THE BAY AREA'S LONGEST RUNNING HOCKEY AND LOCAL SPORTS BLOG SINCE 1998.
#45 JODY SHELLEY TRIES TO PLAY THE PUCK OUT OF A PILEUP
SAN JOSE GOALTENDER #20 EVGENI NABOKOV STOPPED 25 OF 27 SHOTS
DETROIT RIGHT WING #81 MARIAN HOSSA - 1G, 4SOG, 2PIM
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FORBES 4-YR PACIFIC DIVISION REVENUE ESTIMATES - JAMES MIRTLE
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PITTSBURGH PENGUINS CENTER #71 EVGENI MALKIN DRIVES THE ZONE
#87 SIDNEY CROSBY REGISTERS 0 SHOTS, PENGUINS A RECORD LOW 11
#45 JODY SHELLEY VS #28 ERIC GODARD IN THE 1ST, KO SHELLEYThe San Jose Sharks vs Pittsburgh Penguins contest on Tuesday night was expected by many to be a heavyweight affair full of offensive fireworks. 2005-06 Art Ross winning Joe Thornton (29 goals, 96 assists) vs 2006-07 Art Ross winning Sidney Crosby (36 goals, 84 assists). Calder Memorial Trophy winning Evgeni Malkin vs 2-time Allstar and Sharks captain Patrick Marleau. Defending Eastern Conference champions vs a perennial Pacific Division powerhouse. Like many boxing pay-per-views, the result was one-sided. The Sharks as a cohesive unit delivered a solid 60-minute team performance, the top San Jose line of Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau and Devin Setoguchi delivered a command performance on both sides of the ice, and a listless and frustrated Pittsburgh team left Northern California with a franchise record low 11 shots on goal.
Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau delivered a shot across the bow to the rest of the NHL. Both are in midseason form skating and creating scoring chances, but early this season both are playing with a mean streak not seen in recent campaigns. With Patrick Marleau it was evident in the preseason. At times he seemed impatient with opposing forwards, content to skate through them to get to the puck. Matched up against the top Dupuis-Crosby-Malkin line for the first two periods Tuesday night, Thornton had a nasty edge to his game on offense and defense, seldom letting Pittsburgh skate the puck out of the neutral zone. It set the tone for the game.
The Sharks opened the scoring on a Pittsburgh Penguins power play, the 5th Sharks shorthanded goal of the season. Evgeni Malkin fell at the Pittsburgh blueline as center Joe Pavelski challenged young Pittsburgh defenseman Alex Goligoski for possession. Pavelski reversed direction, and Milan Michalek picked it off his stick and drove directly to the front of the net ahead of 3 backchecking Penguins. Dany Sabourin made the initial save on Michalek, but as all 3 Penguins peeled off Joe Pavelski punched home the loose puck in the open net for the first goal of the game. "Milan tracked the puck from side to side, it shows his great speed" Pavelski said.
The Sharks began to clamp down on Pittsburgh in the second. After goaltender Evgeni Nabokov flashed the glove on a slapshot from Pascal Dupuis early in the period, the Penguins appeared stuck in neutral trying to move the puck up ice. Individual efforts and perimeter play kept Pittsburgh for the most part out of the danger areas in front of the net. Eric Godard, who lost a first period fight with Jody Shelley at center ice, could not goad Sharks defenseman Douglas Murray or left wing Ryane Clowe into taking penalties. The Sharks defense simplifyed their game, and San Jose's third and fourth lines worked the puck deep and battled for possession to minimize secondary scoring opportunities for Pittsburgh. "Crosby and Malkin score 60% of their points or goals, if you shut those two down you will a pretty good chance at success" Sharks head coach Todd McLellan said after the game.
But Tuesday night was the Marleau and Thornton show. The talent and effort gap between Thornton-Crosby and Marleau-Malkin appeared enormous on this night. It brings up the question of Western Conference teams running the gauntlet of Detroit, Dallas, Anaheim and San Jose every year before having to face the best the Eastern Conference has to offer. Patrick Marleau and Devin Setoguchi were explosive changing direction and chasing down plays on defense. Last season that was a hallmark of Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg in their visit to HP Pavilion. Thornton planted his 235-pound frame between the stick and the body of an opposing forward in the neutral zone, sending the stick flying and leaving the puck free for him to break the play up ice.
A rare start by 6-foot-4, 200-pound backup goaltender Dany Sabourin kept Pittsburgh's head above water. Sabourin held his ground in net against the Sharks power play, and robbed Dan Boyle who had the puck teed up for him 15 feet out near the end of the second. The Sharks broke through again 4-on-4 in the third. Patrick Marleau drove down the middle with speed as 4 Penguins converged on him. Marleau kicked the puck out to Dan Boyle, who moved it to Ehrhoff on the left point. A quick pass by Ehrhoff slid the puck to Mike Grier on his backhand, with Patrick Marleau set up in front of Sabourin. Grier flicked a backhand into the far side of the net with 3 bodies creating traffic for Sabourin in front. Sabourin finished with 32 saves on 34 shots.
The Pittsburgh Penguins disrupted Evgeni Nabokov's bid for his first shutout game of the season 14:27 into the third period. Evgeni Malkin drove down the right wing and tried to feed Ruslan Fedotenko. Fedotenko dug the puck out of the corner and passed to Malkin behind the net. Quick pass to Croby at the side of the net, who regained his feet after being checked to the ice by Pavelski. Crosby spun and found Fedotenko in front before Marc-Edouard Vlasic could close in on him. An unchecked Fedotenko hammered a point blank shot off the post passed Nabokov to make the score 2-1 San Jose. Pittsburgh pressured to tie the game, but a late high sticking penalty on agitator Matt Cooke forced them to pull their goalie to make it 5-on-5. A casual dump-in attempt by Malkin as he made a line change missed Crosby on the right wing. Sharks defenseman Christian Ehrhoff and Dan Boyle combined to run out the clock. Evgeni Nabokov finished with 10 saves on 11 shots, earning his 6th win of the season.
A forecast of wintry conditions at his old stomping grounds was of little concern Tuesday to San Jose assistant coach Todd Richards. He was focused on the many Penguins' first-round picks he never had a chance to coach over the past two seasons with AHL affiliate Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Richards, who guided the AHL Penguins to a conference and Calder Cup final over his two seasons as head coach, joined the staff of new San Jose coach Todd McLellan over the summer. "It was being out on your own; there's a lot that really went into it," Richards said of his tenure with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
“We’re missing some pretty skilled guys, and guys we look to on the power play,” captain Sidney Crosby said. “We’ve probably simplified things a little bit, which is never a bad thing. Everyone has to pay attention to detail. We make safe plays because we don’t want to give teams opportunities if we don’t have to.”
The Penguins aren’t looking for sympathy. They know they won’t find it from 28 teams that sat around and watched them play in the Stanley Cup Finals last spring. And you won’t hear Therrien whining, at least not yet. “We’ve got to protect our defense,” he said. “Our transition game isn’t quite what I wish. We know eventually we will get better. It’s not a concern right now. We’re still able to get points – big points in the standings – that’s why I’m still optimistic.”
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PITTSBURGH PENGUINS CENTER #71 EVGENI MALKIN TUESDAY IN SJIt's apparently some type of gift, the ability to dramatically change your look with a haircut, a shave or forgoing one or the other for a few days. "It's so different every time," Penguins center Max Talbot said. "People talk about it, but it's not that big a deal."
It was important enough that, after going with a short-cropped hairstyle and clean-shaven look to start the season, Talbot decided to invite back an old friend when the points weren't coming. He grew a Fu Manchu mustache last week and immediately scored a goal Thursday in a 4-1 victory against Carolina.
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[Q] How much of the Red Wings blueprint have you tried to implement with the Sharks?
[TM] A fair amount of it to be honest with you. It is hard to argue with the success that the organization has had. Mike Babcock has done wonderful things with that team, and a lot of the things he has done I believe in. To bring a lot of it with me here, it has happened and we are still trying to implement some of it, but I also have some other ideas we are trying to put in place as well.
[Q] Why has this Sharks team been successful so quickly, and how do you see Jeremy Roenick's role evolving as the season goes along?
[TM] The success part of it, we have come together pretty quickly in camp. For the most part the players have been very receptive to some new ideas. They have been open to trying things a little outside their comfort zone. We have also had some wins, so anything we have tried to put in place they buy into a little more because it is working. As Jeremy Roenick goes, Jeremy has been excellent. I only know the Jeremy that I have spent 2 months with, and he has been terrific. He has carried himself very well, he has put the team ahead of himself. We couldn't be happier with the way that part of it has gone. On the ice, Jeremy starts most nights on the fourth line and he has found a way to work himself up the lineup night in and night out. I don't see his role changing at all, maybe evolving more into a power play guy as the season goes on. But right now he is in a very important role on that third or fourth line.
[Q] What did the Minnesota Wild mean to your coaching career, being a part of this organization and the success you had coaching in Houston?
[TM] Everything really. They were the ones with Doug Riseborough and the Wild organization that took a chance on a young coach of the Western Hockey League. I obviously took the step to the Red Wings and their organization, but it was the mentoring that was second to none. They passed along a lot of not neccessarily system ideas, but coaching thoughts. It allowed me to grow a whole lot more confident in what I was doing to coach the players.
[Q] When you look at the core the Wild have now, you had a lot of these guys, does it surprise you that they have worked themselves into being mainstays for this team?
[TM] No. Mikko Koivu and Stephane Veilleux those type of players are very, the coaches didn't think they were committed all the time but they are. They were hungry to play in the National Hockey League. They were going to do whatever they had to do to get there. But the other thing the organization was really good at was developing them. They didn't necessarily hurry them, they gave them the experience they needed and they got to the National Hockey League.
[Q] Did Marcel Goc skate today, and what is his health status?
[TM] Marcel didn't skate today. He was looking a whole lot better this morning, but one thing we didn't get to do as a hockey club because it was Sunday was to get him evaluated. We didn't want to put him back on the ice. I don't know any more than you do right now, probably later on in the day we will have a good report on him.
[Q] Did McGinn being called up have anything to do with Marcel, or was it a seperate issue?
[TM] That was part of a reaction to Marcel's situation. We are playing one player short right now, we have that ability to call up with 22 on our roster. If Marcel goes down we need a forward to fill our lineup and Jamie McGinn will be that person.
[Q] Sidney Crosby, can you talk about his game and what is it like to coach against him?
[TM] It is tough to coach against him. He is a pleasure to watch, but I would rather do it on TV when he is playing somebody else. He is a dominant player. The one thing Sidney will do, he will have his team ready. He will do that verbally in the locker room, he will do that by example on the ice. I don't know if I have ever seen him have an off night. The intensity and the committment will be there, and he will pull everybody else along. He can hurt you so many different ways. I don't think of him as this straight offensive player, which he is, but he also wins faceoffs, he competes in the corners physically, he is a very good defensive player, when he is on the ice things are going to happen. We are going to have to be aware of that.
[Q] How do you go into facing the Detroit Red Wings for the first time Thursday? Have you talked with Mike (Babcock) at all about it?
[TM] We haven't talked about the game in particular, we talk quite often about how the families are doing. The game in particular, we have not addressed it one bit. We will approach it like any other game. Head coaches will always tell you that. We are going to prepare for the things they do well, and they are going to counter against us. Probably more will be made out of it by the media than will be made out of it by the two coaches, because it will be just another night and we have to do the best we can do for our team.
[Q] Did you look at the schedule ahead of time and realize it was not just another game because you won a Stanley Cup with these guys?
[TM] I did, but I didn't look at it as when is our first opportunity to play Detroit. I actually looked at when we are flying to Detroit because I have a number of friends and great people there I want to see. Then, when are they coming here. I would like to spend a few minutes with Mike, Ken Holland and Paul MacLean. When the puck is dropped I know as a coach I have to be on my toes, I can't bring my B game. The players are going to have to know that as well. Mike does a tremendous job, he gets the right people on the ice at the right time. Their players will be ready. That is really all there is to it.
[Q] Do you have some insight in how you are going to play them, knowing what they do?
[TM] It is going to be like playing each other, and I don't know if that came out right. There are a lot of things I brought over from Detroit. There are no secrets to anyone watching the game, we are trying to play that way. It will be a good test to see who can do it better. As far as the insight goes, this may be the smallest amount of information we have to give our players because we are trying to play that way a lot.
[Q] You played with the Saskatoon Blades and had a pretty good junior career, and only had 1 year in the AHL before you moved up to the Islanders where they had LaFontaine, Trottier, and Bassen at your position. One more year and you left. Five years later and you are coaching. I was thinking about Brian Burke winning a Calder Cup and then being told by Keith Allen that he would probably be better off going to law school. Did you have some sort of experience like that, where you thought that maybe this is as far as I can go, and maybe I should take a different route than hockey?
[TM] No, I have always been fortunate because I think I got into coaching at the right time. I am not sure everyone who played the game wanted to go on and become a coach when they were done. I wanted to do that. Now you see a lot of players wanting to become a coach, everybody wants to do it now. It is harder to get in. I have always wanted to coach. If I wasn't coaching I would probably be teaching. I like that part of it. After my injuries in my pro career, it allowed me to stay in the game. That was what I was looking for. Never once along the path did I say maybe I should go do this, or maybe I should go do that. It just worked out well for me. Again, I am fairly young so it has been a fast path, but it has been a rewarding one to this point.
[Q] What did winning a Stanley Cup do for you when you were going to take over this team, and take over this group of players?
[TM] The first thing it did was allow me access to the opportunity. I think one of the qualities Doug Wilson was looking for was someone who had won championships. The organization I came from in Detroit, there are a number of paralells between the two teams. We had trouble getting by the first round the first year, and the 2nd or 3rd round the following year. I think looking that experience, I bring that here. The other it did was allow me to draw on a lot of those experiences as a coach. To see how the GM reacted, to see how the organization reacted. When I am put in that situation now, I can look back and think how they would have reacted, how did they make decisions going forward.
[Q] Can you talk about puck possession, and how much more difficult are the Red Wings after the addition of Marian Hossa?
[TM] There is no doubt Detroit has puck possession more than anyone in the league. They also give it up a lot. What I always told people, even when I was there, having it is one thing, giving it up and going to get it is second part of puck possession. Detroit does that better than anybody. If they do give up the puck, they are in on it hard. It is hard to get it back, then they start their offense. We try to encorporate a little of that here rather than just dumping it in and not having a purpose. Dump it with a purpose, go get it, and set yourselves up. That is how we are approaching it.
