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Plenty of goals in Tampa and a trade for the Sharks

February 17, 2012, 12:05 AM ET [17 Comments]
Cam Gore
San Jose Sharks Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Plenty of goals in Tampa and a trade for the Sharks

The Sharks lost tonight’s game 6-5 in overtime to the struggling Tampa Bay Lightning, but the bright side of the day’s events for San Jose was the news that Dominic Moore will be joining the team for the stretch run and into the playoffs.

Great goaltending will not be remembered from tonight’s game as eleven goals were scored between the two teams. The lead changed four times and the scoring was well spread out.

Tonight’s game is one that can be broken down by the good the bad and the ugly.

The Good

The good from tonight’s game from the Sharks perspective were plenty. First off they got secondary scoring from the defense. Colin White scored his first goal since 2009, Marc-Eduoard Vlasic netted his 4th of the season and Dan Boyle added two assists.

The spread out scoring up front was shared by Tommy Wingels who had a goal and two assists and was the best Shark on the ice. Jamie McGinn and Torrey Mitchell each had two helpers. Michal Handzus got on the board with a goal and Logan Couture continues to be the most consistent forward with a goal and an assist.

The Bad

The bad was without a doubt the netminding. Niemi can’t be blamed for all the goals but his inconsistency this season I’m sure has turned some heads and asked some questions.

Douglas Murray played 0:29 seconds and was hit in the throat with the puck. Murray didn’t return and was taken to the hospital.

The Ugly

The ugly tonight was some of the bounces we saw. Martin St Louis’ tying goal was an ugly one along with the defensive play by both teams. The Sharks peppered the Lightning goalie Dwayne Roloson with 50 shots and outshot their opponent 2-1, but still lost. That is ugly.

Dominic Moore was traded just prior to game time from the Tampa Bay Lightning to the Sharks. The Sharks got Moore and a 7th round draft pick in exchange for a 2nd round pick in the upcoming draft, the pick was originally Minnesota’s. He did not suit up for San Jose but will join the team on the flight to Carolina which means there is a good chance he will make his Sharks debut tomorrow night against Carolina.

Moore has been a journeyman in the NHL. The Sharks will be his 9th team and he is only 31 years young. Moore enjoyed his best season as a pro last year scoring 18 goals and 32 points.

Moore should be a good fit for San Jose because he can come in and help the team as a winger or in the middle; he can take draws, kill penalties, help on the power play, has playoff experience and is a bright fellow. Moore’s mother is one of twelve siblings from Windsor Ontario all of whom have gone on to become doctors or lawyers.

Moore has all the attributes that the Sharks need except for that ability to intimidate opponents. Moore won’t initiate but he won’t back down either. He is very difficult to play against and is strong from whistle to whistle. Dominic can grind with the best of them and he is a clever player with and without the puck.

Scoring details

1st Period

SJ – 1:16 –PP – 39 L.Couture(24) – assists – 19 J.Thornton(39), 12 P.Marleau(23)

TB – 9:30 –EV – 91 S.Stamkos(38) – assists – 29 B.Mikkelson(1), 9 S.Downie(16)

TB – 19:35 –PP – 16 T.Purcell(14) – assists – 29 B.Mikkelson(2), 91 S.Stamkos(26)

2nd Period

SJ – 1:44 –EV – 26 M.Handzus(7) – assists – 64 J.McGinn(10), 17 T.Mitchell(8)

TB – 14:08 –EV – 9 S.Downie(12) – assists – 2 E.Brewer(13), 77 V.Hedman(8)

SJ – 14:37 –EV – 44 M.Vlasic(4) – assists – 57 T.Wingels(2), 22 D.Boyle(27)

SJ – 15:44 –EV – 5 C.White(1) – assists – 64 J.McGinn(11), 17 T.Mitchell(9)

3rd Period

TB – 2:44 –EV – 91 S.Stamkos(39) – assists - 77 V.Hedman(9), 12 R.Malone(12)

TB – 8:01 –EV – 26 M.StLouis(17) – assists – 4 V.Lecavalier(25), 16 T.Purcell(21)

SJ – 14:50 –EV – 57 T.Wingels(2) – assists – 39 L.Couture(24), 22 D.Boyle(28)

OT

TB – 4:27 –EV – 26 M.StLouis(18) – assists – 77 V.Hedman(10), 91 S.Stamkos(27)

The turning point in this contest was the winner in overtime. It was anybody’s game up until that point with four lead changes and bad goaltending.

Contenders & Pretenders

Contenders

Tommy Wingels – played his best game as a Shark tonight and for that has earned the top contender position.

Steven Stamkos – was unstoppable scoring two goals and two assists. We don’t get to see him often as he is from the Eastern Conference but it was a thrill tonight and we saw why he should again win the Rocket Richard trophy for most goals in the regular season.

Martin St Louis – had two goals including the game winner. It may not have been pretty but he is a clutch performer and seems to get better with age.

GM Wilson – strengthened his team tonight by adding a versatile veteran with a pretty good track record and playoff experience. He didn’t have to sell the farm to get him either. Welcome to the contender’s list.

Pretenders

Antti Niemi – was not into tonight’s game mentally and it showed. Bad goals have become more common this year. It was last season at this time that Niemi began to play his best hockey and Sharks fans everywhere are pining for him to return to that form.

Team defense – was awful tonight but only Colin White was minus-3. They can all share a spot on the pretender’s list.

Logan Couture – had a good night offensively but should have shifted down to take St Louis on the winning goal in overtime. It was a tough position to be in because there was another Lightning player charging the net behind him.

The Sharks don’t have to wait long to get back at it as they travel to Carolina tonight to play the Hurricanes tomorrow evening. The road trip continues against another team below 500, however they have turned things around since Kirk Muller took over.

Keep your sticks on the ice,
Cam Gore
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