SB Nation - Devin Setoguchi

Off the Post - December 7th

Conico do Mayo Miracle — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 18:37:44 -0000

1941 - Never forget. And don't forget what happened on Dec. 8th, 1980, while you're at it.
[NEW UPDATE] - Manny Malhotra will be signing autographs for free at the Sharks Store, Tuesday Dec. 15th, from 4:30 - 6pm. Be sure to slip a few greenbacks in the change jar - homeboy's only pulling in 6 figures.
[UPDATE] - McGinn and Vesce get reassigned... place yer bets on whether or not they'll be back by Wednesday.
TCY examines Patrick Marleau's potential price tag after this season, while Ivano27 investigates what Igor Larionov (and his hottie daughter) has been up to lately.
Devin Setoguchi answers questions from the masses, including the perrenial "Whose kitchen are you raiding this season?"
Dany Heatley, Dan Boyle, and Patrick Marleau (plus a 4th Shark TBD) will be signing autographs for a cool $169 per 2 persons @ Dave & Buster's, on January 31st. Reservations required.
A look at former Sharks defenseman Christian Ehrhoff as an Olympic hopeful.
Is Peter Laviolette the right replacement for John Stevens in Philadelphia?
The city of Edmonton begins preparations for the end of Rexall Place.
Size does matter for Gary Bettman - and he likes 'em small and boisterous.
For those that missed the Habs' 100th anniversary celebration, please consult Habs Eyes on the Prize (recommended).
Die by the Blade believes Andrej Sekera is the Sabres' Dan Boyle.
Signs your teammate is trying to kill you (big chuckle on the first one, huge groan on the last one).
Kris Versteeg gets an eyeful.

Scott Reynolds at Copper & Blue has been producing tweaked Bible verses for game day, and his latest for the Oilers victory over the Stars is a gem.
Speaking of the Stars (whom we play on Friday), Defending Big D examines the current state of the Dallas fanbase.
Buddha at Hockey Wilderness, on "He Who Shall No Longer Be Mentioned" (and no, it's not Gaborik).
With Cam Ward returning, the Canes have a goaltending decision to make.
Behind the Net debunks the argument that goalies need to see action in order to stop shots.
St. Louis Game Time has utterly corrupted Bart Simpson.
Hockey bigamy, as Vince Vaughn (a Blackhawks / J.R. fan) invades the Phoenix locker room.
On the off chance you haven't seen it in detail, Miikka Kiprusoff's save on Scott Nichol is (tragic? heart-breaking? nauseating?) destined for highlight reels for years to come.

Game Day Preview: San Jose Sharks @ Nashville Predators

Dirk Hoag — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:19:59 -0000

More photos » by George Nikitin - AP

The Predators and Sharks meet tonight in Nashville, in a rematch of last week's 4-3 win by San Jose.

Browse more photos »

Can the Nashville Predators avenge a disappointing last-minute loss in San Jose last week, as they host the Sharks at the Sommet Center this evening? Remember, there's no TV tonight (at all), but you still have time to get tickets - you can follow this link and use the special offer code "PREDS" to get discounted seats.

After the jump, let's take a look at how these two teams match up...

Meet the Enemy

You know 'em, you hate 'em, you're sick of looking up at 'em in the Western Conference standings - yes, it's the San Jose Sharks once again. At 14-4-4, the Sharks are cruising along atop the Pacific Division despite L.A.'s surprising start.

It looks like Devin Setoguchi and Brad Staubitz will both miss this one for the Sharks, which saps their depth up front a bit. The guys at Fear the Fin are focused on looking ahead, however, to the return of Torrey Mitchell, which is expected soon (but not tonight). David Pollak of the San Jose Mercury News projects their lines as follows:

Heatley-Thornton-Clowe
Malhotra-Marleau-Pavelski
Ortmeyer-Nichol-McGinn
McLaren-Couture-Ferriero

Meet the Good Guys

With Colin Wilson and Wade Belak day-to-day (and Wilson likely headed to the AHL for conditioning when he's ready), we're likely to see a similar lineup to Saturday's:

Forwards

Sullivan - Arnott - Dumont

Erat - Santorelli - Hornqvist

Ward - Legwand - Smithson

Thuresson - Goc - Tootoo

Defense

Suter - Weber

Bouillon - Klein

Hamhuis - Franson

The good news here is that the Preds seem to be getting solid play from all lines and defensive pairs, and have improved their record to 9-8-1 after a 3-6-1 start.

Keep an eye out for Patric Hornqvist, who hopes to impress Swedish Olympic coach Bengt-Ake Gustafson as he tours the NHL while deciding upon the roster for the Tre Kronors.

