Sharks Take a Night Off...Mentally

Sharks 4, Coyotes 5 OT

Last night, the San Jose Sharks played one of their worst games in a long time. That may be surprising given that they scored four goals, but if you watched, you know what I'm talking about. The defense was terrible, the goaltending was awful, the only thing that kept this game close was Joe Thornton's One-Man-Show.

Maybe the Sharks took the Coyotes too lightly, or maybe the change in the lineup hurt Team Teal's rhythm. Regardless of what excuse one may use, the bottom line is that San Jose lost to Phoenix.

The only Sharks highlight was the performance of Number 19. On the night, Jumbo Joe scored three goals and had one assist. Unfortunately, his big night was wasted in the loss. When San Jose puts up four goals in a game, I expect them to win...especially against a team that is currently sitting 12th in the Western Conference.

I will say one thing, the third period was relatively exciting. I can't remember the last time I saw so many goals go in the net in such a short period of time. The only problem is that a lot of those goals were going past Evgeni Nabokov. Granted, the San Jose goalie is allowed to have one off-night given his workload this season, but man, Nabby just looked bad. It seemed as if he just wasn't mentally there...I hope that it's not a sign that fatigue may be setting in.

At any rate, I can't just blame Nabby. Everybody looked flat out there. Let's just hope that this loss is a small bump in the road...a reminder that it IS possible to lose when you don't play hard...even if it is against Phoenix.

A San Jose Sharks Blog