Joe Thornton scores the tying goal in the Flyers game. Classic form!

11/3/18 San Jose, Land of Tesla

Your intrepid reporter was there ensconced in a corner seat in section 110

Big game last night for San Jose as they took on the Philadelphia Flyers.  It was Star Wars night at the Tank and the place was rockin. We got free Star Wars shirts, mine says Obi Wan Kaneobi.  Philly was in town and the Sharks historically have owned them, 20+ wins over the last 25 games.

The contest was a see saw affair with the Flyers scoring first, and jumping back ahead as the Sharks would tie.  G Calvin Pickard was playing well and denying most of the San Jose forays into the O zone.  It was Timo Time Again! when he tied the game on a beauty of a touch play from Tomas Hertl.

Joe Thornton was a force in the game as he scored the tying goal with a few minutes left in regulation.  He continues to make strides returning from an infection in his surgically repaired knee that sidelined him for nine games.  Regulation ended with the game tied at three.

Thirteen seconds into OT Timo Time reared its ugly head for Philly, when Meier got loose and scored on a sweet feed from Logan Couture.  Damn that dude can play, 11 goals in 14 GP setting a Sharks team record, passing Patrick Marleau.

This game was played fast and furious as these two teams don’t like each other.  The Sharks made numerous bad passes with Erik Karlsson leading the way. But he also made some great plays, Deep penetration into the O zone almost at will.  Throwing it right to a Flyer to foil a great entry into the zone.  In a word, inconsistent which has been a theme all season in my columns. and in Erik Karlsson’s play.

The Flyers committed to a more East/West style of zone entry as they played cautiously with the lead, This allowed them to pounce on mistakes and score twice at the end of the first two periods, once with 30 seconds left and once with less than a minute remaining.

Erik, RELAX, we know you’re great.

To wrap it all up, the Sharks got a win and the fans (or most of them) went home happy.  The drunk Flyer fans were pretty funny but went home sullen and silent, while exultant strangers high 5 ed each other in the hallways.  Its why we go….

Face off at the Good Ole Hockey game.  Did I mention I was there?