Everyone is looking at the stretch of games at the end of the season as being the most important. While it will likely decide where the sharks end up going into the playoffs, I believe that the most important game of the season now is tomorrow night versus the Oilers. They are the second worst team in the NHL and while we got smacked by the worst team, this is a chance to get that chemistry and confidence back in the lineup. As the sharks continue to get healthy, players are forced to get their chemistry going for the playoffs. This is the time where Mclellan will decide his final lines and should start to stick to them no matter what.

Now back to the Oilers. They are a young team with nothing but pride to play for. This is not to put them down in any way. They are a very good young club and in 2 to 3 years, will be very hard to contend with, but now is not 2 to 3 years later. If the sharks can finally clamp down defensively and start producing offensively, the tension will be eased a little. This is huge for the sharks since right after, they play the stars and the coyotes. If the sharks lose against the Oilers, they will be very timid and expect a slow start against the stars. Right now, the Sharks need a big win to get them back on track, and it has to be the Oilers who provide that spark. After this game, the mental state for the Sharks will be very hard to fix as most of the remaining games are against the Pacific Division. While it seems as though no breaks have gone the sharks way for a while now, getting the Oilers at home right before starting maybe the toughest stretch of games that the sharks will play is great. It is the outcome and the way that they get the outcome that will matter the most. So lets hope the Sharks get it back on track, because if they don't, it is going to be a very tough first round.

Hey guys, so this year, i am having a real hard time of coming up with what food to make or order for the playoff round vs. the kings. If anyone has any good ideas, I would love to know.

Thanks guys!

Also, with Ryan Clowe on his way back, who is feeling a lot more confident thisyear going into the playoffs than year's past? Personally, this is the most dangerous Sharks team I have seen and the amount of grit on the team now is insane. I think that this year, It is going to be a total ball! LETS GO SHARKS!!!!!!!!!!

This past month has been a total blur, with the sharks winning consistently and climbing up the standings has eased all the concerns going into the playoffs. We still don't know where the sharks will finish in the west, but you have to think it will be in the top 4, guaranteeing home-ice for the first round at least. Earlier in the season, there were a lot of questions about the lineup and offense and where the defense was and where the goal-tending was going to come from.  

All these questions seemed to be answered to most simple way possible. The Sharks just started winning. In the past 2 months, I have watched less sharks games, because i feel better about them finding a way to win. Earlier in the season, i could not get away from the sharks game, as there was a large chance that they were going to find a way to lose. With all of this said, we know that it is easy to comment on the strengths of a team moving into the playoffs. Here are the things to take note of heading into the playoffs.

1) How much of a matchup problem will our "3rd line" be for other teams? This is one of my favorite parts about the sharks this year. The Mitchell-Pavs-Wellwood line has just been on fire lately, and I do not expect that to slow down anytime soon, as teams are forced to match them up with their 2nd or 3rd defensive pairing. For me, this is the biggest key on offense for the sharks heading into the playoffs. The fact that we may be the deepest team on offense in the league with the injury to Manny Malhotra. Couture is starting to command the second defensive pairing regularly, and Seto-Thornton-Marleau have started to command the top defensive pairing as those 3 are also heating up right now. 

2) What kind of defense will McLellan role with? Will he go with the puck moving young defense, or the older, more cup experienced defense? Personally, i think the best part about this question is that the sharks now have this dilemma to think about. It will be nice to be able to switch the defense after considering the matchups that the teams will pose for the sharks. I really hope that McLellan decides to role with Demers and Braun, as they have become better in the defensive zone and they make good defensive plays from time to time. To me, Wallin has looked very iffy at times, and continuously gets burned by the opposition and Niemi has to bail him out.

3) Will the Sharks rest any players going into the playoffs? This is a weird question, but one i think that needs to be thought about. The sharks have a lot of players that have been playing big minutes down the stretch and Niemi has been absolutely on fire. The question then is, with most of the games left against pacific division opponents, when do we find a time to rest him with Niittymakki taking a start away and giving Niemi the rest? Also, we know that some of the players have bumps and bruises that need to be rested, but with the tough schedule and no breathing room, will there be a time soon that they can rest those players? I fully trust McLellan to figure this one out and hopefully the team will be in good shape going into the playoffs. 

So Lets Go Sharks, and lets build on last year's playoffs for maybe the most memorable one this year!

Every year, players come and go from the sharks, but the core group of guys have stayed the same for the sharks for a while now. This year is no different. With the top 6 forwards resigned and geared up for a new season, here are some milestones to look out for.

