So the All Star break this year was bookended by boring games.  It happens.  For some more All-Star stuff and a discussion on the Avs game, check out our new podcast.  The Sharks managed to coast to a 3-0 win in Denver with very few moments of drama.  The Murray-Stewart tilt should have been a highlight, but even that was pretty lackluster.  With many of the teams’ exciting players out of the lineup- Sakic, Stasny, Boyle- there wasn’t much to hang your hat on other than some spectacular saves by Nabby.

And I know were only two games into the Lemieux era, but isn’t the 4th line about twenty times better than it was?  They had another great scoring chance last night, mostly due to Pepe.  Here’s his line – 9:30 TOI, 2 shots, 3 hits.  And he’s bringing his linemates along with him- Plihal had 9:58, and Shelley 6:36.  It’s hard to really evaluate 4th lines, because you hear so little about them, but when JR comes back, isn’t JR-Pepe-Plihal one of the best 4th lines in the league?  It’s certainly better than Ben Guite-Chris Steward-David Jones.

Actually, might be fun to compare some fourth lines (I’m using TOI to determine the 4th line, which may or may not be a good idea):

Detroit: Maltby-Kopecky-Mikael Samuelsson

Boston: Shawn Thornton-Petteri Nokelainen-Martin St. Pierre

Calgary: Eric Nystrom-Andre Roy-Dustin Boyd

I might give the nod to Detroit here on this list, but that’s only because we haven’t seen the full magic yet.  It’s too bad we had to ditch Lemieux Watch on the podcast, it was a fun segment, but I’d rather have a producing fourth line than a good bit.  I think.

The All Star break is usually a hockey downtime, but this week the dudes spice it up with a full breakdown of the festivies, as well as new innovation ideas for the event.  But the Sharks do roll on, Mike and Doug also discuss the latest victory over Colorado.

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Whether you think the All Star game is amazing (some) or a snooze-fest (me), the 2nd half of the best season in Sharks history is soon upon us. This year we can all look ourselves in the mirror and say, “Damn, we look good…how might I look holding a Cup?”.

This whole “you have to sit out a game” business from Bettman being enforced is such a double standard by the league. Let me get this straight: The NHL supports teams and players being wildly vague about a players injury, encouraging deception to protect the players health but when it comes to a meaningless exhibition game, the NHL expects full disclosure and for a player to travel, even if injured, for the good of the league and at the detriment of their team. This is garbage. Sure, Crosby flew out and participated in non-NHL activities while injured, which I’m sure Penguins management was thrilled about him getting on a plane, staying in a hotel and risking more injury while they battle for a playoff spot. Come on Bettman. If you really want to punish these guys, how about if they refuse an All-Star assignment, they are no longer eligible to participate in the All Star festivities the next year, no matter what kind of year they are having. Let’s keep our focus on what really matters here, the season. Yeesh.

I will watch the game tomorrow to see our boys in action, but before then, let’s speculate on the trade deadline and the race for playoff positioning.

– The Sharks will end up with the #1 seed for the Western Conference and the franchises first ever President’s Trophy.

– The Red Wings will be the #2 seed and add an impact veteran player to their roster who will be a pending UFA. Keith Tkachuk and Mike Knuble fit this description.

– The Phoenix Coyotes, while vying for a playoff spot, will have a fire sale of high priced players including Jokinen and Jovo-Cop.

– Columbus Blue Jackets will make the playoffs on the back of Calder Trophy winner, Steve Mason.

– Torrey Mitchell will be like adding a player at the trade deadline, so ironically the Sharks will actually be a seller – moving a forward to clear space for Mitchell. Goc or Plihal are the likely suspects.

Sharks are back on Tuesday against a bunch of no-namers in Avalanche uniforms. See you then.

With the debut of Claude Lemieux against Vancouver, the dudes have to start out with Lemieux Watch 2009.  Three very different games took place since the last podcast- Calgary, Detroit, and Vancouver – and all are discussed.  After a healthy dose of listener emails, the dudes make some prescient (or not) predictions for the second half of the NHL season.

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I thought Claude Lemieux played very well in his debut for the Sharks last night; he was hitting people, trying to make plays with the puck, and managed to keep up skating-wise.  The rest of the Sharks?  Not so much.  The Canucks did their best Wild impression, but the top line woke up just in time to tie the game with 40 seconds left, and win it in overtime.

Reading the media reports, I found this quote in the TSN article from Roberto Luongo: “We worked like animals for 59 minutes and played exactly the way we wanted to play against them.”  Excuse me, whaa?  Your team has fourteen shots total in the game, you play a 1-4 or 0-5 for the second half, and that’s exactly how you want to play?  Hmm, maybe now we know why Vancouver is 1-4-1 in their last six.

The Sharks, be it because of Vancouver’s stifling defensive front, general apathy due to the All-Star break, or a letdown because of the exciting game against the Wings, didn’t find a way to crack the puzzle at all in the first 55 minutes, making for one of the dullest games of the year.  But again, and I’m sounding like a broken record here, the Sharks find a way to come back, like they’ve done countless other times this season.

Rest up, boys, there’s plenty more hockey to come.  And oh yeah, listen to our latest podcast if you get bored.

