The Experiment of Line Shuffling Fails, as Sharks Get Stopped in Anaheim
by Ivano M on Mar 14, 2010 8:27 PM PDT
in Gamedays Review
21 comments
Another night, another loss, as the Sharks fail to sweep the Ducks in regular season and lose 2-4 in Anaheim.
Back in October when the Sharks struggled to find their game at the start to their season, I actually welcomed the idea that the team will not run the table for another year and may have to battle hard to earn a good seed in the playoffs. But once the HTML line was put together, the team started putting one winning streak after another. Before we knew it, the Sharks were once again at the top of the Western Conference schedule with a comfortable position going into March-April.
In this position, the points now start to matter less and at times we see the players put questionable effort on the ice. To battle this, we are starting to see these kinds of ideas coming out of McLellan's mouth as team is starting 6-game road trip:
"We’ll be able to play some people in different situations than we have been. You might see the big guys back together some night, you might see some lines that are different just in case we need it later on."
We sure saw plenty of that tonight. On one shift we saw HTML line together. On another Thornton was skating next to McGinn and Setoguchi (which is how the first goal was scored). Then all of a sudden we saw Heatley skating next to Clowe and Mitchell and on and on this chess game went.
Before we discuss how it worked out , we should mention why McLellan was shuffling his forwards this way - the team was once again half asleep, especially for the first 40 minutes of the game. The first period was especially disturbing, as the lack of effort and focus cost the Sharks three unanswered goals. Not much have changed in the second period either, so the coaches had no other choice but to try to jump start the team by consantly rotating forward combinations.
Did it work? Looking at the scoreboard, we can see that it did not.
Some forwards who are usually dangerous looked lost playing next to unfamiliar forwards (such as Heatley, who was the worst of them all tonight finishing the night with zero points and -3 rating) , while others were invisible (such as Malhotra, who did not manage to get a single shot on the net, or Marleau who only had one shot in almost 22 minutes of play).
Thanks to the magic of this season happening in the Olympic year, Sharks will play nine more games in the next 15 days, giving the coaches plenty of time to wake this team up or at least settle on the lines that work for more than a few shifts a game.
But shuffling the lines may not be the only solution the Sharks are looking for, as the the struggle to put a good three periods of hockey in one game continues.
0 recs |
21 comments
|
Email
Print
Comments
Disappointing loss overall.
I was satisfied that Nabby was able to bounce back from an abysmal first period and at least try to keep the Sharks in the game. With Dallas next, it will be interesting to see how the Sharks respond to another desperate team, and if they can match the intensity.
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 Mar 14, 2010 8:36 PM PDT reply actions
I think it’s fair to say the defense rebounded with him as game went on.
But I don’t think they’ll earn a lot of kind words for that Perry goal which sort of summarized the whole first period for me.
Fear the Fin - all Evgeni, all the time.
Agreed.
Someone should have picked him up. Didn’t help that two of our slowest d-men (Blake and Wallin) were out there either, but as experienced veterans they should not let that happen..
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 Mar 14, 2010 8:47 PM PDT up reply actions
That Perry goal was pretty much inexcusable— you can’t let a forward of that caliber drive right down the middle of the zone untouched.
"San Jose is where I want to be at the end of the day, and there's an opportunity now to make it there. It is where my heart is." - Jamie McGinn, 2/22/10
Fear The Fin: Where Selling Your Soul Is The Likely Solution
I’m not a big fan of the line shuffling. I think I’d rather they keep a set of lines together for a few games, so they can get all in sync with one another, and be rolling once the next season starts. I have no stats to support why I like this. I just think if you’re always changing things up, you never get a real chance to see what works…and you enver get a chance for lines to grow together and build some things.
"I want people to be afraid of how much they love me." ~Michael Scott
Did they put Ron Wilson behind the bench and just not tell me?
I got bored about half way through the game (because only 1 team really showed up to play) and spent the rest of the night just trying to figure out what the lines were..
I think by the end of the night he just had a hat with numbers that he was pulling out.
"Douglas Murray is a humongous human being." – Drew Remenda
Honestly, I can handle the losses. I can also deal with an off night, I know I don’t go into work jazzed everyday. I would just like to see a little purpose behind TMac’s decisions. He ran the top guys ragged last night (1:22 of ice time for Staubitz) despite having a back to back against a team that you know is going to bring it. He starts McGinn on the third line, but after the first goal let him rot on the bench until he set up Joe.
I just don’t see the method to the madness. I agree with Evilducks (as usual), TMac just seems flustered.
Echoing all three of you guys— I’m not a fan of the constant line juggling from game to game, for all the things you mentioned.
That being said, I don’t know just what else he has left in his bag when the team comes out to play like that. The players performance pretty much forced his hand, and he stuck with what he had at the beginning of the game (HTML, Gooch-Pavs-Clowe) until the third period. At that point I think he really didn’t have choice.
Same goes for the game against Florida— Heatley-Thornton-Setoguchi was basically intact until the third, where a terrible second period had him go back to the wheel of fortune.
