Bleacher Report - Articles by Vincent Bergado

Post Playoff Recovery in San Jose: Learning to cope

Vincent Bergado — Fri, 09 May 2008 04:44:10 -0400

Now that I’ve had some time to recover from the hangover of a 4 OT loss and a truly noble effort by the Sharks, I feel comfortable speaking with a little more objectivity.

But it took some time.

The series was a tough one, and the Sharks managed to recover some of their pride in their push to game six. It was an amazing performance by all accounts—although if they could have mustered a little more patience in those late scoring chances, it might have gone the other way.

If JR would have deked, if Pavelski would have put just a little less heat on the top-shelf shot, if, if, if. They found the heart and desire in the game, but alas ‘twas too late.

We leave the playoffs behind with a few positive qualities in tact—the first is the knowledge that the Sharks can fight for games (they just need to find the fight earlier). Another is that Nabokov can be one of the best goalies in the league, even when he has to face a lot of shots.

Lastly, despite a repeat record of the last two playoff campaigns, fans can still have pride in the team, at least I feel like I can. It wasn’t an outright drubbing.

The realities of the team remaining in tact is yet to be seen. It sounds like most of the forwards will still have their jobs, but defense is in question. The big question mark is, of course, Ron Wilson, a man who gave a huge sigh of relief when he managed to land the job at the helm after last season’s crumble.

The consensus (and team administration logic) says that he is on his way out. I think that is probably true, although you can’t rule out human elements beyond logic—they say that hockey is an emotional sport. I have to say that if he stayed, I wouldn’t be surprised or upset, but maybe a little disappointed. I think a shake-up would be beneficial, at least in the short-term.

Certainly everybody hopes for positive change, but there is also the risk of loss in the coach-swapping equation—we have a solid regular season and shaky post-season leader that could be given up for someone who could do worse on both accounts.

I feel like the law of averages dictates that as a very real possibility. Until the seat is determined, the only sure thing is that there are a lot of hushed conversations around the Sharks’ office.

As for the remainder of the postseason, I don’t foresee too many surprises left. Detroit will likely get another cup, and I find that somewhat disappointing since they were probably the prevalent pick for the big win four months ago. As long as their goaltending can prove more solid than Pittsburgh’s, it should be a go (and Biron is the reason I don’t think Philly has a legitimate shot). An exciting final round, no doubt, but not something I’ll go out of my way to see.

What about that other team, you say? While I like and respect Dallas as a West-Coast Warrior (yeah, I can be big like that) I have given up on underdogs this year.

Digging Deep: What Game Three Means for San Jose

Vincent Bergado — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 10:56:05 -0400

By the end of game two, all one had to do, anywhere within 10 miles of HP Pavillion, was open your window to hear the prolonged groan of frustration.

Conduct a little survey of people who watch the games, and you’ll get a variety of perspectives as one might expect – everything from optimists to apologists, and downright bitter puckheads.

Like other games that the Sharks have lost in this playoff season, things had been going well on Sunday. But then things slip away, because of a lost skate edge, a poorly-timed hop, or a moment of indecision. Most Sharks fans are beginning to get that all-too-recognizable feeling, a pang in the gut region, a pitied reflection on past playoff runs gone awry.

I’ll do my best not to be the first to raise a fearful alarm of another second round vanishing act. The Sharks, not known before this season for really being a comebacker club, has shown some grit.

This is a team that bounced back after the all-star break, found a new stride, and rode it to a club-record points streak. This is a team that learned how to play in the third period with more ferocity than the first two. While no record is perfect, and no line unblemished, Team Teal has come a long ways from the beginning of this campaign and the seasons prior.

All one has to do is look back about ten days to see how tough these Sharks can be.

I really hope they win game three. Dallasis a difficult team that can make you pay for any and all mistakes – even slight ones – and steal games despite large SOG differentials and spotty play in the neutral zone.

Team Teal has a tough road ahead. But they do like the ice in Dallas, and if they can rattle Turco, they can roll the whole team with some consistent play.

If they don’t win, well, they can’t be counted out. There’s still game four. But this is a club that isn’t known for its mental toughness.

Win or lose tonight, the Sharks only have so many chances to prove to the fans that they have the fortitude and tenacity to fight for every minute of play. Even if they don’t escape the clutches of defeat, they have an opportunity to show the world that they have entered a new stage in San Jose hockey history.

