Chris Townsend

The San Jose Sharks have been somewhat quiet so far in this years second season but don’t let that make you think that the wheels aren’t turning in the minds of the management team.

By Cam Gore
SAN JOSE, Ca -After 20 years of battling it out in the trenches and defending his zone against the other team’s top line Rob Blake has decided to hang up the blades.

By Cam Gore
Sharks Knock off Red Wings in Five Games

SAN JOSE, Calif - The San Jose Sharks have shed some of their reputation as post season chokers and eliminated the defending Western Conference champion Detroit Red Wings.

With San Jose it is the tail of two Joes. Joe Pavelski was the first round hero against the Colorado Avalanche and he started the second series strong as well but has cooled off as of late. Not to worry “Jumbo” Joe Thornton has stepped it up and found his playoff form and for the Sharks not a minute too soon. Joe Thornton’s playoff past is not what you would call stellar. His point per game average goes down compared to the regular season and his teams have historically not done well. Whether the playoff reputation is deserved or not and whether the Sharks advance to the Cup final or not his play against the powerhouse Detroit Red Wings was impressive. Even more impressive is how he heated up as Pavelski cooled off which is a sign of a team player. In the second round he has taken back the reigns and become the focal point of the offense.

It is a team game and perhaps the Pavelski line slowed some because they were matched up against the Red Wings top defensive pair of Nick Lidstrom and Brian Rafalski to start the series but that changed in the last couple of games. Even these two stand out D-men could not stop the determined Thornton line which saw Patrick Marleau on the wing with more regularity than we had seen in the previous games. Perhaps Thornton needed a break from the competitions best defensive players to get his swagger back. Whatever was done worked from the Sharks point of view.

Right from the start of game five Thornton was aggressive in both ends of the rink, showed great hustle, was a physical threat and his prowess around the net was a combination of power and finesse. In the first period he drove with the puck from behind the net, to the front and beat goaltender Jimmy Howard but not the post on a low back hand shot. In the second frame he scored on the power play showing great patience to drag the puck past a sprawling Detroit net minder off of a Dany Heatley shot. This goal was monumental because it tied the game less than three minutes after the Red Wings opened the scoring but more importantly it re-gained the momentum back to the home team. The game winning goal was a one timer shot from the slot by Patrick Marleau and was assisted by the game’s first star Joe Thornton at the seven minute mark. If this team is going to be successful in the next round “Jumbo” as they call him will have to be just that.

Right from the beginning of the evening there was something in the air at the Shark Tank. Maybe it is the spring days getting longer or probably playoff fever that brought out the tailgaters in the parking lot. That is not something you see a lot of in the NHL but it caught the attention of the local news crew who were set up in the lot before and after the game. It may be California but these fans take their hockey seriously and inside the atmosphere was more raucous than nervous.

This was a break through victory for this organization and although the Joes were offensive leaders it was a great team effort. For example the bounce back performance by Evgeni Nabakov was impressive stopping 33 of 34 shots thrown his way.

Scott Nichol’s first shift in the third period turned things back around for the Sharks after being outplayed and out shot in the second period 14-3. Nichol who is a spark plug on this team went out and showed great exuberance and got the crowd back into it. Players get ramped up when they see the smallest guy on the team going out there and mixing it up with anybody who is in his way. That is the Nichol effect and that got the sell out crowd at the HP Pavilion going again. This is team has made changes from the past years and the signing of Scott Nichol paid off in the first and last few minutes of the third when he won key defensive zone face-offs.

This was “a very very big win for our organization” is what coach MacLellan had to say in the post game press conference. The coach was proud of his team for overcoming. He also added that “by no means is our task done.”

In order for the Sharks to have continued success they will need to have everybody running on all cylinders and game five was the best we have seen Patrick Marleau play in this years post season. He sniped the game winning goal and got himself involved in the play on both ends of the ice.

The Sharks overcame after having their rear ends handed to them in game four at Joe Louis arena 7-1 and proved to the hockey world they are for real.

Next for the Sharks comes some well earned rest, scouting of the Chicago against Vancouver series and preparation for the next round. The way this team has performed and after everything they have been through as a group over the past few years the San Jose Sharks could very well be this years team of destiny.

Keep your sticks on the ice,

Cam Gore

By Cam Gore
Sharks Knock off Red Wings in Five Games

SAN JOSE, Calif - The San Jose Sharks have shed some of their reputation as post season chokers and eliminated the defending Western Conference champion Detroit Red Wings.

