Imagine falling behind 3-0 midway through the first period to he Detroit Red Wings, who had allowed only 85 goals in 39 games coming into tonight. Now imagine you're facing Dominik Hasek, who's leading the league in goals against average by a few rink lengths and will probably go down as the best goalie in NHL history (Roy and Brodeur included). Think a comeback is possible? Of course not. Actually, there's a better chance of Marc-Edouard Vlasic showing up for tomorrow's practice with a ZZ Top beard.
San Jose pulled off the unlikely tonight, proving once again that a three-goal lead is the most dangerous in hockey. The Sharks were actually buzzing to start the game, but found themselves in an early hole thanks to some defensive lapses and neutral zone turnovers. Ron Wilson's pulled Nabokov "just for the psychological effect" and it worked perfectly. The Sharks protected the puck and got their feet moving, causing Detroit penalties which were cashed in thanks to an active power play.
Ehrhoff looked great on the power play and didn't hesitate to unleash his booming slapshot, which made a big difference getting traffic in front of the net. On most nights people walk away thinking the Sharks could have had 8 or 9 goals if they hadn't missed the net or whiffed on quality chances. There weren't any of those missed opportunities tonight and the club showed how effective they can be when they show up for more than 20 minutes.
I've always felt that teams need a dramatic victory to break a slump, and tonight's effort was an indication of that. The Sharks are a young team (youngest in the league) and they're still learning how to play together and give a solid effort every night. Wilson made an interesting comment after the game, saying "fortunately our guys didn't give up, and the fans didn't give up either. Luckily we were playing Detroit and not Phoenix, so the guys knew they had to put in a good effort." He's just looking to get the most out of his club every night, and few teams can hang with San Jose when they do. Also, I was sure the team would shut it down after the second period but they just got stronger as the game went on.
Parker and Bell were scratches, while Nieminen is still on IR. Has anyone missed Bell the last couple games? Nope. If Carle and Bernier need an idea of what kind of effort it's going to take to get back in the lineup they just need to look at Joe Pavelski. The kid is a horse on every shift and it doesn't matter who he's playing with - Marleau, Thornton, Cheechoo, anybody - he always makes his linemates better, not the other way around.
Marleau broke the franchise all-time points record tonight. More on that tomorrow.
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