The Sharks took advantage of a tired Leafs team for an important two points last night. Vancouver, Minnesota, Calgary, Winnipeg and Colorado all won their games yesterday and St Louis earned a point – so these were a valuable two points that the Sharks came away with.
Shots were 13-12 in favor of Toronto after the first period, but that’s about as much life as the Leafs would have as San Jose outshot them 30-12 for the remainder of the game and took complete control early in the second period and never looked back.
Thoughts
Patrick Marleau Scores: Marleau got a goal in one of the ugliest ways possible – but it counted – and that was huge for him. Is he out of his slump? We’ll have to wait and see on that one but it’s a good start. Personally, I don’t think the goal should have counted – but it did – and he now owes Matt Nieto an expensive meal at a fancy restaurant.
Antti Niemi: Niemi didn’t have a great game but the players in front of him did. San Jose kept the Leafs to 25 shots to give their goaltender a chance to make enough saves for the win and he did – even if he looked shaky all night long.
Tomas Hertl: Herl’s faceoffs were slightly better, going from 38% against Arizona to 40% last night, but they will take time to increase significantly. I like him at center, he looks comfortable and confident, but I think he’s too talented for the fourth line. Long term, as a center, he’s definitely more suited for 3C duties, which would push Sheppard down to the fourth line – although that’s probably not for a little while given Hertl’s green status as an NHL center.
Game Plan: The Sharks came out strong and scored early. They also attacked with significant pressure when Gardiner was on the ice. That’s the easiest way to beat the Toronto Maple Leafs and they did it perfectly. Shots were under 30 and they dominated possession. Well put together 60 minutes for the Sharks that they’ll have to repeat over the next few games to get some important points for separation.
Top Six Lines: Now that Marleau has his goal it’s time to go back to Pavelski and Thornton together. Everything is better when they’re with each other. The Sharks top two lines are both growing stale right now in the production department and I’d wager a bet that it’s because of the composition. Couture and Pavelski just aren’t on the same page – and they haven’t been all season.
Zone Starts: The Goodrow-Sheppard-Wingels line got the short end of the stick in zone starts again and, not surprisingly, struggled from a possession standpoint as a result. The Sharks aren’t being coached as well as they could be right now and when they go back to playing tough, top level competition it’s going to bite them.
Joe Thornton: Jumbo Joe had an off game. He was called for a check to the head of Nazem Kadri in the second and had his dust-up with Dion Phaneuf in the first where he shot the puck at Phaneuf on a “dump in…. You’re better than that Joe, come on. If Phaneuf wants to throw a little tantrum, let him. There’s angry Joe, and then there’s over the top.
Overall, solid two points. This is what the Sharks are going to have to do if they want to build some separation between them and the teams below them. Winnipeg is playing good hockey right now and St Louis is on fire so they’ll need to keep winning to keep pace with those two teams above them as well.
It’s a great start to a big home stand.
The Sharks next game is Saturday against the Calgary Flames.
Thanks for reading.