A San Jose Sharks Blog

Since last Saturday, the San Jose Sharks have beaten the Coyotes a total of three times. In those games, Team Teal outscored them 15 to 1...shutting them out twice. I have to imagine that Wayne Gretzky and company are happy that the two teams will not be meeting again for another three weeks.

In the first period, San Jose put up two quick goals coming from Jeremy Roenick and Patrick Rissmiller. For JR, this was his 6th of the season and it was unassisted. Thanks to Evgeni Nabokov's 37th shutout of his career, Roenick's goal was another game winner. This gives him a total of five on the season which leads the entire NHL. As for Rissmiller, it was his first of the season.

In the second period, the lone goal came off of the stick of Joe Pavelski; his 4th of the season. On the powerplay, Number 8 made a very slick move to give the Sharks a three goal lead. Skating with the puck behind the net, Pavelski forced the Phoenix goalie to cheat to the far side. With a quick change of direction, Little Joe fooled everyone and tucked it in on the near side. The more I watch Pavelski, the more I realize how skilled he is with the puck...some of the goals he's scored from behind the net are definitely "highlight reel" quality.

In the third period, San Jose doubled its number of goals. On the powerplay, Pavelski scored again, but this time it was with a one-timer from the top of the circle. Sharp passing and movement on the powerplay created space for San Jose, and Little Joe was able to slap it in to a half-empty net. One minute later, Devin Setoguchi scored his 7th of the season giving an assist to Joe Thornton. Over the last few games, it is clear that Jumbo Joe has a new target in addition to Jonathan Cheechoo. With these two scorers on the ice, it's going to be tough for the defense to limit their offensive production. The final goal came from Steve Bernier, his 4th of the season. Steve is another player that has impressed me lately; the tough winger is willing to fight and draw penalties which definitely helps the team. In addition, I feel like he's been the screen on a couple of major goals over the last four games.

Overall, the Sharks played a full 60 minutes, posting 30 shots and six goals. The previous night, San Jose let Dallas back into the game after a solid first period. This time around, the Sharks did not let that happen. In fact, even with the six goal lead and less than five minutes to play, San Jose kept putting quality shots on net till the buzzer sounded...and that's what I like to see.