Couch Tarts - A San Jose Sharks Fan Blog
On Saturday the Sharks played the former division leading, now thankful the Ducks are in the same division Stars. For some reason, (maybe that losing streak they're currently on, not scoring for several periods, stepping on a tack, etc), the Stars were in a bad mood.
Hearkening back to seasons past, there was a sense that the Stars really felt like they could boss the Sharks around on the ice with a more physical style of play. While that was a valid tactic 4-5 seasons ago, it doesn't really work so well now. The Sharks finally realized that they were big, and started throwing their weight around like they should be. I guess the Stars like the box this season, and not just because Ott keeps it nice and warm for them.
I was curious to see how Dallas would fare, given that they just got new ownership and are being skippered by a new coach. Turns out that new ownership and a new coach equal alotta time in the box. While ti wasn't all one sided, the game ended with a total of 100 PIM, four miscounducts, 3 fights, and a partridge in a pear tree.
Clowe was the owner of one of those misconducts, getting 10 for chirping. No, seriously. He got 10 for running his mouth at Fiddler, who also got 10. Better watch out fellas, someones feelings might get hurt.
Thank you imgur
The Sharks took the early lead, with Burns scoring a PPG, which was likely assisted by his really creepy moustache. It wasn't a strong first, but that goal got the job done.
Teeth chimed in with a lovely PPG to start the second. Apparently this didn't go over too well with Dallas, as two fights occurred in the second. Vandermeer tussled with Kris Barch, which resulted in a draw. Barch apparently wanted to get something going for his team, but all he seemed to get going was Nystrom and McGinn, who also fought. McGinn is a beast. Momentum unchanged, the Sharks scored again, this time with Mystery House netting one at even strength for the 3-0 lead.
McGinn made it a 4-0 game in the third, but that rascally old rule that says the Sharks can't get a shut out took effect in the third, as Riberio got the loan Stars goal to make it a 4-1 game.
Clowe respond to some mistreatment of Jumbo by slashing a wrist, not his own.He got fined $2500 for his actions. I'd prefer he just didn't do something like that. I get being annoyed, but slashing a guy on the wrist on purpose is just stupid.
The Stars coach, none to happy about the loss, referred to his team as whiny babies. That's one way to win over hearts and minds on the bench, coach!
Ah, but the weekend didnt end there! Next up, the Sharks face the Avs.
no commentsIt was pretty frakking awesome.
Sure, there were some issues, namely the entire first period, but it was still a rather convincing win even without the full 60 minute effort. While it probably helps that the Wings are currently in a slump that only the Hockey Devil himself could solve, the Sharks still managed to make them look like fools in the second.
Before that happened though, there were about 15 or some minutes of WHY ARE WE IN THIS ZONE, as the Wings set up camp in front of Niemi. Kronwall got a goal towards the end of first, which was responded to with a large sign from fans, and a burning desire to score some goals on the part of Joe Pavelski. And score a goal is just what he did, just a little over 2 minutes later, and short handed I might add, to tie the game at one a piece.
image sourced from here
I suspect that sometime in the first intermission, the Sharks were like "Hey, know what'd be great? Let's go score some goals!" And score they did. Mammoth Hockey was in effect about midway through the second as Joe Scorington was like BOOM, goal. To celebrate he took his shirt off between periods.Vlasic said to himself "golly gee, that looks like fun!" and scored one of his own to put the Sharks up 3-1 over the Wings. At this point Vlasic had 3 points on the night, thanks to assist on both Pavelski's short handed goal and Thornton's goal. Upon realizing this, I believe Mike Babcock made a face like this:
from somewhere care of the hfboards
With the final two minutes counting down in the period, Torrey Mitchell scored to make it 4-1, giving everyone in attendance the right to text in a get a coupon for two deep fried "tacos". Taco Torrey strikes again. The crowd rejoiced over the goal, then spent the second intermission pondering their intestinal fortitude. (have I mentioned that I don't like Jack in the Box? I don't like Jack in the Box. Commercials are top notch but the food is...bleh)Howard was pulled and replaced by Conklin to start the third. Let me repeat that, the Sharks chased Howard.
And there was much rejoicing.
Actually, I think most of us would have been fine with him staying in. After all, he was doing just fine by the Sharks, and there was no reason that I could see for that to end so soon.
Brad Winchester is a man who needed his first Sharks goal. Brad Winchester is a man who now has that goal. That goal put the Sharks up 5-1 over the Wings. Mike Babcock was like:
Image sourced from here
This is you losing to the Sharks. Haven't you heard? They beat you now.
Dan Clearly is party pooper though, and went and scored a goal towards the latter end of the third to make it 5-2. There was a big lead, but this was still marginally unacceptable.
Niemi made 40 saves on the night, coming up big for the Sharks during a game where they were clearly out shot, and during the first and part of the third, outworked.
The big splash of the night, however, was made off the ice by Mr. Randy Hahn. While remarking on Vlasic's career high 4 point night, he quipped, "That is one hot pickle." A meme, and a very briny star, was born. (and a lot of really creative gifs that are borderline nsfw. You find them. I'm not linking to them.)
