Injury-plagued Sharks heading to Minnesota without Nabokov or Blake

guh

resident cartoonist @couchtarts.blogspot.com

by CTGray on Mar 9, 2009 1:19 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I'm just

a little concerned about our D

resident cartoonist @couchtarts.blogspot.com

by CTGray on Mar 9, 2009 1:44 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Thanks Swisher.

What I like most about this are the lines:

Moen-Thornton-Cheechoo
Michalek-Pavelksi-Clowe
McGinn-Marleau-Setoguchi
Shelley-Plihal-Staubitz

1-3 are pretty solid, and I like the idea of throwing McGinn with Patty.

Fear The Fin: Where The Second Round Is Overrated

by Mr. Plank on Mar 9, 2009 1:31 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

So is that first line

really the third? I mean Joe is outnumbered by third liners there. That third line is awesome.

It takes a big man to cry and it takes a bigger man to laugh at that man. -Jamie Baker

by Lurker Shark on Mar 9, 2009 7:14 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Well

That just sucks

Fear the Fin....where being an old guy isn't all bad

by Dave Valentine on Mar 9, 2009 2:07 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I do like the lines, though. The irony of having Moen with Thornton and Cheechoo (the two guys he was supposed to shut down while on the Ducks) is amazing. And the first three lines are all offensive-minded that are also defensively sound, awesome. The fourth line is weak, but that’s really to be expected what with all the injuries and slumps.

Oh, and I heard from my lab partner (who gets texts from practices) that Lukowich wasn’t at practice (neither was Blake, Nabokov, Mitchell, Huskins, Grier, or Roenick) and Staubitz was playing D. Not sure how trustworthy that information might be, but just throwing it out there since it wasn’t mentioned by DP.

by mymclife on Mar 9, 2009 2:25 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

lukowich was at my sister’s work this morning (she works for one of the sharks doctors) so maybe thats why he wasnt there

by WhoseYourNabby? on Mar 9, 2009 3:42 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

And the injury rumors begin…

(do fill us in though, WYN – nice to have a sister in the know!)

Fear The Fin's Minister of Foreign Affairs

by Mr. K. on Mar 9, 2009 3:49 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

haha definitely
once in a while she comes home saying i got to meet blah blah blah and get his signature.
i’m so jealous!

by WhoseYourNabby? on Mar 9, 2009 3:52 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

With the growing list of walking wounded and playoffs just over the horizon

I’m actually glad we still have K-Mac.

I'm a happy seal

by SwisherThresher on Mar 9, 2009 2:49 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Indeed

What a bit of serendippity…. if only that hand will heal.

Fear The Fin's Minister of Foreign Affairs

by Mr. K. on Mar 9, 2009 3:06 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

True, but I think I’d be more comfortable with Joslin in that six slot (Huskins was also brought over for the depth reason).

Fear The Fin: Where The Second Round Is Overrated

by Mr. Plank on Mar 9, 2009 3:08 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I hope that is a joke.

I don't like you Detroit.

by mattman on Mar 9, 2009 5:30 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

elaborate

I'm a happy seal

by SwisherThresher on Mar 9, 2009 6:19 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

More from Yahoo

Blake also stayed home after teammate Devin Setoguchi’s slap shot hit him in the foot during the Sharks’ loss at Vancouver on Saturday night. San Jose still is evaluating the severity of the injury.

Veteran forward Claude Lemieux was forced to miss the trip, too, because of an upper body injury, but forward Marcel Goc traveled with the team. Goc hasn’t played since Feb. 10 while recovering from a lower body injury.

Sharks forwards Jeremy Roenick and Mike Grier likely are out until the postseason due to injuries, as well.

Fear The Fin's Minister of Foreign Affairs

by Mr. K. on Mar 9, 2009 3:08 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

BREAKING NEWS

Montreal fires Guy Carbonneau, and the GM Bob Gainey takes over on the bench.

Fear The Fin's Minister of Foreign Affairs

by Mr. K. on Mar 9, 2009 3:09 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Ah, CTGray

Posted it already in the fanshots – well done.

Fear The Fin's Minister of Foreign Affairs

by Mr. K. on Mar 9, 2009 3:12 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

it's a slow day

and that caught my attention

resident cartoonist @couchtarts.blogspot.com

by CTGray on Mar 9, 2009 3:23 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Did the Habs lose to the Leafs last night?

by Swift Kick in the Goc on Mar 9, 2009 3:32 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

BURN

Fear The Fin's Minister of Foreign Affairs

by Mr. K. on Mar 9, 2009 3:40 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

that would have been hilarious

but Ott’s connections appear to run deep. The Habs just beat the Stars yesterday.

resident cartoonist @couchtarts.blogspot.com

by CTGray on Mar 9, 2009 4:04 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

So ...

are we allowed to cry if the slump continues?