It truly is a momentous occasion- Claude Lemieux makes his debut for the Sharks tonight.  Why, did something else important happen today?  Actually, it’s funny because I remember election night- Sharks vs. Wild.  And now I will remember inauguration night – Sharks vs. Canucks, with the Lemieux debut.  You can say Obama was pathetic at bowling, but I sure wouldn’t want to see him lace ’em up at the Verizon Center, especially after Chris Clark says it’s the worst ice in the league.

Actually, I’m really excited to see Claude, maybe overly so.  Roenick said on NHL Live today that he’s in really amazing shape.  JR also said post-lockout hockey is based on skating ability, and it looks like Claude can keep up just fine.  All I know is, the rotating cast of characters on the fourth line haven’t exactly made huge waves; might as well give the greatest Pro ever on Pros vs. Joes a shot.  Anyone who’s willing to high-stick an amateur player in order to win a worthless puck battle on a crappy reality game show is aces in my book.

The improbable has happened.  Claude Lemieux has been called up to the Sharks.  Although he’s 43 years old and hasn’t played an NHL game in five years, Lemieux will be on the Sharks club tomorrow night, and we will be there.

If Claude can still cut it in the NHL (and that’s still an ‘if’) the fourth line now has a new, much more annoying edge.  Staubitz worked and tried hard, but he’s no agitator.  He plays hard, clean, physical hockey.  Claude could do all that with some skill with the puck, and the willingness to go close to the line, or even a bit over it, to help his team.

That sound you hear is Kris Draper sh!##ing his pants.

What an amazing game last night.  Just as much, if not more, intensity as the tough, hard fought Calgary game on Thursday (and by the way, thanks for not broadcasting the first period of that game in HD, DirecTV.  Jerks).  Plus, this game had a dizzying number of goals and lead changes.  It’s as close to a playoff feel as you can get in the regular season.

And, miracle of miracles, without two of their starting six defensemen, the Sharks managed to pull it out 6-4 6-5.  Let’s be serious- it wasn’t a game the Sharks had to win.  They would have dropped behind Detroit and Boston in the overall NHL standings, but the Sharks would have to go on a skid of Met-like proportions to fall out of the playoff picture.  Of course, it certainly was much more than an ordinary January regular season game.  After missing their comeuppance on Calgary by two posts, the Sharks didn’t want to miss their chance against the current champs.

I’m glad the Sharks had more stomach than I did.  After the Wings gained the lead two different times, each time I felt that sinking feeling, and each time the Sharks battled back.  The Tank hasn’t been that loud since last year’s playoffs.  With Jumbo Joe held off the scoresheet, Marleau and the second line stepped up.  Pavelski and Cheech got off the schneid.  Michalek showed his power and speed to score the go-ahead in the 3rd.  And Nabby, while far from perfect, made several fantastic saves at crucial moments.  Even Semenov played pretty well.

It’s gonna be hard to recapture that kind of intensity again this regular season, but the statement was made- the Sharks, with or without key players, still have the sand to beat the best.

And by the way, I haven’t mentioned this in a while, but the Sharks call-in radio show is tonight from 9-10pm on KDOW 1220AM.  The internet stream is the best way to listen.  Please call in to 1-800-512-1220 with your takes on the Calgary and Detroit games, I know we’ll have lots to discuss.

The Sharks face their greatest test of the season on Saturday night when the Red Wings come to town hoping to repeat the whoopin’ they laid on the Sharks last time these two met. The two biggest questions that linger…

– No Rob Blake. Ouch. This means a heavy dose of Frankenstein on the blueline and Ehrhoff and Murray thrust into featured roles against the best team in hockey. This hurts, this stings. Our depth will be put to a true test.

– First home loss. Gut check. How will this team respond?

The Sharks have every reason to come out with a major chip on their shoulder and a point to prove. They got schooled by Detroit in Detroit and they lost their first home game, and 2nd in a row to Calgary. Will their determination be able to conquer the fact that they will be without Blake, Luko and JR? Can Semenov, Joslin and Staubitz hold down the fort? Detroit is 10-1-2 since they skunked the Sharks on their own ice. They are only missing Darren McCarty, so they are coming in at full strength. We’ve taken some heat lately for being too negative, but I guess I’m just trying to be realistic. My first reaction is that the Sharks won’t be able to match a healthy Red Wing team but I’ve been wrong lately – so I’m going against all logic and saying the Sharks coaching staff and their star players in Boyle, Marleau and Thornton will will the team to an extremely emotional victory.

On another subject, and you know how I like to comment on rumors and the Sharks are linked to New Jersey Devils defensemen Johnny Oduya in the rumor mill. It’s an intriguing thought because Oduya is an intriguing player. While I haven’t seen him play that much, he is described as a gamer, which sounds like a Todd McLellan guy. He leads the Devils D in points with 16, is 2nd in minutes with over 21 minutes per game, plays on the PP and short handed. Could the Sharks give up on the more expensive, slumping but filled with “potential” Ehrhoff and acquire the less expensive, pending UFA in Oduya? Not likely….but it’s fun to talk about.

The Sharks rebounded after a difficult stretch with three wins this week; Mike and Doug break down the half-season that’s now over.  After relishing the Lightning beat-down of Tuesday night, the dudes revisit the All-Star Game, the ongoing saga of Semenov, and continue Lemieux Watch.

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