Another Hot Goalie Adds a Loss to San Jose's Record

Video Highlights from Last Game

Another Hot Goalie Adds a Loss to San Jose's Record

It was only 13 days ago when the San Jose Sharks somehow beat the Columbus Blue Jackets after being outplayed for most of the game. Well, this time around...things were different. Tonight, Team Teal ran into Steve Mason of the Columbus Blue Jackets...more specifically, they ran into a wall that was able to stop 47 out of 48 shots.

Apparently, the best way to beat the San Jose Sharks this year is to simply have your goalie make some amazing saves...just take a look at the six games in which Team Teal lost this season.

Anaheim: Giguere, 0 goals allowed on 38 shots
Florida: Vokoun, 3 goals allowed on 50 shots
Phoenix: Bryzgalov, 2 goals allowed on 32 shots
Nashville: Ellis, 3 goals allowed on 57 shots
Edmonton: Roloson, 2 goals allowed on 43 shots
Columbus: Mason, 1 goal allowed on 48 shots

In the six losses above, the combined save percentage is 0.959. That is simply insane. When a team runs into a goalie playing that well, it's almost impossible to win. Tonight was a perfect example.

For most of the game, San Jose dominated in almost every way, but Columbus was somehow able to fight back and skate away with the two points. They did have a little help from Dan Boyle who uncharacteristically gave away the puck that turned into the game tying goal. With the way Number 22 has been playing this year, I'm sure we can all forgive him, but it was clearly a very bad decision.

When the game eventually reached overtime, the Blue Jackets were fortunate enough to find an opportunity on the odd-man rush. Taking full advantage of the scoring chance, Columbus put one by Evgeni Nabokov and won it for their young, hardworking goaltender.

I guess the only silver lining I can take away from this game was that the Sharks were ready and they skated hard. They weren't thinking about tomorrow's matchup against the Detroit Red Wings...they were focused on tonight. Unfortunately, it didn't result in a win, but San Jose did take another point with them for the standings.

Some may argue that the effort was a waste of time and now they will be too tired to take on the Red Wings. Well, I initially was thinking the same thing. But, if the Sharks truly are the "best team in the NHL", then they will find a way to put forth their best effort...and I expect them to do so. Besides, if we can't find that extra motivation and energy when going up against Detroit, then we're not mentally ready for a long playoff run.

In the post-season, San Jose will face much more adversity than an OT loss on the front end of a back-to-back. So, we should look at this as a test...can we beat the Stanley Cup Champions after losing in OT the night before?

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