Marian presents a whole new element to their hockey club. Tremendous size, great hands, takes the puck to the net. The evening out factor a little bit, with Franzen out now, they are maybe not one more piece ahead of what they had in the past. That is a blessing in disguise maybe for us. We know we have our hands full with them.
[Q] You mentioned you were going to try to bring over some of the things that were successful in Detroit to San Jose, what are you going to try to do different?
[TM] The difference might be in how I approach the players, how I react to situations. I have to be who I am. Mike is who Mike is. Paul is who Paul is. If I try, system-wise we can do a lot of the same things similar. The way I react to different situations, I have to be Todd McLellan. Mike does a terrific job in reacting the way he choose to get the best out of the players. I can't try to emulate that all the time because that is just not who I am. As an individual, I have to react how my instincts tell me to, and how I feel is right. That might be completely opposite of what Mike did. At the end what we are looking for is the same result. It is not always the X's and O's part, it is about getting through to the players and trying to react. I might react differently than Mike would in some situations.
[Q] After running the power play in Detroit, how do you now try to stop it. They have the #1 power play in the league.
[TM] They certainly do. The best thing is obviously to not take penalties, goaltending has to be very good because I know they are going to get the puck through to the net. 96 is going to be standing right there. Knowing what some of their ideas are and some of the principles behind their power play, maybe we can have a better understanding of what they are doing. Maybe eliminate some of the surprises that may help us. Other than that, winning faceoffs are going to be important especially when it starts in your end. We have seen that around the league. The players have to be comfortable with what might be coming.
[Q] How does being a head coach in the NHL compare with what your expectations were?
[TM] I have enjoyed the process. It has been a real good experience for me. I have been made very comfortable here by the organization right from the top on down. We have been given access to any of the tools we need. We have been able to put our imprint on the team, which has been nice. The players have been receptive. As far as the growing pains go, there are some. It is taking your time, you would always like to hurry things as a coach. That doesn't always happen. My time is occupied a little more, I don't have as much free time as an assistant coach. The burden of responsibility is larger. That comes into play every day.
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Colorado College Remains No. 1 on USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men's College Hockey Poll
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Colorado College retained the No. 1 ranking on this week's USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men’s College Hockey Poll. Following weekend ties at No. 14 Clarkson University, the Tigers collected 505 points and 30-of-34 first-place votes to top the chart for a second straight week.
This Week's Top-15 Match-ups:
Friday, October 31
No. 7 New Hampshire vs. No. 9 Northeastern
No. 1 Colorado College @ No. 4 Denver
No. 5 Minnesota vs. No. 11 Minnesota State
Saturday, November 1
No. 3 Boston University @ No. 15 Vermont
No. 7 New Hampshire @ No. 9 Northeastern
No. 5 Minnesota @ No. 11 Minnesota State
Sunday, November 2
No. 1 Colorado College vs. No. 4 Denver
Boston College jumped up two spots to No. 2 with 457 points and three first-place votes, following a win against then-No. 12 University of Vermont. Posting a victory against then-No. 5 University of Michigan, Boston University (419) moved up four spots to grab the No. 3 ranking. The University of Denver comes in at No. 4 with 414 points, while the University of Minnesota is No. 5 with 371 points and one first-place vote.
This weekend's action features seven top-15 match-ups, including a series between Western Collegiate Hockey Association rivals, No. 1 Colorado College and No. 4 University of Denver.
USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men's College Hockey Poll - #4
(First-place votes in parentheses, Rank, School, Last Week's Ranking, 2008-09 Record, Weeks in Top-15)
1 Colorado College, 505 (30), 1, 4-0-2, 5
2 Boston College, 457 (3), 4, 3-1-0, 5
3 Boston University, 419, 7, 4-1-0, 5
4 University of Denver, 414, 2, 4-1-0, 5
5 University of Minnesota, 371 (1), 6, 3-0-1, 5
6 Miami (Ohio) University, 321, 10, 3-1-2, 5
7 University of New Hampshire, 320, 3, 3-1-1, 5
8 University of Michigan, 269, 5, 4-2-0, 5
9 Northeastern University, 236, 11, 5-0-1, 2
10 Princeton University, 202, 9, 0-0-0, 4
11 Minnesota State University, 135, 13, 3-1-0, 3
12 Michigan State University, 128, 14, 3-2-1, 5
13 University of Notre Dame, 78, 8, 2-3-0, 5
14 Clarkson University, 70, NR, 1-1-2, 4
15 University of Vermont, 67, 12, 2-1-1, 2
Others receiving votes: U.S. Air Force Academy, 27; University of Nebraska Omaha, 11; Cornell University, 10; University of Alaska Anchorage, 9; St. Lawrence University, 8; St. Cloud State University, 5; Colgate University, 4; University of Massachusetts, 3; University of Massachusetts Lowell, 3; Harvard University, 2; University of North Dakota, 2; Northern Michigan University, 2; Union College, 2.
NOTES: A total of 28 teams received votes.
ABOUT THE POLL: The 14th annual USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men’s College Hockey Poll is conducted each week in conjunction with the American Hockey Coaches Association. The poll includes input from coaches and journalists representing each of the six NCAA Division I ice hockey conferences, as well as composite votes from officers of the AHCA and USA Hockey Magazine, the most widely distributed hockey magazine in the world.
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PREGAME:
Saturday, Oct. 25, 2008. San Jose Sharks 6-2-0 (2-2-0, Road) at Tampa Bay Lightning 1-2-3 (1-1-3, Home). Tampa Bay power play: 3-30 (10%, 27th), penalty kill: 34-39 (87.2%, 7th). San Jose Sharks power play: 8-42 (19%, 19th), penalty kill: 26-32 (81.3%, 15th). Penalties: Tampa Bay 6GP, 85PIMs 14.2/gm (11th NHL); San Jose 8GP, 108 PIMs 13.5/gm (9th NHL); In the last meeting between both teams at the St. Pete Times Forum October 29, 2006, the Sharks earned a 4-2 win. Tampa Bay is 13-9-2 lifetime against the San Jose Sharks, 7-5-1 at home. San Jose Sharks defensemen Dan Boyle and Brad Lukowich will face their former team for the first time, and Tampa Bay defenseman Matt Carle will face the Sharks for the first time since his offseason trade.
New Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Barry Melrose (career coaching record 80-104-29-3) faces first year San Jose Sharks head coach Todd McLellan (career coaching record 7-2-0). Newly signed 6-foot-6, 240 pound defenseman Marek Malik will start the game for Tampa Bay. (649GP, 33G, 130A, +136).
FIRST PERIOD:
The Tampa Bay broadcast began with a mini-horror movie promo with the character from Saw 5, "The Sharks are the scariest team in the Western Conference". According to the Globe and Mail's Allan Maki, Tampa Bay co-owner/Hollywood producer Oren Koules gave the first 230 fans who bought lower bowl seats to a game against the Atlanta Thrashers passes to the recent Saw 5 premiere. Tampa Bay Lightning goaltenders Mike Smith and Olaf Kolzig have also been wearing Saw 5 themed paint scheme goalie masks to help promote the movie. Smith is donning his mask tonight.
Dan Boyle on trying to shut down Martin St. Louis and Vincent Lecavalier, "I have seen them for a number of years night and night out, they are two of the best players in the league. You have to keep your feet moving and do the best you can, because they are going to get their chances. You have to try to minimize them." Brian Boucher (1-0-0, 0.00GAA, 1.00SV%) is in goal for San Jose, his second start after a 21 save shutout against Los Angeles. Tampa Bay broadcast notes Boucher's first start last season was a shutout against St Louis. In goal for Tampa Bay is former Dallas Star Mike Smith (1-1-2, 1.92GAA, .943SV%).
Strong shift by the Marleau-Thornton-Setoguchi line to cycle deep in the Tampa Bay zone, and Dan Boyle keeping the puck in on the right point, results in three seperate scoring sequences for San Jose in the first 40 seconds of play. Two long side-to-side pass from Vlasic to Blake, and Blake to Michalek allow San Jose's second scoring line of Michalek-Pavelski-Cheechoo to drive deep into the zone as well. This time it is Marc-Edouard Vlasic keeping the puck in on the left point. Pavelski misfires on a shot and the Lightning are finally able to gain possession and move the puck up ice.
Malone-Stamkos-Recchi line for Tampa Bay breaks into the Sharks zone, Stamkos unloads a hard shot that misses the net wide by a few feet and banks hard off the glass. Malone wins a battle in the corner against Blake, and feeds Stamkos behind the net. Stamkos can't shake Pavelski, but he drives the net, save Boucher. Gary Roberts-Jussi Jokinen-Evgeny Artyukhin line sends a pass through the crease that deflects off defenseman Christian Ehrhoff and into the corner. Lightning broadcast notes that Joe Thornton is the top point producing forward since 02-03 on. Also that he has lead the league for three straight seasons in assists. Only 3 other players to do that: Wayne Gretzky, Bobby Orr, Stan Mikita.
Next shift for Marleau-Thornton they hit the neutral zone with a head of steam. Play started with a short pass from defenseman Douglas Murray, who returned to the lineup after missing a few games with an upper body injury, to Setoguchi up the right side. Thornton drives directly to the net with Marleau trailing and defenseman Christian Ehrhoff on the left side. Ehrhoff shovels the puck behind the net to Thornton, and hits Setoguchi in front with a quick pass. Mike Smith freezes the puck down low as hulking Marek Malik clears Setoguchi out of the crease. It might just be me, but Thornton with the puck on the boards looks like Magic Johnson executing a no look pass. New head coach Todd McLellan wants more Dr J out of Thornton, more driving the net and finishing. Marleau could be a younger, quicker version of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Just points. You can put one body on him, two bodies on him, or you can hammer him or clutch and grab. He is still going to dominate position in front of the net, and he is still going to pile up points.
A turnover by Jeremy Roenick in the Sharks defensive zone leads to a quick Stamkos-Recchi give and go in traffic. Stamkos gets the pass in front of the net, but he can not get the shot off before Boucher seals up against the post. Malik holds the puck in deep on the left point, and Stamkos can not find Recchi in front of the net through traffic. Shelley battles to clear the puck on his backhand. Tampa broadcast notes that Matt Carle and Marc-Edouard Vlasic were the first teammates named to the NHL's All Rookie team (2005-06) since Nicklas Lidstrom and Vladimir Konstantinov (1991-92). Carle actually played better a year earlier in his brief 12 game stint with the Sharks in 2005-06. He was confident with the puck, and skilled at keeping the play hemmed in the offensive zone. As his career progressed, he became more aware of how mistakes made at the NHL level can work against you, and it effected the offensive side of his game. A new start in Tampa Bay could pay large dividends for the Lightning going forward, and Barry Melrose is the perfect head coach to get the most out of him.
Later in the period, Steven Stamkos throws a nice hit on Jeremy Roenick to free up the puck and allow the Tampa Bay Lightning enough time to clear the puck out of the zone. Clowe-Goc-Grier checking line for San Jose gets the puck deep in the Tampa Bay zone twice, and finishes with a scoring chance for Goc and a pile of bodies in front of the net. Replay shows Grier and Goc take several whacks before the whistle. Tampa broadcast notes a comment from Barry Melrose that the Sharks try to gain position on team's in front of the net, and then try to use that position to punch home rebounds or loose pucks. The Sharks are the largest team in the NHL with a 6-foot-2, 215 pound average, and Todd McLellan's blue collar offense seeks to maximize that advantage. Hard for opposing teams to stop when three lines with size are regularly setting up in front of the crease.
Marleau out with Plihal and Shelley for fourth line duty. A point shot by Douglas Murray is wide of the net, but Marleau gains possesion and tries to find Plihal high in the slot. Marleau is in the traditional back to the glass, Joe Thornton mode. Murray has trouble with the puck at the point, but keeps it in and Marleau drives down the left side deep. A shot from a sharp angle just misses a deflection attempt by Plihal, and Christian Ehrhoff follows with a hard shot from the right side. Puck kept in by a streaking Milan Michalek, as Michalek and Cheechoo join Marleau on a line change. Joe Thornton is often looked at as a player who makes his linemates better, or gives them career seasons a la Jonathan Cheechoo. It was Patrick Marleau who centered two rookies Milan Michalek and Steve Bernier, that basically set each winger on the power forward career track.
Meszaros quick d-to-d pass to Ranger behind the net, and Ranger connects with a long pass to Lecavalier to break out of the zone. Lecavalier finds Martin St. Louis on the right side, and St. Louis dishes to Vaclav Prospal on the left side. Prospal fires a hard wrist shot that sails wide and off the glass. Tampa d-man keeps the puck in at the point, and Lecavalier feeds Prospal behind the net who tries to stuff a quick wraparound by Boucher. Boucher smothers the shot, but can not control the rebound. Ranger to Lecavalier who sets up behind the net. Lecavalier's centering pass is picked off by Joe Pavelski and moved up ice. Best scoring sequence of the game up to this point for Tampa Bay. Hall-Stamkos-Recchi line drives the net on the next shift, but Boucher is there to make the save down low.
Tampa Bay broadcast notes an unsual training regimine for Devin Setoguchi that involves battmitton. Setoguchi says it improves his hand eye coordination and footwork. San Jose has a large Vietnamese community, and battmitton is probably the most popular sport for a large segment of the youth. Quick rush for Pavelski and Michalek down the right side. Michalek pulls up on Malik and generates about 3-4 feet of open space changing direction. He feathers a pass for Cheechoo on the point who unloads a low shot on Smith. Smith makes the save, but Pavelski is inside Jussi Jokinen with his stick on the ice. Pavelski gets one whack at the puck before Jokinen chops him to the ice. Michalek beats two players to the loose rebound to flick another shot on net. The dam is eventually going to burst for Tampa Bay if they do not clear players from in front of the net, and cut down on the second and third efforts on SJ scoring chances.
SECOND PERIOD:
Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Barry Melrose with Paul Kennedy at intermission, "We have too many turnovers in the neutral zone, we have to make them go 200 feet. We have to play in their end. We did at times, Prospal had a couple great scoring chances but its got to go deep. We have to do to them what they are doing to us. We want to get 15-18 minutes out of Marek (Malik), we have to find out what kind of conditioning he is in. He has played a lot in the NHL. He is a veteran NHL d, so this is a good game for him to get in to."
