NHL Allstar Game

Watching the NHL Allstar game is more of an enjoyable event rather then an intense meeting. More of just a bunch of players showing off their passing and shooting abilities. There is not much deeking or dangling. In my opinion watching the olympics is a much more interesting gathering.

Seeing a second year rookie (Logan Couture) in the all start game was very nice to see. Although Logan was picked last he recieved a new car which is well worth it! I was dissapointed to not see any other Sharks players inside of the allstar game. Sometimes I feel that the Sharks players and team are really under rated. Once the Sharks win the Cup (which they hopefully will this year) I think they will get a lot more recognition.

Responce to todays caption

On the Sharks website this morning we had to tweet a caption for the photo of the day for Jan 23. My caption was-
"Look at this perfectly shaped head!"

Rule Changes

This paragraph is from one of my "boys," who is vehemently against the offside rule of hockey:

The offside rule is one of the stupidest rules in professional sports.  First of all, offside does nothing but stops naturally exciting breakaway plays.  In basketball, 2-on-1 or even 3-on-1 fastbreak plays are allowed, even encouraged.  Why can't we do the same for hockey where we have a player "cherry picking" in front of the puck in the other zone as he is heading in for a goal?

Second, the offside rule penalizes good defenses.  If a team is able to successfully defend its goal, shouldn't it be given the opportunity to score with an advantage.  It also penalizes fast skaters looking for an opportunity to score after a strong defensive stance.

This is what I think of my "boy's" comments:

I think that his comments about hockey's offside rule are absurd. If there were no offside rules, the game would be full of breakaways that are rarely seen in a game. This would also lead to another issue of very high scoring matches. In today's hockey games, every goal is rare and precious. If the offside rule was removed, every goal scored would not be such a big deal. The reason why hockey is so exciting in the first place is that goals do not come cheap or unearned. The offside rule assures that each team has a fair chance to defend its side.

Although my "boy" may claim that offsides penalize defenders, allowing offside will in fact change the way defenses work. The defense would not be able to stay in the offensive zone for long because it would lead to many breakaways and a less organized game. Eveyone would be rushing and trying to score a goal without any strategy whatsoever.

Furthermore, the absence of the offside rule would tire out individual players because they would just be trying to score the whole time without putting any thought into it. With people playing without strategy and control. the game would just look like a chaotic mess.

Sharks Shut Down Ovi

The visiting Caps with their all star forward, Alexander Ovechkin, were devoured by the jaws of the San Jose Sharks.

The game started with 2 huge hits by Douglas Murray, also known as "CrankShaft". The crushing body checks sent the Capitals players flying. Douglas Murray is known for his hits. Running into Douglas must be like running into a brick wall. I feel that everyone is afraid of Murray. It's not very often you see Douglas Murray getting trucked by visiting teams.

The Sharks' defense has started to engage the past few weeks. More points and goals are coming from the defense. I think that adding Brent Burns to the Sharks squad was a very good decision by management. In my opinion Burns started fueling the Sharks' offense. Jason Demers is also becoming an offensive threat at the blue line.

One of the big parts to the Sharks home games is their fans. The Sharks immense fan base is always behind them. The roar of the Sharks fans reverberate around the HP Pavillion after goals from the home team. The thing I like about the Sharks fans is that they are always behind their team no matter what.

The past few weeks, Captain Joe Thornton has been playing very well. His puckhandling has been great. You will see Jumbo Joe give away the puck at some times, but I haven't seen him commit turnovers that often anymore. In this game against the Caps, Jumbo had a phenomenal behind the back pass to Marleau on the door step to send the Sharks ahead 3-2.

All in all I think that the Sharks starting to find their game, and if they keep this up, I am sure they will play well in the playoffs.

Sharks Can't Pull it Off

Every game the Sharks always end up giving up the first goal. What I have noticed is they are always a team of resillience. Most teams let themselves fall when they are down, but the Sharks always seem to still fight. I like to see that the Sharks still work together and put out effort.

