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San Jose Sharks Blogger •
Injuries to Joe Pavelski, Devin Setoguchi and Torrey Mitchell have put the San Jose Sharks’ forward depth to the test this season, and the 11-4-1 Sharks have passed that test with flying colors. There’s some debate whether it’s been a wobbly, 12-second flight like the Wright brothers’ initial journey or a transcontinental flight on the supersonic Concorde, but the Sharks’ reinforcements have performed better than anyone expected.
Tonight the Sharks' defensive depth will step into the testing center, thanks to the upper-body injury suffered by veteran blueliner Rob Blake. There’s no word on how long he’ll be out, but Derek Joslin has already been called up from Worcester, adding a second rookie to the Sharks’ full-time defensive corps. Unfortunately, the Sharks don’t have the cap space to bring in any free agent help (Chris Chelios? Alexei Semenov?) and a trade is highly unlikely, so the Sharks will have to sink or swim with Joslin and shift players around to replace Blake’s 21 minutes a night.
Blake was injured on an innocent looking play, and the strange circumstances have to remind Shark fans of the shoulder injury suffered by Jeremy Roenick in December 2008. Initially, Roenick was projected to miss three weeks, but had to undergo arthroscopic surgery, which kept him out of the lineup for the next 28 games. He returned for a stint in March, only to re-injure the shoulder and sit for another 11-game stretch. Blake and Roenick were born just over a month apart, just in case anybody’s wondering.
Blake’s injury puts more pressure on the Sharks defense, and a team that went nine deep (Campbell, Carle, Ehrhoff, McLaren, Murray, Ozolinsh, Rivet, Semenov, Vlasic) in NHL talent as little as 18 months ago now has to rely on more unproven youngsters as they try to keep pace in the competitive Pacific Division. It’s certainly an interesting time for games against the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins, and we’ll see if the Sharks can continue to battle through adversity with strong results.
***
Last night’s 3-2 shootout win over the Columbus Blue Jackets wasn’t pretty, but it was a very effective road game. The Sharks were able to control the play for stretches, and Evgeni Nabokov stood tall once again in the penalty shot competition. It was also nice to see some the Sharks’ best players perform well once again. During the last three games the San Jose’s first line has been its best line, and that trend continued against Columbus.
Three Studs
3. Dany Heatley – The cynic: Heatley was going after loose pucks, finishing his checks and backchecking against the Columbus forwards — most likely because the Team Canada brain trust was in the building. The optimist: Heatley’s finally clicking with his linemates and generating regular scoring chances, making his teammates better while winning the hearts and minds of hockey fans everywhere.
2. Evgeni Nabokov – Nabokov was tough to beat, continuing his strong play between the pipes. He’s frustrating shooters, forcing them to crash the net and shoot for the rebound rather than trying to beat him up high. Plus, he’s turning into a shootout star and I love his admission that he doesn’t study shooters, preferring to react on the fly rather than overthinking. Maybe Toskala should take notes.
1. Joe Thornton – Sure there was a little goaltender interference on his goal (honestly, you’ll never see him go down that easily) but Shark fans want to see more of that from Jumbo. He finished the night with three hits and two blocked shots, controlling the pace well and dominating the faceoff circle once again. Thornton can do that any night if he wants to, he just has to decide to do it.
Three Duds
3. Douglas Murray – Things get a little scary in the San Jose zone when Murray starts running around, chasing the puck and taking himself out of position. Simple is better for the big man, who can still get rattled by physical contact when a forward takes him down. Rick Nash didn’t back down all night and you could see he got into Murray’s head, taking him off his game at times.
2. Brad Staubitz – We all love the guy, but Staubitz wouldn’t be in the lineup if a) there wasn’t a salary cap, and b) the Sharks didn’t have more injuries than group of lawn dart enthusiasts. He proved why last night, taking a stupid penalty in his encounter with Columbus tough guy Jared Boll and shifting the momentum in the Blue Jackets’ favor. Staubitz has to be smarter than that.
1. Rob Blake – As the team’s captain and most experienced player, Blake has to set the example for his teammates, but he made a boneheaded decision last night. When he went down with his team shorthanded, he should have gone to the bench, leaving them with a 5-on-3 for 10 seconds rather than 40. When you’re useless, get off the ice! Blake made a crucial mistake, leading to the Blue Jackets’ second goal.
