milan Michalek had the other goal, a pretty wrister roofed top shelf on Luongo, also on the powerplay, which ended the night going 2 for 7. All-Star center Joe Thornton had a hand in all three goals, and fellow All-Star Evgeni "Evgeni" Nabokov made consecutive start #42, making 20 saves for his league leading 24th win.

The win over the Canucks last night was consecutive home win #2, and their 6th in the last 7. More importantly, as least as it pertains to Vancouver, was their 4th win over the Canucks this year, finishing out the season series at a very clean sweep of 4 games to none. Nobody can fully figure out what it is that allows a team that has been struggling with consistency this year (San Jose) to beat arguably the best goalie in the NHL 3 times (Curtis Sanford started the first game in SJ for an injured Luongo) in the same season. If the playoffs are kind, at least to Teal Town, these two will meet up in the second season, but that's a long way off.

The invite to Spring hockey might come one game closer to landing in the Sharks mailbox after Saturday's run in with cross continent visitors Toronto Maple Leafs (NOTE: GAME IS AT 7:00 PM). The Leafs are going through what could be severely understated as a "less than optimal season". Through 44 games, Toronto has just 16 wins and 40 points overall. Their goaltending savior in Former Shark Vesa Toskala has been strong, but his defense has let him down countless times. The offense isn't bad, but overmatched often. They've won just 3 of their last 13, including coming into town on a 4 game losing streak, most recently getting blown out in Southern California (5-0 in Anaheim on Wednesday, 5-2 in LA on Thursday).

Basically, the Leafs are in shambles right now, and the two points are there for the taking. In the past, the Sharks have looked at games like this, and quickly glanced past their seemingly inferior opponents, like they did last month with the Sabres. Long story short with that one, it didn't turn out too well (7-1 Buffalo victory). Ideally, the Sharks come out tomorrow like they finished Thursday, like gangbusters. If it results in an easy win, great. If it doesn't, then they'll be ready to scrap for the two points like they would anyway. As a friend of mine has coined, get ready for "Hockey Night in San JosEh?"

GO SHARKS (all of Canada is watching, but, hey, no pressure)
-Jess

Again, too nice to avoid posting twice. And better quality than last time too.

Hey Mr. Modano, someone is coming...

Patzold to waivers

2008-01-08T00:08:00.001-08:00

As of this morning, the cushiest goaltending job in the NHL is vacant, temporarily. Dmitri Patzold, the other Kazakh netminder was placed on waivers today, probably just for a shot at playing, whether it be for the Sharks affiliate in Worcester, or elsewhere, should he be claimed. Teams have 24 hours to place a claim on Patzold, and we shall find out midday tomorrow his future in teal. Should he be claimed, he'll head off to his new NHL team. Should he clear the wavier wire, he'll head to Worcester where he'll probably split some time with the other Baby Sharks goalie, Taylor Dakers. Thomas Greiss is more than likely coming up to be Patzold's replacement in SJ either way.

Maybe we'll finally see Nabby get a night off, now that a goalie with high expectations who isn't Nabby is now donning the Teal, Black, and Orange (yeesh). My guess is Greiss will start Saturday night at home when the Toronto Maple Leafs make a visit to the Tank as it's the first night of a back-to-back that sees the boys pay a visit to the Ducks the next night. I can't think that Greiss is fully conditioned for the show, but I imagine that's what we the fans and the front office are going to find out shortly.

1/5/08 SHARKS 3, columbus 2

2008-01-06T23:00:00.000-08:00

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

Ok, now that we got that out of the way, we can discuss this game thing, which, if you can't tell from above, went quite well actually.

Patrick Rissmiller, goal scorer. Twice over, even. Rissmiller tipped a Matt Carle point shot early in the 2nd, and buried a Joe Pavelski pass past Columbus goalie Fredrik Norrena, who replaced starter Pascal Leclaire at the start of the 3rd. Steve Bernier added a highlight reel half-spinorama late in the 2nd. Evgeni "I have no more nicknames for the ridiculousness of his situation"
Nabokov was present in the San Jose nets, making start #41 (in 41 Sharks games this year), and stopping 21 shots in his league leading 23rd victory this year.

Rissmiller was a big story, Nabokov was a big story, but by far, the biggest story was what was addressed at the top of this post. THE SHARKS WON A HOME GAME, WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. Sure, you could say "but Jess, they beat the lowly Columbus Blue Jackets, that's not a feat." True, the Jackets aren't world beaters yet, but they aren't crap anymore either. Columbus sits at 44 points, which has them pegged in at 10th in a very tight Western Conference race.

You may also say, "but Jess, the Jackets are now 0-12-1 at 525 W. Santa Clara". Yes, also true. But, to that I say "SHUT UP, PARTY POOPER". The Blue Jackets did win the first matchup between the teams this year albeit in Columbus, and with now 18 points earned out of a possible 40 at home, I'm very happy to take every single point that the Sharks are willing and able to earn.

At the halfway point, the San Jose Sharks are doing well while sucking at the same time. They're on fire away when they're away from home, but getting burned constantly when they aren't. They have people stepping up, but Jonathan Cheechoo, Patrick Marleau, and even recently, Joe Thornton aren't among them. They went from a strong rotating goaltender system to having a starting goalie and a rumor for a backup netminder.

In short, the Sharks are a conundrum right now. The NHL in the salary cap era is just as advertised thusfar, a league that is seeing strong parity. As of games through Sunday January 6th, 2008, 28 of 30 teams (14 in each conference) seem to still have a strong shot at, the very least, playing for a shot at the post-season come March and early April (sorry to Kings and Lightning fans, if you make it, email me and I'll send you a cookie).

I bring up the issue of parity, because it seems to be what is clouding an unbiased judgement of the Sharks by their fans. As we speak, the Sharks have the third most points in the league (52) behind Ottawa (58) and Detroit (67), and yet, the majority of Teal fans will tell you they are, for the most part, disappointed with how the season has gone thusfar. The team is incredible on the road, owning the best road record in the league, while they are incredibly bad at home, owning the worst home record. The PP is crap, sitting at 23rd in the league, while the PK is supreme, ranked 2nd in the league. The offense isn't producing much, but the defense is making sure others don't produce against them. All in all, something is happening. Whether it's good or bad, it's all up to interpretation. The real measure will be that silvery thingie. If the Boys in Teal are drinking from it come June, it was a good year. If not, then bust out that drawing board again as it'll be a long summer.

