I promise I'll talk about the Rangers game but first TRIVIA!

I haven't had time to collect my thoughts on the performance at MSG on Monday.

However, I have had the time to pose one of my favorite Sharks trivia questions:

Q: What Sharks trade cost the team a chance at this former Rocket Richard winner, who is still a currently active player. The correct answer will name the trade partner, who the Sharks sent, who they received.

Feel free to leave the answer in the comments section or just email me: pete.shenkin@gmail.com

Sharks v. Rangers Prediction

It pains me to say it but I think the Sharks are going to get beat down on National TV across the United States and Canada.

Final Score: Rangers 5, Sharks 2.

The Rangers average 4 goals per game and the Sharks are just not ready to play well against a team like the Rangers. For comparison, the Sharks let the Capitals put up big numbers on them and they had lost four straight. Our defensive coverage is weak right now and the Rangers are circling.

Three Stars:

1) Gaborik

2) Callahan

3) Del Zotto

Counter-prediction: Nabby comes up monster-huge, and shuts out the Rangers. Sharks win 2-0.

Counter-prediction:

1) Nabokov

2) Lundqvist

3) Thornton

Either way, win or lose, I think Patty, Seto, and Joe will all play very inspired and well. Yet, with a weak D-core, that just won't be enough for a 'W'.

game highlights

Quick Prediction

The puck drops in about 2 minutes.

Quick prediction.

Sharks win 4-2.

John Tavares scores a goal, and it's nasty.

Three Stars:

1) Marleau

2) Tavares

3) Clowe

Heatley-Nichol-Thornton?

David Pollak's Working the Corners blog wrote today:

"I wasn’t there myself, but sources close to the situation tell me that at today’s noon practice he had Scott Nichol on a line with Joe Thornton and Dany Heatley. Must be thinking, hey, if Nichol made Benn Ferriero look that good on the one goal against the Capitals, just think what he could do setting up the two big guns. Or something like that.

That also created a second line of Ryane Clowe, Patrick Marleau and Devin Setoguchi, but hard to know if McLellan already has made up his mind to start Saturday night’s game against the Islanders with those reconstructed lines or was shaking things up on an off day skate in Syosset."

Hard to believe it's true because Joe is a much better center than Nichol and he probably isn't much as a winger. I would have explored a Marleau-Nichol-Clowe line myself but we'll see how this all turns out.

Anyways, if Nichol and Thornton do play on a line together, you have to give them their props for working to become good teammates:

Sharks Caps, the Day After-

Having had a night to sleep off the loss, now is the time for more coolheaded analysis.

Missing Ron Wilson:

One of the by-products of ditching nearly half of our roster this past off-season was ridding the roster of many players coached by Ron Wilson. Love him or hate him, RW is a hell of a coach who preaches thoroughness in his players. As Marcel Goc and Patrick Marleau can attest to, RW harped on his players not to take penalties, to completely take out a player on the back-check and to clear the puck along the boards. Watching the game last night, it's clear that this is something players on the bottom two lines will need to learn.

Jed Ortmeyer:

He had a poor game and looked disengaged and incomplete on the rink. He let himself out of the play mentally on Ovechkin's second goal. That was completely his fault. I didn't like his game at all last night. He is on my radar now.

Manny in the Middle:

Despite being the subject of serious media scrutiny for his aborted clears against the Kings, MM is still trying to clear the puck up the middle on the PK. Unsurprisingly, it is not working. He did it again last night, the puck was caught and it was put directly on net. TM will knock this out of him.

Huskins' Adapting:

Much has been made by internet Sharks fans about how badly he has played. He had some nice passes last night and I don't think he is as awful as other Sharks fans are making him out to be but last night was surely a forgettable appearance in the Huskins household. As we know from last night, KH was responsible for the first goal. He was also the source of a couple near-misses and was one bounce away from being victimized for the hat-trick goal in the second period. I know he hasn't played in a year and that he will need time to adjust to the Sharks. That being said, if I were to pick a defenseman to send to Worcester, it'd be Huskins.

Penalties:

The Sharks have taken 35 penalties through seven games. Typically one of the most disciplined teams in the league, this is most unusual. I don't like it at all. Teams usually take penalties when they are lazy or slow. Like much about the Sharks, this concerns me.

