Let's be honest here. Last night was looking grim. The first 40 minutes were a showcase of  confused, convoluted, crappy hockey from the Sharks, while the Yotes put on a clinic on how to take advantage of the other team playing badly. When Biz scored, it was all but over. Sure,the tweets about it will be hilarious, but really? You guys let Paul Pissonnette score? Wow.

The night was over.



Nemo was pulled. Our Stalock who art in net was in. Hockey be his game. For every shot that was on net, he saved it all the same.

Then a glimmer of hope. Joe PA scored within the waning seconds of the second period to  make a 3-0 blow out a 3-1 game with potential.

The game returned in the third and while the idea of coming back from a 3 goal deficit floated in our minds,  with the way the Sharks had been playing it was all but impossible. Thankfully no one told that to Joe Pa, who scored another goal to bring the game with in one.

Kyle Wellwood finally got a proper welcome form the home town fans when he scored his first goal as a Shark to tie the game. Assist from Eager. Welcome to San Jose, guys.

Then, signaling to all the impossible can not only occur, but it can strike multiple times in one game, Patty gets a break away and scores to make it a 4-3 Sharks lead.

Whoa.

The last 4 and a half minutes of the game were tense as hell. I was yelling at my TV. Despite crawling back the Sharks started ot look lost, they couldn't keep the puck out of their zone, oh the humanity! Then Jumbo scored an empty netter making it 5-3 and everyone immediately cheered in ecstatic relief.

Stalock getting a warm welcome from the home town crowd was great. This kid is amazing. In fact he's so good he already won a game three days from now. He's THAT FAST. Just you wait.

The question is, will this carry over into tonight's game against the Ducks? It has to. The Sharks can't keep doing what they did for the first two periods last night. This is crunch time. You want in the playoffs? Time to turn it up to 11. Keep it there until your ears bleed. Don't fall back into the same pattern. Beat the Ducks tonight. Get two points. Rise.

We're back!

With the All Star Break officially over the regular season returns to run down the final games of the season. The west is tight, and it's very likely that some spots won't be fully decided until the very last day. Wins are important, which is why the Sharks need to get one tonight. Get back into 8th, take over 7th, move up to 6th, the journey back starts tonight. The Yotes have 59 pts to our 56. Catching and passing them is not only possible, but entirely probable if the Sharks start a good run right out of the gate. Tonight's points are huge.

Tonight also marks a celebration for Patty. While he already hit 1000 games prior to the break, tonight they plan to honor him for it at the Tank. Yay Patty! Not every player hits 1000 games they certainly don't usually do it with the same team. Congrats to o'Capn, my Cap'n for sticking it out! (and to his parents for getting him there)

Tonight he's going toparty like it's 1997.

 

 

So, game tonight, huh?

Last one before the All Star Break. Thanks to Colorado's win, the Sharks are one point out of the 8th spot in the West. Look for them to get that spot back tonight, and to set themselves us to advance even further up the playoff ladder after the All Star Break ends. The Pacific might be tight this year, but the Sharks can do it.

Our Stalock who art in goal has been called up to backup Nemo in nets tonight. Anyone who has seen this kid play knows he's the real deal. In fact, some videos out there suggest that he's so fast, he can smell a fart before someone lets it rip. Now that's fast. LA better watch out because there's a man god cheetah in the house tonight, and his name is Stalock. He's so quick he can make a save from the bench and be back in his seat before anyone even know he left. He can make a save like 5 games before the others guys even think to shoot the puck. That's how amazing Stalock is.

I'm going to keep this short.

My feelings about Nabby not reporting to the Islanders are as follows:

Hey, at least he's being honest. While I was trying to give him the benefit of the doubt, it's clear that he had one goal, and that goal was Detroit. He's not dicking the Isle fans around, he's straight up saying he doesn't want to play there.

Maybe he is a princess, but no one said professional athletes have to like the team that claims them on waivers. While apparently saying any team was fine and then not going to the one who claimed him is a dick move,  he's not contractually bound to report if he doesn't want to. It certainly doesn't endear him to anyone, but he has his mind set on on goal, and he's going to do what he feels is best to get there. Fans disagreeing or not.

This is no reason to shit on San Jose. I saw a lot of (mostly divisional) SJ hate yesterday. You want to hate SJ, then do it but don't use Nabby as an excuse to shit all over us. Just because your smug about your team being better now doesn't mean you actually accomplished anything other than making yourself look like an ass. Take your poo party elsewhere. There's already enough crap on the internet.

