Last night’s game was the most exciting game of the season at the Tank, by far. Lots of scoring, good chances, dazzling plays, and key saves. When I think about it now, I still smile. The best thing about it was, from a Sharks fan perspective, it seemed like a battle of conference powerhouses instead of the Sharks measuring a top team to see how they stack up. San Jose played as if they knew they could beat this team, a team with formidable weapons. As we saw last night, the Sharks have their fair share of weapons too. Actually, now it looks like more than their fair share.

As the title refers to, the theme of the game was individual Sharks players going up against individual Habs, and making them look stupid. Teabagging is the technical term. Big Joe teabagged Price on two occasions, but the second was the best. On the PP, with no screen, he took a slap shot from the right circle, and it got through Price. It trickled to the far post, and literally sat on the goal line for a couple of seconds, before it was cleared to the corner. Quickly, it was passed back to Joe, in the exact same spot. He stared down Price for the second time, took the same shot as before, and beat Price again, this time for a goal. How those nuts taste?

A little later, Cheech had his own Earl Grey moment when he took a pass from Joe at the blue line, and made a amazing power move right past our old friend Josh Gorges. He pretty much jumped over/around Gorges, muscled body position, cut to the middle, and roofed the shot. Hey Gorges, I think you got something on your face.

Then later in the third, a goal that will be talked about for years to come. Again on the power play, Campbell streaks into the zone with his hair on fire. By the way, this is exactly the kind of thing I was hoping Campbell would do once he came to town. The other team can’t just stand up on the blue line anymore when they are on the kill. Campbell will just go right past them. So anyway, Campbell proceeds to pull a spin-o-rama at full speed between the circles and buries the backhand low. Price didn’t even go down. The Tank went absolutely friggin crazy, me included. Denis Savard would have been proud- Campbell made everyone else look like they were playing bantam hockey for that moment.

The Sharks have to do more than just show some flash from their top players. But right now, they are. They are getting good play from all of their top players (even Marleau scored last night, on a strong move), and playing well positionally. The agonizing wait we endured throughout the season looks like it’s starting to pay off.

The two home games this week are a crucial yardstick. We’ll see a top-two PP in the Habs vs. a top-two PK in the Sharks. It will be fun to watch. And we might finally get a real look at the Sens after a crazy shakeup. Will the Sens be able to right themselves, or will the storm surrounding Paddock and Emery continue to affect this absurdly talented squad?

The Sharks are about evenly weighted in home vs. away games the rest of the season, with the longest homestand being only two games. After the trip at the end of this week to Chicago, Minnesota, and Nashville, all the games will be on the west coast (if you consider Phoenix. I do. Close enough). This means the Sharks actually will need to win consistently at home to hold onto their playoff spot. A friend emailed me this morning expressing nervousness about his Ducks holding onto the fourth seed. I just don’t see that happening- the Ducks have been on a tear since their two “I just want to play half the season” guys came back. Dallas, as of now seven points ahead, is more or less uncatchable. If the West weren’t so tight, I might advise dumping a couple of games late and sneak into the postseason as a six seed. I like our chances very much against the Wild.

Different message boards have been singing the praises of Steve Bernier and how the Sharks might regret giving him up in a trade for Brian Campbell at the deadline. The key word here is “might”. I think that sentence should be re-written as such.

The Sharks will NOT regret giving him up in a trade for Brian Campbell.

Steve Bernier wowed the Sabres fans with two goals in his debut but they soon will see the Stevie B we know all too well. He can score in bunches, but then he disappears and ends up in the press box. After three seasons, he had every shot to impress and DW used him perfectly as a pawn to get a number one defensemen that has made an enormous impact on the future of this team. While he is young, Bernier is nothing more than a 2nd/3rd line power forward who will never live up to his top billing. As for the number one pick the Sharks gave up in the 2008 draft, I have a feeling DW is going to use either Ehrhoff or McLaren as a pawn in a package during the offseason to get that pick back from some other team.

