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Where has the offense gone?

February 24, 2013, 12:11 AM ET [17 Comments]
Cam Gore
San Jose Sharks Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
The Sharks fell to the Dallas Stars 3-1 in the Lone Star state for their fifth loss on this six game road trip. They have scored a dismal seven goals in the last eight games which, leaves everybody wondering what has happened to the Sharks offense; and more importantly how do they get it back.

“Pretty good effort” said Coach Todd McLellan in the post-game presser.
“You can’t take consolation in that. You have to put points in the bank and were not doing that right now. You can’t win games scoring one goal. We gotta find ways to fix it.”

San Jose recorded 32 shots on net and scored one goal while on a two man advantage, but aside from the 5 on 3 the Sharks weren’t able to sustain pressure. Christopher Nilstorp got his first ever win in the league and the Sharks didn’t necessarily make it easy on him, but they could have made things harder.

The Sharks drastically changed the lines tonight by splitting Thornton and Pavelski for the first time this year. Scott Gomez played with Marleau and Pavelski while Logan Couture played alongside Jumbo and they had some chemistry going but not enough to score, according to the officials anyway.

The absence of Ryane Clowe didn’t help. Clowe is under suspension after the Chicago game last night where he hopped on the ice after Joe Pavelski was boarded in the dying seconds of the game.

San Jose has had their share of bad calls and bounces on this road trip and there were two in tonight’s game that stand out. Douglas Murray was picked while killing a penalty which led to a goal and then received a minor for voicing his opinion about the missed the call. While in the sin bin the Stars scored a second goal to take a 2-0 lead.

The other questionable call was the disallowed goal by Logan Couture on what looked like a normal play. Jumbo Thornton followed the puck in and dug it out from Nilstorp whose momentum from the save took him outside of the net and the crease. The net minder didn’t clearly cover the puck because he wasn’t sure where it was. Thornton then passed it out front to Couture who had an empty cage to fill. It was a great play by Thornton who made the pass from his back, but the officials thought otherwise.

“I thought it was a hockey play” said Todd McLellan.
“I thought it was a forward attacking the net. It’s actually on his tape (referring to the puck) so he’s making a play. You should have the right to make that play.
“I understand about protecting goaltenders, but if we score a couple of goals early then we don’t even have to argue that call.”

San Jose’s best period was the third where they played and showed some desperation. Had they shown that kind effort for sixty minutes it is hard to believe that they would have been trailing when the final buzzer sounded to end the game.

On many nights the effort they put forth in this game will be enough to win, but when a team is fighting through adversity and the slump that the Sharks are enduring the desperation has to be at an all-time high to get results.

It is too bad that San Jose blew another great outing by Antti Niemi. He was great again particularly while killing the two man advantage the Stars had in the first period.

Scoring details

1st period

No scoring

2nd period

DAL – 19:02 –PP – 68 J.Jagr(5) – assists – 14 J.Benn(7), 21 L.Erisson(6)

3rd period

DAL – 0:30 –PP – 73 M.Ryder(6) – assist – 33 A.Goligoski(7)

SJ – 2:19 –PP – 12 P.Marleau(12) – assist – 19 J.Thornton(14)

DAL – 17:49 – 14 J.Benn(6) – assists – 33 A.Goligoski(8), 68 J.Jagr(8)

Turning point

The turning point tonight for the Dallas Stars was the Jamie Benn and Joe Thornton fight. Benn certainly didn’t win the bout, but his team found that extra gear afterwards. The two power play goals were the dagger but the momentum changed after Benn’s scrap.

Contenders & Pretenders

Contenders

Jamie Benn – makes the list for scoring a goal, an assist, and for dropping the gloves with Jumbo. He was a stud for Dallas and we now see how much of a difference he makes for the Stars organization.

Christopher Nilstorp – earned his first NHL win by stopping 31 of the 32 shots he faced and a big two points for his team. The Stars have struggled since starter Kari Lethonen went down, and they needed one of their backups to step up.

Joe Thornton – makes the list for mixing things up and trying to spark his teammates by throwing some knuckle sandwiches with Jamie Benn. With Ryane Clowe out somebody had to fill that role.

Logan Couture – has been the most consistent skater on the Shark’s roster this year and he never takes a shift off. His desire to win is apparent and although his effort isn’t showing up on the scoreboard it will be recognized on the Contender’s list.

Pretenders

Douglas Murray – is the first Pretender of the night for pushing it too far with the ref who gave him the unsportsmanlike minor. Refs will take a tongue lashing especially if they missed a call but they have their breaking point and Murray found out what that was.

The officials – make the list for two botched calls that were factors in tonight’s game. They are human and make mistakes, and often their errors don’t impact the game, but when they do they end up on the Pretender’s list.

Keep your sticks on the ice,
Cam Gore
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