Joe Thornton: 300 Goals - This milestone seems certain for Jumbo this season, as he is a perennial 20 goal scorer. Joe needs 15 goals to reach the 300 goal mark, so look for that to happen further down in the season, but Joe might surprise us this year... NOT. I guess that this milestone will come in January against the Maple Leafs.

Joe Thornton: 700 Assists - He only needs 54 assists to get this one, so i would put it in the bag. This is a huge milestone for Jumbo considering that he has a lot of hockey left in him and this could easily set him up so that he gets to 1000 assists before his career is over. I think that knowing Joe, and his ability to be an assist a game guy, this record will come in January too, hopefully against the leafs too.

Joe Thornton: 1,000 Career NHL Points - This is the most exciting milestone we will most probably see this season. He needs 69 points to get here and he has put up at least 86 points for the last 4 seasons. Hopefully we will get to celebrate this moment while on home ice. Considering that he goes a point per game or faster, he will reach this milestone in March, but i think Joe is going to be amazing this season, and will get this milestone against the Penguins in February.

Dany Heatley: 300 Goals - Finally, we will get to see the 300th NHL goal for Heatley come after waiting at the end of the regular season last year. There was the Dany Heatley shot that went in and he was awarded his 300th goal, but upon video review, Marleau had tipped the puck in. Then there was Heatley's inability to score throughout the last couple games and into the playoffs. All this being said, Heatley will score AT LEAST 1 goal this season and get his 300th goal of his career. Lets hope this happens while the sharks are in Sweden against the CBJs.

Dany Heatley: 700 Points - This is also a great milestone for Heatley and this one will surely come this season too. Heatley reaching 700 points will happen for sure and lets hope he regains his 50-50 form and dominates with the rest of the HTML line.

Patrick Marleau: 400 Assists - Marleau is the career leader in almost every stat for the Sharks, but he might lose this one soon. Nonetheless, He will reach 400 assists in his career and really makes any true sharks fan feel good for him, because the amount of media attention that he has received over the past couple years, it is about time that the media has some good news about him too.

Patrick Marleau: 700 Points -  Career Shark reaches 700 points. First Sharks player to accumulate 700 points with the Sharks. Marleau has held the gauntlet for Sharks points leader for a while now, and every milestone makes him more ingrained in Sharks history. He only needs 7 points to get to this milestone, so look forward for this happening real soon.

Ryan Clowe: 100 Assists, 200 Points - Here is a real tough guy to put on this list for me. i feel as though Clowe is not officially part of the core that the sharks have created and will not be traded. This means that if Clowe plays up to the standards that we have for him, then he will have his 100 assists early, and get his 200 points somewhere in March. 

Joe Pavelski: 100 Assists, 100 Goals, 200 Points - The Big Pavelski is about to hit the big time now. He grew tremendously in the playoffs and if he plays that style in the regular season, then he is due for a large point output this season, too. Pavs is not the heart and soul of all Sharks fan along with the top line. Pavelski earned his 4 year deal and all Sharks fans want to keep him around forever. When the 200 point milestone comes, I think we should all throw a party.

Marc-Edouard Vlasic: 100 Assists, 100 Points - Oh Vlasic, it is because of you that our defense is even considered a defense. No one on the sharks even comes close to how good this man is when it comes to defending in his own zone. In terms of defensive responsibility Vlasic is the god for the sharks, but offensively, we do not demand anything from him. That is why celebrating the offensive side of Vlasic's game will be really fun.

Scott Nichol: 50 Goals - There is not much to say about Nichol. Just 2 goals away from the big 50, this energetic old guy deserves to be mentioned. When Nichol scores his 50th goal, that day will be cemented in Nichol's memory forever, and as an unsung hero on a team full of offensive stars, Nichol getting 50 goals will make for a real feel good story.

Kent Huskins: 50 Assists - Slowly, I have decided to accept Kent Huskins as a shark, so I decided to add him to this list. Kent Huskins played solid hockey last season and really held his own against bottom line pairings.He will be counted on to do the same again this year and that should be enough to get him at least 9 assists to reach this mark. Huskins knows his role and, yes, we overpaid for him, but i think it is time to accept him a bit more.

Jamal Mayers: 200 Points - Well Jamal Mayers really has not played a game with the sharks, but he is destined to reach 200 points this season, because he only needs 12 points to get there. Together on a line with Nichol, i think that these two can really feed off each other. Both of them are hard nosed, fast skaters that are very physical. This might be able to cause some mismatches, or at least some favorable situations, leading to these two putting up good numbers.