Former Tampa Bay Lightning captain Dave Andreychuk on 18 year old rookie Steven Stamkos, "He is a guy that has progressively gotten better as the game has gone on. You can see he is working hard behind the net and making some plays, but he has got to have the puck more. When he has the puck, he makes plays. He is doing things on the ice that are going to allow him to get more minutes. He is also playing in his own end, and playing defense. The better he plays defensively, the more opportunities he will get offensively." Andreychuk on Matt Carle, "This is a big night for him. This is an organization that has traded him. I have been through a few of those in my career. You try to think that it is just like any other game, but it is not. You want to prove to that organization that you deserved to stay there."
The Lightning broadcast also broke down Stamkos's best scoring chance in the first, the give-and-go with Recchi. Stamkos dished the puck and drove the net, but Marc-Edouard Vlasic chopped at his stick on the shot which resulted in the puck dribbling on net. Second period starts with more Saw 5 talk, and Tampa Bay sets up shop deep in the Sharks zone. Another not very discussed aspect of San Jose adding Boyle and Blake to the defense is their ability to negate an opposing team's dump and chase system. More often than not one of Boyle-Lukowich or Blake-Vlasic are going to reach a dump in first, and Boyle and Blake are always looking to push the puck up ice. In rookie tournaments and training camp, Vlasic set him self apart for his vision and first pass, but he has yet to develop that offensive killer instinct to take his game to the next level.
Devin Setoguchi drives down the right side, and cuts back to his left one handed as he tries to stickhandle around Paul Ranger. Puck to the front of the net, and Milan Michalek crashes and tries to get a stick on the play. First penalty of the game on Ranger for hooking. Jokinen clears the first Sharks attempt with the man advantage. Second rush up ice the Sharks actually have 5 men in a line as they pass the red line and enter the zone. Boyle and Vlasic drop off on the points, play around the boards to Boyle on the opposite side. Boyle fakes a pass to the right, then a pass to the left, fakes a shot, and then passes to Vlasic on the right. Vlasic holds the puck for a second, and then sets up Boyle for a 1-timer from the point wide right. Prospal wins a battle along the boards, moves the puck past Vlasic but Boyle cheats all the way over to the right point and dumps the puck deep before moving back over to the left side. Michalek-Boyle-Michalek, then Michalek snaps a hard shot with Pavelski again in front of the net. Shot hits Smith in his plastic throat protector, and he is shaken up on the play. Referee helps him to his feet.
The play does not result in a scoring chance, but later in the period the Setoguchi-Goc-Roenick line creates a turnover in the neutral zone. Dan Boyle drives the puck into the zone with Setoguchi on his right churning towards the net. Two players skate to Boyle, who pulls up to his right, then spins around up the left side before stopping. Another newly aqcuired defenseman, Former Canuck Lukas Krajicek waives a stick at him. Excellent display of skating by Boyle. Tampa broadcast notes Patrick Marleau's recent 800 game milestone, he was the second youngest player to reach that mark. The youngest was Lightning forward Chris Gratton, 5 years earlier. Patrick Marleau picks the puck off of Matt Carle, and passes to Devin Setoguchi who misses the net with a quick shot. Setoguchi gets his own rebound, and spins off of Andrej Meszaros twice to create an open lane to the net. Shot by Setoguchi looks like it deflects off of the far crossbar. Blake gets rebound on right side, and takes it behind the net. He throws it in front, Setoguchi keeps it in at the point. Marleau down low up high to Blake for a point shot. Evgeny Artyukhin clears for Tampa Bay. Very dangerous sequence for the Lightning.
Staggering stat from Tampa Broadcast, "Where did the defense go?". First 4 San Jose Sharks games, 4 goals allowed and a 4-0-0 record. Next 4 San Jose Sharks games, 18 goals allowed and a 2-2-0 record. "The best defense is a good puck possession offense". Tampa right wing Jason Ward and a linemate wins a battle with Joe Thornton and Vlasic for possesion behind the Sharks net. Thornton battle back for possession, then hits Setoguchi who clears the play. The play is more in the Sharks end early in the second period, but not in the danger areas in front of the net. More perimeter play. Grier with the puck against the side boards hits a streaking Dan Boyle at center ice with a pass in stride. Boyle accelerates into the Tampa zone, dishes to an open Marcel Goc on the left side. Goc slaps a shot inside the far post to give the San Jose Sharks a 1-0 lead at 7:57 (assists Boyle, Grier). Goc's first goal of the season. Goaltender Mike Smith came out far to cut down the angle, but he may have been positioned too far to the right allowing too much room far side.
Clowe-Goc-Grier still on the ice. Grier again on the side wall, cross ice pass to Clowe on the left side with Goc driving down the middle. Clowe's shot deflects into the left corner, and Goc chases it down trying to split two players defenseman Janne Niskala and Matt Carle. Goc gets out in front of both and he is leveled by a third Lightning player coming in blindside to his left. Artyukhin leveled Goc, and Goc is slow to his feet and slow getting back to the bench. According to David Pollak of the SJ Mercury News, Goc did not return to the ice. Jeremy Roenick took Goc's position between Ryane Clowe and Mike Grier.
Tampa Bay Lightning power play on a 2 minute tripping minor called on Marc-Edouard Vlasic. Barry Melrose is debuting a new power play configuration with Martin St. Louis on the point. Stamkos-Lecavalier-Prospal and Ranger also out on the first PP unit. Prospal, orginally labeled player X because I could not see his number and he did very little on the power play. It was Lecavalier digging the puck out from behind the net and finding Martin St. Louis in front for a slap shot off the post. Lots of short passing high in the zone by Tampa is eventually cut short with an interception by Milan Michalek. With 1:08 still on the man advantage, defenseman Paul Ranger takes a 2 minute slashing minor as he leaves the ice. It counts as a penalty kill in the books, assist to Paul Ranger.
A back checking Joe Thornton steamrolled over Mark Recchi to gain possession of the puck in his own zone. Thornton takes it behind his own net and banks a 100-foot pass to Dan Boyle who is cherry picking just outside the Tampa blueline on the right side. Two quick strides by Boyle, and he tries to snap a shot 5-hole but Mike Smith closes it down quickly to make the save. Sharks shortened power play opportunity on the Ranger penalty, but they can not do much with the man advantage. 5-on-5, Clowe-Pavelski-Michalek drive deep and Marek Malik is forced to trip up Clowe as two Lightning defenseman run into each other on the right side. Tampa broadcast interviewed Todd McLellan prior to the game. He said he has experienced both extremes, puck possession and offense in Detroit, and defense and good positioning in Minnesota. McLellan said the Sharks have the Detroit offense and puck possession part down, but they need to work on more of the defensive responsible Minnesota style of play.
Lots of movement early on the power play, Thornton on the right half boards just misses Marleau to the right side of the net. Tampa clears. Sharks second power play unit, Michalek-Pavelski-Clowe on the ice. Clowe and Michalek force a Martin St. Louis turnover, Clowe throws it up the right boards to Pavelski. Cross ice pass to Ehrhoff, who backs it back to the center to open a lane for a slapshot. Tampa outnumbers San Jose 2-to-1 in front of the net, but it is Clowe who has inside position on two Lightning players. Clowe tips the puck passed Mike Smith for the Sharks second goal of the game at 18:00 (PP, assists Ehrhoff, Pavelski).
THIRD PERIOD:
Former Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Brad Lukowich interviewed during the second intermission, "There was a lot of emotion coming back, we tried to push it away but the second the puck dropped it was exciting. The fans have been great, they were cheering for us and gave us a salute on the jumbotron. It has been a nice welcome, especially when you are up by 2. I am part of a complete team in San Jose. We have 4 lines, 6 d, and other guys chomping at the bit to get in the lineup. For us, its an amazing team to be a part of and we have to fight every night to stay in the lineup. The meeting (held by the defense that morning) talked about doing the little things, not overextending ourselves, our goaltending has been amazing and for us to leave them hanging with outnumbered rushes the last couple of games is uncharacteristic. For us we wanted to stay back a little more and keep the puck in front of us."
Tampa starts the third with 34 seconds left of a power play on Ehrhoff's late holding call. Puck deflects off lineman, picked up and shot on goal by Joe Pavelski shorthanded. Pavelski was the leading scorer for San Jose in the playoffs, but the defensive side of his game is very underrated. Smart hockey player in the Chris Drury/Joe Sakic mould, and only 24. That is a comparison that should not be made lightly, but as Wisconsin-native Sharkspage contributor Max Giese has noted in the past, he has won at every level of hockey he has participated. This season Pavelski has 3 goals and 3 assists in 9 games played. Tampa quickly moves the puck up ice with time winding down on the power play. Paul Rangers hammers a hard slap shot up high on Boucher with gigantic 6-foot-5, 254 pound right wing Evgeny Artyukhin in front. Artyukhin is so large he needs his own zip code.
Defenseman Paul Ranger takes another penalty, this time 2 minutes for holding the shoulder of Jonathan Cheechoo as he took the puck behind he net. Along with his slashing penalty to negate a second period TB power play and another hooking call, this is Ranger's third penalty of the game. Tampa's broadcast notes this is his second straight game with 3 penalties. With former Art Ross and Rocket Richard winners Joe Thornton and Jonathan Cheechoo, and the second leading playoff goal scorer over the last 3 years (Patrick Marleau tied with Iginla at 24 goals) up front on the top power play unit, not to mention Boyle and Blake on the blueline, mistakes can come back to hurt you quickly. The Sharks ring one shot off the post, and have another baseball swing attempt at a floating puck in front, but they can not connect on the power play opportunity.
Stat from Tampa broadcast: Top NHL point leaders since December 1st, 2005 (day after Thornton trade from Boston to SJ): 1 - Joe Thornton 309, Alexander Ovechkin 289, Sidney Crosby 277, Dany Heatley 261, Vincent Lecavalier 251. Faceoff win by Jussi Jokinen, Gary Roberts comes up with the puck on the right side and throws it at the net. Jokinen and Artyukhin are outnumbered 3-to-2 by Sharks in front of the net, but the shot deflects off Boucher wide. Pavelski beat Artyukhin to the rebound. Another breakout by the Tampa Bay Lightning lead by Matt Carle. Gary Roberts dumps it deep, Artyukhin hammers Vlasic against the end boards as he plays the puck behind the net. Tampa wins battle for possession down low, but Rob Blake steals the puck from Roberts and turns it up ice with three Lightning forwards behind the play. Sharks opt for a line change. Ranger starts yet another Tampa Rush, Stamkos is the player to dump the puck deep this time. Lukowich and Recchi battle for possession down low, this time a second Shark pokes the puck up to Ryane Clowe who skates it out of the zone.
Two miscues by San Jose, Mike Grier playing his man doesn't see Jeremy Roenick coming in on the play. Roenick down on the ice launches Grier over the top, both ok and head back to the bench. Later moving the puck out of his own zone, Joe Pavelski blows out and turns the puck over to Tampa. The Lightning are not skating with enough intensity, not playing with enough desperation. The Sharks are going to start hanging back, clogging the center of the ice, and might counter punch for a goal of the Lightning get too agressive.
Nice rush by Artyukhin. He takes the puck from behind his own net up the right side. Skates by, then outmuscles Joe Thornton while cutting back to his left to avoid an oncoming Patrick Marleau. Artyukhin accelerates while avoiding a stick check by Setoguchi, then cuts to his right to break into the Sharks zone. He keeps position on the puck from Rob Blake, and then fires a centering pass to Gary Roberts in front of the net. Roberts can not get a stick on the play. Sharks instantly turn it into a 3-on-2 rush in the opposite direction as Artyukhin is up against the end boards. Thornton shot wide. Impressive end-to-end rush by the big man Artyukhin.
Penalty, two minute minor on Jason Ward for holding the stick of Brad Lukowich. In a play at the side of the net, the blade of Lukowich's stick actually became caught up in the jersey of Ward. Missed call by the refs. Sharks set up in the Tampa Bay zone, and spread wide with good perimeter puck movement. Point blank shot by Pavelski save down low by Lightning goaltender Mike Smith. Sharks get the puck deep twice, both times resulting in deflections just wide of the net. Lots of traffic between Smith and the puck. Lightning kill the power play. Next shift sees the Marleau-Thornton-Setoguchi line up for San Jose. Setoguchi wins a battle along the right side, changes direction, and dumps the puck down low for Joe Thornton. Movement off the puck is key, and Setoguchi circles around Marleau and 3 other Tampa Bay players all with eyes on the puck. Thornton reverses the play back to Setoguchi behind the net, Setouchi cuts hard to the front of the net, protecting the puck with his body against Ryan Malone, and snaps a shot between the legs of Matt Carle inside the near post. Score 3-0 San Jose, Setoguchi's 5th goal of the season.
POSTGAME COMMENTS BY TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING HEAD COACH BARRY MELROSE:
"Not getting the puck to the net, not playing with speed, totally outworked tonight by San Jose. It was an embarassing effort out of our team tonight. Very embarassing. We have been getting great goaltending, Smitty was awesome. Coming out of the first period 0-0, and not taking advantage of it, was very disappointing. It is something we need to work on to figure out what is going on with our team. Our goaltending has never been a problem for us, but we have scored 11 goals in 7 games. You don't have to be Albert Einstein to figure out that is not enough."
"Nothing looked good. If you are looking for bright spots, I thought Ryan Malone looked good, he played with a lot of passion. One guy doing that is not enough. Other guys have to play with passion and win battles. Right now we are just trying to figure it out for ourselves, we need to try to get back to the basics. Things we already taked about, the way we played against Minnesota, the way we played against the Islanders, the way we played against Atlanta. For 3 games it worked, but tonight our guys just wouldn't do it. Wouldn't go and get the puck, and wouldn't make the simple play. It cost us against a very good hockey club."
That's all you need to say, really, about what went on during the Lightning's 3-0 loss to the Sharks Saturday night at the St. Pete Times Forum.
The stats are one thing: outshot 45-22, winning just 18 of 46 faceoffs, failing to challenge backup goalie Brian Boucher, who got his second shutout in his second start. But the most disturbing thing for the team was its lack of passion. The Sharks simply outworked Tampa Bay in every facet, along the boards, in open ice, in battles for the puck. That is why Tampa Bay's parade to the penalty box continued. When you are a step behind, you take penalties.
There were some who tried to play with emotion: Ryan Malone, Mark Recchi and even Steven Stamkos, but few others joined in. Not even the addition of 6-foot-6, 235-pound Marek Malik helped.
