Beantown Battle
February 10th, 2009, 12:14 pm
Like the great David Bowie, the Sharks fortunes vs. Boston could go both ways.
Way 1: The Sharks step up, like the men that they are, and take on the best team goin’ in the Boston Bruins. Boston will stutter after losing Ryder to an injury and perhaps be looking ahead to their road trip that begins after this home game. Sharks get their offensive flow going, match the Bruins physically, Nabby makes some huge saves, the power play clicks and Lemieux thrives in his big game element, and San Jose wins a close one 4-2. Evidence to support this: Sharks wins over Detroit at home, 4-2 and 6-5, Sharks win over NY Rangers 3-2, Sharks beat up Washington 7-2.
Way 2: The Sharks continue their recent slide and three game losing streak by getting skunked and outclassed by the current NHL King, the Boston Bruins. The top line gets shut out, the 3rd line continues to struggle, Shelley’s absence is felt as the Sharks can’t match the Bruins physically and Tim Thomas stands on his head. Sharks get drubbed 5-1 and this starts a seven game losing streak that continues through the rest of the road trip. Evidence to support this: the last two losses to Calgary, loss to Chicago 4-2 and two recent disappointing losses to non-playoff teams Columbus and Carolina.
So, which way does David Bowie swing in the wind today?
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I hope they play well tonight. I want them to be on a winning streak as they go into the rest of their road trip. Especially the Buffalo game I am going to Friday. They won the last time I saw them play in Buffalo, then again that was Joe’s first game as a Shark and emotions were running high for everyone.
In reality the game could be close with lots of dump and chase by the boys. This way to play doesn’t work for them, it never did even when RW was their coach. Its boring and the guys aren’t a boring defensive team but an offensive minded built team.
I see the boys in a 4-1 romp tonight. They are “bringing it” in the statement games this year, and I think this is the biggest of them all. With Boston taking the top spot on most power rankings this week, I think the Sharks are going to go in guns blazing. I like Joe scoring tonight (he’ll surely take more shots) and Cheech coming off the schniede. Blake and Marleau get the other two.
The only thing that scares me is that they are on the road. If this was at the tank I would say the Sharks would destroy the Bruins… Sharks have yet to “wow” me on the road. Doug, all of your examples you cited above were games at home… I hope they learn how to click on the road!
Hey, just letting you know I linked this to a page full of game previews. Hopefully this will help hype the game and make Bs/Sharks chatter a little more efficient.
Here’s the link: http://bostonblueline.blogspot.com/2009/02/bruins-vs-sharks-preview-central.html
Tom <—- offically “wowed”….!!
great game Sharks!!!
I think one thing the Sharks have really shown this year is that never say die attitude. They may not make the full comeback, but other than that Detroit game, I haven’t seen the shoulders sag all season in games big or small.
For me, this game was important because I wanted to see how the Sharks play when they are motivated. It is awfully tough for them to be motivated right now, but as long as those bad habits can be kicked when it matters, things look up. They took control mid 2nd to the end.
I wish the Sharks could start giving some of the top guys more rest/less ice time while seeing what the Plihal’s and McGinn’s can do with more responsibility, but Detroit wont go away, and that #1 seed will be important. But like I said before, good problems to have.
I was fortunate enough to be at the game last night and was extremely impressed. I thought the forecheck did an excellent job of neutralizing Chara. Also, I thought that most of the momentum sustained in the 2nd period was due to the efforts of the 3rd line of Cheech-Plihal-Grier. They didn’t put up the numbers of the 2nd line, but I thought they were the best grouping on the team. Nabby was excellent and I really don’t think we win this game if not for his save on Savard in the 2nd. The first line could’ve played better – Seto had his moments of brilliance, but was a bit inconsistent, I thought. Lemieux was an absolute pest to the Bruin blueline, especially in the 2nd. I’m not sure if the cameras cought that, but it was pretty evident in Garden. Finally, I think McGinn played a very solid 2-way game, especially on the neutral zone boards.
The game tonight is huge, however. It should be a fairly good indication for the playoffs as to whether the Sharks can come back from such an intense game and get pumped up enough to avoid a trap game. That isn’t to say that there is such a thing as a trap game in the playoffs, but a win tonight should establish some decent momentum to continue the roadtrip.