In a game filled with Sharks dominance it was Ryan Miller who stole the show. Canucks GM Jim Benning signed Ryan Miller for this exact reason. He stole them two points and gives them a chance to win each and every night.
Let’s get a charted view of the game to painfully refresh our memory on the game that just never went the Sharks way despite owning possession.
When the possession chart is that spread out there’s no way you should lose that game, except when the opposing teams’ goaltender puts on a performance like Ryan Miller did. The Canucks had no business being in last night’s game.
The Sharks did what they had to do. They significantly outshot the Canucks, they attacked throughout the entire game and they exploited weaknesses in the Vancouver lineup. They even kept the Canucks to only 19 shots, a total only dreamed about this year for San Jose.
Had there been a mere half of a second more to the game the Sharks may have been able to get the result they deserved, but it wasn't meant to be.
Antti Niemi wasn't at his best and couldn't make saves he should have made. Although the defense played well, for the most part, when they faltered the Canucks cashed in. Images of Tomas Hertl flailing on the ice with his broken stick 150ft away while the pinching defenseman raced unsuccessfully to get back into position haunted me in my sleep.
While the loss after such a dominant performance surely stings it’s nothing to get too bent up about. If they Sharks turn in more performances like that they will win more than they lose.
I thought the third line of Kennedy, Sheppard and Hertl was tremendous throughout the night and, if I remember correctly, the fourth line even made repeat appearances in the offensive zone. These are positive things to take with them as they depart on a seven game compressed road trip.
The one area that could have been noticeably better is getting shots to the net. While the Sharks had 36 shots on goal they also had 25(!) shots blocked by the Canucks. Had a few more of those gotten through they might not have needed the extra half of a second on the clock at the end of the game. Overall, though, the performance was a good one that just didn't yield the result it deserved.
The focus now shifts to the Dallas Stars whom the Sharks will visit Saturday in a clash of offensive threats before travelling north to face the always tough Chicago Blackhawks the following night.
This road trip will say a lot about the Sharks in respect to who they really are and what direction they are heading. Their record over the next seven games will have a huge impact on their position in the standings as this is typically the time of year where teams start to separate. The Sharks don't want to be on the wrong side of 8th place at the the quarter mark of the season.
Thanks for reading.