The evening could not have started better. Good steaks, beers, the stiffest jack and coke I've ever had, winning a Patrick Marleau-signed souvenir stick- all the makings of a great night. Then the Sharks played.
The atmosphere in the Tank was hyped up in anticipation of a good matchup, and while the game stayed close and well contested, the Sharks were never really in it. The Sharks probably had two, maybe three decent scoring chances. That's besides the "dump it towards Giguere and see what happens" style of chances. No odd-man rushes that I saw, no breakaways, no strong moves in tight. The Sharks just can't create offensively.
The Ducks are the better team. They match up physically with the Sharks, have better scoring threats and better D. They cashed in on two of three breakaways, and that was the game.
With Cheech, JR, and Clowe out, the Sharks are seriously hurting for goals (not that Cheech has really contributed in that department this year). As long as the Sharks are in the 20s in scoring (as of now, they are 23rd out of 30 teams in goals scored) they don't have a prayer in going far in the playoffs. Everything will just get tighter as the season progresses. If Marleau, Cheech, and Michalek catch fire, it all might turn out ok. But unless and until that happens, the Sharks are worse than Dallas, Detroit, and Anaheim in the West. We'd be looking at another 4-5 or 6-3 matchup, which today would mean the Avs or Wild. Then Detroit, then the Ducks. Does anybody honestly think the Sharks could win those three series in a row?
It way too early to really think about that. But Ron Wilson needs to start putting some effort and practice time into putting the biscuit in the basket. If the Sharks still can't do that in a month's time, the other Wilson needs to find some players who can.
P.S. I swear I didn't read this article before I wrote the last post. Synchronicity, eh? It warms the cockles of my hockey heart to see that Carle has such a good attitude about his current predicament, and I'm that much more certain he'll be an impact player in the NHL.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
The Agony and the Ecstasy 2 - Electric Boogaloo
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6 comments:
I have to agree, the Ducks are the better team right now. The Sharks just could not get any good scoring chances. The Ducks had three...and scored on two of them.
I wouldn't say the Sharks laid an egg, the difference between last night and two weeks ago is that I felt like they were playing hard last night and with some definate fire. Rivet's beatdown of Ryan Carter was a highlight for sure.
The grudge match is Saturday. Winner takes the three game mini-series. Should be a live one again.
Nice pick up on the stick! What are the chances that you are the killer of Sharks? I'll give you a pass on Carle, but if Patty gets traded, you might be on the hook for that one.
As a Ducks fan, it was inspiring to see them win in playoff fashion. I hope other teams took note of the perils of trying to match the Ducks physically. As a hockey fan, the second period was great!
Question for the bloggers: how can your PK be so good, and your defense so mediocre? I mean, there were a lot of turnovers from the D when it was 5 on 5.
Considering the Sharks have allowed the fewest goals in the league, classifying them as "mediocre" is a bit much. I think they are deceptively good in that none of the Sharks D would be a #1 on any other team in the league. Mistakes were made against the Ducks, and have been made against other teams, but the young D is quick enough (or big enough) to recover in most circumstances. In my view, there were a couple of uncharacteristically bad giveaways.
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I completely agree. Good article.
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