The Sharks get a few days off before they try to clear the cloudy picture, but when they do, they'll welcome the Vancouver Canucks to the Tank (7:30). The Canucks are always dangerous, especially with their rock in the form of Roberto Luongo. Luongo, probably in line to win the Vezina (was runner up to Martin Brodeur last summer). Vancouver is in a tight race in the Northwest, and shouldn't be an easy matchup, however, the Sharks have dominated the season series, taking all three games played thusfar (3-1 and 4-2 in Vancouver on 10/5 and 10/15 respectively, and 5-2 in San Jose on 12/13). Whatever should happen on Thursday, I won't be happy unless they win. And the Sharks won't like me, tucked away in the far corner of the Tank away from most people, when I'm angry.

GO SHARKS (DO IT AGAIN, DO IT AGAIN)
-Jess

So nice, I added it twice.

1/3/08 calgary 3, SHARKS 2 OT

2008-01-04T23:27:00.000-08:00

There's an old saying that goes, "You can never go home again". One can only hope the Sharks are listening.

Well, 2008 began as too many Sharks fans expected, with a loss at home. At least this time they got a point. Jarome Iginla scored twice, including the OT winner, and ex-Shark and constant reminder of a trade gone slightly awry, Miikka Kiprusoff stood large, making 34 saves for the win. Torrey Mitchell showed what happens when you crash the net, and Craig Rivet showed what happens when you put pucks on the net, as each potted goals for the Sharks. Evgeni Nabokov now sits just 4 away from tying the modern day record for consecutive games at 44 with consecutive start 40, stopping 17 pucks in the loss.

Despite the loss, the Teal did earn a point in really what was a pretty strong effort by the hometown kids. Beyond his goal, Mitchell was absolutely the best player in teal, possibly on the ice for both teams, hitting, shooting, forechecking, backchecking, pretty much doing everything a hockey player who isn't a goaltender does. The rest of the squad looked pretty good, until the last minutes of the game. Why they backed off towards the end of regulation, we don't know. What we do know is how frustrating it is to see it time and time again. The home record is now at 6-9-4, which, by my calculations, is about 5 wins too few, 4 regulation losses too many, and 1 overtime/shootout loss too many as well. 13 of the next 17 contests are in San Jose, the first one didn't go so hot, but there's plenty of time to turn it around, they just need to actually turn it around.

A chance to turn it around comes tomorrow night, as the Hitchcockian Columbus Blue Jackets trap their way into town (7:30). Since taking over the team that makes its home in the Ohio capital city, Head Coach Ken Hitchcock has turned his Blue Jackets into a rough, grind-it-out kind of team. The Jackets have won 3 of their last 4, and are 1-1 thusfar on their California swing, winning most recently in LA Thurday evening 4-3. Columbus leads the season series 1-0, winning the lone game, played in Columbus (10/27, a 2-1 win for the CBJ).The turn around needs to happen, and it needs to happen soon. Tomorrow works for me, how bout you, Sharks?

GO SHARKS? (pretend you're on the road)
-Jess

12/31/07 sharks 3, MINNESOTA 2

2008-01-02T00:59:00.000-08:00

Dear Sharks,

Don't come home. Ever. Please.

Sincerely,
The fans

Ok, so it's not that simple. But only if it were.

The Sharks ended 2007 in style, extending a franchise long road win streak one game further, getting consecutive road win #10 last night in Minnesota. The Teal played the role of the New Years Eve party crashers, when Jonathan Cheechoo got off the schneid in a big way, scoring the go ahead goal with just 4:28 left in the game, just 10 seconds after the Wild completed a 2-goal comeback that saw Mark Parrish tie things up. Cheechoo was the recipient of a floaty flip pass from the heavens (and the big Swedish guy on defense, Douglas Murray) that landed between the circles. He then picked it up, faked a beautiful backhand, and went forehand on Minny goalie Niklas Backstrom. Steve Bernier and Kyle McLaren had the other two markers for the Sharks, both assisted by Milan Michalek and Joe Thornton. Evgeni "I'll stop starting games when I'm dead" Nabokov made start #39 in the Sharks 39th game this year, stopping 19 shots in the victory, his league leading 22nd of the season.

The win caps a very successful roadtrip for the Sharks, a 4 game trip that saw the franchise complete it's first 4 game clean sweep of a trip, picking up victories in LA (3-2 on 12/26), St. Louis (1-0 on 12/28), Nashville (5-2 on 12/29) and last night's 3-2 victory in Minnesota. The consecutive road win streak hit double digits, leaving them now just two games behind Detroit for the all-time consecutive road win record set at 12.

The win also caps a strange December in a strange opening half to this 2007/2008 season, which will see no more games played in 2007. Last year's Sharks were the best PP team in the league, had one of the most potent offenses around, and were pretty good regardless of where they played, winning 26 at home, and 25 on the road. This year's team, slightly different. With today having been New Years Day and all, I came up with some New Years resolutions for the boys, a list of things to work on for a successful second half to this season.

San Jose Sharks resolutions:

1) Score 3 goals a game.
This season, the Sharks are a slightly tilted 18-0 when scoring 3 or more goals. Yeah. That's a good stat.

2) Allow fewer than 3 goals a game.
Conversely, when the Teal surrender 3 or more goals, they're 1-8 when allowing 3 or more goals, with the lone victory coming 11/14 in Dallas, when the boys won 4-3 in a shootout. NOTE: Both 1 and 2 were calculated omitting final scores that gave the winning team 3 goals.

3) Power Play?
15.2% of the time, the Sharks man-up unit will score, putting them 24th in the league when playing with a man advantage. If they hope to make any noise in the playoffs, they'll really need to start putting pucks on and then in the net when they have the opportunities.

4) Home ice advantage.
It's been said before, but 18 home games have been played. 6 home games have been won. That sucks. As mentioned above, if the Sharks hope to be playing into late April, May, and June, they better start putting up W's at 525 W. Santa Clara. 14 of their next 18 games are at home, so now's the chance to change it up.

5) Use the great team depth.
Nabby has started every game thusfar, and is rapidly approaching his highest season total of 67 faster than you can say Kamenogorsk 5 times fast. The big shiny thing isn't handed out until it gets much warmer, and it usually helps to have your best goalie healthy for that time. It's hard to carry anything, let alone a hockey team, when you have a sore groin.

