Sharks learn from mistakes, trump Kings 4-2
by Matthew_Taylor on Nov 7, 2011 11:00 PM PST
in Sharks Game Recaps
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PrintThursday against Pittsburgh, the San Jose Sharks got off to a horrid start and had to claw back from an early two goal defect to win in the shootout. Saturday with Nashville in town, the Sharks started well and led by two in the third but saw that lead slip away and lost in overtime.
Tonight, against the division rival Los Angeles Kings, San Jose took the lessons learned in both those games and applied them to a winning effort.
The Sharks didn't play a perfect game, but they turned in a solid sixty minutes with an emphasis on the second and third periods to put away the Kings in the first meeting between the two Pacific Division darlings. San Jose got offense from their big stars and spurts of franchise goaltending from Antti Niemi en route to a 4-2 win.
There were issues tonight, to be sure. The Sharks took an astounding number of minor penalties (six to be exact, half of which came in the third), and the penalty kill continued to be the porous mess that it has been so far in the young season. Both of Los Angeles' tallies came on the power play tonight, giving San Jose an atrocious 66% penalty kill percentage for the contest. Though Coach Todd McLellan doesn't think this recent stretch of shorthanded problems is systemic, it's hard to continue to agree with him as the Sharks continue to turn in below average play with a man in the box.
That problem has been an ongoing trend for the Sharks lately, but thankfully, it hasn't interrupted the trend of winning games. The Sharks are now 7-1-1 after starting the year 1-3, and have appeared to improve slightly game after game in most aspects. The penalty kill has not been one of those aspects, but points in the standings have piled up in spite of the problems.
Standings points have come because the Sharks have been putting the puck in the back of the net, and tonight was no exception. After spotting Los Angeles the first goal of the game, San Jose got markers from Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, Dan Boyle and Logan Couture. Those goals come as huge reliefs for both Marleau and Boyle, who have struggled to find twine through thirteen games this year. Marleau's tally was his fourth of the year, while Boyle got just his first of the season. Joe Thornton also added an assist, bringing him back to a point per game pace in a resurgent season for the team Captain.
Last year, McLellan would continuously go on record and say that each game in today's NHL was in essence a race to three goals. The team who got there first usually won, and that sentiment has been dead on so far this year. Every game the Sharks have won has seen them score three or more goals. Of the games they have lost, they have scored three times only once. Thankfully, the goals have been there to overcome the aforementioned penalty kill issues and some sporadic play by Niemi. The offense seems to be just fine as the team looks towards the Wild on Thursday night.
It was interesting to watch a Kings team tonight who was billed as one of the NHL's best before the season started. Jonathan Quick still looked as good as advertised despite giving up four goals, but the rest of the team was stopped cold by the Sharks after they went down 2-1. They've taken almost the opposite path as San Jose, winning five of seven to start the year but going 1-4-2 in their last eight. Why? They haven't won the race to three lately, scoring two or less goals in each of their last eight games. For a team who added so much offense in the offseason, that's unacceptable. Quick is elite, but he can only win so many games alone.
Neither team is perfect, but for now, San Jose is overcoming their deficiencies in play while LA has not. That, above all else, led the Sharks to a win tonight.
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IMO you exaggerated the troubles of the PK
One goal was on a 5 on 3 and the other was just Anze fuckin’ Kopitar. The Sharks, I felt, really limited the shots both in number and in quality, mainly keeping them to the outside. This was especially true when Quick was pulled while LA was already on the PP. Maybe it was a lack of urgency from LA, but the Sharks seemed to do a good job of not giving them the middle. Another time Pavelski and Thornton controlled the puck in the offensive zone for a good 30 seconds while on the PK. All in all, I thought the PK was much improved. Good write up and a great game!
"You can't stop him, you can only hope to contain Kent Huskins!" - Randy Hahn 2/13/11
I'm on the tweets
I agree. The stats may not show it but I thought the PK tonight looked much better than the downright atrocious shorthanded play they had been running previously.
by WhatsAMataHari on Nov 7, 2011 11:14 PM PST up reply actions
5 on 3 point is valid
But there was a systemic problem with the Anze Kopitar goal. Boyle started off much too high instead of staying on a line with his partner on the back end.
Great game though. It was the first game this season where I thought Pavelski was pretty invisible out there, and the Sharks managed to do fine. Good to know if Pavs goes through a cold stretch later in the season or the PO’s that the Sharks can be fine without him sniping away.
"It was good to get banged and give a few bangs." - Jonathan Cheechoo
It's easy to be +
when the opponents have no ES goals.
"Douglas Murray is a humongous human being." – Drew Remenda
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Or when playing with Thornton, Boyle, and Marleau.
But I agree with Billy in that I still think Pavs had a solid game.
Being invisible Captain America style.
by WhatsAMataHari on Nov 7, 2011 11:31 PM PST up reply actions
5 on 3's suck
But one save would have been nice… That was a stupid stupid penalty by Mitchell to put us in that situation, leaving 2 of our top PK’ers in the box, and we currently suck on the PK.
As for the Kopitar goal, he beat a skater 1 on 1 because Boyle didn’t communicate with Murray and then got his own rebound (which Nemo should have iced to begin with). You can say Anze fucking Kopitar all you want, but yeah, leave most players alone to get their own rebounds and they’ll do that to you.
"Douglas Murray is a humongous human being." – Drew Remenda
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Actually, having Mitchell in the box probably helped, I just wish Handzus was in there, too. For supposedly being the top guys on the kill, they have been awful this year (worst on the team along with Andrew Murray, a guy playing solely for his supposed PK skill).
I am hoping it is small sample size issues, but Mitchell has never been a good PKer (Despite posting very good defensive numbers 5v5) and Handzus was a pretty average PKer before his stud year last year.
Joe Pavelski, career year offensively despite still seeing over 2 minutes a night on the PK. I hope TMac doesn’t burn him out, but Pavs seems to be handling the tough minutes pretty well.
Yeah, Handzus really fucked up the whole 30 seconds he got on the kill last night.
Believing in the Sharks, one photoshop at a time. GO SHARKS!
Okay, I meant that to be sarcastic, not completely assinine.
Let’s try “Handzus really screwed us with his 30 seconds on the kill last night.”
Believing in the Sharks, one photoshop at a time. GO SHARKS!
A 66% PK is not much improved and the Sharks still had plenty of trouble (Mitchell taking a penalty to make it 5 on 3, Niemi not making a save he should be able to make, Boyle being out of position). The season is still young and there is much time to improve but it is disturbing since the trend is continuing from last year despite coaching changes and player turnover.
Will bringing in another “PK specialist” (the first being Handzus) really help or is it a systemic problem?
A 66% PK is not much improved
See that’s what I don’t like, when people just say “It can’t be improved it was 66%, that rate would put them in last place!!!” when there was more to it than just the percentage of 6 PK opportunities.
"You can't stop him, you can only hope to contain Kent Huskins!" - Randy Hahn 2/13/11
I'm on the tweets
Still, though, that’s what the season boils down to. I’m with you that there were some marginal improvements, but allowing 2-6 just isn’t going to fly for this team, especially considering how bad they have already been with respect to the PK.
If they are playing better, that’s eventually going to show up in the results. They’ve been a stellar team even strength this year even if the PK has been a sieve, so I don’t think the issues can really be that huge. The results have to come before we start handing out consolation points though. (This statement does not apply to Jamie McGinn)
Fear the Fin: "I've always said that if you don't have the motivation within you... It's not Doug Wilson's job to motivate me. I've got motivation within myself, especially going through some of the experiences that I had last year." - Nick Petrecki
by Matthew_Taylor on Nov 8, 2011 7:36 AM PST up reply actions
All this talk about percetanges seems pointless
We won the game. That doesn’t mean there aren’t areas in which we need to improve, but just saying, we need a higher success rate on the penalty kill, when we win games, is just pointless.
