I never would have believed it a month ago, but after reeling off 12 wins in their last 13 games the San Jose Sharks are within striking distance of the Detroit Red Wings. San Jose is five points back with nine games remaining, and could close the gap to three points with a win tonight over Minnesota combined with a Detroit loss to Columbus.
Hockey is full of these little games within the game. Sure it won't make a lick of difference if the Sharks finish first or second in the Western Conference, and there won't be much benefit other than a shiny President's Trophy banner hanging in the HP Pavilion rafters, but these are the little tests that intrigue us down the stretch. There's no reason first overall shouldn't be the goal, because the Sharks only find themselves in this position once every couple decades.
It reminds me of the infamous Torrey Mitchell icing call a couple weeks ago. There's been so much discussion about the play you'd think it carried the same importance as Roenick's 500th or Pronger's stomp. Personally, I liked the play. Too often this season the Sharks have been guilty of playing it safe, sitting back and playing conservatively.
Sure the empty-net attempt failed and the play backfired, but who cares? I liked the confidence to go for the jugular, taking a shot at the yawning cage 150 feet away rather than a little flip to the neutral zone. Obviously you're not happy with the result, but the Sharks spent the first 4-5 months playing boring, conservative hockey and I'm a big fan of taking smart risks.
San Jose has played some fantastic hockey over this recent stretch, but it's time to go for the jugular once again. The team is healthy, Nabokov has been fantastic, and Marleau is playing the best hockey of his career, so why not go for the ultimate regular season prize? At this stage of the season any mental advantage helps. We know the road to the Stanley Cup will probably lead through the Red Wings, so it would be great for the Sharks to hunt them down and steal their thunder heading into the postseason.
Taking a glance at the standings, the fact the Sharks have played their way into this spot is simply remarkable. They didn't look fantastic in a boring 2-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings last night but they can't all be pretty and it was nice to see Boucher stand tall facing some heat late in the third period.
I'll be interested to see how Minnesota comes out tonight, especially if Detroit loses to Columbus. Also, it's almost a given that the Sharks will face either Colorado, Minnesota, Calgary or Vancouver in the first round, so it's a great opportunity to send a message just in case these two teams square off three weeks from now.
***
I apologize for being absent this week, but a mix of state basketball, prep baseball and the Marquez-Pacquiao fight have kept me pretty busy. I know that's no excuse but that's the best I've got. I was kinda hoping the SF Chronicle would fill the void but clearly that didn't happen.
Take some time and tune in to SharksBuzz tonight following the game. We'll start the show as close to 10 pm PT as possible, so listen in or give us a call at (724) 444-7444, talkcast ID# 74909.
Thanks to everyone for reading and checking out the show, and thanks to some of our regular callers Eddie from SJ, BobbyB, AZSharks, Sharks_fan_tim, Gosharks, PapaJoe and many others. I apologize if I forgot anyone but I'm kinda slow on my best days and downright forgetful on my worst. You guys really help keep the showing flowing and we really appreciate your support. Talk to you later and enjoy the game!
Join the Discussion:
»