The San Jose Sharks were back at the practice rink in San Jose this morning, returning to the ice for the first time since Tuesday night’s game against Vancouver. However, they were short a few notable players and a head coach. A number of San Jose Sharks made the trip to the All-Star Game in Montreal, but mechanical problems caused a delay in the return flight to San Jose this morning. That meant Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, Dan Boyle, Devin Setoguchi and head coach Todd McLellan were absent from practice.
Despite the limited numbers, it was a long, intense practice, with a lot of transition work and focus on 1-on-1 battles. Several players noted the five-day layoff was the longest All-Star break they’ve can remember, but the practice was important to prepare the club for tomorrow night’s game on the road against Colorado.
“Having a good first couple games after the break will be key,” said Sharks winger Ryane Clowe. “We hit a bump and won a couple games maybe we shouldn’t have, so we really have to pick it up and keep working hard. We had a great start, and I don’t know if we could repeat that, but we need to be consistent down the stretch heading into the playoffs.”
Heading out of the break first overall in the league and holding a 20-point lead in the Pacific Division, everyone will be gunning for the Sharks. That includes the Detroit Red Wings and Boston Bruins, who are each in contention for the President’s Trophy, but also extends to the teams hovering around .500, who are hoping to battle their way into the playoffs and test themselves against the league’s best team.
“Things toughen up down the stretch here, and we’ve done a lot of good things but we know there a lot of things to improve on,” said Sharks defenseman Rob Blake, who commended a couple veterans for stepping up and setting the tone after the long break. “JR and Claude grabbed the group before practice and said 'let’s get something out of this practice.' I’ve played on some teams where it’s the first day back from the break and everyone kinda takes the day off. It’s great having that leadership in the room and it’s an important day to get back to work.”
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Speaking of Blake, he’s expecting to be in the lineup tomorrow night against the Avalanche. The veteran blueliner had a shot deflect off his stick and hit him in the jaw during the first period against Detroit on Jan. 17. He’s been out of the lineup since then, but he has a face shield in place to protect the jaw and a metal guard running along his bottom row of teeth, just to hold everything in place.
“It’s pretty well protected — as long as I don’t get a direct shot on it it’ll be okay,” Blake said. “The swelling has gone down a lot. I have a guard put in, and a plate that will be there forever. It’s a lot like braces so it took some getting used to, but I’m able to play with it in. I can’t chew for another couple weeks at least, but I can play.”
If Blake can’t go, the Sharks would either have to go with five defensemen or get Derek Joslin on a plane to Colorado tomorrow morning. Joslin is playing in the AHL All-Star Game tonight in Worcester and he won the hardest shot competition at the AHL skills competition on Sunday night, recording a blast of 98.6 mph.
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The delayed flight from Montreal also meant the Sharks’ flight to Colorado was delayed until this evening, when the All-Star contingent could meet up with the team.
“We’re going at 6, but the old man knows so listen to him,” said Evgeni Nabokov, nodding in Roenick’s direction. “The old man, he’s been through it all. He’s not even going to be playing, but he knows it all.”
Never one to shy away from a camera or notepad, Roenick took the opportunity to deliver an impromptu science lesson. Bypassing scientific lingo or specific facts and figures, he boiled down exactly what it meant for the Sharks, going from San Jose’s altitude of approximately 85 feet to Denver’s 5,281 feet.
“Let me use my 12th grade education here, because I know a little about altitude,” Roenick said. “It takes 24 hours for altitude to affect everybody, so basically that means we’re ****ed for the third period.”
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