Those wacky schedule makers gave us a home-and-home with the Ducks, followed by a long layoff. San Jose broke even after a loss to Anaheim on Tuesday, and nothing has been resolved in the season series between the two clubs, kinda like those episodes of MacGyver when the evil and mysterious Murdoch would show up.
Best game - I'll always take a win over a loss. It was an important game, going into the pond looking to rebound from defeat the night before. The Sharks controlled the tempo and kept pushing, bouncing back from a 2-1 deficit early in the third period. The win also kept Anaheim from pulling away in the standings, which will be very important over the next month as the teams battle for top spot in the pacific and home-ice advantage in the postseason.
Best goal - Cheechoo's first goal on Wednesday night (which feels like years ago) was the perfect finish on a nice backhand pass from Joe Thornton. It took a couple minutes for the ref to figure it out, but it got the ball rolling for San Jose. Also, it was impressive to see Cheechoo hustle and block a clearing attempt at the blueline, setting things up and going hard to the net.
Best save - Toskala didn't make many saves Tuesday night, but stopped a wicked point shot by Francois Beauchemin in the second period Wednesday night. There was traffic in front, but Vesa kept his composure and came out to cut down the angle. I'm always impressed how he handles people crashing the crease, without any stick-swinging (Turco, Emery), punching (Esche) or flopping (Roloson).
Best hit - It had to be Rob Davison's old-school hip check on Shawn Thornton early Tuesday night. Lining him up along the boards right in front of the Ducks bench, it took the wind out of Thornton, keeping him on the bench for most of the first period. Davison's smart about picking his spots, and he doesn't get running around looking to past people the way Murray does at times.
Best fight - Neither of the Parker-Parros scraps were very good. The first one featured a lot of dancing before Parros slipped, while the second one had a couple of wild swings before both guys went down. Bonus points to the first fight for the helmet tossing back and forth, with Parros' brain bucket ending up in the third row.
Three stars: 3) Joe Thornton - Big Joe is so good, sometimes you take him for granted. How can a big man like Thornton have such soft hands and great vision. I still contend we haven't seen the best from Joe, and everyone's hoping he can finally produce in the playoffs.
2) Ryane Clowe - How many weeks in a row has this been, four? Another four assists in two games for Clowe. His hard work along the boards jumpstarted San Jose's comeback bid on Tuesday, and he was in on all three goals Wednesday. I can finally say it, as Clowe goes, so go the Sharks.
1) Jonathan Cheechoo - Four goals in two games has Cheechoo back on track, and once again we're left to see if he can keep it going or if he'll go the next six games without a point. It's such a dramatic difference between the Cheechoo who's moving his feet and confident with the puck and the Cheechoo who's standing still and, shooting from the half boards and staying away from the corners.
Weekly dud - Vesa Toskala didn't get a whole lot of help on Tuesday, but allowing six goals on 30 shots is inexcusable. Sure you can't lay all the blame on him, but he has to come up with a few big saves to keep the team in it. He performed well on Wednesday, and the defense came up big to prevent a late flurry by the Ducks.
The week ahead: Oh, it's a busy week on the road, with four games in six nights. The Sharks are welcoming Pavelski and McLaren back to the lineup full-time, and Nabokov joins the club tomorrow after his wife gave birth to little Andrei Nabokov on Monday.
Today vs. St. Louis Blues - St. Louis has been able to sneak up on people lately, shutting out Dallas and Detroit in the last two weeks in between losses to Toronto and Philadelphia. I won't lie, I absolutely hate the way this team plays. The Sharks could use Eric Brewer, and I don't think any tears would be shed over a Brewer-Michalek trade straight up.
Wednesday vs. Nashville Predators - How many people are going to show up for this matchup on Valentine's Day? Not enough to give the home team much of an advantage, but the Preds are still scary, with the best second line (Dumont-Arnott-Sullivan) in the entire league.
Friday vs. Columbus Blue Jackets - This year's NHL Entry Draft will take place at Nationwide Arena. The Jackets are on their way to giving the home crowd a nice show in late June, losing 4 of their last 5.
Sunday vs. Dallas Stars - Anything goes during a Sunday matinee, and it should be a good one between two of the best in the West. Dallas is looking strong again, and Nagy could really give them a boost. They also have Mike Smith playing well in goal, providing valuable insurance for the playoffs when Turco inevitably becomes Roman Turek.
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