Against Montreal, the Sharks decided that coming out flying wasn’t enough.  They wanted to set up some big obstacles for themselves. So they coughed up three goals in less than seven minutes, and went back to work.  Too bad it didn’t turn out the way they wanted- they more than doubled the Habs shots, out-hit them, won more faceoffs, and dictated play for the last forty minutes, and ended up with no points.  Montreal was content to lay back, clog the neutral zone, and sit on their three mostly easy goals, and it worked.  The blue-blanc-et-rouge combined for only 11 shots the second two periods, and it was enough for the win.

Three things:

• I’m glad to see Boucher got the start, but I have a tough time believing Nabby would have given up the second goal, and maybe even the third.  Boucher, while a very good backup, showed a few times why he’s a backup in the NHL, and not a starter.
• I’m not going to go on a anti-ref rant here, but let’s just say if the Sharks’ opponents were wearing blank jerseys, I might still have guessed we were watching Hockey Night in Canada.
• Is it just me, or was it the Shelley-Laraque fight that turned the tide in the first?  The Sharks are killing it the first 7 minutes, the fight happens, and three minutes later Montreal starts scoring goals.  I actually winced when I saw the gloves dropped, because fights, despite all the controversy, do have the potential to shift momentum.  Shelley showed up, but Laraque is one of the best two or three fighters in the game, and big Georges gave more than he got.

It’s something that Randy Hahn and Drew Remenda never mentioned on the telecast, and I’m going to ask Randy about it tonight.  He’s appearing on ChompTalk, the only Sharks call-in show on the airwaves.  Tune in tonight at 9pm PST at 1220kdow.com to listen.  And make sure to call in at 1-800-516-1220 with your Sharks questions and comments.