Nabby, Nichol prove their value in horrible loss

It doesn't take a hockey genius to say that the Sharks looked terrible tonight in their loss to Washington. In what has been an inconsistent season already, the Sharks showed no signs of growth or cohesiveness tonight in what has to be considered a dramatic set-back for the Boys in Teal. This loss alters the perceptions of the team and highlights that bringing this team together may not be as easy as the ten games I had previously thought appropriate. Indeed, bringing this team together is an absolute must for a team that has zero cohesiveness or bond. I am beginning to think that Doug Wilson may have been too cavalier with the breadth of his Sharks overhaul this past summer. Then again, this was the seventh game!

Losses like tonight's are good for a team. It helps define players and their roles on the team. It gets players talking more and visualizing the team and their game in their heads. As any player knows, nothing stirs the pot and brings you together like a good, old fashioned, well-deserved loss. Sometimes, you have to show yourself what it looks like when things go wrong so you can accomplish what it is to do something "right." In a way, poor play is like leveraging yourself to play better. Think of it as establishing both the bottom of your ability and the need to do the opposite of that. For an example, see Jed Ortmeyer getting out-muscled and out-hustled by a much hungrier and more aggressive Ovechkin. (I'd watch for Ortmeyer to play his butt off the rest of this roadtrip to prove to his new teammates that he can play both ways on the third line).

I can visualize this road trip consisting of .5o0 play, some bonding moments, and some minor accomplishments as the team takes steps to play at their peak by January. The Sharks should beat the Islanders, Thrashers, and the Lighting, but will be challenged by the Rangers and the Flyers. If the Sharks lose one of the "should win" games, I'd be surprised. If the lose two, I'd look for some changes in the roster or on the ice. That would be the sign that the Sharks are in trouble.

Thoughts after tonight:

"McLellan on Ovechkin’s second goal: “Jed Ortmeyer’s right there. You want to play in the best league in the world against the best players, you better be prepared. That’s why Ovechkin’s got 50-55 goals a year because he’s determined in that area and he outwills a lot of people. That was real evident on that third goal.”"- David Pollak's Working the Corners blog on mercurynews.com/sharks

That's a roasting from the Head Coach. Unprepared is the term I would use to describe about a lot of tonight's game. Especially the out-gunned defensive core. They looked lost and sloppy all night.

Scott Nichol: One of the few Sharks to have looked great all season, he had a great assist tonight to Ferriero and even better energy on the rink. He had four or five excellent hits on people. Hitting, like scoring, is an essential skill and can be hard to do. It requires prescience, speed, and a knowledge for the game. Scott Nichol has this and even though he is my size ("Five foot nuthin, a hundred and nuthing") he pins players right on their shoulders and stops them on a dime in the boards. He played great tonight. Early vote for my next jersey purchase.

Manny Malhotra: He isn't being fully used by the Sharks, and playing him on the fourth line is poor place to have him and TM has to know it. Scott Nichol has passed up Malhotra on the depth chart for the time being, though MM did see some time on the hybridized second line with Heatley and Clowe in the third period. With his speed, size, and skill, the fourth line is no place for a player of his caliber. A good explanation for this could be that MM is having a tough time adjusting to the new system, getting used to his teammates, and just isn't at his peak yet. He looks like he's playing at fifty-percent out there and he might just be uncomfortable with his new surroundings, unsure of where and how to channel his skills with the roster. What, exactly, is is role out there? I'm not sure that's clear yet. This seems to be an epidemic on the Sharks right now. Like the flu, this will pass for MM and he will contribute plenty for the Sharks as they play more games and define their identity.

The Defensive Top-Six: This is an area of major concern for me. Where are the shots from the point? How do NHL players pass so poorly? Demers, while he has made plenty of rookie mistakes, has been a great surprise so far but the core has been so torn up by the loss of Christian Ehrhoff that they just have not pulled their end of the bargain at all this season. This has affected all aspects of the Sharks play. Slow defenseman earn hooking and holding penalties. Out of position defenseman either lose the 50-50 battles, have to back up and give up on the puck, or cause the forwards to pull themselves out of position to cover for the defensive lapses. The defense's inability to keep the puck in, pass effectively, enter the zone, or even get shots off has affected all the areas of the Sharks game. To put it simply, they have sucked it up across the board.

To be sure, some of it has to do with getting to know the system and the players around them. Yet, this really concerns me. They look slow, they look sloppy, and they look unprofessional. To use Todd Mclellan's words, they are unprepared.

The list of mistakes and miscues would be long if I listed them just from tonight but let it be said: The Sharks defense is not yet as good as they were last year, they look unpolished and unpracticed. This must be fixed to make the playoffs, let alone win the Stanley Cup.

