Sharks Outplayed, But Win

Sharks 2, Blue Jackets 1 OT

On Friday night, the San Jose Sharks were dominated for most of the game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Fortunately for Team Teal, Evgeni Nabokov was absolutely on his game. Thanks to Number 20's outstanding performance, the Sharks were somehow able to walk away with two points.

Highlights:

Nabby was strong in net and posted a total of 31 saves...some of which were against breakaways. However, the most important save of the night was on a penalty shot against Rick Nash. If it weren't for Nabokov, the Blue Jackets would have won the game for sure. Instead, Nabby received his 30th win of the season.
When we picked up Craig Rivet, I was a bit underwhelmed by the trade. However, nowadays, I'm a huge fan of the defenseman. His veteran presence, strong play, and timely goals have really made San Jose's blueline respectable this year. But what has surprised me even further is his skill when the gloves have been dropped. The beating he put on Jason Chimera got San Jose going and really put them back in the game.
Ever since there has been talk of a possible trade of captain Patrick Marleau, the centerman has been playing some of his best hockey. In the last four games, Number 12 has a total of two goals and one assist. Last night, Marleau was a key player on the ice for the OT winner. On the play, he won the face-off to give his team possession of the puck. Then, he went to the top of the circle to create traffic in front of Fredrik Norrena, while Joe Thornton snapped the game winner into the far side of the net.
Kyle McLaren returned to the lineup and looked to be okay out on the ice. Granted, he didn't put any huge hits on the Blue Jackets; however, McLaren did play a solid 18:40 and was able to mix it up a bit (4 PIMs).
The game also saw the return of Marcel Goc after a seven game hiatus. On his first shift, the German centerman scored his 3rd goal of the season at 2:34. In addition, the tally also gave new Shark Jody Shelley an assist, his first point of the season.

A San Jose Sharks Blog