Going back to Heatley-Thornton-Gooch to start tonight probably would have been a good course of action; I’m fully on board with that line from here until the end of the season, and like Zero mentioned in his post, there has to be some consistency there. That being said, I can’t blame McLellan for the third period juggling in both games. He really had no other choice.
"San Jose is where I want to be at the end of the day, and there's an opportunity now to make it there. It is where my heart is." - Jamie McGinn, 2/22/10
Fear The Fin: Where Selling Your Soul Is The Likely Solution
I wish the Sharks would tell us when they're not going to bother showing up for a game
Coulda saved me some scratch… also not the best night to bring a hockey first timer to a game.
On the plus side I was sitting right in front of the press box and David Pollak was right behind me. Gave him an awkward wave during the national anthem when he glanced down at me. heh.
"Douglas Murray is a humongous human being." – Drew Remenda
Also on the plus side
Getzlaf and Selanne both DTD, and Ward left the game injured as well, not that he matters as much.
"Douglas Murray is a humongous human being." – Drew Remenda
Bright side express here!
1. at least we didnt get Dan Boyle Brian campbell-ed. i guess he is now potentially out for the season with a broken collar bone.
2. playing at the slow dragging pace the top guys are going now, even with 20+ minutes a game, they cant really get injured or fatigued, so we should enter the playoffs fairly healthy
3. sharks players are making good on what they said about the regular season not mattering, that it is the post season that they will be judged on. i mean, you play like that and it sure as crap doesnt seem to mean squat.
4. if they do exit early, at least they wont do so after being dominant and building everyone’s expectations of playoff success.
"Devin Setoguchi’s haircut has released the dragon" ~Drew Remenda
For some reason I have a feeling Jumbo is going to be a goddamn beast this year. Sharks are going to be tied 1-1 in the series going on the road for game three in the first round, and five minutes into the second he is just going to take over. ~Plank
by Jay Fin Anderson on Mar 14, 2010 9:52 PM PDT reply actions
Up until the 3rd, the game was pretty painful to be at and watch. Not having Boyle for the powerplays in the first really hurt, especially with the breakouts and zone entering.
I thought Clowe was one of the best players on the ice for the Sharks tonight. I really don’t see us winning many games when that is case.
If Ryane Clowe read that...
I thought Clowe was one of the best players on the ice for the Sharks tonight.
:)
I really don’t see us winning many games when that is case.hey! :’(
"That was the Manny Factor. And that was not manufactured." - Randy Hahn
"I cannot believe you just said that." - Drew Remenda
by DownRUpLYB on Mar 14, 2010 10:28 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
While I would like to see Clowe continue to play as well as he has lately, it remains true and even Clowe reads it. There are several players that need to play better than Clowe if this team wants to succeed.
Heatley, Thornton, Marleau, Boyle, Nabokov…
"Douglas Murray is a humongous human being." – Drew Remenda
Exactly the point I was trying to make.
by sharks in oc on Mar 14, 2010 11:01 PM PDT up reply actions
One thing I noticed...
Scott Nichol doesn’t look like that little ball of energy he usually is. He’s most likely not 100% yet, but I hope he heals quickly. He always gets the Sharks energized… (like a bunny?)
"I think people were ready to watch some hockey. We took up enough of everyone’s time."
-Jody Shelley after 87 seconds of hockey fighting against Cam Janssen
He also gives the team grit and sandpaper (I thought we were referencing cliches used by the coaches and management?)
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 Mar 14, 2010 11:33 PM PDT up reply actions
A true rink rat, that Nichol sure is.
"San Jose is where I want to be at the end of the day, and there's an opportunity now to make it there. It is where my heart is." - Jamie McGinn, 2/22/10
Fear The Fin: Where Selling Your Soul Is The Likely Solution
I’m all for experimenting, and now is the perfect time to do it, but random line combinations that change every shift aren’t helping us. If Mclellan wants to experiment he should be GIVING LOGAN COUTURE A SHOT ALONGSIDE MCGINN ALREADY, to see if theres any magic there that we can use in the playoffs on our third line. Or he could give Greiss more starts, to get him more experience for the future, while simultaneously giving Nabokov some rest before the playoffs.
I’m not all that concerned with whether we win or lose a regular season game at this point, as long as we’re doing something that’ll benefit us in the postseason or beyond.
Feedback.
Has to be the worst performance by the Sharks this season…there better be no game like this in the playoffs or we’re screwed.
As for the line juggling, at this point in the season, the lines should be fully stable and geling for the playoffs and ready to go – this was the aspect of RW’s coaching that worried me, that we didn’t have 4 stable lines ever playing, but anyway, I hope the Sharks start playing normally again just like before.
GO SHARKS! :D
Go Sharks!
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
In Association With
Latest Puck Daddy - NHL from Yahoo! Sports
- Trending Topics: Odd arbitration decisions; more NHLers Tweeting
- Ovechkin wins fifth Kharlamov Trophy, talks Talbot
- Puck Headlines: Witt hits waivers; Kovalchuk grievance details set
- Jersey Fouls: Sharks get creatively awful; hockey movie pass/fail
- White, Flames agree to one-year deal; Bruins sign Wheeler
Certain photos copyright © 2010 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
