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San Jose Sharks Blogger •
Way back on October 15, I figured anything more than seven points would be an excellent result during the San Jose Sharks’ six-game road trip. Dealing with a couple key injuries, a number of new faces, and lines that seemed to be shifting every night, it seemed the Sharks were going to be lucky to arrive home with a .500 record on the road. Well, the team rolled into San Jose this morning with eight well-deserved points, capping their 4-2 record with an impressive 4-1 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Sharks showed some inconsistency, and they were lucky to escape the Atlanta Thrashers game with two points, but overall it was a strong effort from a group that’s still gelling and establishing an identity early in the season. One of the standout performances came from 27-year-old rookie Ryan Vesce, who joined the team on Long Island and posted four points in four games before being sidelined with a lower body injury last night. He earned a regular shift on the top line, and was one of San Jose’s best players in the loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Another highlight of the trip had to be the play of rookie defenseman Jason Demers. The offensive rearguard opened the season with several dangerous turnovers in his own zone, but he was safer than a turtleneck sweater during the road trip, moving the puck well and contributing on the power play. Few would have imagined it two weeks ago, but you could make the argument that the Demers-Huskins pairing was the Sharks’ most consistent defensive duo over the course of the trip, and Huskins made huge improvements after a terrible effort against the Washington Capitals.
Sticking with the theme of rookies and new faces, Thomas Greiss made only his third NHL start last night against the Flyers, recording his first career victory. He bobbled the puck at times and wasn’t tested as much as the numbers indicate – stopping 37 of 38 shots – but Greiss was very impressive in his first start of the season. His performance also continued the San Jose trend of the backup goaltender putting up better statistics than the full-time starter, following in the footsteps of predecessors Vesa Toskala and Brian Boucher.
While it was encouraging to see the coaching staff give Greiss a start, and put Evgeni Nabokov on pace to start only 75 games rather than 82, it was also interesting to see how many backups the Sharks faced over the course of their six-game road trip. Jose Theodore and Simeon Varlamov are splitting the starts in Washington, and the Sharks saw both goaltenders at the start of the trip. Martin Biron got the call for the Islanders, Steve Valiquette started for the Rangers, John Hedberg received the nod for the Thrashers and Boucher started for the Flyers.
Overall, the Sharks saw the opposition’s backup goaltender start four of the six games. They won each game that a backup started, and happened to receive a couple of bad goals during three of those wins. The Staubitz goal, Marleau’s second against the Thrashers, and Malhotra’s first goal come to mind immediately. So you have to ask the question, why would so many teams call on their backups with San Jose in town?
Most teams wouldn’t be favored to win against the defending Presidents’ Trophy winners, so they start the backup hoping he can steal a point or two. If not, there’s no harm done because they weren’t expected to win and the Sharks play in the Western Conference, so they’re not giving up points to a Conference rival. It’s a case where the Sharks’ reputation gives them an advantage, and they certainly capitalized over the course of the trip. I’m not taking anything away from the Sharks, but if you’re facing the backup 66 percent of the time you’d better win 66 percent of the games.
***
The Sharks certainly saved their best defensive effort for last during the 4-1 victory over Philadelphia. Whether the team was more mindful of their own zone with Greiss between the pipes or they were simply able to play the majority of the game with the lead, the defense kept the Flyers to the outside and didn’t allow many second chances in close.
Three Studs
3. Thomas Greiss - We all knew he was going to represent Germany at the Olympics, but nobody knew if that meant he was a reliable NHL backup goaltender. Greiss was better than he had to be during the win, challenging the puck and showing a lot more confidence than I expected. Greiss certainly proved he deserves to play more often than once every 12 games, and that’s a huge step at this point.
2. Manny Malhotra - Malhotra hadn’t played poorly during the first three weeks of the season, he just turned the puck over a little too often and hadn’t been rewarded for the chances he created. He finally netted his first goal of the season, and followed it up with a bomb over Boucher’s shoulder moments later. He doesn’t need to score two a night, but two every 12 games will be welcomed at this point on the third line.
1. Patrick Marleau - With or without the C, playing on the first or second line, seeing power play and penalty kill minutes, Marleau has proven he’s a beast in October. He’s been easily the Sharks’ best and most consistent player through the first 12 games, eliminating any doubts about his mental state after being stripped of the captaincy, and he’s playing with the NHL equivalent of chopped liver on the team’s second line.
Three Duds
3. Dany Heatley - Ottawa Senators fans are correct when they say you don’t really notice Heatley for 59 minutes and 50 seconds of the game, but then he’ll provide a great 10 seconds and put one in the back of the net. His competitiveness comes under question almost every night, and it’s been a key factor in the top line’s lack of productivity 5-on-5. Still, he’s a gifted sniper and contributing to the deadly San Jose power play.
2. Marc-Edouard Vlasic - Pickles is still the best nickname on the team, but that’s the only area where Vlasic excels. At this point, the offensive and defensive wizardry Christian Ehrhoff is displaying in Vancouver is making people wonder why the Sharks chose to move his $3.1 million cap hit rather than Vlasic’s. That a darn good question. Vlasic will have to provide a better answer than we’re getting through 12 games.
