The True Test Lies Ahead
October 26th, 2008, 11:32 am
2-1 Road Trip. I called it….well, okay I got the Philly and Florida results mixed up – but it’s all in the result, right? Sure, it seems like we Sharks fans have some concerns about the amount of goals the Sharks are yielding. Playing Run and Gun can only work so long in the regular season and then fail you in the playoffs. BUT….you have to like the correction to the system last night in Tampa Bay. After a disappointing showing in Florida, coughing up a bounce back goal after the Sharks tied the score, San Jose limited this mirage of a Tampa Bay offense to only 22 shots. Another mark of a good team, learning from your current shortcoming and improving on them. The fact that the Sharks responded with a shut out after the Florida disappointment is another positive sign in this Grier’s book. Also, the five power play goals on this road trip shows that there’s some bite with the man advantage.
So, 7-2-0 heading into the biggest benchmark of the season. A head to head showdown with last years Stanley Cup finalists, Pittsburgh on Tuesday night and the Champion Detroit Red Wings on Thursday. The Sharks have yet to play a team with a winning record. The best team on paper so far are the Florida Panthers, at 4-4-0, and they beat the Sharks. So…. can the Sharks topple two of the undisputed best teams in the NHL? I think it’s going to be another high octane affair, with two high powered offensives trading punches all night against the Penguins. For some reason, I think the Pens are going to get the better of San Jose on Tuesday and out slug the Sharks by a score of 4-3 in overtime. San Jose could get caught looking ahead to the most anticipated match up, one that has been on McLellan’s calendar marked URGENT all season – the toe to toe with Detroit on Thursday. I love the Sharks on Thursday night in a major league statement game to their big brothers, the Red Wings. Sharks beat Detroit convincingly 4-1.
I would take 8-3-0 going into Colorado on Sunday night. What do you Sharks fans think?
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Having watched few Pens games this season, if we somehow manage to shut down Malkin’s line, we’ll win that game. Pens defense is also suspect and has no chance of stopping our offense from scoring at least three goals.
I also watched the Red Wings in Chicago game yesterday, and Detroit’s defense also has plenty of wholes. My guess is that it’ll be another 6-5 game.
Another important factor – the Tank will be rocking for both of these teams and it’ll be a playoff atmosphere.
I think we’ll win both games.
How the hell are neither of these games nationally televised? I’ve got nothing out here in Boston, except the highlights on the Sharks website and the Hawks game to look forward to when I’m home over Thanksgiving. Is there really any question as to whether there’s an East Coast bias if the Sharks’ first game on Versus is against the Bruins in Feb.?
I love these next two match ups with Pittsburgh and Detroit. I think it will be low scoring with the Detroit came. Both defenses locking it up. It will be a 2-1 or 1-0 win. I think we’ll get the Pens… but it will be a very close one as well, possibly going into OT/SO. So I believe we definitly can win both big games, it just depends on if the Wings defense is better than ours.
Happy great hockey week!
Currently, listening to the last Chomp Talk. Nice job with pointing some of the inconsistencies in Garner’s blog entry, especially the part about how many goals Detroit has allowed vs the Sharks in fewer games.
-b