San Jose embarks on a little three-game road trip that begins tonight in Los Angeles, before playing back-to-back games against Columbus and Detroit on Wednesday and Thursday. Every eye in the NHL should wander over to that game on Thursday, and I'll be curious to see how the teams match up in their second meeting of the season. The Red Wings are the defending champions, and I can't imagine that team being dominated on home ice. Still, the way the Sharks are playing it wouldn't surprise me half as much as waking up in the morning with bacon stapled to my face.
As for tonight's game, I don't want to sound like an arrogant, cheerleading blogger, but I'd say the likelihood of a Kings victory sits at about 5 percent. I'm not saying that to get under anybody's skin or rile Los Angeles fans, but that's my objective assessment. The Kings are a very entertaining young team, they've made major improvements since last season, and Dustin Brown is one of my favorite players in the league. Having said that, the Kings don't have a goaltender who could stop hail from hitting the bottom of a rowboat, and that's the kind of effort it takes to beat the Sharks these days.
***
The North American rosters are all set for World Junior Hockey Championship, which kicks off at the end of the month in Ottawa, Ontario. The event serves as the best showcase for future NHL stars, highlighting many of the best under-20 players in the world. However, three of San Jose's top prospects were disappointed in their bids for roster spots.
Ottawa 67's center Logan Couture wasn't extended an invitation to Team Canada's training camp, Vancouver Giants goaltender Tyson Sexsmith was among the final cuts for the Canadian team, and Boston College defenseman Nick Petrecki didn't get tabbed for Team USA's blueline. Surely Shark fans would have liked to see all three players in this year's tournament, and it's awfully hard to determine all the factors involved. Now, I don't want to commit blasphemy, but could it be they're just not good enough?
***
Hopefully Joe Pavelski doesn't miss much time with his "lower-body" injury, but there's been a lot of speculation about the makeup of the second line in his absence. Marcel Goc has played very well this season, and it would be nice to see him get another kick at a spot among the top six forwards. However, we've seen how that story ends before, and whatever route you take to get the ending it always remains the same: Goc isn't a top-six player. Best to leave him in current role as third-line center.
There's no way you break up the top line. They're incredible, and you don't mess with chemistry like that. I'm not a big fan of Lukas Kaspar but you'd might as well see what you've got, so I like the idea to toss him on the left side with Milan Michalek and Ryane Clowe. Honestly, outside of Jamie McGinn I don't see a better candidate to fill the spot, so let's cross our fingers and hope Kaspar finally resembles a first-round pick.
***
Mark Twain popularized the phrase, "there are lies, damn lies, and statistics," and there's a doozy in San Jose this season. Alexei Semenov is the perfect fit as San Jose's seventh defenseman. He's popular with his teammates, plays a balanced game on the back end, has the biggest shot on the team, and his play has improved dramatically since he first arrived in San Jose. He still commits those mind-boggling turnovers that make children cry, but they're very few and far between. Plus, he has a nice physical presence and uses his size well along the boards.
Having said all that, San Jose's record is incredible when he's out of the lineup. The Sharks are 6-2-2 when Semenov suits up this season and 18-1-0 when he watches from the press box. I'm not saying he's responsible for the team's losses, or even that they play worse when he's in the lineup. It's just such an incredible stat, I couldn't ignore it. The Sharks could use a little more depth on the blueline to protect against injuries as the season wears on, but Semenov has performed well and should continue to do so, no matter what story the stats might tell.
***
Honestly, I couldn't care less about the NHL All-Star Game. My waning interest in All-Star Weekend finally faded into oblivion last season, when I clicked over to Versus and saw the Jonas Brothers performing for a group of pre-teen girls at Philips Arena in Atlanta. I don't know what they were doing there, and I don't care to know. Honestly, I clicked away so quickly I suffered a mild thumb sprain. I would have rather watched open-heart surgery. I would have rather watched Ray Ratto eat a meatball sub.
There's some fuss this year about Montreal Canadiens players making up the entire Eastern Conference starting lineup, but you could make a strong argument that San Jose players deserve to sweep the Western Conference starting spots. Thornton, Marleau, Setoguchi, Blake, Boyle and Nabokov sounds like a good group to me. Ultimately, Shark fans are better off rooting and voting for players that deserve the acknowledgement, rather than stuffing the ballot box to elevate a group of second-rate stars.
***
The Sharks are on pace for approximately 68 wins and 141 points. How incredible is that? Just think that 100 points is the gold standard for NHL teams, and eight clubs eclipsed the 100 point mark last season. At their current pace, the Sharks would smash that barrier by 41 points. It's fun watching history in the making, not just because the team is playing so well, but they keep re-writing the record books and haven't shown any signs of slowing down.
***
Speaking of slowing down, I watched Home Alone on TV the other night and I swear the tape was sped up. At first I was a little worried, thinking I'd eaten some bad calamari or something. The characters were talking so quickly I had trouble keeping up, and their voices were an octave higher than normal. Not cool, television. Not cool.
I understand if TV stations want to squeeze a movie in before the late local news, cramming as many commercials in as they can while staying on schedule, but they shouldn't speed up the tape like that. Just do it like they did in the 80s: Cut a 15-minute chunk out of the middle without any explanation.
I still remember watching a TV version of The Goonies as a kid. The entire sequence approaching the Fratelli's hideout was cut out, so in one scene they're riding their bikes down to the map starting point, and the next they're inside the hideout sitting around their glasses of water. No explanation, just connect the dots in your own mind. Maybe that helps explain my active imagination.
[email protected] 
Join the Discussion:
»