SB Nation - San Jose Sharks

2010 Olympics: Picking Team Canada

James Mirtle — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 21:05:00 -0000

by Jeff McIntosh - AP

With the Canadian Olympic brass finally set to name their roster a week from today, expect a whole bunch of these lists over the coming days. For mine, I've tried to offer a bit of a statistical bent — although without relying solely on numbers to pick the team.

All of the stats I'm using are from Behind The Net and prior to last night's games. The metrics are "rating," an advanced form of plus-minus; "quality of competition," which measures the strength of opponents; "points per 60 minutes"; and "on ice goals for and goals against per 60 minutes" (along with goal differential).

Players that scored the highest across the board are ranked higher and those marked in yellow are my picks for the team. Keep in mind that this is based solely on even-strength play, so some of these players offer more on the PP and PK that's not ranked here.

Goaltenders

I didn't delve too deeply into the netminder side of things simply because there are only three Canadian-born goalies with more than 11 wins this season, and they'll be the ones that make the team: Martin Brodeur, Roberto Luongo and Marc-Andre Fleury.

Should one go down to injury, I'm not even sure who No. 4 would be given their play this season. Canada's famed depth at the position isn't all that evident this year.

Defencemen

Into the numbers we go. I've included 12 blueliners I think represent both those talked about and those who should be considered for the team (with my choices to make it in yellow):

	NAME	TM	RATING	QCMP	P/60	GF/60	GA/60	GF-GA
1	BRENT SEABROOK	CHI	0.72	0.16	0.95	2.54	1.69	0.85
2	MIKE GREEN	WSH	0.84	-0.02	1.65	4.22	2.57	1.65
3	CHRIS PRONGER	PHI	0.90	0.11	1.06	2.02	1.64	0.39
4	DREW DOUGHTY	L.A	1.08	0.00	1.10	2.99	2.19	0.80
5	DUNCAN KEITH	CHI	-0.28	0.14	1.44	2.34	1.98	0.36
6	DAN BOYLE	S.J	0.31	0.00	1.19	3.47	2.56	0.91
7	SHEA WEBER	NSH	0.55	0.08	0.84	3.13	2.40	0.73
8	MARC-EDOUARD VLASIC	S.J	-0.36	0.09	0.79	2.68	2.19	0.50
9	JAY BOUWMEESTER	CGY	0.10	0.02	0.37	2.25	1.78	0.47
10	SCOTT NIEDERMAYER	ANA	-1.13	0.11	0.75	2.14	3.20	-1.07
11	DION PHANEUF	CGY	-0.34	0.05	0.67	2.99	2.79	0.19
12	ROBYN REGEHR	CGY	-1.31	0.05	0.74	2.33	2.76	-0.42

If we were to go strictly by the numbers, Niedermayer wouldn't make the team, and Doughty and Weber would. Both youngsters have had great seasons and given some of the other teams I've seen picked, they have a lot of popular support.

My reasoning was putting together three really solid pairings: One made up of Keith and Seabrook, as they've been the best duo on the NHL this season (save for maybe last night); One made up of veterans Niedermayer and Pronger, who had a lot of success together in Anaheim; and one made up of Bouwmeester and either Green or Boyle, a solid third pairing with one excellent defensive player and an excellent offensive one.

Doughty's youth concerns me more than anything, as I saw plenty of games last season when he was still overmatched. He's going to be a pillar on the Canadian blueline going forward, however, and may go as the No. 7 just to gain some experience.

Weber meanwhile just gets lost in the numbers game. He'll also play a major role with Canada down the line.

Phaneuf and Regehr, however, rank last among the metrics I've used here and shouldn't in my mind make the team. There are other players available who do what they do better.

Forwards

Once again, I've included 32 forwards I think represent both those talked about and those who should be considered for the team (with my choices to make it in yellow):

	NAME	TM	RATING	QCMP	P/60	GF/60	GA/60	GF-GA
1	SIDNEY CROSBY	PIT	1.68	0.12	3.37	4.27	2.58	1.68
2	NATHAN HORTON	FLA	2.03	0.09	2.82	3.61	2.71	0.90
3	JOE THORNTON	S.J	1.25	0.07	3.04	3.82	2.25	1.57
4	JONATHAN TOEWS	CHI	1.71	0.09	1.92	3.25	1.48	1.77
5	PATRICK MARLEAU	S.J	1.50	0.02	3.18	4.12	2.35	1.77
6	DUSTIN PENNER	EDM	2.31	-0.04	3.28	4.13	2.67	1.46
7	RYAN SMYTH	L.A	2.13	-0.04	2.59	4.18	2.59	1.59
8	MIKE FISHER	OTT	1.13	0.09	2.21	2.86	2.21	0.65
9	RYAN GETZLAF	ANA	1.25	0.07	2.58	3.33	2.90	0.43
10	PATRICE BERGERON	BOS	0.31	0.18	2.43	3.07	2.81	0.26
11	MIKE CAMMALLERI	MTL	2.16	0.04	2.11	3.22	2.32	0.91
12	DANY HEATLEY	S.J	0.54	0.08	2.28	3.69	2.61	1.09
13	VINCENT LECAVALIER	T.B	1.15	0.06	2.37	2.75	2.25	0.50
14	PATRICK SHARP	CHI	1.26	0.06	1.93	2.96	1.55	1.42
15	JAMES NEAL	DAL	0.95	0.03	2.83	3.67	3.11	0.57
16	JAROME IGINLA	CGY	-0.13	0.10	2.43	2.75	2.43	0.32
17	COREY PERRY	ANA	0.91	0.08	2.31	3.41	3.19	0.22
18	STEPHEN WEISS	FLA	0.55	0.11	2.15	2.82	2.94	-0.11
19	MARTIN ST. LOUIS	T.B	0.45	0.09	2.22	2.92	2.92	0.00
20	MIKE RICHARDS	PHI	0.58	0.10	1.37	2.23	1.99	0.25
21	BRENDEN MORROW	DAL	1.18	0.04	1.58	2.79	2.06	0.73
22	JASON ARNOTT	NSH	0.89	0.01	2.03	3.05	2.03	1.02
23	BRAD RICHARDS	DAL	0.29	0.03	2.87	3.52	3.39	0.13
24	ERIC STAAL	CAR	0.91	0.08	2.00	3.33	3.83	-0.50
25	JORDAN STAAL	PIT	-0.11	0.04	2.20	2.93	2.44	0.49
26	STEVEN STAMKOS	T.B	0.24	0.09	2.09	3.00	3.13	-0.13
27	JASON SPEZZA	OTT	-0.61	0.16	1.37	2.33	2.88	-0.55
28	MARC SAVARD	BOS	0.23	0.04	2.03	2.25	2.03	0.23
29	JOHN TAVARES	NYI	0.65	0.03	1.33	2.54	2.66	-0.12
30	JEFF CARTER	PHI	-0.68	0.05	1.62	2.24	2.86	-0.62
31	SHANE DOAN	PHX	-1.12	0.05	1.07	2.01	2.49	-0.47
32	RICK NASH	CBJ	-0.69	0.03	2.01	2.90	4.01	-1.11

