Eh? Jumbo had 12 points and 3 multipoint games in that 9 game stretch.
Yeah but it was only 4 of the top six doing anything.... Once you take Couture out of the mix the Sharks were left with one line and the offense did this
Yeah but it was only 4 of the top six doing anything.... Once you take Couture out of the mix the Sharks were left with one line and the offense did this
They scored exactly their season average over the trip as a whole, since Couture returned the offense has been nonexistent.
While Havlat couldn't save this team even if he was healthy, the Sharks basically gave away Heatley for scraps in terms of production this season. I don't think Heatley was worth his contract and I'm still very glad to have him off the cap, but he was a big help on special teams and could have helped the team this season. I'd still make the trade to get rid of Heatley's contract and free up money for other more important players, but losing his production and special teams contributions has been felt. Even with his low numbers this season he'd be the 5th highest scorer on the Sharks.
Some extremely average goaltending. Nemo and Greiss are good enough, but neither can be expected force a win playing on a team in the middle of the league in scoring. The defense has improved but also not enough to compensate for the drop in scoring it would seem.
I think the short story here is San Jose lost a little too much offense without gaining enough defense to compensate. I'm increasingly worried when I consider how bleak the forward prospects are for the future.
We stopped playing Benn Ferriero...wait but seriously. We're 17 - 9 - 3 with a 59% win percentage with Benn in the line up (compared to the teams 49% win percentage). He's got the second most GWG's on the team! Say what you will but the guy is a winner. How many people on the team have playoff OT winners? (3; Marleau, Pavelski, Havlat)
We need a sniper. The fact is that we don't have a pure sniper like Heatley or Cheechoo or Setoguchi was anymore. Opposing defenses don't have to worry as much about our line ups and even if Pavs has a wicked wrist shot, it's still not enough. The lessened presence of goal scoring instinct hurts the team and even if we didn't score a whole lot more last year than we did this year, the presence of a sniper would greatly benefit the Sharks.
We need a sniper. The fact is that we don't have a pure sniper like Heatley or Cheechoo or Setoguchi was anymore. Opposing defenses don't have to worry as much about our line ups and even if Pavs has a wicked wrist shot, it's still not enough. The lessened presence of goal scoring instinct hurts the team and even if we didn't score a whole lot more last year than we did this year, the presence of a sniper would greatly benefit the Sharks.
A sniper's effect on a team are minimal and overrated. I don't have the stats, but adding a sniper rarely increases goal totals. I do think that our scoring woes have a lot to do with not having Seto or Heater, but not because they were "snipers".
We need a sniper. The fact is that we don't have a pure sniper like Heatley or Cheechoo or Setoguchi was anymore. Opposing defenses don't have to worry as much about our line ups and even if Pavs has a wicked wrist shot, it's still not enough. The lessened presence of goal scoring instinct hurts the team and even if we didn't score a whole lot more last year than we did this year, the presence of a sniper would greatly benefit the Sharks.
I've got to disagree. Marleau, Couture and Pavelski can all be considered snipers, especially the first two. If you're going to call Seto a sniper, those three are certainly superior to him in that area. I don't think we're missing a goal scorer. Our problems are goaltending, PK and the fact that the entire team outside of Marleau, Thornton and Vlasic seems to be in a slump right now.
Am I the only one that feels that the serious lack of physicality on the part of the Sharks may have something to do with this?
I see nothing but reactive physical play - letting the other team set the pace. PHX hits hard, SJS hits back. Logan gets destroyed on the boards, the Sharks throw a couple of hard hits, and play continues. I'd be interested to see the correlation between hits & roughing/fighting penalties and game point production over the last few years.
I want to see the Sharks set the pace more often and be the ones to initiate physical play.
Each game seems to be about bringing your own emotion (BYOE) because it sure isn't being created on the nice. I don't think the Sharks work well in this environment.
On the first line, Pavelski, who has been the consistent one has gone through a very dry spell.
The second line isn't scoring. They aren't able to exit our defensive zone with any authority. There isn't any creativity to getting shots on this line.
The third line is in flux until these guys get comfortable.
The defense has been making awful mistakes, bad coverage and turnovers.
Goaltending hasn't been sharp, no games stolen by them.
Bad juju all around. It can't continue this way. The Sharks are not a mediocre team.
Whatever strategies the coaching staff has, it needs to be burned. That or fire the whole staff in the offseason. When I watch other teams play and compare that with the Sharks, it makes it look like the Sharks play in a league that is below NHL level. Its like they play a dumbed-down version of hockey....Everything is predictable, slow, and boring.
I think the biggest problem this organization has is the strategies used are generally moronic.
We use the same system here in Worcester for just about everything. Until I started really paying attention to San Jose's games I just assumed Worcester was pathetic at performing the system because it was designed for faster/better players, and as the goal was to indoctrinate players into that system here so that when they get to SJ they can step right in, it was going to be used come hell or high water.
