Sharks Gameday: If Ya Can't Beat Em, Beat Em
by Mr. Plank on Dec 22, 2009 4:00 AM PST
in Gamedays
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| 21-8-7, 49 points | 23-8-3, 49 points |
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| 2nd in Western Conference |
1st in Western Conference |
Television |
Versus
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[Editor's Note]: Second City Hockey asked us to do a Q&A for their publication The Committed Indian-- TCY has it covered.
Holy Macanaugh were the boys lucky to walk out of Dallas last night with two points. Evgeni Nabokov was spectacular in just about every way, and you can damn well go all in on the fact that he was working some crazy voodoo magic the moment he stepped off the plane-- Richard Hantz was his name, and the red pipes were playing his game. Those first forty minutes were all about sustained pressure in the defensive end of the ice, with the Sharks generating very little in the form of quality scoring chances. San Jose had a good deal of trouble stringing together two quality shifts in a row, and if Nabokov or his post pawns don't play ball you're looking at a deficit ranging anywhere from one to four heading into the final frame.
On a side note, Tom Wandell has the gnarliest set of wheels I've seen in a long time. Between him, Jamie Benn, and James Neal, the Stars look like they have the pieces in place to be a dark horse later in the year provided those guys continue their progression.
So what worked? The unexpected. And boy did I love every single minute of it. Clowe's work on the forecheck produced a fortuitous bounce right onto his stick behind Marty Turco, and he cleaned it up with a slick backhander across the slot to find a wide open Joe Pavelski. Thornton dumps the puck into the zone only to find it drop at his feet after Grossman can't handle his business, leading to, you guessed it, a slick backhander across the circles to find a wide open Patrick Marleau.
Then there's this gem, which deserves a place amongst the top five Sharks goals of the year:
Congrats on the first NHL goal, kid
On the docket we've got the Chicago Blackhawks-- no superlatives necessary to convey the importance of putting a strong effort out tonight. Chicago's definitely the class of the Western Conference at this point of the year, and while I'm a firm believer in the idea that standings points are much more valuable than seeing how you match up before the Olympic break, a 7-2 lashing on home ice means you shouldn't need sildenafil citrate to get up for this one.
Go out, get it done. And contrary to my consistent view on the subject, don't play Greiss in this back to back. Roll with your big dog.
Prediction: Sharks win 4-3. Goals by Heatley (x2), Boyle, and McGinn. Cristobal Huet turns to crystal, and floats huet.*
*Hey, I tried.
Go Sharks.
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Go Sharks!
This one’s live on the box here tonight and I can’t wait. Revenge for the 7-2 spanking should be at the forefront of everyone’s mind. Let’s do it!
And you think you live in a non-traditional hockey market...
That video is broken on the front page
It flows over into the right sidebar and covers up some of the Fan Posts and Fan Shots as a result.
Thanks for the Goal
On behalf of all Ryane Clowe owners.
Sincerely,
downRupLYB, dba Oh My Goc!
Puck Daddy: You would definitely hate the Ducks more than you'd hate the Kings, right?
Joe Pavelski: Yeah, definitely.
I like when they cut back to the Sharks bench and Jumbo is yucking it up while McLellan is yelling at the refs about something.
Isn’t that pretty much the Sharks in a nutshell?
"I think I realized after the second or third punch, I should have taken his helmet off sooner." - Ryane Clowe
Proud member of the "Re-Sign Marleau" Club
Fools and Sages
GO SHARKS!
and a 5pm game start? gotta sneak outta work early today.