***
Thanks to Eddie from San Jose, Mike from Walnut Creek and Eric Smith from Columbus for contributing to a great show last night. There’s going to be a lot to discuss on tonight’s SharksBuzz Postgame Show, so join us at approximately 7 p.m. PT and weigh in with your thoughts at (724) 444-7444, talkcast ID# 74909.
ryan.garner@hockeybuzz.com
Tonight the Sharks' defensive depth will step into the testing center, thanks to the upper-body injury suffered by veteran blueliner Rob Blake. There’s no word on how long he’ll be out, but Derek Joslin has already been called up from Worcester, adding a second rookie to the Sharks’ full-time defensive corps. Unfortunately, the Sharks don’t have the cap space to bring in any free agent help (Chris Chelios? Alexei Semenov?) and a trade is highly unlikely, so the Sharks will have to sink or swim with Joslin and shift players around to replace Blake’s 21 minutes a night.
Blake was injured on an innocent looking play, and the strange circumstances have to remind Shark fans of the shoulder injury suffered by Jeremy Roenick in December 2008. Initially, Roenick was projected to miss three weeks, but had to undergo arthroscopic surgery, which kept him out of the lineup for the next 28 games. He returned for a stint in March, only to re-injure the shoulder and sit for another 11-game stretch. Blake and Roenick were born just over a month apart, just in case anybody’s wondering.
Blake’s injury puts more pressure on the Sharks defense, and a team that went nine deep (Campbell, Carle, Ehrhoff, McLaren, Murray, Ozolinsh, Rivet, Semenov, Vlasic) in NHL talent as little as 18 months ago now has to rely on more unproven youngsters as they try to keep pace in the competitive Pacific Division. It’s certainly an interesting time for games against the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins, and we’ll see if the Sharks can continue to battle through adversity with strong results.
***
Last night’s 3-2 shootout win over the Columbus Blue Jackets wasn’t pretty, but it was a very effective road game. The Sharks were able to control the play for stretches, and Evgeni Nabokov stood tall once again in the penalty shot competition. It was also nice to see some the Sharks’ best players perform well once again. During the last three games the San Jose’s first line has been its best line, and that trend continued against Columbus.
Three Studs
3. Dany Heatley – The cynic: Heatley was going after loose pucks, finishing his checks and backchecking against the Columbus forwards — most likely because the Team Canada brain trust was in the building. The optimist: Heatley’s finally clicking with his linemates and generating regular scoring chances, making his teammates better while winning the hearts and minds of hockey fans everywhere.
2. Evgeni Nabokov – Nabokov was tough to beat, continuing his strong play between the pipes. He’s frustrating shooters, forcing them to crash the net and shoot for the rebound rather than trying to beat him up high. Plus, he’s turning into a shootout star and I love his admission that he doesn’t study shooters, preferring to react on the fly rather than overthinking. Maybe Toskala should take notes.
1. Joe Thornton – Sure there was a little goaltender interference on his goal (honestly, you’ll never see him go down that easily) but Shark fans want to see more of that from Jumbo. He finished the night with three hits and two blocked shots, controlling the pace well and dominating the faceoff circle once again. Thornton can do that any night if he wants to, he just has to decide to do it.
Three Duds
3. Douglas Murray – Things get a little scary in the San Jose zone when Murray starts running around, chasing the puck and taking himself out of position. Simple is better for the big man, who can still get rattled by physical contact when a forward takes him down. Rick Nash didn’t back down all night and you could see he got into Murray’s head, taking him off his game at times.
2. Brad Staubitz – We all love the guy, but Staubitz wouldn’t be in the lineup if a) there wasn’t a salary cap, and b) the Sharks didn’t have more injuries than group of lawn dart enthusiasts. He proved why last night, taking a stupid penalty in his encounter with Columbus tough guy Jared Boll and shifting the momentum in the Blue Jackets’ favor. Staubitz has to be smarter than that.
1. Rob Blake – As the team’s captain and most experienced player, Blake has to set the example for his teammates, but he made a boneheaded decision last night. When he went down with his team shorthanded, he should have gone to the bench, leaving them with a 5-on-3 for 10 seconds rather than 40. When you’re useless, get off the ice! Blake made a crucial mistake, leading to the Blue Jackets’ second goal.
***
Thanks to Eddie from San Jose, Mike from Walnut Creek and Eric Smith from Columbus for contributing to a great show last night. There’s going to be a lot to discuss on tonight’s SharksBuzz Postgame Show, so join us at approximately 7 p.m. PT and weigh in with your thoughts at (724) 444-7444, talkcast ID# 74909.
ryan.garner@hockeybuzz.com
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