Maybe we need to do a better job clearing the crease, maybe we need to pressure the puck carrier more, maybe we need to focus more on clearing the puck, maybe we need to watch for the back door shots and maintain defensive awareness.
These would be substantive complaints, not just “We’re only killing at a 4 to 6 rate!”
Although, either way, it’s not like our realizing it is going to do a lick of good I suppose. So in the end we’re just griping. Some of us just gripe better than others.
Proud member of the "Bring Back Semenov" Club
"The only crying allowed in hockey is when you lose a playoff series, retire or JR is speaking publicly." - Jamie Baker
"You are down with the homies, my friend." - Randy Hahn
Kent Huskins cares.
"Don't fart on my chair mutha fuckah!" - Randy Hahn
"Pavs with great feed but what a release by Wingels Peanut Butter Baby!"" - Jamie Baker
by PNK on Nov 8, 2011 8:09 AM PST up reply actions
But we've lost games
Because of a crappy PK. So it does have a point. You don’t only worry about the leak in your roof when it’s raining.
What IS the point though? That we’ve allowed more goals than the other team? Bravo. The solution to our PK problems is to not allow goals. You’ve solved it.
My point is that merely pointing out that we have a poor success rate on the PK is pointless.
Proud member of the "Bring Back Semenov" Club
"The only crying allowed in hockey is when you lose a playoff series, retire or JR is speaking publicly." - Jamie Baker
"You are down with the homies, my friend." - Randy Hahn
Kent Huskins cares.
"Don't fart on my chair mutha fuckah!" - Randy Hahn
"Pavs with great feed but what a release by Wingels Peanut Butter Baby!"" - Jamie Baker
by PNK on Nov 8, 2011 9:25 AM PST up reply actions
Okay, so I totally misunderstood your post when I first responded
That said, I’d think the point is that percentages are a good way to compile all the intangibles into one easily digestible piece of information.
And in the end, if we’re trying to improve our intangibles, this is the only measure that matters.
It wouldn’t be a good piece of advice for a coach to give his players but for us to judge our penalty kill by, it’s supremely useful. Because at the end of the day, success matters.
There’s also the matter of WHO had a 33% PP success rate against us.
The Kings have been struggling offensively, yet they still got 2 goals off of us on the PP. Was the PK better? Yes. But it’s still no good.
"Logan Couture is a dirty, filthy man. Tell all your friends" - Mr. Plank
Welcome to the NHL, Atlanta Thrashers of Winnipeg.
Honestly though
I feel like a lot of our bad PKing has been the goalies. I know, you really shouldn’t blame them too much, especially on power plays, but a goalie needs to be your best PKer and both of them really haven’t been.
Drew has said almost the exact same thing two games in a row.
And I tend to agree. The forwards definitely need to own their share (especially now that Burns has settled down on the PK and isn’t dashing all over like an candy-binged-kid), but the goalies gotta make the saves, too.
Believing in the Sharks, one photoshop at a time. GO SHARKS!
I am inclined to believe this to an extent
I believe Niemi had one of the best SV%‘s 5v5 last year, but on the PK he was just terrible. I don’t know if it is his style (gives up lots of rebounds, covers up space but not particularly quick or agile) that puts him at a disadvantage when the other team has an extra attacker, but he isn’t part of the solution.
I agree with Niemi
looking horrible on the Pk. He’s not very agile when he falls to the ice, not agressive enough imo and all his rebounds don’t help at all. The pk can’t stop every shot and Niemi kicking out rebounds instead being able to stop the puck for new faceoffs keep whatever unit out way too long sometimes. What did Drew or whoever say? That Tmac said if you win 3 faceoffs in your own zone you’ve pretty much killed the penalty. I’m not just blaming him but besides 5 on 3 this year it’s not like the Sharks have given up a bunch of open net shots.
Yeah i thought the PK looked really good tonight actually.
Both goals we’re on Niemi imo. On the first goal he should’ve been covering the bottom of the net even if he couldn’t see the puck (though it seems like he could), and on the second goal he just gave up a bad rebound to Kopitar for an easy goal.
They did a much better job of pressuring the puck carrier and forcing the Kings to make decisions with the pucks, and they made LA really work for their entries. I’m not sure how many clean breaks they got into the zone throughout the night but it couldn’t have been many.
I’m on the fence here. I agree with Matt that the PK is clearly an issue that’s hurt them all year so they don’t really deserve any leeway in terms of results, but I agree with you that it was one of their better outings as a unit and the two goals weren’t big breakdowns by any stretch of the imagination. It’s a great building block for them to use going forward.
Last night was one of their better performances on the PK this year. But they need to turn in a good five game effort for us to really say things are headed in the right direction.
"The world is a comedy to those that think; a tragedy to those that feel." - Horace Walpole
Fear The Fin: Where Selling Your Soul Is The Likely Solution
by Mr. Plank on Nov 8, 2011 8:01 AM PST up reply actions 1 recs
This.
"Never start a fight, but ALWAYS finish it."
@TheFourthPeriod How intense with the #Bruins #Habs PO series be? || @Noctro Like K-Y Jelly lit on fire. || @TheFourthPeriod Wow. Best. Answer. Ever.
"I still say McLellan needs to roll Pavelski, Marleau, and Stetoguchi together. No one would go NEAR that line."
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Neimi
Had a tough time last night. Although his GAA wasn’t too bad, he seemed to be fighting the puck allot. (PK included)
"Now your gunna get it Bobby" -Happy
Will Harris San Jose - Sacramento
by will_hunter23 on Nov 8, 2011 10:37 AM PST up reply actions
Well
That is saying something when one of your better performances of the year on the PK is only giving up a 5v3 goal in less than ten seconds and overall giving up 2 goals on 6 penalties.
I don’t think the Sharks are this bad at the PK, but they certainly arent good. If the Sharks are even average at the allstar break, I think that would be a very positive development.
The PK is going to look bad no matter how good they’re playing if the goaltender can’t make saves that he’s expected to make.
Honestly, I’m not a Niemi hater but he is not playing well right now. I thought he was really lucky to only give up 2 goals as he didn’t look good at all on several shots earlier in the game, but still he should’ve stopped both goals last night and had a shutout.
re:5 on 3's
But I wonder: if the Sharks had a better PK, would they take an additional penalty, awarding their opponent a 5 on 3?
On Kopitar’s goal, that was one FAT rebound Niemi gave up as per usual. I wasn’t a huge Nabby fan, but he was pretty good at swallowing up pucks, and NOT giving up as many rebounds as Antti.
I both agree and disagree on the penalty kill.
Boyle again was out of position and too far up the ice, and he knew it too. The 5 on 3 should never have happened. Again, our 3rd defensive pairings have been suspect when either of White or Demers is in the starting lineup. Braun was once again excellent, and Vandermeer should be put in next to him.
The stupid penalties need to stop.
by Dermal Denticles on Nov 7, 2011 11:21 PM PST reply actions
I wish We Pressured our
Blue line on opposing team entries, Like every team does to us, more quick pressure in general, the Sharks Don’t look as Dominant when teams Commit to super aggressive pressure Something I notice is more of pushing back and forth nothing sustained I guess
Still loving the way Braun is playing (is he ever going to let Demers back into the lineup? Braun helps the PP so much more), but I agree about White. You want to be patient because he could really pay dividends in the long run, but I don’t know—his best days clearly are behind him.
I wonder if there’s any chance that we might see Demers paired with Braun on Thursday night. If not, then yeah, I hope it’s Vandermeer.
The principal supporting business now is rage. -- Richard Hugo
Both Matt and I love Demers, but Braun deserves that spot right now. He’s been dynamite the last three games.