Patrick Marleau: Great article by Susan Slusser in the Chronicle about Patty: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/10/14/SP301A585G.DTL

You have to be impressed by the man and what he's done this season. Even when he's out of his element on a line with McGinn and Clowe, the man works his tail off skating both ways and even manages to create opportunities for himself with his speed and tenacity.

Ryan Clowe: He looks lost but he has the heart to pull out of it. Gotta love the play tonight in the first period when he dove on Theodore for the loose puck, as if he was going to hand-pass it to the open slot. I don't know what he was thinking (hand passes are not legal in hockey unless between defenseman in their own end) but it's clear that he's trying out there. In all likelihood, he is going to need to play his way through this one. Nobody on the Sharks would benefit more from an empty-net goal than Ryan Clowe.

The New Tendency of Sending D-Men Deep in the Offensive Zone: I'm not sure I like this so far. If you haven't noticed, check out the Green Light the Sharks D have to go deep into the offensive zone. I saw Kent Huskins behind the Capitals net! I get the idea of being aggressive and activating the D men on a rush. Yet, it always seemed to leave a side of the rink open for the other team to clear the puck through. Where we once had Ehrhoff slamming his body into the boards to keep it in, now we have an empty spot where Dan Boyle should be but isn't. I think this is a Trent Yawney idea. I'll send David Pollak an email to see if he can ask a question or two of Coach Yawney about this. I will post if I get a response.

That's all for now.

Will post to talk about pre-game before Islanders.

And, this is hilarious:

As if we don't see him enough...

When not moonlighting for CSNCA, good ol' Ross McKeon scribed an
article about the top line for Yahoo! Sports.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/news?slug=rm-heatley100909&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

I think he's not far off comparing the Ottawa line to the Bean Burrito
line.
It'd be interesting to compare the accomplishments of Alfredsson to
Seto.

Sent from my iPhone

An Impressive Home Debut

Wow! What an entertaining performance by Dany Heatley last night. If you are one of the lucky fans who had a ticket to the home opener last night, you are a lucky SOB!

You'll have to forgive my exuberant writing style in this post. I have been pretty sleep deprived lately and when I am so sleep deprived I tend to be a little more emphatic than usual.

Some thoughts before I ponder all things Heatley:

- Scott Nichol was an incredible signing. The man has sandpaper for skin and the only thing on his mind is playing for his team by sacrificing himself. I'm sure most fans noticed that he took a monster cross check that sent him flying headfirst into the boards in the first period last night but the part that really impressed me was that it was exactly what Scotty wanted. That was his entire plan! He approached the Jackets defenseman (his name slips me) with the intention of ruffling some feathers and as soon as he got the guys goat, Scotty turned and showed his back to the guy as if saying, "Hey, here, cross-check me, I'm just a little guy, and you hate playing against me. Go on! Do it!" Lo and behold, the D-man dropped the boom into his back, earning two minutes of shame. Scotty knows the Sharks Power play is nasty and that when it gets more time on the ice the Sharks are more likely to win games. That is the epitome of a team-first attitude and he is a great example of playing a non-traditional role to the fullest. Judging from his interviews, he is not the brightest bulb in the room but he has earned my respect.

- Jason Demers is a lucky dude. He did not look sharp in the first period and I think the entire arena saw the defensive-zone turnover coming when Rick Nash targeted him for a hard-forecheck on the Sharks first period power play. You can only hope he learns from that experience that players in the NHL are expected to play smarter and think faster than that. Yet, I wont sell him down the river. He was specifically targeted by the Blue Jackets last night and he played pretty well!

- Allan Muir at CNNSI.com wrote an article about Demers and Ferriero: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/allan_muir/10/09/ferriero.lucic.chelios/index.html

- I am still in love with the sandpaper half of the Sharks lineup. Their effect was obvious last night in the second half of the game. The Blue Jackets are a team whose philosophy is to hustle and work until the other team folds. Yet, the Sharks are a team that can wear out a team like the Blue Jackets with their skill, uptempo, and physicality. The bottom lines of the Sharks wore out the Blue Jackets last night with their grit and it showed in the second half of the game.

Here are some numbers:

Hits Given: Sharks 31, Jackets 25.

Sharks Hits Given Leaders: Nichol 5, Clowe 5, Heatley 4, Mcginn 4, Malhotra 3, McLaren 3

Blocked Shots: Jackets 23, Sharks 9. This has been a pattern all season. Hopefully, players will learn the different shooting lanes and how to get there as the season progresses and players adjust to the system. That should get the shot numbers back to where they were last year.

