Loss...Win...Still in First Place

Sharks 2, Ducks 3 SO
Sharks 4, Coyotes 1

Over the weekend, the San Jose Sharks played .500 hockey again, however, Team Teal did pick up three points to maintain first place in the Pacific Division. With a shootout loss to Anaheim and then a sound win over Phoenix, San Jose pushed it's home record to 2-4.

On Friday night, the Sharks faced the Ducks in what was a relatively competitive game. I say "relatively" because both of these teams are struggling a bit, and the level of play was average at best. Not the same intensity and drama as last year.

In the first period, the Sharks got on the board with a goal from Torrey Mitchell...the first of his career. Unfortunately, the Ducks tied the game nearly half-way through the second period. Then, on the powerplay, the Sharks took the lead again when Joe Thornton scored his sixth goal of the season, giving assists to Craig Rivet and Joe Pavelski. Three-quarters through the 3rd period, Team Teal held the lead. Unfortunately, Evgeni Nabokov was not able to keep Anaheim off the board. On the play, Andy McDonald quickly skated around the slow-footed defenseman Alexei Semenov and put one by Nabby.

Eventually, the game went into the shootout, and if you're a Sharks fan, you knew what was coming...another loss. I hate to be so negative, but the numbers do not lie. In the shootout, the Sharks end up losing over 90% of the time. Fortunately, the Sharks still walked away with a point.

On Saturday night, San Jose's offense had a good showing...scoring four goals coming from Devin Setoguchi, Jeremy Roenick, Sandis Ozolinsh, and Torrey Mitchell. Though Phoenix was the first to score, San Jose was able to rattle off four unanswered. The biggest goal of the night came off of the JR's stick...it was the 500th goal of his career, and was very unconventional.

On the play, Roenick shot the puck deep into the zone. Oddly, the puck jumped off of the glass and hit the side of the Phoenix net. Coyotes Goaltender, Alexander Auld, then attempted to play the puck, but it ended up going into the net.

That goal was JR's fifth of the season and was yet again a game winning goal. I don't want to jinx him, but Roenick is having the same type of year that Bill Guerin did last year (*knock on wood*). Let's hope that the Sharks get a winning streak going soon, and often, because unlike St. Louis last year, I want to make the playoffs and hang on to our rejuventated veteran player.

A San Jose Sharks Blog