With San Jose it is the tail of two Joes. Joe Pavelski was the first round hero against the Colorado Avalanche and he started the second series strong as well but has cooled off as of late. Not to worry “Jumbo” Joe Thornton has stepped it up and found his playoff form and for the Sharks not a minute too soon. Joe Thornton’s playoff past is not what you would call stellar. His point per game average goes down compared to the regular season and his teams have historically not done well. Whether the playoff reputation is deserved or not and whether the Sharks advance to the Cup final or not his play against the powerhouse Detroit Red Wings was impressive. Even more impressive is how he heated up as Pavelski cooled off which is a sign of a team player. In the second round he has taken back the reigns and become the focal point of the offense.

It is a team game and perhaps the Pavelski line slowed some because they were matched up against the Red Wings top defensive pair of Nick Lidstrom and Brian Rafalski to start the series but that changed in the last couple of games. Even these two stand out D-men could not stop the determined Thornton line which saw Patrick Marleau on the wing with more regularity than we had seen in the previous games. Perhaps Thornton needed a break from the competitions best defensive players to get his swagger back. Whatever was done worked from the Sharks point of view.

Right from the start of game five Thornton was aggressive in both ends of the rink, showed great hustle, was a physical threat and his prowess around the net was a combination of power and finesse. In the first period he drove with the puck from behind the net, to the front and beat goaltender Jimmy Howard but not the post on a low back hand shot. In the second frame he scored on the power play showing great patience to drag the puck past a sprawling Detroit net minder off of a Dany Heatley shot. This goal was monumental because it tied the game less than three minutes after the Red Wings opened the scoring but more importantly it re-gained the momentum back to the home team. The game winning goal was a one timer shot from the slot by Patrick Marleau and was assisted by the game’s first star Joe Thornton at the seven minute mark. If this team is going to be successful in the next round “Jumbo” as they call him will have to be just that.

Right from the beginning of the evening there was something in the air at the Shark Tank. Maybe it is the spring days getting longer or probably playoff fever that brought out the tailgaters in the parking lot. That is not something you see a lot of in the NHL but it caught the attention of the local news crew who were set up in the lot before and after the game. It may be California but these fans take their hockey seriously and inside the atmosphere was more raucous than nervous.

This was a break through victory for this organization and although the Joes were offensive leaders it was a great team effort. For example the bounce back performance by Evgeni Nabakov was impressive stopping 33 of 34 shots thrown his way.

Scott Nichol’s first shift in the third period turned things back around for the Sharks after being outplayed and out shot in the second period 14-3. Nichol who is a spark plug on this team went out and showed great exuberance and got the crowd back into it. Players get ramped up when they see the smallest guy on the team going out there and mixing it up with anybody who is in his way. That is the Nichol effect and that got the sell out crowd at the HP Pavilion going again. This is team has made changes from the past years and the signing of Scott Nichol paid off in the first and last few minutes of the third when he won key defensive zone face-offs.

This was “a very very big win for our organization” is what coach MacLellan had to say in the post game press conference. The coach was proud of his team for overcoming. He also added that “by no means is our task done.”

In order for the Sharks to have continued success they will need to have everybody running on all cylinders and game five was the best we have seen Patrick Marleau play in this years post season. He sniped the game winning goal and got himself involved in the play on both ends of the ice.

The Sharks overcame after having their rear ends handed to them in game four at Joe Louis arena 7-1 and proved to the hockey world they are for real.

Next for the Sharks comes some well earned rest, scouting of the Chicago against Vancouver series and preparation for the next round. The way this team has performed and after everything they have been through as a group over the past few years the San Jose Sharks could very well be this years team of destiny.

Keep your sticks on the ice,

Cam Gore

Wings vs. Sharks Preview

The Detroit Red Wings are back in the post season in spring again. They are almost as regular as allergies this time of year. They are always at the dance whether you want them there or not. We aren’t going to polish their shoes and go into detail as to why they have been the most consistent team in pro sports over the past 20 years. Like allergies, we just accept it.

What is different this time around though is who they are facing and where they have come from. The San Jose Sharks are a different team than in years past and different in a good way. This squad has been through quite a bit since last year’s first round upset. They have different personnel, their young guns are that much older and more experienced, they have proved they can handle adversity, and the key offensive roles have changed. This team has learned how to push through and not wait around or rely solely on the Thornton line for production. When that line does get going this team will be a load to stop.