Ever get the feeling we are on a collision course with reality? (boycott Hollywood!)
by ang6666 on Dec 22, 2009 8:21 AM PST reply actions
tell them you have personal stuff you need to take care of
I'm warning you! I have ADHD and I know how to use it!!!
by Diamondback15 on Dec 22, 2009 11:10 AM PST up reply actions
let’s see – left early to take my youngest to an orthodontist appt … leaving early to take both boys to a doc appt. hmmm … don’t think they’ll appreciate that for today as well. especially considering company shuts down thurs – new years. :)
Ever get the feeling we are on a collision course with reality? (boycott Hollywood!)
by ang6666 on Dec 22, 2009 11:35 AM PST up reply actions
Yeah, I've got nothin, unless the radio policy at work is lenient
I'm warning you! I have ADHD and I know how to use it!!!
by Diamondback15 on Dec 22, 2009 11:41 AM PST up reply actions
headphones
interwebs stream of radio
I’ll be listening to it in an airport :P
resident cartoonist @CouchTarts Lightning is seven times as hot as the surface of the sun.
That’s still not as hot as Douglas Murray. -mymclife
if you're at SJC and flying Southwest
then you can hit up the Shark’s Cage. it’s pretty nice.
Puck Daddy: You would definitely hate the Ducks more than you'd hate the Kings, right?
Joe Pavelski: Yeah, definitely.
American Airlines works as well. You just have to walk through pretty much the entire airport to get to it, but it works. Take it from someone who arrived 2 hours early for a flight and had nothing to do except for wander the airport.
"I think I realized after the second or third punch, I should have taken his helmet off sooner." - Ryane Clowe
Proud member of the "Re-Sign Marleau" Club
Fools and Sages
Also I watched the highlights on ESPN last night
for no purpose other than self torture.
They showed three angles of Nichol almost scoring (all the while talking about how amazing Turco is (despite the fact that he created the chance).
Then they showed 5 ANGLES of the Stars rookie scoring on his own net.
The game had 6 goddamn goals and they showed the empty netter. Why the face?
I shouldn't have said anything.
chalk it up to sports nationalism
tsn= hockey, all year
espn= nfl, all year
Puck Daddy: You would definitely hate the Ducks more than you'd hate the Kings, right?
Joe Pavelski: Yeah, definitely.
after seeing some other angles
i think that vishnevski mighta had a chance to dive and prevent that puck from going in. if he had, woulda saved himself some embarrassment.
Puck Daddy: You would definitely hate the Ducks more than you'd hate the Kings, right?
Joe Pavelski: Yeah, definitely.
VersuComcastus
Dear DirecTV/Comcast/Versus/NBC,
Am I to understand there will be no side dishes with my waffles?
I'll drink that! oh...I'll drink TO that.
That should have totally counted as his first career goal
by GoldenStateGuerrero on Dec 22, 2009 9:10 AM PST reply actions
still not as bad as this.
Puck Daddy: You would definitely hate the Ducks more than you'd hate the Kings, right?
Joe Pavelski: Yeah, definitely.
I lol every time I see that play.
resident cartoonist @CouchTarts Lightning is seven times as hot as the surface of the sun.
That’s still not as hot as Douglas Murray. -mymclife
The biggest positive from last night
was McLellan finally coming to his senses and reuniting the Big Three on the same line. Once that happened, I knew we’ll cruise to two points because all of a sudden every shift by these guys was scoring chance after scoring chance. Damn was I happy to see that.
I think Todd has seen the light too, and will keep that line together again tonight. If the other three lines can keep the pressure on, and keep banging the Hawks bodies, we’ll come out on top, although it won’t be till the 3rd period.
That’s how Detroit beat them in playoffs – physical game.
speed speed speed...which sharks don't have...
which was the result of the last game. And sad to say will be the downfall of this team once playoffs time comes.
Trash Talking.
You suck at it.
I have a strange feeling you’ve watched very little of the Sharks this year.
I'm not sure it's meant to be trash talking
It IS hard to generate speed on night 2 of back to backs. That being said, there are plenty of speedsters on the team. Unfortunately, 2 of them, Setoguchi and Mitchell, are still in recovery. Patty is going to have to be the wheel man tonight. And given that he’s going to attract one of the two big pairings, he really has to bring it tonight. Otherwise, we’ll need big games from Jumbo and Clowe banging bodies wearing that very deep Hawk blueline down.