This team needs to play like a team that wants to look back with pride on its playoff history, win or lose – but hopefully with a lot more wins.

Otherwise, there won’t be many apologists left.

Stars-Sharks: San Jose Pays for Mistakes in Game One

Vincent Bergado — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 10:51:31 -0400

I think it is evident to anyone who watched game 1 that the Sharks put in a strong performance. However, unlike the last OT face-off with Dallas at the Shark Tank, San Jose was not the team celebrating.

It wasn’t a bad game, but it wasn’t a win.

There were obviously some defensive miscues – the Marleau pogo block comes to mind, but I also felt that overall, the forward lines were a bit behind the play when it came to defending their own zone. Dallas was able to make quite a few cross-ice passes, and of course the blue-liners have to take responsibility for that too. But all things considered, the mishaps proved to be exceptions in the course of the nearly 65 minutes.

Unfortunately for everyone in San Jose, these few mistakes often led to goals.

Otherwise, the teams were well matched in speed and goaltending. Both sides allowed goals that they no doubt thought they were positioned to defend against. I’m not sure if Nabby misplayed to OT game winner or if it was just had a lot more heat on it than he expected. Either way, the replay was cause for much groaning down the length of the bar.

One thing I enjoyed seeing was the teal jerseys down low and in the crease. The Sharks goals resulted from crashing the net and causing traffic. I think they probably could have won the game if they had just gotten in front of Turco more – the perimeter shooters need to wait just a little longer to pull the trigger so that a teammate can jump on the rebound or at least cause a scramble.

Cheechoo was a force down low, and it’s great to see him challenging Turco and the Stars’ D. Both he and Michalek were able to force it home, and it must have been a relief for Michalek to get the drought monkey off his back.

Roenick was also forcing play around the net, and Rivet got a little too into it in the 1^st resulting in a goaltender interference penalty. I think if they can expose that weakness more in game two, they can light the lamp a few more times.

When it comes to the power play, the Sharks just need to stick to the motto – I think “Shark Attack” is fitting and it has already caught on with the fans. The key is to focus not on the team, but on the ATTACK.

They need to be aggressive and not rely on just passing to try and get some space for a shot. I can say with confidence that the times that Turco would be out of position on a perimeter shot will be, well, it’s pretty much never. And the Dallas PK unit is no slouch. The Sharks need to use their size advantage and their speed.

They also might score more if Joe Thornton actually took a shot every now and then – he put up a doughnut in that category Friday. On the bright side, he is one of only three players from the Sharks’ lineup that didn’t put a shot on net.

The Sharks have shown that they have what it takes to win, but they need to give a little more, not allow for untimely mistakes, and force Turco to get off-balance. I think if they stay on top of their game, game 2 should even the series.

Sharks' First Line Comes to Life

Vincent Bergado — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 07:08:10 -0400

A loss would have made for a nearly insurmountable and statistically improbable deficit. Tuesday night in Calgary, former Rocket Richard and MVP winners Jonathan Cheechoo and Joe Thornton responded by bringing their best game - and it was just in the nick of time.

They couldn't have waited any longer. In the third period, down a goal with less than five minutes to play, Cheechoo wound up for a sharp-angle shot over Kiprusoff's shoulder. It was reminiscent of that 05-06 campaign when he set a Sharks record for goals in a season and won the trophy, a time when it seemed he could take a shot from anywhere on the ice find the back of the net.

They had the game tied.

It's amazing that it took so long to even the score in a game in which the Sharks only allowed 10 shots on goal, but Mikka Kiprusoff gets credit for a bounce-back performance, even if the result was not a win. His save percentage outstripped Nabokov by 16 points.

Wisely, the Sharks maintained pressure in the final minutes, winning face-offs and keeping the battle in the Calgary zone. Rather than waiting for overtime, which they have done on a number of other occasions this season (despite a terrible record in extra frames and shoot-outs), Team Teal put the puck on the net and forced it through.

Thornton drove to the net in the final seconds to tip home a shot by Doug Murray, reclaiming his preeminence on a team that runs deep with talent. Coming through in high-pressure, must score situations will continue to be the lynchpin of their playoff success - the Sharks are a defense first team and there is no way around that.