Nash, like Niedermayer, gets a pass because of his experience, both in the NHL and internationally, but neither are having great years. Doan, Carter, Staal, etc. aren't so lucky and I'd leave them behind.

Crosby is, by almost every measure, the top Canadian forward. Thornton, Iginla and Toews are three more no-brainers, and given their success, I think it makes sense to take Thornton's Sharks linemates Marleau and Heatley and try and squeeze some of that chemistry into Team Canada.

Getzlaf-Perry and St. Louis-Lecavalier are two duos to keep together, meanwhile, and all four have been playing better of late even though their teams have struggled. That leaves Richards and Fisher as my depth guys to win faceoffs and kill penalties, which both can do with the best of them.

If you're not a Fisher fan, Sharp and Bergeron could also fill that 13th forward role well.

As for players who are playing well who I left behind, keep in mind that the statistics are only based on 34 or 35 games to this point. Sure, Horton's been a stud in the early going, but his entire body of work isn't enough to get him a spot at the Olympics. Ditto for Penner, Cammalleri and Neal — although don't be surprised if these are the sorts of players we're talking about four years from now.

There's my picks — drop a note in the comments or as a FanPost with yours.

Happy holidays everyone.

Mama Said...: Sharks 3 - Hawks 2 Wrap

SamFels — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 07:03:58 -0000

More photos » by Charles Rex Arbogast - AP

Well, we owe the fuck out of you now, don't we?

Browse more photos »

First off, a deep apology to everyone for not being able to provide an Indian at the UC tonight. I made a promise to everyone that I would be there every game, and I broke it tonight, pretty much due to my own incompetence. You all deserve better, and I will provide it in the future.

Anyway, on to the game. It's strange. I've seen the Hawks have less control of a game and win by four. I've seen them muster half as many shots and register twice as many goals. I've seen them give up twice as many shots and not give up a goal. I know it's a loss, but I don't know for sure what I'm supposed to complain about here.

I haven't glanced at the gamethread, but I'm sure at least one person will pin this on Huet. I guess I can't stop you, and Heatley's opener was definitely a case of Cris dropping down to early. Still, only a few snipers in the class of Crash Bandicoot could make him pay for that. The second goals was Versteeg going country stupid. The third was Seabrook(?) getting caught on a pinch by Thornton and Marleau. That's bad news. Maybe he could have stopped Joslin's shot from the slot, but it was pretty uncovered. I'll leave that to all of you to decide.

You want to find blame for this ever-so-weird loss? Look at the power play. The Hawks only had seven of them to make something happen. If there's a silver lining (and there isn't), it's that maybe after seeing a real PK Coach Q will realize what a clusterfuck his PP is at the moment. Buff on the point? You might as well have an alligator out there. Versteeg and Kane together? That only ended in a shorty against. And why does no one dump the puck in? Like ever? Will they catch H1N1 if they do? Someone should explain this. The Hawks have far too much talent to have a man-advantage that looks like old people fucking.

But still, you look at the shots and see 47-14, you must've been doing something right. In fact, if the Hawks hadn't been so intent on punishing the glass behind Nabokov, it could have been 60. There are just some nights that are not yours, and tonight looks to be one of them. Sure wasn't one of mine.

Reminder: Tomorrow night at The Whirlaway for the Hawks-Scum game. We'll actually mention who we are. Killion is the Irish lookin' dude in the Toews jersey, McClure is the tall doofus with the grin like he just got away with something awful, and I'll be the bald dude who's covered in toner. Please walk up to us and introduce yourselves. Although the odds are McClure and I are throwing punches at each other by the first TV timeout.

Stargazing: Nabokov, Sharks Steal One in Dallas, 4-2

Brad G — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 18:13:46 -0000

Stargazing is a daily assortment of Dallas Stars and Texas Stars news, and whatever other random ramblings are bouncing around inside our heads.

Hockey is a funny game. Only in hockey can you play that much better than your opponent and lose. Sour grapes? Sure, but I do believe that's what happened.

The Dallas Stars played a great game last night, but their inability to score the puck couldn't overcome the very few mistakes they made, all of which ended up in the net behind them. Their biggest mistake of all in my eyes was special teams. The Stars didn't have to kill a penalty last night, and they had four pretty early power play chances.That's a situation that playoff teams take advantage of.

The game had a very familiar stink on it from my perspective, and as it turns out was very similar to another Sharks vs Stars matchup at the AAC from last season. That game too was all Nabokov all the time, with the Stars going 0-for on the power play. So it's not like this hasn't happened before. As Art mentioned last night, this is a pretty common occurrence when the Sharks come to town. It wasn't unexpected, but the manner of the losing (dominating your opponent) is particularly maddening to the fans.

Special teams aside, the play of the young players was at the forefront last night. Jamie Benn had what might have been his finest game yet (being the only plus player on the team) and Vishnevskiy and Fortunus, while certainly capable, at times looked like they could make coffee nervous.

However, If the Stars should manage to hang out around 8th place all season, and the Sharks in 1st, how do you feel about that match up?

Follow the jump for quotes and reaction to last night's game...

Mike Heika says the Stars are close...