Faceoffs: Sharks 33, Jackets 29.

Sharks Leaders: Thornton and Nichol, 9

Not all is well in faceoff land for the Sharks. Joe got absolutely dominated by the Jackets, and by Sammy Pahlsson in particular, last night by winning only 4 of 11 draws against Pahlsson and 9-23 overall. Joe also got dominated in draws in the defensive zone, going 3-9. He had an off night. Players bounce back.

Finally, Some First Line Talk:

The first line was, obviously, very dangerous last night. I think all Sharks fans sensed when we acquired Heatley that there was the potential for something special between him and Joe. I did not anticipate that Setoguchi might become a part of that special threat but here he is, maybe one of the most dangerous players in the NHL right now. He looks great out there with his speed, physicality, and dunk-ability in the slot. With their abilities to match teams checkers physically, if not over-power them, to move the puck masterfully around the ice, shooting and scoring is made even easier for this line. It appears that this line can just flat out dunk the puck. They seem to be having some problems with finding a D-pairing that works with them because of the breakdowns that have happened with this line defensively. I would proffer that Boyle/Murray might be the pairing of choice for them if only so that we can hide Murray out there and take advantage of Dan Boyle's offensive dirtiness to earn the first Norris trophy in Sharks history.

Finally, I am in love with the new Comcast Sports pre and post-game shows.

Joy in Staubitz's Suspension and Concerns about the longevity of the Fourth Line

First off, I want to say that I enjoy that Brad Staubitz got a suspension. It's not that I have any ill will towards Davis Drewiski. In fact, I had never heard of him until the other night. What I like about this suspension is that a Shark showed a little sandpaper on the bottom lines beside the usual Jody Shelley fight. As some of my friends may recall, I have been pining for a Shark player to earn a suspension via a crushing blow. Honestly, I can't remember when a Shark last received a suspension!

The suspension itself represents a step away from the past few Sharks rosters and, perhaps, a step back towards the years of Daryl Sutter and Bryan Marchment (a current Sharks executive, you'll recall). Those were the years where you could count on the bottom lines to being the energy, bring the heat, and crush a guy every now and then. They really powered the team through some games by punishing opposing forwards on the boards and by sparking the crowd through their sheer determination. Indeed, it seemed for some years that the Sharks' soul lied in the heart of those lines.

For those of those who don't get hockey, you must realize that these players play an important function in the game. It's not hitting for hitting's sake, as Herb Brooks might say. The bottom half of the forward lines exist to shut down the other team. They are there to make life tough for the other team by tiring them down, working them hard, and hitting them just as hard. There's a difference between hitting guys hard and just dropping the gloves with them. When you grind them out, you tire the players and you gain momentum for your other lines to continue on. Having a line of players who can slow down another team, cause them to hold up in the corners, or ignite a home crowd/quiet a road crowd is incredibly important to a team.

For the past few years, the Sharks have had third and fourth lines who were good at slowing the team down but they didn't bring much else to the table. They rarely scored, they rarely fought, and they rarely ignited a crowd. They were able to hide their inability to score or hit by being a very good checking line. They were good at keeping the Sharks off the ledger during the regular season which is an essential component of a winning team. Yet, for all the Sharks' success, they didn't help much in the playoffs when they were exposed by stronger players who were able to muscle them (I'm thinking particularly of Edmonton in '06, Detroit in '07, Calgary in '08, and Anaheim in '09) around and reduce their role.

The current movement towards a stronger, faster, more physical third and fourth line is exciting for me. especially considering one of their more exciting players, Torrey Mitchell, is expected back in late October/early November. I think they will add a lot to the rest of the roster and transform the Sharks into a team who can dunk the puck on you, keep you out of their own net, and make you regret you challenged them in the boards. Of course, I'm a fanboy and totally biased but this is what I'm hoping for.

One concern about the new 'goon' line of Shelley/Nicol/McLaren(Staubitz): can they survive the season? It's three games in and already one guy has been suspended, one guy has a black eye fitting of The Outsiders, and the other has been bloodied twice in fights. If this pace keeps up, I'm worried they wont all make it to the Olympic break, let alone the end of the season. That is something I will be watching in the weeks to come.

Predictions for Tonight

I'm predicting a Sharks victory, 5-2.

Two fights: Staubitz and Shelley. I'd be very surprised if Scott Nicol fought with that monster shiner and the massive swelling over his left eye.