Surely the team hopes that some of the question marks have been erased as the Sharks return to San Jose with their home-ice advantage in tact. I think the fans are also hoping that this effort was a turning point in their mental game and their ability to battle for sixty minutes.

Captain Patrick Marleau played an impressive game on Sunday, but unfortunately the team wasn't behind his efforts and his sacrifice. They let the game slip through their fingers.

But perhaps they have turned the corner. With the characteristic defensive performance Tuesday, followed by the key goals, it seems the Sharks are finally firing on all cylinders. With the strong return of defenseman Christian Erhoff, there are no signs of roster depletion that other playoff teams are having to face. The advantages so many fans and analysts (myself included) saw the Sharks possessed coming into the stretch are finally materializing in the second season. Let's hope it stays that way.

Sharks-Stars: Big D Goes Down

Vincent Bergado — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 10:20:03 -0400

The Sharks came up with another big victory at home, a rowdy 3-2 overtime win. My night at the Tank was a real barn-burner. Here's the run-down.

In the first, neither team took many chances, but there were plenty penalties to be accounted for. The Sharks power play looked stiff and failed to more than one shot on goal in the first two chances. Both teams were playing well in the neutral zone, and the Sharks forecheckers, especially Mike Grier, established a presence early and would force many turnovers throughout the night. Dallas, though, was winning the races and battles for loose pucks. Still, the five-on-five play was nearly a dead heat through most of the period, with the Stars building an advantage in shots on goal in the second half of the frame. As the intensity increased, the Sharks were leaving it all out on the ice, never hesitating to lay out and block shots.

By the time Christian Erhoff carelessly took a crosschecking penalty against Stars rabble-rouser Steve Ott, Dallas went to the man-advantage looking hungry and commanding with the puck. The Sharks were successful in killing the penalty, but the momentum swung against them. The Stars got the first goal of the game on a sharp rebound shot in the following seconds.

The second period quickly escalated the intensity of the game. Three minutes in, there were a number of penalties and a game misconduct issued against Dallas. For some reason, recently recalled RW B.J. Crombeen took issue with a clean hit by Kyle McLaren on another Star. Crombeen skated over and immediately dropped his gloves. The Sharks blue-liner did not hesitate to get into it, and while not many punches were thrown, it was clear that McLaren dominated through sheer strength. Clearly an instigator call, Crombeen took the misconduct, the minor for instigating, and five for fighting, giving the Sharks a power play. Joe Pavelski took a clean cross-ice pass from Captain Patrick Marleau and got a slap-shot by goalie Marty Turco to tie the game.

Penalties continued to define the matchup. McLaren went to the box for hooking at 10:49, but the Stars were shaken by San Jose's second period intensity. The Dallas power play forked over two shorthanded breakaways, the first by Grier and the second by Curtis Brown, who got off a high wrister that had Turco beat but went off the post. Shortly after, the Sharks were called for too many men on the ice. In the ensuing 5-on-3, Jere Lehtinen beat Nabokov with a one-timer from the left face-off circle. Coming out of the box, Setoguchi had another breakaway chance on Turco, but the goalie got the stop.

Waiting through the second intermission felt like watching the grass grow. Fortunately, they had three clowns (not literally) racing tractors to pass the time.

While still physical, the third was wide-open and much faster two-way hockey than the previous periods. Breaking into the Dallas zone, Mike Grier made a perfect backhand pass across to Joe Thorton, who found the back of the net to tie the game. Both teams were playing strong in the third, but the Sharks were maintaining momentum. It looked as if the Stars might give up the lead when Michalek got a pass in front of the two defensemen and cut across the crease. It looked like he had Turco beat, but Marty got a goal-line stick save on the best chance the Sharks would have to win it in the final regulation frame. It was an impressive save, especially after a rather embarrassing incident that lead to taunts from the crowd.

When an iced puck came out of the Sharks zone along the boards, Turco left the net to meet it behind the goal. But the puck never made it there – the line judge was not quick enough to get out of the way and it took an awkward bounce. Afraid of where the puck might end up, Turco scrambled and fell behind the goal line. The Sharks fans let him have it, and took every chance to distract him after that. The final minutes of the third brought another PP chance for Dallas, but the San Jose penalty killing unit made the strongest showing of the night, lead by the quick stick of Mike Grier.

