The Sharks managed to escape a hungry and debilitated Stars team last night mostly due to the play of Evgeni Nabokov.  The Stars employed a good cycle in the Sharks zone for extended stretches, but the Sharks’ D does deserve some credit here in taking away open looks in close.

The fact that the Sharks, now with Lukowich, JR, and Shelley back in the lineup, barely managed to beat the Stars without Morrow, Richards, and Modano is not a good thing, especially if the *ahem* stars align to see a Dallas-San Jose first round matchup.  But I’m going to try and look at this as a ‘glass half full’ scenario, and say the Sharks beat a very motivated team without playing all that well.  I’m sure T-Mac has a lot of things to say to the group before they play Wednesday at the Joe.

In local news, it’s a sad day for the Bay Area hockey community.  Two players died in separate incidents last night at Sharks Ice, the practice facility for the Sharks, and hockey home to literally thousands of rec league players, including me.  A buddy of mine emailed me this morning and said he actually participated in the game where Kelly Calabro perished.  According to my friend, he collapsed without any apparent contact.  I’m sure I speak for many when I say our thoughts are with their families.