Late in the third period the Sharks put on a push. They were behind 3-2 but a great pass from Logan Couture to Patrick Marleau decided the tying goal with 22 seconds left. The game went to sudden death overtime, which ended up scoreless. The game ended in a shootout where the Sharks could not finish their remarkable last second comeback.

You can't really blame anybody for the Sharks' loss. It would have been a lot nicer to see the Sharks snap their 3 game skid. Joe Pavelski tied it in the shootout, giving the Sharks a chance to end it in the next round. San Jose needs to find a way to get the lead in games while keeping them at the same time.

Anti Niemi had a great game as usual. The Sharks defense still isn't performing the way I would like to see them in front of Niemi. The Sharks have a strong offense, and seeing them not use it is just a bummer. Sharks need to step it up once again to get anywhere in the standings.

Sharks Rip Stars

Seeing two Pacific Division rivals going head to head is always very exciting. The hated Dallas Stars came into the Shark Tank thinking that they could leave with a win. They thought wrong, Logan Couture and Jamie Mcginn scored in the first minute of the first period, devastating the Stars.

The Stars offense started to come into action after the two early goals by the Sharks. Dallas tallied twice tying the game in the second period. The game started to get a little chippy with a couple scrums after whistles.

Halfway through the second period, Ryane Clowe scored to make the game 3-2. Dallas took a step back on their heels which gave San Jose the green light to destroy the Dallas Stars' defense and goaltending. This flury included goals from Brad Winchester and a goal by Torrey Mitchell. This onslaught discouraged the visiting team.

Also Anti Niemi had a couple of brilliant saves. One in particular that really caught my eye was the save against Jamie Benn. I like the way Niemi stuck with Benn and had patience all throughout the game. He never fell for any of the dekes, or fakes, from Benn. Anti Niemi's net minding is what is keeping the Sharks in close games.

Wild Quiet Sharks

Starting the game off Joe Pavelski had a beautiful goal putting the Sharks ahead 1 nothing. The Sharks buzzed and had all the momentum most of the first period untill the Wild stepped up their game leading to a dissapointing San Jose Sharks loss at the Tank. It really gets me frustrated to see the Sharks play like this because in my opinion they are the best team in the NHL.

In the first period Wild starting goaltender Josh Harding was injured by an elbow from his own player. Matt Hackett came in on backup and put on a show, standing on his head for the Wild. For some reason all goaltenders seem to have a great game against this San Jose powerhouse.

Niemi had a decent game although he let 2 goals that he should have snagged in. Sharks D has to be a lot better for Niemi. I don't think all of the work should be put on the goaltender. It reminded me of last game against the Panthers which in my opinion was a horrible game for San Jose. The Florida Panthers are a horrible team and losing to them 5-3 is just unacceptable.

I think if the Sharks want to get anywhere in the playoffs, they have to step up their game. Underestimating teams is not a smart thing to do in the NHL. Although these games lead to dissapointment, the San Jose fan base will always be behind them. I am looking forward to seeing Sharks' rivals, Dallas Stars, tomorrow. Hated player Steve Ott will be recieving some chirping from the Tank.

Sharks Remarkable Comeback Against Canadians

This whole game the Sharks fell behind and then came back. Being able to come back and not completely fall behind is a very strong skill to obtain. This tenacious Sharks squad always finds a way to rally on the other teams flaws when behind. The Canadians giveaways and horrible puck movement led to a late Sharks goal by Ryane Clowe tying it at 3 with 1:26 left in the period.

The game went scoreless in overtime leading to a shootout. Anti Niemi finished the shootout with a win by stopping sniper P.K Suban with a pad save. This was a remarkable comeback on the Sharks part to be ablw to bounce back from being down late in the period.

Joe Pavelski scored in the shootout to put the Sharks ahead of the Canadians. Pavs has a lazer of a shot and rarely get stopped in the shootout. Joe always seems to do the right things on and off the ice. He is a very smart hockey player which leads to all of his clutch goals.