Posted by PJ Swenson | Permalink
Posted by MaxGiese | Permalink
TORONTO FC GOALIE GREG SUTTON INNUNDATED WITH STREAMERS AFTER SJ GOALToronto FC (9-13-8) vs. San Jose Earthquakes (8-13-9) October 25, 2008 -- Buck Shaw Stadium
Scoring Summary:
SJ -- Ryan Cochrane 2 (Ronnie O'Brien 6) 49
SJ -- Shea Salinas 2 (penalty kick) 91+
Toronto FC -- Greg Sutton, Hunter Freeman, Kevin Harmse, Tyrone Marshall, Jim Brennan, Johann Smith (Jarrod Smith 46), Amado Guevara, Carl Robinson, Rohan Ricketts, Chad Barrett, Danny Dichio (Carlos Ruiz 47) (Abdus Ibrahim 81). Substitutes Not Used: Brian Edwards, Julius James, Tyler Rosenlund, Marco Velez.
San Jose Earthquakes -- Joe Cannon, James Riley, Ryan Cochrane, Nick Garcia, Eric Denton, Ronnie O'Brien, Ramiro Corrales, Ned Grabavoy (Francisco Lima 46), Darren Huckerby (Shea Salinas 67), Ryan Johnson, Scott Sealy (Arturo Alvarez 54). Substitutes Not Used: Kelly Gray, Michael Gustavson, Jason Hernandez, Jovan Kirovski.
Total shots: 17 (Ronnie O'Brien 4) 4 (Chad Barrett 2) Shots on goal: 10 (Ronnie O'Brien 2, Shea Salinas 2) 2 (Chad Barrett 2) Fouls: 8 (Ryan Cochrane 2, James Riley 2) 7 (Rohan Ricketts 2, Johann Smith 2) Offsides: 3 (3 tied with 1) 3 (Chad Barrett 2) Corner kicks: 7 (Darren Huckerby 4) 4 (Amado Guevara 3) Saves: 2 (Joe Cannon 2) 8 (Greg Sutton 8)
Misconduct Summary:
SJ -- James Riley (caution; Reckless Tackle) 74
SJ -- Shea Salinas (caution; Unsporting Behavior) 80
TOR -- Tyrone Marshall (caution; Unsporting Behavior) 80
TOR -- Amado Guevara (caution; Dissent) 84
Referee: Michael Kennedy
Referee's Assistants: Fabio Tovar; Frank Anderson
4th official: Yader Reyes
Time of game: 1:58
Attendance: 10,526
Weather: Clear-and-74 degrees
Instead of having to quickly create an 18-man roster, the Quakes can spend the next several months fine-tuning. They also need to resolve the futures of midfielder Francisco Lima and forward Scott Sealy — both might play abroad next season, although the Quakes want to keep them. San Jose also could lose players to the Seattle Sounders in next month's expansion draft.
As a result, San Jose might need to add three or four new players to a foundation that includes Arturo Alvarez, Joe Cannon, Ryan Cochrane, Nick Garcia, Darren Huckerby and Ronnie O'Brien.
Posted by PJ Swenson | Permalink
BRI 0 1 1 - 2
WOR 0 0 0 - 0
1st Period
Scoring - No Scoring
Penalties - P. Mannino Bri (slashing, served by R. Hennigar) 3:32, S. Zalewski Wor (hooking) 4:24, J. Demers Wor (interference) 15:26
2nd Period
Scoring - 1. Bridgeport, T. Jackman (3) (B. Skinner) 9:44
Penalties - R. Armstrong Wor (holding) 3:43, B. Comeau Bri (boarding) 5:35, F. McLaren Wor (hooking) 7:46, S. Bentivoglio Bri (high-sticking) 16:33, J. Demers Wor (tripping) 18:43
3rd Period
Scoring - 2. Bridgeport, S. Bentivoglio (2) (T. Marcinko, J. Fraser) 10:18 Penalties - D. Joslin Wor (tripping) 3:16, T. Smith Bri (slashing) 4:58, R. Armstrong Wor (boarding) 8:46, B. Comeau Bri (hooking) 10:05, J. McGinn Wor (slashing) 12:17
BRI Shots: 6 8 6 TOTAL: 20
WOR Shots: 15 6 12 TOTAL: 33
Power Play Conversion
Bridgeport Sound Tigers 0-8. Worcester Sharks 0-5.
Goaltenders
Bridgeport Sound Tigers
Mannino 2-0-1 Start: 1st 0:00 Min: 59:49 SV: 33 GA: 0 [W]
Worcester Sharks
Greiss 2-4-0 Start: 1st 0:00 Min: 58:17 SV: 18 GA: 2 [L]
Attendance : 3612. Referee: Francois St. Laurent (38). Linesmen: Todd Whittemore (19), John Costello (24)
Posted by Darryl Hunt | Permalink
SAN JOSE SHARKS 2007-08 GOAL DISTRIBUTION
SAN JOSE SHARKS 2006-07 GOAL DISTRIBUTION
SAN JOSE SHARKS 2005-06 GOAL DISTRIBUTIONCOMPLETE LIST OF SAN JOSE SHARKS 20-GOAL SCORERS:
1991-92: (2) Falloon 25, Bruce 22.
1992-93: (3) Kisio 26, Gaudreau 23, Garpenlov 22.
1993-94: (4) Makarov 30, Ozolinsh 26, Elik 25, Falloon 22.
1994-95: Strike shortened 48 game season.
1995-96: (3) Nolan 29, Sheppard 27, Miller 22.
1996-97: (3) Nolan 31, Friesen 28, Granato 25.
1997-98: (1) Friesen 31.
1998-99: (3) Murray 25, Friesen 22, Marleau 21.
1999-2000: (4) Nolan 44, Friesen 26, Damphousse 21, Ricci 20.
2000-01: (3) Marleau 25, Nolan 24, Ricci 22.
2001-02: (6) Selanne 29, S. Thornton 26, Nolan 23, Sturm 21, Marleau 21, Damphousse 20.
2002-03: (5) Selanne 28, Marleau 28, Sturm 28, Damphousse 23, Nolan 22.
2003-04: (5) Marleau 28, Cheechoo 28, Ekman 22, Sturm 21, McCauley 20.
2004-05: Lockout canceled entire NHL season.
2005-06: (4) Cheechoo 56, Marleau 34, Ekman 21, Thornton 20.
2006-07: (4) Cheechoo 37, Marleau 32, Michalek 26, Thornton 22.
2007-08: (3) Thornton 29, Michalek 24, Cheechoo 23.
Had a fairly interesting, but guarded conversation with former Lightning defenseman Dan Boyle on Friday after the Sharks' morning skate in Sunrise. Boyle did not really want to talk about Saturday's game in Tampa since he had a game Friday night against the Panthers, but he did say this about his claim he was "disrespected" by the Lightning's new ownership before being traded July 4 to San Jose.
"Am I ever going to be happy with the way it went down? Absolutely not. No way; that was the wrong way. I think most people know that. But at some point, you have to turn the page, and I've done that."
What Boyle has done is settled in with San Jose. heading into Friday's game he was sixth among NHL defensemen with six points on two goals and four assists. As Sharks coach Todd McLellan said, he has fit in San Jose "like he belongs here."
Posted by PJ Swenson | Permalink
FLORIDA GOALTENDER #29 TOMAS VOKOUN - ARCHIVE FLICKR PHOTO KAATIYA
Posted by PJ Swenson | Permalink
PRO 2 0 1 - 3
WOR 0 1 0 - 1
1st Period
Scoring - 1. Providence, M. Lehtonen (2) (M. Marquardt, J. Boychuk) 8:10 PP, 2. Providence, W. Rabbit (2) (M. Marquardt, M. Lashoff) 13:31
Penalties - F. McLaren Wor (boarding) 6:35, M. Marquardt Pro (hooking) 14:47, R. Armstrong Wor (slashing) 17:09, P. Traverse Wor (hooking) 18:41
2nd Period
Scoring - 3. Worcester, D. Joslin (1) (R. Vesce, M. Morris) 8:12 PP
Penalties - T. Rask Pro (hooking, served by M. Marquardt) 6:21, J. Boychuk Pro (delay of game) 7:43, M. St. Pierre Pro (hooking) 12:08, C. Larose Wor (slashing) 17:54
3rd Period
Scoring - 4. Providence, W. Rabbit (3) (M. Karsums) 17:25 SH
Penalties - J. Boychuk Pro (kneeing) 0:47, M. St. Pierre Pro (hooking) 3:21, S. Zalewski Wor (hooking) 8:09, C. Larose Wor (slashing) 13:07, J. Penner Pro (holding) 15:27, Served by M. Lehtonen Pro (bench minor - too many men) 17:37
PRO Shots: 5 3 4 TOTAL: 12
WOR Shots: 7 13 14 TOTAL: 34
Power Play Conversion
Providence Bruins 1-6. Worcester Sharks 1-8.
Goaltenders
Providence Bruins
Rask 4-1-0 Start: 1st 0:00 Min: 59:53 SV: 33 GA: 1 [W]
Worcester Sharks
Greiss 2-3-0 Start: 1st 0:00 Min: 58:16 SV: 9 GA: 3 [L]
Attendance : 3316. Referee: Terry Koharski (10) Linesmen: Todd Whittemore (19), Brian MacDonald (72)
Posted by Darryl Hunt | Permalink
HAR 1 0 3 0 0 - 4
WOR 2 0 2 0 1 - 5
1st Period
Scoring - 1. Worcester, J. McGinn (3) (S. Zalewski, M. Morris) 8:02, 2. Worcester, P. Traverse (1) (T. Cavanagh, P. Fenton) 8:24, 3. Hartford, D. Byers (2) (C. Potter, B. Sanguinetti) 15:16 PP
Penalties - J. McGinn Wor (tripping) 3:21, J. Soryal Hfd (fighting) 9:01, F. McLaren Wor (fighting) 9:01, M. Moore Wor (hooking) 11:01, K. McLaren Wor (tripping) 13:48, D. Joslin Wor (holding) 14:28, A. Anisimov Hfd (holding) 17:21
2nd Period
Scoring - No Scoring
Penalties - D. DiDiomete Hfd (roughing) 1:29, B. Sugden Hfd (tripping) 1:29, B. Sugden Hfd (fighting) 3:49, B. Westgarth Wor (fighting) 3:49, T. Cavanagh Wor (holding) 6:19, D. DiDiomete Hfd (boarding) 12:03, J. Soryal Hfd (roughing) 14:32, M. Morris Wor (hooking) 15:33
3rd Period
Scoring - 4. Worcester, J. McGinn (4) (M. Morris, K. McLaren) 0:39, 5. Hartford, D. Weise (1) (A. Anisimov, C. Murray) 2:30, 6. Hartford, P. Parenteau (1) (D. Byers, G. Moore) 2:47, 7. Hartford, J. Owens (1) (J. Soryal, B. Dupont) 8:57, 8. Worcester, C. Larose (3) (R. Vesce, D. Joslin) 16:03 PP
Penalties - Served by J. Soryal Hfd (bench minor - too many men) 6:39, M. Morris Wor (cross-checking) 11:29, M. Moore Wor (holding the stick) 11:41, H. Jessiman Hfd (high-sticking) 14:11
OT Period
Scoring - No Scoring
Penalties - G. Moore Hfd (slashing) 4:22
Shootout
Round 1 - HFD - Greg Moore - No
Round 1 - WOR - Jamie McGinn - No
Round 2 - HFD - Brodie Dupont - No
Round 2 - WOR - Steven Zalewski - Yes
Round 3 - HFD - Dale Weise - No
Round 3 - WOR - Cory Larose - Yes
Round 4 - HFD - Artem Anisimov - No
HFD Shots: 8 7 9 1 0 TOTAL: 25
WOR Shots: 12 11 12 0 1 TOTAL: 36
Power Play Conversion
Hartford Wolf Pack 1-8. Worcester Sharks 1-7.
Goaltenders
Hartford Wolf Pack
Wiikman 1-2-1 Start: 1st 0:00 Min: 65:00 SV: 31 GA: 4 [SOL]
Worcester Sharks
Greiss 2-2-0 Start: 1st 0:00 Min: 64:56 SV: 21 GA: 4 [W]
Attendance : 2126. Referee: Nygel Pelletier (41). Linesmen: Jack Millea (23), Scott Whittemore (96)
Posted by Darryl Hunt | Permalink
SAN JOSE CAPTAIN PATRICK MARLEAU IN THE PREVIOUS BLACK THIRD JERSEY
ONE FAN'S SPECULATIVE BLACK 3RD JERSEY CONCEPTS - IMAGE VIA ICETHISThe Sharks announced the release date for their new RBK third jersey Wednesday. The new "BlackArmor" third jersey will be unveiled at San Jose headquarters Friday November 21st at 10:00AM and worn for the first time in a game Saturday November 22nd as the Washington Capitals and defending Rocket Richard, Art Ross and Hart Memorial Trophy winner Alexander Ovechkin visit HP Pavilion.
The Sharks also reported that the jersey will be worn 14 times this season including games against Washington (Nov. 22), Chicago (Nov. 26), Toronto (Dec. 2), Columbus (Dec. 4), twice against Anaheim (Dec. 11 and April 5), Calgary (Jan. 15), Colorado (Jan. 27), twice against Phoenix (Jan. 29 and April 9), Carolina (Feb. 5), Los Angeles (Feb. 19), Minnesota (March 5), and Nashville (March 19).
The Sharks version of the new RBK Edge jersey system adopted by the NHL for the 2007-08 season was introduced last September encorporating the team's primary colors of Deep Pacific Teal, Burnt Orange and Black. In July of 2007 the Sharks also introduced a new primary crest, triangle/fin logos, and word marks created by original logo designer Terry Smith. The new crest and secondary markings were said to emphasize "speed, strength and determination". Smith told a story during the press conference of the team's initial use of the color teal, and how it later came to be indentified with hockey and the franchise.
The previous version of the Sharks alternate black jersey was very popular with the fan base, and the black alternate third jersey was popular elsewhere in the league as well. According to Steve MacFarlane, the Sharks are one of 5 teams expected to go black this season along with the Phoenix Coyotes, Los Angeles Kings, Chicago Blackhawks and Ottawa Senators. As many as 8 teams are expected to introduce retro-themed jerseys according to MacFarlane.