They're not getting this kind of coverage at "Hockey Night In Canada" folks! - Randy Hahn
Oh I'm sorry.
Talking about speed, which the Sharks have plenty of, and stating it as the downfall for the playoffs, which aren’t anywhere near, seemed a bit trollish to me.
Anyway, I don’t mean to sound rude or mean or whatever.
And since when was “we’re going to light up your goaltender, you’re gonna lose in the playoffs” not trash talking? Is my definition of trash talking different?
You’ve had speed for two seasons now ever since Kane/Towes showed up. How many Cups have you won in that time span? Just as many as did the Sharks.
It can easily be that the winner of tonight’s game will be no. 1 seed in the West come playoffs time, and will get no. 8 seed Detroit, who’ll be all healthy and going again by April.
If that’s what you want, good luck.
I suppose that's why Detroit end up in the finals, or were you just being sarcastic?
I'm warning you! I have ADHD and I know how to use it!!!
by Diamondback15 on Dec 22, 2009 11:16 AM PST up reply actions
I assume your talking about last years Western conf. finals, when Detroit beat Chicago in 6?
I'm warning you! I have ADHD and I know how to use it!!!
by Diamondback15 on Dec 22, 2009 11:36 AM PST up reply actions
I think its good that he breaks up the top line every once in a while, it mixes things up
Plus it also adds another layer of depth to the team, don’t forget that Marleau centered the second line for most of his career, even when Thornton was brought here it was several years before he was moved onto the first line, (wasn’t it last year that he was moved up permanently?)
I’ll even say that not breaking up the first line was one of the reasons we lost to Anaheim, injuries had depleted our depth a bit, but Our first line stayed together, we essentially put all our eggs in one basket.
I'm warning you! I have ADHD and I know how to use it!!!
by Diamondback15 on Dec 22, 2009 11:25 AM PST up reply actions
And this is despite that eighth seed wearing out the Wings for the Hawks, while the Hawks had a relatively easy time of it before that series.
"I think I realized after the second or third punch, I should have taken his helmet off sooner." - Ryane Clowe
Proud member of the "Re-Sign Marleau" Club
Fools and Sages
Seriously guys
Are we going to try and defend our post-season record? We’re talking an awful lot of smack because we perceive this guy to be a troll, but, we don’t really have much until we win something. Head to head, we’re 0-2 this year, and the loss sent us into a tailspin.
This is hockey, and hockey is all about accountability. We have to take it until we earn it, and we ain’t done none of that yet. Chill and save it for the game.
They're not getting this kind of coverage at "Hockey Night In Canada" folks! - Randy Hahn
The past is history..
and the future is a mystery. All I can say is that SJ looks to be sharp and, hopefully focused on the job at hand. They know all too well how good Chi is. Lets hope that Shelly and Staubitz dress tonight because I want to see the United Center burned, BURNED! I say, to the ground via a San Jose shellacking. Thats right, I said " shellacking ". Look it up. Let the hockey Gods shine down on SJ tonight fellas ‘cause hell is coming to town. Would love to see an evenly called game, with the Sharks winning it through special teams and stellar goalltending. Don’t let us down Nabby.
Lets Go Sharks!
CHOOSE WISELY!
They're not getting this kind of coverage at "Hockey Night In Canada" folks! - Randy Hahn
damn
Alicia Keys is hot.
…What are we voting for again?
Puck Daddy: You would definitely hate the Ducks more than you'd hate the Kings, right?
Joe Pavelski: Yeah, definitely.
Strong-arm vs. spin-o-rama.
"I think I realized after the second or third punch, I should have taken his helmet off sooner." - Ryane Clowe
Proud member of the "Re-Sign Marleau" Club
Fools and Sages
I don't think it matters
But I tell you what, I plan on voting often (hopefully not early though…)
They're not getting this kind of coverage at "Hockey Night In Canada" folks! - Randy Hahn
Really?