A lot of Milestones to look forward to and some may be bigger than others, but to the players, these are huge confidence boosters, too. As you can see, i did not include any goalies in here, because I really do not know how that is going to play out throughout the season, so i cannot promise anything. Hopefully i am not done adding to this list, because the sharks will add someone, but it will be fun watching the players get career milestones.

Now that the sharks season is over after a very good post-season, and I have had time to think about what a great season this was. Now the focus will shift to our free agents and who should we keep. The sharks have 12 players signed throughout next year and have 20 million cap space for the last 8-9 players that we need to get. By my count, it looks as though the sharks need to sign 3 top six forwards, 1 top four Dman and a bottom pairing Dman, and a starting goaltender. I am only going to discuss our free agents right now, because we have so many people we need to resign. The free agents are considered in no specific order, this is just how i remember them. 

So first off, lets start with Joe Pavelski:

Stat line for the playoffs: 9 goals, 8 assists for 17 points (best on the sharks) and a +6

Joe Pavelski was a beast in the playoffs, earning a great deal of respect around the league, and also making contributions throughout the first 2 rounds of the playoffs. The only knock on Pavelski these playoffs was that he did not provide the scoring depth for the sharks in the 3rd round versus the Blackhawks. Then again, the blackhawks are most probably the deepest roster in the league, and that really hurt Pavelski because he did not get to play against a weaker line. Even though he did not score in the third round, the second line put on a lot of pressure and almost broke through multiple times, but Niemi was as hot as a goalie can get. Nonetheless, Pavelski is a great player and it will be his time to become a superstar real soon.

Re-signing Pavelski may be one of the largest off-season tasks that Doug Wilson must take care off. Luckily for us, Pavelski is a Restricted Free Agent, so he will be ours to resign and knowing Doug Wilson, he will get this done real soon. 

Priority for Resigning: 5 stars. 

Contract for Pavelski: 7 year $28 million. (4 mill/year).

Next on the Free agent list is Devin Setoguchi.

Stat line for the Playoffs: 5 goals, 4 assists for 9 points and was a +3

Devin really benefited by playing alongside Pavelski, but also provided a lot of physical play and proved to us that he can skate and play with the best of them. Although Setoguchi did not exactly have eye popping numbers, we also have to realize that he is 23 and that this experience will help make him confident for seasons and post-seasons to come. The line of Setoguchi - Pavelski - Clowe will be the premier second line in the NHL next year, and i believe that they are very close to becoming an elite line. 

Re-signing Setoguchi will be pretty easy, considering he is a Restricted free agent and that the McGinns and the Coutures seem ready to step up into the line up day in and day out, so getting Setoguchi to sign relatively cheap should not be a big concern.

Priority for resigning: 4 stars

Contract for Setoguchi: 5 year $17.5 million (3.5 mill/year).

The next free agent that came to my mind was Manny Malhotra.

Stat line for the playoffs: 1 goal and 0 assists and he was a -1.

Yeah, the stat line does not say much, but the intangibles that Manny brought to the locker room also need to be talked about. He played solid minutes on a 3rd line that did a good job of shutting down the opposition's lines whoever they were playing. Manny brought leadership, character, speed, grit, and helped groom Logan Couture a great mentor. 

Manny had a chance to take a 4 year $8 million contract, but instead he turned it down to come play for the Sharks. That says a lot about Manny's character and drive. It is not about long term security for him, it is about winning a Stanley cup. The emergence of Logan Couture as a 3rd line center or winger with Mitchell, it seems as though Malhotra may be expandable, but his intangibles and puck hawking abilities make him a must keep.

Priority for Resigning: 3 stars

Contract for Malhotra: 3 year $4 million (1.33 mill/year).

Free agent #4: Patrick Marleau.

Stat line for the playoffs: 8 goals and 5 assists for 13 points and he was a -3.

Arguably the best player for the sharks in the 2nd part of the 2nd round and all of the third round. As much as Pavelski was the MVP for the sharks in the 1st round, Patrick Marleau was the same guy for the 3rd round and part of the 2nd round. In the 3rd round, Patrick Marleau was the only player that could score for the sharks, and he showed that there is a new level to his game when he gets to the playoffs. He may have looked weak in the first round, but so did the rest of the top line. After that round though, Marleau broke out nicely and showcased why he was the leading point scorer in the playoffs all time for the sharks.