Up front, Joe Thornton has 46 points, which is great, but a bit scary when you hear that the team has only scored 98 goals, meaning Joe has had a hand in roughly 47% of the Sharks goals this year. It'd be nice if secondary scoring actually meant something beyond double shifting the big man.

6) Continue to do well the stuff you've already been doing well.
This one should be the easiest, at least it is in theory, as it's just maintaining the status quo.
* The PK is 2nd in the league, killing off 87.3% of shorthanded situations, just .4% behind the league leading Dallas Stars.
* Somehow, the faceoff takers are still doing well, with the team winning 52.9% of all draws, tied for 3rd with the Rangers, behind #2 Columbus and #1 Detroit.
* The defense/goaltending has been stifling, putting the team 2nd in the league in overall GAA at 2.12, .03 behind league leading Detroit.
* Wins are worth just as many points, regardless of where they happen. The Sharks 16 road victories is not only tops in the league, but is greater than every team's home record besides that of Detroit.

Now, it might just be me, but this list seems pretty easy (ok, so it probably helps that my contributions to the team come from the last row of the nosebleeds). We've heard so much about how this team is ready and able to go all the way this year. Unfortunately, talk doesn't send you all the way, great play leading to great results do. Don't win stuff on paper, win it on the ice.

The first shot at one of keeping one of those resolutions comes Thursday evening, when the Calgary Flames come in for a visit (7:30). The Flames are in a dogfight for the Northwest lead, bunched up pretty well with Colorado, Minnesota, and Vancouver, who sits atop the division, just 3 points ahead of Calgary. They come into the Tank (pardon me here) red hot, winners of 8 of their last 11. Jarome Iginla leads the attack with 27 goals, scoring 3 goals in his last 3 games. Calgary plays Wednesday evening at home against the Rangers, would be mighty fine by me if they rolled into San Jose a wee bit tuckered out.

GO SHARKS (I guess they can come home, but they better think they're still on the road)
-Jess

12/29/07 sharks 5, NASHVILLE 2

2007-12-30T23:31:00.000-08:00

At this rate, I hope they never come home.

Last night was yet another win for the Sharks on the road, their 15th win away from San Jose this season, and their 9th consecutive victory not at the Tank. The blueline struck big last night, with both Craig Rivet and Matt Carle picking up goals. Steve Bernier, Marcel Goc, and Torrey Mitchell each added tallies, with Bernier, Milan Michalek, and Joe Thornton notching two assists a piece. Evgeni "The Pride of Kamenogorsk" Nabokov made start #38 on the year (in 38 Sharks games), turning 19 of 21 shots aside, earning himself win number 21 on the season.

As was mentioned above, last night's victory was road win #15. By contrast, the Sharks have played 18 home games. Of course, the devastating part of that stat is that of those 18 games, only 6 have been W's. Again, the Teal have played 20 road games, 15 of which are wins. They talk about home ice advantage, well, obviously, the Sharks aren't "they", nor have "they" ever met the Sharks.

The Teal complete the Midwest tour tomorrow evening, as they send off 2007 in style, as they visit St. Paul and the Wild (4:00). Monday's game will be the 3rd game in 4 nights for the Sharks, who will get three days off after tomorrow. The Wild sit in 2nd place in the Northwest (22-14-2), two points behind the division leading Vancouver Canucks. San Jose leads the season series 1-0, when they beat the Wild 4-1 at the Tank on 12/11.

Happy New Year to you and yours, may it be safe, fun, and full of a Sharks victory. See you in '08.

GO SHARKS (Happy '08)
-Jess

12/28/07 sharks 1, ST. LOUIS 0

2007-12-29T16:05:00.000-08:00

It only takes one goal to win a hockey game. Which is good, because that's all the Sharks were able to scratch out last night.

A Milan Michalek 3rd Period slapper found its way past netminder Manny Legace for the lone tally in a game that seemed to less resemble a hockey game and more look like that of a chess match. Both sides are towards the top of the league when it comes to goals allowed. Each team had played 29 games in which they allowed fewer than three goals, with the Sharks having played 36, and the Blues 34. Evgeni "Iron Horse" Nabokov earned career shutout #39, and win #20 on the season, stopping all 26 shots he faced, many of which were in spectacular, beer spitting out inducing greatness.

The win gives the Sharks 14 road wins, 8 of which have come consecutively. It remains that the Sharks have just 6 home wins. 6 home victories in 18 home games, while they've won 14 of 19 on the road. Why this is, I don't know. But as long as they're winning somewhere, I'll take it, albeit begrudgingly.

The Sharks go for consecutive road win #9 tonight on the back end of the back-to-back when they head to the Music City to take on the Nashville Predators (5:00). Nashville is not the same club they were last year, minus several key players, but they're still afloat, thanks to youngsters scattered throughout the lineup. Unfortunately for them, and fortunately for us, two of the better Predators youngsters on the blueline, Ryan Suter and Shea Weber, will be out tonight, bettering the Sharks chances, at least on paper. Now, unfortunately, games aren't won on paper, but at least from an SJ point of view, they are won on the road.

GO SHARKS (#9 plz)
-Jess

12/26/07 sharks 3, LOS ANGELES

2007-12-28T00:27:00.000-08:00

Confucious say,"When on long losing streak, find team with longer losing streak to beat up on". Fushy ole buddy, how right you are.

The Sharks, proud owners of a 3 game losing streak, waltzed into Staples Center last night to take on a Kings club that was losers in it's last 7, and waltzed out of Staples Center proud owners of a 1 game winning streak (if you can call it that, which I sure as hell can). Milan Michalek (aka "Not Joe Thornton") had a pair of goals, and Joe "I'm a different Joe" Pavelski tallied the difference maker for the Teal. Evgeni "I'm also not Joe" Nabokov started game #36 on the season (out of 36 Sharks games) and made 29 saves for his league leading 19th victory.

The win was not pretty, as the Kings wouldn't die, but in the end, the Sharks get the two points, which is what matters at the end of the year. The usually awesome PK was good, allowing 1 goal on 5 power plays, including a 5 minute penalty when Craig Rivet recieved a Match Penalty for a crosscheck to the throat of Ladislav Nagy. There has been no word from the league on a review of a possible suspension for Rivet, a review which is mandatory for each Match Penalty handed out. Unless something arises tomorrow, Rivet should be in the lineup for the Sharks as they continue their roadtrip.

