As the late, great Calgary Flames broadcaster Ed Whalen would say, there was a malfunction at the junction. Fans were streaming into the Tank, at the junction of W Santa Clara and N Autumn, when the power went out around 7:05 p.m. Saturday night. Everything went black, as if we were living out the Sopranos finale.
HP Pavilion gradually recovered from the power outage, with the music and PA system arriving midway through the first period, but the Sharks never really flipped the switch. San Jose fell to 2-2-1 on the season with a heartbreaking 2-1 loss to the Bruins. Some might say Boston stole a couple points, that Tim Thomas stood on his head or the Sharks didn't get the bounces. However, chalking it up to bounces ignores the game itself, and there were at least seven reasons why Saturday's loss was totally unacceptable.
1) Boston was playing the second of back-to-back games - It might not have been such a big factor if Boston was coming off a 1-0 win over some cellar-dweller, but they had just played an emotional, free-wheeling 8-6 game against Los Angeles.
While it was Boston's third game in four nights, it was San Jose's second game in six nights, and they came into the home opener rested and well-prepared. You could see the Bruins were tired, whiffing on clearing attempts and dumping the puck in without much chase, but San Jose couldn't capitalize.
2) It was San Jose's home opener - I don't care if you're the Montreal Canadiens or Lehigh Valley IronPigs, you have to win the home opener. It's like an unwritten rule for a long and prosperous season, especially considering the way San Jose went out last year.
Shark fans wrestled with the memory of a game six, home-ice stinker all summer long, and they were looking for a decisive victory to erase it. In short, it was as close to a must-win game as you'll ever see in mid-October.
3) Tim Thomas wasn't tested - The history books will show that Thomas allowed one goal on 27 shots, earning the game's first star, but he didn't face much. It seemed like every shot was right into the middle of his chest or pads, shot from long distance without a screen or a deflection. NHL goalies are programmed to stop those shots, and Thomas probably could have faced another 30 without much difficulty.
If you get a moment take a look at the goals that were scored around the league Saturday night. Nearly every goal is the result of an accurate shot, a great pass, or traffic in front of the net. The Sharks didn't have any of that Saturday. It's true they hit five posts, but that doesn't mean a thing. If posts counted as goals, Jari Kurri probably would have ended up with 1400 career tallies.
4) The power play stunk - The real power outage occurred on the power play, where the Sharks went 0-for-5 with only six shots in 10 minutes of PP time. The highlight came during a 30-second stretch in the second period when the Sharks kept Boston hemmed in its own zone, but couldn't produce a goal.
Another problem came from having Pavelski on the point. He couldn't handle the puck at the blueline and it seemed like the Bruins were rushing him whenever he had possession. At one point, a Boston player had lost his stick and still managed to clear the zone against Pavelski.
5) San Jose had too many turnovers - The turnovers began with the defense and worked their way through the entire roster. Once again, things were a little too fancy, just a smidge too cute. It's like my grandfather always says: "Why use a saucer pass when a flat pass will do?" Also, everything starts with the outlet pass and we still aren't seeing good ones because the defense isn't dealing with pressure very well. It just seems everything is scattered moving up the ice, and forwards are forced to retrieve the puck and win battles all the time.
I also took time to track Cheechoo whenever he was on the ice and the puck is really bouncing on him. He can't settle it down, and isn't playing with any confidence. However, he's always been a slow starter and he's still adjusting to game speed. Maybe if he saw a little more of it in practice it would help?
6) There wasn't any passion - I know the delay screwed things up, and I could have understood coming out cold after the long delay, but the Sharks were flying in the first couple shifts and became hesitant after the initial adrenaline wore off. I kept waiting for that big hit, intense fight or glorious scoring chance that would shift the momentum is San Jose's favor, but it never came.
If Torrey Mitchell wasn't the best player on the ice at least he showed the most jump. The problem with Mitchell is that he's like that bus from the movie "Speed" that can't drop under 55 miles per hour or it will explode, but driving over 55 increases the risk of plunging into a building and killing Keanu Reeves. Mitchell's just too fast for his own good. Every pass is a misguided touch pass, and he's always overskating the puck. However, if he doesn't use his speed he's ineffective, so his hands just have to catch up with his feet.
7) Nabokov goofed on the winner - Every loss could be boiled down to one goaltender allowing more goals than the masked man at the other end of the rink. Nabokov simply goofed on the game winner. He was on his knees the whole way as Sturm circled around the back of the net, and Ward had the entire top half of the net to shoot at. It sounds simple, but it's a pretty simple game.
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