A San Jose Sharks Blog

For some odd reason, the Sharks haven't been able to get hot. It's either win one, lose one...or win two, lose two. Fortunately, this means they haven't gone on an extended losing streak, but this inconsistent play has me worried.

The Sharks are supposed to be a dominating team, favored to win the Pacific. However, as of today, the hottest team appears to be the Los Angeles Kings. Granted, Team Teal is in first place, but I bet that many will agree that the Sharks are not performing up to their potential.

The game against Detroit was a repeat of the last game. The Red Wings dominated and outplayed San Jose showing why they should be the Stanley Cup favorite. It appeared as if the Sharks had learned nothing from the previous contest against Detroit. Somehow, the Red Wings have an answer for everything Coach Ron Wilson throws at them.

The next game, less than 24 hours later, against Columbus offered San Jose a chance to redeem themselves. Unfortunately, the Sharks fell short and loss their second game in a row to a team that should have been an "easy win". The only good thing that came from this game was that it wasn't televised.

Having dropped two in a row, it was time for the upward swing of the roller coaster where the Sharks win a game. Unfortunately for the Stars, San Jose chose to play well in Dallas. Thanks to two goals from rookie Devin Setoguchi, Team Teal was able to walk away with two points. I recall an interview with number 16 soon after he was drafted. He had said that he models his game after Jonathan Cheechoo...works hard, plays both ends of the ice, and fires the puck when possible. Well, after confirming with other Sharks fans, Setoguchi sure acted like the "old Cheechoo". Crashing the net and getting open led to his two goals...what a nice NHL debut. In addition, it probably helps that your goals were set up by Joe Thornton. That assist that he sent over while falling to his stomach was amazing.

Let's hope that Setoguchi and Thornton continue to play strong, and that others follow suit because the Sharks have been leaving points on the table. A couple of wins here or there can really put some distance between San Jose and the rest of the Pacific...where everyone seems to be playing .500 hockey.