Before we get ahead of ourselves, my head is saying the recent upswing with Campbell has included wins against two non-playoff teams and a Detroit team decimated by injuries, playing without Shark killers Chelios, Rafalski and Lidstrom. BUT….my heart is saying….you have to admit – this is a different team with Campbell. This is a better team. This is a legitimate Stanley Cup contender. For the first time all year, I am actually starting to believe that we might….”might”….have a shot at the big prize.

With Brian Campbell, the Sharks are 3-0 and he has two assists. These wins are different than the two against Philly and Pittsburgh on the road trip. Those were ugly, boring, pre-Brian Campbell wins. With Campbell, the Sharks look like an offensive hockey club instead of just plain offensive. For the first time all season, the power play is clicking with four PP goals in three contests. Campbell is fun to watch and what a difference watching him effortlessly bring the puck into the attacking zone instead of Carle/Ehrhoff making a poor pass or dumping the puck in. Everyone’s game has stepped up. My complaints about a 2nd line have been quenched because there is actually some stability on the lines with Bernier out of the picture. Little Joe has found a home at Marleau’s side and running the point with Campbell on the PP and The Gooch has been effective in his two games back. And, thank you back-up netminder gods, Brian Boucher appears to be able to spell Nabby down the stretch. Great game tonight by The Waterboy.

The team effort has changed. Vlasic, Carle, Ehrhoff all have stepped up their game since Campbell has arrived, because they’re not being asked to do things they’re not ready to do. This is the real deal with two HUGE home games coming up this week. The Tank is sure to be rocking on Monday night for the Habs game, welcoming a historic hockey team and our new star player Brian Campbell to San Jose.

Teams in the West should take notice. Brian Campbell may have awakened a potential Cup contender.

ESPN and The Toronto Globe are reporting that the Sharks had a deal in place to send Kyle McLaren to the Leafs for Pavel Kubina. Yesterday on TSN, several analysts believed the Sharks were not done after acquiring Campbell and that they might still be in the market for a “right handed shooting defensemen”. Former Leafs GM, John Ferguson Jr. mentioned several times that the Sharks liked Kubina, and he would know, since he probably had conversations with DW about several deals while he was still on the job.

The TSN guys bagged on Kubina, calling his recent play awful and he is mentally a liability, and his canon of a shot might not make up for it. Others pointed out that on a good team, example the Stanley Cup winning Tampa Bay squad, he was a +9 and this year with 23 minutes of ice time a game, he has an even +/-. So how bad is he? Would this have been a good move, he’s as tough as Kyle and huge at 6-4 and 240. How would you have felt if the Sharks got Kubina for McLaren?

It makes you wonder what else DW had on the stove that didn’t pan out. He filled two out of three pressing needs, but couldn’t come up with a 2nd liner scorer. Now Plihal is keeping Clowes seat warm since his return is coming “shortly” according to reports.

I’ve been asking…no pleading, begging for Doug Wilson to do whatever to takes to get Brian Campbell in a Sharks uniform. It ends up whatever it “took” was only Steve Bernier and a 1st round pick. Really? That’s it? I was bracing myself for losing another young roster player. This just reminds us all how good of a poker player Doug Wilson is and that he got the best defensemen, and the best player moved today not named Hossa for an underachieving RFA forward and a late 1st round pick.

Chalk another victory for Doug Wilson on the trade scorecard.

There is no way, none chance that DW is going to let Campbell walk away at the end of the year. This is the player he’s been searching for the last three years, the defensemen in the “Doug Wilson” mode and now Campbell will be here to stay. He will only make Carle and Vlasic better, let’s not forget that. Both have looked lost without Hannan, and while Campbell isn’t a blueliner in the shutdown mode, he is solid and will shine on the powerplay. I am so excited and this could bring new life into the locker room and something positive for the fans.

