Bleacher Report - Articles by Gorman Jones

Flames-Sharks Game Two: Sharks Bounce Back on Evgeni Nabokov Shutout

Gorman Jones — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 07:31:07 -0400

After a lackluster performance in game one, the Sharks put forth a strong effort in game two and came out with a 2-0 victory. The game was highlighted by strong efforts from Evgeni Nabokov, Joe Pavelski, and Ryan Clowe.

Nabokov was particularly good between the pipes. making highlight-reel saves on dead-on shots from Cory Sarich and ex-Shark Owen Nolan.

The save on Nolan was especially important as the puck was headed in the goal late in the game and certainly would have lifted the charging Flames.

Although the Sharks played well, the Flames are a formidable opponent. Goalie Mikka Kiprusoff continued his strong play stopping anything he could see.

Joe Pavelski caught him off guard in the second period with an unorthodox semi-spin around shot from near the corner. Kiprusoff, not seeing the shot at first, tried to get in position but it was too late and the puck slid in.

The second period was highlighted by the Flames hurting themselves by committing six straight penalties. The Sharks would eventually make them pay for it with Torrey Mitchell notching his first NHL playoff goal when he buried a rebound in front.

Like many Shark fans, I was nervous at the start of this game. The bad execution on Wednesday night along with the prospect of going down two games to none was enough to give you agida.

But on this night, the Sharks did not let us fans down.

They played a good physical game, got lots of shots on net, and kept their collective composure. Now we have a series!

However the Sharks have to keep up the constant effort. They need to move the puck quick and make good, quick decisions in all facets of the game. They need to find a way to put the body on Iginla.

In addition they need to find a way to get shots on net that Kiprusoff can’t get a good look at. More traffic in front, more body checks on the tenacious Dion Phanuef, more in-your-face hockey.

The Sharks can’t rely on the Flames taking so many penalties in a row. You know that The Hitler (Google it if you don’t believe me) of Hockey, Mike Kennan, won’t stand for it.

I keep hearing Drew Ramenda say that when the Sharks are pushed they should push back.

Well perhaps. What if the Sharks took a different approach and pushed first? Playing a team as tough as the Flames in Calgary on Sunday that is exactly what I would like to see.

Stars-Sharks: San Jose Clinches Home-Ice Advantage With 3-2 OT Win

Gorman Jones — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 08:30:05 -0400

In a game in which the Sharks never had the lead, an overtime tally secured home ice advantage throughout the playoffs. The come from behind win was sealed by a Patrick Marleau redirect goal made possible by a pretty feed from Joe Thornton.

During a listless first period the Sharks fell behind 1-0 on a Brenden Morrow even strength goal shortly after the Sharks had successfully killed off a questionable Christian Ehrhoff crosschecking penalty.

Although Dallas has the best PK in the league the Sharks would tie the score on a Joe Pavelski power play goal with assists by Craig Rivet and Patrick Marleau. The goal, Pavelski’s 18th is a career season personal best. The assist for Rivet brings his season points total to 35, a career high for him.

While already short handed, the Sharks took a lack of concentration, too many men on the ice penalty. With quick puck movement on the resulting 5 on 3 PP, Dallas converted on a Jere Lehtinen shot.

Milan Michalek and Devin Setoguchi were both skating hard and getting chances but could not convert. Setoguchi even had a breakaway created by his exiting the penalty box at mid ice. The Sharks need both of these guys to get off the schneid BEFORE the playoffs begin. As a team you do not want to have slumping young players heading into the post season.

The Sharks would even the score when Mike Grier drew two defenders to him and he made a sweet no look pass to red-hot Joe Thornton who scored his fifth goal in six games. Regulation would end with the game knotted at two.