"The new BlackArmor jerseys look really cool, and our BlackArmor portable hard drive is like having Nabby saving you from hackers taking shots at your valuable content and personal information." CEO of Seagate Technology Bill Watkins told sjsharks.com. James Mirtle notes the new price points for the third jersey: Youth - $115, Premier - $135, Authentic - $250.
IceThis and Uniwatch are two websites following the release of alternate NHL jerseys closely. IceThis has a pair of speculative Sharks third jersey possibilities here and here. Uniwatch's Paul Lukas believes the team has a lot of chutzpah for taking pre-orders on a jersey fans can not even see. Prior to the Sharks logo unveiling last year Sharkspage received a deluge of emails from fans requesting that team president Greg Jamison be asked about the black third jersey, and there has been a steady stream of online speculation regarding the new upcoming version. Taking pre-orders of a jersey site unseen could simply be a response to intensive demand.
NHL spokeswoman Bernadette Mansur said the issue of fan behavior hasn’t ever risen to the board of governors level, but franchise execs say it’s a topic of conversation on regular conference calls about league best practices... Via Internet tools, the (Minnesota) Wild regularly surveys its season-ticket customers on issues of safety and comfort, Spencer said. Complaints about unruly fans are often handled off-site via phone calls to a season-ticket holder. That method, Spencer said, pays dividends. Often, the annoying customers aren’t the season-ticket owner, but a friend or employee of a firm.
Posted by PJ Swenson | Permalink
One of the problems the Flyers have right now that really hasn’t been talked about is their centermen, who are getting hammered up and down the lineup on faceoffs. As an example: Briere won just one of six draws against Marcel Goc in the previous meeting against San Jose. Jeff Carter won 1 of 5 against Patrick Marleau and just 1 of 6 against Joe Thornton.
You can't have puck possession if you can't win faceoffs. "We stress [faceoffs] it here big-time which is important," Roenick said. "If you have the puck, you control a lot of the play. So, if you don't win faceoff, you’re not gonna have the puck and you’re chasing it around. That’s huge."
"Still, whether you win or lose draws, it doesn't lose hockey games. You have to find ways to overcome. They can't let frustration set in. If frustration sets in, it can be even more difficult."
Posted by PJ Swenson | Permalink
DREW FICKETT ENTERS AN ELITE XC CO-PROMOTED EVENT IN SJIt is a spectacular collapse for EliteXC, viewed by most that follow the sport as the No. 2 promotion in the country behind the UFC. EliteXC brought mixed martial arts to network TV with a groundbreaking prime-time deal with CBS, and has been instrumental in raising the profile of MMA among mainstream sports fans.
However, the two-year-old promotion has been dogged by criticism almost from the day the company hung its shingle. MMA traditionalists took issue with everything from its leadership under boxing promoter Gary Shaw, to the pro-wrestling-influenced production of its shows, to how it promoted Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson into a star, despite his lack of MMA experience.
Obviously today is a great day for MMA. Pro Elite is dead. I'm sure some of you saw the interview I did about how bad some of these guys are for the sport. Today is a good day. Jeremy Lappen, the three time loser, first Battle Management, then the WFA, now Pro Elite. Jeremy, you have a law degree, go get a real f****** job. Your parents must be real proud. Your parents spent all this money on a law degree and you lose all this money trying to screw up the MMA business.
Posted by PJ Swenson | Permalink
SAN JOSE SHARKS CAPTAIN/ALLSTAR/GM DOUG WILSON[Q] How many different systems are in hockey?
[DW] Not as many as you think. There are a few on how you forecheck, but it really is a read and react game where there are a lot of 1-on-1's. You set up and get mismatches. When we're playing really well we are attacking the other team. The biggest thing we look for is possession time. If we have the puck for most of the game, they are either going to take penalties or they are going to be worn down by the end of the game, kind of like a boxer. You might not win the first two or three rounds, but if you concentrate and wear them down and make them defend, by the end of it you should come out on the right side.
[Q] When we talk about hockey and when other people talk about hockey, it comes down to the same core things: paying the price, getting the puck deep and digging it out, doing the things that are hard to do that you don't want to do, and doing them consistently. It seems like that, more than the system you play and the talent of course, is going to dictate what kind of team you have and what kind of success you have.
[DW] That really is about 90% of it. We have changed a couple of our tactical approaches, such as the power play. We don't set up on the half wall with Joe, we set up on the blue line and the middle of the ice with the threat of a shot. When you got guys like Boyle and Blake, it changes the whole dynamic of your power play. The other thing we do is we don't chip and chase, which means you are giving the puck back to the other team. We want our forwards to drive to the net, and make them have to make a decision on how to defend against us. That is a philosophical difference that makes guys like Joe and Patty, Milan and Cheech almost unstoppable if they continue to do it and are willing to do it.
Joe's problem was that he was trying to do too much. I think having Boyle and Blake on the backend will help Thornton become a little less predictable. That is his issue. Patty (Patrick Marleau) cares so much, last year early in the year it was paralysis by analysis. It runs deep with Patrick. He cares more than anybody. Those are the guys that sometimes you worry about because sometimes they internalize. Patty cares.
What he did the last half of last year after going through the tough times, I have great respect for him. More importantly the guys in the dressing room. He earned that respect back with them, just by saying I'll be there and I'll do what I need to do.
Just as the Sharks were preparing to being their first training camp, General Manager Jack Ferreira engineered a trade with Chicago on September 6th, 1991, to bring popular defenseman Doug Wilson to the Sharks in exchange for a minor league player and a draft pick. The 14-year Blackhawk became San Jose's first captain and severed in this role from 1991-93. Wilson also achieved another milestone in Sharks history by donning a Campbell Conference uniform at the Philadelphia Spectrum on January 18, 1992, becoming the first Sharks All-Star representative in franchise history.
Wilson brought instant credibility and respect to a fledgling Sharks franchise with his trademark class and dignity. Now serving as the team's Executive Vice President and General Manager, Wilson scored 48 points in 86 games with the Sharks before announcing his retirement before the 1993-94 season. The veteran of 16 NHL seasons, and 7 All-Star games scored 827 points in 1,024 career games.
SPORTS ILLUSTRATED - OCTOBER 20TH, 2008Clubs no longer are required to disclose the specific nature of player injuries. Clubs are, however, required to disclose that a player is expected to miss a game due to injury, or will not return to a game following an injury. Clubs are prohibited from providing untruthful information about the nature of a player injury or otherwise misrepresenting a player’s condition.
But some teams have not adopted Edmonton's scorched earth policy toward bloggers. The San Jose Sharks, for one, are making a genuine effort to invite bloggers to the table, perhaps not surprising considering that the franchise is in Silicon Valley.
"It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that newspapers are slowly going away," Sharks media director Scott Emmert said. "Blogs are one of the venues that fans are going to, and we realize that. We make an effort to follow what's written. There's the saying about there being no such thing as bad publicity, and while I wouldn't go quite that far, it is true that a pro franchise can make blogs work for them."
The Sharks actively work with sites such as Hockey Buzz and Sharkspage, because they recognize the upside of such a relationship. "But those sites have a large degree of professional accountabilty," Emmert said. "That's the thing that has to be in the equation. A lot of bloggers are out there writing things that are factually incorrect with no accountability, and we don't want to be working with them, obviously."
John Ryan, who blogs regularly for the San Jose Mercury News, sees accountability as a huge issue in the relationship between pro franchises and bloggers. "If I write something that is out of line, the team can call my employer and there's accountability there," he said. "But when an independent blogger writes something outrageous, often the only recourse a team has is to take away his press credential. So I see that. But you can be smart about it. The Sharks were pushing us to have a Sharks blog before we even had one."
Posted by PJ Swenson | Permalink
COMMONCENSUS.ORG 2008 NHL FAN MAPQuick note here: One reason for this early season analysis is that, for whatever reasons, fans in Merced County seem to care pretty passionately about the Sharks. In two and half years as sports editor, I've received more calls and e-mails about the Sharks than all of Northern California's other pro sports teams... Combined.
When the Sharks were bumped from the playoffs last year, my mailbox was stuffed with questions, comments, critiques of some players and former coach Ron Wilson, etc. This is clearly Sharks country.
Posted by PJ Swenson | Permalink
PHILADELPHIA GOALTENDER #30 ANTERO NIITYMAKI PREPARES FOR A FACEOFF
PUCK DEFLECTS OFF NIITYMAKI WIDE RIGHT (YOUR LEFT) IN THE 2ND
RIGHT WING #9 SCOTTIE UPSHALL DRIVES AROUND #10 EHRHOFF IN 3RDSeveral lineup changes couldn't help the Flyers find their way in San Jose last night.
The Flyers, despite two goals from Danny Briere, blew a 3-1 lead and dropped a 5-4 decision to the San Jose Sharks before a sellout crowd of 17,496 at the HP Pavilion. San Jose's Dan Boyle scored the game-winner 85 seconds into overtime.
Posted by PJ Swenson | Permalink
PRO 0 0 2 0 - 2
WOR 1 0 1 1 - 3
1st Period
Scoring - 1. Worcester, J. McGinn (2) (S. Zalewski, K. McLaren) 0:22
Penalties - A. McQuaid Pro (tripping) 11:04, R. Vesce Wor (holding) 15:07, A. McQuaid Pro (delay of game) 18:25
2nd Period
Scoring - No Scoring
Penalties - D. Joslin Wor (hooking) 2:32, M. Moore Wor (hooking) 4:37, M. St. Pierre Pro (roughing) 11:26, R. Armstrong Wor (slashing) 14:08, Served by M. Marquardt Pro (bench minor - too many men) 16:11
3rd Period
Scoring - 2. Worcester, R. Armstrong (1) (P. Fenton, M. Wilson) 2:25, 3. Providence, J. Boychuk (2) (M. Karsums, M. Lashoff) 13:54 PP, 4. Providence, M. St. Pierre (3) (J. Boychuk, M. Lehtonen) 19:33
Penalties - B. Bitz Pro (fighting) 2:27, F. McLaren Wor (fighting) 2:27, J. Boychuk Pro (delay of game) 6:30, A. McQuaid Pro (tripping) 7:10, R. Vesce Wor (cross-checking) 13:11
OT Period
Scoring - 5. Worcester, R. Vesce (1) (K. McLaren, T. Cavanagh) 4:40
Penalties - No Penalties
PRO Shots: 4 5 9 2 TOTAL: 20
WOR Shots: 18 8 6 2 TOTAL: 34
Power Play Conversion
Providence Bruins 1-5. Worcester Sharks 0-6.
Goaltenders
Providence Bruins
Rask 2-1-0 Start: 1st 0:00 Min: 64:10 SV: 31 GA: 3 [L]
Worcester Sharks
Greiss 1-2-0 Start: 1st 0:00 Min: 64:22 SV: 18 GA: 2 [W]
Attendance : 6814. Referee: David Banfield (44). Linesmen: Bob Paquette (18), John Costello (24)
Posted by Darryl Hunt | Permalink
“Our goaltender was our best player,” Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said. “You have to take your hat off to your goalie. That’s what you require when you’re in the situation we were in. “We found a way to win the hockey game, and that’s the most important thing because we were desperate for a win.”
Whereas a fifth consecutive regulation loss would have left the Ducks 10 points behind San Jose (4-1) just more than a week into the season, they can instead look forward with the realistic goal of actually getting back into the NHL’s Pacific Division race – thanks to Giguere.
"What Detroit does every day is carry themselves like champions," McLellan said. "They make championship decisions. They practice like champions and they train after practice like champions. I want our players to understand that it has to be a daily process. You can't pick and choose when you want to train like a champion. You have to do it now, later and after that." That was the message McLellan has passed along to the Sharks, and the team has responded with a 4-0 start.
Posted by PJ Swenson | Permalink
CHARTING THE SHARKS, 5 SEASONS AFTER 5 GAMES
SHARKS GOAL SCORING AND PP GOALS OVER 5 SEASONS AFTER 5 GAMESAt the start of 2003-04, Mike Ricci was named the 6th captain in Sharks franchise history as part of a 10 game rotation and rookie left wing Milan Michalek was injured 2 games into the season. A three team trade for Curtis Brown saw Jeff Jillson leave for Boston and then Buffalo. In November, goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff was traded for a 2nd round draft pick. The Sharks earned their second Pacific Division championship with a 43-21-12-6 regular season record. Patrick Marleau and Jonathan Cheechoo tied for the team lead in scoring with 28 goals apiece, and Nils Ekman finished with a franchise best +30 rating. San Jose lost to Calgary 4-2 in their only franchise Conference Final appearance.
At the start of 2005-06 NHL season, the name of the game for the league was recovery after a season long lockout, and reconciliation with a fan base that has supported the NHL through 88 seasons (now 91). The local media in the Bay Area went after a battered and bruised NHL sensing blood in the water, but the Sharks were a consensus Stanley Cup favorite from the national hockey media based on a strong defense and solid goaltending from Evgeni Nabokov and Vesa Toskala. The largest trade in San Jose history hit the wire November 30th as the Sharks traded Brad Stuart, Marco Sturm and Wayne Primeau to Boston for the large playmaking Joe Thornton. The immediate result was a bevy of offensive franchise records dropping by the wayside (most goals scored - 266, most power play goals scored - 91, most shots on goal - 2483) although Team Teal finished 24th in shootout scoring (24% - 7G, 29S) and a league worst 30th in shootout save percentage (52% - 14GA, 29SA). Jonathan Cheechoo earned Rocket Richard honors for a league high 56 goals scored, and Joe Thornton earned the Art Ross Trophy for the league scoring title (125 points) and the Hart trophy as league MVP. After leading Edmonton 2-0, the Sharks lost a triple overtime game to the Oilers in Edmonton which snowballed into 4 straight losses and an exit in the Western Confernce Quarterfinals.
At the start of the 2006-07 NHL season, the Sharks and head coach Ron Wilson utilized Evgeni Nabokov in a 1-game on and 1-game off rotation that eventually resulted in the best regular season in franchise history. Evgeni Nabokov (25-16-4, .914SV%, 2.29GAA, 7SO) and Vesa Toskala (26-10-1, .908SV%, 2.35GAA, 4SO) backstopped San Jose to within 3 points of Pacific Division winning and eventual Stanley Cup Champion Anaheim. Prior to the trade deadline, San Jose Sharks general manager Doug Wilson added veteran experience in the form of right wing Bill Guerin and defenseman Craig Rivet. Up 2 games to 1 in the series, and 2 goals to 0 in the fourth game of the WCSF against the Detroit Red Wings, the Sharks gave up a late goal in the second period with 9.7 seconds left to Tomas Holmstrom, and a game tying goal to Robert Lang with 33.1 seconds left in regulation. Mathieu Schnieder scored the game winning goal in OT, and the Detroit Red Wings eventually downed the Sharks 4-2.