Even Strength Play

	5-on-5 Team Data from Behind the Net
Team	GP	GF	GA	GF/60	Shots For/60	Sht %	GA/60	Shots Ag/60	Save %	+/- per 60
San Jose	22	47	36	2.8	30.2	9.2	2.1	28.0	924	+0.6
Nashville	18	26	30	1.8	29.1	6.3	2.1	28.7	.926	-0.3

As daunting a challenge as this might appear, the numbers aren't quite so skewed as they were last week when the Preds visited San Jose. The biggest opportunity for Nashville still lies in that Shooting Percentage, which is 3rd-worst in the NHL during 5-on-5 play. As we all saw Saturday night, piling a ton of shots on net is fun, but putting them behind the goaltender is even better.

San Jose PP vs. Nashville PK

The loss of Setoguchi, who draws penalties like a magnet, is significant here; the Sharks boast a dangerous power play (25%, 4th in the NHL), and keeping them off the PP is critical for Nashville tonight. Following the morning skate today, Barry Trotz stressed the importance of staying out of the box and "checking with your feet", i.e. making sure that back-checking Preds work hard to keep pace with the San Jose forwards, and avoid situations where they have to hook or hold to slow an opponent up.

On the PK, however, the Preds continue making steady progress, having climbed now to 20th in the league with a 79% kill rate.

Nashville PP vs. San Jose PK

Not only do the Preds have an NHL-worst power play (11.6%), but the Sharks boast the league's best penalty kill at 87.8%.

Dare we hope for an anomaly tonight, and a Predators power play outburst?

Goaltending

Thomas Greiss gets the start again for the Sharks; against Nashville last week, he made 23 saves on 26 shots to earn the win.

Thomas Greiss

#1 / Goalie / San Jose Sharks

Height: 6-1

Weight: 200

Born: Jan 29, 1986

	GP	MIN	W	L			GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
2009 - Thomas Greiss	3	147	2	1			5	2.04	73	68	.932	0

For the Predators, Pekka Rinne gets to follow up on his 22-save shutout of Montreal Saturday night. In two career games against the Sharks, he's 1-0-1 with a 1.92 GAA and .942 Save Percentage.

Pekka Rinne

#35 / Goalie / Nashville Predators

Height: 6-5

Weight: 206

Born: Nov 03, 1982

	GP	MIN	W	L			GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
2009 - Pekka Rinne	11	590	6	4			23	2.34	272	249	.915	2

Summary

Having reversed a slow start with a 6-2 record in their last 8 games, a tough test begins tonight for the Preds against the top team in the West, and continues Thursday night when the East-leading Devils come to town. If the team plays anything like they did last week in San Jose, they should fare well here - especially now that the Sulivan-Arnott-Dumont line is reunited and creating dangerous scoring chances consistently.

It wouldn't hurt for Rinne to to rise up and steal a game for the team as well (especially since they gave him an easy time of it against Montreal Saturday night).

For further pre-game musings check out (from the San Jose side) Mike Chen at Battle of California, and for the good guys, Paul McCann and Preds On the Glass.

Off the Post - October 21st

Conico do Mayo Miracle — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 07:00:27 -0000

[UPDATE, 2:18pm] = WTC update (thanks to Nael M.) - Boyle gets the lady love, call ups, the Greiss question, McLellan dissing DP... yeah, check it out.
New to Fear the Fin, and not sure what "Corn" or being "Staubitized" is in reference to? Here's mymclife's handy-dandy cheat sheet.
TCY analyzes San Jose's and Detroit's approach to prospects.
Plank feels your "Sharks keep giving up the first goal" pain. [Note - the Sharks have given up the first goal in 7 out of 9 games, or 8 if you count a shootout loss, and have given up the first 2 goals in 33% of their games]
CTGray and the Couch Tarts get new digs!
[UPDATE, 4:50pm] = Marc Savard is out long-term with a broken foot, and Sergei Gonchar broke his wrist, keeping him out for the next 6 weeks.
The Fins are invading Atlanta!
Wonder where Mathieu Dandenault went after the Sharks dropped him from training camp? Here's your answer.
Ask your old captain some burning questions... he's probably chattier now without that pesky "C" (meh...).
I wish I had said "Hi" to Dynamo Minsk coach and former NHL goaltender Glen Hanlon in Belarus this summer, since he just got the ax (and how).
It's everyone's favorite new game, Strip Hockey! When Gary Bettman plays, he adds "...of its soul" to the name.
A fanpost on the readiness of potential NHL expansion cities.
The Edmonton Journal placates their readership by keeping a running tally comparing Dany Heatley to the Oilers he would have been traded for.
[UPDATE, 11:47am] - See the teal-mug shots of the new Sharks (thanks to Teas for the link).

