The Sharks took a 3-0 lead in the first ten minutes of the game against the Anaheim Ducks Wednesday night and never looked back. The final score was 4-0.

With this win the Sharks take the season series over Anaheim 3-2 and build some confidence before they host the Detroit Red Wings Thursday night less than twenty four hours they convincingly squashed the Pacific division leaders. This Sharks team looked completely from the one that has struggled to put together consecutive wins since the start of the season.

“We were skating tonight” said Tommy Wingels with confidence after the game.
“This team has some speed and when we show it we are very affective.”

The first period of Wednesday’s battle was the best twenty minutes this team has put together this season. They scored first and early into the game, the third line scored, the power play scored, and they moved their feet as well as we have seen in a long time. To put it frankly the Sharks dominated the Ducks in a way they haven’t been dominated this year.

To top things off Ryane Clowe who was back in the line-up Wednesday night dropped the gloves and had an entertaining bout with Bryan Allen. That scrap put confidence in those who question how his shoulder is doing after missing three games with an injury.

The Sharks also received depth scoring from the third line from Joe Pavelski. This was the second game in a row that Pavs lit the lamp and they need him to get going down the stretch to solidify a playoff position.

Brent Burns continues to offensively impress. He scored the third goal of the game albeit on the power play and from the point, there is no doubt he is feeling it right now. I felt for Jonas Hiller when Burns stepped into a slap shot from the hash marks on a rebound that was set-up on the ladies tees. He got all of it and Hiller had no chance.

A lot has been made of the seven game home stand that the Sharks began Wednesday night. These next eleven days will tell a lot about the direction this team is heading. They need to put a good run together and gain some ground in the standings.

“This is a huge, huge chunk of our season right now” commented Coach Todd McLellan.
“Fourteen points lye ahead of us at home If we are going to get where we want to get we are going to have to be very productive here.”

In just seven days we will know more about the direction that the organization is headed because the trade deadline is a week away on April 3rd. We have already seen Douglas Murray moved to the Pittsburgh Penguins and there is a great deal of speculation that GM Doug Wilson isn’t done yet.

Ryane Clowe and Dan Boyle’s names are still being thrown around as far as trade bait goes, even though neither player wants to leave San Jose. Clowe is an Unrestricted Free Agent this summer and Boyle has another year left on his current contract at 6.6 million.

The asking price for Clowe is said to be a first round draft pick. With the poor year he currently is having it is unlikely GM Wilson will get any bites, however in this shortened season with so many teams still in the playoff mix it is a seller’s market.

Scoring details

1st period

SJ – 1:00 –EV – 8 J.Pavelski(9) - assists – 21 T.Galiardi(5), 29 R.Clowe(10)

SJ – 4:52 –EV – 12 P.Marleau(16) – assists – 39 L.Couture(10), 57 T.Wingels(6)

SJ – 9:20 –PP – 88 B.Burns(4) – assists – 57 T.Wingels(7), 9 M.Havlat(7)

2nd period

No scoring

3rd period

SJ – 6:44 –SH – 57 T.Wingels(3) – assists – 39 L.Couture(11), 22 D.Boyle(10)

Turning point

The turning point in this game was Joe Pavelski’s goal 1:00 minute in. The Sharks scored four minutes later and had two goals after three shots on net. They played their best twenty minutes of the season and didn’t look back.

Joe Thornton commented on their ramped start. “Our focus was to start fast and we have been starting fast at home. Getting three goals early like that was huge, the game was pretty much over after that.”

Contenders & Pretenders

Contenders

Tommy Wingels – it seemed was in on every play around the net Wednesday night. He recorded two assists and a short-handed goal. Wingels went roof over the blocker on a 2 on 1 rush while killing a minor penalty.

Dan Boyle – tallied an assist and played with a nasty streak against the Ducks Wednesday night. He was physical throughout the game and topped it off with a fight with Shark’s fans enemy number one Cory Perry. Perhaps the trade rumors involving Boyle should be sparked more often because he has played his best hockey since his name was mentioned.

Joe Pavelski – continues his hot streak with goals in consecutive games but he also had a couple of clutch blocked shots earning a spot on the Contender’s list.

Pretenders

Jonas Hiller - finds his way onto the list for a subpar outing. Five minutes into the game the Sharks had two goals with three shots on net. With a slow start like the Ducks needed Hiller to stand tall until they found their stride.

The Ducks top three – Ryan Getzlaf, Cory Perry, and Bobby Ryan make the list after Wednesday’s game because they didn’t show up. These guys were invisible, they sign the big contracts then disappeared. Combined they were minus -5 against the Sharks for their fourth loss in a row and their second against the Sharks.

The Detroit Red Wings brass was all here at the Shark Tank tonight to scout their opponent for Thursday’s battle. Things don’t get any easier for the Sharks but if you are a fan of great hockey this match-up never disappoints.

Keep your sticks on the ice,
Cam Gore

Join the Discussion: » 4 Comments » Post New Comment

» Sharks review

» Sharks forge ahead without Boyle

» Battle of Unbeatens: Sharks Go Head-to-Head with Blues

» Sharks take perfect record on the road

» Player Evaluations: Marc-Edouard Vlasic & Raffi Torres