Game 2 of the roadtrip comes tomorrow evening, when the Sharks visit St. Louis for a matchup with the Blues for the first time this year (5:30). The Blues are a much improved club in the Central, which on a whole is a much improved division. Paul Kariya leads the way with 31 points and former Shark prospect Brad Boyes leads the team with 21 goals, in a Bluenote attack that has struggled to put pucks in the net, averaging 2.54 goals a game (which is better than the Sharks, who average 2.43). The defense in front of Manny Legace and youngster Hannu Toivonen has been the strongpoint for St. Louis, allowing 2.6 goals a game (behind the Sharks 2.1), however defensive anchor Barrett Jackman will be out with a concussion, a blow for the Bluenotes blueline. It'll be up to the Sharks to take advantage, which unfortunately isn't something they've done well or often this year. Always time to change, and as Confucious says "no better time than the present".

GO SHARKS (Confucious also say "Jesus save, but Lao-tse score on rebound"
-Jess

12/22/07 anaheim 5, SHARKS 2

2007-12-26T00:06:00.000-08:00

Not even Christmas could take the bitter taste from my mouth on this one, so here we go, albeit quite belated.

The three game mini series between the Sharks and Ducks mercifully ended Saturday night, as Anaheim took it to the hometown boys again with a 5-2 shellacking. Twice in the 3rd, the Sharks decided to show up, on goals from Captain Patrick Marleau and Marcel Goc, but it proved to not be nearly enough, as the Fowl were just clearly better. Evgeni Nabokov was as good as he could have been, stopping 19 shots in the loss, while starting his 35th game of the year (in 35 games).

Thankfully, the 2007 home schedule is complete. Usually, home ice carries an advantage, with the home crowd behind the team. For whatever reason, the Sharks suck at home. They've played 18 home games, and have won 6. By comparison, the 5-10 San Francisco 49ers have played 8 home games, and have won 3. So in 10 fewer games, they've won only 3 fewer contests. Yeah, it's that bad. Fortunately, the Teal travel well, leading the league in road victories, tied with Ottawa and Phoenix with 12 (Both Ottawa and the Sharks have won 12 in 17 games, Phoenix has won 12 in 20 road games).

While the home schedule is complete for the calendar year, the Sharks still have 4 games left in 2007, beginning Tuesday in Los Angeles (7:30). The Kings, despite a strong start, are now ruling the basement in the Pacific, and in the Western Conference. The season series is tilted towards the south, as the Kings have taken all three contests played in San Jose (5-2 on 11/2, 2-1 on 11/24, and 3-2 in a SO on 11/28), while the Sharks have taken the lone game at Staples Center. However their standing, Anze Kopitar, Mike Cammalleri, and Dustin Brown are still dangerous, and always a threat to score. If they don't do that tomorrow though, I somehow think I'll manage.

GO SHARKS (beat la)
-Jess

12/20/07 phoenix 3, SHARKS 2 SO

2007-12-22T00:22:00.000-08:00

It took a skills competition, but the Phoenix Coyotes finally beat the Sharks this year.

Since defeating the Sharks 8-0 in Phoenix last December 30th, the Sharks have won all 8 contests between the two teams, until last night. A Shane Doan goal with just 40 seconds left tied it, and the anti-climatic shootout sealed the two points for the Desert Dogs. The opening 40 saw many shots and many saves, but no goals. Just 33 seconds into the third, Mike York opened the scoring, with Torrey Mitchell evening the score shortly thereafter. a Brou-ha-ha broke out, with Steve Bernier, Patrick Marleau, and Jeremy Roenick dropping the gloves for the Sharks, and Nick Boynton, Daniel Carcillo, and Keith Yandle going for Phoenix. JR scored #502 on the ensuing PP, and it looked like it would hold, until a wobbly Doan wrister floated past Evgeni "34 starts in 34 Sharks games this year" Nabokov. Nabby and Bryzgalov were incredible all night long, making 35 and 36 saves, respectively.

If you didn't know any better, you would have thought last night's game was against a top team in the conference. Now, while Phoenix is not sitting atop any standings, they are a vastly improved club since the arrival of Ilya Bryzgalov last month. They now approach each game with plenty of confidence, which fits nicely with their hunger and talent. It's nice to see that the Desert might have a quality team to cheer for again, unfortunately it might come at the expense of the Sharks, who will have to face this strong club so many times each year.

Saturday brings the final home game of 2007 for the Sharks, and it's definitely no pushover, when the Ducks come back to town (7:30). The Teal have not found great success at home this year, winning just 6 of 17 games played on the sheet at 525 W. Santa Clara. Losers of their last three on home ice, the Sharks would be well served to deliver an early Christmas present to the 17,496 sure to pack the Tank tomorrow evening in the form of two points for the good guys. San Jose has an uphill battle, as they face the same team that just this past Tuesday on home ice shut them out for the first time this season. Anaheim leads the season series 3-1. Whatever the result, tomorrow should not disappoint. If it does, it'll be a long Christmas break before we see the boys get another shot on home ice.

GO SHARKS (DUCKS STILL SUCK "quack quack")
-Jess

12/18/07 anaheim 2, SHARKS 0

2007-12-20T08:31:00.000-08:00

Well, ok. So round 2 goes to the Ducks.

A strong defensive effort by the birds coupled with an all-too-familiar disappearing act by the fins, and we find ourselves looking at the first shutout of the Teal on the year. As open as Sunday's matchup was, Tuesday's game was a grind it out battle that saw much fewer scoring chances and even fewer shots and goals. There were no Sharks goals to speak of, Evgeni Nabokov, Prince of the posts, Ayatollah of the iron, guy who's really good at standing in the net a lot and stopping pucks, hit start number 33 of the year (in 33 Sharks games), making 14 saves in the losing effort.

Despite getting shut out by a very strong defensive corps, the Sharks did have their chances Tuesday night. Mike Grier tried the Torrey Mitchell special, attempting a forehand deke to backhand move on J.S. Giguere on his shorthanded breakaway in the first period. Another shorthanded opportunity came when the puck jumped over the back of Giguere and twirled on the goalline before being plucked off by a Ducks defenseman.

With the two points, the Ducks inch closer to the Sharks in the standings. As of Thursday (12/20) morning, Anaheim sits one point back of San Jose. However, the often overlooked Games Played column gives the Sharks an advantage, as the Ducks have their 39 points in 37 games, while the Sharks have 40 points in just 33 games played. While it is only December, the standings watch is ongoing, as the halfway point of the year is just around the corner. The Sharks currently sit 2 points back of first place Dallas with one fewer game played. The Stars play at Vancouver at 7 tonight. Go Canucks.

