Well, I decided to refer back to what I said from my last blog after game two and see if anything had changed after the Sharks’ latest 2-1 OT loss to the Dallas Stars.
Unfortunately for Sharks fans, not much changed, and I’m still playing that Creedence Clearwater Revival song on repeat. Except this time around, I've added depressing indie rock songs to my playlist. Death Cab for Cutie, anyone?
Ron Wilson
Well, at least Wilson decided to use his time out during OT to rest guys on the ice after a terrible play by Ehrhoff that cost us the game, but he was once again out-coached. I was glad to see Wilson shouting “Wake up!” to the guys on the bench, but apparently that’s not the right way to motivate the team.
If the Sharks do end up losing this series, which is what it’s looking like right now, the one good thing we’d be seeing would hopefully be the departure of Ron Wilson. Yes, I know there is only so much the coach can do, but I think what the Sharks need is a coach that's going to give them a good kick in the rear to let them know what's up.
Joe Thornton
I don't think he even took a faceoff tonight. Stop trying to cheat and just take the draw as clean as possible. As one of the best players on the Sharks roster, you need to play like one of the best players, and Big Joe's only registered one assist this series.
The sad thing is that I actually copied and pasted exactly what I wrote from my last blog. Granted, he was a little better than last game, but losing key faceoffs was still part of Big Joe's MO.
It makes me feel sad that my treasured black jersey is, in fact, a Thornton jersey.
Christian Ehrhoff
There are no words to describe the anger and hostility I feel towards Ehrhoff right now. There were so many times during the night where I felt uneasy when he was on the ice, because it seemed like for every good thing he’d do, he’d do something else equally as stupid. What cracks me up is the fact that every time he takes a horrible penalty (See: his dumb play that led to the that penalty shot that Nabby saved), he complains and whines all the way to the box. Maybe he’s injured, but in that case, he shouldn’t be playing anyway!
Patrick Marleau
Next to Nabby, he’s arguably the one Shark that showed up tonight. MAYBE you could add Devin Setoguchi in that category. His shorthanded goal in the first was a great goal, and he showed some hustle tonight. He was driving to the net and trying to jam the puck past Turco a few times. Props to the captain.
Mike Grier
Grier was still a no-show. Christian Ehrhoff was partially to blame for the OT goal and Grier lost the puck in a battle along the boards that led to the goal. There's just some things I expect out of veteran guys like Grier, and he didn't play like a veteran tonight. He didn’t show any hustle whatsoever, but I didn’t expect him to be a scratch for this game, anyway.
Evgeni Nabokov
Nabby showed up to play tonight and made a lot of key saves. I feel bad for the guy since he played a spectacular game. He saved the Sharks by making a great save on that penalty shot. Pretty solid, overall.
I don't think I'd bench him tomorrow night and play Boucher, instead. I'd stick with the guy that got you there. Nabby's too competitive of a guy to sit out. However, on the flip side, benching him and getting him worked up for a possible game five is an argument I've heard. If I were Ron Wilson, I'd play Nabby.
My Take
I really don’t feel sorry for the Sharks right now. When your goaltender keeps you in the game, especially after making the save of the night on that penalty shot, and you can’t find a way to win…well…I just don’t feel bad. Better yet, if you can’t even score on the power play (yes, I know technically we did) then you’ve got even bigger problems.
Dr. Marchell’s strategy to win game four (all in caps, because I was typing this in a rage):
1) WIN SOME FACEOFFS.
2) MOVE YOUR FEET ON THE POWER PLAY.
3) BLOCK SHOTS.
4) GET TRAFFIC IN FRONT OF TURCO.
5) JUST THROW THE PUCK TO THE NET!
6) WIN THOSE BATTLES ALONG THE BOARDS.
7) SHOW SOME HEART!
When your best “star” players don’t show up (Thornton, Cheech, Michalek, Campbell…I’m talking to you) in the playoffs, it’s a sure sign that you’re going to have some problems. With the exception of Marleau, Nabby, and maybe Setoguchi, no one came prepared to play tonight.
I’m the first person to be positive when things look bad, but in my heart of hearts, it's hard to see the Sharks rebounding after this one. Winning four in a row they way they have been playing against the way the Stars have been playing is almost impossible, if not highly improbable.
It’s so annoying to see teams come into the league after you and win cups before you. It’s annoying to hear season after season how this team is assembled for a Stanley Cup, coming up short every year before I take my final exams.
As a dedicated Sharks fan who has spent countless hard-earned paychecks from serving pizza on tickets and countless hours watching games instead of doing my Calculus homework, I want to see this team win at least once this series instead of being swept. I’ve been a Sharks fan since I was in my mother’s womb, I want to see this team win, so get it together, boys!
-Danielle
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