After the deal went down, I told Mike that I was fully expecting Ehrhoff, Vlasic or Carle to now be moved in a deal to get a 2nd line scorer. I thought a logical partner might be Philly after they lost out on Boyle and Campbell and they might send Umburger, Carter or Upshall our way for a young D-man. The deadline has come and gone, and the Sharks now have a huge logjam on the blueline – who is the odd man out? Do you send down Vlasic? Do you bench Carle? Perhaps McLaren’s knee is much worse than we know….so on that front I’m a little surprised – but I’m not disappointed. Nope. Not one bit. The Sharks got much better today, much, much better.

I’m sad to see Davison go, but he was replaced by the upswing in Murray’s play and the trade for Jody Shelley. He should be a nice role player for Ted Nolan and the Isles. Signing Brian Boucher is a move that should have happened months ago, like in October. I have to think that DW might have been chasing a back up this whole time (Halak) and when Montreal traded Huet, the deal went dead.

The Sharks are a clear winner today, along with Washington, Colorado, Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh. Washington must believe they can win their division and added some solid pieces in Cooke and Federov without giving up anything major. Colorado got older but nastier on the blueline with Foote and Salei but gave up nothing to do it. Their blueline is scary deep with Leopold, Hannan, Liles, Clark, Salei and Foote. I think, if the old farts can stay healthy, Colorado could be dangerous in the playoffs….although, as Mike would be quick to point out they have goaltending issues still. Tampa Bay got good return for an expensive struggling player. A starting goaltender, which they desperately needed, a 3rd liner and a 2nd line scorer. Add that to Vinny L. and St. Louis and this team just got better. Pittsburgh didn’t give up their two best young assets (Malone and Staal) to get Hossa, so that makes them a winner already. Hal Gil adds depth. They got better.

The Losers – Montreal and Los Angeles. What the #$%& is going on in Montreal? Bob Gainey repays the team after that awesome tribute by trading away their starting netminder for a 2nd round pick – and within their own conference might I add. And then, he struck out on getting Hossa. Doh! I think Dean Lombardi thought he had the market cornered. He had a bunch of UFA veterans to sell, playoff tested and ready for action – and what was he able to get in return? Nothing. A pile of steaming @#$&. Draft picks for Stuart, Aubin and Modry. If I were a Kings fan, I would want some answers.

The Jury is Out – Dallas. I’m not convinced this is going to help them. Losing Halpern and Jokinnen might not have an effect on the stat sheet, but it could be felt in 3rd/4th depth. To me, it is like us trading Grier and Mitchell for Brad Richards. That was a heavy price for a player that has the worst +/- in the NHL…..

Great day for San Jose. It’s good to be a Sharks fan today.

He comes to town, with Steve Bernier and a 1st round pick headed back to Buffalo. Huge deal, and a great one for the Sharks. With Doug Wilson’s and Campbell’s shared close ties to the Ottawa 67’s, I have to believe that Campbell will sign an extension here.

Doug Wilson, great job. Again.

It’s  before 6am, and both grier and myself are awake and tuned to TSN’s “Tradecentre ’08” coverage on the NHL network.  I’m just pissed I have to go to work today.

As most people know, the NHL trade deadline is noon EST tomorrow. The Sharks have been in the midst of rumors for every NHL player this side of Theo Fleury. Sundin (before he asserted his NTC) McCabe (before he asserted his NTC), Redden (before he… you get the idea), Hossa, Jokinen, Holik, Boyle, and mostly, Brian Campbell. Because I enjoy looking like an idiot, I’m going to call it right now. The Sharks will not make any big deals. Maybe they’ll get a minor piece like Bryce Salvador, but none of the big names floating around. This is so for two reasons.

