Staubitz is a moron for dropping the gloves with Ivanans. Jesus, look at this photo:
* Nabokov looked so relaxed tonight. I sincerely hope Boucher gets 3-4 starts down the stretch to keep him fresh and not risk tweaking what seems to be a slightly recurring injury. Consider the fact he played nearly every game last season, had a long summer playing with Team Russia, and has battled two extended periods of injury already this year.
* Luko looked pretty brutal once again. A handful of giveaways behind the net, getting beat to the dot on various Los Angeles rushes. Remind me again why he’s paired with Semenov? I really don’t see how that pairing is going to shut down scoring lines or generate anything offensively, and as good as Murray has been with Boyle, Luko looks lost out there. If Ehrhoff is healthy, Luko either plays with Boyle, Blake, or is a healthy scratch.
* Joe Thornton is slowly showing signs of life, and Gooch too. I thought the first line did a solid job of generating a cycle for most of the night, but at one point you’ve got to pull up your britches and bang the twine.
* Power play looked as good as it can be when you go 0 for 8. Lots of movement off the puck, traffic in front of the net; only problem is getting shots through on a consistent basis. I think Matt Greene had like seventeen blocked shots for the Kings. Oh, and Joe Pavs on the point works for me. He’s got great lateral movement and creates a lot of space to open up seams in the defense.
* LA is making the playoffs next year and challenging for the Pacific division title in two. Book it.
* In other news, where the hell did Erik Ersberg come from? What a performance.
* Marcel Goc was a man possessed out there, and looks like the obvious answer to putting some bite in the third line. Probably the best player during the first half of the game. I’ve got a good feeling Moen and Cheech are going to start popping up on the boxscore soon. On that note, how sick is Moen? You can just see him getting more comfortable in the system. He drew two penalties, chipped in during the PK, brought some pain on the forecheck, and seems to have some decent hands. Color me ecstatic for the first time this month.
* This is probably the biggest concern I have- comfort with the system. We’ve mentioned this before (all the way back in December), but teams have been pressuring the puck carrier once he crosses the blueline like it’s a religion. Clowe is one of the few players who adjust to this on a consistent basis. Instead of shooting from the top of the circle during the rush, he’ll sit back, wait for the backcheckers to overpursue into the zone, and hit a trailer for a nice look from between the circles.
Even Brian Boitano thinks the shootout is ghey
Question O’ De Night: Does Cheechoo’s shootout game winner jumpstart him going forward, considering Marcel Goc is a beast?
Go Sharks.
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