He also spent most of the season as maybe the most skilled 2 way forward in the game. This may be a little biased, but after all he was the sharks best player in the regular season and was a great player in the playoffs. The hard part about this is that to resign Marleau, we will need to get him to take a hometown discount.

Priority For resigning: 4.5 stars

Contract for Marleau: 4 year $16 million ($4 mill/year)

P.S. I know this is a stretch, but i think that Marleau will take a pay cut to ensure the fact that he will stay in San Jose for the rest of his career.

Free Agent #5: Scott Nichol.

Stat line for the Playoffs: 1 goal and 1 assist and a -1.

Scott Nichol changed the culture in San Jose and made our team a solid checking team. He brought the grit that we missed oh so much against the ducks just a year ago. Scott Nichol showed us what energy shifts are supposed to be about. He played the game like a true 4th liner, and chipped in with timely assists and goals. This is one player that we cannot let go of, because he bought some of the most inspiring play that i have seen in a long time from the sharks.

Priority for resigning: 5 stars

Contract for Nichol: 3 year $1.8 million ($600k/year)

Free Agents #6 and 7: Rob Blake and Niclas Wallin.

Now we move on, and lets start with the 2 most senior players on the sharks. Rob Blake went from Captain Hook to a solid top 4 Dman in the playoffs. He made up for all the hooking penalties he took in the regular season by playing solid hockey and turning into a captain that kept this team together.

Niclas Wallin, in his short stint with the sharks, played some solid minutes for the sharks, but did not really do much else, although he really did not have time to do anything else either.

For these 2, i believe that the only way the sharks resign either of these 2 is if they each take a 1 year $500k contract or a 2 year $1 million deal. They would be great additions to the depth of the defensive core for the sharks next year, and they would provide great leadership in the playoffs.

The other free agents are pieces that Doug Wilson put together on this team and he is an architect that all sharks fans trust in, so with that, lest hope for the best and in Doug Wilson we trust.

Chicago is our opponent standing in the way of the sharks and the playoffs for Lord Stanley's Cup. Looks like the series will start on thursday or friday, but nothing is for sure yet. That still does not mean that we can not come up with keys to this series.

#1) HIT YOUR MAN!

Chicago has gone through a tough series against Vancouver and it does not appear that they will be getting any rest to help them out. This means that they will be weary and the best way to make sure they stay that way is to HIT THEM.

#2) Dump the puck deep.

Yes this is a cliche, but it is one that needs to be taken seriously against Chicago. They have maybe the best puck moving defense in the league and the only way to counter that is to dump the puck in and proceed with step #1. This means so cutesy plays for our top two lines, but that also means that our bottom 2 lines have to know that they got the puck in deep, because if they dont, it is coming out in a hurry.

#3) No respect for the Forwards

If Pat Kane can punch a cabbie in the face, then Doug Murray can sure as hell give him cross checks and little slashes whenever and wherever. Now i am not advocating dirty play, but the forwards of the blackhawks are mostly small with a few exceptions. All the hitting and the little slashes and cross-checks will leave a mark as the series goes on. Never ever give the Forwards any space or time. These forwards maybe the most skilled up and down the roster in the playoffs.

#4) Last but not Least, Play for the fans. If by any chance any sharks player reads this, please remember that we have been cheering you on through every up and down and its about time that you guys made it to the third round, but the party has just begun, and we fans can go to a whole new level, can you? This round will test every ounce of patience we have, every minute of dedication that we are willing to put into it, and every different scenario that can pan out in a playoff game.

Its about time that we could look at the third round with our team still in it. Now go on out there and put on a show. Show us emotional and physical intensity. Show us the injuries and bar your teeth right through them, for you sharks are the best team in the west, and its about time that reputation came through. Its now or never boys, so go out there and get it done.

I gave myself a day to really let the game 3 win soak in so i could truly grasp what was going on. Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Lidstrom, and the rest of the Wings are one loss away from losing in the playoffs after 2 straight trips to the Stanley Cup Finals against the Penguins. It seems as though we will see the Penguins right back where they were last year, but after yesterday, the prospect of a third Wings Pens Finals seems bleak at best. 

This Wings team is the same one that we failed to win a single game against in regulation during the regular season, but we all can see now exactly how much the regular season means when teams get to the post season. Jumbo Joe skating around playing the force that he is. Heatley slowly picking his spots and Marleau finally starting to skate at full speed as was evident on the game winning goal yesterday. That line might not have the point production that the media wants, but they have the puck possession game and the close chances that get the sharks going in the right direction. The Pavs line has been borderline dominant in the playoffs, and i only say borderline because i feel like Sidney Crosby has taken the definition of dominant to a new level this year. Malhotra had what seamed to be like a thousand chances to score and Nichol provided very productive time even though he played sparingly.

