Game Thread: CANUCKS (36-24-4) at SHARKS (32-25-8) - 03.07.15 @ 7PM

[Mr. Teal]

TV: CBC, CSN-CA

SAN JOSE -- The San Jose Sharks will be without injured defenseman Matt Irwin when they play the Vancouver Canucks in a crucial Pacific Division game at SAP Center on Saturday.

Irwin sustained an upper-body injury during practice Friday while taking a shot and did not skate Saturday. Scott Hannan will replace Irwin in the lineup against Vancouver, and the Sharks recalled defenseman Taylor Fedun from Worcester of the American Hockey League on an emergency basis.

Irwin had played 19 straight games and had been playing his best hockey of the season before getting hurt. In his past four games Irwin had two goals and two assists.

"He's been really good since he got back into the lineup," Sharks coach Todd McLellan said. "He worked so hard when he was out of the lineup to improve his foot speed. He's quicker. Offensively he's contributed in a lot of areas. His confidence is at an all-time high. It's unfortunate for him as an individual to not be able to continue on, but hopefully he's very short-term and has the opportunity to get back in before he loses anything that he's gained."

The Canucks could be shorthanded also. Second-line forward Chris Higgins, who left practice early Friday, did not take part in Vancouver's optional morning skate. Third-line center Nick Bonino missed practice Friday but skated Saturday and said he expected to play.

The Canucks have 76 points, the same as the second-place Calgary Flames in the Pacific Division, while San Jose is fifth with 72 points.

"If we win against these guys tonight we've put a little bit of a gap between us that can be tough to catch," Bonino said.

The Canucks have gone 2-0-0 at SAP Center while the Sharks have gone 2-0-0 at Rogers Arena, including a 6-2 victory Tuesday. The Sharks scored three goals on four shots in the first 7:45 against backup goaltender Jacob Markstrom, who was making his first NHL start of the season.

Chris Tierney, Melker Karlsson and Logan Couture each scored a goal, giving San Jose a 3-0 lead and ending Markstrom's night early. Eddie Lack took over and allowed one goal on 24 shots. San Jose added a pair of empty-net goals.

Lack will make his first career start at SAP Center on Saturday.

"I felt like we could have won the game at home even though we were down 3-0 early," Lack said. "The first 10 minutes are going to be huge tonight. We have to play a 60-, 65-minute game if we want the result to go our way."

The Canucks followed their loss to San Jose with a 3-2 shootout loss Thursday against the Arizona Coyotes at Gila River Arena.

The Sharks ended an eight-game home losing streak (0-6-2) Monday with a 4-0 victory against the Montreal Canadiensand then beat Vancouver the next night.

"We've had a tendency to play like waves here a little bit, where we build and crest and then crash. And that can't happen," McLellan said. "It's not going to work that way in the last 17 games if we want to get to the second season. So we've got to build a wave and we've got to ride it for a long period. We began that process with the two games and now we've got to continue on."

The Sharks haven't won three straight games since Jan. 21-31 when they beat the Los Angeles Kings, Anaheim Ducksand Chicago Blackhawks.

"We know what we've got in this room," Couture said. "I think we're a better team than what we've shown for most of the season. So hopefully we get hot at the right time and win a bunch in a row."

Here are the projected lineups:

CANUCKS

Daniel Sedin - Henrik Sedin - Zack Kassian

Shawn Matthias - Linden Vey - Alexandre Burrows

Derek Dorsett - Nick Bonino - Radim Vrbata

Ronalds Kenins - Bo Horvat - Jannik Hansen

Alexander Edler - Yannick Weber

Dan Hamhuis - Luca Sbisa

Frank Corrado - Ryan Stanton

Eddie Lack

Jacob Markstrom

Scratched: Brandon McMillan, Adam Clendening

Injured: Ryan Miller (knee), Christopher Tanev (head), Kevin Bieksa (broken hand), Brad Richardson (ankle), Chris Higgins (undisclosed)

