Are You Kidding Me?

Sharks 3, Flames 4

After the San Jose Sharks scored three quick goals against the Calgary Flames, everyone knew what was coming. The players, the coaches, the fans, me...hell, even my dog knew what was coming after putting three quick ones by Miikka Kiprusoff. If everyone knew what was coming, then why did the "rough stuff" strategy still work?

Rather than trying to dissect the game and figure out what happened, let me just rant.

Really?! Three goals in the first five minutes of a game isn't enough to win? Do we have no strategy in place to maintain a three goal lead? WTF?! Simply ridiculous.
Hey Thornton, Cheechoo, Michalek...when the hell are you guys going to do something? I understand that the Flames are paying special attention to you, but teams have been doing that all year. Where's the killer instinct?
Did this feel familiar to anyone? As soon as the rough stuff started, the Sharks had difficulty putting two passes together. Instead, everyone seemed content to just dump it out of the zone...just like Game One. Where's that new mental toughness that everyone's talking about?
What is even more eerily familiar (than Game One) is that the Sharks just fell apart after Marleau was crushed by a Sarich check. Sharks fans...you know what I'm referring to...Edmonton...Torres...Michalek. Let's hope that this playoff series doesn't end up with the same result.

Honestly, I just don't know what's going on. Had the Sharks loss by a score of 1 to 0, I might feel a little bit better about giving away Game Three. But there's just something about losing a game in which you had a three goal lead...it seems to hurt a little more. Who am I kidding? It hurts a whole lot. It's as if the Flames really do have the Sharks' number this year...regardless of what the situation is...

I worry that this loss will get into the heads of the players because it sure has gotten into my head. I just keep asking myself over and over again: "If we can't win a game in which we have an early three goal lead, how are we going to win the Stanley Cup?"

Well, only the Sharks can answer that question, but I know one thing's for sure...it's going to take a helluva lot of work to get there. The only positive thing I can think of right now is that it's early and we still have three or four games left in this series to get things done. Other than that, Game Three was a disaster if you ask me.

A San Jose Sharks Blog