Can the Sharks Win Without Me?
December 4th, 2008, 11:29 am
I’ve only missed one home game this year- the 4-3 overtime loss to Nashville. And I’m missing the game tonight. But Mike, you say, the Sharks are rolling and they are playing Columbus, and they stink, right? Right?
Well, not exactly. Columbus is one point out of the playoff picture right now, and they are definitely on an upswing. Their last two games they beat Washington, a division leader, and Vancouver, who was leading the division until they lost to the Jackets. I want to call them the BJs, but I think Gary Bettman would suspend me for that.
Anyhoo, this Columbus team cooks with the same kind of recipe that has given the Sharks trouble this year. Keep in mind ‘trouble’ is clearly a relative term for a team that has had the best NHL start since 1944. Columbus is a well coached, aggressive team that will cycle down low, something the Panthers and Coyotes did to the Sharks with some success. If we remember the last game versus the BJs (I’m playing with fire here), Rick Nash had two breakaways, and came up empty on both. Nash has four points in his last two games, and 10 in his last 7. If Nash gets those same chances tonight, he’ll bury at least one of ’em.
Is it finally time for the Sharks first regulation loss at home? I’m a bit nervous.
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Nah. Sure, Phoenix and Florida play a similar game, but you’re forgetting that Sharks are playing at home tonight unlike those other games we lost. Plus it’s not back-to-back like it was against Phoenix or a different time zone with terrible ice on the East Coast. Sharks are not going to drop this one. Nabby will come out strong if needed, but I’m still saying Sharks won’t shoot less than 40 shots tonight and you know that plenty will go in.
Sharks – Preds: 4-1.
On a side note, Ryan Garner proposed today on his blog that the Sharks should trade Cheechoo and Couture for Sean Avery.
I have a better idea. Let’s fire Todd McLellan, trade Dan Boyle for Ken Klee and drink poison kool-aid. Yippee!
I can tell you that I didn’t see a win at home until January last season, the man I share my tickets with saw all the winning games in Oct, Nov and Dec. Since I moved to the Toronto area in April and haven’t been to any games this year (going to see them play in buffalo in Feb) they have won every home game, maybe I am the unlucky rabbit’s foot for the Sharks. No need to worry that you won’t be thre. =)
For some reason the good teams always take the night off against bad teams but since Columbus isn’t such a bad team this year and I don’t see them being allowed to take a game off with the new coaching staff.
I’ll be “chanting” “We want 10” like I did at the game a few years back. Its still Columbus!
I think that Sean Avery is a perfect fit for the Stars. We all want them to lose and he is the BIGGEST distraction one can think of.
Grier
Let’s trade Boyle back to Tampa for Wyshart, their 5th round pick and somehow in a three way deal acquire Carle back. Garner will be pleased and Carle will have to buy fourth home in 12 months.
The funny thing about Garner’s Avery concept is that it wouldn’t be a bad idea if Avery was the person he described. The problem is he seems to think he’s a young Roenick or maybe even a young Claude Lemeiux, but he’s neither. Both of those players could play hockey and were big team players. Avery isn’t, and never will be, a team player. A selfish instigator is the last thing we need right now.
Great point, Evilducks. The one thing that was somewhat redeemable from Garner’s post is that it shows DW’s vague interest in a legit agitator…..thus the Claude Lemieux sighting in Worcester.
Of course Garner wants Avery in teal, Then the Sharks would tank and he could go back to writing how bad they suck and have no chance of winning the cup.
I think Ian may be on to something.
Mike –
Good call on Nash, but you were again a bit overly skeptical about our Sharks. RW is no longer here – this team doesn’t choke away the lead in the third and traps or no traps, they know how to win against anyone.
However, I hope we don’t face the BJs in the first round of playoffs.
You know I don’t want to play the Jackets in the Playoffs either but man does that team work their ass off I’ll be disapointed for them if they miss the cut because I really think they deserve to be there… lets just hope they get 7th seed :-p
Ian
BJ can probably take care of Detroit. That would be nice.
Even when the Sharks suck they win. I love it.
Listening to the after game interviews you would think they lost. They all credit Nabby for saving their collective asses (he certainly did that) and that they have a lot of work to do.
How often do players players say that was the worst they played during the season when they walked out with a 3-2 win in regulation?
Again, Nabby was amazing, some of those saves were unbelievable. Maybe a few nights off watching Boucher was all he needed to get his A game going again. I hope he can keep it up.
evilducks,
I was thinking the same thing. I hope the team will continue to do this through the entire season. It’s the sort of thing that will help to prevent or curtail complacency. That is my biggest concern for this team right now, however with each game that seems to be something that becoming less of a concern.
They were flat out dominated in my opinion for the majority of the game, but I can’t exactly say that they brought their A game tonight. What we saw tonight was the best that Columbus has to offer. I don’t think that I would mind seeing them in the first round. The Sharks were able to pull out a victory with an overall poor effort while the BJ’s were throwing everything they could at the boys. In a 7 game series, I feel the Sharks would handle them like a redheaded step child.
Also, what’s interesting to see is that the Blue Jackets came in here as their first stop on their California swing. Many of the teams that have been coming through were running through the Anaheim/LA gauntlet before the trek up the coast. Is this how we should expect more games to be when facing opponents on the first game of their trip to the state? Or is it the Blue Jackets just played out of their minds tonight?