Elbows, Elbows Everywhere

Last night was a game, a few rounds of WWE and MMA all mixed into one. The Sharks looked gassed, but managed to split the series and are heading back to San Jose tied 1-1. Considering how they looked last night, I'll take it.

Nemo stood on his head once again, keeping the Sharks in the game when they struggled. It could have been a lot worse. The Sharks played relatively well in the first, own goals ignored, but slowed way down in the 2nd and 3rd, allowing St. Louis to carry the game. Forced to play the Blues game, the Sharks looked labored, slow, and disconnected. They feel victim to their own frustrations, and instead of playing hockey, tried to play Duck style (read as goonish) hockey. It was not successful.

There were a bunch of penalties, 88 PIM handed out after the last buzzer alone, continuing the trend of undisciplined games where high hits and lack of class from both sides are ignored by the refs until it's way too late. At this point, Burns isn't likely to have a hearing regarding his elbow throwing, Sobotka isn't going to have a hearing for sucker punching Moore (who didn't seem at all included to fight) and they trying to pummel him once he fell to the ice. To his credit, when Moore moved into a defensive posture and shouted, Sobotka stopped and just hung above him, fist ready but not moving. Andy MacDonald claimed Galiardi threw an elbow so hard his helmet cracked, which prompted Galiardi to troll back with a comment about his cracked shoulder pads.

It's never a good sign when there's more to be said about the fisticuffs and shenanigans in the game than the play, but that really sums up the direction the game took last night. It's like the Sharks and Blues heard about the Rangers and Sens and said "we can do that" then kinda did, got tired, took a nap in the middle, then woke back up at the very end. The Sharks would be well advised to stay clear of such tactics come Monday, especially if they want to take both games at the Tank and go back to St. Louis with a lead.

And what do you think, Ray Ratto?

Awwwww yeah.