"The world is a comedy to those that think; a tragedy to those that feel." - Horace Walpole
Fear The Fin: Where Selling Your Soul Is The Likely Solution
It would be funky because Demers and Braun play the same side and theoretically carry the same playstyle.
Though I would argue that Braun is showing more of his defensive acumen than he has in the past and they may not be as similar in that regard as they once were.
Personally, I’m for the experiment at this point. White hasn’t been as good as we’d hoped and while I think Vandermeer is bringing what he’s expected to bring, that’s not a titanic addition. If Braun and Demers can skate together we should be getting at least the best potential pairing on the ice. Whether they play up to that will be something to wait and see.
Believing in the Sharks, one photoshop at a time. GO SHARKS!
Demers/Braun Pairing
I’ve been against trying this because I really don’t know how well it would work since they’re both right handed right side d-men – and switching sides is NOT easy. The latest example of how hard it is is Franson in Toronto.
However, at this point, I’m starting to think it might be worth a shot since I really hate Demers sitting in the press box. Braun is capable of playing a defensive d-man game, so maybe see if he can switch to the left side.
Not sure it’s something the coaching staff will do though.
I second
Van/Braun. That’s two games in a row where White (here and there) just seems out of place.
Ever since i saw White completely shutdown Datsyuk even after his best efforts to shake him, he can do no wrong in my book. Dude is good.
All
I give them a PK pass if they had been decent to this point, but they have not. Maybe some small strides tonight but results need to follow. Taking less penalties would have been a start.
Fear the Fin: "I've always said that if you don't have the motivation within you... It's not Doug Wilson's job to motivate me. I've got motivation within myself, especially going through some of the experiences that I had last year." - Nick Petrecki
by Matthew_Taylor on Nov 7, 2011 11:26 PM PST via iPhone app reply actions
I'm thinking that Wilson needs to target a third line penalty killing wing before the trade deadline.
I do believe we have ~2 mil in cap space to go out and find someone that can help our short handed play.
Problem is
He also isn’t getting any scoring out of the 3rd line. At this point, I’m not sure whether I would want a Sammy Phalsson type or a Kyle Wellwood type. Unless McGinn starts recapturing some offensive mojo, the Sharks are essentially a 2 line team.
I liked this stat from Puck Daddy
The last five times Jonathan Quick has allowed more than 3 goals (inc. playoffs) have come against the Sharks.
And Ryan Miller. It feels like he basically shuts out the Sharks every time we face him.
by WhatsAMataHari on Nov 7, 2011 11:46 PM PST up reply actions
Which thankfully is not that often, unlike the dreaded Hiller.
by WhatsAMataHari on Nov 7, 2011 11:46 PM PST up reply actions
who will turn around and let the coyotes score 5 two nights later
"Duh duh... duh duh... duh duh... Salsa shark! We're gonna need a bigger boat! Man goes into cage, cage goes into salsa. Shark's in the salsa. Our shark." - Randall Graves
The Lone Niclas Wallin Fan
I can't wait for Thursday's game.
Seto and Heatley return to the Tank! I hope that they each get warm receptions.
I will be there clapping for them (at least before the game starts)! Super excited.
by WhatsAMataHari on Nov 7, 2011 11:56 PM PST up reply actions
I think Seto will get his due
But I’m a little worried about Heatley getting booed. I really hope he doesn’t.
Oh man, I hadn’t thought about that. I really hope not. I figured he would be okay because you still see a ton of people wearing Heatley jerseys around the tank, but I could be wrong.
by WhatsAMataHari on Nov 8, 2011 12:00 AM PST up reply actions
That's true.
The only reason I even thought about it was because Heatley didn’t produce at all in the playoffs the last two years so some might view him as the reason we lost. We’ll have to see.
I think if fans boo Heatley, that’s just pathetic. Heatley wanted to come to San Jose… Heatley loved being in San Jose… Heatley did NOT want to be traded… he was injured and during that time, he intentionally or not became the scapegoat. He’s doing well in Minnesota but let’s not forget, he was pretty awesome for us before he got injured. I will be cheering loudly for both Seto and Heatley when they show them on the jumbotron on Thursday.
Waiting for the Cup to come to SJ since 1991...
GO SHARKS!
Find me on Twitter @njahoda
/sniff
Yeah definitely.
I think if fans boo Heatley, that’s just pathetic AND idiotic. I thought that even though he wasn’t scoring goals, he got a lot less credit than he deserved for helping that 2nd line click.
Rated M for McGinn.
I called out Kawikama for that horrible write-up in the Merc when Dany was traded.
And we had words. Not even ashamed of it in the least. I really don’t care if Kawikama thinks I’m an asshat. Feeling is mutual, and Dany deserved a better departing story than that line of mucus.
"Never start a fight, but ALWAYS finish it."
@TheFourthPeriod How intense with the #Bruins #Habs PO series be? || @Noctro Like K-Y Jelly lit on fire. || @TheFourthPeriod Wow. Best. Answer. Ever.
"I still say McLellan needs to roll Pavelski, Marleau, and Stetoguchi together. No one would go NEAR that line."
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by Noctro on Nov 8, 2011 2:11 PM PST via iPhone app up reply actions
Kawikama responded to you? haha
"Logan Couture is a dirty, filthy man. Tell all your friends" - Mr. Plank
Welcome to the NHL, Atlanta Thrashers of Winnipeg.
Yup.
Because I called him out directly for trashing a player with casual fan criticisms versus hilighting his real contributions and the reasons he needed to be moved. Heater deserved better than slime like that published in the team’s hometown paper. Insensitive to both the player and those that liked him.
"Never start a fight, but ALWAYS finish it."
@TheFourthPeriod How intense with the #Bruins #Habs PO series be? || @Noctro Like K-Y Jelly lit on fire. || @TheFourthPeriod Wow. Best. Answer. Ever.
"I still say McLellan needs to roll Pavelski, Marleau, and Stetoguchi together. No one would go NEAR that line."
My Twitter
That's one typo I really don't care if I make.
"Never start a fight, but ALWAYS finish it."
@TheFourthPeriod How intense with the #Bruins #Habs PO series be? || @Noctro Like K-Y Jelly lit on fire. || @TheFourthPeriod Wow. Best. Answer. Ever.
"I still say McLellan needs to roll Pavelski, Marleau, and Stetoguchi together. No one would go NEAR that line."
My Twitter
by Noctro on Nov 9, 2011 6:20 AM PST via iPhone app up reply actions
No one should ever boo Heater.
Dany Heatley=All-star.
Randy Hahn: "He's got moves like Jagr."
by dfh15 on Nov 8, 2011 2:07 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
No reason not to
cheer for both of them They’re doing well in Minny and the Sharks are better and better with Havlat and Burns.
I'll be there
cheering loudly when Doug Murray puts Heater on his ass. Just not a fan of the guy’s attitude or what he brought to San Jose. Don’t think I’ll boo him, but let’s just say I’m happy to see him wearing green instead of teal. Seto will definitely be getting love though.
Twitter: H_2SO_4
Kinda hard to explain. I feel like he came off as overly cocky and never really played at 100%, whether healthy or not. There were numerous times when his lazy backchecking/defensive coverage led to chances and goals against us, and how many times did he skate the puck straight into the opposing defense, committing unforced turnovers? He never quite found a place on either the first or the second line and kept having to be bounced between them to motivate him to work. I might be overstating things to a degree, but that’s how I feel.
Twitter: H_2SO_4
Um...
…he did the playoffs with a busted hand last year, so I’m not getting this at all.
"Never start a fight, but ALWAYS finish it."
@TheFourthPeriod How intense with the #Bruins #Habs PO series be? || @Noctro Like K-Y Jelly lit on fire. || @TheFourthPeriod Wow. Best. Answer. Ever.