Next up, the Stars. Let's hope that the Sharks can make them....go nova. YEAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
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Close combat my requires the use of anything on hand, such are Ryane Clowe’s fists, Douglas Murray’s crushing brick wall, Winchester’s solid rock formation and Braun’s Brawniness.
Combat from a distance can be successful if one applies Marleau’s quick shot, Joe Thornton’s sharp shooting eye, Dan Boyle bazooka, Joe Pavelski’s pistol whip and Logan Couture’s flash of brilliance. (see also, Whites, Pearly)
Should this prove only somewhat effective, keep in mind that should zombies make it to ice level, the players are equipped with hockey sticks, frozen pucks, and pre-sharpened blades.
Survival of the fittest.
see more Lolcats and funny pictures
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Californianus Sterotypicalus
Now, navy henley LOOKED familiar, but not in a way I could place. His carriage and dress really struck me as a pro athlete out enjoying his off day, but he wasn't anyone I recognized, and no one else seemed to recognize him either. I assumed he was a local college jock, or maybe one of the Earthquakes players. He had been hanging out with a strange guy, similar height, in a navy suit who was also in a ball cap and and looked ridiculous. VERY SERIOUS, but ridiculous, none the less. Who the hell wears a suit and a ball cap? Whatever, businessman. You look silly and you own it.no comments
If you indluge a little digression for a moment; when you are tapped politely on the shoulder and asked to sit back because when you lean forward, the people behind you cannot see, do not respond by becoming a defensive jackass. It is not our fault you a) did not pay attention to the announcement b) did not care that your friend has also already been asked to sit back for the same reason c) you cannot be bothered to allow ANYONE in your row to walk past you for any reason or d) you have never been to a game before and have no idea how crowd etiquette works. Do not argue and say "I am sitting back" while several inches between you and the back of your chair is visible. Do not be a dick. Just sit back. It's really quite simple. I would also avoid throwing objects and the lass two rows behind you who is also pissed at you for being a douche all game. She will come down there and exchange words with you. I didn't hear any of these words, but I assume they were about your mother. We will call the ushers. I don't care if you get thrown out, so, just say, "oh, sorry! I didn't know!" and lean back and move on. It's better for everyone this way.
And don't cut in the line for the bathroom. Really. We all have to pee. GTFO or I will be that passive agressive and loud asshole behind you for the rest of the time you are in line. The woman behind me nearly peed herself. I don't know about you, but I really don't want to be in the splash zone when that happens. Don't cut in and make the line longer. Same principle applied to traffic.
*ahem*
Moving on.
The first, oh, 6 minutes or so of period one was fast, hard hitting and all in the Wild's zone. There were chances left and right and you were like "yes, this game is going to be awesome!" Then, somewhere further along, you look up and went "6 shots? They have 6 shots on goal?!" and you wondered what happened. Then something incredibly stupid sloppy would happened and you said to yourself "oh." The good thing was, if we can say it was a good thing at all, that both teams were playing like crap. Well, hey, at least it was even. The 1st ended with two goose eggs lighting up the board on either side. Shots were 7-5 Sharks. Low low low low.
Patrick Marleau scored two goals! I really wanted him to score three, so I could finally yell PATTY HATTY, but alas, it was not to be.
For the first time in history, Torrey Mitchell got everyone Tacos. The response was a loud cheer for the goal and then a boo for the tacos, followed by chants of "WE WANT PIZZA!". I have a feeling that the Tank staff has heard the fans loud and clear. It remains to be seen if the giveaway will change again this season. (but seriously, not to look a deep fried gift horse in the mouth, but who in their right mind wants Jack in the Box tacos? That's like saying "yes, I want Montezuma's Revenge." No one wants that.") I called it the "taco shit minute" because, well, let's be honest, if you eat your give away, you will be occupying your toilet for awhile after.
There were a decent number of crazy near misses on Backstrom. The Sharks really seemed to finally be inclined to shoot and aggressively head to the net, which is a nice change of pace this season.
The PK still needs work. It still needs a lot of work. Yes the Sharks managed to hold off the Wild, but it was a little rough out there at times.
Nemo looked so much better. He was alert, his glove and blocker saves were much improved, and his lateral movement was better. Me thinks he may have had a touch of the flu earlier.
Brent Burns did not wear his robotic pants, but Joe Pavelski managed to save 5 puppies and 6 kittens between shifts. He's just that much better than you are.
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LA looked pretty dangerous in the first, but luckily, they never managed to score. Nemo looked far more alert and into the game, although a few of his early saves still nearly made me pee my pants. So much drama.
Jack Johnson, not the singer, opened the scoring, much to my chagrin early on in the second to give LA the early 1-0 lead.
Not to be outdone by a guy who isn't actually a famous singer, Joe Thornton, who probably had the best game he's had this young season, scored with help from Patty and and the Big Pavelski. His movember stache reached out and slapped Quick and called his mother easy. Game tied 1-1.