You can see that the team is getting great scoring opportunities, is very close to making the right plays, and just isn't getting luck on its side. Then, everything falls into place, and that team takes off.

The Stars very much want to believe they are that team right now.

After all, if Steve Ott would have scored on the breakaway or not hit the post, maybe the Stars wouldn't have lost a 4-2 game to San Jose Monday. If Nicklas Grossman would have put in a first period goal instead of hitting the post, maybe that would have chipped away some of the Sharks' early confidence. If Ivan Vishnevksiy would have been able to control the puck and head up ice in the final minute instead of accidentally fumbling it into his own net, maybe Dallas could have forced overtime or a shootout (and actually won).

You can see how close they really were.

Just isn't getting luck on its side. That about sums it up for last night.

The Sharks got the wild idea to reunite the best line in hockey halfway through the game, and that may have been the difference:

After Benn ruined Nabokov's shutout bid 18 seconds into the third, Marleau restored the Sharks' two-goal lead at 2:43, when he took a pass from Heatley and ripped a shot from the top of the left circle past Turco for his second goal of the night and 23rd of the season. It was exactly the offense Sharks coach Todd McLellan was hoping for after reuniting the trio of Marleau, Heatley and Thornton.

''We wanted to shake some things up,'' McLellan said. ''Putting them back together was a natural.''

Ralph Strangis said after the game that it's hard to be mad at Marty for that second Marleau goal, because he's a "goal scorer" and those pucks find their way through when they're on a goal scorer's stick. I bet a lot of you found it pretty easy to be mad at him at the time.

The focus, rather incorrectly and unfortunately, of the fans walking down the stairs after the game last night was on Ivan Vishnevskiy...

Several veteran players skated over to Vishnevskiy to offer words of encouragement and defensive coach Charlie Huddy left him on the ice so he couldn't think about it sitting on the bench.

"It's just a bad bounce," defenseman Stephane Robidas said. "I hope he doesn't worry too much about that. It hapesn to everybody. It didn't cost us the game or anything like that. He's a good kid, a good player, he played well and we've just got to move forward."

Stars coach Marc Crawford wasn't worried about it, agreeing that it was just a tough bounce.

That's not why they lost that hockey game. It's just unfortunate YouTube fodder now For the local San Jose flavoring, you can check out the Mercury News:

For half the game, Evgeni Nabokov's goaltending was about the only thing the Sharks had going for them Monday night against the Dallas Stars.

So, late in the second period, coach Todd McLellan figured it was time to reunite his top three offensive players, and Dany Heatley once again found himself skating alongside Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau.

"We like playing together," Thornton said, "so it was, 'Oh great, we're back together? Let's try to score a goal.' And we did the next shift."

That goal was Marleau's first of two on the night as the Sharks went on to beat the Stars 4-2 and move back into first place in the Pacific Division. Joe Pavelski also scored for San Jose, and Ryane Clowe was credited with a freakish empty-netter that slid into the Dallas goal off rookie defenseman Ivan Vishnevskiy's stick.

Can't argue with that first part.

Interesting note: The combined salaries of the 6 Stars defensemen last night was $5.6 million. Dan Boyle makes $6.67 million.

Quotes from the locker room after a tough defeat:

Marc Crawford:

"Their goalie played really well," Dallas coach Marc Crawford said. "He carried them through two periods where we, for all intents and purposes, dominated. We stayed with it, and we talked about trying to just continue to have those 60 minutes efforts where you do more things right and you just keep piling those things on. We got a little bit of a payoff at the start of the third period. We did make a couple of mistakes out there tonight, and they were costly."

"He's an offensive player and I don't think it's going to bother Ivan at all," Crawford said. "He's played real solid defensively for us and this is an unfortunate break. He's a bright young player and he's a bright young prospect for our organization."

Stephane Robidas:

"It's just a bad bounce," defenseman Stephane Robidas said about the unfortunate play by Vishnevskiy. "I hope he doesn't worry too much about that. It happens to everybody. It didn't cost us the game or anything like that. It's a bad bounce. The puck just bounces. It could happen to anybody. He's a good kid, a good player, he played well, and we've just got to move forward."

"It's a good measuring stick when you play a top team in the league," Robidas said. "That's a team you want to compare yourself to, and that's hard to beat. Obviously, it's disappointing to get a loss like that, but we've got to build on a positive. I think we played pretty good."

"I feel like at the end of the game we had some quality chances and their goalie played well," Robidas said. "We had a few meltdowns, but I think if you look at the team we were playing, it was a pretty good team. The good thing is we battled until the end, we had a chance, we pulled the goalie, and we never really gave up in that game, and that's a positive sign."

And finally, Fear The Fin was rather complimentary after the game:

Holy Macanaugh were the boys lucky to walk out of Dallas last night with two points. Evgeni Nabokov was spectacular in just about every way, and you can damn well go all in on the fact that he was working some crazy voodoo magic the moment he stepped off the plane-- Richard Hantz was his name, and the red pipes were playing his game. Those first forty minutes were all about sustained pressure in the defensive end of the ice, with the Sharks generating very little in the form of quality scoring chances. San Jose had a good deal of trouble stringing together two quality shifts in a row, and if Nabokov or his post pawns don't play ball you're looking at a deficit ranging anywhere from one to four heading into the final frame.

On a side note, Tom Wandell has the gnarliest set of wheels I've seen in a long time. Between him, Jamie Benn, and James Neal, the Stars look like they have the pieces in place to be a dark horse later in the year provided those guys continue their progression.

That's very kind of them to say.

How Are Things In Your Neck Of The Woods?

PSTIM1 — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 17:00:38 -0000

More photos » by Paul Sakuma - AP

Even Sing's giant Jesus piece couldn't prevent the Niner's season from ending in December.