“Our team was far better than your team at not winning the Cup last year”
That seem to be the argument going on here
"I fornicate and play hockey, cause ther're the 2 most fun things in cold weather"
I don’t think anyone wants to be arguing with anyone. You guys came over here to talk, not us.
Fear the Fin: Sharing Joe Thornton's love of wooly mammoths since 2009.
Your team had been absolutely inept since the mid-nineties. To put that in perspective, for nearly the entire time the San Jose Sharks have been an NHL franchise, your team sucked.
My roomate’s dad was born in Chicago, and has remained extremely humble with the recent success because of this fact. He sat through that entire stretch, still rooted for the team, and realizes how quickly the tides can turn, especially with contract decisions that were made two offseasons ago when bringing in Huet and Campbell.
The bandwagon’s pretty full now, but Chicago’s had the worst overall attendance in the league (capacity %) since 2001, even with this year’s figures included.
Fear The Fin: Where Selling Your Soul Is The Likely Solution
Expect no less from Fearless Leader
They're not getting this kind of coverage at "Hockey Night In Canada" folks! - Randy Hahn
absolutly agree
The Hawks have sucked big-time the last 15 years or so. I’ve sat thru the bad times myself (Alpo Soucantspellhisname was miserable) and stopped going like many others cause the team was just so awlful I couldn’t give 1 more dime to them.
Does that make me a bad fan?
More importantly the past is the past and doesn’t matter here and now. This is 2 damm good teams going at it and I think we could all agree it makes for entertaining hockey.
"I fornicate and play hockey, cause ther're the 2 most fun things in cold weather"
Thats fine
Just remember this particular response is to a Hawks fan calling us out for losing in the first round last year. So the past is applicable here.
my point with the “really?” post was that neither of our teams actually won a thing last year.
and that some fans can make us other fans seem like tools.
"I fornicate and play hockey, cause ther're the 2 most fun things in cold weather"
it’s more the tone of your “comparison” more than anything.
If you were to give an objective break down of why the Hawks will best the Sharks, it’d be welcome debate. Busting out the same old playoff lines though, ain’t gonna get you much love. You come in busting balls, we bust’um right back. Just how we roll.
resident cartoonist @CouchTarts Lightning is seven times as hot as the surface of the sun.
That’s still not as hot as Douglas Murray. -mymclife
Especially when the Hawks haven’t won a Cup since before we landed on the moon. Hell, I think LBJ was in office, serving out Kennedy’s term, when they last won. I mean, they really can’t taunt us about the playoffs when they themselves have the longest Cup drought in the league. If it was a head-to-head series, maybe, but making the playoffs once in however many years and not winning isn’t exactly something to toot your horn about.
"I think I realized after the second or third punch, I should have taken his helmet off sooner." - Ryane Clowe
Proud member of the "Re-Sign Marleau" Club
Fools and Sages
Cup drought
yes it’s been 40 some odd years since we’ve won a cup.
Key phrase is “since we’ve won” as your team never has nor played for one. Ever.
"I fornicate and play hockey, cause ther're the 2 most fun things in cold weather"
But...
We’ve still only been around since 1991. Whereas you still have a 30 year longer drought!! I wouldn’t be bragging “since we’ve won”… Silly rabbit, Trix are for kids!
that’s like a virgin making fun of a senior citizen’s lack of sex life
"I fornicate and play hockey, cause ther're the 2 most fun things in cold weather"
So the next Cup San Jose wins
will be an experience we never forget, even if it’s awkward and a bit of a letdown, whereas the next Hawks Cup will be like having sex with an old person after a 40 year drought?
Have fun with that.
"Fear the Fin: where some fans chose to swathe themselves in baseless optimism all season long." -CTGray
by workthecycle on Dec 22, 2009 3:29 PM PST up reply actions
This analogy
Is going very strange places. Maybe we should nip it in the bud here?
They're not getting this kind of coverage at "Hockey Night In Canada" folks! - Randy Hahn
yeah
i tried about 4 versions of that sentence before posting it… it’s like a minefield!
