Looking in Both Directions

Isn’t it interesting how a long season has its’ fair share of peaks and valleys? Nowhere has that been more evident than in the past 14 games for the Sharks. Remember that five game losing streak they had in the early part of the month? One local writer even tried to equate that cold spell with their playoff troubles, to which I had to grit my teeth and wonder if that gentleman actually believed what he was writing.

So how did the Sharks respond? Well, I think an eight game winning streak before laying an egg against the Kings 6-2 was a pretty good response to those struggles. If there was ever a sample size to illustrate an 82-game season in the NHL, the past 15 games for the Sharks are a perfect example. I’ll bet that if you asked anyone on that team, their biggest concern is to make sure things are ready for playoff time. Sometimes you find out more about yourself in those cold stretches than you do when things are going well.

By the way, since we are coming ever closer to the olympic break, the Sharks are going to have some nice representation in Vancouver. For those who have missed it, here are the Sharks who have been named to their respective clubs:

Canada: Patrick Marleau, Joe Thornton, Dany Heatley, Dan Boyle

United States: Joe Pavelski

Sweden: Douglas Murray

Germany: Thomas Greiss

Russia: Evgeni Nabokov

All told, having eight players going to Vancouver is both exciting and edge-of-your-seat worthy. Not only do fans want these players to have a strong showing, coming back healthy is of the utmost importance for their Stanley Cup dreams. Personally, I am most excited about the Pavelski selection to the U.S. team. The way he has performed since coming back from an early-season injury has been quite extraordinary, and he will be an important contributor to a team that is carrying that underdog label.

Canada, the gold medal favorite for these games, have the luxury of a ready made line for their team to utilize. The only question is will they keep it intact or outthink themselves by changing it up. Russia also has some serious firepower on their team, and given Nabby’s age and the mileage on his tires he probably could use some easy games right about now. As far as Germany goes, it is uncertain if Greiss will see much playing time but it should only help whatever his role may be. In his case, he needs the game experience. Finally, Murray’s addition to Sweden gives them a major physical presence that could benefit them. If Murray was so willing to mix it up with the likes of Alex Ovechkin in their most recent meeting with the Capitals, he should make the hockey tournament very interesting.

Now with all that catching up out of the way, tonight’s game against the St. Louis Blues can make for a nice bounce-back game. The Blues are in flux after the recent firing of head coach Andy Murray, who actually helped them get to the playoffs just this past season. Coaches usually have a short shelf life in any sport, but none is shorter than the NHL unless your name is Scotty Bowman.

Here is the interesting part of it all, the Sharks are actually tied for second in points with New Jersey and yet not much noise has been made about their season. Could it be possible that this Sharks team is actually flying under the radar? Given how much noise they made last year, it could be a nice change-up should it produce better results.

Tags: Opinion