Thanks for the great intro, Mikey. We’ve had a blast writing over at Shaved Ice and look forward to carrying on passionate Shark talk here at hockeyanalysis.com

Now, let’s get down to business.

Tonight is Game #34 of this Sharks season that I have dubbed “Jekyll and Hyde” – you are never quite sure which Sharks team is going to take the ice from night to night. There has much drama in Teal Town this season. Here are some of the top storylines.

To Trade Marleau or Not Trade Marleau – That is Eklund’s Rumor…
The Son of Frankenstein:Alexei Semenov
Where Has All the Offense Gone? Out With Cheechoo’s Groin

More drama is on the way for tonight’s game vs. Phoenix is more important than it may look on the surface. The Sharks must win this game. They have to. This is the classic trap game – Phoenix is the pathetic sandwich between two big duels with the Ducks. It would be easy to overlook the ‘Yotes…well…because they suck. Okay, I will cut them some slack – they suck less now because of Breezy in net – but this team hasn’t scored against the Sharks in 231 minutes! Phoenix is coming off three huge road wins, but conventional wisdom says that a team on the last game of a long road trip is prone to lay an egg, and tonight is the last game in Team Gretzky’s six game swing. Let’s look at the formula.

Sharks pissed off about poor effort vs. Ducks + San Jose in Phoenix’s head / l miss Rick Tocchet’s point spread fruit cake = Sharks win 5-0 tonight.

Now I was a theatre major, so my math might be off – but I think you see the point. Talk to you after the game.