Browse more photos »

Sunday was a tough day for me, first my fantasy team decided to sh*t the proverbial bed, the 49ers were officially eliminated from the playoffs and I am sure somewhere the Warriors lost. Maybe the Sharks won, but who knows and who really care's? The Raider's won and that was positive but they are still a long ways away. The A's continue to make a series of confounding moves that seem to guarantee them cellar status in the AL West and possibly a move to Las Vegas. Needless to say on Sunday night I felt like i needed to join a support group for fans with no hope, or at least up my dosage of Prozac. My friend summed it up pretty well when he sent me this email:

“The Warriors blow, the Raiders and Niners are harder to figure out than female sex organs, fantasy football ended in ball stomping defeat, where the F are those pitchers and catchers? It's time for baseball, and if anyone wants to talk about the A's lack of apparent strategy or our chances of finishing higher than fifth in our division (yes I'm aware there are four teams) please let me know. I need a break from this misery"

Does any fan base have a future outlook as terrible as the Bay Area? Let me know if you think your situation is worse - misery just loves company!

Poll

Which Bay Area Team Sucks The Most

Sharks Gameday: If Ya Can't Beat Em, Beat Em

Mr. Plank — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 12:00:47 -0000

	@ 5:00 PST
21-8-7, 49 points		23-8-3, 49 points
2nd in Western Conference		1st in Western Conference

Television	Versus
Radio	98.5 KFOX, Sjsharks.com
Antagonists	Second City Hockey

[Editor's Note]: Second City Hockey asked us to do a Q&A for their publication The Committed Indian-- TCY has it covered.

Holy Macanaugh were the boys lucky to walk out of Dallas last night with two points. Evgeni Nabokov was spectacular in just about every way, and you can damn well go all in on the fact that he was working some crazy voodoo magic the moment he stepped off the plane-- Richard Hantz was his name, and the red pipes were playing his game. Those first forty minutes were all about sustained pressure in the defensive end of the ice, with the Sharks generating very little in the form of quality scoring chances. San Jose had a good deal of trouble stringing together two quality shifts in a row, and if Nabokov or his post pawns don't play ball you're looking at a deficit ranging anywhere from one to four heading into the final frame.

On a side note, Tom Wandell has the gnarliest set of wheels I've seen in a long time. Between him, Jamie Benn, and James Neal, the Stars look like they have the pieces in place to be a dark horse later in the year provided those guys continue their progression.

So what worked? The unexpected. And boy did I love every single minute of it. Clowe's work on the forecheck produced a fortuitous bounce right onto his stick behind Marty Turco, and he cleaned it up with a slick backhander across the slot to find a wide open Joe Pavelski. Thornton dumps the puck into the zone only to find it drop at his feet after Grossman can't handle his business, leading to, you guessed it, a slick backhander across the circles to find a wide open Patrick Marleau.

Then there's this gem, which deserves a place amongst the top five Sharks goals of the year:

Congrats on the first NHL goal, kid

On the docket we've got the Chicago Blackhawks-- no superlatives necessary to convey the importance of putting a strong effort out tonight. Chicago's definitely the class of the Western Conference at this point of the year, and while I'm a firm believer in the idea that standings points are much more valuable than seeing how you match up before the Olympic break, a 7-2 lashing on home ice means you shouldn't need sildenafil citrate to get up for this one.

Go out, get it done. And contrary to my consistent view on the subject, don't play Greiss in this back to back. Roll with your big dog.

Prediction: Sharks win 4-3. Goals by Heatley (x2), Boyle, and McGinn. Cristobal Huet turns to crystal, and floats huet.*

*Hey, I tried.

Go Sharks.

Nabokov Repels 36 of 38 Shots as Stars Suffer 2nd Regulation Home Loss in December

Brandon Bibb — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 05:24:57 -0000

More photos » by Tony Gutierrez - AP

Browse more photos »

The position of goaltender in hockey is one that I can simultaneously respect and yet, loathe.

I respect Evgeni Nabokov as one of the game's top goaltenders. I respected him for the stops he was able to make when his defense allowed prime scoring chances to the Stars throughout the first and second periods.

And when he made those stops, I loathed him. To the point of wondering on Twitter whether or not he had sold his soul just to drive the Dallas Stars nuts.

38 shots came his way tonight and 36 were repelled. The only two that beat him were off a rebound he couldn't quite control 18 seconds into the third that Jamie Benn potted home to cut a 2-0 second intermission deficit to 2-1, and a deflected point shot off Loui Eriksson's skate.

So as a result, the San Jose Sharks skated off the American Airlines Center ice in much the same fashion they've grown a little too accustomed to in the last three years.

Winners.

4 in a row in Dallas and at least their 6th win in their last 8 trips.

But unlike most of those wins, the Stars can take some positives out of this one. I'll look at a few after the jump. As well as some other negatives.

For starters, Dallas did jump on San Jose to the tune of 38 shots. They did, admittedly, get some help in the form of 5 power plays to none.

But from where I sit, this marks two games against the Sharks where the Stars have had the territorial edge and been able to apply the hallmark of a Marc Crawford coached team.

Puck possession in the offensive zone with a lot of shots and quality scoring chances. That, I certainly liked. Every forward but one had at least one shot tonight.

But just as the ball don't lie in basketball, the puck don't lie in hockey. When you generate that many shots and scoring chances, you've got to bury them. And in the first, the Stars had plenty with nothing to show for it.

Perhaps if they had been able to jump on the Sharks early and forced them to chase the game instead of the other way around, we're talking about an honest to goodness winning streak. The kind the Stars really have yet to enjoy this year.

Instead, Nabokov was able to repel all the shots he had seen through 40 minutes and the Sharks converted on goals from Patrick Marleau and Joe Pavelski to take a 2-0 lead into the dressing room after two. Unlike in their first meeting, the Stars just weren't able to find enough in the tank to come back tonight.

And while I'm on this Negative Nancy kick, that lone forward who didn't record a shot?

Fabian Brunnstrom.

We've made mention of Matt Niskanen's struggles and even contemplated the idea of either sending him down to the minors or trading him for fear he's hit a wall here. We do that, I think, because we've seen what Nisky's capable of in his previous two years in the NHL and believe that he can still progress as a solid NHL blue liner (I'll still have more thoughts on him later).

Sadly, I can't really say the same thing about Brunnstrom right now. When he puts out a performance like he did tonight and only sees 6:31 of ice time (only Krys Barch saw less ice time tonight), I can't say I'm surprised anymore.

