SAN JOSE, CA – The San Jose Sharks are 8-1-1 in their last 10 games and are no doubt one of the NHL’s premier teams, but are they good enough to win the war? Whenever a team laces up the skates they are preparing for battle. So far this season the Sharks have won most of the battles for puck and scoreboard supremacy. The big question in the Bay area of course is can they win the war. As we all know the one who wins the war will raise the Stanley Cup sometime in June and winning the battles in this championship starved area simply is not enough. The San Jose Sharks have been a playoff favorite for a number of years but have been unable to raise their level of play in order to have post season success. Last year’s first round loss to the division rival Anaheim Ducks has a left a bad taste in Sharks fans mouths. From the General Manager’s point of view the pieces are in place. The cup has been won with less offence and much less talent that the Sharks have on their roster right now. Although skill is not the only factor involved in winning a title, this team is running out of excuses. On Sunday, GM Doug Wilson pulled the trigger and acquired 34 year old veteran defenseman Niclas Wallin from the Carolina Hurricanes along with a 5th round draft pick for a 2nd round draft pick. Wallin is a Swedish native who has spent his entire career with the Hurricanes and has experienced two Cup finals. He lost with the Detroit Red Wings in 1998 and won against the Edmonton Oilers in 2006. Although GM Wilson may not be done dealing before the trade deadline, he has done his part. On Monday, San Jose beat the Eastern Conference’s last place team, the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 in a game that they were outchanced, outshot, outworked, and needed some fortuitous bounces to win. The Sharks first two goals were both deflected and not the type of deflections from the point that often go in but rather via lucky bounces that Leafs netminder J.S Giguere usually stops. The game winning goal by Ryan Clowe came from a centering pass that deflected off of Leaf defenseman Karl Gunnarson’s leg right to Clowe with a wide open cage.
Ryan Clowe
In a game against St Louis last week, San Jose was once again outplayed, but some stellar goaltending by Evgeni Nabakov and a subpar performance by Ty Conklin between the pipes for the Blues allowed the visiting team to earn a victory. It is said by many and by yours truly, that good teams find a way to win games no matter what the box score reads. I still agree with this statement but, winning the battles this way makes it difficult to win the war. Something this team has proven with early departures from the playoffs. The alarm is not at a full ring yet but with losses to both Chicago and Detroit in the last 10 games, the bell it starting to make some noise. It is not necessarily the losses but how they lost the games that allows those bells to rings. Take the Chicago game for instance, no matter how well they played for the 2
nd period and much of the 3
rd they still came out rusty in the 1
st period giving up 3 unanswered goals. Yes they overcame that deficit and tied the game 3-3, but then lost it in overtime. Hockey is a game of momentum swings and the momentum clearly shifted back to Chicago for the latter part of the 3
rd period and the OT, which is why they won but you can’t spot a team with the firepower that the Blackhawks have any goals well alone 3. Coach Todd McLellan made no excuses for the mental lapse that occurred for most of the first period. The way they came out does “concern” him and it should. That was the Sharks third loss in four attempts against Chicago and it was the final meeting of the regular season between the two teams who are currently considered the pride of the Western Conference. San Jose was coming off four days rest which was needed but it definitely showed in the first 20 minutes of play. The reason for “concern” as the second year head coach put it is that the players were not able to mentally prepare themselves right from the start. In the early rounds of the playoffs, four day layoffs are uncommon but the further you advance, the more probable it becomes. As a result of the four games these two teams have played this year, Chicago will be a more confident group if a playoff series is in the cards. Chicago outshot the Sharks 47-14 and if it were not for the Superman like performance by San Jose’s goaltender they would have all four games. The Detroit Red Wings have not had a banner season but when they play San Jose at home or away they know how to stifle the Sharks. In their last home loss the Sharks played a patient Red Wings team that waited for their opportunities and capitalized whenever they got the chance. That is how you win playoff games and the Red Wings are one of those teams that will not fear playing San Jose in the post season. The Wings haven’t lost this season to the Sharks in three attempts which makes Thursdays game in the Motor City so very important. The Sharks have been schooled by the veteran filled Red Wings on how to win when you have to. Detroit has been hurt by the injury bug but they have had great success against San Jose and that is another reason for concern. As of right now the Red Wings are hovering around the last playoff spot which could mean a first round match-up with the Wings and another early exit from the post season for a Shark team with big expectations. If San Jose can come out of Hockey Town USA with a convincing win, that will go a long way in quieting the nay sayers and do a world of good for the Sharks confidence level. Winning the war at the end of the season is the ultimate goal and anything less than a Stanley Cup appearance by the San Jose Sharks will be a huge disappointment for the organization. Right now the key is winning the battles, but winning the battles doesn’t always mean winning the game; how you go about trying to defeat your opponents is. Winning the battles is the substance you put in the meat on the sandwich. This team has to ask itself: Will winning games by lucky bounces and relying on their goaltender help them in the big games come spring when it really counts? San Jose has to prepare for the second season. So much of what they do, and how they play right now will determine their fate. This team has a great opportunity to win the greatest sports trophy on earth and a blue collar effort from a white collar team is what will get them there. Keep your sticks on the ice Contact the writer at
cam.gore@prohockeynews.com Contact the photographer at
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