"Fear the Fin: where some fans chose to swathe themselves in baseless optimism all season long." -CTGray
by workthecycle on Dec 22, 2009 3:32 PM PST up reply actions
please note I had no part in any of this conversation … :)
Ever get the feeling we are on a collision course with reality? (boycott Hollywood!)
by ang6666 on Dec 22, 2009 4:05 PM PST up reply actions
uh
winng the Cup being a bit of a let down?
And as far as the Hawks it would be like an old person on Viagra nailing drunk sorority girl. Fun for us but a dirty used feeling for them
"I fornicate and play hockey, cause ther're the 2 most fun things in cold weather"
I'm sure
You and Leafs fans are very proud of your nearly 5 decades of continuous failure. I mean, our two makes me feel great.
Good crap people
This is simple. If you come over and talk like you want to start shit, shit will start. If you come over and just hang out, it will be fine. The system is pretty simple and it works well.
If I wanted whiny posts, I’d go to a Red Wings forum. (oh yeah, I went there)
resident cartoonist @CouchTarts Lightning is seven times as hot as the surface of the sun.
That’s still not as hot as Douglas Murray. -mymclife
hey i like you guys
the cup drought thing did take a very strange turn and i apologize for my part in it. Thats why I went back to the “objective break down” route like below. I prefer a nice exchange of revelant hockey talk instead of the “you team sucks” banter.
"I fornicate and play hockey, cause ther're the 2 most fun things in cold weather"
Keith and Seabrook
along with the Hawks backchecking do a good job of controlling the puck and limiting the chances of the other team.
I think with your “Big 3” reunited that makes 1 line we can focus on shutting down. With the game being in Chicago that gives us last change so we can play the matchup game to our advantage.
"I fornicate and play hockey, cause ther're the 2 most fun things in cold weather"
Top Pairing vs. Top Line
We’ve had a few debates here and there about the merits of keeping the HTML (Heatley Thornton Marleau Line, in case it wasn’t totally obvious) in tact, vs. moving someone down to the second line to balance the attack. In recent games, Dany Heatley has gotten the call to go to line 2 in an effort to pair Devin Setoguchi with Joe Thornton in order to get Seto going after his return from injury, while also giving Joe Pavelski, somewhat less recently returned, a scoring winger.
The fanbase has scratched their heads a bit on this one. Heatley was brought here to play with Joe, and the year opened with a top line of Heatley, Thornton, Setoguchi and a second of Marleau, Pavelski, Clowe. This lineup makes more sense to us, and we might like to see a return to it while Setoguchi and Pavelski are at anything less than 100%.
We’ll see what the coaching staff does tonight. With teams as deep on the blue line as Chicago, it becomes incumbent on us to have depth in the lineup. On paper we do. On ice, we haven’t quite had it all at once due to injuries/slumps/the vagaries of playing actual hockey on actual ice in an actual professional league.
They're not getting this kind of coverage at "Hockey Night In Canada" folks! - Randy Hahn
That line
did look sick a month or so ago. And i agree with the experts that that should be the top line for Team Canada.
But with (damm nice goal btw) a long season I do think you need to spread the talent around to other lines
"I fornicate and play hockey, cause ther're the 2 most fun things in cold weather"
I appreciate
a smartass
"I fornicate and play hockey, cause ther're the 2 most fun things in cold weather"
I don’t know you guys, I’m pretty nervous. I mean, we are facing France’s third leading all-time scorer – Cristobal Huet.
"I think I realized after the second or third punch, I should have taken his helmet off sooner." - Ryane Clowe
Proud member of the "Re-Sign Marleau" Club
Fools and Sages
Don't forget Paris is the world's most seizable city
The Sharks just have to realize that Huet is Paris, and boom!, 7 goals easy
Yes, I went there…….because I’m a jerk
I'm warning you! I have ADHD and I know how to use it!!!
by Diamondback15 on Dec 22, 2009 11:27 AM PST up reply actions
Revenge
I want to see the Sharks get revenge tonight, and that ginger Brian Campbell to be minus 14 or so. Or in the penalty box when we score the game winner.