Let’s look at these teams from the net forward:

GOALIES:

Jimmy Howard earned the starting job in the fall after he got some big league experience. He has is a 27 year old rookie who was nominated along with Tyler Meyers from the Buffalo Sabres and Matt Duchene from the Colorado Avalanche for the Calder Trophy which goes to the NHL’s top rookie. Like so many of Detroit’s key players he had time to develop in the minors before facing the pressure of the world’s best hockey league. Having said that Howard has shown that he is still a rookie in the NHL. He was good enough to win a seven game series against the Phoenix Coyotes and they do have Chris Osgood as the back up net minder who has years of playoff experience but in the next round against San Jose the shooters are going to be sharper and the team is fairly healthy as far as this time of year goes. Howard will have to play better than he did against Phoenix to advance to the next round. The question remains is he capable of bringing that much game to beat the Sharks four times in seven opportunities.

Evgeni Nabakov on the other hand outside of game 2 of the first round has improved with each time out and has shown great poise and resilience to overcome the bad bounces that they endured against Colorado. Let’s face it, bad breaks aside the Sharks could have been done with Colorado in four or at the most five games. Nabakov has more experience in big games than his counterpart Howard and regardless of the outcome of those games good goalies learn from their mistakes and build on it. Coach MacLellan has shown confidence in “Nabby” as the home town fans call him so he is not looking over his shoulder.

Goaltending advantage even with Chris Osgood backing up Howard goes to San Jose.

DEFENSE:

The blue line in Detroit is one of the best there is. They have great leadership and offense with Lidstrom and Rafalski. They have Lilja, Kronwall and Stuart to play a physical game. Their average age is the same as the Sharks and the older players like Lidstrom who is 40 and Rafalski 36 don’t play a real physical style. What I mean by this is their bodies haven’t taken the same punishment so they are a young 40 and 36.

San Jose’s D is comparable in many aspects. They have their skaters and puck movers in Boyle, Demers and Vlasic. Douglas Murray and Rob Blake lead the physical charge and the leadership from the point is exceptional with the Sharks. Blake and Boyle both have Stanley Cup rings and Olympic gold medals.

Even though both teams have future hall of fame players on the point in Nick Lidstrom and Rob Blake the Defense advantage goes to Detroit. They have more guys who have been there before and know how to step it up in the playoffs.

FORWARDS:

The Wings are fully stocked in forward position and have a great mix of youth and experience. In most situations having Europeans or non North Americans as your go to guys is a disadvantage. In this case we are talking about Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zettergerg and Thomas Holmstrom. These three are the keys to the Wings success and have proven over many years and numerous cups that they are capable of handling themselves in the NHL. Mix in some youth with the likes of Darren Helm and Valtteri Filppula and it makes you wonder where they were all year long. Simple they were injured. For the first time this year this team has no player that plays major minutes on the injured reserve.

On the other side of the puck the San Jose forwards may be going through an identity crises but it is one that will help. The line that consists of Ryan Clowe, Joe Pavelski in the middle and Devon Setoguchi have become the go to guys on the Sharks squad and have not disappointed. In the first round of the playoffs this line combined for 22 points, one game tying goal and three game winners. The coming out party for the Pavelski line may be what the Thornton threesome need to get off the schnied. They won’t see the other teams top D pairing or the Red Wings top defensive forwards as much as they did during the regular season. If you somehow stop the top 6 forwards for the Sharks watch out for Logan Couture who had huge success in the AHL this year statistically while only playing in 53 games. His success has crossed over to the NHL as he has become comfortable with the speed of this league. Couture scored two goals in game 5 including the game winner.

On paper these teams are fairly even up front so it will be decided by the intangibles. In this case the intangibles consist of a hungry Sharks team who have plenty to prove to everyone in the NHL including themselves after the last few years post season disappointments. The Red Wings have been to the Cup finals the last two years and have played up to 40 games more than other clubs in that span. The Wings will only have 2 days rest versus the Sharks 5 since finishing their first round opponent so fatigue will be an issue. With the depth up front in San Jose with Logan Couture coming out and guys like Scott Nichol playing above their heads I give the edge to the Sharks.

This series like the other western conference semi finals match up looks to be as good as it gets. Any of the four teams remaining have a good chance of representing the west in the Cup finals. To say the Sharks are due is an understatement but that is not why they will win this series. This team has shown from day one of the regular season that they are playing a style of hockey that wins playoff games. They play rolling four lines and have received scoring from all of them. Their first commitment is to team defense and we all know that defense wins you Stanley Cups. The Sharks brought up numerous players from the AHL during the season not only to give them a look, but also to give them a chance to play at the NHL level so if they are needed in the post season they aren’t thrust into a situation they are uncomfortable with. This is a make or break year for this nucleus and they know it.

My prediction is San Jose in seven.

Keep your sticks on the ice,

Cam Gore