Ever get the feeling we are on a collision course with reality?

by ang6666 on Mar 9, 2009 4:18 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Yes

Fear the Fin....where being an old guy isn't all bad

by Dave Valentine on Mar 9, 2009 4:19 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

You're allowed

to cry, with joy, if it ends

Fear the Fin....where being an old guy isn't all bad

by Dave Valentine on Mar 9, 2009 4:20 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Let's try this

lucky dog avatar thing

FTF: WAATMF (Where Acronyms are too much fun)

by idunno723 on Mar 9, 2009 5:26 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'll toss my hat in

with an injured shark

resident cartoonist @couchtarts.blogspot.com

by CTGray on Mar 9, 2009 5:39 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

You go girl

Fear the Fin....where being an old guy isn't all bad

by Dave Valentine on Mar 9, 2009 6:55 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Let's see if this helps.

Heeeere’s Jody!

It takes a big man to cry and it takes a bigger man to laugh at that man. -Jamie Baker

by Lurker Shark on Mar 9, 2009 7:13 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

hmm...

Me like the lines

Is the first line expected to score? I mean Cheech hasn’t been scoring this season (due to being on the third line) and Moen is also a used to be a third liner. But anything with Joe Thornton is possible right? Or is just called the first line cause Big Joe’s on it? It would sound bad if Joe Tho wasn’t on the first line

FTF: WAATMF (Where Acronyms are too much fun)

by idunno723 on Mar 9, 2009 4:59 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

A bit more from the Sharks site

Cracking the Communication Conundrum

"We encourage communication all over the ice," said McLellan. "When things are not going well, it is one of the first things that goes."

I'm a happy seal

by SwisherThresher on Mar 9, 2009 5:17 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Not gonna lie...

I do like the Marleau line. Alot.

Fear the Fin: Approved by ESPN and Logan Couture

by That'll Cheech You on Mar 9, 2009 5:57 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

me too mcginn is hell of a player

I don't like you Detroit.

by mattman on Mar 9, 2009 6:02 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

OT - HAHA

Ron Wilson with his old illegal stick width measurement call on Spezza – and it worked. Except that the Leafs failed to score on the ensuing PP and lost the game. Still, pretty funny.

by mymclife on Mar 9, 2009 6:59 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

hahaha

<3

resident cartoonist @couchtarts.blogspot.com

by CTGray on Mar 9, 2009 7:04 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

the lines...

i know They listed moen-thornton-cheechoo as the top line in a list of 4.

but could we consider this a demotion of joe? maybe the lines should read like this:

Michalek-Pavelksi-Clowe
McGinn-Marleau-Setoguchi
Moen-Thornton-Cheechoo
Shelley-Plihal-Staubitz

???

"I want this team to be tough, smart and prepared to play well under pressure...Everybody here in this organization is going to be held accountable to do their job — their piece of the puzzle to make this team a competitor for a championship every season." J-Mac

by denver_diaspora on Mar 9, 2009 8:21 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

(in reply to Lurker & idunno as well)

I think they’re just putting him on the top line because that’s where his name fits- in my opinion you’ll see ice time tilt towards lines two and three. His time on the ice has been going down lately as well…..

Fear The Fin: Where The Second Round Is Overrated

by Mr. Plank on Mar 9, 2009 8:43 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

You're right.

I hadn’t noticed that. Except for Dallas and Minnesota, Joe’s been seeing less TOI than his average. And his line for the Wild game was less than impressive. 0G 0A +0 0PIM 0SOG and a 50.0 FO%. All that with 22:14 TOI. Dunno what’s wrong with him, but he’d better snap out of it come April.

It takes a big man to cry and it takes a bigger man to laugh at that man. -Jamie Baker

by Lurker Shark on Mar 9, 2009 9:11 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

yes and no

hes great, but i dont believe joe thornton needs to carry this team.

maybe i am really reaching, but the sharks are at their worst when they default to watch joe try and do something mode.

not saying he isnt the best in the game, just saying im glad the coach has the nuts to adjust according to the fact that joe is not playing like the best in the game.

"I want this team to be tough, smart and prepared to play well under pressure...Everybody here in this organization is going to be held accountable to do their job — their piece of the puzzle to make this team a competitor for a championship every season." J-Mac

by denver_diaspora on Mar 9, 2009 9:21 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I agree with you completely on Joe.

I’m not saying he needs to carry the team, just that he needs to be playing the way everyone knows he is capable of. When he’s on and he’s got his head in the game, Joe’s easily the best playmaker in the league. That’s what we need going into the postseason. And if he’s not playing that way, then the Todd needs to do something about it. Which it appears he will.