As for the Sharks, they have their hands full earning the two points tonight, as the surging Phoenix Coyotes (there's some words I neve thought I'd say) come to town (7:30). The 'Yotes enter this contest winning 4 of their last 5 games, all of which have been played on the road. Ilya Bryzgalov is still strong in net, while Fredrik Sjostrom and Radim Vrbata have recorded 5 points in their last 3 games. 4 games have been played between these clubs this year, and the Sharks have won all four (two in Phoenix, two in San Jose). The last one was much closer than the rest, with the Sharks eeking out a 1-0 victory. Tonight could be a bigger margin, and I don't think any of the 17496 in attendance would complain.

GO SHARKS (Welcome back JR [probably back this evening])
-Jess

12/16/07 sharks 2, ANAHEIM 1 SO

2007-12-18T08:37:00.000-08:00

Niedermayer, schniedermayer.

The former captain, Scott Niedermayer made his valiant return from "deciding to not retire" last night. Somehow, he didn't get to mark it with a win. Torrey Mitchell scored on a breakaway after being knocked down, but decided to just get back up and score anyway. Bobby Ryan had the lone goal for the Ducks, a nice shot off a cross ice pass from the other debuting Duck, Doug Weight (traded for Andy McDonald late last week). Evgeni Nabokov hit consecutive start #32 (in 32 Sharks games this year), making 30 stops in this one, and earning win #18.

After a strong OT period, the two teams headed for a Shootout for the third time in three games. New Duck (since the beginning of the year) Todd Bertuzzi got the skills competition started, scoring on a pinpoint backhander up and over the glove hand of Nabokov. Mitchell tried the same move he used earlier to success on J. S. Giguere, but to no avail. Weight was next up, and was stopped by a sprawling, pad stacked Nabokov. Joe Pavelski slipped a wrister 5-hole on Giguere to tie the shootout at 1. Ryan Getzlaf beat the goalie, but couldn't beat the goal, ringing his shot off the crossbar. Devin Setoguchi was unable to capitalize on his chance to win it, getting it stuck in Giguere's sleepingbag sized pads. In the first sudden death round, Corey Perry came in wide, and slipped it by Nabokov. The unlikely hero, Captain Patrick Marleau, put one low stickside on Giguere that hit all three posts and ever so slightly trickled in. Bobby Ryan ripped one wide of the net, unlikely shooter Patrick Rissmiller, put one in Giguere's chest, Chris Kunitz also ripped one wide of the net, and Jumbo, better known as Joe Thornton, finished off the skills competition for the Sharks by going where Marleau went, low stickside, beating the oversized marshmellow, and earning the Sharks the extra point.

Much can be said about the return of Scott Niedermayer, but for Sharks fans, the most important part is when he decided to return. His season debut was Sunday against the Sharks, tonight is round 2, when the Ducks visit the Tank (7:30). Round 3 comes Saturday night, also in San Jose, but we'll cover that one later. Tonight's game brings the Ducks back to San Jose since they left here with a 2-1 Shootout victory on November 17th. The teams have split the games in Anaheim, giving the Ducks the 2-1 season edge, with all three contests being decided by the shootout. Tonight's game should be yet another doozy, being hard hitting, strongly defended, and greatly goaltended. NHL On the Fly (on the NHL Network) has dubbed tonight's game "guaranteed shootout night", I would love to see them be wrong (of course, if it means a Sharks win, I guess I'll take it).

GO SHARKS ("DUCKS SUCK" quack quack)
-Jess

12/15/07 dallas 4, SHARKS 2

2007-12-16T01:10:00.000-08:00

Today's Sharks/Stars game was expected to be a close game, with the top players from each side (Modano, Morrow, Ribeiro, Turco and Thornton, Nabokov, Michalek, Marleau) factoring in significantly towards the final result. What wasn't expected was how much the officating would take over the contest.

Devin Setoguchi and Patrick Rissmiller scored for the Teal, Craig Rivet beat the paste outta Steve Ott, and Nabby, who had the goalposts permanently engraved with his number, made start #31 this year, and stopped 18 shots in the losing effort.

The reffing wasn't why the Sharks lost, but it played a big part. What really cost the Sharks the two points was the lack of any effort in the 3rd period. Despite a real strong effort all around in the first 20 minutes, the same level of intensity was not reached again throughout the entire game.The Sharks really seem to be figuring out what it takes to win games, and as the season goes on and they keep doing those things, they'll only get better with those things and will win more games.

The Sharks get a chance to redeem themselves right away when they travel to Anaheim tomorrow to take on the Ducks (5:00). Tomorrow's contest is the first of three meetings between the California rivals this week (12/16 @ Anaheim, 12/18 and 12/22 @ SJ). Two Ducks make their season debuts tomorrow, although neither is new to the game. Recently un"retired" Scott Niedermayer returns to Anaheim along with newly acquired Doug Weight, whom the Ducks got from the Blues for Andy McDonald. Tomorrow's game should be another good one, hopefully it's decided by the players, and not the zebras.

GO SHARKS (Hey Neeeeeeeeedermayer)
-Jess

12/13/07 SHARKS 5, vancouver 2

2007-12-15T01:16:00.000-08:00

2 in a row. At home. Not against Phoenix.

Another wounded opponent limped into the Tank Thursday night, and the Sharks devoured them quite thoroughly.

Ok, so it wasn't that majestic, but hey, give me a break here. I've seen 14 Sharks games this season in the friendly confines of the Tank, and Thursday's victory was just the 6th of the campaign. Joe Thornton lead the Teal with a rocket slapshot goal and added an assist. Steve Bernier, Joe Pavelski, Captain Patrick Marleau, and Milan Michalek also hit the scoresheet for the Sharks, who notched their third win against Vancouver this year. Sir Evgeni Nabokov of the goaltending kingdom known as Kazakhstan made his 30th start in 30 games this year, stopping 15 of the 17 shots he faced.

