Consistently inconsistent: Sharks winless in five straight
Oh Sharks why do you give us fans shattered confidence going into the playoffs? After losing five of the last six games to desperate teams, San Jose has fallen into a slump. To say they have played to their full potential is well…a lie. As of late they have let themselves get dominated only to show up with a meager effort in the 3rd period. They have not been communicating on the ice and it shows in the complete break down of their PP, PK, and even strength play. Not even Coach McLellan shuffling the lines has sparked anything.
Photo courtesy of C. Alexander
For those of you that follow me on Twitter you have seen an array of colorful tweets ranging from “The #Sharks have more turnovers than a bakery!!”, “Where’s Brooks Laich to cue the comeback? Hahaha #Sharks”, “#Sharks are playing flat, no jump in there game”, “ALL ABOARD THE #FAILBOAT #SHARKS”. Don’t get me wrong I love the team but man has it been frustrating to watch them.
I recently traveled to Anaheim (my first time at Honda Center) to see the Sharks play. I can sum the game up with, “wow this place is empty”, “I wonder if anyone would care if I move down to the seats behind the bench?”, and “I’m glad I didn’t spend $100 on this ticket.” Besides the missed calls by the refs, San Jose failed to impress losing to a Ducks team with a half filled arena (see below) and with fans that read the paper when their team is winning! I spent the 2 ½ hour bumper to bumper trek back home wondering what the heck is going on with their game?
"hmmm the DOW has dropped 3 pts..."
Right now the Sharks are 2nd in the Western Conference 43-18-10 with 11 games left this season so let’s not panic just yet. They’re human and make mistakes but as we know if they don’t fix the problem they don’t get the cup and some may not be in a Sharks jersey next year. Actually that may not be a bad thing come to think of it. The only players, in my opinion, that have actually showed up every game in the last 10 are Ryane Clowe and Joe Pavelski, with a semi-nod to Dany Heatley.
Randy Hahn said tonight “Pavelski and Clowe have been the best on this road trip”. In the last six games alone Clowe has 2 goals 3 assists and Pavelski has 3 goals 5 assists. They are really playing every minute of every shift grinding it out with Clowe even dropping the mitts. As I said in my last post Pavelski has not slowed down his game after the Olympics so there is no excuse for Thornton, Marleau, Boyle or Heatley to not bring their game up.
Photo courtesy of C. Alexander
Next up for the Sharks is the Edmonton Oilers who beat the Detroit Redwings tonight in the shootout. This will be another big test for the boys against a team that is desperate to prove themselves having only won 1 of the last 7 games. The action starts at 5pm PST/ 8pm EST.
Side note: I will be a guest on The Program with Chris, Rick, and Mike on Sunday @ 5pm PST: www.blogtalkradio.com/theprogram talking Sharks hockey, head shots in the NHL, and other little tid bits! Tune in!
As always follow me on Twitter for live game updates and hockey talk: http//twitter.com/Calexander17
In case you didn't believe me
echo! echo! echo!
Posted by Chelsea Alexander
on Mar 20 2010. Filed under Anaheim Ducks, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, Featured Articles, San Jose Sharks.
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Agreed 100% with everything you said. They definitely need to turn the heat on right now. This is a stretch that teams are desperately trying to get in the playoffs. Teams that are in the playoff position right now are trying to move higher in the standings so they can possibly get that home ice advantage. The boys in teal are soo frustrating to watch these days. They are struggling for whatever reason to get that all important first goal on the road. We all watched that Preds come from behind win. You bet it’s biting them in the ass right now that by falling behind, it is that much tougher playing catch up. This cannot continue and I think a victory against the Oils will do them a world of good to boost some confidence back in the team.
A win in Edmonton would bring back some confidence and hopefully jump start the boys a bit. These 3rd period attempts at comebacks are getting old and not working. Like you said they need to get on the board first. To add to that they need to get and maintain the lead, play all 60 minutes, and communicate!! Zero communication = Zero cup. Thanks for the comment!
~Cheers