SHARKS

Melker Karlsson - Joe Thornton - Joe Pavelski

Patrick Marleau - Logan Couture - Matt Nieto

Tommy Wingels - Ben Smith - Tomas Hertl

John Scott - Chris Tierney - Barclay Goodrow

Marc-Edouard Vlasic - Justin Braun

Scott Hannan - Brent Burns

Mirco Mueller - Brenden Dillon

Antti Niemi

Alex Stalock

Scratched: None

Injured: Raffi Torres (knee), Mike Brown (right leg), Matt Irwin (upper body)

Status report: Fedun, 26, has five goals and 29 points in 56 AHL games. He scored two goals in four games for theEdmonton Oilers last season. ... After being a healthy scratch against Arizona, Vey is expected to return to the lineup and center the second line, with Matthias moving from center to left wing. ... If Higgins is able to play then Kenins likely will be scratched.

Who's hot: Marleau has three goals and two assists during a four-game point streak. ... Pavelski has one goal and four assists during a four-game point streak. ... Nieto had his first two-goal game of the season Tuesday against Vancouver. ... Vrbata has one goal and three assists in his past three games. ... Henrik Sedin has six goals and seven assists in his past nine games.

 

[Mr. Teal]

This is an acceptable level of production from Thornton and Marleau in the last few games.
Joe has a goal and an assist so far. 2-0 Sharks 8:02 1st per.

 

[Mr. Teal]

Neutral zone turnover with a line change gave Vrbatta a run at the net where he banked the puck in off Niemi.
Basically Niemi thought Vrbatta was going around the net and got scored off when he turned his head and came off the post.Defense screwed up but Niemi could've stopped that goal too.
2-1 Sharks. 1st int.

 

[Cmon_WTF]

Ugh, Hannan is awful. If you're going to call switch to Burns then you should probably cover the man you're supposed to switch to.

 

[Cmon_WTF]

Not Marleau's night so far.

 

[Slimpikins]

Marleau literally found the one place he could shoot the puck and not score form that close.

 

[Cmon_WTF]

I think he was in shock that Hannan actually connected with a pass.

 

[sjrules99]

man, the sharks have the mental fortitude of my three-year-old...

When they lose this one, it will be the 4th game out of 5 at home that they lose in the 3rd period, 2 after blowing a lead going into the 3rd and 4 of them they scored first.

They actually had a chance to make the playoffs with the last two wins, but with all their rivals winning and the sharks collapsing, it's 10 minutes from over.

 

[sjrules99]

And of course patty cant score in a gaping open net. Team worst -15 and falling...

 

[Cmon_WTF]

Meh, the Sharks have played a strong game with the exception of Niemi who shit the bed on the first two goals. They've gotten zero puck luck tonight.

 

[Mr. Teal]

The third period collapse was not unexpected but disappointing nonetheless.

 

[sjrules99]

Meh, the Sharks have played a strong game with the exception of Niemi who shit the bed on the first two goals. They've gotten zero puck luck tonight.

Yes, all that being true just speaks to me point. Nemo is part of the sharks. but its not just him. Patty missed an open net. They left vrbata wide open all alone in front and their PK is now amongst the worst in the NHL which speaks directly to mentality, not skill. The strong starts followed by collapses speaks the same.

They havent played terribly, but they had a 2-0 lead, make a dum dum play at the end of the period. make a dum dum play on Burns' goal against. and make a dum dum play with all three guys in the FO circle only to lose it and give a functional tap in for vrbata. Three dum dum plays = no mental fortitude.
I don't think Ive ever seen such a weak mental sharks team. They are playing as if they are already in the POs.

 

[sjrules99]

well, that pretty much ices the season.

Sharks now 3 points and a game behind #9 LA. 4 points and a game behind calgary.

Since they have to pass both, I would say its done.