Getting back to the fountain of positivity, I was very impressed with the play of Maxime Fortunus tonight. A lot of time, you'll see a young defenseman in the NHL allow panic to set into his game when the pressure gets turned up a notch.

I saw none of that tonight. Just strong steady play at both ends of the ice. The Stars were able to sustain pressure because he was positionally sound and made smart plays with the puck. If the shot wasn't there, he made sure it got back down deep so the forwards could outwork the San Jose D to continue to create scoring chances.

And when he got caught out on the ice for almost two minutes? Again, he didn't panic. Typically you worry about mental mistakes in those situations. But he stayed mentally sound throughout this shift, didn't get caught running around and expending more unnecessary injury.

And towards the end of his shift when he gained control of the puck on his own side of the red line, he was cognizant of the fact he couldn't ice the puck. Otherwise, of course, his two minute shift would have gotten a little longer. Instead, he found a forward to get the puck to who could fire it deep. And off to the bench Fortunus went.

On my drive home tonight, I heard one caller on the Dallas Stars Postgame Show on The Ticket suggest that Fortunus and Vish were brought up to put pressure on Robidas, Skrastins, and Grossman. I have no doubts that Niewuy and Crawford want these two young guys to put pressure on some current members of the Stars D corps.

But it's not the three the caller mentioned. Robidas is safe because he's generating more points offensively than even Jay Bouwmeester. Grossman's been solid for much of this first half of the season, and Skrastins has been doing exactly what he was brought here to do. Play solid stay at home defense and block shots.

No, these callups were meant to put Matt Niskanen on the hot seat. Again, this kid's got some talent and great potential. But he's got to show it now because there's a number of defensemen down in Cedar Park that are just itching to take that spot away from him on a full time basis.

Oh, and about that Ivan Vishnevskiy mishap with losing the puck right into his own net?

Nothing you can do but laugh about it. And seek to atone for that mistake on Wednesday night.

And on an unrelated note, do consider the cause(s) that The Chief is promoting over at A2Y. if you have a little extra cash laying around that wasn't spent on holiday shopping and you don't mind helping out a hockey fan from as far away as Brazil get to see our great game live in person.

Even if it'll be at a Red Wings game at JLA.

Whatever doesn't get spent will be donated to the Red Wings Wish Club with proceeds going to the Children's Hospital of Michigan.

Game 38 Recap: Avalanche 4 - Wild 3

David Driscoll-Carignan — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 04:28:14 -0000

More photos » by Jim Mone - AP

2 days ago: Colorado Avalanche's Kyle Quincey, right, keeps Minnesota Wild's Antti Miettinen, center, of Finland, away from the net and goalie Craig Anderson during the first period of an NHL hockey game Monday, Dec. 21, 2009, in St. Paul. Minn. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)

Browse more photos »

Final - 12.21.2009	1	2	3	Total
Colorado Avalanche	1	3	0	4
Minnesota Wild	0	1	2	3

Complete Coverage >

(It really shouldn't have been this close, but by popular request, I'll be in shiny, happy mode for this recap).

The Avalanche showed they belong at the top of the standings as they held off a talented Wild team in a big 4-3 win in Minnesota. The Avs beat the Wild for the first time this year (after, you know, losing 4 games to a couple of really bad breaks and stuff) and guaranteed that they'll spend Christmas atop the NW division. They actually would have had a shot at first overall in the Western Conference, but the Sharks win over Dallas put the kibosh on that.

Even going all Altitude for this one, I can't say the Avalanche exactly came out flying in this one. In fact, I think both teams kind of looked like they were breaking in new equipment or something. Both teams had a, well, less-than-inspiring powerplay opportunity in the first. The Avs got a second opportunity late in the period when Owen Nolan dropped the gloves to challenge Kyle Quincey (after he put he put a legal hit on Antti Miettinen, shown above) and landed his grizzly ass in the box. The Avs didn't quite score on that PP, but did get the puck in just after the penalty expired with Matt Duchene banging home the rebound for his 23rd point of the year.

Chris Stewart made it 2-0 early in the 2nd period when his smoldering one-timer (set up by a slick pass by Paul Stastny) blew past Nik Backstrom into the top, far corner. On the replay, it looked like the Avs may have caught a break on that play, as it looked like Stastny clipped a Minnesota player with his stick on the play, but I called Curtis Glencross for his opinion after the game and he said that clearly the Wild player was diving.

Milan Hejduk made it 3-0 midway through the 2nd. He and T.J. Galiardi busted out on a breakaway. Hejduk, with the puck, wanted to pass but didn't have a lane so he wristed a beaut above Backstrom's blocker. Pretty, pretty play.

The Avs got a bit sloppy with that 3-goal lead...er, I mean they got a tough break. You know, the tough break like when you're on the powerplay and give up a 3-1 break to the other team and that team scores a shorthanded goal? Yeah, that kind of tough break. That goal was scored by Carl Clutterbuck who is really damn annoying.

The Avalanche returned the shorthanded favor not long after, when the Wild delivered an early Christmas present. Matt Hendricks and Cody McLeod grabbed the puck in the neutral zone and dumped the puck into the Wild zone...and then watched wide-eyed as every Minnesota player left the ice for a line change. That left the two on a 2-on-0 break. Those aren't the two most gifted scorers in the league, but even those guys can convert on a 2-on-0. Hendricks ended up with the goal after some fancy give and go passing. It was a crazy goal, especially as it would turn out to be the game winner.

As you all know, Owen Nolan is contractually obligated to score a goal every time he faces the Avalanche. I didn't have our team of fact-checkers research that, but I'm going to assume it's true. That dude always seems to score on us. Sure enough, he scored at the 11:37 mark of the 3rd. That goal was notable because it made it 4-2, but also because it was John-Michael Liles' final shift of the game. (Message or just a change to a more defensive focus?)

The Avalanche got another one of them bad breaks two minutes later when Martin Havlat found himself all alone behind Avalanche defensemen Brett Clark and Ryan Wilson and beat Craig Anderson for a deflating goal. This was Brett Clark's final shift of the game as well, his second straight shift that ended in a goal against, but at least he was in the picture when the goal was scored. Wilson was still at the red line, coasting back after getting caught pinching deep in a 4-2 hockey game.