[UPDATE, 11:47am] - It's a new Sharks commercial! H/T to SharksFanTillDeath and Evilducks.

[more updates after the jump, and even more to come as the day goes by]

The difference a year can make in Colorado...

Mikko Koivu is the first permanent captain in Minnesota Wild history.

Something is rotten in Raleigh...

Rudy Kelly is sick of his boy Frolov getting crapped on by the Kings organization.

Devin Setoguchi is in a 4-way tie for 5th most SOG this season, but it's a long way to the top if you wanna rock 'n roll.

Seven of Joe Thornton's league-leading 12 assists have come during the man-advantage.

Marcel Goc had his first non-Sharks career point on Saturday against the Capitals (a secondary assist).

Here's what happened the last time San Jose went to Tampa Bay (whom they play tomorrow):

Do the San Jose Sharks rush their prospects?

That'll Cheech You — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 11:00:23 -0000

For more insight on the state of San Jose's prospects and minor league system, see our recent Q & A with Worcester Sharks Director of Public Relations and Broadcasting Eric Lindquist.

With the odd, tumultuous journey of Jamie McGinn fresh on everyones mind (covered here, here, here and here), Plank and I started talking about the general state of San Jose's prospects. The system is healthier than it's been in a long time, and it seems that a few of our recent first and second round draftees (Logan Couture, Nick Petrecki, Jamie McGinn) are close to being ready to contribute full time at the NHL level. However, these three players have only been in the system for at most three years, and McGinn has already seen his first sniff of NHL action. Is it too early to look to these players to contribute?

It's always been the common mindset that San Jose is quick to expose it's drafted talent to the NHL. Detroit, on the other hand, is thought to age their prospects like a fine wine, waiting until their 17-19 year old boys become 25 year old men. Men who are accustomed to the professional game.

Are these perceptions true? Which is the right strategy? I decided to dive into it statistically and compare the path of Detroit and San Jose's recent draft picks.

Before I show any of the stats, let me explain a little. You guys tend to be little vultures, so I'm going to do my best to protect myself early, even though you will probably find a place where I say "their" instead of "there."

I only used draft picks made after 2001, as it would more accurately reflect the recent strategies of the teams. I also only used first and second round picks, as those players are most likely to make it to the NHL before others in their respective draft class. Also, if a player made the NHL as the member of another organization (like Ty Wishart, for example, who made his debut with Tampa Bay after the Matt Carle-Dan Boyle trade), I'm not using that debut date, as that team's decision to bring that player to the NHL is independent of the team that drafted him. Les do dis.

Start with the Red Wings. Since the 2001 season, Detroit has drafted 13 players (with their average draft pick being around 47 for these 13 selections). Of these players, Detroit has brought four players the the NHL, the most recent being Justin Abdelkader (who made his NHL debut on April 3rd, 2006, 247 days after being drafted). These four players (Abdelkader, Jimmy Howard, Jiri Hudler, and Tomas Fleischmann) took an average of 895 days to make their NHL debuts. If you were to remover Abdelkader from that set (who played in only two games in his first NHL season), the average jumps to 1,111 days, or 3.04 years. That's a while.

The Sharks, on the other hand, have been luckier (if you can call it that) with their draft position. The Sharks have drafted 16 players in the first two rounds, with an average draft position of 29. Of these players, 8 have made their NHL debut in Teal, the most recent being the aforementioned Jamie McGinn. It took Jamie 857 days to make his NHL debut, but others have had a much faster path. Milan Michalek made his NHL debut 110 days after being selected by the Sharks 6th overall in 2003. Other players who also quickly made the NHL with the Sharks were Marc-Edouard Vlasic (432 days), Devin Setoguchi (456 days), and Matt Carle (643 days). In fact, the average path to the NHL for a San Jose Shark was 701 days. If you remove Lukas Kaspar or Marcel Goc from that set (both took over 1,000 days to get to the NHL), that number becomes closer to 600 days, or 1.64 years. Express train.

So yes, the answer is that the Sharks bring up their prospects much sooner than Detroit does. But what's the success that has been met by these players? Of the players that the Sharks have drafted, 7 of the 16 are now NHL players (44%), and 4 remain with the Sharks. However, of Detroit's 13 picks, only 4 players are currently employed by NHL clubs (31%). 2 remain with the Red Wings.

Eight of Detroit's picks remain within the organization, the same number remain with San Jose. However, it seems as if San Jose's rush to bring players to the NHL has been beneficial to the organization (I promise, I'll quit it with the numbers soon).

