Sharks playoff hockey isn’t over….

I am going to fulfill my hockey addiction by following the Calder Cup playoff chase and our very own AHL affiliate, the Worcester Sharks, in their battle with the Providence Bruins. Game One has already been played, a 2OT loss in Providence where Jamie McGinn scored two goals, but the Sharks dropped the contest 3-2.

Why should you drop the $8/per game to watch AHL hockey online? Well, with the many roster decisions Doug Wilson has on the horizon, it will allow you a sneak peek into some of the prospects that will play a major role in what happens this offseason.

Exhibit A: Jamie McGinn – He is going to be on the big club next year. Will a top nine forward be moved in order to make room for him to get important minutes? I think it’s very possible.

Exhibit B: Thomas Griess – Better than 50/50 that Greiss is backing up Nabby next year and this kid could be the future of the San Jose Sharks in net. His 2.02 GAA and .922% Save Pct in seven Calder playoff games is the type of performance we could have used against Anaheim…..

Exhibit C: Derek Joslin, Mike Moore and Nick Petrecki – One of these three defensemen could find themselves playing a regular top six shift for the San Jose Sharks next year. Time to check them out and see what they have to offer when they play major minutes. Joslin and Moore both wear an “A” for Worcester, Joslin’s numbers and AHL All Star game selection suggest he could be an effective puck mover if given the chance. Moore just loves to lay people out. Petrecki has yet to suit up after signing recently….I would imagine DW demands he get ice time so the GM can take a look for himself.

Exhibit D: Logan Couture – I watched him dominate the OHL playoff game as the go-to guy for the Ottawa 67’s. He has size, speed and scoring touch. He isn’t afraid to play physical, from what I saw. Not too far fetched to think he might be a player in the San Jose Sharks future in the next year, or so….

Exhibit E: Any role player on the Worcester roster (Staubitz, Armstrong, Vesce, Cavanaugh, etc) will get a long look to see if they can play a role on a San Jose 4th line or as a healthy scratch. They have an opportunity to make a case for Plihal/Goc/Lemieux’s roster spot.

Check it out. Their next game is Tuesday, May 5 and you can watch it online for $8 at this website. I think it’s worth the money….then again I have a hockey problem. Sharkspage has great Worcester coverage and recaps if that’s more your speed.

So the playoffs aren’t over. I’ve always dreamed of Brad Staubitz raising the Calder in front of 2000 people wearing Red Sox caps, haven’t you?

After such a disappointing end to the season, we were both a little surprised you all were nice enough to leave appreciative comments on the last post.  Thank you all for that.  We weren’t going to record a podcast tonight, but it’s such a (crappy) momentous occaision, we couldn’t help it.  Here it is.  And stay tuned- it’s still “Sharks” Hockey Analysis, and we’ll be checking in on the Worchester Sharks, since they are still alive in the Calder Cup playoffs, and it will give us some insight as to the makeup of the SJ Sharks next season.

Here lies the body of the San Jose Sharks 2008-09 team. They died on the ice in a disappointing loss to the #8 seed, another early exit to add to their collection of post-season disappointments.

We’re disappointed, naturally as I’m sure all Sharks fans are tonight. So, instead of taking quick, cheap shots and proposing all kinds of wild trades and changes, I’m going to lie low for a few days. This punch to the stomach hurts more than years past. In the end, the Ducks were better. You can’t take that away from them and I think they’ll give Detroit one hell of a series.

To sum it up: This sucks.

Here’s Randy Carlyle’s post-game comments on Marleau’s OT goal:

The action that took place, the reason the puck went into the net was their player pushed our goalie’s pad. The puck was loose behind him, and their player pushed the goalie’s pad. As he pushed the goalie’s pad, the back of his foot, the back of his skate knocked the puck in the net. I think there needs to be some clarification because they are not allowed to push the goaltender and the puck into the net to cause a good goal.

The league didn’t elaborate, saying it was a good goal.  So I did the research, and let me take a crack at why this was allowed to stand.  Here’s the relevant line from the NHL Rulebook, Rule 79.5(ix), stating a goal is disallowed, “When a goalkeeper has been pushed into the net together with the puck after making a save”.

Here’s the video.   Ok, if I were a lawyer trying to defend the Sharks goal according to the this rule, I would state the following.