The Wings team is starting to look a bit fatigued, and that can be due to many different scenarios. Everyone knows that hockey is a sport where injuries are never discussed till the off season or even after, but they had a tough series against Phoenix and a quick turnaround. The only player from the red wings who came to play yesterday was Zetterberg. He made the sharks look slow and not strong enough. On some plays it seamed as though he single handedly was going to score against 5 sharks, but Nabby was always there.

I do feel a little bit of pain for the wings fan, but all their crying and moaning that nothing was going their way has really mad me lose all sympathy for them. On the other hand, it is about time that sharks fans have not had to lock their doors at this time of the year and sulk for the better part of May. It is about time that we get a chance to look at other fans and feel some of their pain, and then take pride in our team that they are able to move on.

So this all comes down to tomorrow's game. Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals, a round that really has written the history of the sharks. No, i am not saying that a sweep will happen and all of San Jose will concurrently become the happiest town in America, but tomorrow is the biggest test of the Sharks short existence. Tomorrow, we finally find out if this team has found its killer instinct that cost this team playoff runs against Edmonton and the Wings a couple years ago. Tomorrow is all about hanging around with the most desperate hockey team in the world, one that is down 3-0 in the series, and not giving them any satisfaction of an easy game. If the sharks show up with the killer instinct that they had against Colorado, this could be the last game of the series.

As a fan, one should expect a solid hockey game tomorrow for the Sharks. Whether we win or not, if we play a solid game either way, then we are guaranteed a series victory over the Wings and a trip to uncharted territory. It is about time that I could say it, but i will not, as there is no point in going against the hockey gods.

Tomorrow. Sharks vs. Red Wings. Show Up and Move on. Don't and history will be made the wrong way. One game. One night. Nothing is more important for the Sharks right now. Forget everything. This is it Gentlemen. We are almost there.

So I woke up this morning and grabbed the paper and quickly flipped to the sports section. I started reading when one of the articles caught my eye. Writer Gary Peterson had, quite frankly, written a hate blog about Marleau. He stated that when Marleau comes back from his "flu", would McLellan really want to disturb his lines and does he really want to change the chemistry of the Penalty kill and the power play. 

Please tell me that you guys see the same problem as I do. Yeah, Marleau has not been great on the ice this post season, but against Colorado, I thought he had a great presence on the penalty kill and really started hitting more than I have seen him hit is the rest of the series. Marleau is a quite leader on this team, and i still think he is going to break out this round, because Jimmy Howard is prone to giving up a couple of bad goals, and it only takes one bad goal to spark a player.

So to you Gary Peterson, stop being a retard and get your head out of your ass, because Marleau was simply sick and there is nothing more to it. McLellan knows that Marleau brings a lot to the table as a player and he is not going to sacrifice losing that kind of skill. I agree that Marleau might not be a shark next year, and i still think that would be a mistake. Before Ron Wilson called Patrick Marleau out 3 years ago against Detroit, Marleau was almost a ppg producer in the playoffs. Now that McLellan is behind the bench, i believe that Marleau can return to that form. So to all the Gary Petersons in the world, how about you guys start watching some hockey games before you speak ill about an outstanding player such as Patrick Marleau.

The good news has finally started coming in. The sharks look a lot better in the last 2 games than they did for the rest of the losing streak. Mclellan has said that Vlasic is finally feeling good enough to be considered a game time decision. And last but not least: Ortmeyer is about ready to come back.

With all this happening, it really begs the question, What will the playoff lineup look like?

Here is what i think:

Heatley - Thornton - Marleau

McLellan has gone back to this line in the past 2 games, and this time i think he is going to leave it together.

Setoguchi - Pavelski - Clowe

Hard to say what this line is going to look like, but considering the recent play of this line, it seems that it would be better to keep it together. I, personally, love this line because they have the ability to grind it out and spend a lot of time in the offensive zone. Also, Pavelski may be the most underrated 2 way center in the league right now.

Mitchell - Malhotra - Couture

I am just loving the way that Couture is playing these days, and it was nice to see him get ice time near the end of the game and have the primary assist on Boyle's goal. If Couture can play like he did last night consistently, then i think this line might be a very good shut down line going into the playoffs. Malhotra is one of the best face off men in the league, and Michell and Couture provide speed on this line so they can track down anyone. 