 

[Cmon_WTF]

Hard to say the Nucks pp goal was the result of a bad play. Pavs was tripped on the face off and Vlasic was interfered with trying to come across to cover for him. It was just a good play by the Nucks. First goal dumb play by Marleau, second by Niemi. Calling the 3rd goal a result of a dumb play by the Sharks would be disingenuous IMO.

 

[sjrules99]

Hard to say the Nucks pp goal was the result of a bad play. Pavs was tripped on the face off and Vlasic was interfered with trying to come across to cover for him. It was just a good play by the Nucks. First goal dumb play by Marleau, second by Niemi. Calling the 3rd goal a result of a dumb play by the Sharks would be disingenuous IMO.

I kinda view it as having all three guys vying for a loose puck in the FO circle and being on the wrong side of the net is a pretty dumb move. Two guys? yes, but you cant sellout 100% on that play. Doubly true when you only have 21 seconds of 4 on 3.

Either way, lots of dum dum plays, and then not bearing down and converting at the other end.

I cannot call it anything else when you look at the incredibly starts in 5 of the last 6 games (other than LA in the outdoor game). Yet, they nearly blew the 3 goal lead vs. vancouver in van, so they nearly blew 5 leads in the last 7 games. The only explanation I can see is that they dont know how to play with the lead. Dont know how to kill a key penalty, and dont know how to play in the third period. That's just amazing...

Good news is that tickets will be cheap cheap cheap next year. I surely wont even consider season tix and I expect 1000's to drop off. Who wants to pay much higher prices when:

1. the team sucks
2. hundreds of tickets go unsold on stubhub (often well below face)
3. the future looks as bleak as it has since the very beginning of the franchise.
4. They suck specifically at home.
5. Playoffs are unlikely (this is one of the main reason to have season tix)

I predict a tank with 15-16k on a given weeknight next year.

 

[sjrules99]

I kinda view it as having all three guys vying for a loose puck in the FO circle and being on the wrong side of the net is a pretty dumb move. Two guys? yes, but you cant sellout 100% on that play. Doubly true when you only have 21 seconds of 4 on 3.

Either way, lots of dum dum plays, and then not bearing down and converting at the other end.

I cannot call it anything else when you look at the incredibly starts in 5 of the last 6 games (other than LA in the outdoor game). Yet, they nearly blew the 3 goal lead vs. vancouver in van, so they nearly blew 5 leads in the last 7 games. The only explanation I can see is that they dont know how to play with the lead. Dont know how to kill a key penalty, and dont know how to play in the third period. That's just amazing...

Good news is that tickets will be cheap cheap cheap next year. I surely wont even consider season tix and I expect 1000's to drop off. Who wants to pay much higher prices when:

1. the team sucks
2. hundreds of tickets go unsold on stubhub (often well below face)
3. the future looks as bleak as it has since the very beginning of the franchise.
4. They suck specifically at home.
5. Playoffs are unlikely (this is one of the main reason to have season tix)

I predict a tank with 15-16k on a given weeknight next year.

Not to mention that the AHL will be there at half the cost. I take it back, the actual attendance (not necessarily sales, but actual attendance) may fall into the 14's. There are gunna be a lot of families perfectly happy to watch AHL hockey, and if the fans are already departing this year, there will be a mass exodus coming soon when the big two are dealt (as they should be)

 

[Cmon_WTF]

It's already been announced that ticket prices are going up next year...

At this point the way I look at it is if they aren't going to win at least make it entertaining. They did that tonight. The effort was there. The execution was not. I can live with those types of losses. It's the no effort garbage fests that I have issue with.

 

[sjrules99]

It's already been announced that ticket prices are going up next year...

