Nice Sharks win

Definitely a bit late in recapping, but a very good game 2 win for the Sharks the other night. Granted, there were a few shifts spent running around in their own zone, but much better focus and intensity on the part of the boys in blue (more precisely, teal).

Given that the sum of the whole played better, let's take a look at a few of the moving parts:

1. Evgeni Nabakov- Fantastic play on the part of Nabby with several "how did he do that?" caliber glove saves. Mikka Kiprusoff got a large amount of credit after game 1 (and during game 2), but I'd say that he has been no better than Nabakov.

2. Joe Thornton- Has played well, which he always does. No points in game 2, but has been a force out there. Similar story really to Flames Captain Jarome Iginla.

3. Milan Michalek & Jonothan Cheechoo- No glaring giveaways, but can provide a bit more production... especially as they're usually paired with Big Joe.

4. Patrick Marleau-Joe Pavelski-Ryane Clowe- Excellent play from this line. Just need to keep doing what they're doing.

5. Jody Shelley- Singled out here to bring up the question of who should play... Shelley or Devin Setoguchi. Seto would certainly be getting more than the three to four minutes a game that Shelley has been on the ice for, but given that the Sharks are a more skilled team (and the Flames are more prolific hooligans), I think it not a bad idea to have a security blanket in Shelley available if needed.

6. Matt Carle- Yes, yes, yes. Carle didn't dress for game 1 in favor of Alexi Semanov (injury replacement for Christian Erhoff), but took Semanov's place in game 2. Carle did spend 2 minutes in the penalty box, but also contributed 10+ solid minutes on the D line. I see no reason to bring Semanov back... and would even consider sitting Kyle McLaren in favor of Carle upon Erhoff's return from injury.

So... all this being said, my feeling going into the series was that it would be a tough series for the Sharks, but one they should emerge victorious out of as they have the more talented team and should be a bit tougher than past years due to both the experience of heartbreak lived through and new blood on the team this season.

After game 1 I was disapointed in the Sharks efforts and intensity, but still felt them the better team and that if they played the way they're capable of, they'd be fine. Game 2 is now in the books, and I'm of the same opinion. It's not going to be easy, but assuming that the (orange-rimmed) eye stays on the prize all game long, they should emerge out of a hard-fought series.

Sharks like Senators

No, I don't mean that the Sharks have a particular fondness for the Ottawa players, but rather... watching them play the Senators tonight both made me feel the teams were very similar and gave me reason for optimism that the Sharks can make a playoff run this year.

It wasn't long ago that the Sens were labeled as the good, but not great team with excellent players that could never put it together come playoff time. Granted they didn't win the Cup last season, but to get to the finals as they did was only a stone's throw away.

Anyhoo... even if the Sharks had wound up with a 2-1 defeat tonight, it wouldn't have been that maddening. The take-away from the game would have been that they outshot handily one of the best Eastern Conference teams and were very much in a position to win. Had the eventual result been a defeat, you could have said that they played solid and if not for a defensive miscue and questionable penalty call would have won 1-0. Now, since you can't expect your beloved Sharkies to never give up a goal, you could have added in the recent 6-4 fire and brimstone display against Le Canadiens to balance things out. All in all, you would have felt pretty good, and justified in that.

However, the pucks fell the right way, Cheechoo drove the net, Marleau took advantage of opportunity and... they win. Good victory, but with either victory or defeat, the parralels would remain the same betwixt the two teams. Offensive power up front (see: Thornton, Joe; Cheechoo, Jonathan & Marleau, Patrick as well as Alfredsson, Daniel; Spezza, Jason & Heatley, Dany) as well as solid bordering on spectacular D in Brian Campbell and Wade Redden respectively.

Up until last season, the pundits felt Ottawa was destined to be a team of unfulfilled potential... much as the Sharks can (rightly so to this point) be viewed. However, Ottawa got through to the dance that is the Stanley Cup Finals, so the logical conclusion after watching these very similar teams play is that San Jose can as well.

All this being said and then the icing on the cake... Sharks win, Sharks win, Holy cow, Sharks win.

C'est Magnifique Le Sharkies!

Goodness gracious. Didn't see coming the Sharks putting up a six-spot on the 1st in the East Montreal Canadiens. Not to jump on the Coach Ron bandwagon, if such a thing exists, but great to see the effort put out there tonight.

Good times, good times.