The Sharks play tight in Motown, pick up some muscle in Mike Brown, and I will tell you why there won’t be a repeat from last year’s 7 up 7 down start.
The Sharks went into Detroit and with exceptional performances from both Antti Niemi and Jimmy Howard they won in a 1-0 in a shootout. Logan Couture scored the game winner after 65 minutes of play determined nothing.
It was a tight game with little room to maneuver and had a playoff feel to it. The Red Wings are now in the east where teams play a more aggressive open style, but after Monday’s game we saw that they still know how to compete Western style.
The Sharks have been a confident group no matter who they play and the Red Wings have been no exception. They have built a great rivalry over the years which will lose most of its luster now that Detroit has changed Conferences.
The Sharks have added some much needed muscle to their line-up by acquiring Mike Brown from the Edmonton Oilers. Brown moves back to California after doing time with the Ducks.
He is no heavy weight, but hasn’t been shy to drop the gloves with them. Brown has amazing wheels which fits in with the Sharks theory. He is a fourth line player who is always quick to get the first shot or shots in. You may get whiplash trying to count the number of punches he throws in a fight and has never been shy to stick up for a teammate.
Brown is a fourth line player who could fill in on the third if need be and he has also killed penalties. That is a very valuable commodity for a guy who keeps opponents honest. Fourth line guys who stick up for teammates and kill penalties are hard to come by, which begs the question if he has all these qualities why is this his fifth team since the start of his NHL career in 2007/08?
Matt Pelech is still the heavy weight in the organization, but the Sharks don’t always dress that role player and when he is on the ice his lack of foot speed is holding back his teammates.
The Sharks are off to another great start, which we have seen before, but this time it is different. There are too many differences from last season where they won their first 7 games out of the gate only to lose the following 7.
For starters the Sharks are getting scoring from multiple sources versus four guys who did it all last season. This time around they have scoring from 13 different players on the roster including four defensemen. The only guys who haven’t bulged the twine on the back-end are Matt Irwin and with his cannon it is only a matter of time and Jason Demers.
Demers is an offensive oriented rearguard who is filling in for Dan Boyle on the top power play unit. He will have plenty of opportunities to light the lamp in the near future.
The third line is also contributing and with the arrival of Tomas Hertl and Matt Nieto there is much more organizational depth. Once Torres comes back it will be interesting to see how much more potent Pavelski will become but also who drops to the fourth unit…Wingels or Nieto.
I previously wrote that Brent Burns could become one of the league’s top power forwards in a year or two, but that conversation can be fast tracked to the presence. Taking away any defensive responsibility was the best thing that has happened to Burns in his hockey career. He has been playing with reckless abandon and is like a wrecking ball on the fore check.
We have seen how aggressive he is in the offensive zone and this guy gives defensemen nightmares. In today’s NHL the blue liners aren’t nearly as big as they used to be. The game is more mobile now and the average size has dropped. Brent Burns makes defense think twice about going into the corners and when they do they leave with some new bruises. He is a BEAST as a power forward and the way he is playing should garner some attention for Canada’s Olympic team.
He has always had a big shot but now that he is unleashing it from in close he is scoring some big goals. The coaching staff deserve a ton of credit for this change of position and it could be considered a turning point for this organization’s “refresh.”
Keep your sticks on the ice,
Cam Gore
San Jose Sharks Blogger • 
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