During the overtime Dallas Stars Marty Turco showed his complete lack of class when he struck Pavelski in the face with his stick. I am all for aggressive play but why is it that a goalie can pop a guy in the face with their larger size stick and get only a two-minute penalty? If that is not intent to injure, I mean he had to purposefully lift his stick up head high and he was looking right at Pavelski, then I don’t know what is. The league should take disciplinary action, as it should not be tolerated. During the resulting 4 on 3 Dallas took another penalty when Trevor Daley was called for hooking. As the rules require the Sharks then put another player back on the ice instead of taking one player off for Dallas. During the 5 on 3 Thornton made on of his textbook crisp hard passes to a well- positioned Marleau, who deflected it passed the classless Turco.

Dallas looked good on the PK but seemed to lack any real energy. They certainly miss all- star defenseman Sergie Zubov who is out of the lineup. Dallas does not appear to be the Dallas of old. And what is up with taking the C from Madano? Seems like a strange way to try and improve your team.

At first the Sharks matched the low energy of the Stars but found a way to ramp it up. Good hits by Jody Shelley and a solid three-period plus performance by Evgeni Nabokov led the energy surge. Good scoring chances by Setaguchi and Michalek pitched in as well. Nabokov was especially poised in the overtime stopping the dangerous Mike Madano up close.

With this win the Sharks extended their consecutive game points streak to 17. They are showing that they have learned how to win games by overcoming adversity and by never giving up, which is a departure from seasons past. Fans like me can feel the energy and the excitement building. Joe Thornton is having a blast on the ice and it shows. This kind of energy and enthusiasm is contagious and is precisely what they need to bring into tonight’s important showdown with the Ducks. This energy needs to be carried further into the post season to make a legitimate run at the cup. The Sharks have the elements, now they need to execute.

Ducks-Sharks: San Jose Extends Division Lead With Win

Gorman Jones — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 12:57:39 -0400

Playing their biggest game so far this year, the San Jose Sharks outshot the Anaheim Ducks 43-13, setting a franchise in shot differential with 30 and won 2-1 Friday night at home.

This win put the Sharks seven points ahead of the second place Anaheim and 10 points in front of the Dallas Stars in the ultra competitive Pacific Division.

San Jose scored just 40 seconds into the game on a nifty backhand shot by Jumbo Joe Thornton.

The goal was Thornton's 21st of the year and was the 51th time the Sharks have drawn first blood this year.

The goal was made possible by the hustle of Jonathon Cheechoo, who first got the puck into the Ducks’ zone and then created room for linemate Milan Michalek to pass to Thornton.

Jonas Hiller started in goal for Anaheim although Jean-Sebastian Giguere was the scheduled starter. No reason for the switch was given at game time.

Hiller played well allowing only two goals on 43 shots. He even took a hard Cheechoo slapper right off his coconut in the third period. The shot shook the goalie up and opened a small cut on his forehead; Hiller got looked at by trainers on the bench and immediately returned to the net.

The first period was action-packed with the Ducks displaying solid checking in all zones. The Sharks showed some grit as they were liberal with the body checks early on. Sharks’ Jody Shelley put hard checks on George Parros, Sean O'Donnell and Marc-Andre Bergeron. This would eventually result in a scrap with Parros, with a close decision going to Shelley. As Parros headed to the sin bin blood was dripping from the bridge of his nose.

Like his play this entire season, Evgeni Nabokov looked good in goal for the Sharks. Nabby made key saves while shorthanded and appeared composed throughout the game, which can be difficult when you do not face many shots—all five of Anaheim’s shots in the first period came on the powerplay.

In the second period the Ducks showed some of the reasons why they are defending champions, efficiently killed off a full two-minute five-on-three powerplay and scored an even strength goal on a three-on-three rush.

The period would end with the score knotted at one apiece.

While shorthanded in the third period, the Ducks’ Travis Moen was called for delay of game (can we get rid of this rule please) when an attempted clearing pass went over the glass. During the resulting five-on-three power play Jeremy Roenick made the Ducks pay.

Standing at the side of the net he faked a shot and appeared to be making a pass when he fired on Hiller who could not stop the puck. The goal padded Roenick's league-leading 12th game "deciding" goal of the season. Oh how brilliant Doug Wilson looks now in coaxing Roenick out of retirement. Take those game-deciders away and where would the Sharks be?

