Leading men again

I love the smell of a Sharks' lead in a hockey game...

I didn't know whether to cheer, cry, exhale or just savor the moment when Tim Kennedy got a wrister past St. Louis Blues goalie Jake Allen at 13:02 in the third period. The Sharks  had gone 348 minutes, 33 seconds without leading a hockey game. That's almost six regulation games, and it had become an albatross that defined a seven-game losing streak. But Kennedy, who's proven to be quite the surprising boost in the arm for a team that's needed a pick-me-up, provided the game winner in Tuesday's 2-1 victory over the Blues.  Frankly, this was a game the Sharks desperately needed...

...For various reasons. St. Louis had to be a little weary and irritable after a mechanical snafu with its plane delayed the return flight from Vancouver until a Tuesday morning touchdown. And though some of the same issues that have plagued the Sharks in February after such an effective January were prevalent again (led by another less than dangerous power play), San Jose looked like the superior, if fresher team on this night after St. Louis held a 1-0 lead into the second period. Joe Thornton got that goal back in the second period using a formula that served the Sharks well when they were winning games: Thornton was opportunistic in front of the net and jammed home a rebound to tie the game. It seemed from afar that the Sharks' lack of goal scoring for such an extended time were a byproduct of not doing the dirty work in front of the net. And you never know...

...If this was just a one-game reprieve with another dreaded visit to the United Center to play the "We don't lose hockey games right now, certainly none in regulation" Chicago Blackhawks on Friday night. But the Sharks have to feel a little better about their chances to end the Blackhawks' now shared NHL record for collecting at least a point in 16 consecutive games to begin a season. More on this rematch on Friday, but have the Sharks righted their ship enough to snap that Chicago streak and beat the Blackhawks in regulation?