The overtime period was intense. The Sharks were playing well, but their record in overtime and shoot-outs never fails to worry their loyal fans. Yet again, penalties decided the direction of the game, seemingly to the Sharks advantage. Just over a minute into the sudden-death period, Marty Turco let his anger - or maybe the fans – get to him. Pavelski played a puck behind the goal line and was greeted by a high stick from the Dallas netminder, well behind the play. It was a double-minor that electrified the building, both in loathing of Turco and in excitement for the man advantage.

I have to admit that I have been a fan of Turco for some time now, and one reason for that is his emotional play. He is among the best active goalies in the league. This, however, was not an admirable move, especially in overtime. There was not a single person in the tank who didn't know that the error would cost them the game.

Yet, even this would not keep the desperate Stars down for the count. Off a weak pass and bobble by Brian Cambell, Mike Modano used his great breakaway speed to go at Nabokov all alone for the improbable win. He lost the puck as he approached the sprawled Sharks goaltender and it skipped just wide. But Modano was quick to play it off the boards, and Nabokov was barely able to make a goal-line stick save of his own. Jeremy Roenick came back in a hurry to give some much-needed help in keeping Modano from forcing it home. It was so close that the Captain of the Stars threw his stick up, thinking he had the game-winner. On the resulting Sharks rush, Pavelski drew yet another penalty, this time for hooking, giving the Sharks an additional skater.

It was only a matter of time, then. Joe Thronton set up low in the circle, as usual, and was looking to hit Marleau in the crease. Instead, he hit the defender, but it was just as well. The puck slipped past Turco and the Sharks had their first home ice victory against Dallas this season.

Looking ahead: The Sharks will have to clean up their power play and get to more of the loose pucks to keep their steak alive in Anaheim tonight. J.S. Giguere is not likely to hand over the game like Turco did, but the Ducks take a lot of penalties, and the Sharks need to capitalize. It's going to be a rough go for our Sharks against the goon squad of the Pacific, one day after a physical OT win. The Sharks seem very willing to give it their all as of late, though.

The Ice-Berg Report: Sharks Limp In After a Long Rest

Vincent Bergado — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 11:41:08 -0400

I have never been an advocate of a long layoff for the Sharks. I knew going into the Easter weekend, riding the hottest streak in the NHL, a few days to get lazy would not serve the team well. Tuning into last night’s game only confirmed my fears.

They came away with a point from a decent Phoenix team that is kept afloat by Ilya Brygalov in the crease, but Captain Shane Doan leads a bunch of guys who can jump up into the play. For the first time in memory, Wayne Gretzky coaches a team that no one can escape without playing a fairly solid sixty minutes to earn the win. And after a few days to relax and get fat on an Easter feast, the Sharks simply took too long to put the hustle in their game and find the back of the net.

The valiant comeback in the third was led by Joe Thornton, who is precisely the man the Sharks need to take control in such a situation. Thornton netted a hat trick and an assist for his second four-point effort this year. A strong defensive showing, however, would have saved the game much earlier. Evgeni Nabokov had an abnormally bad game, which was just the beginning of the defensive woes for a team that plays defense first. After allowing just 13 shots against in Friday’s contest with Anaheim, Phoenix got 33 through before overtime. Nabokov did not last that long – he was pulled in the beginning of the third frame, a move that has only been required a handful of times for the workhorse netminder. Nabokov leads the league in wins.

It’s unfortunate that Big Joe’s hat trick was not put to better use, but one point is better than none, and San Jose needs momentum going into Thursday’s game. Assuming Jonathan Cheechoo returns to the lineup for the last regular-season showdown with Dallas, Team Teal should play with more fire out of the gate. Cheechoo played with inspiration in the crucial win over Anaheim last week, prompting the colossal hit from Kris Kunitz that has temporarily sidelined the Sharks right wing. Whether or not Cheechoo plays at HP pavilion on Thursday, the Sharks will have to battle against a dangerous team that should not be discounted because of their recent slide.

Dallas has beefed up their offense this season, and if the Sharks plan on continuing this points streak the defense will have to look sharp, get back on the play, and get some help from a strong fore-check. If this will continue to be the post lay-off trend for the Sharks, one can only hope that the playoff run will bring constant action, and of course a lineup of teams that prove to be their lesser.