Sharks Off To 4-0 Start For First Time in Franchise History

Rather fittingly, the Sharks franchise player, captain Patrick Marleau led the way with 2 goals against Columbus on Tuesday helping the Sharks to their first 4-0 start in franchise history.

After the game in LA on Sunday, I may have spoke too soon.  But it is clear now, the San Jose Sharks are clicking on all cylinders.

The 4-0 start puts the red-hot Sharks in position to quickly build a large gap between them and their pacific division opponents.  As Randy Hahn astutely pointed out towards the end of the broadcast, a Sharks win @ Anaheim Friday would put them 10 points in front of the rival Ducks. 

It may only be October, but the points the Sharks are racking up now, may pay huge dividends when it comes to playoff time in April.  Last season the Sharks finished a few points behind Detroit in the standings and ended up facing Calgary and Dallas in the playoffs, consequently the Red-Wings faced Nashville and Colorado.  

But since the playoffs are still six months away, the Sharks need to focus on putting themselves in the best position possible by taking care of business early in the regular season.  So far, they have been up to the task.  Opening Night they came out firing, dispatching the Ducks in the home opener by a final of 4-1.  Then took both games of a home and home series with the Kings over the weekend.  And finally, on Tuesday, they pounded the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-2 for their 4th straight victory to start the 2008-09 campaign.

For the 4th straight game the Sharks failed to score in the opening period, and for the 3rd straight game seemed rather off their game in the first 20 minutes.  But it did not seem to matter for the Sharks as they found their legs once again in the 2nd period. 

San Jose found themselves down 1-0 after Kristian Huselius gave the Blue-Jackets the lead on a power-play in the first, and early in the 2nd Columbus found themselves once again with the man advantage.  However, it was the Sharks scoring on the Columbus power-play this time around when a strong fore-check by Joe Pavelski knocked Columbus off the puck and the 5' 11" center found Jonathan Cheechoo open in the slot and Cheechoo wired it top shelf to tie the score 1-1.  Columbus would re-gain the lead on the same power-play 24 seconds later but it would not matter as the Sharks took control of the game from that point forward.

With Columbus rookie Derek Dorsett in the box for hooking, the Sharks 2nd power-play unit went to work.  Ryane Clowe and Milan Michalek made a nice give and go on the boards entering the Columbus zone, and Michalek's attempted pass for Pavelski found its way off a Blue-Jacket defenseman and past Blue-Jacket goalie Pascal Leclaire tying the game up at 2.  Less than a minute-and-a-half later, Sharks captain Patrick Marleau got his first goal of the game, putting home is own rebound giving the Sharks a 3-2 lead.

Early in the third, the Blue-Jackets looked to get back in the game with another power-play opportunity but they didn't account for the fore-check of Sharks forward Mike Grier.  Grier forced Columbus goalie Pascal Leclaire to make a bad play with the puck behind his own net and Grier intercepted the puck and found Patrick Marleau all alone in front.  Once again the captain found his own rebound and put it home past Leclaire on the short-side for his 2nd goal of the game. 

Feeding of their 2nd short-handed goal of the game, Jonathan Cheechoo came in strong on the fore-check with a big hit along the boards forcing the Blue-Jackets to give up the puck to Joe Thornton.  Thornton backhanded a pass out to the top of the circle where Marc-Eduard Vlasic snapped one into the top corner for his first goal of the year. 

Not only did the Sharks beat up on Columbus on the scoreboard, but Jeremy Roenick gave Blue-Jackets rookie Derek Dorsett a piece of his mind.  After JR touched up the puck behind his own net on a Shark penalty call, the rookie ran JR into the corner boards sparking a large scrum behind the Sharks net. 

Even with the officials quickly breaking up the scrum that included Brad Lukowich and Ryane Clowe, JR got in a few punches on the Columbus rookie, as well as some not so nice language for the young kid.  Roenick was hot after that hit, I can only imagine how Jody Shelley would have reacted to that type of play.  Nonetheless the Sharks seem to have every part of their game rolling right now.

Physicality? Roenick, Shelley, check.  Goal-tending? Nabokov, check.  Special teams? Power-play and short-handed goals, check.  Defenseman scoring? Vlasic with a goal, Ehrhoff with an assist, check.

Before the game I was joking around with my religion teacher, saying that Sharks might go 82-0.  Now obviously this won't happen, but with the way the Sharks are playing right now, don't be surprised if they start the out the season 10-0 or better.  They are that on fire right now.

-Andy Bensch

Bellarmine College Prep 09'

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Lineup Changes: Marcel Goc started in place of Tomas Plihal who had an undisclosed lower body injury.

Next Game: Friday, Sharks @ Ducks 7pm on CSN Bay Area