I was also very happy to see Marty Havlat in the shootout. Seeing that Sharks head coach trusts Havlat is very nice to see considering he is a new Sharks player that has been injured. Marty Havlat has also been playing very well which is a great thing to see considering he is a new comer to the Sharks.

Nemo's Shut out

This game against the Blackhawks was a very low scoring game. Only 1 goal was scored off of a faceoff won by Logan Couture. The puck trickled to the point for Jason Demers to slam home past the Blackhawks' netminder Corey Crawford.

I would give Anti Niemi props for this win because of his brilliant goaltending.

Pat Trick

For some reason the Sharks always have a resonably well played game at the Pepsi Center against the Avalanche. Three of the 4 goals scored by the Sharks were by Patrick Marleau giving him a natural hat-trick. Joe Pavelski also tallied on the score sheet, not a suprise considering Big Joe Pavelski always has a tremendous game at the Pepsi Center.

I remember in the 2010-2011 season when Joe Pavelski had an interview after a game won against the Av's arena. Pavs said "I'm more of a coke guy," which I thought was pretty funny considering they had just won at the Pepsi center.

I am looking forward to seeing another game against Colorado at the tank.

Sharks Disappoint Stars

The Sharks once again showed their road grit and determination. They showed how badly they wanted to win by ripping the Stars 4-1. The Sharks aggressive offense is what propelled them over the hated Dallas Stars.

Anti Niemi also had a outstanding performance which led to a well earned Sharks triumph. Along with the spectacular goal tending, there were also a series of fights. Ryane Clowe, Jamie Mcginn, and Jim Vandermeer all participated in this flury of fisticuffs.

More Dead Squid

This was a game between two classic conference rivals. The Sharks fell behind 1-0 in the first period. However, with 16 seconds left in the first period, Pavelski swooped in and ties it behind the raucous fans and the energetic atmosphere of the Shark Tank. This led to a Sharks rally leading them to a 5-2 blowout.

Marc Eduard Vlassic had a whopping 4 assists, one being a wrap around goal. Brad Winchestar also got into the action and scored his first goal in teal.

Coyotes Feast on Sharks Flaws

Going into this game against the Coyotes, I thought that the game was going to a be a blowout. I thought it was going to be like opening night at the Tank when the Sharks smashed Phoenix 6-3. However, it ended up with the Sharks losing in a frustrating 3-0 defeat. The Coyotes simply just worked harder than the Sharks. The Sharks put on a push at the end of the third period but still failed to break the Phoenix goaltender Mike Smith.

The Sharks have to once again start playing their game all three periods. I honestly think that this Sharks squad is one of the strongest San Jose has ever had. I also believe that they are the best team in the league when bringing there A game.

I'm looking forward to fried calamari on Thursday.

Sharks Shut Down Wild

The Sharks were looking forward to welcoming former teamates Dany Heatley and Devin Setoguchi back to the Tank. Even though these two players were former fan favorites, the Sharks dealt them away to improve their defense.
During the first few seconds of this game against the Wild, Douglas Murray layed out Devin Setoguchi in front of the Sharks' bench, welcoming him home to the HP Pavillion.

 The speed started to pick up in the second period. The Sharks' scintillating offense came to life. Marleau had 2 goals in the second period, sending the Sharks in front 2-0. Minutes later, Sharks forward Torrey Mitchell pounded the puck into the back of the net.

This game wasn't very exciting because the oponents weren't very aggresive. They were easy victims for the Sharks to gnaw on.

Sharks Dethrone the Kings

First off, this is the best game I have seen the Sharks play at home. Despite the un-needed penalties, they played a great game. Every period they came out skating hard. It looked to me that the Sharks really wanted to win this one. I also have to give props to Anti Niemi for his phenomenal goaltending. If the Sharks keep up this kind of gameplay all throughout the season, they will have no issues getting into the playoffs.

Dan Boyle also tallied on the score sheet with his first goal of this season, which was a rocket of a shot from the point.

It's going to be nice to see Heatley and Seto come back to the tank.