"I still say McLellan needs to roll Pavelski, Marleau, and Stetoguchi together. No one would go NEAR that line."
My Twitter
He never had an attitude problem
He liked being here, but his sorta one dimensional play never really worked in our system. He didn’t really have the speed to backcheck effectively either.
Dany Heatley=All-star.
Randy Hahn: "He's got moves like Jagr."
by dfh15 on Nov 8, 2011 4:25 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
To be honest, I’m not sure he’s ever had an “attitude problem”. The only thing he did that could lead to that conclusion is the trade demand in Ottawa.
After that point in time, a lot of people see him in some sort of evil light.
"Logan Couture is a dirty, filthy man. Tell all your friends" - Mr. Plank
Welcome to the NHL, Atlanta Thrashers of Winnipeg.
I feel a lot of the ill will toward him is undeserved.
Dany Heatley=All-star.
Randy Hahn: "He's got moves like Jagr."
by dfh15 on Nov 8, 2011 6:59 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
Overall a feel good game
I’m still very worried about our PK. Handzus hasn’t really been making much of a difference IMO, he’s not even really winning faceoffs. Let’s face it, he’s no Malhotra
But regardless, I’m happy we beat LA because few teams scare me more than them. I keep waiting for the year they officially become better than the Sharks, which almost feels inevitable given how young and talented they are. As long as we’re beating them right now, I’m happy.
"Everybody had a part in this. As you can see, our fans love this. And we love them. And bring on the next team." -Joe Thornton
"I'm not saying I invented the turtleneck. But I was the first person to realize its potential as a tactical garment. The tactical turtleneck! The... tactleneck!"-Sterling Archer
by waive kent huskins on Nov 8, 2011 12:26 AM PST reply actions
Game 13, and I don't believe in luck
To me, all luck is bad. If something is good, then it is a blessing.
We all rip on our team, probably worse than fans of other teams, and probably a lot less than fans of other teams. So I’ll leave it at that for today.
Sharks Win! I’ll take it.
Game 13 this season: 4-2 Win vs LA
Game 13 last season: 2-3 Overtime loss to Ana
at 13 games this season: 8 – 4 – 1 / 17 pts, 41 GF – 35 GA
at 13 games last season: 6 – 5 – 2 / 14 pts, 36 GF – 33 GA
next 10 games, games 14 – 23 last season: 5 – 3 – 2
going: SOW, W, W, OTL, OTL, L, W, L, W, L
The November Sharkstistics have been updated. Now included, by request, are a couple of extra goalie stats: Avg GF and GA per game played in, regardless of minutes. This differs from the NHL GAA stat of goals per 60 minutes of play.
The glossaries have also been updated to include the new definitions.
Sharks, keep scoring, keep winning, and we Sharks fans will be happy! At least to a point, as we will continue to criticize your performances either way, good, bad ,or meh.
Go Sharks!
If you mention ending your life, or show signs of self-harm, I will take you seriously!
"Take a deep breath sometimes, a break, and play some hockey. Hockey is a great way to take a pause from day-to-day hard work." -- Lt Gen. D.H. Huntoon Jr. (paraphrased)
"He doesn't miss many of those!" --Randy Hahn
Shameless plug for my music.
We all rip on our team, probably worse than fans of other teams, and probably a lot less than fans of other teams.
Whaaa?
"Logan Couture is a dirty, filthy man. Tell all your friends" - Mr. Plank
Welcome to the NHL, Atlanta Thrashers of Winnipeg.
If you look at the points to complaints ratio, the man is right on the money.
"The world is a comedy to those that think; a tragedy to those that feel." - Horace Walpole
Fear The Fin: Where Selling Your Soul Is The Likely Solution
I think the “whaa” is just in reference to trying to figure out that sentence, it seems very contridictory.
I think we rip a team that is 7-1-1 over it’s last 9 a bit too much.
…
Stupid PK.
"Douglas Murray is a humongous human being." – Drew Remenda
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I believe
Soloact means to say that we are not as quick to rip on our team as some other teams’ fanbases are, but we are also nastier than some other fanbases in what we say (we will use a 10-game sample at the start of a season as basis for whether or not someone is a bust or not, for instance). Then again, I’ve heard horror stories about the behavior of other fanbases, so maybe that analysis is inaccurate (it’s certainly biased by my “cheer when they win and ignore it when they lose” attitude about sports).
by Salmon of Wisdom on Nov 8, 2011 8:33 AM PST up reply actions
Clarified a little
We Sharks fans are just as quick to criticize our team as fans of other teams, but aren’t the softest nor the hardest in our criticizing our team vs fans of other teams.
No matter how the Sharks are playing, we fans are still going to criticize them for something or another. We have a good team and always expect them to play well, thus we are pretty hard on them for bad habits, bad plays, etc.
If you mention ending your life, or show signs of self-harm, I will take you seriously!
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I got it.
But I’m the FTF leader in typo points, so, well, y’know.
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Exactly
We do complain quite a bit… but I’m still confused as to what that sentence means.
Are we just average at complaining? Because that seems impossible…
"Logan Couture is a dirty, filthy man. Tell all your friends" - Mr. Plank
Welcome to the NHL, Atlanta Thrashers of Winnipeg.
Didn't watch the game last night...
Had to wake up early for the Call of Duty Contemporary Combat 3 thing. DX Why couldn’t it have been something cool, like BioShock?
Anyway, WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, go Sharks!
Also, LA’s away jerseys are rather sexy. Good on them.
The artist formerly know as *"Sharks_Fan_In_Toronto"*
"Those of you who volunteered to be injected praying mantis DNA, I have some good news and some bad news: bad news is we've postponed these test indefinitely. Good news is we've got a much better test for you: fighting an army of mantis men! Pick up a rifle and follow the yellow line. You'll know when the test starts."
Is Contempourary Coumbat 3 any good?
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Short.
5 hour campaign. Meh.
Activision gets 2:00 for unsportsmanlike conduct
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I honestly don't think it adds enough above the other two that it justifies $60.
But this is a convo best left in the OT thread.
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Probably not.
I don’t play games like that. They’re clearly designed for teenagers. “WE GOTSA STOP DURR TERRORISTS, GUISE” “tEH ONOES, MAH BUDDY IS DIE – OH WAIT, RESPAWN.”
The artist formerly know as *"Sharks_Fan_In_Toronto"*
"Those of you who volunteered to be injected praying mantis DNA, I have some good news and some bad news: bad news is we've postponed these test indefinitely. Good news is we've got a much better test for you: fighting an army of mantis men! Pick up a rifle and follow the yellow line. You'll know when the test starts."
by Evil Stanchion on Nov 8, 2011 12:46 PM PST up reply actions
The vast majority of CoD players are adults. It’s rated for adults (M for mature). It’s marketed during shows where the audience heavily skews for 20-35 year old males.
I would say it is clearly designed for adults.
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by Evilducks on Nov 8, 2011 1:00 PM PST via iPhone app up reply actions
Interesting, then, that it's primarily 13-year-olds buying it at my store.
Can’t say I’ve seen many people over 25 buying it for themselves. And besides. There’s nothing more attractive to a young male than an M rating.
The artist formerly know as *"Sharks_Fan_In_Toronto"*
"Those of you who volunteered to be injected praying mantis DNA, I have some good news and some bad news: bad news is we've postponed these test indefinitely. Good news is we've got a much better test for you: fighting an army of mantis men! Pick up a rifle and follow the yellow line. You'll know when the test starts."
by Evil Stanchion on Nov 8, 2011 3:45 PM PST up reply actions
Perhaps you just spend too much time shopping at toys’r’us or GameStop.
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by Evilducks on Nov 8, 2011 4:58 PM PST via iPhone app up reply actions
... I work at a game store.