But we're not being negative. Clearly, that was just a bad break, and the Avs were in control the rest of the way. Craig Anderson made some big stops and Duchene and Ryan O'Reilly had some big defensive shifts (not sure if Duchene's sliding save to block a puck headed for an open net made the highlight reel, but it was a big play). It wasn't as pretty as it could have been (and there was a couple of ugly boarding plays by the Wild including one where Derek Boogaard forced Kyle Quincey's head into the boards, knocking Quincey out of the game for a few shifts), but it was a win.

One thing that is pretty? All that facial hair the Avs are sporting right now. Not sure what the occasion is, but I dig it. Especially Chris Durno, whose beard gave him an odd resemblance to Peter Forsberg (from the waste up, I presume).

Gameday Preview: San Jose Sharks @ Dallas Stars (7:30pm CST)

Brad G — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 19:00:27 -0000

Next Game

San Jose Sharks
@ Dallas Stars

Monday, Dec 21, 2009, 7:30 PM CST
American Airlines Center

Local TV: Fox Sports Southwest

Radio: 1310 The Ticket (online feed via Dallasstars.com)

Complete Coverage >

Only six points separate the San Jose Sharks and the Dallas Stars. With the visiting team one win away from regaining a share of first place in the West, and the other fighting just to stay near 8th place, you would expect these two teams to be a little further apart, but that's life in the Western Conference these days.

These are two clubs that love to play in each others' building. The Sharks have won seven of their last eight games at American Airlines Center (yikes) and the Stars have already beaten San Jose twice at HP Pavilion this year, both shootout victories. The Sharks have been the only team in the NHL the Stars have been able to solve in the skills competition this season, losing their other seven.

Dallas enters the game tonight having won only twice in their previous seven games, but are coming off an entertaining, gritty effort against the Red Wings on Saturday. Early in the season, the AAC was, for whatever reason, a rather unfriendly place for the Dallas Stars. They struggled in their own building but collected points in their first seven road games. Nearly half way through the season, the tables have turned. The Stars are 5-0-2 in their last seven at home, but have struggled mightily on the road, winning only one of their last seven away games.

Tonight is yet another opportunity for this team to build momentum. 35 games in, the Stars have won back to back games only twice.

Follow the jump for more on tonight's matchup and injuries for both squads...

The Dallas Stars

Something we have talked endlessly about this year is the Stars inability to score more than two goals. A bountiful October offensively gave way to an awful November swoon that seemed to carry on a bit into December. In their last three contests, however, the Stars have 3, 5, and 4 goals. Not an explosion by any means, but an encouraging uptick that will hopefully continue through this home stand.

Bob Sturm gave praise to Karlis Skrastins after the game on Saturday for getting involved in the offense:

Detroit's line scored all 3 goals for the Wings, and the Stars had 2 goals from James Neal, and another off a Brad Richards feed to the hero of the day, Karlis Skrastins.

I really enjoy Skrastins and his style. Not the most glamorous signing in the league this summer, Skrastins has been a much needed defensive pillar for the team, and it is scary to wonder where they would be without his contributions helping Robidas and Daley usher along the kids.

But, on Saturday, with some of the defensemen down to injury, Skrastins found his way into the goal-scoring column, for the first time as a Dallas Star. And then, he enjoyed it so much, he did it again!

As Razor indicated, any time a defensive defenseman scores twice, you better win.

The Stars managed only two goals in each of their two games against San Jose this season. They will need continued contribution from the blue line and third and fourth lines if they are to maintain their newly elevated goal scoring pace.

Dallas re-called Ivan Vishnevskiy for the second time this season, though it is not clear whether he'll play tonight. The Stars used Jeff Woywitka and Maxime Fortunus on Saturday with Fistric and Daley both out of the lineup. The battered Stars blue line did not have to face Zetterberg on Saturday, and struggled to contain Pavel Datsyuk. Tonight they will have to prove themselves against tougher competition in Heatley, Thornton and all the Shark gang.

The Sharks:

I've said it before in this space and I'll say it again now: The Sharks are scary good. Despite the fact that they're 1-2-3 in their last six games, they're scary good. They're also very well rested. San Jose has played only once in the last seven days.

Their top end talent aside (very top end), Shark fans evidently feel that they need more from the rest of the forward group. Fear The Fin:

San Jose's bottom six once again drew a blank against the Anaheim Ducks, making that one goal from the lower lines in the last six games. The role of these forwards extends far beyond scoring goals of course, and the defensive/grit aspects of Mitchell's, Malhotra's, Nichol's, and Ortmeyer's game brings a lot of value to the San Jose Sharks as a whole. These should not be cast aside as unimportant.

That being said, the reliance on the team's top line for goal scoring is troubling. Marleau and Heatley have accounted for roughly 40% of the team's goal output this season; when they fail to score the team drops to an unimpressive 2-4-2 [link]. It's an issue that needs to be addressed, and without the aforementioned salary cap space, it's an issue that will have to be taken care of in-house.

Depth scoring isn't always necessary to beat the Stars, who allowed three goals from Detroit's top trio on Saturday.

Keep an eye on Devin Setoguchi tonight. He recently snapped a 10 game pointless streak and loves to play at American Airlines Center.

Injuries:

Sharks: Brad Staubitz is questionable with a broken cheek bone.

Stars: Trevor Daley (shoulder) and Mark Fistric (concussion) remain out indefinitely.

Sharks Gameday: Better Late Than Never

Mr. Plank — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 18:52:07 -0000

	@ 5:30 PST
20-8-7, 47 points		15-9-11, 41 points
2nd in Western Conference		8th in Western Conference

Television	CSN-CA
Radio	98.5 KFOX, Sjsharks.com
Antagonists	Defending Big DRazor With An Edge

A little Q&A today with ESPN Dallas. Enjoy.

*****

Give us a scouting report on the Sharks. What's good? What's bad?

The Sharks recently broke a five game losing streak with a win against Anaheim on Thursday, and during that span they had a load of trouble getting secondary scoring-- Manny Malhotra has been the only non top-six forward to find the back of the net during the last six games. It was an issue in the playoffs last season, and with Dany Heatley and Patrick Marleau accounting for roughly 40% of the team's goals up to this point, there is definite room for improvement from the lower lines.

