The San Jose Sharks are impossible to understand.
Are they good? Are they bad? Are the lucky? Are they all three?
They found a way to beat the Toronto Maple Leafs last night and I'm still trying to figure out how they did it.
Defenseman (at least that's what they tell me) Brent Burns scored 2:13 into OT to end the game.
This game looked like it was destined to be a rout. The Sharks grabbed a 2-0 lead in the game first 12 minutes. They held a 21-9 shot advantage by the end of the first and the game looked like it could become a much-needed laugher for Pete Deboer's team.
But, not this Sharks team. This team is all about doing things the hard way.
Leafs starting goalie Garrett Sparks left with an injury following San Jose's second goal. He was replaced by a struggling Jonathan Bernier.
Bernier entered the game with a 0-7-3 record with a save percentage well south of .900. That should have been a good thing. It did not look that way...at first
As I stated earlier...nothing comes easy for this Sharks group.
Toronto never let up. They jumped all over San Jose's lazy zone play and it paid off again and again....and again....and again. The Sharks forgot that one period does not a hockey game make.
San Jose allowed the Leafs to score four unanswered goals and grab a 4-2 lead. The game looked over.
BUT....
Third-period goals by Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Matt Nieto saved the day, Burns won it when he ripped a shot { WIDE BUT DEFLECTED IN} from the slot past Bernier. It was the 11th goal of the season for Burns.
Patrick Marleau and Joe Pavelski also scored for San Jose and a win is a win is a win, ugly or not.
...
Thank goodness for Brent Burns. (I think)
Burns is a human turnover machine and can only be called a defenseman because of where he lines up on the ice for a face-off. Burns is rarely ever in position to make a good defensive play. But, the man is an offensive weapon and one of the few reliable ones on the Sharks roster. The bearded one finished the game with a goal and two assists and led all skated with 27:18 of ice time.
...
On The Rise...
The Sharks raised their record to 16-14-1 and hang onto the second spot in the Pacific Division for now. The Calgary Flames won again and are only point behind San Jose. The Flames have won seven in a row and having really turned their season around after the slow start.
San Jose is 2-0-0 after the first two games of their five-game road trip and improved their NHL best road record to 12-5-1, but they are an NHL-worst 4-9-0 at home...
Somehow that shouldn't surprise anyone because this team has more personalities than Sybil.
Next Up: Ottawa Senators
What to watch for...
- The Sharks can improve to to 3-0-0 on this pre-Christmas road trip and be the first team in the NHL with 13 wins on the road if they can pull out another W tonight.
- The Senators (16-11-5) went 2-0 against the Sharks last season. Ottawa is one point behind Detroit and Boston for second in they Atlantic Division. But, the Sens have cooled off and are just 4-6-0 in their last 10 games.
- Five different Sharks had a goal on Thursday night. San Jose will need to keep spreading the wealth around if they want to keep this current road streak alive.
- Remember when I said captain Joe Pavelski was ice cold? Not so much anymore. Pavelski has five points (2g 3a) in the last two games and goals in back-to-back games for the first time since a five-game goal streak in late October/early November.
- Alex Stalock (2-4-0 2.95 GAA .891 SV%) could get the start tonight. Martin Jones made 27 save and picked up his 14th win on Thursday.
- Tonight's game with be the 29th meeting between these two clubs all time. San Jose holds a slight edge with a 13-11-4 record.
Thanks for reading, Steve