When your team's biggest free agent acquisition in history is a tie between Rob Blake (at 38) and Jeremy Roenick (at 37), it almost doesn't need to be said... your team has trouble signing free agents. Because of this, the Sharks have always depended on their GM to make trades and their young players to make an impact early. At times, the Sharks have gotten lucky (See Steve Bernier, Michalek, Setoguchi, Vlasic, Carle, etc). In other cases (Kaspar and Goc, especially), the Sharks have wasted some high draft picks. However, even with these occasional follies, you can argue that the Sharks have drafted much better than the Red Wings, in terms of these player's contributions to the NHL club. Of the those who were originally drafted by San Jose, 1509 NHL games have been played, and 649 points have been tallied at the NHL level. For Detroit, only 479 games have been played, and 208 points have been scored. (Some of these numbers were posted after the player was with another team, i.e. Carle or Fleischmann)

So, is it the Sharks who have drafted better? Well, it appears as if they have. However, you can argue the opportunity these players have received because they have moved up so early has made them more able to contribute at an NHL level. Or, simply that the time in the NHL has skewed their numbers. Or perhaps the fact that the Sharks have had a consistently higher draft position.

Has Detroit made mistakes by not moving their prospects through the system faster? Of the four who have made it to the NHL since 2001, only Abdelkader has remained with the team and shown real promise... and he's only played in four regular season games before last years run in the playoffs. Jimmy Howard, who was elevated to the position of full time backup this year, has struggled mightily so far. Was is wiser to keep him mostly in the AHL for six years, seeing how he's floundered early in his now vital NHL role? The Wings let solid platoon partner Ty Conklin walk this year, putting their trust in Howard. Is he ready to share time with Chris Osgood?

I think it all comes down to the player that you pick, and the in house evaluation of the front office and coaching staff determines if they are ready or not. San Jose has gotten away with moving their draft picks quickly through the system, while it seems that Detroit has had trouble getting production from their high selections. The Wings have the success since 2001 to prove that this hasn't really mattered in terms of building an elite squad. But San Jose has shown that Detroit's model of holding back prospect's isn't necessarily the perfect model for a prospect's ultimate development.

It's a given that both Petrecki and Couture will see their NHL debuts before Brendan Smith (Detroit's selection in 2007), seeing as both almost made the team out of camp this year. They are also possible riders on the Worcester Shuttle, which has already logged heavy mileage this year. Will they benefit from seeing the NHL earlier than Smith?

Only time, and subsequent stats, will tell.

Sharks Gameday: Hit The Road Jack

Mr. Plank — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 10:00:20 -0000

	@ 4:00 PST
3-2-1, 7 points		2-2-2, 6 points
7th in Western Conference		8th in Eastern Conference

Television	CSN-CA, NHLN-US
Radio	98.5 KFOX, Sjsharks.com
Antagonists	On Frozen Blog Japer's Rink

I've purposely held off on extrapolating from individual Sharks performances (until now at least) due to the fact that a) the season is young and b) the roster turnover from last season is bound to produce some varying results. However, with six games under the belt and a road trip looming, it's useful to take a look at the team at a large and see if there's some trends. And that's what we're going to do today.

Opening the docket is scoring occurrences through the first six games. Opponents goals are red, Sharks goals are blue; click to enlarge if you want to see the time stamps and periods those goals were scored in:

You can read this two ways- on one hand, the Sharks are struggling out of the gate, as they have given up the first goal in every single game except when they were in Anaheim. In fact, if you selectively throw that game out, they have only scored one first period goal. Not the best recipe when heading on the road- with the benefit of having the last change, opposing coaches will be able to match their best shutdown pairing against a Sharks team that is fairly top heavy in the scoring department (more on that later). Last season the Sharks went a phenomenal 36-6-4 when getting on the board first, dropping to 17-12-7 when giving up the first goal. They posted an 11-12-5 record when trailing after the first twenty minutes. For the sake of my mental health (along with those luscious standings points) it's essential these early trends don't continue.

The flip side to this argument is the fact that the Sharks have been able to score in bunches, and do so when trailing. A positive sign? Yes, of course. Sustainable in the long run? We'll see.

As I mentioned before, opposing coaches are going to be afforded the last change in the next six games, and you best believe they'll be throwing everything they have at the top line- there's no real need to extensively gameplan for line two considering Ryane Clowe is currently a grocery stick and Joe Pavelski is in the midst of recovering from a left leg injury sustained against Anaheim. To illustrate this point, here's the scoring totals for forwards (sans Pavelski*), split up between the top line and the rest of the team:

*The reason I did not include Pavelski was to raise a point- San Jose will likely be without his services for this entire road trip, and therefore will need to achieve results without his help.