Another game, another strong effort. Forechecking, backchecking, body checking, poke checking, digging pucks out of corners, rapid puck pursuit, you name it, the Sharks have probably been doing it, and pretty well, at least as of late. It's unknown what, but something has seemingly brought this team alive, hopefully more than temporarily. As the calender approaches Christmas time, the season nears it's halfway point, and the games start to mean more. Teams start to come together, the strong teams emerge and rise atop their divisions and conferences, the men and the boys are separated, blah blah blah and etc... happens. In the Pacific, the Stars don't seem to be going away, the Ducks are getting Scott Niedermayer back (just in time for Sunday's showdown at the Pond, go figure), the Coyotes are sorta lurking a bit maybe, and the Kings are dangerous on any given night, but can't seem to string those nights together. The Pacific Division is definitely up for grabs, and the Sharks are pretty tall, but it remains to be seen still if they want to jump.

The willingness to leap can be viewed Saturday, in a rare matinee showing, when the aforementioned Dallas Stars (boo) come to town (1:00). The Sharks lead the season series 3-1. Each game has seen the road team come out victorious, with the Sharks winning 4-2 on 10/29, 4-3 on 11/14, and 3-2 on 12/5. Dallas has taken the lone game in SJ played on 11/7 by a score of 3-1. The winner of tomorrow's contest will see themselves atop the Pacific, so expect a good one.

GO SHARKS (STARS [boo], just practicing)
-Jess

12/11/07 SHARKS 4, minnesota 1

2007-12-13T00:24:00.000-08:00

The one (and truly only positive) thing noticeable when the Sharks get humiliated by a large score is how they respond the next game.

Last year they came back from an 8-0 drubbing to win 4-2 the next night on the road. This year they went down to Colorado 6-2, and took a strong victory out of Chicago the next game, and last night the Sharks responded from their 7-1 destruction by the Buffalo Sabres by beating up on a visiting Minnesota Wild team last night.

On a night that just reeked of another bad beating on the horizon, it was 60 minutes of hard work from guys who have been underperforming a bit that did the trick for the Teal. Steve Bernier had a pair of goals, Mike Grier added one as well, and Patrick Marleau looked like the Patty of old, if for just one night (hopefully not), hitting guys and using his size and speed to get scoring chances for himself and his linemates all night long. Marcel Goc, making his first appearance in 9 games since being on the IR with back problems, showed up in a big way as well, sharing a line with Bernier and Marleau, and working hard all night long, getting an assist for his troubles. Joe Pavelski added a goal and an assist as well, making the theme of the entire evening a "Uh, that was good. Where was this on Saturday?" motif. Evgeni Nabokov, king of the twine, made his 29th start in 29 Sharks games played this year, making 36 seemingly ordinary stops in the winning effort.

Touched on above was how easy the Sharks made their win last night look. The line of Marleau-Goc-Bernier lead the way, as there was not really one Shark who had a poor game. Why there is such discrepancy between their effort from night to night, who knows, but it's the good nights that make the fans happy, and as long as 525 W. Santa Clara fills with 17,496 critics who want to see success, it will probably be the goal of the Sharks to bring it to 'em.

Thursday evening is the next opportunity to bring that success to the fans, as the homestand continues, when the Vancouver Canucks make a stop (7:30). Coming off a win in Anaheim tonight, the 'Nucks won't have much time to recover, as they will be here tomorrow, sans an injured Roberto Luongo. Curtis Sanford made the start down south, unknown yet if he or Drew MacIntyre will defend the goal tomorrow. Vancouver currently sits atop the Northwest Division, and will not be a pushover for the Teal. The Sharks lead the season series 2-0, sweeping the pair of games played at GM Place (3-1 on 10/5, and 4-2 on 10/15).

GO SHARKS (Make it 3-0)
-Jess

12/8/07 buffalo 600, SHARKS ??

2007-12-10T16:57:00.000-08:00

Ok, so maybe it wasn't that bad, but it was pretty bad. In a reversal from the last time the Sharks and Sabres met, this time it was Buffalo who came onto San Jose ice and made a mockery of the home team.

After a hard fought battle in Phoenix a night earlier, the Sharks just looked plumb tired Saturday against the Sabres. Buffalo, coming off a 8-2 shellacking in LA a couple nights earlier, was just much hungrier for this game. Sandis Ozolinsh had the lone goal for the Teal, a point shot that bounced off several legs and found it's way past a prone Ryan Miller. Evgeni Nabokov started his 28th game in 28th games this year, but the much vaunted Dmitri Patzold got a chance to finish it. Nabby will be saddled with the loss, giving up 4 goals on 25 shots, Patzy just gets some practice, allowing 3 goals on 9 shots. Guess we now know why Nabokov has started all 28 thusfar.

It's real simple to get terribly upset about this game, hell, I was/am pretty unhappy about it. But at this point, I'm not sure that it means a whole lot, as the team has been poor at home, and been poor when returning from a roadtrip, this was just a continuation of the trend. From having played a grind it out contest in Phoenix the night before, the Sharks, hopefully, were just really really tired. Regardless, the big picture really hasn't shifted at all from this game, despite how ugly and horrible it was. The Sharks still sit atop the Pacific Division, tied in points and wins with the Dallas Stars, but with 2 games in hand. The Ducks are looming just 2 points back, but have played 3 more contests than the Teal.

December sees 11 more contests, 6 at home, and 5 on the road. The Sharks 4 game homestand continues with game #2 Tuesday night against the Minnesota Wild (7:30). The Wild share the same point total as the Sharks (34 points), while having played one more game, and are in 2nd place in the Northwest Division. Last year the Sharks won 3 of 4 from Minnesota, splitting games at the Tank, while taking both games at Xcel in St. Paul. Let's hope the Sharks success runs wild on the Wild tomorrow.

GO SHARKS (Must...Forget...Drubbing)
-Jess

12/7/07 sharks 1, COYOTES 0

2007-12-08T07:20:00.000-08:00

Now, I'm not one to complain, but these last minute scrambles where I'm on the edge of my couch screaming at my TV with my dog barking at me for screaming at my TV are just a wee bit too tense for December hockey. Joe Thornton had a point on every Sharks goal last night (just one, but he still did it), and Evgeni Nabokov was in net, as the Sharks finished their roadtrip unblemished.

They say goals in the first minute or the last minute of a period can be killers. Milan Michalek proved that theory true once again, as his shot off a Thornton pass from behind the net managed its way past Phoenix netminder Ilya Bryzgalov with just 15 seconds remaining in the middle period. The goal was the only tally of the night on either side, and stood up as the game winner. Bryzgalov was strong in his first game against the Sharks as a Coyote, but it was the other Russian netminder, the man who stood opposite Bryzgalov, that made headlines. Nabby, playing in his 27th consecutive game (in 27 Sharks games this season), made 27 saves for the shutout victory, the 38th clean sheet of his career. Nabby has had the Coyotes number all season, as he has not allowed a goal to the Desert Dogs since the 9 minute mark of the 1st Period of the first game these teams played, way back on November 10th. With the 51 minutes and 3 full shutouts since then, Nabokov now has a shutout streak of 231 minutes against the guys from Phoenix. Not too shabby for Nabby, eh?