Sharks Fail to Keep Lead

The San Jose Sharks are known for either coming back in a game or losing their lead. The Sharks went into the third period against the Preds with a 2 goal lead. They ended up giving up two goals to Nashville, which sent the game into overtime. They fell to the Preds in overtime from a 3 on 2 rush.

The Sharks need to stop taking unnecessary penalties at inconvenient times. Their eccentric offensive strategy includes switching up their lines, which doesn't look to be helping the Sharks. I think that keeping the Sharks' lines together would be a lot more useful. Putting players together that haven't played on the same line before seems to be causing them confusion.

Tonight's game against their division rivals, the LA Kings, should be an exciting event. Hopefully the tank will be ecstatic.

Sharks Eat Penguins

Ryane Clowe is a huge factor to the San Jose Sharks' success. His attitude, gameplay, and on-ice intelligence motivate his team. In the second period, Clowe got into a fight with a Penguin player. After the fight, Clowe glared at his bench, which basically signaled them to get going.

The following period, Clowe went on to score a saucy backhand shot. Rallying later in the period, Jamie McGinn tied the game with about 4 minutes left, leading to overtime and the shootout. It was an exciting overtime in which Patrick Marleau had multiple chances to end the game. Fleury, the Penguins goaltender still came up strong untill, of course, Ryane Clowe came to break the goaltender during the shootout, which led to a Sharks' victory.

Sharks Fall to Rangers

For some reason, teams that are, in my opinion, not too great always seem to bring their A-game against the Sharks. Seeing the Sharks play like this was a let down. We all know that the Sharks' potent offense is much stronger than the Rangers' offense. I think the Sharks have to step up their games against weaker teams. Although the Rangers have a couple of great players such as Ryan Callahan, Marian Gaborik, and Marc Staal, the Sharks could have easily disposed of them.

When Logan Couture's rocket of a shot tied the game, I thought for sure the Sharks were going to pull off another thriller. However the Shark's defense and offense failed to ignite, leading to a Sharks loss. Despite this upsetting loss, I admire the Sharks' gameplay throughout the long 6-game road trip. I'm also looking forward to seeing them back at the Shark Tank backed by their sensational fans.

Sharks Sink Islanders

This road game against the Islanders was a slow game untill both teams started getting their offenses dialed in. It was awesome that the Sharks scored a quick goal to start off this game.
With only a few seconds into the game, the Sharks started up their power play. Seconds later, Joe Pavelski scored to start the game off 1-0 in the first period. The Islanders end up tying the game, then went ahead soon after.

Fortunately, the Sharks had an answer as Logan Couture scored to tie the game at 2. Not too many scoring chances came by as the game headed into overtime. After about 20 seconds of overtime went by, the Islander defenseman Travis Hamonic took a penalty, leading to Brent Burns' overtime goal, which was a laser of a shot.

This is not a game that I would remember because it wasn't a very exciting game until overtime. I am hoping the the speed to some of these games would pick up.

Sharks vs Dead Wings

This weekend, the Sharks took on the Detriot Red Wings at the Joe Lewis Arena. This marked their fourth straight win on their lengthy East Coast road trip.

The Red Wings scored first on a fortuitous bounce off of their lively end boards. Shortly after, the Sharks' potent power play led to their first goal. Jonathan Ericsson's shoddy defense in front of his goaltender did not help prevent this Sharks onslaught. Marty Havlat's assist to Ryane Clowe's goal tied the game at 1.

The following goal by Patrick Marleau was because of his spectacular speed. Jimmy Howard had no chance to prevent Marleau's phenomenal skating and shooting abilities. After the Red Wings tied the game, the captain, Joe Thornton, tallied next on the score sheet by lighting the lamp on a pass from Joe Pavelski.

At the end of the third period, desperate to score, the Red Wings pulled their goaltender, Jimmy Howard. Joe Thornton ended up scoring on the Red Wings gaping empty net. This game showed that the Sharks really had a desire to keep their intimidating offense alive.