It’s a whole new season in San Jose, and when it comes to the Sharks you just never know what you’re going to get. Through 11 games, Team Teal has a 6-4-1 record. Three of those losses have been blowouts, while one was the wonky 6-4 loss to the Kings and the other was a double-shutout shootout against Coyotes. Meanwhile, five of the Sharks’ six wins have been blowouts, and they would have notched another last night against the Thrashers if they hadn’t played in short bursts.
At this point, nobody knows how the Sharks are going to come out tonight against the Philadelphia Flyers. Honestly, they could either win or lose by a couple of field goals; at this point we wouldn’t be surprised either way. When they’ve been good – as they were for five periods against the Islanders and Rangers – the Sharks are among the best teams in the league. When they’ve been bad – as they were for five periods against the Capitals and Lightning – the Sharks don’t even look like a playoff team. Obviously they fall somewhere n the middle, which is precisely where you’ll find them in the NHL standings. San Jose is currently 16th in the league with a .591 point percentage.
So what’s the difference between the 2008-09 Sharks, who lost five of their first 27 games, and the 2009-10 Sharks, who lost five of their first 10 games? It isn’t the system. Todd McLellan is using the same unwavering, unchanging game plan he employed last season. It isn’t goaltending. Evgeni Nabokov is still putting up the same numbers that have kept him outside the class of elite goaltenders the past 10 seasons. It isn’t injuries. Joe Pavelski isn’t the difference between a Presidents’ Trophy team and a borderline playoff team.
The answer is obvious: The Sharks simply aren’t as good as they were last season, and it’s making things much more fun and unpredictable. Putting Ryan Vesce on the top line wasn’t some crazy experiment, it was a move to kickstart the offense. Moving Jason Demers to the first power play unit wasn’t a move of desperation, he was simply the best defender for the job. This season, the Sharks are finding out the hard way what happens when you don’t have depth, and McLellan is realizing he won’t get far without the best effort of his best players.
Each game is a lot more fun than last season, because the Sharks aren’t going to be able to sit back on a 20-point cushion and wait for the playoffs to arrive. Every game matters. Every night presents a new challenge. This year the Sharks are a target, and every team is looking to bolster its resume with a victory over the defending Presidents’ Trophy winners. Without consistency or depth, the Sharks are exactly like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re going to get.
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With Devin Setoguchi and Ryan Vesce out, we have no idea what type of forward lines we’re going to get, but Jamie McGinn and Logan Couture have been called up from Worcester to plug the holes. Perhaps Ryane Clowe gets bumped up to the top line, or maybe Benn Ferriero gets a shot with the big names. It’s going to be interesting to see how McLellan handles his makeshift roster, playing the third game in four nights at the end of a long road trip.
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Last night’s 4-3 win over the Atlanta Thrashers was about as ugly as it gets, with the Sharks clinging to a one-goal lead for the last 19 minutes. Once again, Nabokov gets credit for keeping the team alive, while a standout individual performance by Patrick Marleau was the difference between a win and an embarrassing loss.
Three Studs
3. Evgeni Nabokov - Nabokov wasn’t great, but he did enough to keep the Thrashers from erasing a 4-1 deficit. They way they were pressing, it would have been easy for him to let down in the third period and give up the equalizer. Nabokov stayed focused and slammed the door late, showing why McLellan keeps playing him rather than Greiss.
2. Rob Blake - Blake has been the worst Sharks defender at times this season, and his shot has been completely ineffective. He also keeps making little plays that give his team a chance to win, blocking shots and rubbing out defenders to clear the puck. Blake led the Sharks in hits and blocked shots, making up for his defensive lapses.
1. Patrick Marleau - Playing in every situation, Marleau was a machine against the Thrashers, collecting over 26 minutes of ice time. He was the Sharks’ most dangerous offensive player, the best defensive forward, and used his speed to put the Atlanta defenders on their heels. Marleau was easily San Jose’s best player on the ice once again.
Three Duds
3. Joe Thornton - Thornton put the Sharks ahead 45 seconds into the game, and must have figured he was done for the night. He was invisible everywhere but the faceoff circle, dogging it on the backcheck and failing to produce any offensive chances in his additional 20 minutes of ice time. When he decides to shut it down, Thornton really hurts his team.
2. Dan Boyle - Boyle’s defensive mistakes are a growing concern, because Douglas Murray doesn’t have the defensive awareness that Brad Lukowich had. More of those rushes have resulted in turnovers this season, and they’re ending up in the back of the San Jose net at a rate that has to make you wonder whether the offensive contribution is worth the defensive liability.
1. Marc-Edouard Vlasic - When Vlasic decides to stop moving his feet the Sharks end up locked in their own zone for 30-45 seconds and have to wait for a whistle to end the pressure. That’s been happening more often this season. Either Vlasic realizes he’s not strong enough to challenge the puck carrier or he simply runs out of gas, but he needs to be better.
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I’m sorry for my absence, but I’ve been battling the swine flu all week. Once you get the fever under control the congestion sets in, and just when you begin to feel better the cough and fatigue arrive. I’ve been much more useless than usual this week, but the SharksBuzz Postgame Show will make its triumphant return tonight. We’ll be going live at approximately 6:30 p.m. PT, breaking down the entire Sharks road trip and taking your calls at (724) 444-7444, talkcast ID# 74909.
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