1. There are so many buyers, and the price is too high. A reasonable deal for Campbell would be Ehrhoff, Setoguchi, and a high draft pick. But when you have half a dozen teams in the mix, Buffalo can command a deal that isn’t reasonable. Some teams (and the Sharks might be in this group) are so desperate for playoff ticket money they might just mortgage the future so they can push for the playoffs and break even money-wise. I’d like to think that DW is too smart for this, and he’ll let Dallas trade Mike Smith, Trevor Daley, and a pick for Brian Campbell. Then in two years the Stars will be screwed.
2. No one wants to play for San Jose. If soon-to-be UFAs are the ones being looked at, it’s good business to see if they would want to sign and extension before they become unrestricted on July 1. As we’ve see with Redden, Chara, and others, players don’t see San Jose as a good hockey destination, despite strong attendance numbers and a loud arena. Players want to be king s^&*# in town. Just look at Forsberg. He’s joining a team with a ton of problems; they’re four points out of the playoffs right now. Even though their big three just came back, there’s no guarantee any of them will stay healthy. It’s an ego move on his part, and lots of other players around the league are the same way. They don’t want to live in a city where a guy like JR or Thornton can walk down the street and not get mobbed. They want their multi-million dollar paycheck and have panties thrown at them.

So get ready to crawl back under the covers tomorrow morning, Sharks fans. The roster you see today will (mostly) be the one you see tomorrow.

The Sharks must get Brian Campbell before Tuesday. He is a key missing piece to our puzzle and the Sharks will never be able to move forward without a #1 defensemen on the roster. He rejected Buffalo’s latest contract offer of three years and less than 18 million dollars. I’m starting to think that Darcy Reiger doesn’t want to build a winner in Buffalo with a lame, token offer like that. DW can and will do better than that offer, he might put on the table something in the six/seven year range at over six million dollars per season. Give them whatever they want. I can hear Mikey right now, “What about Dan Boyle?” Well…I read that Boyle has a no-trade clause, and we know what that means for the San Jose Sharks. He won’t be coming here. No one wants to come West. Campbell doesn’t have that choice and once he gets here, he’ll love it. Nolan, Ricci, Whitney – all these guys still live here – so NHL’ers just need to give the Bay Area a chance. Get Brian Campbell in Teal by Tuesday. Make it so.

Okay…I’m done.

I have decent expectations for the rest of this road trip, depending on a few factors. If the Penguins win today at home vs. Ottawa – they might overlook the struggling Sharks and San Jose will win tomorrow morning. A victory in Detroit might actually happen because of how beat up the Wings are on the blueline. I’m thinking the Sharks could finish the trip 3-1, with their only loss coming in Columbus of all places.

Talk to you on Tuesday after the dust has settled. Go Sharks.

… the one eyed man is king. That’s what I felt like I was watching yesterday in the clash of the two worst-playing teams, the Sharks and the Flyers. The Flyers triumphed in the who-can-turn-over-the-puck-more-egregiously contest, and I tip my hat to them. The #1 line was looking good again for the Sharks, but all other lines are in constant flux, working together one night, invisible the next. The announcers are saying it, grier is saying it, there is no real second line for the Sharks. There’s a second-line player, Patrick Marleau, and a cast of thousands.

When the Flyers first goal went in with 5.8 seconds left in the period, I thought to myself, “This is it. Sharks are done.” If that goal came in the middle of the period, that might have been true. But RW and Co. must have said something decent, because the Sharks kept coming in the third and ended up winning by two. Also, thanks to boneheaded penalties after the period was over, the Sharks got to start on the power play. Which is fairly meaningless, becuase they are 1-for-8 billion, or whatever their latest PP drought is.

A word on the standings- the Sharks are currently 6th, only two points ahead of the 7th and 8th seeds. Luckily both of them face Detroit in their next matchup, with Calgary getting Minnesota after that. Of course, we are facing the Pens, a game the Sharks pretty much need to win. I figure win at CLB, loss at Detroit, win at STL, then losses at home to OTT and MON. Playing .500 hockey for the next month might not keep the Sharks in the playoffs, but that’s all I’m expecting.