First Star: Setoguchi

Second Star: Dany Heatley

Third Star: Dan Boyle

First goat: Kent Huskins, for his continuing subpar play.

To those on the edge....

UPDATE***

I found a similar article by James Duthie of TSN.CA, posted here. I'm glad I'm not the only one to see this!

http://tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=294197

END UPDATE**

In light of the Sharks roller-coaster of performances lately, there has been a lot of talk about replacing Nabby, dumping Huskins, and other premature judgements and solutions. To be fair, criticism is deserved. The goaltending has been abused and it's readily apparent that our defensive core is not as talented as it was last year. While we acknowledge that, we have to keep in mind...it's game four!

We are going to have to accept something as true: the Sharks aren't ready to play regular season hockey yet. The training camp was a short one and there are just so many new players and players in new roles that the team (similar to this blog) has yet to find its voice.

To be thorough (in no particular order):

Players learning the system:

- Malhotra

- Nicol

- Ortmeyer

- Huskins

- Heatley

Players Up From the AHL/Learning to Be NHL Players:

- McLaren

- Mcginn

- Staubitz

- Demers

Playes in New Roles

- Murray (as a top 4 D)

That's half of the roster!

I don't want to make excuses for professionals but as a consumer with a specific end, The Stanley Cup, in mind, we have to be patient for a few weeks to let these guys gel together. As any hockey player will agree, a team will take on a new identity when you start a season with a group of new teammates. The idea of a brand new team being dominant from the beginning is just ridiculous. We are seeing that now. They will probably need at least 10 games to get their feet below them and learn to play together in this system. It's the practical way to assess the team as a whole.

Not everything is on a team basis. As we have seen with the "Worcester Shuttle," some players will not have the 10-game window to prove themselves. I think Kent Huskins will survive the 10-game window but if his play continues poorly for the first half of the season, he will find himself a New York Islander.

Not all is bleak in Shark-land. There are signs of life offensively from the "Bean Burrito" line of Heatley/Joe/Seto. The second line prior to Pavelski's injury was excellent on both ends of the rink. Jason Demers has been impressive for a young rookie. Jed Ortmeyer looks like he is exactly the type of hard-hitting and swift moving third line player the Sharks needed. And Patty has been more-than-impressive on both ends of the rink and on special teams. You have to admire the way he obviously handled himself this past summer by putting all of the bad press out of his mind and focusing on his conditioning. He looks great out there.

Be Patient! We'll get there. The idea is to win the cup! We're in the beginning stages right now and the coaching staff has to get all the boys on the same page before we can assess what they are capable of as a unit. Obviously, this team looks great on paper. Yet, they have been playing together for less than a month and for some players even less! We'll soon see how the paper translates into reality but in the meantime, try not to turn blue.

Howdy Howdy Howdy....(vomit)

So, here I go off on the trail first blazed in the Shenkin Clan by my father (buddshenkin.blogspot.com)! I am nervous about opening up my hockey thoughts to the rest of the world to read, as I am often wrong and unintentionally rude to people. I guess that will be included in the "working on finding my voice" part of my development as a young blogger.

As the four of you who are reading this must be wondering, "why the hell is Pete starting a blog, and how is he going to find the time to blog during school!?" I am starting this blog because I am so frustrated with trying to get a word in to other knowledgeable people in the message board/comments section venue. I don't need this blog to be read, nor am I sure I particularly want it to be read broadly but if by some chance my blog becomes a venue for some other Sharks or Bay Area sports fans to collect, I will be okay with that.

I like to talk about the Sharks extensively: the players, the past, the history, the things we didn't notice then, the things we think will happen in the future, the in-game mistakes, the lessons to be learned, and the lessons that were obviously not learned. Perhaps the best way to view this blog would be as a workspace to play with thoughts and sharpen the hockey mind of those involved, and to do so in a reasonable, more academic way. If you're here, I guarantee you're going to be heard above the fray so there isn't a need to yell.

I am also a bit of a sentimental guy so I promise there might be some posts ruminating on the history of the team. I often feel that there is a real lack of palpable Sharks history on the internet and in real life. Part of my goal is to bring the history of the team back to life in our memories by sorting through the material available and, as if we were in a sports bar drinking beers, look back with excessive fondness. Some of the posts might be describing things I remember and some might be trying to figure out things I didn't understand back then. Thanks to YouTube, we can all share and glorify the memories of past eighteen years.

I hope this goes well!

Pete

Test!

Sent from my iPhone