At this point the way I look at it is if they aren't going to win at least make it entertaining. They did that tonight. The effort was there. The execution was not. I can live with those types of losses. It's the no effort garbage fests that I have issue with.

yeah I know about the ticket prices. That's what Im saying. who wants to pay a big ticket price increase (upwards of 8% in some areas) when the team is declining, not filling the cap room, and has no immediate future. This is a good year to give up the tix. There will be prime seats in great areas available at a fraction of face value most nights. Add that price increase and team performance to the AHL being there which will take away alot of families, and tickets will be a dime a dozen on stubhub, ticket exchange, CL, etc. I would guess red line, lower bowl will go for $50 or less on many nights next year despite a face well above $100, and the upper bowl will be available in the teens.

I don't want to watch them lose regularly. effort or no, watching them lose sucks. I dont want to be in the building watching that time and again, and I am not alone. I can watch them lose just as nicely from my sofa.

BTW, they wont lose games like this regularly. The other L's to ottawa, LA, DET, and Co was much more painful as they had great periods and super lulls. This game was better, but Im glad I wasnt there.

 

[sjrules99]

PM in the last 62 games (since the 5th game of the season):

6 EV goals.
22 total EV points.
***-17 (26 games as a minus player to just 13 games a plus player)
total of 2 GWG

Pavs in the same stretch (excludes first 5 games, which were good for him too)
14 EV goals (17 PP)
30 EV points.
***+10 (17 games as a minus to 20 games as a plus player)
total of 4 GWG

Despite Pavs vastly outproducing on the PP, he's also crushing patty at EV.

If (when) the sharks miss the PO's, PM will be the biggest reason.

I just looked it up, and it appears that patty is a whopping +6 TOTAL since Jumbo joined the sharks. Jumbo, by comparison, is +154 since joining the sharks.

Now, I know some will say that he changes right before getting minuses and all that, but The fact these two get paid the same and are considered close to equal is mind boggling.

Simply put, patty is a mediocre second liner, which suspect defensive skills. I know I will get creamed for this posting (stats are deceiving, matchups, etc.) Bull shit. Jumbo draws the to D pair against every game and is +154. patty if on his line is amazingly worse, and if not, is then getting the opposition 2nd pairing every game and still miserable.

Patty is the most overrated player in sharks history by a mile. Likely always will be. His mercurial play is maddening, and I cannot wait until he is finally gone and we can move past the captain blinky era.

 

[sjrules99]

PM in the last 62 games (since the 5th game of the season):

6 EV goals.
22 total EV points.
***-17 (26 games as a minus player to just 13 games a plus player)
total of 2 GWG

Pavs in the same stretch (excludes first 5 games, which were good for him too)
14 EV goals (17 PP)
30 EV points.
***+10 (17 games as a minus to 20 games as a plus player)
total of 4 GWG

Despite Pavs vastly outproducing on the PP, he's also crushing patty at EV.

If (when) the sharks miss the PO's, PM will be the biggest reason.

I just looked it up, and it appears that patty is a whopping +6 TOTAL since Jumbo joined the sharks. Jumbo, by comparison, is +154 since joining the sharks.

Now, I know some will say that he changes right before getting minuses and all that, but The fact these two get paid the same and are considered close to equal is mind boggling.

Simply put, patty is a mediocre second liner, which suspect defensive skills. I know I will get creamed for this posting (stats are deceiving, matchups, etc.) Bull shit. Jumbo draws the to D pair against every game and is +154. patty if on his line is amazingly worse, and if not, is then getting the opposition 2nd pairing every game and still miserable.

Patty is the most overrated player in sharks history by a mile. Likely always will be. His mercurial play is maddening, and I cannot wait until he is finally gone and we can move past the captain blinky era.

Further fun comparisons:

Since 2010 (since cooch became a regular), couture is +50 overall. Pavs is +67. Jumbo is +48. Vlasic (who matches the top O every night) is +75, burns in his 4 years with the sharks is +33, Boyle as a shark was +19.........patty is -10.

That's not stats lying. That's not jumbo going for quick changes to avoid a minus. That's not cooch or pavs getting the easy match ups vs. depth D. That's definitely not Pickles getting 3rd and 4th liners.

THAT is the difference between actual good players and lazy, shlubs like patty.