The Teal earned consecutive victory #4 last night in Glendale in similar fashion as the previous 3, at least as the score is concerned, winning another game by just one goal. A strong defensive effort by the Teal, complimented by the dominating play of Joe Thornton, has lead to all four victories in this streak. The poor play at home is hard to explain, as the Sharks own the best road record in the NHL at 11-3-2.

Team Teal gets an opportunity to play hostile hosts this evening as the far traveled Buffalo Sabres make a stop to the Tank (7:30). The West Coast has not been kind to the Sabres, as they limp into San Jose having lost 4-1 in Anaheim on Wednesday, and 8-2 in LA Thursday. Having been hot before this 3 game California tour, the Sabres have shown that they can be a dangerous team. Hopefully we don't see how dangerous they can be tonight.

GO SHARKS (win at home plz)
-Jess

12/5/07 sharks 3, DALLAS 2

2007-12-07T00:12:00.000-08:00

Joe Thornton was supreme yet again, recording 3 points in what turned out to be another installment of the "We'll play well for the entire contest, but make it interesting towards the end just to see if your heart is still functioning" series of Sharks contests.

The third notch in the belt came last night in Dallas, as Thornton assisted on goals by the slumping Jonathan Cheechoo and Patrick Marleau, and added a marker himself in what turned out to be the difference maker. Cheechoo's goal was a bit ugly, bouncing off a defenseman and in, Thornton's was a beauty one-timer from Milan Michalek on a set dump-in play, but it was the middle goal that really stood out. With the Captain sitting in the slot, Thornton (or Jumbo, as the team is tending to call him) peeked over his right shoulder to check on Marleau before throwing a strong backhander through three Stars and right to Patty, who slapped it right past goalie Marty Turco. My words do not do it justice, so I suggest you check it out for yourselves. Mr. Dependable, Evgeni Nabokov, was right where he has been all year, between the iron and in front of the twine, for the 26th time this year (in 26 Sharks contests), stopping 17 shots for his league lead tying 14th victory of the campaign.

The W for the Teal was their 3rd consecutive, and 10th on the road this season. It was also their third victory in three games on the hostile frozen waters of the American Airlines Center in Dallas on the year. So, while they aren't, as the Underarmor commercial suggests, "protecting this house", carrying a subpar 4-5-2 record at the Tank, they are doing a fine job not sucking entirely, peforming well in foreign territory.

Friday's contest sees the Sharks end their roadtrip (unfortunately) in the home of another Pacific Division foe, the Phoenix Coyotes (6:00). The 'Yotes are a much improved team since the Sharks last saw them, namely because of their new netminder, Ilya Bryzgalov. Placed on waivers by Anaheim for reasons that only Mickey Mouse knows (oh, right. Not Disney anymore, oh well), Phoenix was fourth on the priority list, and was able to snatch him up. Bryz started off hot for the Coyotes, winning his first four starts. Since then, he's cooled off a bit, losing his next four, before defeating the Kings last night. The Sharks lead the season series with the Desert Dogs 3-0, winning games in SJ (4-1 on 11/10, and 5-0 on 11/12) and the lone contest in Phoenix (6-0 on 11/15). All three games were without Bryzgalov, a major step in the right direction for Phoenix. Hopefully it makes no difference.

GO SHARKS (WIN PLZ, KTHXBAI)
-Jess

12/3/07 sharks 3, COLORADO 2

2007-12-04T17:08:00.000-08:00

A hard fought contest, almost 60 minutes of hockey from the Sharks, a strong effort from Evgeni Nabokov, and a game winning goal on a gratuitous bounce from Mike Grier resulting in a 3-2 victory over the Colorado Avalanche. I assure you last night was it's own individual game, and not just a rerun of Friday's contest.

Joe Thornton was key again last night against the Avs, despite not scoring a goal. Setting up goals by Milan Michalek and Steve Bernier,Thornton had points on 7 consecutive Sharks tallies until Grier's bouncy shot trickled past Avalanche goalie Jose Theodore in the 3rd period. Nabokov proved once again why he's starting, stopping 33 shots in his 25th consecutive start in 25 Sharks games this year.

The next stop for the Sharks on their 3 game roadtrip takes them east, but yet back into the Pacific Division (go figure). Wednesday night, the Sharks take their mighty two game winning streak (it's mighty because you gotta take 'em where you can get 'em) to Big D to face the division leading Stars (5:30). Dallas has been hot since shaking up their front office, going 8-2 in the 10 games since facing the Sharks the day after the firings (Sharks won that game in the shootout 4-3). The Sharks lead the season series 2-1, taking both contests in Dallas (4-2 on 10/29 and 4-3 on 11/14), while dropping the lone matchup in San Jose (losing 3-1 on 11/7).

GO SHARKS (winning streak wooooo)
-Jess

11/30/07 SHARKS 3, colorado 2

2007-12-02T22:57:00.000-08:00

A win? At home? Is that allowed to happen? Not that I'm complaining or anything, cause I'll sure take it.

On the 2nd anniversary of the trade that for the next 15-20 years will be known in San Jose as "The Trade", Joe Thornton once again showed Sharks fans why they spent all that money on #19 jerseys with his name on them. Leading the charge against a surefire HOF bound Joe who also wears #19 (Sakic), Thornton scored twice on the PP, and added a helper on a Mike Grier goal, sending the Sharks to victory on their ice for just the 4th time this season. Evgeni Nabokov, Sharks supreme goaltender and lord of the dance, made his 24th start in 24 games this season, stopping 18 shots in the winning effort.

For those of you new to the Sharks, on November 30, 2005, the Boston Bruins traded Thornton to the Sharks for Wayne Primeau, Brad Stuart, and Marco Sturm. Famously, Doug Wilson was quoted as saying that he called up then Bruins GM Mike O'Connell asking for Sergei Samsonov, when a deal for Thornton was proposed his way by O'Connell.