You’re operating on a vague assumption that only older people buy Call of Duty. A false assumption.
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"Those of you who volunteered to be injected praying mantis DNA, I have some good news and some bad news: bad news is we've postponed these test indefinitely. Good news is we've got a much better test for you: fighting an army of mantis men! Pick up a rifle and follow the yellow line. You'll know when the test starts."
by Evil Stanchion on Nov 8, 2011 5:06 PM PST up reply actions
I imagine (and this could be totally false) that people on the older end of the spectrum probably just buy games online from stores like Amazon.com etc. And younger people (who presumably don’t have a credit card yet) are the ones who go to game stores to buy games. So there might be a bit of a sampling bias going on in different people’s perceptions of who customers for games are.
I don’t know much about the market for videogames generally, but I do know that TV ads for videogames (and movies) tend to be marketed towards the 13-18 year old male demographic.
by WhatsAMataHari on Nov 8, 2011 5:10 PM PST up reply actions
Oh, that's a good point, actually.
From what I can personally observe, it’s mostly young people, although I do get a lot of feedback from some of the older customers about the ludicrous number of racist 8-year-olds on LIVE… Of course, tat could also be more a matter of younger kids having this strange thing called “free time” that vanished from my life when I turned 19ish.
The artist formerly know as *"Sharks_Fan_In_Toronto"*
"Those of you who volunteered to be injected praying mantis DNA, I have some good news and some bad news: bad news is we've postponed these test indefinitely. Good news is we've got a much better test for you: fighting an army of mantis men! Pick up a rifle and follow the yellow line. You'll know when the test starts."
by Evil Stanchion on Nov 8, 2011 5:15 PM PST up reply actions
So true. Where has all my free time gone?! Oh yeah. I spend it on FtF.
by WhatsAMataHari on Nov 8, 2011 5:18 PM PST up reply actions
I was gonna mention this
I almost always buy games from Amazon or some other online retailer. The last thing I bought at a Gamestop was MvC2, only because it came with the limited edition useless box with the DLC code inside.
Rated M for McGinn.
only?
So vast majority means only? I don’t even like CoD, I just go by the published statistics. The vast majority of CoD gamers and gamers in general are adult males. I know plenty of other adults who play it.
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by Evilducks on Nov 8, 2011 5:17 PM PST via iPhone app up reply actions
I return you to my point about "free time"...
And ponder how these adults can afford Call of Duty collecting unemployment.
The artist formerly know as *"Sharks_Fan_In_Toronto"*
"Those of you who volunteered to be injected praying mantis DNA, I have some good news and some bad news: bad news is we've postponed these test indefinitely. Good news is we've got a much better test for you: fighting an army of mantis men! Pick up a rifle and follow the yellow line. You'll know when the test starts."
by Evil Stanchion on Nov 8, 2011 5:20 PM PST up reply actions
I work 50 hours a week. That leaves 118 hours to do other things.
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by Evilducks on Nov 8, 2011 5:22 PM PST via iPhone app up reply actions 2 recs
That doesn’t apply to him. Canada uses the metric system
"Logan Couture is a dirty, filthy man. Tell all your friends" - Mr. Plank
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by Bockerz on Nov 8, 2011 7:39 PM PST up reply actions 2 recs
No sleeping? Commuting? Kids? Wife?
Errands? Friends? Christ almighty man, so much more than vidya games out there.
The artist formerly know as *"Sharks_Fan_In_Toronto"*
"Those of you who volunteered to be injected praying mantis DNA, I have some good news and some bad news: bad news is we've postponed these test indefinitely. Good news is we've got a much better test for you: fighting an army of mantis men! Pick up a rifle and follow the yellow line. You'll know when the test starts."
by Evil Stanchion on Nov 8, 2011 7:47 PM PST up reply actions
Commute included in work hours. I sleep about 40 hours a week. Still leaves a lot of time. Even after Sharks games. Many people play video games without being unemployed.
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by Evilducks on Nov 9, 2011 9:54 AM PST via iPhone app up reply actions
You can't sleep 40 hours a week and stay healthy.
8 hours a night, on average. Work on that, before the physical and mental health problems catch up with you.
The artist formerly know as *"Sharks_Fan_In_Toronto"*
"Those of you who volunteered to be injected praying mantis DNA, I have some good news and some bad news: bad news is we've postponed these test indefinitely. Good news is we've got a much better test for you: fighting an army of mantis men! Pick up a rifle and follow the yellow line. You'll know when the test starts."
by Evil Stanchion on Nov 9, 2011 8:26 PM PST up reply actions
I get 5 to 6 a night usually. Adults don’t need more than 7 and can easily get by on 6 a night on average.
I have insomnia, some nights I just don’t get much, others I get lots.
I have a fiance who I spend a lot of time with, no kids, don’t want them. I have hockey and I play games semi-regularly. Not a CoD fan, but I use to manage being in a raid guild in WoW fairly successfully while working. Thankfully I’m off that crack, so finding time to play regular games seems like a breeze.
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There are no absolutes.
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You sell and MA18 game to minors?
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by Noctro on Nov 8, 2011 9:10 PM PST up reply actions 2 recs
No, to their parents, technically.
The kids can convince these parents the sky is pink. No matter what I say, the kid’s BS apparently weighs more than my knowledge. Either that or they don’t care. Which is most of the time.
The artist formerly know as *"Sharks_Fan_In_Toronto"*
"Those of you who volunteered to be injected praying mantis DNA, I have some good news and some bad news: bad news is we've postponed these test indefinitely. Good news is we've got a much better test for you: fighting an army of mantis men! Pick up a rifle and follow the yellow line. You'll know when the test starts."
by Evil Stanchion on Nov 9, 2011 9:08 AM PST up reply actions
I can also do a stupid recap of anything you like in the same manor:
OH CANDA HAV OPEN SPACES. FRESH AIR. I GO FUK TREE NOW.
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by Evilducks on Nov 8, 2011 1:03 PM PST via iPhone app up reply actions
Is that Canada’s national anthem?
"Logan Couture is a dirty, filthy man. Tell all your friends" - Mr. Plank
Welcome to the NHL, Atlanta Thrashers of Winnipeg.
Just rolls his eyes.
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Yes. Yes it is.
<3 Canada.
The artist formerly know as *"Sharks_Fan_In_Toronto"*
"Those of you who volunteered to be injected praying mantis DNA, I have some good news and some bad news: bad news is we've postponed these test indefinitely. Good news is we've got a much better test for you: fighting an army of mantis men! Pick up a rifle and follow the yellow line. You'll know when the test starts."
by Evil Stanchion on Nov 8, 2011 3:46 PM PST up reply actions
Great game imo
I thought we played a really good 60 minute game.
I’m really loving Andrew Murray. The guy works really hard, plays well defensively, and he seems to always be all over the puck. He’s a great checking line player.
Braun also continues to look great, which makes me wonder when we’ll see Demers again. We can’t bench Braun when he’s playing so well, but Demers showed so much promise the last couple years that it kinda sucks having him sit out. Both Demers and Vandermeer are good defensemen that other teams would love to have, but on our team they just sit in the press box. It’s weird having so much defensive depth.
Anyways, both goals scored against us tonight were pretty soft goals that Niemi shouldn’t have given up. I think we should let Niemi work on his game in practice for a while and give Greiss the starts he deserves until he has a bad game.
I’m kind of hoping that they bench White and put in Demers. White has been underwhelming, IMO.
"Logan Couture is a dirty, filthy man. Tell all your friends" - Mr. Plank
Welcome to the NHL, Atlanta Thrashers of Winnipeg.
I second this.
I am biased, though. Demers is my favorite player.
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Good Game!
For all of the complaining about Niemi – not one mention that the Sharks don’t get out of the first period tied at 0-0 without him.