Even Strength Scoring Totals

Line	Goals	Assists	Points	Plus/Minus
One	5	7	12	+3
Two-Four	5	3	8	-5

Power Play Scoring Totals

Line	Goals	Assists	Points	Plus/Minus
One	5	8	13	N/A
Two-Four	1	0	1	N/A

I do want to qualify these numbers a bit- initially I was going to provide scoring rates per 60 minutes of play as they help smooth over the effects of ice time. For example, line one (Heatley, Thornton, Setoguchi) see 10:41 of combined power play time per game, while the rest of the forwards log roughly 8:00- more time means more opportunities to bang the twine. However, it's early enough in the season where raw scores serve our purpose as those per 60 totals can make individual players seem better or worse than they actually are due to small sample size. The plan is to take a more illuminating look after the road trip's conclusion.

Back to the tables. Patrick Marleau has put secondary scoring on his back, accounting for 3 goals and one assist at even strength- a cool 50% of the point output from the bottom nine forwards. That's horrendous on a team-wide level. Ryane Clowe needs to wake up right now because between the top line facing shutdown pairings all night and Marleau's historical goal scoring streakiness, the Sharks are headed for some dire straits if he continues his post-contract ways. Get off the sideboards and in front of the net. A couple more non-factor games and you might be better off signing Simon Birch to play on that second line. Kid's got resilience, let me tell ya.

As for the rest of the forwards, I haven't been all too impressed. The three guys you're theoretically looking at to chip in (Ferriero, McGinn, maybe Malhotra) haven't made a resounding impact to say the least- McGinn has been going to the box too much, Ferriero cooled considerably during the three game homestand, and Malhotra is in limbo between the third and fourth line. Recent call-up Steven Zalewski posted a Shelley-esque 5:26 of ice time against Phoenix. There's not much left to turn to besides continuing to run the Worcester shuttle (an aspect of this road trip we touched upon earlier this month) and hope that someone manages to make an impact on the scoresheet. I don't really care whether it's due to a fear of being sent down, or comes off a converted opportunity after being called up- someone needs to put the puck in the net here. It was an issue at the end of last season, an issue that concerned me at the beginning of this season, and an issue now.

This isn't to say things can't improve- McGinn, while running into penalty trouble, has generated energy on the forecheck and produced some scoring chances. Malhotra, while disappointing thus far, is learning a system far different than the one he played in Columbus under Ken Hitchcock. Ferriero, while spending a heavy portion of his shifts in the defensive zone lately, showed a lot of promise early in the year.

The season's still young to be certain. However, with a six game road trip looming, it's time that forward depth began to kick things into gear.

Hell, pot a goal early and kill two birds with one stone.

Prediction: Sharks win 5-4. Goals by Clowe (x2), McGinn, Malhotra, and, oh what the hell, Shelley. Secondary scoring shoots superbly six subsequent sporting stints straight.

Go Sharks.

Open-Ice Hits

Hawerchuk — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 23:45:56 -0000

More photos » by FRED CHARTRAND - AP

2 months ago: Ottawa Senators' Daniel Alfredsson, of Sweden, is hit by Atlanta Thrashers' Zack Bogosian (4) during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Ottawa on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Fred Chartrand)

Browse more photos »

Most hits occur along the boards. No big surprise there. But how many hits is "most"? I classified any hit inside the red area below as an open-ice hit:

Approximately 75% of all hits occur within 10 feet of the net or the boards, while less than 5% happen in "open-ice." After the jump, the league leaders in open-ice hits...

This table includes both 2007-08 and 2008-09. There isn't much overlap between the two lists - the hitters are big defensemen and aggressive forwards; the guys who get hit include a lot more playmakers and scorers. I was surprised to see both Darcy Tucker and Sean Avery in the top 12 for taking hits - perhaps there are a lot of players in the league who are gunning for them in open ice.

