Congratulations, everyone!
It doesn't matter how old you are, or how long you have followed the San Jose Sharks. Whether you had season tickets at the Cow Palace or only jumped on the bandwagon after their 20-game streak, one thing remains the same...
You have witnessed, bar none, the most pathetic game in team history.
Tonight's loss at the Pavilion is officially nominated for the following awards:
*Sloppiest Game in San Jose Sharks History
*Game Most Rife with Inexplicable, Stupid Gaffs
*Game in Which Team Stars Are Most Absent
Indeed, for my money, Game 2 of the 2008 Conference Semi-Finals was a performance so scathingly bad, that it's hard to know where to start.
So let's start with the aspect of their game that was pitiful but not quite as pathetic as some others:
The puck seemed to be magnetically attracted to the Sharks zone, with Dallas registering more good setups than one could count. And San Jose seemed intent upon ensuring that the puck stayed precisely where it was — failed attempts to clear the puck more or less defined the evening.
Another part of the night that more or less defined the loss was the complete absence of the big boys: Thornton, Marleau, Cheechoo, and Nabby. Give Dallas credit for the their beautiful game winner in the third period, but other than that, it was the likely Vezina recipient who just didn't have the net covered.
Not that Joe or Patty offered much on the other side of the ice. The captain's greatest highlight was his non-execution on a great two-on-one opportunity. Thornton may or may not have been in the building, it was difficult to tell.
But that only sums up the poor hockey. Poor hockey was the least of their worries. Stupidity was their worst liability.
Now I'm not going to call Joe Pavelski "stupid" for slipping and giving up a third period lead. But I'll bet that the rest of the team has to feel pretty dumb for the manner in which they let it slay their confidence.
And Rivet has to wonder about the brain fart that was his Unsportsman Like Conduct penalty against a team with a stunningly effective powerplay.
The only way one can conclude an evening like this is by thinking back unlongingly to the playoffs of two years ago, when the Sharks blew a two game lead against Edmonton. Let's hope that the opposite can happen this time around.
Time to go puke.
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2 months ago
UGH! I know! This playoff season for the Sharks has been *such* a roller coaster...and before I got on, I ate a corn dog, a pretzel and some Kettle Korn. I feel beyond ill.
Regarding Rivet's penalty, though, I gotta stick up for the guy. He FULLY got tripped, and of course the refs missed it (like pretty much every other penalty in this game). All he did was try to call attention to the fact that they refs were truly blowing the game. The problem with his actions, unfortunately, is that the player who retaliates will almost *always* get called for it, while the original infraction goes unnoticed. The Sharks should really take note of that, and BE MORE AGGRESSIVE! Be the agitators, not the retaliators!
Na-choke-ov better show up in Dallas. I'm actually all for starting Boucher. It can't get much worse...
GO SHARKS...?
from 2 months ago
Read my assessmnet, guys--we played the worst THIRD PERIOD ever, but we were winning for a reason before that. We just lack poise, discipline, and savvy. And I don't care that Rivet--my boy--was hooked, he can't take that penalty! Plus, you can't have six power plays to the other team's two and not think the officiating was pretty even if not tilted in your favour.
I would agree with making a change in net, since I think what I feared--that Nabby played too much in the regular season--has come to pass. I also am in favour of making a change behind the bench. That's right, make the unprecedented move of firing a coach during the playoffs and putting the smarter Wilson behind the bench. What better way to emphasize dissatisfaction and urgency than to have the guy in charge of whether you need a change of address take over for an ieffective coach?
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