Why This Year Will Be Different

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to witness the Sharks' dramatic 5-4 shootout victory over the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday.  I attended my school play in order to get extra credit for English (my teacher was the director).

He may not want to know that people were sending me score updates via text-messaging.  And while receiving those updates, I realized that this Sharks team is different. 

Much has been said of the Sharks ability to perennially choke in the playoffs and, more specifically, the conference semi-finals.  Even Mark Purdy of the San Jose Mercury News wrote an article titled "Sharks' solid start requires perspective" where he generalizes that fans should realize that it is only November.

I, however, would like to question that approach.  Yes, its only November, but this isn't the same old Sharks.  After 14 games this season, they have managed an incredible 24 of a possible 28 points.  The most points they have ever had in 14 games before this season was 18 back in 2006-07.

The Sharks are on pace to win the President's Trophy, the award for the best team in the regular season.  The award used to be thought of as a curse, for awhile the team who won the award never went on to win the cup.  But Detroit did it last year, just like they had done a few years back.

And which team did the new Sharks coach come from? Detroit.

Which team did the Sharks coach learn how to win in the NHL with? Detroit.

Which team did the Sharks coach win the Stanley Cup with? Detroit. 

And did the Red-wings get off to a great start last year (the year they won the cup)? Yes, they went 14-2-1 in their first 17 games last season.  The Sharks are currently 12-2.

Don't tell me games in October and November don't matter. 

By virtue of securing the #1 spot in the NHL last season, the Red-wings received home-ice throughout the playoffs and earned the right to play the lowest seed remaining in each round.  And with that benefit, Detroit was rewarded with facing the Nashville Predators (who the Sharks had bounced from the playoffs two years in a row) and the Colorado Avalanche who have been clearly declining in recent years.

Our "beloved los tiburones" as Mark Purdy would say, finished second in the western conference.  Without a doubt a great place to finish when it comes to the home-ice advantage, only one possible team they could face and not receive home-ice in a series. 

However, the Sharks had to face perennially tough, hard-nose, in-your-face Calgary Flames team in the first round.  After squeaking by in the 7th game of that series, the Sharks then had to face the division rival Dallas Stars.  A Dallas Stars team that had just bounced the defending Stanley-Cup champion Ducks from the playoffs in the previous round.

If the Sharks had won a few more games early on in the season, instead of stumbling out of the blocks, maybe then they would have gotten to face Nashville and Colorado.  Maybe a few more shootout wins instead of shootout losses, maybe then they would have gotten to face Nashville and Colorado.  Don't tell me games in October and November don't mean anything.  They do.

Shootouts are one of many reasons I actually advocated for the firing of Ron Wilson.  And after only one home-shootout so far this season, we can't say for sure Todd Mclellan has the same philosophy in the shootout, but I have a feeling he isn't set in his ways. 

Much to the contrary, Ron Wilson always selected to shoot first in the shootout, and his team often lost because of their rather in ability to score on that first shot. 

I realize many head coaches select to shoot first, but being a baseball fan, I feel like you should always want to shoot second. 100 times out of 100, a baseball team would choose to have "last-ups", but apparently that's not the case in hockey.  Hopefully Mclellan mixes up whether he shoots first or second in home shootouts, because those points may matter when April rolls around. 

This year is different. 

The Sharks have Brian Boucher for the entirety of the this season, unlike last year.  Therefore Nabokov won't be burnt come playoff time because he won't have played 77 regular season games.

Ryane Clowe is healthy, unlike last year.  We have already seen what Ryane clowe means to this team.  Clowe has 8 goals in his last 8 games for the Sharks to go along with a "Gordie Howe" hat-trick.

Devin Setoguchi is showing why he was drafted 8th overall in 2005, unlike last year.  Setoguchi has been a speed demon out on the ice, both with the puck and without the puck on offense, as well as back-checking and fore-checking on defense.

Christian Ehrhoff is shooting (on-net) unlike previous years.  Much maligned for his inability to do so in years past, Ehrhoff has 2 goals and 9 assists so far on the campaign.

The Sharks have a defensman in Rob Blake who is fifth all-time on the NHL list for power-play goals, they didn't have him last year.  He scored his first goal as a Shark against the Blues, a right-handed point shot on the power-play, something the Sharks haven't really had since Tom Preissing left in an off-season trade.

The Sharks have a puck-moving defensman who is responsible defensively, unlike last year.  Dan Boyle has the moves like Brian Campbell (the Sharks' rent-a-player last season) but Boyle is also more reliable defensively.

The Sharks already have five short-handed goals, last year they finished with seven.  As of now they have only let in 2 more goals on the penalty kill, then they have scored themselves.  (7 PPG allowed, 5 SHG scored)

Last year the Sharks had zero members of their team who had won a Stanley Cup, this year, they have three.  Rob Blake, Dan Boyle and Brad Lukowich.

You can tell me its only November, but don't tell me these early games don't matter, because they do.

Those fans who still doubt whether this team will perform in the playoffs, don't.  This team is different.  Come playoff-time, you'll see.

One good marker for the Sharks, their first game against Detroit last year, they lost 4-2.

This year, they won 4-2.

This year will be different.

This year is different.