1. The goalkeeper was not pushed into the net.  His pad was pushed, but that’s not specifically prohibited.
2. Hiller wasn’t “together with the puck”.  The letter (and spirit) of this rule, in my view, is designed to prevent a goal to be scored when the keeper has control of the puck.  Hiller did not have control of the puck at any time during the play, nor was it attached to or tied up in his equipment.
3. For those arguing that banging away at Hiller constitutes goaltender interference, I might even argue against that.  They weren’t preventing Hiller from reaching back and grabbing the puck for the split-second it was there.  And even if it were interference, that judgment is made on the ice, and is not reviewable by video replay.

So Randy, there’s your clarification.

Here’s the new podcast where Mike and I break down Game Five and talk about the rest of the series. We’ll have another podcast, win or lose, after Game Six.

Coming back from down 3-1 in a series takes a herculean effort, plus a little bit of lady luck. The San Jose Sharks have the biggest hurdle to overcome on Monday night in Anaheim, heading into hostile territory where the Ducks are going to be desperate. The veterans on that team know that if the series comes back to San Jose, they are in big, deep, mega trouble – with all their momentum toast. The Ducks are going to come out firing, banging and eager to bury the Sharks in the first period. If San Jose can survive…..doubt will slowly start to creep in the Ducks locker room.

This can’t be done? Then you didn’t watch the Washington Capitals go into Madison Square Garden on Sunday morning and bury the New York Rangers to tie that series up 3-3. The Capitals were left for dead by many, and they refused to go. I got inspired seeing the better team (Washington) really beat down the Rangers and capitalize on New York mistakes. I hope that the Sharks can do the same tomorrow, but as we saw, even five flat minutes could prove costly against the Ducks.

Three things must happen tomorrow for the Sharks to win.
1) The Sharks must score first. Every team that has scored first has won the game in this series.
2) The Mitchell/Cheechoo/JR line needs to score a goal. They are so much better than the Ducks third or fourth lines, they must cash in on an opportunity.
3) Nabokov needs to step up and win a game for his team. Be the big game goalie we know you can be.

Do you have any other keys to victory?

April 30th, 2008. A San Jose Sharks team with their backs against the wall, after losing three straight games to the Dallas Stars, got an emotional win and played like a team that was literally fighting for its life. This team then showed up for Game Five (another win) and Game Six (the 4 OT heartbreaker). I was proud of that team, even though it was too late – they were gamers and they left everything on the ice.

Will this San Jose Sharks team show up Saturday night at the Tank?

I’ve been like a woman in menopause the last 24 hours – and by that I mean I’ve been moody, emotional and spent $300 at Lane Bryant. Every person I know wants to talk about the Sharks. Some have called them quitters, losers, overrated and heartless. Others have said they’ve hit tough-luck, deserve better, had a lousy draw and are one break away from bouncing back.

What do I think? I just don’t know anymore.

I watched the Washington Capitals put everything on the line tonight and crush, totally destroy, the New York Rangers to make that a series again. I watched the Columbus Blue Jackets bleed for their fans last night in their 6-5 loss to Detroit – they played one hell of a game when they needed to and you couldn’t fault their effort. The emotion was all there. Raw emotion. I would kill to see that on Saturday from our boys.

I refuse to trade away players, fire GM’s and discuss offseason plans until Game 5 is in the books. I feel more upbeat at this moment then I have the last 24 hours – that maybe the team that took Dallas to the brink and won the most emotional game in San Jose Sharks history in Game 7 vs. Calgary can do it again. If the Sharks can make a game of this, the fans will rally and support them all the way – but they’ve got to come out strong – otherwise the Tank could turn on them, and fast….

Come on Sharks from April 30th, 2008. Show up. We need you. Now.

Quick thoughts immediately after the game:

• It’s getting really hard to defend Joe Thornton now.  Like, REALLY hard.
• It’s hard to win a series when 4 opposing players (Getzlaf, Perry, Ryan, and Hiller) are playing better than any of your guys.
• It’s also amazing that the Sharks seem completely unaware when the Ducks’ dominating first line is on the ice, and they just leave guys alone in the slot area.
• The Sharks have outscored the Ducks 2 periods out of 12.
• Dan Boyle, with his 3 point game in game 3, leads the Sharks in playoff points even though he doesn’t have a point in any of the other games.
• I’m so glad the Sharks won game 3 so I get to watch the season’s destruction up close and in person.  Oh yeah, I get to spend $80 for the privilege.
• Needless to say, I’ve been drinking.

