The Sharks came off of their first significant road trip and were challenged by the Eastern conference leaders the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Penguins have been picked by many to hoist the Cup next spring and have had tremendous success no matter who is in their line-up.

The Pens have gone without Sidney Crosby the NHL’s best player since early last year and have also had to play without skilled players such as Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal this season. Kris Letang and Staal were questionable for tonight’s game and only Kris Letang who is an early season candidate for the Norris trophy was in the line-up to face-off against San Jose.

Although tonight’s contest was Joe Thornton’s 1,006th game his 1,000th was on the road so Sharks fans were treated to a pre-game celebration for Jumbo. He received the usual silver stick, a plaque with a puck from his first and 1000th game, which is the norm. What was unusual was the Wholly Mammoth tusk that was brought out onto the ice and gifted to the Sharks captain.

For the first period the Sharks were still enjoying the pre-game presentation and forgot switch gears. To say that San Jose was awful in the first would be a compliment to how they performed. At the 2:04 mark of the game the Penguins were up 2-0 with goals from Derek Engelland and Evgeni Malkin and that was the end of Antti Niemi’s night.

Coach McLellan is always to the point in his post-game talks and spoke about the turnaround from the start to the finish of the game. “We turned our heads on, we started to skate, we found an emotional attachment to the game, we began to at least come close to their work ethic and then worked our way into the game.”

The coach was credited with motivating his team in between periods and some said that he could be heard all the way in the press box. Joe Thornton pointed out the important thing and that is that the team responded.

Thomas Greiss came in and after looking shaky on his first few shots settled in to play a great game earning the first star on the night. Greiss had to be good because the rest of his team were still trying to find their game. Greiss stopped Chris Kunitz at point blank range and sent a message to the Pens that scoring goals would become much more difficult than it was with the starter Niemi between the pipes.

It was so dismal in the first period that the coach tried a strategy that is seldom used in the first. He changed up the lines trying to get somebody going. It worked, Patrick Marleau and Logan Couture switched positions and Pattie started wheeling. Marleau got his team on the board with a great burst of speed and a hard shot that found its way through Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury.


The second period started the way the first ended, with one of the most exciting plays in hockey, a fight. Brad Winchester dropped the gloves at the end of the first and got the crowd interested. When Ryan Clowe and Derek Engelland dropped the gloves to start the second it was then that the crowd got loud because these two had a fantastic bout. Both players looked as they were out of it at one point but rallied to get their shots in.

The Sharks battled back from a two goal deficit twice in this game to tie things up and force overtime. They showed a lot of guts and character to come back against a great defensive hockey team and one of the league’s best goalies at playing with a lead. They were down 2-0 and 3-1 but were able to put the first twenty minutes behind them and play with purpose for the last forty.

Ryan Clowe scored as nice of a backhand goal you will ever see fooling the Pens goalie high over his right shoulder at the midway point in the third period. Clowe continues to cement his reputation as a leader for the Sharks, he scored a goal, had a great scrap which got the crowd back into things, and scored the shootout winner tonight.

Clowe spoke about his shootout goal for us afterwards “I watched the first two guys shoot and I noticed he was back in his crease, obviously I go to the backhand most of the time that’s no secret, but that low blocker shot is a tough save.”

Clowe had already scored on a backhand shot in the game and has the reputation of going there in shootouts, as he mentioned. So Clowe sold that shot to Fleury before pulling the puck back over to his forehand and brilliantly firing in the only shootout goal.

Jamie McGinn picked a good time to score his first of the year tying the game with less than four minutes to play.

The turning point in this game was when coach McLellan pulled Niemi for Greiss. Niemi was clearly not ready to play tonight. The first goal was a result of a number of errors by the Sharks starter. He should have controlled the rebound, held on to his stick, and the puck went in from a poor angle on a shot that he saw the whole way.

Contenders and Pretenders

Contenders

Ryan Clowe – was the first contender tonight because as much as the Winchester fight got the place going it came at the end of the period and the crowd needed something in the second to get them on board. This guy is a true hockey player who does it all.

Thomas Greiss – deserves a big hand because when you know you aren’t starting you don’t take near as many shots as the other goalie does in warm up. Greiss looked a little shaky on the first couple but settled in to a groove and his teammates followed suit.

Coach McLellan – was great tonight and gets a nod as a contender. He didn’t hesitate to yank Niemi, he changed the lines earlier in the game than usual, and he gave it to his team in between periods which he isn’t known for, therefore it works when he does.

Evgeni Malkin – was a force for Pitt tonight finishing the game with two goals and an assist. He was a threat in the offensive zone and almost scored in OT.

Douglas Murray – was a tank out there tonight and saved a goal on a rap around attempt in the dying minutes of the game.

Pretenders

Antti Niemi – is the first that comes to mind for clearly not being mentally prepared to go tonight. It makes you wonder if he takes the starters role for granted.

Paul Martin – had a rough go tonight and was on the ice for all three Sharks goals, to earn the second pretender.

Ready Eddie & Brent Burns – can share this one for also being on the ice for all three goals against. They struggled to contain Malkin, all be it that is no easy task but we expect better from these two.

The Sharks go again on Saturday night when Nashville come to town.

Keep your sticks on the ice,
Cam Gore

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