The San Jose Sharks are coming home to the Bay Area with the series tied against the number one seeded Detroit Red Wings. Usually, I'd be happy; after taking Game One, the Sharks now have home ice advantage with three of the next possible five games set to start in San Jose. However, after Game Two, I was not happy at all...I was extremely disappointed. The only thing that stunk worse than the octopi being thrown on the ice was San Jose's third period effort.
On Thursday evening, the San Jose Sharks once again showed why they are currently the best road team in the NHL. With solid defense and goaltending, San Jose was able to keep the Red Wings off the scoreboard and the Detroit fans in their seats.
Good news Sharks fans, there are plans to renovate the HP Pavilion this summer. Though the arena opened its doors in 1993, it is currently the seventh oldest venue in the NHL. According to an article found on SJSharks.com, Greg Jamison and Mayor Chuck Reed have proposed a $16.5 million project that will address the arena's "sub-standard" facilities.
Here is the television schedule, for the 2nd round of the playoffs, found on NHL.com. Looks like there are a number of early starts for us on the West Coast.
Nobody has more faith in the San Jose Sharks than I do; I honestly believe that the men in teal can beat any team on any given night as long as they play to their potential. However, with that said, I really want to play the Detroit Red Wings, rather than the Anaheim Ducks, in Round Two of the playoffs. As a result, I am going to be rooting for the Vancouver Canucks, but just for tonight.
If you watched the series between the San Jose Sharks and the Nashville Predators, you know that it was a very physical five games. Over the past year, the Preds have added size and skill to their team which helped them dominate throughout the regular season. Fortunately, the NHL's largest team (San Jose) matched up well with the newly re-sized squad from Nashville. Now, if Predators fans want to see their team go deeper in the post-season next year, they better hope that Nashville gets smarter as well as bigger.
In Game Four of the series between the San Jose Sharks and the Nashville Predators, the top line of Joe Thornton, Jonathan Cheechoo, and Milan Michalek proved to be too much for Coach Barry Trotz's team. By scoring the first goal of the game and then the eventual game winner, this trio has brought its regular season dominance to the post-season.
According to an article posted on NHL.com, Coach Barry Trotz of the Nashville Predators made their practice yesterday an optional one. As a result, not many players showed up. However, Coach Ron Wilson of the San Jose Sharks decided to put the men in teal through a rigorous practice. This scenario brings in to mind one major question: During the playoffs, is it smarter to rest or to practice?
At the trade deadline, the San Jose Sharks picked up defenseman Craig Rivet from the Montreal Canadiens and Bill Guerin from the St. Louis Blues. I was very excited to hear that Guerin was coming to San Jose, but I was a bit disappointed when the dust settled and the only defensive addition was Rivet who has often been considered as a number three defenseman. Fortunately for Team Teal, the new Sharks d-man is playing like a number one.
I found an article this morning that did a good job of recapping the first two games between the San Jose Sharks and the Nashville Predators. The most interesting part of the article was about the odds on tonight's game and the series as a whole. I wasn't very surprised to see that Team Teal is favored tonight given that they have home ice advantage in conjunction with Alexander Radulov's suspension. However, what was a bit surprising is that the Predators are still favored to win the series.
Have you noticed that everything in the news about the San Jose Sharks or the Nashville Predators is focused on the rhetoric between the players and coaches? In fact, I have yet to come across an article, over the last two days, that just talks about hockey. I know that all of this nastiness makes for good headlines, but I personally want to get back to what matters most: the on-ice action.
Last night's game felt eerily familiar...let's take a look at the situation. The San Jose Sharks are leading a very physical playoff series, a player goes down because of a cheap shot, and Team Teal goes on to lose the game. If you're a Sharks fan, you probably know that I'm referring to last year's playoff series against the Edmonton Oilers. Unfortunately for San Jose, that game was the beginning of the end.
Just as I expected, there were a ton of Google Alerts in my inbox this morning. Hockey fans clearly appreciate last night's game between the San Jose Sharks and the Nashville Predators. From news articles to blog posts, the hockey world is buzzing about this series. In fact, on NHL.com, Patrick Rissmiller is featured as the #2 star of the night (see below) and Evgeni Nabokov is pictured in today's Frozen Moment.
It is rare in life when you get the opportunity to rectify a bad situation so soon after causing it. Fortunately for the San Jose Sharks, that rare opportunity came up for Patrick Rissmiller and he took advantage of it.
A lot has been said about how the Nashville Predators added size to their lineup to combat the large bodies found on all of the other NHL rosters. In fact, some have actually said that the team re-built itself specifically to beat the San Jose Sharks. I guess after being pushed around in the 2006 playoffs, Nashville management decided to make a strong effort to beef up, especially up front. Unfortunately for Nashville's management, they failed to realize that the Sharks got bigger as well.
San Jose, CA - Thanks to a late goal by Jonathan Cheechoo, the San Jose Sharks locked up the fifth seed and will be heading to Nashville to open up the playoffs. Just like last year, the Sharks will be the lower seed, but they will be facing a very much improved Predators team this time around. More importantly, the Predators have a very strong home record at 28 - 8 - 5 and have beat the Sharks three times out of four chances this year. However, with that said, if I had to choose between facing the Canucks or the Predators, I'd choose the Predators.
San Jose, CA - Thursday night, the San Jose Sharks and the Calgary Flames matched up in a very spirited and physical game. Though Team Teal held the lead for the majority of the night, Flames Captain Jerome Iginla led a late charge; fortunately for the Sharks, it was too little too late.
The amazing game last night had so many different elements to it that I don't know where to start. I could look at how the Sharks came back to win it in OT, I could also focus on the fight between Ryane Clowe and Shawn Thornton, or maybe discuss the move Coach Ron Wilson pulled to put Selanne in the box for an illegal stick. Better yet, maybe I can blog about how both goalies made a number of big saves in critical moments, including the Shootout. Well, by this time, I'm sure there are a ton of articles and posts out there talking about the aforementioned topics. Consequently, I’ll just share how the biggest game of the regular season was my worst San Jose Sharks experience ever.
This morning, I opened up my inbox and found over 30 Google Alerts regarding tonight's game between the San Jose Sharks and the Anaheim Ducks. Granted, this game will help determine the final standings of the Pacific Division, but it is only one game out of 82 regular season contests. What makes this game more special when compared to the other seven times the Sharks and Ducks met this year? Isn't this just another game worth two points? Well, according to all of the buzz surrounding tonight's contest, many people are saying "no".
So many times have I been disappointed by numerous TV networks when it comes to starting a San Jose Sharks game on time. Whether it be a Warriors game in OT, a Stanford Basketball game that takes 30 minutes to finish the last minute of play, or a PGA event...it doesn't matter. Any time I miss the beginning of a Sharks game due to another television program, I become livid and this past Sunday's delay on NBC didn't produce a different reaction.
San Jose, CA - Today marked the 8th and final meeting between the San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings. Joe Thornton and Jonathan Cheechoo combined for seven points on the afternoon paving the way for another Sharks win (final score: 6 - 2). Very similar to recent contests, the game was tight through the first period. However, for Kings fans, it was just the calm before the inevitable storm.
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