Me and the Boys out for a skate.
San Jose
Greetings from San Ho, where San Jose has put the HoHoHo back in their season. Apparently trying to emulate their football equivalent the San Francisco 49ers, the Sharks have ripped off an 11 out of 13 winning streak that shows their early miseries were somewhat of an aberration.
The latest dominating win came against the young, fast and upcoming Arizona Yotes, who are ahead of them in the standings. Giving up 2 quick goals in the first 5 minutes is NOT a recipe for success, but by scoring 4 unanswered goals, they sent a message that they are not only good, but have righted the ship after an abysmal 4-10-1 start to the season.
With the addition of Hitman D Radim Simek, back from an ACL, and Patrick Marleau returning from the scrap heap, San Jose has regained an elite status, at the very least back in the playoff conversation. The Sharks at 31 points, currently sit 3rd in the Pacific Division, well within striking distance of Arizona who has 34 and the surprising Connor McDavids (Edmonton Oilers), leading the division with 35 points.
Martin Jones, formerly nicknamed young Swiss cheese by me and other fans, has been very solid in the resurgence, only losing once in his last 11 games. He has been playing 2016 Martin Jones hockey, when he took the Sharks to the Cup Final. He still lets in the occasional terrible softie, but face it, the NHL has become a scorers league, with so many highlight reel breakaway chances its a wonder the games aren’t all 7-6.
Then there is the new Captain Clutch, Logan Couture who is playing out of his mind, with several game winning goals and leading by example. The Sharks stars, ala EK65, Brent Burns, Evander Kane and Tomas Hertl are all rounding into form. With a return to a more defensive mindset, their game is fueled by more turnovers and clutch goals.
Run and gun is good, but they aren’t built that way, and frankly thats OK with this blogger and lifetime fan.
With the death of Reilly the Hockey Dog, my output has been but a trickle of whiz, but as time goes on I’m gonna round into form too. Losing that guy, nicknamed the Majestyk was a crushing blow to me and my family. I hope to regain my somewhat prolific form and reign glorious again, Stanley Cup 2020!
Reilly Sleeping off a Big Day Watching Hockey,,zzz