The Dudes may be better than ever, but you can’t say that about the Sharks- they lose bad in Montreal, and have a horrible first period against the Wings.  Mike and Doug weigh that against their very good play against the Sens and the same Wings, and pick apart their lineup, looking for bright spots.  A few rookies and a goalie are in that category.

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The win-loss-win-loss train rolls on, this time the Sharks posting their first shutout of the season on Dany Heatley Princess Night in Ottawa.  Best game of the season for several players, Antti Niemi and Justin Braun among them.  I know I’ve been critical of T-Mac for his choices of when to play Niemi in the past, but last night was the right time.  Ottawa has had a bad stretch lately, and you probably want Niitty to play against Montreal on Saturday.  One thing that did amuse me last night was the ‘storyline’ that Niemi has just gotten ‘better and better this season’ (according to Drew Remenda).  I’m a Drew fan, but he got this one way wrong.  Here’s the string of Niemi’s save percentages in his last five games: .903, .878, .938, .813, 1.000.  That’s not ‘better and better’.  That’s up and down, just like the Sharks have been.

The Sharks were utterly dominant at times last night, which is encouraging for Sharks fans, but also frustrating in a way.  It’s the same or less stacked lineup than we’ve seen against recent losses against Columbus, Dallas, and Colorado, yet it was night and day the way they played.  I know I thought the Sharks might reel off some good wins after the performance at home against Chicago- I’m not nearly as confident this time.  Maybe we can get Joe Pavelski or somebody to bash Montreal as a hick town or say that poutine tastes like barf.  Then the fans will boo that player every time he takes the ice, throw flaming jerseys in effigy, and the Sharks roll to another win on the backs of the charged atmosphere.  Maybe the Sharks should plan a 30-city Disparagement Tour, finding a systematic way to infuriate the fans in every arena in order to light the fire they apparently need.

One down, 29 to go.  Although if they keep going hot and cold this way, San Jose may be added to that list without even trying.

After reading this article, I marvel again at the ability of Doug Wilson to get anyone to take Jonathan Cheechoo and his contract, currently $3.5M per year, with another year left after this one.  That’s not to say I don’t feel bad for ol’ Cheech.  He seems as bewildered as anyone about his descent into mediocrity.  Actually, mediocrity would be a gift for him right now.  As someone that always carried himself with class, and would still be considered a fan favorite in San Jose, his dismal output in Ottawa (14 points in 61 games) is the only thing that matters in the NHL.  And even though his productivity has improved with the Binghamton Senators (9 points in 14 games), his defensive ability hasn’t (-7).  Looks like he’ll be getting bought out this off-season, which would give him *only* $1.16 million for the next two years.  Most likely he’ll never see money like that again.

Maybe he can pull a Rick Ankiel and come back as a goalie.  Either way, Cheech, good luck.

Mike and Doug take over the airwaves of KDOW 1220AM and spend two hours talking hockey.  In the first hour they cover the Calgary game, the Ottawa game with the return of Milan Michalek and Jonathan Cheechoo, and start to explore the kinds of changes or moves the Sharks might contemplate.  In the second hour the Dudes talk to Mark Purdy, columnist for the San Jose Mercury News, and Mark Smith, former Shark.  After that, the listeners weigh in with their takes.

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The Sharks have started a new winning streak against a host of ex-Sharks sprinkled among the Canadian teams, and the Dudes break it all down.  Mike and Doug also talk about the demotion of Jason Demers, and the curious claiming of Jay Leach off of waivers from Montreal.  Finally, there’s a comparison of the top-4 defensemen of the Sharks versus other top Western teams, and the speculation that a trade could be an answer to this deficiency.  Be sure to listen to the Dudes on Chomptalk this weekend- Sunday night from 8-10pm on 1220AM (or stream at http://www.kdow.biz).  The blog-off voting can be found here.

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