Yes, I’d like him to stop the Johnson shot and the rebound he gave to Kopitar wasn’t good. But he also made quite a few very good saves and in the end, gave up less goals than Quick (who also let in 2 very questionable goals). He will continue to get more comfortable with more starts.
Marleau looked fantastic while shutting down Kopitar 5 on 5.
I thought it was very interesting that McLellan (or whom ever) switched up the D pairings putting Burns w/ White & Vlasic w/ Braun. Not sure if that was a reward for Braun who had a great game or what, but it’ll be interesting to see if that sticks for the next game.
Really looking forward to going to the game on Thursday!
We couldn’t get out of the first period 0-0 without niemi? You mean like if there was an empty net instead? I guess that would be true, but its not like Greiss couldn’t make the 7 saves in that first period.
I honestly think greiss would’ve gotten a shutout had he played last night.
Darn Grier's Law
If you mention ending your life, or show signs of self-harm, I will take you seriously!
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No I think the empty net is the only scenario where we would’ve given up more goals.
You know what’s scary to think about, especially for the last couple games? What the score would be if we traded goaltenders with the opposing team for that game. Last game we probably would’ve won 0-7. Quick would’ve easily saved those 2 goals by LA and Niemi wouldn’t have made 2-4 of the saves Quick made.
I think we need to give greiss the starts he deserves, and let Niemi spend some time in practice with our goalie coaches trying to find his game again.
Greiss has played against 4 teams this seanon, 3 of them are in the bottom 10 (2 actually being the bottom 2) in GF/G. He’s played very well in those games – but who’s to say Niemi doesn’t win those 3 games as well. Maybe he doesn’t give up that lone goal against Anaheim.
There is NO way to know what Greiss or Quick or Fleury would’ve done…but it’s fun to specualte I guess.
Niemi is still trying to find his A game, I never said otherwise, but considering he just “lucked” himself into a 2 GAA / .935sp game, I’d say he’s on the right track.
Breathe deep, and remember:
This time last year, we were yelling for Nemo to get traded and to use his backup as a starter, too.
It appears that we a) never learn and b) need somebody to be the guy we illogically want traded. Nemo appears to be that guy right now.
by Salmon of Wisdom on Nov 8, 2011 3:08 PM PST up reply actions
Who’s talking about trading him? I doubt he’d have much trade value at the moment anyways.
You’re right though, the same thing happened to Niemi last year. So lets take the same course of action that we did last year when Niemi was struggling, we played our backup and let Niemi work on his game in practice for a couple weeks and then he came back and looked like a completely different goaltender.
This
There is NO way to know what Greiss or Quick or Fleury would’ve done…but it’s fun to specualte I guess.
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I don’t know if “fun” is the right word.
Yeah you can say, “Well who knows what would’ve happened for sure!” but lets be real…Do you think Niemi would’ve made the same saves Rinne made when we played them? Do you think Rinne would’ve allowed all the goals that Niemi did? I really don’t.
...
Why are you comparing Niemi to Rinne?
Leslie Knope: "...but it has a lot of heart."
April Ludgate: "That's what people always say when something sucks."
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Yeah, it's like comparing a so-so goalie to an awesome one.
Not fair.
The artist formerly know as *"Sharks_Fan_In_Toronto"*
"Those of you who volunteered to be injected praying mantis DNA, I have some good news and some bad news: bad news is we've postponed these test indefinitely. Good news is we've got a much better test for you: fighting an army of mantis men! Pick up a rifle and follow the yellow line. You'll know when the test starts."
by Evil Stanchion on Nov 8, 2011 3:51 PM PST up reply actions
It's not like they're both Finnish Goa...oh...wait.
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What’s wrong with that?
I’m comparing Niemi’s performance each night to his opposing goaltenders performance, and it’s not pretty; and it’s kind of not fair to the team to keep starting Niemi when he’s getting outperformed so badly by opposing goaltenders.
I’m sounding like a broken record now i’m sure but we need to see what Greiss really has to offer while Niemi finds his game in practice with the goalie coaches.
He’s 5-2-1 on the season, he’s not getting outperformbed badly by opposing goaltenders every game. He’s absolutely had a couple of games where he struggled but he’s also had a some very good games.
And it may be cliche, but how many times do you hear players say “there’s nothing that gets prepares you for game action like playing in a game”. Niemi isn’t going to find his game in practice.
The Sharks have seen quite a bit of Greiss over the past few years as well as this pre-season and regular season, it’s not like he’s some unknown “diamond in the rough”. He’s going to get starts, but he is the back up goalie and it will remain that way unless Niemi goes completely off the rails or gets hurt.
The difference between practice and games for forwards/defensemen is so much larger than it is for goaltenders.
Really there shouldn’t be much of a difference at all, other than the extra pressure of fans watching you and maybe a guy like Holmstrom or Perry who might bump you when the refs aren’t looking.
Niemi made some huge improvements last year in practice while Niittymaki was on his roll. Then Niemi got his chance again and proved that he could lead our team.
About Greiss, he’s looked great, but the question is if he can continue to look great night-in and night-out against the best players in the world. Will he become fatigued and will his performance level drop after more than a few consecutive starts? Basically, we want to find out if he’s capable of being a quality starting goaltender rather than just a good backup goaltender.
Great effort
I’m very glad there was a complete effort. Sure, PK has a lot of work to do to improve but otherwise, I can’t complain too much. Okay yes I can- Nemo did still give up a shaky goal (I couldn’t even believe it when Remenda and Hedican also bagged him for it) but for once, the guys in front bailed him out and scored some goals to give him a cushion. Nice to see.
I called it last night… Boyle scored his first goal. Good night for him. Thornton played like a beast AGAIN. But what I thought was really awesome, after the game before they did the 3 Stars, you could see Thornton in the walkway to the locker room, giving the kids autographs and everything. What a class act! I already knew he was but I love seeing that.
Can’t wait for Thursday to take on the Wild… welcome back Seto and Heater! Two great guys I can’t wait to see in HP again.
GO SHARKS!
Waiting for the Cup to come to SJ since 1991...
GO SHARKS!
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Justin Braun
Does anyone know how much PP time Braun got last night? He seemed to be out there with the first unit trying to rocket shots toward the net. I like the idea of him paired with Boyle on the PP rather than Burns and Boyle because Braun gets the puck to the net
Bleed Teal... Right Now I am puking it - Shadrack (1/14/11)
NHL events page lists him as having 6:28 on the PP.
Good for 2nd on the team behind Boyle (8:21). Just ahead of Pavs and Jumbo.
Believing in the Sharks, one photoshop at a time. GO SHARKS!
It seems they're mixing and matching
Depends on who’s fresh, first of all. Otherwise they’ve been rotating 1) Boyle-Burns, 2) Boyle-Braun, 3) Burns-Braun, 4) Vlasic-Braun/Burns.
And somehow this seems to work, all these right-shots up top. Goes to show how talented they all are and how a few weeks of practice makes a huge difference in terms of acclimating to one another.
The principal supporting business now is rage. -- Richard Hugo
Marleau centering
Love seeing Marleau as a center. I think he is super engaged and responsible in this position – thoughts?
My biggest praise for last nights game is how they played the full width of the ice and all 60 minutes.
The Nashville game was frustrating in that respect, but I think they got from it exactly what they needed to in order to make this match shine.
The [+]
- Marleau is starting to gas up (awesome)
- Thornton looks like he just may have his best season yet, as his scoring hands are back on top of stellar puck handling & 2-way play.
- Clowe-Marleau-Havlat. Yeah, On board. 100%
- Boyle breaking his drought
- Definitely think the PK was better tonight, that 5-on-3 never should have happened, but whatever.
The [-]
- Some D-positioning still needs clean-up, but that will come, as Boyle mentioned it himself.