At the start of the 2007-08 NHL season, the Sharks added veteran big game experience from center Jeremy Roenick (third leading U.S. born scorer all-time) while locking up the future re-signing Patrick Marleau (2 years), Milan Michalek (6 years), and Joe Thornton (3 years) to multi-year contracts. Defenseman Scott Hannan signed with the Colorao Avalanche in the offseason, and goaltender Vesa Toskala was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs on the first day of the 2007 NHL Draft along with Mark Bell for three draft picks (2007 first, 2007 second, 2009 fourth). After dropping the home opening Power Outage game on a last second goal by Boston defenseman Aaron Ward (12 seconds left), the Sharks registered a 49-23-10 regular season record for the best winning percentage in franchise history (.659). Joe Thornton lead the team with 29 goals and 96 points. The Sharks won the first playoff game 7 in HP Pavilion history 5-3 against the Calgary Flames on April 22nd, 2008. The Dallas Stars sprinted to a 3-0 lead in the WCSF series, and eventually knocked off the heavily favored San Jose team with a power play goal in quadruple overtime.
At the start of the 2008-09 NHL season, the Sharks are looking to reach the next level with rookie head coach Todd McLellan and a revamped blueline that includes Dan Boyle, Rob Blake and Brad Lukowich. Boyle and Lukowich were acquired from Tampa Bay for defenseman Matt Carle and Ty Wishart, and a 2009 first round draft selection, and a 2010 fourth round pick. Defenseman Craig Rivet was traded to the Buffalo Sabres for two second round picks in 2009 and 2010, and veteran defenseman Kyle McLaren was waived in a salary cap move that sent him to the AHL Worcester Sharks. Christian Ehrhoff (2010-11) and Douglas Murray (2012-13) join Marc-Edouard Vlasic (2012-13) and Dan Boyle (2013-14) as Sharks blueliners that are signed long-term. Three goals in three games by three different Czech Shark players (Plihal, Kaspar, Michalek) helped the Sharks to a four game winning streak to start the season before tonight's 4-0 loss to the Anaheim Ducks.
Posted by PJ Swenson | Permalink
#61 COLUMBUS CAPTAIN AND NHL 2K9'S RICK NASH ELUDES A DEFENDER
#12 PATRICK MARLEAU FACE OFF WITH #16 DERICK BRASSARD IN THE 3RD
#20 EVGENI NABOKOV MADE 31 SAVES AGAINST COLUMBUSPRE-GAME:
The Bluejackets hold a franchise 8-17-0-3 record against the San Jose Sharks, 1-11-0-2 lifetime at HP Pavilion in San Jose. According to Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch, the Blue Jackets haven't won in San Jose since January 8th, 2004. A period of 1,740 days. Evgeni Nabokov stole last season's 2-1 win over Columbus with a spectacular 31 save performance, including several highlight reel saves on Rick Nash and Jason Chimera. The Sharks are 3-0 at this point in the season, 2-16 on the power play (12.5%, 19th) and 1-11 on the penalty kill (90.9%, 9th). The Columbus Blue Jackets are 1-1 at this point in the season, 1-7 on the power play (14.3%, 18th) and 3-14 on the penalty kill (78.6%, 15th).
FIRST PERIOD:
Blue Jackets captain Rick Nash blocked a neutral zone pass by Dan Boyle and accelerated on net for a shorthanded breakaway. Boyle gets his stick up high on Nash, but he is able to fight the stick check and get a shot on goal so there will be no penalty shot. Very next play, Christian Ehrhoff's pass out of his own is picked off again by Nash. This time in the Sharks defensive zone. Nash snaps a shot on goal, and then reaches around Douglas Murray to flick a rebound opportunity off the goal post.
Left wing Kristian Huselius strikes first for Columbus. Huselius pokes the puke around Brad Lukowich, and then streaks down the left wing and into the Sharks zone. Nabokov shuts down the first shot attempt, but the Blue Jackets retain possession. Fedor Tyutin takes the puck at the blueline, and then hits Huselius with a pass at the left point. Lukowich about 15 feet off of Huselius, as R.J. Umberger and Douglas Murray battle for position in front of Nabokov. Huselius pauses with the puck on his stick until bodies are between him and Nabokov, and then snaps a low shot through traffic for the first goal of the game at 9:01 (PP, assist by Tyutin).
Noticeable early was the spacing by Columbus, and how they outnumbered the Sharks down low. The Blue Jackets are a patient, counter punching team, but the difference is that Columbus can counter punch with 1 goal whereas San Jose can counterpunch with 3. Althought the shot and hit totals are going to remain fairly even after 20 minutes, Columbus is creating more traffic in front of the net and smothering the Sharks along the boards in their own defensive zone. Ryane Clowe tried to finish a short setup on the doorstep in front of Pascal Leclaire, and then followed the play to check defenseman Kris Russell off the puck and hard against the end boards. Devin Setoguchi joins Pavelski and Cheechoo for the final seconds of the first period. The Sharks are held scoreless in the first period for the fourth straight game.
SECOND PERIOD:
Tuesday night is captain Patrick Marleau's 799th game in his 11th season as a San Jose Shark. Lukas Kaspar, the young San Jose left wing who scored his first goal in a 1-0 win over Los Angeles on Sunday, took a puck to the face and had to leave briefly for repairs. Defenseman Rob Blake takes a high sticking penalty early in the second period. On the ensuing Columbus power play, 3 Blue Jackets outnumber a pair of Sharks defenseman down low, but Nabokov holds on to the puck and freezes the play.
Fedor Tyutin can not play the puck off the boards on the power play, and Joe Pavelski picks the puck off him and hits Cheechoo in the slot with a hard pass. Bang bang play results in a shorthanded goal, and an exburent goal celebration at 4:54 (assist Pavelski). 24 seconds later, still on the power play Derick Brassard fires the puck into the crease but it is blocked out to the point by Christian Ehrhoff. Defenseman Christian Backman launches a shot through traffic that beats Nabokov to give Columbus another 1 goal lead at 5:18.
Another scoring chance for the Sharks in front of the Columbus net. A Joe Thornton feed to Jonathan Cheechoo is shot just wide and the goal light briefly went on. San Jose ties the game on a power play goal from Milan Michalek at 8:12 (assists by Ryane Clowe and Christian Ehrhoff). Ehrhoff hit a charging Michalek in stride with a hard pass in the neutral zone. Michalek's shot/pass in front banked off of the leg of #12 Jiri Novotny to beat Leclaire. Sharks maintain pressure with Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau in the slot. Thornton quick release on net, Devin Setoguchi is there to take a whack at the rebound. Leclaire makes the initial save, but Marleau is there to deposits the loose puck in the open net at 9:29 for his first goal of the season (assists Devin Setoguchi, Joe Thornton). Patrick Marleau had to maneuver around a Columbus defenseman on the ice to score his first goal of the season.
The Sharks finish the second period strong, with Setoguchi ringing a shot off the crossbar to a loud roar from the crowd at HP Pavilion. Thornton feathers another short pass to Marleau in front. Marleau rips a shot that deflects off of Leclaire's glove and back over the net. Leclair spins and looks for the puck behind him. Former Blue Jacket Jody Shelley runs defenseman Mike Commodore hard into the end boards to set the stage for a volatile final 20 minutes.
THIRD PERIOD:
Jakub Voracek hits left wing Jason Chimera with a slick pass in the neutral zone. Chimera looks Nash-esque, as he finds a lane through 3 Sharks to accelerate in on Evgeni Nabokov. Dan Boyle takes a whack at Chimera from behind as Nabokov does not bite on the deke. Nabokov shuts down the lower portion of the net while sealed against the post. Chimera gets the rebound behind the net, and backhands a pass in front the results in two more shots on goal. Penalty on Dan Boyle at 4:59 for interference. Blue Jackets already have two power play goals in this game.
The proverbial nail in the coffin came at 5:19. Miscommunication between Leclaire and Kris Russel behind the Columbus net. They delay playing the puck, and Mike Grier skates in almost uncontested, spins with his back to the glass and finds Marleau driving the front of the net. Marleau gets an intial stick on the puck as two Blue Jackets close in on him, but neither take him out of the play. Marleau pokes a second opportunity past Leclaire for his second goal of the game, shorthanded at 5:19 (assist Mike Grier).
Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic is on the board with his first goal of the season at 8:17 (assist by Joe Thornton). The score is 5-2 San Jose. Jonathan Cheechoo forces defenseman Jan Hejda to play the puck back behind his own net with a hard check against the end boards. Joe Thornton beats Andrew Murray to the loose puck behind Leclaire, and backhands a soft pass to Vlasic who is teed up in the slot. Very quick, hard shot up high from Vlasic.
Play winding down in the third period, Jeremy Roenick takes umbrage to one of the Blue Jackets and a large 5-on-5 scuffle takes place behind the Sharks net. Refs in early to stop any fight, but it takes awhile for them to restrain the helmetless Roenick, who continues to bark at the opposition for several minutes. Columbus outshot San Jose 33-25 and were more effective on the power play 2-6 vs 1-2, but they were not able to contain the Sharks top 6 up front. Two shorthanded goals by Marleau and a 32 save peformance by Evgeni Nabokov were the difference in the game.
POST-GAME COMMENTS FROM HEAD COACH TODD MCLELLAN:
"I thought we put our toe in the water early, we didn't jump into the lake and get playing right away. We got more involved physically and it seemed to turn the tide our way a little bit. Obviously the penalty kill created a lot of momentum for us tonight, and that was probably the difference."
"We were all over the map a little bit, they had the two power play goals. I can't even say they were breakdowns. The puck was on our tape again, and we have had a lot of trouble clearing the puck out of our zone. Especially early in the year, from the exhibition season on. It is an area of concern, and we have to continue to work on it." "(Patrick Marleau) played like a captain should. He took the team on his back. He lead the team, and I am very proud of him. He played in all situations. He played well defensively, he took faceoffs, he scored a short handed goal. He does what a captain should do."
"The results were there (tonight). The process was a little bit tainted I would say. I didn't like the fact that there top line had 19 shots on goal. A number of them were on the power play, but they still created a lot. We have to shore up that area a little bit. And there are probably too many turnovers if we watch the game again."
"If I was that good (at motivation), I would be saying it before the game. I don't think it has a lot to do with us as a coaching staff. I think the players have enough pride and courage from within to get their game going a little bit. I thought Clowe and Shelley turned the tide with their physical forecheck, that got the rest of the guys going. Were coaches, we are always cautiously optimistic. We are probably the ones that do not get a little too high for sure. We probably get a little too low at times. We know tomorrow when we come to the rink there is a lot to work on."
Posted by PJ Swenson | Permalink
Game highlights
Post game quotes
Shark post game notes
Merc recap
Merc post game notes
Gilroy Dispatch recap
National/wire news
AP recap (w/link to stats)
Sports Network recap
UPI recap
Marleau named Yahoo/PD's #2 star of the night
NHL names Marleau #2 star of the night
Columbus News
CBJs 29th team to have home opener
Columbus Dispatch recap
Shelley notes
CD post game blog thoughts
Posted by GJ Berg | Permalink
OCTOBER 14TH SCREENSHOT OF NEW NHL.COM WEBSITE
NHL GAMECENTER HOME PAGESAN JOSE – The San Jose Sharks and Comcast SportsNet Bay Area announced today that they have reached an agreement to have the local blackout lifted for nine 2008-09 San Jose Sharks games that are not scheduled to be televised on Comcast SportsNet Bay Area.
The move will allow those local hockey fans who subscribe to the Center Ice hockey package to view all of the Sharks 82 regular season games on television.
Comcast SportsNet will televise 70 San Jose Sharks games, 40 of which will be broadcast in High Definition (HD)... An additional three games will be televised nationally on VERSUS.
Posted by PJ Swenson | Permalink
Boston College Remains No. 1 for Third Week on USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men's College Hockey Poll
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Boston College retained the No. 1 spot on the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men’s College Hockey Poll for the third-straight week following a 5-4 home victory over then-No. 14 University of Wisconsin. The Eagles collected 507 points and 32-of-34 first-place votes to top the chart.
This Week's Top-15 Match-ups
Friday, October 17
No. 9 Minnesota @ No. 10 St. Cloud State
No. 13 North Dakota @ No. 15 Minnesota State
Saturday, October 18
No. 9 Minnesota vs. No. 10 St. Cloud State
No. 13 North Dakota @ No. 15 Minnesota State
Sunday, October 19
No. 5 Boston University @ No. 6 New Hampshire
The University of Michigan, which finished with 465 points and one first-place vote, remained No. 2 on the poll, while Colorado College stayed at No. 3 with 439 points and one first-place vote. The University of Denver (389) moved up two spots to grab the No. 4 ranking following a 5-2 win over then-No. 4 ranked University of Notre Dame in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Face-Off Classic. Boston University (387) jumped four spots to No. 5 after wins against then-No. 5 North Dakota and No. 11 Michigan State. This week's action features five top-15 match-ups, including two conference series in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association and one in Hockey East.
USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men's College Hockey Poll - #2
(first-place votes in parentheses, Rank, School, Last Week's Ranking 2008-09 Record, Weeks in Top-15)
1 Boston College, 507 (32) 1, 1-0-0, 3
2 University of Michigan, 465 (1) 2, 2-0-0, 3
3 Colorado College, 439 (1) 3, 2-0-0, 3
4 University of Denver, 389 6, 1-0-0, 3
5 Boston University, 387 9, 2-0-0, 3
6 University of New Hampshire, 350 7, 1-0-0, 3
7 Miami (Ohio) University, 272 8, 1-0-1, 3
8 University of Notre Dame, 251 4, 0-1-0, 3
9 University of Minnesota, 216 10, 0-0-0, 3
10 St. Cloud State University, 174 15, 2-0-0, 3
11 Michigan State University, 163 11, 1-1-0, 3
12 Princeton University, 130 12, 0-0-0, 2
13 University of North Dakota, 112 5, 0-2-0, 3
14 Clarkson University, 83 13, 0-0-0, 3
15 Minnesota State University, 59 NR, 2-0-0, 1
Others receiving votes: Northeastern University, 18; Cornell University, 17; Northern Michigan University, 14; University of Vermont, 10; Harvard University, 8; University of Wisconsin, 8; U.S. Air Force Academy, 5; University of Minnesota Duluth, 3.
