A San Jose Sharks Blog

Forgive me for being so negative, but every time the Sharks get an early lead, they sit back in defensive mode and give their opponents the opportunity to generate momentum...this drives me crazy!

Like Game One, Team Teal was able to put in two very quick goals; one from Jonathan Cheechoo and the other from Joe Thornton. It was great to see San Jose come out swinging. Unfortunately, the Sharks again went into defensive mode and this time it had a different result from Game One.

Thanks to their lack of offense, San Jose ended up generating only ten shots on goal over the last 40 minutes of the game. Where's the killer instinct? Rather than protecting a lead, why not grow the lead? Every once in a while, San Jose would go to the body, but you didn't see the consistent hitting that was evident in the series against Nashville. On one shift, I saw Patrick Rissmiller skate by two Red Wings with the puck in their vicinity...he didn't even try to hit either one of them. Rissmiller simply went to the bench for a change. Again...where's that killer instinct?

When the opponent is down by two goals, you need to crush them and put it out of reach. Instead of following this mindset, San Jose let up. The rest of the afternoon, the Red Wings took it to the Sharks. You could see red jerseys swarming around the front of Evgeni Nabokov's net on almost every shift...and why not...that's what defensive mode does for an opponent. It allows for shots on goal.

Though the second period was bad, the third period was absolutely terrible. Thanks to a short-handed goal, Detroit was able to tie the game and really get going. On the play, the Sharks looked lazy and unfocused; I don't want to point fingers, but Bill Guerin was definitely at fault. Rather than protecting the puck, he simply allowed the forecheck to gain possession. Since the playoffs started, Guerin has been average at best. In seven playoff games, the power forward has given San Jose two measly assists. I think it's time that Guerin stepped up and stopped playing like a third line checker.

Now that I've gotten all of that off of my chest, let's look at what needs to happen next. In order to get the win in Game Three, the Sharks need to get back to basics. Stop trying to make the flashy play and just do the following:

 - Dump the puck and gain possession
 - Work hard down low to generate scoring chances; cycle the puck
 - Go to the body and wear down the defense
 - PUT PUCKS ON NET!