The Sharks have a lot of things to be proud about this win. They played as a team, stayed focused and limited their defensive breakdowns.

Although they did not score goals, both Patrick Marleau and Cheechoo had excellent games—Cheechoo alone registered seven shots on net.

Other players doing the small things well included Shelly who kept the league’s most penalized team (for the second straight year) in check physically. Best of all the Sharks did not allow the Ducks a shot on net for the entire third period.

However the Sharks need to keep some things in mind: Anaheim played without three of their best players: Chris Pronger, Giguere and Corey Perry. San Jose also knows that they will be meeting these same Ducks next Friday night in Anaheim. The Sharks also need to recognize that the there is no quit in the Ducks. If the Sharks want to win next Friday they need to play even harder than they did at home tonight.

Another area that needs to be addressed is how someone can place a wicked, intentional, blind-sided elbow to head of Cheechoo from Chris Kunitz without any retaliation? I realize that they did not need to be shorthanded at the end of a close game but gimme a break you have to protect your teammates!

The Sharks need to keep their collective foot on the gas pedal down the stretch and play next Friday like it is a game seven.

Trivia: Now that Alexander Ovechkin has hit the 60-goal plateau, does anyone remember who the last man was to score 70 goals? Hint: he is still playing and did it in his rookie year.

Sharks-Ducks: San Jose Needs to Look Inward to Beat Anaheim

Gorman Jones — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 17:22:24 -0400

It is gut check time for the surging San Jose Sharks. Due to a recent point-scoring streak, they are currently in first place in the Pacific Division.

Their division-rival and defending Stanley Cup champion Anaheim Ducks come to the Shark tank Friday night for a showdown that has playoff positioning implications. The Sharks currently enjoy a three-point lead over the Ducks, but certainly would like to get that all important home-ice advantage for the playoff run.

It is no secret to even the casual fan that the Ducks are good, very good. The possess all the elements of a champion: good goaltending, good coaching, good goal scorers, and outstanding defense. The poise with which they play is palpable, they never appear nervous or worried and as a result never appear to be pressing.

The Sharks need to adopt that attitude if they want to be a serious contender for the Cup. The Sharks have the goaltending, coaching, and improved defense and poise. Friday is the night to put it all together with a sixty minute sustained effort.

The Sharks can do just that by doing what they have been doing over the course of the winning streak. They need to come out flying, score the first goal, and get the Friday night crowd into the game early. Any season ticket holder will attest that Friday night games have the loudest and rowdiest crowd. It just might have something to do with...oh, I don't know...maybe people don't have to work on Saturday and a few extra Sierra Nevada Pale Ales seem like a good idea.

In addition to a fast start, the Sharks need to always be in the game. Falling behind by three goals is just not going to keep the crowd jacked up. I recognize that this is not as easy as it sounds—but the Sharks have the core elements in place, and now they need to put the effort in.

It reminds me of the NY Yankees-Boston Rex Sox rivalry of the past several years. Boston would have a good season and then buckle under to the Yankees in the playoffs. Then all of that changed and the Red Sox came back from three games down to beat the Yankees four straight.

It did not seem like the Red Sox made that many changes to the lineup but rather they BELIEVED that could win and never, I mean never gave up. The Sharks need to do the same Friday night. I, for one, am hoping that they do.

Minnesota Wild-San Jose Sharks: Sharks Clinch Playoff Spot With 4-3 Shootout Win

Gorman Jones — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 20:33:29 -0400

The San Jose Sharks secured a playoff spot Wednesday night, beating the Minnesota Wild in a shootout during an exciting home game. The team has tallied points for the 14th game in a row, making the Sharks 12-0-1-1 during that stretch.

The Sharks played with high energy from the opening faceoff. The Wild had better scoring chances early on, but Evgeni Nabokov made big saves on the dangerous Marian Gaborik and the skilled Pavol Demitra.