“Get on my back and I will take you to victory” – Dan Boyle (not really….but in my mind)

I don’t want to do a super long write up because I want to hear what everyone else thought of this amazing playoff game. This series has just become Must See TV (just hopefully no longer on Versus with their dreadful coverage and god-awful camera work. Is the long camera guy drinking Schlitz during the game? Good lord)

Dan Boyle was everywhere and did everything right tonight and all the other Sharks followed suit. Nabby made me extremely nervous letting in a few early soft goals, but he came up huge in the 3rd period and this team tonight looked focused, determined and they fought – literally with Murray smacking Parros around in a good scrap.

How about McLellan’s poker face on slipping Torrey Mitchell in there tonight, who looked pretty spry in his 6:34. Someone take this man to Vegas – he pulls a good bluff, McLellan.

So I take SuperBoyle as the key to this win. We’ll share more of our thoughts tomorrow night on the podcast. What are your thoughts?

NEW PODCAST RIGHT HERE!

If you watched the game tonight, you know these things….

The Sharks should have won this game, but they ran into a goalie playing the hockey of his life. Everything I hoped the Sharks would do, they did (except win). They dictated their style, forcing the Ducks into a run and gun game that normally plays right into the Sharks hands. Coach McLellan made some surprising line adjustments that gave the Sharks three regular lines that created consistent scoring chances. Cheechoo got completely under Pronger’s skin, forcing him into penalties….but the Sharks power play could not cash in.

So, do I feel terrible. Yes. I feel horrible. Everyone is ready to jump off a bridge and throw the season away. The numbers say the Sharks are finished. The experts will call the Sharks “the Chicago Cubs of hockey”. Many fans will throw this team away and give up….and to you I say – Get Out. Give Up. Don’t watch on Tuesday.

In my opinion, if you say the Sharks suck and they were terrible tonight – you didn’t watch the game. I’m not taking away anything from the Ducks, they have earned both of these wins….but they could have NEVER done it without the amazing play of Jonas Hiller. End of story. The Sharks were not an embarrassment tonight, they played hard and ran into a brick wall.

So, will Hiller keep it up and the Ducks roll to a four game sweep? Maybe. It’s possible. I say unlikely.. As Mike pointed out on the podcast, the Carolina Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup in 2006 after losing both Game 1 and 2 at home against Montreal. The Boston Red Sox came back against the New York Yankees in the biggest miracle finish of all in the World Series. This is why they play the games. There could be injuries on Tuesday, Pronger could come down with a case of “I’m an ass*$%&-itis”, Selanne could get deported or Brian Burke could return unannounced and mess up the whole team again. Who knows? What I’m saying is….let’s just wait and see what happens Tuesday.

We can talk about being disappointed, talk about ways to improve, curse the terrible draw of the Ducks and the amazing play of Hiller…but if you want to give up – here’s the door. Don’t come back if we win Game 3.

UPDATE: IF YOU’RE INTO NUMBERS, HERE’S A STAT FOR YOU OF RECENT CUP WINNERS.

2002: RED WINGS (Lost Game 1 and 2 at home….Won Cup)
2003: DEVILS
2004: LIGHTNING
2005: Lock-out, No Cup
2006: HURRICANES (Lost Game 1 and 2 at home….Won Cup)
2007: DUCKS
2008: RED WINGS
2009: ??????

Every three years this decade, someone has pulled this off. All is not lost.

UPDATED AGAIN:
We’ve been on the wrong end of this sucker, remember back to the Edmonton series in 2006? Now granted we won Game 1 and 2 at home (both games very close results at 2-1) BUT as we remember – it is definitely possible for the team up against the wall (the Oilers) to catch fire and rattle off four straight….and then run all the way to the Cup.

It is only game 2 tonight, but I have to say it- I think this is a must-win for the Sharks.  It’s very unlikely they could drop the first two games at home, and then play 2 on the road and really expect to be in Game 5 (if there is a game 5) at anything other than in a 3-1 deficit.  Thursday night was a decent performance, but the momentum will be fully and solidly with Anaheim if they win tonight.  Additionally, everybody from bloggers to pundits to casual fans will be trotting out the old “Sharks can’t get it done in the playoffs” canard, which will only add further pressure.  No thanks.  Sharks HAVE to win tonight.

In other news, the ChompTalk radio show will be going on tonight after the game, so make sure to tune into 1220AM from your cars, and give us a call after the game with your take on what just happened.  1-800-516-1220 is the number.

UPDATE:  Just posted a new episode of Dudes On Hockey.  This time of year, we just can’t help ourselves.