Then Boyle was like, WAGOOSH, look at me shoot down the middle and BOOM shot the puck and Patty was like DEFLECTION! And Quick was like "what?" and suddenly it was 2-1 Sharks. It was really nice to see Boyle get in on the scoring. He's been having a rough go of it lately, for sure.
Then Danny B, was like, you know, I could just get an assist but...I WANNA GOAL! And get a goal he did on a sweet slap shot.
At one point in the second, I think Randy Hahn remarked that if Quick didn't have up a magically force field, it'd have been like, 20-1. I might be paraphrasing, but it was true. The Sharks were swarming all around his net. Some of the saves he made were due to the fact that I am pretty sure he has robotic extendo legs. He made some kick saves that were AMAZING. It's a good thing the Sharks seem to have his number.
Teeth flashed his recently crosschecked in the back of the head smile at QUick, who, momentarily blinded by its brilliance, let goal number 4 go past him. (yeah, back of the head. Argue all you want, Willie Mitchell, that was not cool. You go sit in your box and you like it!)
Whoo 4-1! YUSSSS!
Kopitar decided to ruin the party by scoring on a PP in the third to make it a 4-2 game. How rude!
There was much discussion on how Dustin Penner has been kind of...useless for the Kings. One wonders how that will work out for him come trade deadline, or the off season. (I don't recall of the top of my head if he has a NTC or not)
Joe Thornton tied his childhood hero, Pat LaFontaine, for 74th all time points leader. You go, Jumbo. That's mammoth hockey. no comments
Normally, I defend Nemo, but he looked pretty out of it, last night. Sure, he lost his stick on the first goal against but oi, he looked bad. Half the time I'm not sure he knew where the puck was. That wasn't good to see I know he needs to find his game, and he's be given a chance to do that, but I would have preferred Greiss in nets last night.
Rinne is freaking huge. Not just in terms of how he plays, but I mean, HUGE. He's like 8 foot 4 inches. He made a save purely based on the fact that his legs are 15 feet long. It's insane. Not only is he quick and skilled, he just takes up the whole net. It's unreal.
There was a GORGEOUS pass, no look, oh man, so sweet. It was beautiful.
Can you imagine if Teeth developed into the type of passer Thornton is?
Havlat scored his first goal as a Shark, which was awesome. Sure, the goal itself was pretty silly, but he scored it, which is all that matters to me. no comments
Pulling Nemo after 2 minutes, and 2 goals against, was a debatable call for some, but I was fully behind it. I'm not the one to blame the goalie, and Nemo wasn't to blame for both shots, but the team needed to be shaken up, and that was the best way to do it. Putting Greiss in right away was a smart move that worked to the Sharks advantage.
McLellan says he was pretty sure Nemo was not ready to play, nor was the rest of the team, which was part of the motivation for pulling him so early.
Winchester tried to get things goes by fighting Adams. It sparked a little bit of nothing much. Crowd got back into it though.
In the second, Clowe went over Engelland after he (cleanly) hit, Jumbo. Clowe looked at his bench as he finished the fight, giving everyone the stink eye and mentally challenging them all to act. They did.
Lots of line shuffling as the coaching staff tried to find a combination with some spark.
Marleau looked great tonight, netting one in the second to bring the game back to within one. He had several other chances as well, and looked fast and controlled out on the ice.
Braun and Winchester also had good games, with Braun getting a lot of praise from McLellan post game. (as opposed to most of the rest of the team)
I nearly, no wait, I did fall backwards and over as the tying goal was scored for the Sharks to make it 3-3. It was one of those things that you knew could happen, but still felt somewhat hilariously unbelievable. Moments like that remind you why you love hockey.
The best part of the night, aside from the win, was Jumbo getting the Woolly Mammoth tusk from the team as a gift for hitting 1000 games. Sure, the silver stick from the NHL was cool too, but it's not a Woolly Mammoth tusk! That gift probably made Joe's night, and it sure made mine.
The Pens are fast. Their D is amazing and MAF is ridiculous. I am glad the Sharks found a way to play up to their level eventually, as it made for a great game. The pace was pretty incredible. This is why I love to see teams like the Pens. They're so skilled, it's just great fun to watch them play the Sharks (when the Sharks play back, anyway). Helluva win on a night when after the first 2 minutes, many had written the Sharks off completely. no comments

Remember folks, today's game not only starts at 4pm, but is on Versus. You all know the drill. TV on, sound off, radio on. I believe KFOX has directions on how to sync, but if not, at least your won't have Milbury saying something stupid all game. I'll suffer through that for you, because that's the kind of blogger I am.
The Sharks are facing off against yet another team hungry for a win. You know, despite the fact that the Sharks were apparently the only team in the league to have a slow start, they sure are finding a lot of other teams who experienced the same thing. Isn't that weird? It's so weird.
I hope all the Sharks dress as winners tonight. That would be awesome.
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