Hit For	#	Hit Against	#
Dustin Brown	47	Alexander Ovechkin	46
Douglas Murray	39	Evgeni Malkin	37
Keith Ballard	33	Sidney Crosby	31
Alexander Ovechkin	30	Dustin Brown	26
Garnet Exelby	28	Derek Roy	22
Brooks Orpik	27	Ales Hemsky	21
Dion Phaneuf	27	Ryan Kesler	21
Cory Sarich	26	Tuomo Ruutu	21
James Wisniewski	25	Alexander Semin	20
David Backes	25	Valtteri Filppula	20
Toni Lydman	24	Darcy Tucker	19
Ed Jovanovski	23	Sean Avery	19
Niklas Kronwall	23	Scottie Upshall	19
Ruslan Salei	22	Matt Stajan	19
Chris Phillips	21	Brooks Laich	19
Dan Girardi	21	Loui Eriksson	19
Martin Hanzal	21	Chad LaRose	18
Dan Hamhuis	20	Mike Richards	18
Freddy Meyer	20	Devin Setoguchi	18
Ryan Malone	20	Alex Kovalev	17
Brent Seabrook	20	Corey Perry	17
Anton Volchenkov	19	Mikhail Grabovski	17
Shane Doan	18	Mike Ribeiro	16
Hal Gill	18	Erik Cole	16
Brendan Witt	18	Patrick O'Sullivan	16
Andreas Lilja	18	Maxime Talbot	16
Colton Orr	18
Steve Ott	18
Tuomo Ruutu	18

Kings Gameday: The Sky is Falling

RudyKelly — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 20:02:53 -0000

More photos » by Danny Moloshok - AP

2 months ago: Los Angeles Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick jumps to avoid Kings' defenseman Matt Greene and Phoenix Coyotes Scottie Upshall as they slide into the net during the first period of their NHL hockey game, Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Danny Moloshok)

Browse more photos »

LA Kings (0-1) vs. San Jose Sharks (1-1)

7:30 PST, Fox Sports West

Well that was fast.

All summer there was palpable optimism about the Kings, a feeling of hope that permeated all corners of the Kings blogosphere. Then the first game happened and you got stupid emo shit like, well, this.

The truth is the Kings are not doomed; not yet, anyway. They played one of the more craptastic games I've ever seen a Kings team play (the last one I remember crushing me that much was this one), but it's still only one game. And really, it's almost better to lose a game like that then it is to lose a close game that exposes some sort of flaw in your team. If you play hockey then you know there are some games where the puck always bounces the wrong way; if I let in 8 goals in one game, it's easier for me to shrug my shoulders and look ahead to the next game than if I let in 2 goals in the exact same spot and think about my mechanics for 2 weeks. Drew Doughty (twice!) and Wayne Simmonds (once!) each made bone-headed passes that pretty much handed goals to the Phoenix Coyotes, while Jonathan Quick did just enough to not stop the puck on about 4 attempts. Other games, pucks will bounce off Quick and hit the post. It was just one of those games.

The Kings don't have it any easier tonight, though; play like shit against the Coyotes and you'll lose 6-2, but play like shit against the Sharks and you'll lose 10-0. The Sharks had their own Game from Hell in their first game against the Avalanche but then rebounded nicely in a destruction of the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday. The Kings mixed up their defense a little bit to account for the Sharks' top line of Danny Heatley, Joe Thornton and Devin Setoguchi. Alec Martinez (who was pretty terrible on Saturday) is out, Peter Harrold is in alongside Jack Johnson, and Matt Greene is partnered up with Rob Scuderi. I imagine Greene will assume his usual role as Thornton-Stopper tonight, while Scuderi will account for everyone else. Who is going to play against the Marleau line? I don't know, but whoever it is has their work cut out for them.

Prediction: Kings win, 4-3. Goals by Frolov, Johnson, Stoll and Williams.

FTF Regular Season Cheat Sheet: Line One

FTF Staff — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 12:00:20 -0000

The season is just around the corner (never really understood that phrasing, as time is linear and all), and we thought it would be great to give you a quick rundown on the roster, with a little blurb on each player. If you feel like we've covered this before, well, we have. But we're going to expand on it a little, include the stories that we've written on the players over the past year and give our input on what we expect next season. We don't know exactly how the lines will shake out yet, but here's what WTC gave us for Sunday's game against Phoenix.

Final cuts on Tuesday. God save us all.

Dany Heatley

#15 / Left Wing / San Jose Sharks

Height: 6-3

Weight: 220

Born: Jan 21, 1981

Previous FTF Coverage: Heatley finds a Home (Mr. Plank), Doug Wilson does it again; Dany Heatley is a Shark (TCY), The Morning After (Mr. Plank), Heatley Gate (One, Two) (Mr. Plank/TCY), Tick Tock (Mr. Plank), Is Dany Heatley worth the Headache? (TCY)

2008-2009 Stats (Ottawa Senators)

GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	PIM	SOG	SPCT	PPG	PPA	SHG	SHA	GWG	ATOI
82	39	33	72	-11	88	258	15.1	15	11	0	0	6	20:07

Our two cents:

Dany Heatley is a Shark? You would have thought that this would have gotten a little more media attention!

