Update 5pmET: Whatever the upper-body injury is, it has Vlasic on IR.
#SJSharks recall @ddems2 from @WorcesterSharks. @Vlasic44 has been placed on injured reserve.
— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) February 8, 2015*****
No Marc-Eduoard Vlasic is not a pretty sight.
Not surprisingly, the top defensive pairing of Scott Hannan and Brent Burns was a disaster. They were owned basically every time they stepped in the ice. Last night’s game put a giant spotlight on just how bad the Sharks defense is outside of Vlasic and highlighted their need for another top four defender.
Kevin Kurz tweeted out after the game that Vlasic’s “illness… had been changed to “upper-body injury…. That’s terrible news for the Sharks. Terrible, terrible news.
From the red line back to their own goal the Sharks were a hot mess last night. They were dominated in possession and Antti Niemi’s play went from All-Star NHLer to marginal AHL starter again. There needs to be some consistency; some middle ground. The Sharks are going to have a tough time holding on to a playoff position with such drastic up and down play from their goaltender.
Thoughts
Barclay Goodrow was finally demoted to the fourth line. He’s not an NHL player, no matter how much you might like his drive to make this team. The reality is he should have been playing in Worcester this year. It’s a nice story, but it’s not in the best interest of the Sharks.
The Sheppard/Tierney/Hertl line looked great once assembled. Chris Tierney looks like a completely different player this time around with the big club. His play resembles the way he looked in the preseason. He’s playing with confidence and he’s getting results – which is great for the Sharks.
Tyler Kennedy has managed to find himself in Todd McLellan’s doghouse again this year – the real reasons unknown – by playing a solid possession game with very few mistakes. Without Vlasic it should have been a foregone conclusion that this team was about to struggle, thus inserting Kennedy back into the lineup should have been a no-brainer. You need all of the possession help you can get when Scott Hannan is going to line up on the first defensive pairing.
The Sharks big guns went largely unnoticed in the game. This was yet another display of lack of effort for the Sharks against a bottom feeding team. I’ll let Kevin Kurz’s twitter tell the sad story of the Sharks taking teams lightly.
#SJSharks will fall to 4-6-2 against the bottom five teams in the NHL
— Kevin Kurz (@KKurzCSN) February 8, 2015That means the Sharks have left 14 points get away from them against the worst teams in the National Hockey League. That’s the difference between this team being comfortably in a playoff spot and where they are now. Even if the Sharks had taken 6 of those 14 points they would have an 8 point lead over Calgary and Vancouver as well as only being 6 points back of Anaheim. Instead, we’re left to wonder if this team even cares.
The Sharks have to take advantage of this home cookin’ while they can because they finish the season with 10 of 13 on the road. That’s not exactly a forgiving layout when you’re a team fighting to remain in the playoff conversation. Too many points have escaped this team.
San Jose will have today to move on from last night’s mess and get Vlasic the care he needs to be ready for Calgary tomorrow. The Sharks need to forget their struggles against the feisty Flames and figure out how to get a win. They can’t afford another loss right now after going 1-2-1 in their last four, especially with Washington and Tampa Bay coming up this week.
Alright Sharks fans, if Vlasic remains out for any length of time who should be paired with Burns on the top line?
My vote is for a Dillon/Burns reunion. I know that makes the defense top-heavy but I’m confident in a Mueller/Tennyson pairing – as confident as it gets when forced on you – as number two while letting the misfits run around aimlessly on the third pairing.
Thanks for reading.
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