The blueline is also a concern-- we've had our eye on it since the beginning of the year, and there hasn't been enough consistency amongst the unit as a whole to confidently say that it won't pose some issues for the team moving forward. The loss of Christian Ehrhoff to Vancouver this offseason and Rob Blake's decline in number have hurt the team offensively, which has highlighted the defensive miscues that may have been masked last season with the lack of a premier shutdown defenseman.

The issue with these holes, of course, is the lack of cap space Doug Wilson has to work with. The Sharks are pushed right up against the cap, and don't have a lot of expendable pieces to move that make enough in the salary department. If they move a forward they likely lose a 20+ goal scorer, and if they move a defenseman they risk sacrificing a strong team in the future-- it's really a pick your poison type deal, as all of the assets that would yield a significant return are fairly large pieces to the current puzzle.

The good? San Jose is a Cup contending team, as they always are at this time of the year. Top to bottom this roster could be considered the best San Jose has ever iced.

Talk about Joe Thornton and what kind of season he's having. What makes him so solid?

Thornton's a special player who can control a game below the dots-- for all the punishment he takes on a nightly basis from opposing team's shutdown pairings, it's amazing how effective he has managed to be. His vision with the puck is exceptional; coupled with the fact that he has yet to miss a game in a San Jose uniform, that reliability plays a huge part in being able to build a consistently dangerous line around him.

It's no secret that players tend to have breakout goal scoring years when playing with him.

What kind of impact is Dany Heatley having on this team?

For all of the perceived baggage Heatley was potentially bringing over from Ottawa, those aspects haven't shown up in the locker room as far as the general fan can tell. However, he's asked out of two teams before, and while I don't envision that being a problem for San Jose as long as they're still a contender, you still hold some reservations in the back of your mind if things do end up going south.

On the ice he's obviously a huge factor, and has provided San Jose with a pure sniper that they've never really had before (Cheechoo's Rocket Richard year being the exception here). McLellan has actually broken Thornton and him up the last two games in order to get Devin Setoguchi going-- it's a short term solution that I don't agree with (Marleau being my pick to play on Pavelski's wing), and while I think the coaching staff will eventually put him back on the top line where he belongs, it's a little confusing.

Stars fans are interested in former Stars Manny Malhotra. How is he doing?

Malhotra's been a godsend for San Jose, especially after news came out he rejected a four year deal worth two million per year to sign for nearly the league minimum-- while I'm essentially considering him a rental player who, due to the aforementioned cap issues, won't be re-signed next offseason, it's still nice to know that San Jose can attract some high impact free agents in areas of need. The organization has historically had a lot of trouble in that department.

With Manny you're obviously getting a defensive-minded forward first and foremost, and that's a big plus when it comes to reducing the shorthanded minutes of our premier players like Pavelski and Marleau. Toss in the fact that he's been chipping in on the scoresheet and there's no complaints here.

Breakdown the Sharks' special teams for us.

The power play has hit a rut in December, and Todd McLellan has described the top unit in the past as, "The Globetrotters." They look good moving the puck, but don't really do much in the way of generating scoring opportunities. San Jose tends to struggle when they try to run everything through Joe Thornton surprisingly, as he's not a shooting threat and will try and force passes into the low slot when the shot from the point isn't clicking. Running it through a guy like Patrick Marleau, who's a much more dynamic stick handler when driving the net, usually yields more positive results. If you shift the attention away from Big Joe he becomes that much more dangerous when threading the needle on touch passes.

The PK has been rock solid. A large part is due to the recent acquisitions of Nichol and Malhotra, along with contributions from some unlikely sources in Heatley and Thornton as well. Pavelski and Marleau have been fixtures on this unit from last year-- when your big guns are as committed to playing on both ends of the ice as those two are, it trickles down the lineup.

Who can the Stars expect to see in goal tonight? Tell us about him.

Evgeni Nabokov will be in net tonight, and I'm sure Stars fans are as familiar with him as Sharks fans are as familiar with Marty Turco. He's had a good year thus far, and has managed to reduce the amount of five-hole goals he's given up-- it's been his achilles heel the last two seasons, which isn't all too surprising. Nabokov likes to heavily challenge shooters, and with his increasing age, you can see the reflexes are starting to slide a bit.

He's been getting a heavy workload this year as well. I'm not sure that's an effective gameplan from an assets management standpoint-- Nabby is the likely starter for Team Russia at the Winter Olympics, and with the compressed schedule this season, that workload may begin to show up as we make our way into the last quarter of the year.

Which players should Stars fans be special attention to tonight?

I'm sure Stars fans are familiar with the majority of San Jose's roster due to playing them frequently, so I'll go off the board here and say Jason Demers who has played one game against Dallas this season. He was a relative unknown coming into camp that managed to find a way onto the bottom pairing, and models his game off Dan Boyle. Strong puck mover who can skate, and while he runs into trouble occasionally when forcing breakout passes up the middle of the ice, there's some definite improving offensive acumen he brings to the table. That being said, if I'm Crawford I attack that pairing (Kent Huskins is his partner) with the last change at home. They started the season strong, but tailed off around game twenty five or so, resulting in Demers being sent down to the minor league affiliate for two weeks to work on his game.

Jamie McGinn is also a player to watch tonight on the third line, and has all of the tools to become a 25-30 goal scorer down the road. He'll throw his weight around on the forecheck and can cycle the puck, as well as possessing some good hands and a long skating stride.

Injury report?

San Jose ran into some injury issues to start the year, but by now the team is largely healthy. Brad Staubitz and Jody Shelley are questionable tonight, so Frazer McLaren will assume the duties of keeping that rascal Steve Ott in check.

Anything else Stars fans should know about the Sharks?

Games with Dallas are always tight affairs, and I expect nothing less tonight. What you see is what you get with these division matchups.

Thanks again for the invitation.

*****

Prediction: Sharks win 3-2. Goals by Marleau, Boyle, and McGinn. Marty Turco coughs the puck up with 30 seconds remaining to give San Jose the win.

