It is time for a look at the defensemen. Before I jump into that, I would like to say we had a great show last night. We had a great discussion about Patrick Marleau, talked about the goaltending situation, and heard from 2 great friends of the show (Eddie T. and Bobby B) Be sure to tune in on Wednesday as we will have David Pollak as our guest, the San Jose Sharks beat writer for the Mercury News. Now the defense.
Defense
Matt Carle
Best Stat-2 PP goals
Worst Stat-minus 6
Performance: Matt Carle has had a disappointing first half. He has spent games in the press box for poor play, and just has not come into form yet this season. Matt is an offensive defensemen so he is not going to be to physical all the time, but only 16 hits is not going to get the job done, it makes him look soft. He is getting caught out of position to often, and if he keeps giving opposing teams scoring opportunities, he will find himself back in the press box. He needs to do a better job of holding the zone on the PP. His play has improved in recent games and if he can continue to improve, the San Jose PP should as well.
Rob Davison
Best Stat-30 hits
Worst Stat-0 points
Performance: One of my favorite guys on the team. Those 30 hits have come in just 13 games played, he hits everything, always finishes his checks. Rob as spent most of his time in the line up on forward lines, posing as a winger and doing a fairly good job of it. The only problem with him is he has 0 points right now. He has performed well when inserted into the line up and has given about all that he can with the minutes he has been given. No complaints from me about Davison other than I would like to see him in the line up a little more often. Oh yeah, he also has scary eyes, and will throw down with anyone.
Christian Ehrhoff
Best Stat-52 blocked shots
Worst Stat-42 missed shots
Performance: Ehrhoff has had a tough time getting his shot zeroed in. When he does it can be lethal. He has one of the hardest shots on the team, just not very accurate. I heard someone say he could not shoot it through the opening where the Zamboni drives in but he could put it through the glass three feet next to the opening. Christian is another guy who could help turn the PP woes around, if he could just harness that shot. He is second on the team in points with 14 helpers and 0 goals.
Kyle McLaren
Best Stat-76 hits
Worst Stat-If there were a stat for failed clearing attempts, I’m sure there is, I just could not find it.
Performance: Kyle had to serve some time in the press box as many have this season. Since that time he has been pretty solid. He brought back that physical part of his game, you know where he throws his rear end into your kidneys along the boards, and you urinate blood for the next week kind of physical play. Kyle is also a great shot blocker and is second among defensemen in that category. K-Mac has never been a big scorer and never will be, but he sets plays up by intimidating other players, makes them think twice about going to the corner for loose pucks. Good job in the first half.
Douglas Murray
Best Stat-+17
Worst Stat-14 shots
Performance: This is a give credit where credit is due situation. I am tired of hearing people say Murray is just lucky and on the ice at the right time. He has been great position wise, and has done a great job getting the puck out of his own end. Even though he is a defensive defenseman, it could not hurt to shoot the puck a little more. Douglas has a booming shot, but only 14 shots in 31 games, be nice to see a little more often. He made a vow to work harder this season and try to become a better all around player and he has done just that. Currently 7th in the league in +/-.
Sandis Ozolinsh
Best Stat-8 points
Worst Stat-18 giveaways
Performance: Ozo has been about as good as we could have expected and probably a little better. He has been out of the line up as of late, and he admittedly said he has not been working hard enough. He has done a fairly good job of making that outlet pass, but has turned the puck over often. Neutral zone turnovers are bad and he has been guilty of quite a few. He has the shot the Sharks need from outside on the PP but has not been able to do much as San Jose's PP has struggled this season. So far so good for Ozo, hope to see him back in the line up soon.
Craig Rivet
Best Stat-17 points
Worst Stat-29 giveaways
Performance: Craig has been worthy of his contract extension so far. He leads the defensemen in points and has become quite the bruiser, standing up for his teammates when needed. He somehow became a bit of an enforcer as the team lacks a true tough guy to keep other teams from taking runs at their stars. He does turn the puck over a lot though, but he has done a pretty good job of limiting them lately. Rivet has taken the role of the veteran on the blueline in stride and has done a good job of being universal in his defensive role, playing good in the defensive end and also helping generate plays in the offensive end.
Alexei Semenov
Best Stat-13 games played
Worst Stat-minus 6
Performance: The smaller the amount of playing time the better. Semenov has not been good. He has been caught out of position too many times, every time he turns over the puck it seems like it ends up being a goal, and the most important thing is, he does not make the team better. If he does not make the team better than he is not useful. I think it may be time for Semenov to be sent packing, he just takes up a roster spot than can be put to better use. I would rather see a rookie go out there and play at that level than to have to watch a veteran give you nothing useful, at least a young guy would be gaining experience and would have the potential to get better.
Marc-Eduard Vlasic
Best Stat-41 games played, 21:36 TOI
Worst Stat-20 giveaways
Performance: He has played in every game and has the highest avg. ice time, the kid is a “ROCK”. He has just got the future of San Jose's defensive core written all over him. He has been a go to guy in any situation and is always calm and relaxed in the most key situations. The only thing bad you can say about him is, he turns the puck over behind is own net a lot. He has been doing a better job of getting the puck out of those situations and has not been caught standing around very often. Vlasic has been the most solid defensive defensemen on the blueline right now.
Well there you have it. The goalie situation for the first half will be up tomorrow, and it will focus on both, Nabokov's first half, and who will be his back up for the second half.
Thanks for reading and have a great day! GO SHARKS!
Mark
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