NOTES: A total of 23 teams received votes.
ABOUT THE POLL: The 14th annual USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men’s College Hockey Poll is conducted each week in conjunction with the American Hockey Coaches Association. The poll includes input from coaches and journalists representing each of the six NCAA Division I ice hockey conferences, as well as composite votes from officers of the AHCA and USA Hockey Magazine, the most widely distributed hockey magazine in the world.
Posted by PJ Swenson | Permalink
Posted by MaxGiese | Permalink
Sharks news
Sharks doing special "Hockey Fights Cancer" events at Tank
Introducing the coaching staff (article, list)
Merc preview
National/wire news
AP preview
Blue Jackets news
More fallout from the Peca situation (sounds like hearing won't be until after Sharks game on Tuesday, so I'd say with some certainty he won't be in the lineup). And other notes from Sunday (a day off).
CBJ's goalie coach Clint Malarchuk dealing with nightmares and demons; franchise might need to look for help elsewhere
Jackets have a hot line of Chimera-Brassard-Voracek
Off day notes 10/13: Introduction to rookie Dorsett; updates on Peca, Novotny
10/13 morning skate update, possible lineup notes
10/13 weekly report Torres, Mason, Malhotra out (injured)
CBJ-centric blog entry on what's happening in the organization
Columbus Dispatch game preview
CD: Sharks probable roster
CD: Columbus probable roster
CD: Stat of the day: 1740
CD: GM visiting goal tending coach; should be in SJ for game start
CD: Practices don't decide shootout spots and other pre-game notes
CD: Umberger feature
[Update 2:15pm)
Rusanowsky and Murray preview tonight's game. Marleau previews tonight's game for CSNBA
[Update 3pm]
Merc blog: Plihal out; Goc in.
Posted by GJ Berg | Permalink
Sharks news
Pollak blog - Boucher starting
Pollak/Merc News recap
National/wire news
AP recap (with links to game stats)
Sports Network recap
UPI recap
Puck Daddy's 3 stars of the night -- gives #3 to the entire Sharks defense (and a dishonorable mention to the LA fans for booing Blake)
NHL names Boucher #2 star of the night for his shut out
Kings news
LADN blogs in game
LA Daily News recap
Conflict of interests
Lots of fans were supporting the MLB (and saw a fight) rather than attend the Kings season opener.
LA Times recap
Posted by GJ Berg | Permalink
Sharks news
Trip to LA won't be easy for Blake (Merc)
Wire/national links
AP preview
Sports Network preview
Kings news
O'Sullivan talks about getting back into the lineup
LA Times preview
Kings game notes
Posted by GJ Berg | Permalink
Game highlights
Post game interviews (video)
Sharks post game notes
SJ Mercury News recap Gilroy Dispatch recap
Wire/national news
AP recap (w/links to game stats)
Sports Network recap
UPI recap
McKeon/Yahoo recap
Kings news
LA Daily News post game notes (And other in-game blog entries here)
LADN recap
LA Times recap
[Update]
Jamie Baker post game blog
Posted by GJ Berg | Permalink
WOR 2 2 0 - 4
LOW 2 2 2 - 6
1st Period
Scoring - 1. Worcester, C. Larose (1) (R. Vesce, D. Joslin) 13:52 PP, 2. Lowell, M. Halischuk (1) (J. DiSalvatore, M. Spiller) 14:12 SH, 3. Lowell, N. Bergfors (1) (J. DiSalvatore, M. Halischuk) 17:35 PP, 4. Worcester, C. Larose (2) (R. Vesce, M. Kinch) 19:07
Penalties - B. Mills Low (hooking) 12:35, P. Rheaume Low (hooking) 13:10, A. Rome Wor (hooking) 16:48
2nd Period
Scoring - 5. Lowell, M. Halischuk (2) (J. DiSalvatore, N. Bergfors) 2:27 PP, 6. Lowell, M. Halischuk (3) (N. Bergfors, J. Leach) 4:11 PP, 7. Worcester, F. McLaren (1) (J. Demers, M. Fornataro) 7:03, 8. Worcester, M. Morris (1) (S. Zalewski, J. McGinn) 16:24 PP
Penalties - M. Wilson Wor (holding) 1:37, B. Staubitz Wor (holding) 2:52, M. Fornataro Wor (tripping) 7:22, R. Murphy Low (hooking) 10:12, C. Larose Wor (charging) 11:18, J. Demers Wor (interference) 11:45, P. Leblond Low (roughing) 15:52, B. Mills Low (holding) 19:49
3rd Period
Scoring - 9. Lowell, P. Davis (1) (O. Magnan) 7:35, 10. Lowell, M. Halischuk (4) (J. DiSalvatore, P. Rheaume) 8:12
Penalties - M. Moore Wor (fighting) 8:28, R. Pelley Low (roughing, fighting) 8:28, J. Demers Wor (interference) 8:39, J. Demers Wor (unsportsmanlike conduct, fighting) 11:50, T. Eckford Low (fighting) 11:50, T. Cavanagh Wor (fighting) 19:33, O. Magnan Low (fighting) 19:33
WOR Shots: 20 12 11 TOTAL: 43
LOW Shots: 12 15 7 TOTAL: 34
Power Play Conversion
Worcester Sharks 2-6. Lowell Devils 3-8.
Attendance : 3892. Referee: Jamie Koharski (84) Linesmen: Brian MacDonald (13), Scott Whittemore (96)
Posted by Darryl Hunt | Permalink
Remember 7:00pm start -- 30 minutes earlier than "normal".
Sharks news stories
Shark stats (pdf)
Merc game preview
Pollak: McLellan has Sharks playing faster and, perhaps, meaner
Rob Blake: Kings on the right track, but it's a slow train
Wire news stories
AP preview
Kings news stories
O'Sullivan talks on his first day of "camp"
Two-part interview with new captain Dustin Brown (pt 1, pt 2)
Lombardi's take on Brown
Notes from Kings' Friday practice; O'Sullivan won't be in lineup Saturday, might be on Sunday. LaBarera could play both games.
LA Times feature on Kopitar
LA Times pregame notes
LA Times preview: Kings to face Todd McLellan’s renewed Sharks
"New era": Kings more relaxed, etc.
Three Kings players expected to make NHL debut
Kngs coach Murray comments on the Sharks performance Thursday
Kings coach Murray on LA's goalies
O'Sullivan on schedule to have season debut on Sunday
[Update 9:50am]
Kopitar may come out like gangbusters tonight. Apparently late Friday night he agreed to contract extension.
LA Daily News season preview
[Update 12:30pm]
Kopitar extension deal: seven years, $47.6m
LA Kings article on Kopitar extension.
[Update 1:15pm]
Setoguchi previews game (video)
Press Enterprise on Kopitar extension.
Posted by GJ Berg | Permalink
#43 LUKAS KASPAR TAKES A HIGH STICKING PENALTY ON #17 BRIAN SUTHERBY
#8 PAVELSKI AND #9 MICHALEK SET UP IN FRONT OF #35 GIGUEREAs for McLellan, their rookie head coach, who is fresh off a Stanley Cup championship with the Red Wings, his position is the Sharks will deal with playoff expectations once they get to April – and not until then. "Todd's really stressed that the Stanley Cup's not going to be won today and that it's not going to be won tomorrow,” said Thornton. "He's trying to work on little things every day, taking baby steps, so that we can be ready for Game 83, 84 and beyond. It's just a little tweaking – he wants us to drive the net more and worry about our positioning and get us turning the right away, that kind of thing. There's a little more structure to our game. It's such a long year and such a roller coaster ride that right now, he just wants us to get better game by game. So we're not thinking about June. We're thinking about Thursday and then we'll think about Saturday after that."
Posted by PJ Swenson | Permalink
2 Patrick Traverse – D
4 Kyle McLaren – D
5 Jason Demers – D
6 Brad Staubitz – RW
7 Brendan Buckley – D
8 Mike Moore – D
9 Tom Cavanagh – C
10 Ashton Rome – RW
11 P.J. Fenton – LW
12 Matt Jones – RW
13 T.J. Fox – C
14 Frazer McLaren – LW
15 Steven Zalewski – C
17 Ryan Vesce – RW
18 Cory Larose – C
19 Mike Morris – RW
20 Riley Armstrong – RW
21 Matt Fornataro – C
24 Brett Westgarth – D
25 Derek Joslin – D
26 Michael Wilson – D
27 Matt Kinch – D
29 Thomas Greiss – G
35 Kyle Jones – G
39 Taylor Dakers – G
44 Jamie McGinn – LW
Oct 11 at Lowell 7:00 pm
Oct 17 at Albany 7:30 pm
Oct 18 Providence 7:05 pm
Oct 22 Hartford 7:05 pm
Oct 24 Providence 7:05 pm
Oct 25 Bridgeport 7:05 pm
Oct 31 at Hartford 7:00 pm
Nov 1 Manchester 7:05 pm
Nov 5 Portland 7:05 pm
Nov 7 at Hartford 7:00 pm
Nov 8 at Binghamton 7:05 pm
Nov 11 Springfield 1:05 pm
Nov 14 at Providence 7:05 pm
Nov 15 Springfield 7:05 pm
Nov 16 at Springfield 4:00 pm
Nov 19 Norfolk 7:05 pm
Nov 22 at Houston 8:35 pm
Nov 23 at San Antonio 6:00 pm
Nov 26 at Portland 7:00 pm
Nov 28 at Providence 7:05 pm
Nov 29 Bridgeport 7:05 pm
Nov 30 Lowell 4:05 pm
Dec 3 W-B/Scranton 7:05 pm
Dec 5 at Manchester 7:30 pm
Dec 7 Portland 4:05 pm
Dec 12 at Hartford 7:00 pm
Dec 13 at Lowell 7:00 pm
Dec 14 Hartford 4:05 pm
Dec 19 Portland 7:05 pm
Dec 20 Manchester 7:05 pm
Dec 21 at Portland 4:00 pm
Dec 26 Providence 6:05 pm
Dec 28 at Portland 4:00 pm
Dec 31 Houston 7:35 pm
Jan 2 Norfolk 7:05 pm
Jan 3 Lowell 7:05 pm
Jan 4 Hershey 4:05 pm
Jan 9 Albany 7:05 pm
Jan 10 Lowell 7:05 pm
Jan 14 at Philadelphia 7:05 pm
Jan 16 at Norfolk 7:15 pm
Jan 17 at Norfolk 7:15 pm
Jan 18 at Hershey 5:00 pm
Jan 23 at Springfield 7:30 pm
Jan 24 at Lowell 7:00 pm
Jan 30 Springfield 7:05 pm
Jan 31 San Antonio 7:05 pm
Feb 1 at Providence 2:05 pm
Feb 4 at Portland 7:00 pm
Feb 6 at Manchester 7:30 pm
Feb 8 at Providence 4:05 pm
Feb 13 at Portland 7:00 pm
Feb 14 at Bridgeport 7:00 pm
Feb 15 at W-B/Scranton 5:05 pm
Feb 20 at Springfield 7:30 pm
Feb 21 Providence 7:05 pm
Feb 22 at Lowell 4:00 pm
Feb 25 Lowell 7:05 pm
Feb 27 Portland 8:05 pm
Feb 28 Springfield 7:05 pm
Mar 4 at Hartford 7:00 pm
Mar 6 Philadelphia 7:05 pm
Mar 7 Albany 7:05 pm
Mar 8 Manchester 4:05 pm
Mar 11 Binghamton 7:05 pm
Mar 13 Hartford 7:05 pm
Mar 14 at Manchester 7:00 pm
Mar 15 Hartford 4:05 pm
Mar 20 at Bridgeport 7:00 pm
Mar 21 at Lowell 7:00 pm
Mar 22 at Springfield 4:00 pm
Mar 27 Springfield 7:05 pm
Mar 28 Lowell 7:05 pm
Mar 29 at Providence 4:05 pm
Apr 1 at Springfield 7:00 pm
Apr 3 at Albany 7:30 pm
Apr 4 at Manchester 7:00 pm
Apr 8 Portland 7:05 pm
Apr 10 Manchester 7:05 pm
Apr 11 Providence 7:05 pm
All times Eastern
Posted by Darryl Hunt | Permalink
SPORTING NEWS/STREETANDSMITH'S 2008-09 NHL PREVIEW
NHL PUBLICATIONS 2009 YEARBOOK
THE HOCKEY NEWS 2008-09 NHL YEARBOOK
ESPN MAGAZINE CAMPAIGN 2009, OVECHKIN FOR PRESIDENT"Today I am president, so there is no speed limit!" - Alexander Ovechkin
THE WAVE MAGAZINE'S 2008-09 SAN JOSE SHARKS PREVIEWThe Wave: The power play in Detroit had a different look than the Sharks' power play. Detroit was known for sharp, quick passing. Will we see some of that here?
Todd McLellan: We hope to see it here; that's what the plan is. It's about the players understanding what we want to accomplish and then feeling comfortable enough to do it. That's going to take some time. I'm not naïve enough to think that the power play was a disaster here there were some good things that happened on the Sharks' power play. There are just some changes we want to make in how we execute.
The Wave: What will you do differently to get the team past the second round in the playoffs?
Todd McLellan: I've been asked that question so many times, and the answer that I'm now giving is [that] the will has to go up because the skill is there. But we're talking about something that's so far away. I'm more concerned about what's going to happen in the next hour, and what's going to happen tomorrow. It's a long process, and if we take care of that as the year goes on, we'll have a better idea of where we're going when [the time comes for] the playoffs. I'm more about living in the present than thinking about the future.
Posted by PJ Swenson | Permalink
TSN REPORTS THE SHARKS HAVE WAIVED DEFENSEMAN KYLE MCLAREN“Kyle has been a big part of our team over the last several years but we are blessed with 8 NHL defensemen on our roster and these are tough decisions that have to be made"
"Kyle has been a tremendous professional through this," Sharks general manager Doug Wilson said. "We're trying to do what's right for him, so we'll see what the next few days brings."