McGinn - Nichol - Ortmeyer

Sorry to Brad Staubitz, but i think its time to show him to the bench. He did his job in the regular season, but going into the playoffs, i feel that this line will provide a lot of energy, and will be void of those untimely and dumb penalties that Staubitz has become prone to taking. This line will effectively be the secondary shut down line. Nichol and Ortmeyer both provide some much needed grit, and both of them can kill penalties too. This line also will get more ice time that we think, allowing us to keep our top forwards fresh and ready when they just on the ice.

Boyle - Murray

Same old. Same old. This D- pairing seems to be working great, so lets not mess with it.

Blake - Vlasic

With Vlasic back in the lineup, he will be partnered with Blake again. Maybe not right away, but going into the playoffs, this will be the pairing. Good pair with Blake's ability to contribute to the offense and Vlasic's ability to shut down some forwards, this line will face a lot of time against the top two lines of the other team.

Wallin - Huskins

This may be the hardest decision to make. Do the coach's end up picking Leach or Huskins to play with Wallin. Personally, I think they are both playing better than we expected from them, but i feel as though the coached love the way Huskins is playing and will pick him to be paired with Wallin. Expect this pairing to play significant time so as to keep the top two pairings a bit fresher. This line is big, too, so they will face time against the other team's bigger 3rd lines. Having Leach as our 7th defensemen is nothing to overlook either. If, god forbid, anyone goes out with an injury, we have someone who has spent a good chunk of the season playing hockey with the club, so i think it will work.

Thats my lineup for the sharks.

Hopefully whatever the coaches decide works out anyway.

All the way Baby(knock on wood) 

After watching the Stars go around the Sharks while constantly taking a dump on them, I can't help but remember last year. Everyone in the locker room is saying all the right things, but i see absolutely none of that t coming out on the ice.

I feel like there is an easy way to narrow down the list of culprits so we know truly what is leading to this epic meltdown... again...

Here are the 5 reasons why i feel we are going in last year's direction:

1) COASTING INTO THE PLAYOFFS!!!!!!!! 

Yeah, the sharks may have set a record for most 3rd period come from behind victories to end in regulation, but that does not mean crap as we enter the playoffs. In the playoffs, there is no such thing as coming from behind in the 3rd period. The positive of this record was to show that we stick to our fundamentals and the plan will get us goals in the end. If the sharks do not start showing up for the whole game in the next 3-5 games, I am sorry to say this, but it will be another quick exit for the sharks and another offseason left wondering where all the talent and money went.

2) Continually Changing Line Combos

Yeah, I am going to dish some of this blame right onto Todd McLellan. Why? Simply because he is changing lines around way too late in the season. At this time of the year, lines need to be set, and even if they are going through a slump, you let the line work it out. Look at the last 2 Stanley Cup winners. Detroit and Pittsburgh both kept their lines the same and let the line as a whole heat up and carry them through the playoffs. The sharks NEED to get their lineup set and ready to go for the playoffs now. If it is not working, DO NOT switch it up. Let the players work it out. they have practice and they all know each other well enough to do that. This will also build resiliency and work ethic for the lines. We know that many players in the sharks lineup can move up and down and that is great if we get hit with an injury, but till that happens, all lines should be set in stone.

3) The Lack of a Solid Goaltender

Nabby is one of the best goalies in the world and Griess is a great backup, but if tonight was any indication, we should know by now that Nabby wont play as well as he does in the regular season in the postseason. I truly believe that goaltending will play the largest role concerning how the sharks do in the playoffs. We can say that most of those goals were not the goalies fault, but where was the big save when we needed it from Nabby or Griess. Its time that Nabby really settle into the net, because if he doesn't, its over. 

4) Competition

There are 2 things to look at here. First, Drew Remenda made a great point near the end of the game today saying that players are getting too comfortable in their positions in the lineup. There is no competition to wrestle those jobs away from them. Players feel like even if they have a bad game, they can still just move on and try better next game. There are 2 problems here. First, it is detrimental to the sharks to continually change their lineup like i said in #1, but also that the lack of competition is affecting their drive to perform at their peak in every game. 

The other way to look at competition is that the Coyotes and catching up to us and that the Blackhawks have not gone away. The fact that our Pacific Division crown is on the line right now should be enough motivation to get us playing better. Since this does not seem to be working for the Sharks , lets look at it a different way. How about the fact that the Red Wings are getting hot at the right time and seem like they will end up in either 5th place to 7th place. So sharks, who would you rather play, Red Wings or the Predators? I think everyone will go with the Preds for the first round over the Red Wings.If we fall out of first, I feel we have a better chance of being matched up with Detroit.

