My apologies for not recapping the Sharks' 5-0 victory over the Vancouver Canucks Sunday any earlier.
You kind of figured this one would get a little confrontational (hey, it's the Canucks, whom you have grown to expect the love to be flowing at regardless of their opponent, and even beauty pageant Vancouver fans are perceived as Alex Burrows-level instigators), when players on both sides drew penalties before a second went off the game clock. Sharks' forward Ryan Clowe, who objected to Burrows mixing it up with Clowe's linemate Logan Couture as the teams prepared to take the opening faceoff. Clowe was...
...Just warming up after taking that unsportsmanlike conduct call and skating to the penalty box along with Burrows. Clowe's time in the penalty box was almost as important to Sunday's game as the Sharks' four goals scored. He earned a total of 35 penalty minutes and a game misconduct that ended his night early. It was kind of a good news, bad news deal for Clowe, whose total time in the box hadn't been seen in San Jose since this guy ran amok in the South Bay. You were pleased Clowe defended Couture; that he threw down after being challenged by Vancouver's Zack Kassian; that he a bone-crushing but clean hit against the boards to send the home crowd into a frenzy. But he also put his team up against it too frequently playing an opponent that can be devastating with the man advantage. Clowe's final act was regrettable. His high-sticking call at 19:33 of the second period was magnified further when his frankly infantile reaction of screaming from the box and slamming his stick against the glass. Costing his team two more minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct and also receiving the heave-ho for the entire third period...
...Could have cost his team dearly. He also played right into the hands of the Canucks, who thrive when their opponents lose their cool like Clowe did. The Sharks, still up just 3-1 at the time, had to then endure four minutes of power play time spanning the end of the second and beginning of the third period. But the Sharks' maligned penalty kill had its best effort of the young season. Vancouver went 0-for-7 on the PP Sunday, and somehow the Sharks survived the San Jose-killing Sedin twins being on the ice for a combined 15 minutes, 6 seconds of time with at least a man advantage. And the Sharks had some luck on their side with Vancouver shots ringing off posts five times. Then again, Vancouver got its only goal when an Antti Niemi save sent the puck deflecting off the back of Dan Boyle's skate and trickling into his own net. But the Sharks probably can't expect to kill off seven penalties against this team again when the Canucks host San Jose on March 5. But for the Sharks, all that matters is...
...A 5-0 start to a season has never happened in two-plus decades of San Jose Sharks' hockey. We're all realistic to know this can't go on for too much longer. The Sharks' top line of Patrick Marleau (one more goal for nine in five games), Joe Thornton (G, A; 13 total points) and Joe Pavelski (his first two goals of the season scored on Sunday and 10 points so far) is not just carrying but clean-and-jerk lifting this team right now. That trio has combined for 36 points, five more than everyone else has chipped in with. Marleau, Thornton and Pavelski also have just three less total points than Tuesday opponent Anaheim has totaled as a team in its first four games. But hey, winning is fun. And the games keep coming at a brisk pace, so no time to savor it, just look forward to the next one.
You kind of figured this one would get a little confrontational (hey, it's the Canucks, whom you have grown to expect the love to be flowing at regardless of their opponent, and even beauty pageant Vancouver fans are perceived as Alex Burrows-level instigators), when players on both sides drew penalties before a second went off the game clock. Sharks' forward Ryan Clowe, who objected to Burrows mixing it up with Clowe's linemate Logan Couture as the teams prepared to take the opening faceoff. Clowe was...
...Just warming up after taking that unsportsmanlike conduct call and skating to the penalty box along with Burrows. Clowe's time in the penalty box was almost as important to Sunday's game as the Sharks' four goals scored. He earned a total of 35 penalty minutes and a game misconduct that ended his night early. It was kind of a good news, bad news deal for Clowe, whose total time in the box hadn't been seen in San Jose since this guy ran amok in the South Bay. You were pleased Clowe defended Couture; that he threw down after being challenged by Vancouver's Zack Kassian; that he a bone-crushing but clean hit against the boards to send the home crowd into a frenzy. But he also put his team up against it too frequently playing an opponent that can be devastating with the man advantage. Clowe's final act was regrettable. His high-sticking call at 19:33 of the second period was magnified further when his frankly infantile reaction of screaming from the box and slamming his stick against the glass. Costing his team two more minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct and also receiving the heave-ho for the entire third period...
...Could have cost his team dearly. He also played right into the hands of the Canucks, who thrive when their opponents lose their cool like Clowe did. The Sharks, still up just 3-1 at the time, had to then endure four minutes of power play time spanning the end of the second and beginning of the third period. But the Sharks' maligned penalty kill had its best effort of the young season. Vancouver went 0-for-7 on the PP Sunday, and somehow the Sharks survived the San Jose-killing Sedin twins being on the ice for a combined 15 minutes, 6 seconds of time with at least a man advantage. And the Sharks had some luck on their side with Vancouver shots ringing off posts five times. Then again, Vancouver got its only goal when an Antti Niemi save sent the puck deflecting off the back of Dan Boyle's skate and trickling into his own net. But the Sharks probably can't expect to kill off seven penalties against this team again when the Canucks host San Jose on March 5. But for the Sharks, all that matters is...
...A 5-0 start to a season has never happened in two-plus decades of San Jose Sharks' hockey. We're all realistic to know this can't go on for too much longer. The Sharks' top line of Patrick Marleau (one more goal for nine in five games), Joe Thornton (G, A; 13 total points) and Joe Pavelski (his first two goals of the season scored on Sunday and 10 points so far) is not just carrying but clean-and-jerk lifting this team right now. That trio has combined for 36 points, five more than everyone else has chipped in with. Marleau, Thornton and Pavelski also have just three less total points than Tuesday opponent Anaheim has totaled as a team in its first four games. But hey, winning is fun. And the games keep coming at a brisk pace, so no time to savor it, just look forward to the next one.
No comments:
Post a Comment