- Stupid penalties. 6 was just too many.
Ice was definitely seemed better than Saturday, too…didn’t see much in the way of lost edges. Saturday’s ice made both teams look like the Keystone Cops.
"Never start a fight, but ALWAYS finish it."
@TheFourthPeriod How intense with the #Bruins #Habs PO series be? || @Noctro Like K-Y Jelly lit on fire. || @TheFourthPeriod Wow. Best. Answer. Ever.
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Yay! another typo point!
(Stupid closing sentences)
"Never start a fight, but ALWAYS finish it."
@TheFourthPeriod How intense with the #Bruins #Habs PO series be? || @Noctro Like K-Y Jelly lit on fire. || @TheFourthPeriod Wow. Best. Answer. Ever.
"I still say McLellan needs to roll Pavelski, Marleau, and Stetoguchi together. No one would go NEAR that line."
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I’ve been picking on the PK a lot (deservedly) but I want to focus on a positive.
The cycle down low is an absolute pleasure to watch. This team just grinds down defenses. Every time it looks like the opponent is going to get the puck the shove it down the board and readjust their position. It seems like there is a never ending stream of teal jerseys on either side of the player with the puck. It’s awesome.
You can tell when the Sharks came to play because the can establish the cycle at will.
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by Evilducks on Nov 8, 2011 10:11 AM PST via iPhone app reply actions
Definitely.
Add that to the [+].
"Never start a fight, but ALWAYS finish it."
@TheFourthPeriod How intense with the #Bruins #Habs PO series be? || @Noctro Like K-Y Jelly lit on fire. || @TheFourthPeriod Wow. Best. Answer. Ever.
"I still say McLellan needs to roll Pavelski, Marleau, and Stetoguchi together. No one would go NEAR that line."
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Absolutely.
I thought both Braun and Burns did an excellent job of knowing when to pinch last night, too. Braun, in particular, stuck out to me because he wasn’t particularly amazing at it last year.
In a couple instances Braun hung back on another player’s pinch, too, such as one of the late game penalties on the Kings (I think it was Penner’s) where Quick tried to outlet it to the penalized player as he came out of the box because one of our defenders was pinching. But Braun had already skated to the spot the pass was going and cut it off, preventing the break.
Believing in the Sharks, one photoshop at a time. GO SHARKS!
Braun to me just seems like a very smart player, and his adaptability has been quite impressive. I’ve been watching him closely, as I’m very much enjoying his development, and all those things you said above are so true, Auth0r. So composed on the blue line, second only to Vlasic lately.
I found it interesting that for the 3rd period last night McLellan was pairing him with Vlasic. They did look good together, but I’m not sure if that sticks.
The principal supporting business now is rage. -- Richard Hugo
Good point, ED
When the worst player on the cycle for your team in the top 6 is Martin Havlat (who just dangles through players instead) you got a very good offensive team. As much as Iliked Heatley, I thought that (and the fact that he was a spot-up lefty playing on Thornton’s line) was the main reason he didn’t work as well as we thought he would.
It is very impressive to see smaller guys like Pavs and Couture work the boards.
On the LA side, I really have to admit I was surprised to see Willie Mitchel cross-check Couture to the back of the head.
Especially given his own history with head injuries.
I’ve been watching to see if there would be any supplemental on that this morning, but it doesn’t look like it.
"Never start a fight, but ALWAYS finish it."
@TheFourthPeriod How intense with the #Bruins #Habs PO series be? || @Noctro Like K-Y Jelly lit on fire. || @TheFourthPeriod Wow. Best. Answer. Ever.
"I still say McLellan needs to roll Pavelski, Marleau, and Stetoguchi together. No one would go NEAR that line."
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Aaaaaand....
Logan calls out Mitchell over it.
Thumbs way up!
"Never start a fight, but ALWAYS finish it."
@TheFourthPeriod How intense with the #Bruins #Habs PO series be? || @Noctro Like K-Y Jelly lit on fire. || @TheFourthPeriod Wow. Best. Answer. Ever.
"I still say McLellan needs to roll Pavelski, Marleau, and Stetoguchi together. No one would go NEAR that line."
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Sharks don't have rivals.
They have victims.
The artist formerly know as *"Sharks_Fan_In_Toronto"*
"Those of you who volunteered to be injected praying mantis DNA, I have some good news and some bad news: bad news is we've postponed these test indefinitely. Good news is we've got a much better test for you: fighting an army of mantis men! Pick up a rifle and follow the yellow line. You'll know when the test starts."
by Evil Stanchion on Nov 8, 2011 3:47 PM PST up reply actions 2 recs
I don't know if it's "surprising"...
But just seems worth mentioning that Douglas Murray leads the team in Hits (31), Blocked Shots (36), and plus/minus(+10)…all by a good margin. And he is still on pace, I believe, for a career high in points. Way to go, Crankshaft!
Also, Only 4 players on the Sharks have a negative +/-. 2 of them are 4th liners who you wouldn’t necessarily expect to be on the ice for many positive goals. But Colin White and Jason Demers are -5 and -6 respectively, SIGNIFICANTLY lower than the rest of the team.
Considering Huskins/Demers last year was arguably the Sharks best D-Pairing for the first chunk of last season…Does this actually mean that…Kent…Huskins…was actually a big part of Demers’ success last year?!!?
Bakes hit on that last night pre-game on the radio.
Mentioned that our the SJ/LA top 2 lines were equal in Goals and +/-, whereas our 3/4 lines were way better than there’s on the same metric.
"Never start a fight, but ALWAYS finish it."
@TheFourthPeriod How intense with the #Bruins #Habs PO series be? || @Noctro Like K-Y Jelly lit on fire. || @TheFourthPeriod Wow. Best. Answer. Ever.
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I don’t know about that. I thought Demers played didnt really lock in lock in until they turn around of the season after the losing streak last year when they pretty much had him as a lock pairing with Vlasic. That was a really strong pair the second half and the first two rounds of the playoffs until Demers went down to injury. With how that pair had been playing, that was a massive loss in the Vancouver series.
by dannyschmanny on Nov 8, 2011 1:41 PM PST up reply actions
+/- is a very deceptive stat.
Did you know that Douglas Murray is 2nd in the league in plus/minus. And Douglas Murray is, at best, the 4th best D-man on this team. I think Demers has just been off so far this season… defensively and offensively.
"Logan Couture is a dirty, filthy man. Tell all your friends" - Mr. Plank
Welcome to the NHL, Atlanta Thrashers of Winnipeg.
First off,
any analysis that concludes that Huskins was anything more than mediocre is, by definition, flawed.
Second, saying Murray is the 4th best d-man is like saying Scott Stevens was the 4th best defender for the Devils. Crankshaft changes the way people skate when he’s out there. You’ll see less fancy moves and drop passes by the offense because they have to skate with their heads UP, or risk getting drilled. Sure, he isn’t the most airtight skilled defender, but when he’s on the ice, the other team knows it.
"You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means" - Inigo Montoya
Sure, he isn’t the most airtight skilled defender, but when he’s on the ice, the other team knows it.
Definitely. But he’s still the 4th best D-man on this team (Vlasic, Boyle, and Burns are ahead of him, IMO… as overall players, mind you)
"Logan Couture is a dirty, filthy man. Tell all your friends" - Mr. Plank
Welcome to the NHL, Atlanta Thrashers of Winnipeg.
Agree that +/- is a deceptive stat
and a few points one way or the other are negligible. But it IS a decent indicator of trending. And when 2 guys are significantly below the team average, it does say something.
As far as Douglas Murray’s stats are concerned, I was just making an observation that he is leading the team in 3 of the most valued statistics for a defensive player. Douglas Murray is a player who has improved every year he has been a Shark, and I’m just glad to see that trend apparently continuing.