The Sharks opened the scoring on a Jeremy Roenick tap in goal. The play started with a Patrick Marleau take-away at center ice resulting in a tic-tac-toe passing play that included Curtis Brown. This marked Brown’s first game back after missing 24 games with a hand injury.

The Wild evened the score 49 seconds into the second period on a deflection goal by Stephane Veilleux. The goal resulted from a bad clearing attempt by Nabokov who was playing the puck on the end boards. The Sharks appeared to lose composure after the goal as the Wild poured on the pressure forcing Nabokov to make two more solid saves on Dimetra.

The Sharks eventually regained their poise and took the lead on a pretty backhand goal by Brown for his second point of the night. Roenick notched his second point of the night when he hit the streaking Brown with a tape-to-tape pass that Brown made good on.

The Wild lost defenseman Kurtis Foster when he was pushed into the end boards by Brown. The two were racing to a puck going over the end line as Foster was looking to get the touch for an icing call. Brown put an elbow on the numbers of Foster and he went hard into the boards. He was taken off on a stretcher while being comforted by Roenick.

The Sharks were fortunate that they only received a two-minute tripping penalty on the play. The Wild sustained pressure on the resulting power play, keeping the puck in the zone for an extended period. Nabokov continued his strong play making another save on a hard shot from Radivojevic.

Later in the second period the Wild's Mikko Koivu was called for a trip. The Wild goalie, Niklas Backstrom, was equal to the task, stopping a Campbell shot from the point. The Wild continued to kill off the penalty in a typical Jacques Lemaire, tight-checking, strong defensive fashion.

As the period wound down Brain Ralston shot the puck wide after a turnover by Campbell. This was Campbell’s second questionable play of the night. In the first period he gambled on a puck and was beat by the fast skating Gaborik who took the puck and forced Nabokov to make the save on a hard shot from inside the blue line.

Devin Setoguchi continued to skate hard in the second period to get scoring chances, but could not convert. He had seven shots on the night, but gave the puck away twice. He stepped on the puck late in the third period and went awkwardly into the boards. He skated off under his own power but did not return.

In the third, the two teams showed why they are among the league's best. The checking was tight and the mistakes were few. That ended when the tight checking led to some frustration on the part of the Sharks' Thornton who took a crosschecking penalty near the five-minute mark. The Wild made quick work of it with Gaborik burying a nice feed form Brent Burns to tie the game.

Marleau had a strong third period, setting up teammates, forechecking, and backchecking. The Sharks were savagely outplayed in the faceoff in the third period. This allowed the Wild to gain back some rhythm.

Despite this the Sharks took the lead when Milan Michalek stole the puck on the forecheck and threw it in front. Joe Pavelski grabbed the puck and put it on net with a spin around shot that deflected in off of a Wild defenseman.

With 39 seconds to go in the third period, Christian Ehrhoff was called for a hook. With an empty net and a two-man advantage the Wild tied the game with Gaborik’s second power-play goal of the night.

After a scoreless overtime that saw a rare three-on-three play for two minutes, the game went to the (can-we-get-rid-of-it-please) shootout.

The Sharks opted to shoot first, sending up their shootout specialist Pavelski who put it home stick side. Burns evened the score on his goal for the Wild. After a Marleau miss for the Sharks and a Gaborik miss for the Wild, Roenick went five-hole for a score on Backstrom. Nobokov then made a good save on the speedy Koivu to secure the point, the win, and a playoff spot.

Now comes the real test on Friday when the dreaded Ducks come to the Shark Tank. The Ducks are coming off a win over Dallas and are playing well despite losing players to injury and suspension.

Notes: Sharks defenseman Douglas Murray continued his strong play as he made big hits, cleared passes, and had all-around good puck support. At the start of the game he led the Sharks in plus/minus with a plus 19.

Devin Setoguchi also continued to work hard and play well but still needs to eliminate his lapses in concentration.

Nabokov is still having a career year.

Curtis Brown had a good game back, and Roenick had his best game in several weeks.

Like most Shark fans I am anxiously awaiting the return of Ryan Clowe to the lineup, as he adds major grit.