I will note my first memory of McLaren, back when he was a Bruin. Wore his hair long, was a brash young kid. Came to San Jose for a (I think) pre-season game, and ran afoul of Andrei "the dancing bear" Nazarov, back when Nazty was in his "God, you can't do that!" phase.
He and McLaren tussled and dropped the gloves, and then to the amazement of all (most especially McLaren), Nazarov grabbed him by the hair, pulled his head back with it, and then whaled away with the other. McLaren later cut his hair, the Sharks sat Nazzy down for one of those "this isn't russia, here we don't do that" talks, and the fans just buzzed with "did he do what we think he did?" noise.
Posted by PJ Swenson | Permalink
Boston College Retains No. 1 Position on USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men's College Hockey Poll
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Defending national champion Boston College remains No. 1 on this week's USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men’s College Hockey Poll. The Eagles collected 500 points and 26-of-34 first-place votes to top the chart.
This Week's Top-15 Match-ups:
Friday, October 10
No. 1 Boston College vs. No. 14 Wisconsin
No. 5 North Dakota @ No. 9 Boston University
Saturday, October 11
No. 4 Notre Dame @ No. 6 Denver
No. 7 New Hampshire vs. No. 14 Wisconsin
No. 9 Boston University vs. No. 11 Michigan State
The University of Michigan, which finished with 452 points and four first-place votes, finished No. 2 in the poll. Colorado College moved up two spots from the preseason poll to grab the No. 3 ranking with 430 points and four first-place votes, while the University of Notre Dame (378) and the University of North Dakota (361) round out the top five.
This week's action features five non-conference, top-15 match-ups, including the University of Notre Dame visiting the University of Denver in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Museum Face-Off Classic.
USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men's College Hockey Poll - #1
(First-place votes in parenthesis, Rank, Last Poll's Ranking, 2008-09 Record, Weeks in Top-15)
1 - Boston College, 500 (26), 1, 0-0-0, 2
2 - University of Michigan, 452 (4), 2, 0-0-0, 2
3 - Colorado College, 430 (4), 5, 0-0-0, 2
4 - University of Notre Dame, 378, 3, 0-0-0, 2
5 - University of North Dakota, 361, 4, 0-0-0, 2
6 - University of Denver, 328, 6, 0-0-0, 2
7 - University of New Hampshire, 275, 7, 0-0-0, 2
8 - Miami (Ohio) University, 259, 8, 0-0-0, 2
9 - Boston University, 222, 10, 0-0-0, 2
10 - University of Minnesota, 192, 9, 0-0-0, 2
11 - Michigan State University, 162, 12, 0-0-0, 2
12 - Princeton University, 111, NR, 0-0-0, 1
13 - Clarkson University, 109, 11, 0-0-0, 2
14 - University of Wisconsin, 82, 13, 0-0-0, 2
15 - St. Cloud State University, 66, 15, 0-0-0, 2
Others receiving votes: Northern Michigan University, 38; Minnesota State University Mankato, 28; Northeastern University, 18; University of Vermont, 18; Ferris State University, 16; U.S. Air Force Academy, 15; Harvard University, 12; Cornell University, 4; Niagara University, 4.
NOTES: A total of 24 teams received votes.
ABOUT THE POLL: The 14th annual USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men’s College Hockey Poll is conducted each week in conjunction with the American Hockey Coaches Association. The poll includes input from coaches and journalists representing each of the six NCAA Division I ice hockey conferences, as well as composite votes from officers of the AHCA and USA Hockey Magazine, the most widely distributed hockey magazine in the world.
Posted by PJ Swenson | Permalink
Posted by MaxGiese | Permalink
INTERVIEW WITH OTTAWA C MIKE FISHER - HOCKEYSVERIGE.SE
CZECH NEWSPAPER DNES FRONT PAGE FEATURES NYR-TB
NHL OTT-PIT DEBUT IN SWEDEN - FLICKR PHOTO MARTEN EKENBERGTwenty-seven hours. This was all it took in late April to sell out more than 10,000 tickets reserved for Czech fans for the NHL Premiere games between the New York Rangers and the Tampa Bay Lightning to be played Saturday, Oct. 4, and Sunday, Oct. 5, at Prague’s O2 Arena. Tickets disappeared quite fast despite the fact the game’s organizers had not announced the date of the sale in advance.“We would have been able to sell at least double the amount of the tickets [had the sales date been announced],” said Vladimír Šafařík, chief event organizer.
Q: So what went wrong?
KB: Whatever problems head coach Barry Melrose had with O’Brien, they apparently came to a head during opening weekend in Prague. Here’s how it went down, according to Damian Cristodero of the St. Petersburg Times: On Saturday, O’Brien was fingered as the prime culprit for allowing Markus Naslund’s game-winning goal. On Sunday, O’Brien was a surprise scratch, with Melrose saying “We would like him [O’Brien] to be more physical, not run around as much and, hopefully, watching a game will be good for him." On Monday, O’Brien was traded to Vancouver and claimed he saw the move coming. So you either believe that 1) in 72 hours, O’Brien went from being a young cornerstone of the defence to an expendable part or 2) he was part of the old regime that the new regime didn’t like.
Posted by PJ Swenson | Permalink
SHARK WEEK BEGINS TONGIGHT AT 7PM WITH SJ-MON CLASSIC GAMECOMCAST SPORTSNET BAY AREA ANNOUNCES SHARKS WEEK, FEATURING SHARKS CLASSIC GAMES, SHARK BYTE, A DAY IN THE LIFE AND SHARKS-DUCKS OPENING NIGHT
Season Debut of Shark Byte and A Day In The Life, A New Series Featuring Sharks Players Marcel Goc and Christian Ehrhoff Debuts October 9 at 6:30 PM, Sharks-Ducks Opening Night October 9 at 7:00 PM, Comprehensive Game Coverage includes Sharks Pregame Live and Sharks Postgame Live
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Comcast SportsNet Bay Area, the home of “Authentic Bay Area Sports,” celebrates the start of the 2008-09 National Hockey League season with Sharks Week, a week-long comprehensive coverage period of the San Jose Sharks. The week, which runs from Monday, October 6 through Sunday, October 12, starts with Sharks Classic Games, includes the season debut of Shark Byte and introduces of A Day in the Life. This all leads up to opening night when the Sharks host division-rival Anaheim.
Sharks Classic Games
As the defending Pacific Division champion Sharks get ready to make a run for the Stanley Cup, Comcast SportsNet Bay Area gears up for another exciting season of hockey by presenting Sharks Classic Games, a series of memorable contests from the 2007-08 season. The action begins on Monday, October 6 at 7:00 PM with an encore presentation of the Sharks-Canadians match from March 3, 2008. During the season, Comcast SportsNet Bay Area will present ten Sharks Classic Games. Each episode of Sharks Classic Games will be available on Comcast Cable’s ON-DEMAND.
Shark Byte
Comcast SportsNet Bay Area kicks off its eighth season of Shark Byte on Tuesday, October 7 at 6:30 PM. Hosted by Emmy Award winner Drew Remenda, Shark Byte gets on the ice and inside the locker room with exclusive Sharks insider footage and interviews with players and front office personnel you can’t find anywhere else.
The first episode of Shark Byte features new Sharks coach, Todd McLellan, showcasing the Stanley Cup he won last year in Detroit. The show, which was taped in McLellan’s hometown of Saskatoon, will also include new players, Rob Blake, Dan Boyle and Brad Lukowich, with their perspective on playing for the Sharks and the state of training camp. Shark Byte will continue to air throughout the season, with episodes available on Comcast Cable’s ON-DEMAND.
A Day in the Life
Comcast SportsNet Bay Area debuts its newest series, A Day in the Life, a half-hour program featuring prominent Bay Area athletes, coaches, front office personnel and other relevant local sports personalities. The series highlights their personal lives away from the field, rink, court and office.
The series premiere of A Day in the Life follows Sharks Center Marcel Goc and Defenseman Christian Ehrhoff to their favorite restaurant, Teske’s Germania in San Jose; on a tour of Goc’s home; and on a trip to their first MLS game with the San Jose Earthquakes.
A Day in the Life, featuring Marcel Goc and Christian Ehrhoff, airs Thursday, October 9 at 6:30 PM.
Opening Night
Comcast SportsNet Bay Area begins its coverage of Sharks hockey on opening night, Thursday, October 9, with Sharks Pregame Live at 7:00 PM, Sharks-Ducks at 7:30 PM, and Sharks Postgame Live following the contest.
Comcast SportsNet Bay Area, the exclusive television home of Sharks hockey in Northern California, will present 70 Sharks games this season, including 40 HDTV telecasts. This season also marks the beginning of Comcast SportsNet Bay Area’s Sharks Pregame Live and Sharks Postgame Live, which will air prior to and following selected Sharks broadcasts.
The complete schedule for Shark Week is as follows:
Monday, October 6:
Sharks Classic Game #1 – 7:00 PM. March 3, 2008: Sharks 6, Canadiens 4. On the strength of two Joe Thornton goals and highlight-reel tallies by Jonathan Cheechoo and Brian Campbell, the Sharks beat the Number One team in the East and their rookie goaltender sensation Carey Price.
Tuesday, October 7: Sharks Byte – 6:30 PM. Sharks Classic Game #2 – 7:00 PM. March 21, 2008: Sharks 2, Ducks 1: Jeremy Roenick’s 12th game-deciding goal of the season gave the Sharks a win over their arch rivals and an insurmountable lead in the Pacific Division race. The Sharks set a franchise record by holding the Ducks without a shot on goal in the third period.
Wednesday, October 8: Sharks Classic Game #3 – 7:00 PM. April 22, 2008: Sharks 5, Flames 3: In the first Game Seven ever played on San Jose ice, the Sharks eliminated the Flames. Jeremy Roenick delivered one of the greatest performances ever by a Shark: two goals and two assists when it mattered most.
Thursday October 9: A Day in the Life featuring Sharks Marcel Goc and Christian Ehrhoff (HDTV) – 6:30 PM. Sharks Pregame Live (HDTV) – 7:00 PM. Anaheim Ducks vs. San Jose Sharks (HDTV) – 7:30 PM. Sharks Postgame Live (HDTV) – 10:00 PM.
Friday October 10: Sharks Classic Game #4 – 7:00 PM. May 2, 2008: Sharks 3, Stars 2, OT: Down two goals and two games in the series, with playoff elimination 14 minutes away, the Sharks started their historic postseason comeback. Goals by Milan Michalek and Brian Campbell tied the game and Joe Pavelski’s tally 65 seconds into overtime helped the Sharks evade elimination for the second straight time.
Saturday October 11: Sharks Pregame Live (HDTV) – 6:30 PM
Los Angeles Kings vs. San Jose Sharks (HDTV) – 7:00 PM
Sharks Postgame Live (HDTV) – 9:30 PM
Sunday October 12: San Jose Sharks @ Los Angeles Kings – 6:00 PM.
Posted by PJ Swenson | Permalink
That leaves 29 players in the NHL camp. Sharks need to get down to 23 by 10/8 deadline; excluding Torrey Mitchell who'll start the season on the Long Term Injured Reserve list.
Sharks also have to get 23-man roster under the salary cap by that deadline. (Yes, Mitchell's salary will apply to the cap hit, but the team can go "over" the cap by his salary for a replacement player.)
Posted by GJ Berg | Permalink
Posted by Darryl Hunt | Permalink
Posted by MaxGiese | Permalink
This leaves the remaining rookies and tryout hopeful of making the opening night roster.
31 left in NHL camp (need to get down to 23; plus expect Torrey Mitchell to start the season on the injured reserve list as the 24th guy in San Jose).
Posted by GJ Berg | Permalink
OCTOBER PROSPECT RANKINGS
1. Nick Petrecki, D, Boston College (NCAA)
2. Thomas Greiss, G, Worcester Sharks (AHL)
3. Derek Joslin, D, Worcester Sharks (AHL)
Poised, heady, and his physical abilities continue to progress.
4. Mike Moore, D, Worcester Sharks (AHL)
Assertively changes the complexion of the game in a positive way.
5. Jamie McGinn, LW, Worcester Sharks (AHL)
Impressive tenacity and strength in front of the net and along the wall.
6. Lukas Kaspar, LW, Worcester Sharks (AHL)
7. Steven Zalewski, C, Worcester Sharks (AHL)
8. Logan Couture, C, Ottawa 67s (OHL)
Dissapointing camp and development so far; maybe injury prone as well.
9. Mike Morris, RW, Worcester Sharks (AHL)
Healthy and now showcasing his great hockey sense and detailed game.
10. Timo Pielmeier, G, Shawinigan Cataractes (QMJHL)
Had a strong rookie tournament and showing in camp.
11. Tyson Sexsmith, G, Vancouver Giants (WHL)
12. Nick Bonino, LW, Boston University (NCAA)
13. Jason Demers, D, Worcester Sharks (AHL)
A real firecracker that can move the puck and take the body.
14. Justin Daniels, C, Sioux City Musketeers (USHL)
His poise and play-making was awesome at the Fall-Classic.
15. Samuel Groulx, D, Quebec Remparts (QMJHL)
Maturity and hockey sense earned high grades at camp.
16. Matt Jones, RW, Worcester Sharks (AHL)
17. Harri Sateri, G, Tappara Tampere (FIN)
18. Alex Stalock, G, Minnesota Duluth (NCAA)
19. Frazer McLaren, LW, Worcester Sharks (AHL)
20. Brad Staubitz, RW, Worcester Sharks (AHL)
Pure energy and physicality; is making a run at a spot on the fourth line.
21. Riley Armstrong, RW, Worcester Sharks (AHL)
22. Tommy Wingels, C, Miami Ohio (NCAA)
23. Taylor Dakers, G, Worcester Sharks (AHL)
24. Tony Lucia, C, Minnesota Gophers (NCAA)
25. Justin Braun, D, University Massachusetts (NCAA)
26. Julien Demers, D, Ottawa 67s (OHL)
27. Drew Daniels, RW, Sioux City Musketeers (USHL)
28. T.J. Fox, C, Worcester Sharks (AHL)
29. Ashton Rome, RW, Worcester Sharks (AHL)
30. Patrick Zackrisson, LW, Linkoping HC (SEL)
31. Will Colbert, D, St. Francis Xavier (CIS)
32. Carter Lee, RW, Lake Superior State (NCAA)
33. John McCarthy, LW, Boston University (NCAA)
34. Christian Jensen, D, RPI (NCAA)
Posted by MaxGiese | Permalink