Well, turns out that is the goal here (and, BTW, it's the absolute right thing to do), but lo and behold it's the systems that suck.
I think the biggest problem this organization has is the strategies used are generally moronic.
We use the same system here in Worcester for just about everything. Until I started really paying attention to San Jose's games I just assumed Worcester was pathetic at performing the system because it was designed for faster/better players, and as the goal was to indoctrinate players into that system here so that when they get to SJ they can step right in, it was going to be used come hell or high water.
Well, turns out that is the goal here (and, BTW, it's the absolute right thing to do), but lo and behold it's the systems that suck.
Also Shark's coaches cannot make adjustments during games. They get out-coached time after time. Every game when Randy & Drew talk to Woodcroft or Shaw before the 3rd period They simply say (most of the time) "we just need to keep doing what we've been doing, and we will be rewarded" meanwhile other team has made real adjustment to the Sharks, and we get smoked.
I'm Sad, used to look forward to gametime, Actually don't really know what to think about this team right now. Damn depressing. Also none of my family or friends care about hockey at all, so these boards and other hockey websites are the only hockey talk I get.
Am I the only one that feels that the serious lack of physicality on the part of the Sharks may have something to do with this?
I see nothing but reactive physical play - letting the other team set the pace. PHX hits hard, SJS hits back. Logan gets destroyed on the boards, the Sharks throw a couple of hard hits, and play continues. I'd be interested to see the correlation between hits & roughing/fighting penalties and game point production over the last few years.
I want to see the Sharks set the pace more often and be the ones to initiate physical play.
Each game seems to be about bringing your own emotion (BYOE) because it sure isn't being created on the nice. I don't think the Sharks work well in this environment.
trust me, i consider these sharks to be the softest big boys ive seen. murray and clowe are the only 2 with the balls to throw a hit. the rest of the team just skates by them.
the problem stems from niemi. because of his piss poor rebound control, the team has to collapse in front of him. because the team has collapsed, the team is deeper in our end. because they are deeper in our end, its a farther distance to skate to get out.
our team is to slow to beat anyone out when theyre that deep to get an effective transition game going. hence we cant score goals.
Very simple. We are just not that good. Our current record is reflective of the roster we have. We played better than we were for a stretch early and we've played worse than we are for this stretch lately. We're an average team with a very average roster and the sooner people realize that we are a notch below the elite teams at ever single spot on the roster, the easier it will be to understand and accept this Sharks team.
I, like I'm sure many other Sharks fans, am not so concerned about the performance as I am about the lack of identity. I can root for an average team, even a bad team, if they give me something to be a fan of. This team isn't giving us much of anything to be a fan of at this point. That, at a minimum, has to change.
Very simple. We are just not that good. Our current record is reflective of the roster we have. We played better than we were for a stretch early and we've played worse than we are for this stretch lately. We're an average team with a very average roster and the sooner people realize that we are a notch below the elite teams at ever single spot on the roster, the easier it will be to understand and accept this Sharks team.
I, like I'm sure many other Sharks fans, am not so concerned about the performance as I am about the lack of identity. I can root for an average team, even a bad team, if they give me something to be a fan of. This team isn't giving us much of anything to be a fan of at this point. That, at a minimum, has to change.
I dont agree with that at all. This team might not be tops in the league in terms of talent, but they do have talent and should be doing better than the record shows. This team definitely has more talent than teams like Phoenix and St Louis but they are both looking much better than the Sharks. Coaching is way more of a problem than the roster right now IMO.
Am I the only one that feels that the serious lack of physicality on the part of the Sharks may have something to do with this?
I see nothing but reactive physical play - letting the other team set the pace. PHX hits hard, SJS hits back. Logan gets destroyed on the boards, the Sharks throw a couple of hard hits, and play continues. I'd be interested to see the correlation between hits & roughing/fighting penalties and game point production over the last few years.
I want to see the Sharks set the pace more often and be the ones to initiate physical play.
Each game seems to be about bringing your own emotion (BYOE) because it sure isn't being created on the nice. I don't think the Sharks work well in this environment.
The boys have been accused this year of playing soft and not sticking up for each other. This has not always been the case. The question is, are they playing soft because of a lack of motivation/emotion or do they have a lack of motivation because they are being told that physical play is not part of the process. Just from watching Clowe, I think that they are playing under a set of rules mandated by the coaching staff that does not allow for them to play to the level of physicality that they are used to. They all used to stick up for each other. Now when someone is getting roughed up, you can see them look in that direction like they want to do something about it, but then the "training" takes over and they skate away. Watch Doug Murray this year. Where are the big hits at the blueline?
Personally, I think the way they are being asked to play is the problem and that is TMac's fault.