Go Sharks.

The Worcester Shuttle Rolls Along

Mr. Plank — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 01:03:09 -0000

More photos » by Gus Ruelas - AP

Hold me, I get scared when flying.

Browse more photos »

As David Pollak reported yesterday, Jamie McGinn and Frazer McLaren were sent down to Worcester for what seems like the thirty seventh time this season. The basis behind this move, and the ones preceding it, lie in San Jose's tight fit under the $58.6 million dollar salary cap-- those eying the team with even a cursory glance are well aware of the ramifications of dancing with the salary ceiling, as it played a part in the trade of defenseman Christian Ehrhoff earlier this summer.

Salary cap space is accrued on a day by day basis in the NHL. Each day the Sharks rid themselves of unneeded contracts on the big club, the more room they have to make a deal before the March 3rd trade deadline in 2010. It's a sound strategy from that standpoint, but the physical toll it takes on players as they jump from coast to coast on a bi-weekly basis will likely increase exponentially as the season drags along.

With that in mind:

I think now is the perfect time to utilize the Worcester Shuttle. I'm not talking about it's creepy uncle the Worcester Salary Shuffle, I'm talking about the honest and pure Worcester "I Run Off Results" Shuttle. Logan Couture has been tearing it up in the AHL this season and leads the team in goals. Benn Ferriero had a two goal game against Manchester earlier this month and has eight points in ten games. Give the team a little kick in the pants and bring in some forwards who a) have been up here for an extended period of time this season b) are familiar with their role on this team and c) will provide a scoring threat.

- "Back To The Grindstone"

San Jose's bottom six once again drew a blank against the Anaheim Ducks, making that one goal from the lower lines in the last six games. The role of these forwards extends far beyond scoring goals of course, and the defensive/grit aspects of Mitchell's, Malhotra's, Nichol's, and Ortmeyer's game brings a lot of value to the San Jose Sharks as a whole. These should not be cast aside as unimportant.

That being said, the reliance on the team's top line for goal scoring is troubling. Marleau and Heatley have accounted for roughly 40% of the team's goal output this season; when they fail to score the team drops to an unimpressive 2-4-2 [link]. It's an issue that needs to be addressed, and without the aforementioned salary cap space, it's an issue that will have to be taken care of in-house.

Here's a short term solution that potentially kills two birds with one stone.

When a player is constantly riding the Worcester Shuttle, he misses out on practice time with the same roster that he plays games with. For example, McGinn was sent down to Worcester yesterday, and will not see his teammates again before lacing up the skates on Monday against the Dallas Stars. That makes it harder for a player to improve his skills, as well as establish and/or improve chemistry with his linemates. Those riding the shuttle have no advantage over their peers in Worcester other than the fact they accrue valuable NHL experience in games with San Jose.

The advantage those in Worcester have over their peers riding the shuttle however, is a lack of cross-country flights, as well as increased ice time in practice and games. While the AHL does not keep track of TOI on their official stats, one could safely assume that they will be getting a bump of at least five shifts when playing in the minors-- they're the cream of the crop on the minor league affiliate, which is the reason they are playing with San Jose in the first place.

In order to reduce effects of riding the Worcester Shuttle takes on the relevant parties, I propose a rotating cast of players to make the trek in three-four game increments. With San Jose struggling for output right now in regards to their lower lines, reduced ice time (both in practice and in games) for those shuttle bound vagabonds, and the physical toll it takes on players, this seems like a perfect time in the season to get back to the "running off results" ideals GM Doug Wilson proposed at the beginning of the season. Keep in mind that this is a short term solution-- following the March 3rd trade deadline, the shuttle will no longer provide any salary cap benefits, allowing San Jose to avoid unneeded cross-country travel and begin to solidify their playoff roster.

If a player shoots the lights out at the NHL level, he would be rewarded with a longer stay than the three-four games. Worcester Sharks play by play commentator Eric Lindquist told Fear The Fin in October that the shuttle keeps players hungry-- "They know that they are all just a real good stretch of games away from playing in the NHL." San Jose has gotten away from that lately, and it's an aspect of roster management I think they should pursue once again.

Here are the daily cap hits for candidates who would be making the trek:

Logan Couture, $6,434
Jamie McGinn, $5,164
Steven Zalewski, $3,420
Benn Ferriero, $3,290
Brandon Mashinter, $2,901
Ryan Vesce, $2,850
Frazer McLaren, $2,815

San Jose is saturated with centers right now, making Couture an unlikely call up barring injury. While I prefer McLaren over both Staubitz and Shelley, the return from injury for both of those players in the near future unfortunately makes him the odd man out on the fourth line.

When looking at the list, you have to figure this rotation would run pretty much through Ferriero and McGinn. I'm a huge fan of Jamie, and believe that he's going to be a staple on that third line after March 3rd, but reducing his travel (as well as saving a little coin with Ferriero's daily cap hit) is an enticing opportunity that I think should be explored.

At the end of the day what this team does in the playoffs is the ultimate measuring stick of a successful campaign. By spreading out the travel burden, and still remaining competitive, you put yourself in the best position to do so.

Go Sharks.

SB Nation - San Jose Sharks

2010 Olympics: Picking Team Canada

Mama Said...: Sharks 3 - Hawks 2 Wrap

Stargazing: Nabokov, Sharks Steal One in Dallas, 4-2

How Are Things In Your Neck Of The Woods?

Which Bay Area Team Sucks The Most

Sharks Gameday: If Ya Can't Beat Em, Beat Em

@

Television

Versus

Radio

98.5 KFOX, Sjsharks.com

Antagonists

Nabokov Repels 36 of 38 Shots as Stars Suffer 2nd Regulation Home Loss in December

Game 38 Recap: Avalanche 4 - Wild 3

Gameday Preview: San Jose Sharks @ Dallas Stars (7:30pm CST)

Next Game

The Dallas Stars

The Sharks:

Injuries:

Sharks Gameday: Better Late Than Never

@

Television

CSN-CA

Radio

98.5 KFOX, Sjsharks.com

Antagonists

The Worcester Shuttle Rolls Along