That being said, I’m really looking forward to seeing the these Marleau and Thornton lines in action. The Patty line is going to be one quick line. And it’s a better use of McGinn, he’s been kind of wasted down on the 4th line. And hopefully Moen will open up some passing lanes so Joe can get the puck to Cheech. Since Joe seems to have an aversion to shooting the puck and would rather try to send it through traffic to his man on the other side of the net. Unless he’s picking it up off a rebound. Then he seems to take the shot.

It takes a big man to cry and it takes a bigger man to laugh at that man. -Jamie Baker

by Lurker Shark on Mar 9, 2009 9:48 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

i guess i wasnt disagreeing

with you, just that i thought i was saying something bad. no… dont touch joe…

"I want this team to be tough, smart and prepared to play well under pressure...Everybody here in this organization is going to be held accountable to do their job — their piece of the puzzle to make this team a competitor for a championship every season." J-Mac

by denver_diaspora on Mar 9, 2009 10:09 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Nothing bad about moving Joe.

On any well run team every player needs to be held accountable and really the coach’s best way of doing that is bumping them down or benching them. It shouldn’t matter who the player is. I’d be concerned about the state of things in our little corner of the hockey universe if the Todd wasn’t allowed to move Joe down if he needed it.

It takes a big man to cry and it takes a bigger man to laugh at that man. -Jamie Baker

by Lurker Shark on Mar 9, 2009 10:24 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

i think a certain RW

never did, mostly because he didnt have an offensive scheme that utilized their talents, so he also didnt adjust for the lack of motivation.

"I want this team to be tough, smart and prepared to play well under pressure...Everybody here in this organization is going to be held accountable to do their job — their piece of the puzzle to make this team a competitor for a championship every season." J-Mac

by denver_diaspora on Mar 10, 2009 9:16 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think that the Thornton line will be a distraction for other teams – they’ll immediately think that its the top line (and a reincarnation of the trophy line at that), send out their own top line against it, and then realize that its really a grind line with only a slight offensive touch when the second and third lines come out flying and score five bajillion goals. But by that point, they are down by five bajillion, and so have no point in catching up. All other teams will bow down to this obvious display of supremacy, forfeit all the games for the rest of the season, including the playoffs, and the Sharks win the Cup in an unprecedented manner.

Okay, maybe I exaggerated a bit. But really – teams expect Joe Thornton to be on the highest-scoring line of the team. I believe that’s why the second line has been so effective – nobody knows that the Michalek-Pavelski-Clowe combo is really that dangerous in both zones. They concentrate on shutting down Thornton (who has been doing that pretty well on his own recently), and pit the “lesser” lines against the Pavs line. Thornton will still be on a line that can score – Moen will really help clear some space while we all know what Cheechoo can do with some passes from Thornton – but it won’t be as needed with both the Pavs line and the Marleau line being able to provide a ton of offense and energy.

by mymclife on Mar 9, 2009 9:27 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

ha!

by a10dency2ask on Mar 9, 2009 9:44 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

ha!

agree mostly.

i think coaches are pretty saavy to who is producing, and while #19 always gets a second glance, that pavelski line seems to be carrying the load. it may be that joe will find a rhythm playing against 2nd and 3rd liners, while marleau and pavs line occupy the focus.

i am just pumped that todd has a system that is fluid enough and recognizes the actual strengths of his team enough to put even untouchable jumbo somewhere besides the halfboards with the other best players running around trying to capture one of those passes through 8-12 legs and 4-6 sticks.

can you imagine if Joe Thornton was the leader of the energy line? (and actually created energy consistently…*)

that statement was a little factually off. energy can neither be created nor destroyed, so, maybe he needs to harness… whatever.

"I want this team to be tough, smart and prepared to play well under pressure...Everybody here in this organization is going to be held accountable to do their job — their piece of the puzzle to make this team a competitor for a championship every season." J-Mac

by denver_diaspora on Mar 9, 2009 10:06 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

hmmmm

why not move McGinn to the 4th line so that every line features a player whose last name begins with M? MMMMBOP!

by a10dency2ask on Mar 9, 2009 9:45 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Other game news

Vancouver at LA just wrapped. The Kings established an early 2-0 lead against Luongo and ’Couver. Heading into the third it was 3-1 before Pyatt put the puck past Quick to make it 3-2. The Kings held on to secure the regulation win. Yeaaah.

I'm a happy seal

by SwisherThresher on Mar 9, 2009 10:05 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

kinda a love hate game.

i love to se both teams lose, and i hate to see either team win.

and i hate that whole twin thing. thats so wierd.

"I want this team to be tough, smart and prepared to play well under pressure...Everybody here in this organization is going to be held accountable to do their job — their piece of the puzzle to make this team a competitor for a championship every season." J-Mac

by denver_diaspora on Mar 9, 2009 10:07 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs