St Paul, MN
San Jose visited the Wild on the last game of their 4 game road trip, looking to end it on a positive note. Unfortunately, they gave up the lead with 4 minutes left continuing their maddening trend of win 3 lose 2, grabbing defeat from the jaws of victory after blowing a 2-0 lead. Martin Jones was great for the Sharks 36 saves on 38 shots, singlehandedly keeping them in the game until, with 4 minutes left he gave up the tying goal to Eric Staal.
On a goal that was mostly bad luck mixed with some soft play in front, Staal scored on the wraparound after it glanced off of Marc Eduard Vlasic’s skate and through the five hole. They would go onto lose in OT on a horrible giveaway by Brent Burns. Yes, again. The vision of Burns on his belly, vainly flapping his fins to block the shot is a sight all too common for Sharks fans.
Moving on towards the playoffs, San Jose looks beatable because of a couple of trends, one familiar and a couple more that defy logic. One, they get outmuscled for the puck too often, with their opponents smacking them in the face and daring the Sharks to respond. One San Jose forward, Timo Meier is a physical force and will go toe to toe with anyone. All of the rest refuse to engage their protagonists. Also, the management doesn’t provide an enforcer, and the players do not fight for each other. Despicable
I don’t know if its coaching, or the several European players on the Sharks, but it occurs often. The last place Arizona Coyotes used the tactic recently, beating San Jose last week, literally and on the scoreboard. Video shows San Jose can be beaten if you beat on them enough. I’ve heard teams use video for scouting.
Another trend is losing after taking the lead, late in the game. 9 OT and shootout losses confirm this. Win half of those games and the Sharks are right on Vegas’s tail, a couple of points behind. One more Captain Obvious observation: the Sharks miss Joe Thornton deeply on a couple of levels. One is in the physical realm, as in he doesn’t take anyones shit, and two, he scores almost a point a game.
There is no timetable for his return, perhaps for the playoffs. How effective will he be? 50%, 75%, who knows? The term first round exit occurs to me. Once again. BTW, Sharks are on 0-3 since acquiring the great Eric Fehr from the AHL San Diego Gulls. Bench him.
Brent Burns beaten again in OT loss to Minny