5) Repetition

This last point is not a great point, but it has a lot to do with the sharks current predicament. Over the last 3 years when the sharks have been near the top of the league, we have failed to go into the playoffs with any kind of momentum. The sharks need to look at the year when Jumbo made his way to SJ. That year was the year when the sharks were coming into the playoffs with a great deal of momentum.The sharks NEED to start playing desperate hockey right now. They cannot afford any more mediocre games or come from behinds after not even playing for 2 periods. No, that time is over. Its time that the sharks get their butts of the couch and start leaving it all on the rink night in and night out. For the sharks, the playoffs need to start today and they need to realize that they need to win every game they play from now on. All the players in the locker room say that their goal is a Stanley Cup and nothing less, but by the looks of their play, it sure looks like some Sharks players have already made reservations for the summer and are ready to get their break started.

So i think it is fair to say that the sharks need to get their game together, before it starts looking a lot like last year, because there is no way anyone makes it out alive if that happens.

Reports are coming in from Darren Dreger that the Sharks were actively trying to land Ian White from the Toronto Maple Leafs, before he was traded to Calgary. This means that the sharks are looking for a cheap, yet decent Dman to be paired with, most likely, Huskins. This means that the sharks will most probably explore their options. After taking a quick trip to nhlnumbers.com, here are my leading candidates that the sharks might try to nab.

#1) Marc Andre Bergeron:

For the sharks, this kid would be the next best bet now that Ian White might be off the market. I still think that he has the most upside out of any Dman that the sharks can afford. He has a blast from the point, so he can help the defensive numbers in terms of offense go up. He plays solid D on a team that is pretty bad. He has 10 goals and 18 assists for the Habs, and he plays on a team that is currently out of a playoff spot. If the Habs decide to cough him up, they will demand somewhere around a 3rd round pick which is not bad. 

#2) Kris Russell

Kris Russell would be an interesting pickup for the sharks. Not only would he provide good support for Huskins on the 3rd D line, but he would also address the need for a cheap young Dman signed further than this year. I know this may not appeal to some people, having to commit further than just this year, bot for a 22 year old, i think it can be done. Plus his salary would only be 1.3 million per year after this year. He is a minus 5 on a terrible team, which says a lot considering he has the highest plus minus of any Dman on that team. He has been solid defensively, but he won't wow you with his offensive ability. Kris Russell will most probably be more expensive than Bergeron, because he is signed for 3 more years after that. We will likely have to give up a prospect and a 4th round draft pick to bring him in.

#3) Jack Hillen

The Islanders had a good run in the beginning and hit a slide afterwards. This pushed them out of the playoff race, but the Islanders are not sellers. I still think though that Jack Hillen can be picked up for the right price. Jack Hillen would bring some defensive posture to the back end and he can provide some offense when needed. He has the offensive numbers of a Jason Demers type player, but he is also sound defensively and young. His contract spans over one more year after this, but its only for 550k. He will most probably demand a 2nd round pick or just a prospect. This would also help answer our questions on the blue line going forward with a young budding Dman.

If you feel like there are other alternatives better than this, leave a post, but these 3 are the ones that I would target if i was Doug Wilson.

The sharks have started their season again and its time to start evaluating the team a bit. yes, its early and no one has really gotten in a groove or anything, but i think that the first two games really tells you a lot about the team. The players play a much more instinctive game and really shows you how the players are gonna play in the more stressful situations.

Lets start.

The sharks are 1-1-0 through the first two games. They got romped by Colorado Avalanche 5-2 and then went into Anaheim and demolished them 4-1.

Sharks vs. Colorado: (5-2 Loss)

Colorado started this game off with great speed and did not let down. The sharks definitely did not look like they were ready to play in the nhl. Colorado made sure this game was over by the second period just by beating the sharks to every puck.

Players Who Didn't Look Good.

Dany Heatley: One player who really looked like he was in the wrong place was Heatley. He did not look like he had in Ottawa, and the star left winger has seen better days. He was -3, with 3 shots in 21:21 of ice time. Heatley was having problems adjusting to Jumbo and Gooch, but I blame the time of the trade and the work visa process.

Jason Demers: I know it was his first ever nhl game, but he made it through camp and beat out Joslin for the starting job. This to me means that he has no excuse for his play in the first game. He kept getting burned down his side, and always seemed a little out of position on most plays. I will say that it was not entirely his fault either as you will see with teh next person.