Truth is, we've beaten this trade to a soft, gooey pulp over the last few weeks. To save you the trauma of experiencing that again, we'll sum up. Heatley is one of the elite few pure goal scorers in the NHL. He's been dangerous his entire career, even without the help of an elite center. Now, with Joe Thornton lining up to his right, fans and media members alike are salivating over the possibility of a 50+ goal season.

Health is going to be a factor, but Dany Heatley has much to prove to himself and the NHL community. We're expecting good things from Heatley, and his addition could be viewed as one of the biggest (if not the biggest) moves the Sharks have ever made. Until we see anything different, we're going to assume that the locker room issues died in Ottawa. He's a bonafide star, and San Jose is a forgiving town. It's about his play, from here on out.

Joe Thornton

#19 / Center / San Jose Sharks

Height: 6-4

Weight: 235

Born: Jul 02, 1979

Previous FTF Coverage: Joe Thornton at the 1997 NHL Draft (Mr. Plank), Sharktistical Analysis: The Heist (TCY)

2008-2009 Stats

GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	PIM	SOG	SPCT	PPG	PPA	SHG	SHA	GWG	ATOI
82	25	61	86	16	56	139	18.0	11	24	0	0	3	19:28

Our two cents:

San Jose's leading scorer was also one of only two Sharks to play all 82 games last year (Vlasic, being the other). He's also one of the most criticized by the fans and the media; he's accused of being soft, not shooting enough, not showing up in the playoffs, etc.

Thornton isn't your prototypical superstar, because he's usually one of the most least vocal players on the ice. That may be starting to change, though, if last years elimination game against Anaheim is any indication. Even though the Sharks lost the series, Joe started to show a fire that hadn't been seen much of the year. He dropped the gloves on the opening face-off, something very uncharacteristic of him.

However the catalyst for that change (Jeremy Roenick, now retired), is no longer with the team. Will Thornton continue to show the same fire?

Regardless, scoring points has never been his problem, especially in the regular season. He'll definitely be able to put up the numbers in 2009-2010, as he'll have the best scorer he's ever played with in Dany Heatley at his disposal. On his right, he'll have emerging star Devin Setoguchi. An improvement on the 86 points he scored last year is definitely possible, and many believe he'll flirt with the 100 point plateau. There is one thing working against him; if you read anything into the preseason so far, Joe looks to be getting some shorthanded minutes once the season starts. Will that limit his effectiveness even strength and on the power play?

The big question is, which Joe will show? Joe the clown, who's all skill, that makes his teammates laugh and makes fans happy but has trouble when the spotlight shines to bright? Or the mean Joe, who's emotions make him a grittier, more physical opponent?

If Thornton can find a balance between the two extremes, he'll silence many of his critics.

Devin Setoguchi

#16 / Right Wing / San Jose Sharks

Height: 6-0

Weight: 200

Born: Jan 01, 1987

Previous FTF Coverage: Sharktistical Analysis: The Amazing Setoguchi (TCY), Sharktistical Analysis: Vote Setoguchi (TCY)

2008-2009 Stats

GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	PIM	SOG	SPCT	PPG	PPA	SHG	SHA	GWG	ATOI
81	31	34	65	16	25	246	12.6	11	12	0	0	3	16:13

Our two cents:

In a regular season where so many things went right, the emergence of Devin Setoguchi was often forgotten. However, Devin's maturation into a top line wing is one of the most surprising turns from the 2008-2009 season.

If Setoguchi continues to improve, he could help make San Jose's top line one of the most offensively potent in the league. However, he's not too keen on defending, and that's not great news considering who he's paired with. He's going to get plenty of chances to score in the upcoming season, and McLellan's creative system fits Devin's style of play well. He's lightning fast, is quick in transition, is creative in the zone, and has a quick shot.

He wont get as many looks as he did last year with Marleau on the opposite wing, as Heatley is going to be Thornton's primary target. However, Heatley's no slouch when it comes to setting up teammates, so Setoguchi should get plenty of opportunities to continue his path to the top of the NHL. At 21 last year, he could have easily been an all-star selection (he was included in the young stars game, where he scored). If he puts up another year of solid numbers, he won't be on the sidelines of the big game for long.

Sharks Line-up For Tonight / Hodgson's Time To Shine

Sean Zandberg — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 20:12:43 -0000

From San Jose Mercury News, the Sharks will dress the following players:

Ferriero-Thornton-Setoguchi
Marleau-Pavelski-Clowe
McLaren-Malhotra-Ortmeyer
Shelley-Nichol-Staubitz

Murray-Demers
Joslin-Blake
Huskins-Callahan

Nabokov-Greiss

That Ben Ferriero guy on the top line has 2 goals and 1 assist in preseason for the Sharks. Keep an eye on him.