Proud member of the "Don't Trade Marleau" club.
Fear the Fin: Where Sharks Fans Aren't Like Other Sharks Fans.
by SharksFanEst.1994 on Dec 22, 2009 12:03 PM PST reply actions
Why can’t it be both?
"I think I realized after the second or third punch, I should have taken his helmet off sooner." - Ryane Clowe
Proud member of the "Re-Sign Marleau" Club
Fools and Sages
Both would be an amazing Christmas gift!
Proud member of the "Don't Trade Marleau" club.
Fear the Fin: Where Sharks Fans Aren't Like Other Sharks Fans.
by SharksFanEst.1994 on Dec 22, 2009 12:46 PM PST up reply actions
Ginger?
I'm warning you! I have ADHD and I know how to use it!!!
by Diamondback15 on Dec 22, 2009 1:45 PM PST up reply actions
Ginger! NOOOO!
They're not getting this kind of coverage at "Hockey Night In Canada" folks! - Randy Hahn
Boo...looks like I'm gonna miss the game tonight...
I have Comcast at my house in Campbell, so it usually wouldn’t be a problem. But tonight I’ll be down in Morgan Hill having dinner with my parents, who have DirecTV. Shitty. I guess I’ll just have to suck it up and get updates on my blackberry, as I did for a few games this year when I’ve been out and about.
This is also the first game the Sharks will play against Chicago this year that I am not in attendance for. So maybe this is a good thing. I’m not really bad luck for the Sharks, as they win quite often when I’m in attendence. But I’m apparently excellent luck for the Blackhawks…a theory that will be tested tonight.
GO SHARKS!
Sometimes the impossible can become possible if you're AWESOME!
Some good news from Randy Hanh on facebook .
Starting January 1, 2010. The entire Sharks schedule will be carried in HD!
What?
Did the cheap-ass Comcast finally shell out an HD production truck that can travel with the team everywhere or something?
Maybe they finally realized, “Hey, the Sharks are the only team that made it to the playoffs in 2009. Instead of giving other teams HD priority like we normally do, let’s actually show a winning team for once!”
"I think I realized after the second or third punch, I should have taken his helmet off sooner." - Ryane Clowe
Proud member of the "Re-Sign Marleau" Club
Fools and Sages
Are you implying CSN uses "logic"?
Silly girl
They're not getting this kind of coverage at "Hockey Night In Canada" folks! - Randy Hahn
Oh they use a logic alright
It’s called “how much money can we spend by skimping on expenses for each team.”
While I would love to believe that is true...
… everything I’ve heard regarding the lack of Sharks games in HD has to do with the amount of HD-capable production trucks Comcast has and how far they are willing to allow said trucks to be transported. There’s a reason that the only CSN road games that were scheduled for HD at the outset of this season are LA, Anaheim and Phoenix, and it’s not because of team priority.
A little random
But remember that WTC post a few days ago about how McLellan split the team in two and had them competing against each other? Well, turns out a small part of that competition was recorded and put on youtube. This video is of the two skating groups racing (the focus is on the lower lines group), and this video is of Nabokov and Greiss racing, with the rest of the team cheering them on. Absolutely fantastic.
"I think I realized after the second or third punch, I should have taken his helmet off sooner." - Ryane Clowe
Proud member of the "Re-Sign Marleau" Club
Fools and Sages
My ankles hurt just WATCHING them do that spin-turn thing
I don’t think I could make a button hook that quick in cleats, and these guys do it in skates.
They're not getting this kind of coverage at "Hockey Night In Canada" folks! - Randy Hahn
Hey DirecTv....
Screw you…. I’ll gladly pay the extra $.12 you are fighting over. Efffffffff
Go Sharks!
Soooo... ummm...
Gameday thread?
They're not getting this kind of coverage at "Hockey Night In Canada" folks! - Randy Hahn
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