Friday's game ended a tough month for the Teal, a month that saw them post a 6-3-3 record (6 W, 6 L, for those of you keeping score at home), winning just 3 of 8 at home. We've heard that this team is headed for greatness, and the past few games, we've seen glimpses of what could be, but is not quite there yet. Thornton is supreme on offense, leading the team with 29 points. JR is second on the team with just 13, a less than great statistic as the likes of Jonathan Cheechoo, Patrick Marleau, and Milan Michalek are struggling with a lesser point total than a 3rd liner. On defense, Craig Rivet and Sandis Ozolinsh (2.0) are anchors, Matt Carle, Christian Ehrhoff, Douglas Murray and Kyle McLaren are solid but still prone to mistakes occasionally, and Alexei Semenov is still a bit shaky. Evgeni Nabokov has been the engine powering the Teal express. Without his performance thusfar, this team is more towards the outhouse than they are the penthouse. With 5 months left to play in the regular season, the Sharks are in an ok, albeit undesirable position. For a team picked by most to win the Cup, this middle of the road play is a bit unnerving, considering their expected success.

The Sharks begin their quest for a better month, and a strong end to 2007 on Monday when they take on the Avalanche again, this time in Denver (6:00). The season series is now even at 1, with each squad holding serve on their home sheet. The Avalanche played Saturday in LA, handily beating the Kings 5-2. Each team had Sunday off, resting up for what should be a good matchup Monday evening.

NOTE: Monday's contest is not on FSN Bay Area, but is still available for viewing on Center Ice, through the Altitude feed. Mike Haynes and shortly thereafter mute button, hello.

GO SHARKS (again I ask, Scott who?
-Jess

11/28/07 los angeles 3, SHARKS 2 (SO)

2007-11-29T22:40:00.000-08:00

Oh look, a loss, at home, to the Kings. Only the third time this year that's happened. In three chances no less. Well, at least this time they got a point.

A Joe Thornton slapper and a Craig Rivet power play goal were the tallies for the Teal on a night that saw the Sharks lose their third game to their SoCal rivals this month, and 5th home loss in November. Evgeni Nabokov (which, in Kazakh, means "the one and only stopper of pucks") stood between the pipes in his 23rd start in the Sharks 23rd game of the year, stopping 31 shots in the skills competition loss. Despite goals from Joe Pavelski and Jeremy Roenick in the glorified breakaway challenge, Nabby failed to stonewall attempts by Dustin Brown, Anze Kopitar, and Patrick O' Sullivan (Milan Michalek took the other attempt for the Sharks, but failed to score).

Where as the Sharks had one goal in each of their past two games, they managed to splurge last night, doubling their output from the last two contests in just 60 minutes of play. Now, two goals in 60 minutes is not great, but it's better than one, so that's not too bad. Offense has been a problem for the Sharks, seemingly lacking the drive and the creativity necessary for a major output of scoring, especially with the man advantage. Sitting in the middle of the pack, the power play is operating at 17.1%, netting 19 goals in 111 opportunities. The team has potted just 59 goals in their 23 games, averaging 2.52 goals a game, good for 22nd in the league. On the plus side, however, the Sharks defense is largely impressive this year, allowing just 2.05 goals a game, which plants them firmly in 2nd in the league in that category (the Rangers lead with a team GAA of 1.84).

The strong Sharks defense has a chance to show up one of it's former members tomorrow night when Scott Hannan and the Colorado Avalanche come to town. Hannan is making his first return to the Tank since leaving over the summer for the thin air of Denver, home to, well, thin air, and, uh, Coors beer (from nearby Golden, CO), and, uh, uh, uhhhh, Woody Paige from ESPN's Around the Horn (5pm Eastern Monday - Friday). Denver is also near the snowy ski resort areas of Aspen and Vail, as well as 4.5 million reasons for each of the next four seasons (18 million in all) why Mr. Hannan should make his professional home in the Mile High City. Once dubbed "The Minister of Defense" (by some lame something or other), Hannan returns to his draft city sporting a team low -14. By contrast, the Sharks are lead in +/- by the Übertap himself, Douglas Murray, who is a +13. The Avalanche crushed the Sharks in a 6-2 landslide in early October, tomorrow would be a nice time for redemption.

GO SHARKS (Scott who?)
-Jess

Hmm, beat L.A. you say? So that's what we should be doing to them. I'll be sure to pass that along.

11/24/07 los angeles 2, SHARKS !

2007-11-28T14:49:00.000-08:00

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.

11/17/07 anaheim 2, SHARKS 1 (SO)

2007-11-19T07:47:00.000-08:00

Two games against the Ducks, two shootout losses.

Sandis Ozolinsh did everything he absolutely could to assure the Sharks would get the W on the evening, besides actually scoring a goal. He did take the slapper that was redirected by Torrey Mitchell and found it's way past J.S. Giguere and made the save of the evening and possibly the save of the year by plucking an Andy McDonald shot off the goalline with a diving backhanded stop.

Despite outplaying the Ducks for some of the game (when not on the poweplay, of course), the Sharks were not able to shut the door on the So Cal Fowl all the way, taking a point in the skills competition loss. Mitchell had the aforementioned Sharks goal, and Chris Kunitz had the lone goal for the Ducks, both deflections that neither goalie had a chance to stop. Besides each tally, both netminders were awesome, making 28 regulation and overtime saves a piece. Nabby made the start again, his 21th in 21 games this year. The Dmitri Patzold hologram on the bench could not be reached for comment, as, well, holograms don't have vocal chords.

Saturday, we saw yet again that the two teams thought by most to win the Cup out of the Pacific are terribly heartbreakingly equal. Anchored by strong goaltending and steady defense (well, most of the time), these teams haven't even really begun to get scary on the offensive side of the puck. When that happens, may the rest of the Conference look out. These two teams will meet thrice in a one week period in December (16 at Anaheim, 18 and 22 in San Jose), and it is at that point we will see truly where these teams stand, however, at this point, I like where the Sharks are, as they definitely seem to be coming together.

Well, the Sharks have a long time to come together, as they now take a full week off. When they return from their extended Thanksgiving break (not league mandated, but nice), they will host game #11 of the PacDiv 12 when the other LA team, the real LA team, the Kings, come to town (7:30). The Kings really are just the Kings, however, they're finally starting to get good. They can get good all they like, it'd just be preferable if they waited until after they play the Sharks.

GO SHARKS (HAPPY TURKEY DAY TO ALL)
-Jess

Sandis's save, courtesy of Yahoo Sports