The Canucks' roster was posted below. This is Hodgson's big shot, as he will play on the top line (reportedly on the wing) with Burrows and Kesler.

Said Vigneault:

"He's more of an offensive type player, so we should try him on the power play and we should try him with players that have more than offensive capability," said head coach Alain Vigneault. "We'll give him that opportunity and we'll see what the young man can do."

TSN

Off the Post, Sept. 10

Conico do Mayo Miracle — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 08:01:13 -0000

Plank may be in Minnesota, but holds down the fort with ten things to be excited for next season, a look at the ice conditions at HP Pavilion, as well as compiling a rivalry depth chart.
TCY and Plank chime in with some Couture talk.
The San Jose Sharks preseason begins one week from today! That's the good news.
The bad news (for the players) - they play in the Teal & White game on Wednesday, and THEN play 3 preseason games in 3 days. If it makes you feel better, the Anaheim Ducks have 4 games in 4 days - not counting any novelty scrimages for season ticket holders.
Devin Setoguchi will be at the Sharks Store today from 4:30 to 6:30pm. Mark my words - that line will be epic. Remember to ask him to sign your gooch - it's a good conversation starter.
See this Sharks training camp roster (w/ Dan Hinote's name included)? Add Mathieu Dandenault's name to the list.
Could Patrick Marleau be headed to the New Jersey Devils? (H/T to PuckDaddy) [UPDATE] = Apparently he could be going to the Kings in a 3-way deal involving Heatley. Whatever... (thanks to Section223 for the heads up)
[UPDATE] = Mike Chen opens up his season tickets, and Patrick Marleau is nowhere to be seen on the tickets. Jody Shelley, sure... but no Marleau, no Nabokov, no Cheechoo, and no Michalek.
Rudy Kelly offers orgasms in exchange for Torrey Mitchell in a Kings jersey. Sounds like a fair trade... oh wait, they're HIS orgasms? Now that's just selfish...
The OdinMercer suicide watch revs up today, as the Phoenix Coyotes' fate hangs in the balance. Please discuss in the comments.
Speaking of Phoenix- 60% of Fear The Fin readers think they should be moved via a poll earlier this summer.

We sure do appreciate Blueshirt Banter's pick for the head of the Western Conference this season.

The new SB Nation.com site is up and running.

[UPDATE] = Please welcome Anaheim Calling to the SB Nation fold. Sleek's already rolled out the welcome mat.

The Sharks rookies swept the Ducks rookies with a 5-2 victory last night. No word in the article about Michael D'Orazio's groin pull that left him unable to walk off the ice... Trust me, it wasn't pretty.

Here's a video of D'Orazio's goal, the first of the night. Those chants of "RUDY!" refer to Daniel Erlich (#70), who stands at a lofty 5' 6''.

Michael D'Orazio's goal at San Jose Sharks rookie scrimmage (via dkeirsteadisback)

Speaking of 5' 6'' - Theo Fleury will soon know if he's coming back to the NHL.

Can't go wrong with a firetruck in a sinkhole (H/T to ang6666).

Adolf Hitler bitches about the Christian Ehrhoff trade. Pure hilarity.

Hitler reacts to Ehrhoff trade (via bs932)

SB Nation - Devin Setoguchi

Off the Post - December 7th

Game Day Preview: San Jose Sharks @ Nashville Predators

Meet the Enemy

Meet the Good Guys

Even Strength Play

San Jose PP vs. Nashville PK

Nashville PP vs. San Jose PK

Goaltending

Thomas Greiss

#1 / Goalie / San Jose Sharks

Pekka Rinne

#35 / Goalie / Nashville Predators

Summary

Off the Post - October 21st

Do the San Jose Sharks rush their prospects?

Sharks Gameday: Hit The Road Jack

@

Television

CSN-CA, NHLN-US

Radio

98.5 KFOX, Sjsharks.com

Antagonists

On Frozen Blog Japer's Rink

Even Strength Scoring Totals

Power Play Scoring Totals

Open-Ice Hits

Kings Gameday: The Sky is Falling

FTF Regular Season Cheat Sheet: Line One

Dany Heatley

#15 / Left Wing / San Jose Sharks

Joe Thornton

#19 / Center / San Jose Sharks

Devin Setoguchi

#16 / Right Wing / San Jose Sharks

Sharks Line-up For Tonight / Hodgson's Time To Shine

Off the Post, Sept. 10