“This is where we have to learn to knuckle down and play the game we’re supposed to play,” forward Jeremey Roenick said. “We’ve got one week left until (the) playoffs and we can’t have games like this. It’s unacceptable.”

That about sums it up, J.R.

Last night was a chance for the Sharks to completely bury the Red Wings, to pull eight points ahead making it impossible for Detroit to grab home ice. Instead, we saw the Ryan Getzlaf show. The Sharks could not stop the Ducks top line of Ryan, Getzlaf and Perry – they were dominant and capitalized on every scoring chance presented. I honestly didn’t think the Sharks played that poorly in the first two periods, even when the Ducks went ahead two goals in the 2nd. The Sharks couldn’t finish while the Ducks buried every good scoring chance they had. It just wasn’t the Sharks night. No excuses. No blaming it on “no Marleau and Clowe”. San Jose should have wanted the win as much as the playoff starved Ducks did. As J.R. said, “It’s unacceptable.”

I fully expect the Sharks to respond tonight by getting at least a point in a hard fought battle. I think we’ll see some fights, we’ll see some big hits and we’ll see if the Sharks can make a statement. Now, one might say: What do the Sharks need to prove, they are the #1 seed. They have to prove to themselves and everyone in the league that this is not going to be the same old late season nose-dive. The Sharks need to respond tonight.

A few other thoughts from the game:

Here I go again, but if any Sharks fan reading this blog feels the need to boo this team, a team that has dropped only four regulation games at home this year, a team that has been the most entertaining squad in hockey for most of the year – then you should move to Colorado. That team and franchise deserves to be booed. It is unreal to me to hear Sharks fans booing the team at the end of the game or when a power play goes wrong. Shame, shame, shame – you don’t deserve this teams success.

Christian Ehrhoff was up to his old tricks again last night. When things went wrong (out of position, not able to hold the zone on the power play, poor passes across the crease in his own end) Ehrhoff seemed to be the guilty party. He wasn’t alone in being a -2, but his was the most noticable to me.

When Grier, Marleau and Clowe get healthy, who are the three Sharks that are going to sit? Staubitz is a lock to grab some pine, but after that it gets a little cloudy. I think Jamie McGinn is making it extremely difficult on Coach McLellan to remove him as a regular. He finishes every check and his line with Moen and Goc was the best San Jose line last night. I think Shelley and Plihal could be the healthy scratches…

The Worcester Sharks have won four in a row and recently got back Kyle McLaren, who scored a goal and was a +2 in last nights win over the LA Kings AHL team, Manchester. They received an injection of skill and youth when Logan Couture’s junior team, the Ottawa 67’s, lost a Game Seven heartbreaker and Couture has joined Worcester for the stretch drive. He had a fight in his first game (huh?) and hasn’t registered a point yet, but it’s not for lack of trying – he has eight shots in two games. I’m telling you, this kid is a gamer. Congrats to Worcester and hopefully they can hang on and make a run for the Calder Cup.