1. Jody Shelley - He’s fighting at an extraordinary rate, which means he’s losing fights, blood and teeth at an extraordinary rate. Shelley’s play has dropped off this season, he’s not picking his spots very well, he’s taking more bad penalties, and each of those factors have left me wondering why he’s in the lineup every night. There have to better options for 4-6 minutes a night.
ryan.garner@hockeybuzz.com
The Sharks showed some inconsistency, and they were lucky to escape the Atlanta Thrashers game with two points, but overall it was a strong effort from a group that’s still gelling and establishing an identity early in the season. One of the standout performances came from 27-year-old rookie Ryan Vesce, who joined the team on Long Island and posted four points in four games before being sidelined with a lower body injury last night. He earned a regular shift on the top line, and was one of San Jose’s best players in the loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Another highlight of the trip had to be the play of rookie defenseman Jason Demers. The offensive rearguard opened the season with several dangerous turnovers in his own zone, but he was safer than a turtleneck sweater during the road trip, moving the puck well and contributing on the power play. Few would have imagined it two weeks ago, but you could make the argument that the Demers-Huskins pairing was the Sharks’ most consistent defensive duo over the course of the trip, and Huskins made huge improvements after a terrible effort against the Washington Capitals.
Sticking with the theme of rookies and new faces, Thomas Greiss made only his third NHL start last night against the Flyers, recording his first career victory. He bobbled the puck at times and wasn’t tested as much as the numbers indicate – stopping 37 of 38 shots – but Greiss was very impressive in his first start of the season. His performance also continued the San Jose trend of the backup goaltender putting up better statistics than the full-time starter, following in the footsteps of predecessors Vesa Toskala and Brian Boucher.
While it was encouraging to see the coaching staff give Greiss a start, and put Evgeni Nabokov on pace to start only 75 games rather than 82, it was also interesting to see how many backups the Sharks faced over the course of their six-game road trip. Jose Theodore and Simeon Varlamov are splitting the starts in Washington, and the Sharks saw both goaltenders at the start of the trip. Martin Biron got the call for the Islanders, Steve Valiquette started for the Rangers, John Hedberg received the nod for the Thrashers and Boucher started for the Flyers.
Overall, the Sharks saw the opposition’s backup goaltender start four of the six games. They won each game that a backup started, and happened to receive a couple of bad goals during three of those wins. The Staubitz goal, Marleau’s second against the Thrashers, and Malhotra’s first goal come to mind immediately. So you have to ask the question, why would so many teams call on their backups with San Jose in town?
Most teams wouldn’t be favored to win against the defending Presidents’ Trophy winners, so they start the backup hoping he can steal a point or two. If not, there’s no harm done because they weren’t expected to win and the Sharks play in the Western Conference, so they’re not giving up points to a Conference rival. It’s a case where the Sharks’ reputation gives them an advantage, and they certainly capitalized over the course of the trip. I’m not taking anything away from the Sharks, but if you’re facing the backup 66 percent of the time you’d better win 66 percent of the games.
***
The Sharks certainly saved their best defensive effort for last during the 4-1 victory over Philadelphia. Whether the team was more mindful of their own zone with Greiss between the pipes or they were simply able to play the majority of the game with the lead, the defense kept the Flyers to the outside and didn’t allow many second chances in close.
Three Studs
3. Thomas Greiss - We all knew he was going to represent Germany at the Olympics, but nobody knew if that meant he was a reliable NHL backup goaltender. Greiss was better than he had to be during the win, challenging the puck and showing a lot more confidence than I expected. Greiss certainly proved he deserves to play more often than once every 12 games, and that’s a huge step at this point.
2. Manny Malhotra - Malhotra hadn’t played poorly during the first three weeks of the season, he just turned the puck over a little too often and hadn’t been rewarded for the chances he created. He finally netted his first goal of the season, and followed it up with a bomb over Boucher’s shoulder moments later. He doesn’t need to score two a night, but two every 12 games will be welcomed at this point on the third line.
1. Patrick Marleau - With or without the C, playing on the first or second line, seeing power play and penalty kill minutes, Marleau has proven he’s a beast in October. He’s been easily the Sharks’ best and most consistent player through the first 12 games, eliminating any doubts about his mental state after being stripped of the captaincy, and he’s playing with the NHL equivalent of chopped liver on the team’s second line.
Three Duds
3. Dany Heatley - Ottawa Senators fans are correct when they say you don’t really notice Heatley for 59 minutes and 50 seconds of the game, but then he’ll provide a great 10 seconds and put one in the back of the net. His competitiveness comes under question almost every night, and it’s been a key factor in the top line’s lack of productivity 5-on-5. Still, he’s a gifted sniper and contributing to the deadly San Jose power play.
2. Marc-Edouard Vlasic - Pickles is still the best nickname on the team, but that’s the only area where Vlasic excels. At this point, the offensive and defensive wizardry Christian Ehrhoff is displaying in Vancouver is making people wonder why the Sharks chose to move his $3.1 million cap hit rather than Vlasic’s. That a darn good question. Vlasic will have to provide a better answer than we’re getting through 12 games.
1. Jody Shelley - He’s fighting at an extraordinary rate, which means he’s losing fights, blood and teeth at an extraordinary rate. Shelley’s play has dropped off this season, he’s not picking his spots very well, he’s taking more bad penalties, and each of those factors have left me wondering why he’s in the lineup every night. There have to better options for 4-6 minutes a night.
ryan.garner@hockeybuzz.com
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