Sure, but Murray has still been frustrating this year.
And I think the other issue for Science’s stats is that he’s suddenly stopped playing. At this point in time, there’s no way for him to improve upon those (White, on the other hand…)
"Logan Couture is a dirty, filthy man. Tell all your friends" - Mr. Plank
Welcome to the NHL, Atlanta Thrashers of Winnipeg.
Douglas Maurray
Is also tied for 8th in the league at blocked shots. Statistically, Dougie ain’t so shabby right now.
And (my favorite Douglas Murray fact right now)
Eric Boulton (the New Jersey Devil who downed him in the fight) broke his hand on Murray’s face ( http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/players/1907/news;_ylt=ArIs.3protYSNK8pemzdh59ivLYF ) and hasn’t played since. Add one more to his kill count.
He WILL break you
"Douglas Murray is a humongous human being." – Drew Remenda
Tweet Tweet
by Evilducks on Nov 9, 2011 9:55 AM PST via iPhone app up reply actions
Boyle
A few games ago I posted that the loss of Setoguchi and Heatley meant that guys like Boyle (and Burns) needed to produce more than they were. It was therefore great to see Boyle score his first of the year, and assist on a highlight-reel play on Marleau’s goal. I wasn’t wild about his blown coverage that led to Kopitar’s goal in the third but he was the first to point to it in the post-game interviews and no one is perfect…
The faceoffs bothered me last night. This is one of the better faceoff teams in the league… and last night was a stinker. Not a single regular FO-taker was about 50%.
And I really do wish they’d figure out the entry into the zone. They have some really good puck carriers… get that shit together.
The PK gets criticized quite a bit, but I was very happy with 5-on-5 play. I thought the forechecking and backchecking was aggressive last night. There were certain plays when the Kings player never got full position of the puck as he moved down the ice.
"Logan Couture is a dirty, filthy man. Tell all your friends" - Mr. Plank
Welcome to the NHL, Atlanta Thrashers of Winnipeg.
The Kings frequently own us on faceoffs.
Not sure why that is, but it’s definitely there. They must know something the rest of the league doesn’t, because aside from Vancouver, they’re the only one who regularly force us under 50% on faceoffs (and Vancouver’s technique is “Use Manny Malhotra at every opportunity”).
Believing in the Sharks, one photoshop at a time. GO SHARKS!
Still waiting for the Jamie McGinn goal article, BTW
Fear the Fin - NEEDS MORE DOVES
by mymclife on Nov 8, 2011 2:00 PM PST reply actions 7 recs
I feel like it's time to bust this out again...
Believing in the Sharks, one photoshop at a time. GO SHARKS!
by Auth0r on Nov 8, 2011 4:32 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
HE'S SKATING ON WATER!
"Logan Couture is a dirty, filthy man. Tell all your friends" - Mr. Plank
Welcome to the NHL, Atlanta Thrashers of Winnipeg.
Um...guys. What the hell is going on in this picture Burns just tweeted?
My normatech machine just came in! It’s unreal! Great machine any athlete or someone with injuries should check it out!
by WhatsAMataHari on Nov 8, 2011 4:11 PM PST reply actions 1 recs
I just saw that.
The hoses scare me.
A Lot.
"Never start a fight, but ALWAYS finish it."
@TheFourthPeriod How intense with the #Bruins #Habs PO series be? || @Noctro Like K-Y Jelly lit on fire. || @TheFourthPeriod Wow. Best. Answer. Ever.
"I still say McLellan needs to roll Pavelski, Marleau, and Stetoguchi together. No one would go NEAR that line."
My Twitter
BWAHAHAHAH!
@MegalodonBOC Oh cool @Burnzie88 bought a pair of robotic sex-pants
"Never start a fight, but ALWAYS finish it."
@TheFourthPeriod How intense with the #Bruins #Habs PO series be? || @Noctro Like K-Y Jelly lit on fire. || @TheFourthPeriod Wow. Best. Answer. Ever.
"I still say McLellan needs to roll Pavelski, Marleau, and Stetoguchi together. No one would go NEAR that line."
My Twitter
by Noctro on Nov 8, 2011 4:32 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
So glad I am not the only one who thought that.
by WhatsAMataHari on Nov 8, 2011 4:41 PM PST up reply actions
And we have an explaination!
Burnzie88 Brent Burns
Haha great comments! Its actually a machine that is a massager…. Pushes all the lactic acid and bad blood out to your headr
by WhatsAMataHari on Nov 8, 2011 4:46 PM PST up reply actions
Don't be fooled.
I think Megs was dead on.
"Never start a fight, but ALWAYS finish it."
@TheFourthPeriod How intense with the #Bruins #Habs PO series be? || @Noctro Like K-Y Jelly lit on fire. || @TheFourthPeriod Wow. Best. Answer. Ever.
"I still say McLellan needs to roll Pavelski, Marleau, and Stetoguchi together. No one would go NEAR that line."
My Twitter
pushes blood to your head...
Sex pants
"Douglas Murray is a humongous human being." – Drew Remenda
Tweet Tweet
by Evilducks on Nov 8, 2011 5:01 PM PST via iPhone app up reply actions 3 recs
Wouldn’t sex pants make blood rush to parts other than your head?
Oh wait….you meant the other head.
by WhatsAMataHari on Nov 8, 2011 5:06 PM PST up reply actions
Going through withdrawal
Misses all his snakes.
The principal supporting business now is rage. -- Richard Hugo
by Timorous Me on Nov 8, 2011 5:50 PM PST up reply actions 3 recs
Now THAT can call up a disturbing image.
Believing in the Sharks, one photoshop at a time. GO SHARKS!
by Auth0r on Nov 8, 2011 5:51 PM PST up reply actions 3 recs
Is anyone else afraid of Dallas?
It isn’t just that they don’t lose. They win by a large margin.
by WhatsAMataHari on Nov 8, 2011 6:15 PM PST reply actions 1 recs
I agree. Lehtonen will certainly regress. But they are also scoring a ton of goals.
It is just so odd because we all thought they would be screwed without Richards and they are doing great.
On the other hand, they led the Pacific division for most of last season and fell apart in the last two months or so.
by WhatsAMataHari on Nov 8, 2011 6:31 PM PST up reply actions
Just like Edmonton. And Toronto.
They’ll be holding that top spot for a little while though. That being said, the Sharks are only 3 points back after an even 13 games. Not bad, considering that 9001 game losing streak we had at the beginning of the season.
"Logan Couture is a dirty, filthy man. Tell all your friends" - Mr. Plank
Welcome to the NHL, Atlanta Thrashers of Winnipeg.
I was just thinking the same thing
they’ve had a fairly easy sked until this point, having played the BJs twice and Pheonix twice. But a legitimate win over the Caps is pretty legit. I hope the Pens crush ’em on Friday!!!!!!!!!
by JenLovesHockey on Nov 8, 2011 7:25 PM PST up reply actions
Their game with the Penguins will tell us how strong the Stars really are...
…as those teams are playing ping-pong with the 1-2 position, and will probably duke it out for any points vs. the other gain (or protect) the dominant position.
Not really worried about this until our first game with the Stars, as it immediately follows our next bout against Detroit. I’m sure the Stars will try to capitalize on that, knowing the TMac tends to go full tilt against Mike Babcock & Co.
I will say this, though: Dallas did have major changes to the team this year. Starting to look like they may have been good ones.
"Never start a fight, but ALWAYS finish it."
@TheFourthPeriod How intense with the #Bruins #Habs PO series be? || @Noctro Like K-Y Jelly lit on fire. || @TheFourthPeriod Wow. Best. Answer. Ever.
"I still say McLellan needs to roll Pavelski, Marleau, and Stetoguchi together. No one would go NEAR that line."
My Twitter
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