Whoo! We finally beat the elusive Wild! In season's past the issue with the Wild has been that "IT'S A TRAP!" and the game was so slow glaciers would melt faster than a team could get through the neutral zone. Now days, the Wild are much faster, and far more annoying. Having a former asst. coach for the Sharks as their head coach has improved their play and their ability to annoy to a rather large degree. Add in what has bene a really weird season of San Jose, and you have all the ingredients for a new menace.

With both teams coming in on three game win streaks, you knew it was going to be a hard fought night. Neither side would want to lose.

Seriously, folks, how clutch is Logan Couture?



Thanks, JoePa. He IS super clutch. And you should know, being super clutch yourself.

Seto scored 2 goals to get off his epicly long seasonal schneid. Benn (or as I have taken to calling him, "Benry") Ferriero also scored a goal.

The Sharks once again had an absolutely dominate second period. If they can figure out how to start that way int he first and sustain it, the rest of the West better watch out. That 8 spot is nice, but the Sharks ain't stopping there.

Nemo may have let in some softies, but he also made some killer saves. He's really turned it on lately and it's been really nice to see. (what did I say about him needing time to adjust?)

For everyone who spent the first half doubting this team, we're finally seeing the type of play I always knew they had in them.They're only going to get better as the season goes on. They have a goal, they have to fight to make the playoffs. You want adversity? This is just the type the Sharks need. Don't be surprised when they sneak their way into the post season.

 

Why do hockey guys always look like they're taking bad driver's license photos in their mug shots? The new ones for Wellwood and Ben Eager, both newly acquired members of the San Jose Sharks,make them look confused and kinda disgusted respectively. Only Dan Boyle is like "Hey, I play for an NHL team!" *smile*

Weird.

Interestingly enough Wellwood's first game as a Shark will be against his old team. That has to be slightly awkward. Well, no more so than skating on the ice with the Blues after a long flight in from Russia, only to discover you're now a Shark. Waivers, man, waivers.
Fat jokes aside, it will be interesting to see how the two newest faces do on the ice tonight. The Canucks have become the team to beat,and the Sharks will need to do all they can to get 2 points out of the game tonight. Laugh all you want, it's not impossible. Sure, we don't have a great blue line, and Clowe and Nichol are both out, but we can so do this. Make it 3 boys.

With luck, I'll be able to catch the game in its entirity tonight and post a recap. This entry is anemic considering all that went on this week, but someone had to go a schedule a 9am meeting and if you know anything about  traffic in CA, you know that it blows. As much as I might be tempted to blog while sitting, unmoving, in a sea of metal and humanity, I've been told they kinda frown upon that sort of activity.

Go Sharks!

So if, unlike me, you have the day off, I'd suggest sleeping in, rolling out of bed around noon thirty, and settling in on the couch with a cup a Joe in hand and enjoy the show. I will be doing my best to listen in from work. Today's a great day to start a new streak. A win streak. A like 55 game win streak. Or 60 or really whatever it takes to get us to the promised land. I don't care that there are under 40 games left in the regular season. That Sharks are going to win like 100 million between now and June.

 

By the way, it's a special day for one Shark.

 

Can you believe it? 1000 games of the most awkwardly adorable former Captain the Sharks have ever had. No matter how many buses fans threw you under, no matter how much they challenged your "heart", no matter how many times you stared concerned, and maybe even slightly confused into the camera, you did it as a member of Team Teal. You didn't complain, you just were your normal, awesome, awkward self. We less than three ya, Patty. Here's to 1000 more games with San Jose.

And now, in honor of his 1000 NHL game, here are some facts* about Patrick Marleau's eyebrows:

Patrick Marleau's eyebrows are licensed to kill in 13 states and all of Canada.

Once beat up Alexi Semenov.

Are actually caterpillars.

Wanted in 30 countries.

Patrick Marleau's eyebrows were once Emperor of Japan.

They speak 7 lanagues. Fluently.

You could hide Marc-Edouard Vlasic in them.

Rob Blake once rented them out for the weekend.

Possible location for/current form of the Wonder Twins.

Have their own zip code.

Are honored with nightly rituals in their native Canada.

Can see dead people.

 

 

 

*Actual made up facts