Kent Huskins: This guy had not played a hockey game in forever. More importantly, there was a reason we traded for him, and he showed us exactly why we should not have. We are paying him more than a million per season, and he did not live up to his contract at all. I thought that it was not a good idea to sign him in the beginning, and this game just confirmed the fact.

Evgeni Nabakov: Nabakov was all over the place and did not look like he ever got into his element. To his defense though, there were many reasons for that. One was that his defense was not really playing defense at all. Also, Colorado came out quick and never reallly gave him a chance to settle in. The problem is that Nabakov has been tagged as a Vezina caliber goalie, and that means that he needs to be able to block that out of his mind. Nabakov allowed 5 goals on 20 shots. That is a 75% save average. Just think about that for a bit... 75%.

Players Who Looked Good:

Patrick Marleau: Marleau proved that it was a good reason that we did not get rid of him. Also he proved that he is better than Michalek. Yeah, it is only one game, and that does not sum up the whole season, but really? We were talking about getting rid of this guy? I think that the biggest offseason move that we made was keeping Marleau, and he showed why it was important in this game. Marleau had 2 goals and was a +1 on the night. Solid.

Joe Pavelski: This kid is looking like he has finally found the type of game that he likes to play. A constant hard worker, I think that Pavelski will endear himself to all sharks fans and fill in the void in Sharks fans' hearts that Cheechoo left. Pavelski had a really nice assist on the first goal, and lead the best line for the night. Pavelski had 2 assists and was +1 on the night. Once again, Solid.

That was the first game, now lets go to the second game...

Sharks vs. Ducks:(4-1 Win)

The Sharks looked like a much better team this time around, and it looked like there was a little bit of revenge from last year's playoff loss. The sharks started off hard, and then kept the tempo up for the rest of the game.

Players Who Didn't Look Good:

No One. This game was as close to perfect as it got. Apart from the numerous penalties, the game went by real well for everyone.

Players Who Looked Good:

Dany Heatley: This man finally gave us a glimpse of what he and Jumbo can do for the rest of the season. Heatley dished out two beautiful assists and really started to use his size and skill to get his space. Once Heatley got his space, he made the most of his situations.

Patrick Marleau: Once again, Marleau had a great performance. The short handed goal showcased his speed and skill with the puck. He helped lead his line into some of the best puck possession i have seen in a while. Clowe, Pavs, and Marleau held the puck in the offensive zone for most of the time that they were out there.

Evgeni Nabokov: Nabby played a game that finally restored my faith in him. He made all the timely saves that he is known to make, and he got into the zone early, and stayed there for the whole game. The Ryan Whitney goal was not Nabby's fault at all. That was just a good shot by Whitney and Nabby was in the right spot to try to stop it.

The Sharks: The whole team did everything they had to to win the game and shut the ducks down. The team played a complete game, and the only way the game could have been better was if the sharks took less penalties. This game allowed couch Mclellan to use whatever personnel he wanted so the game just kept rolling. If all four lines can do what they did last night, we might be watching the sharks all the way through April and May.

I know it is a lot to ask for the team to play like they did against the Ducks, but it is also fair to ask the sharks to play better than they did against the Avalanche. We have seen both sides of the Sharks. The good and the bad. Hopefully when it gets to the part of the season that counts for the sharks.

Go Sharks. All the way.

So now that we got Heatley, our lines are gonna be looking a little different.

At the end of last year, Mclellan said that Marleau and Thornton are "two different entities" and they should really be playing on different lines soooo on that note, here are the new lines:

Forwards:

Heatley - Thornton - Setoguchi

Marleau - Pavelski - Clowe

McGinn - Mitchell - Ortmeyer

Shelley - Nichol - Staubitz

               Hinote

Defensemen:

Boyle - Huskins

Vlasic - Blake

Murray - Patrecki

     Joslin

Those lines look pretty good, and they have potential. The sharks finally have a real grinding 3rd and 4th line. Also, it is possible that someone from camp might stand to help contribute to our depth issues.

I have a feeling that this team is ready to go real far into the postseason, because we have a team that wont be soft (hopefully) and wont shy away from physical contact during the postseason. Heatley really adds a lot to the team in terms of the power play and the 5 on 5 scoring. The only thing that we lose is a underperforming, but a 2 way forward in michalek, and in return, we get a one way forward who will put up insane goal totals that we havent seen since cheechoo scored 56 for us.

LETS GO SHARKS!!!