GDT (43) - 1/17 Flames at Sharks - 7:30PM

[Slimpikins]

sup ladies and gents.. went to this one tonight.. bit of a stinker in terms of the play, but it was a nice win for niemi and the huge mass he carries around on his back that has #19 and #12 on it

outsider's opinion.. joe thornton looked at the net i think once the whole game and marleau might've gotten the speedometer up to about 14 mph tonight with his shots.. and aside from murray and burns does anybody on the sharks hit? i think there were a few 'finished' checks but a little oomph behind them would be alright, even appreciated, especially in such a boring game!

oh, and the refs suck.

there was an 8 month old baby next to me though, and he's attended 2 sharks games already, thats commitment and i love it.

McGinn threw a couple checks and Close was out with an upperbody injury. But the Sharks have not been a very physical team this year. Jumbo rarely shoots, in fact if he were on a breakaway he would probably pull up and look for a pass. Marleau had a slow start but he's been playing better lately, and is the only consistent scorer on this team when things get tough.

Niemi played well tonight and we were fortunate enough to get the two points after that terrible call in OT.

 

[rares]

Thornton continues to be a fucking abomination out there.

Not because of the lack of shooting... just because of everything else he does (wrong). Skates in slow motion, is a turnover machine, makes blind passes to nobody, gets kicked out of every face-off, and on and on.

You don't need to be a rocket surgeon to figure out that he just does not give a shit.

I can't put up with his shit much longer...

 

[Slimpikins]

I thought he had been playing better for a stretch before this game. He was skating and putting pressure on the forecheck. Sure he is lazy sometimes but I think he gets shit on unduly. He is still the best player on this team. It's not like everyone else doesn't have their share of half-assed efforts.

 

[awaz]

McGinn threw a couple checks and Close was out with an upperbody injury. But the Sharks have not been a very physical team this year. Jumbo rarely shoots, in fact if he were on a breakaway he would probably pull up and look for a pass. Marleau had a slow start but he's been playing better lately, and is the only consistent scorer on this team when things get tough.

Niemi played well tonight and we were fortunate enough to get the two points after that terrible call in OT.

ya i thought niemi was fantastic.. the flames really liked to come out of the corner to his right and were very dangerous trying to throw it back door.. it was almost predictable in the first period (that kept taking place right in front of me haha).. but he tracked the puck well and was just about always in position.. and in the shootout he was ultra-patient, i was very impressed.. it'd be nice to see that kind of goaltending from the flyers!

 

[sjrules99]

the problem with jumbo is that he has no killer instinct. With great players across the league, you see a real snarl for the net when the pressure is on. Other stars tend to speed up the play, rather than slow it down and they tend to fight to score in the tough areas.

With Jumbo, it's always a pull up, slow it down, look for the pretty play. Granted, that can be the best play at times and it often creates chances, but it also eases it up for the other team, which now has time to close, get in position, and shut down the rush, often creating a bad turnover going the other way.

the second problem is that jumbo is 1 dimensional. He has 3 goals in his last 27 games. (a 9 goal per year pace). he has 1 PP goal all season. At the end of the day, the man needs to be a threat out there to shoot and score if he wants to be truly successful. Good teams have figured out how to defend and contain him so his numbers in the PO's are horrendous. Just 12 goals and -18 in 74 PO games with the sharks and just 4 PP goals in all that time. he has 1 goal and -8 in his two WCF series. His one-dimensional game and taking himself out of plays and taking pressure off other teams hurts the sharks more than helps. Now, for just an 'average joe', thornton is OK, but for a $7M "franchise" player, he simply isnt good enough.

Dougie would be wise to look in a different direction at some point in the near future (2-3 years max). Nothing is going to change this year. We are stuck with jumbo-patty as the face of the team like it or not.

 

[sjrules99]

On the bright side, burnsie is looking better and better as the season goes on. His skating is awesome, his decision making and D play is vastly improved. his offensive game should start taking off soon. I love the way he is playing and he is a very solid guy to build you D core around.

p.s.: Loving the way mcginn is playing too. I would wrap him up long term if I were dougie. he plays with fire, can score, has speed, hits hard, forechecks hard... He is getting better and better too. I would give him a 4 year deal with 5-6M in a second.

p.p.s: Torrey mitchell is vaguely resembling an NHLer since being benched.

 

[Cmon_WTF]

so this is how the Sharks will look like when we are missing two of our top 6 forwards.
Somebody please thank Doug, for his fuck up during the off season. I bet the Sharks would have scored if Seto was still here

Could have been worse. They could still have Heatley on the ice.

 

[rares]

Clowe ain't going anywhere:

Clowe’s dealing with facial fracture — and no concussion-like symptoms; Desjardins is OK to play | Working the Corners

 

[koblix]

I guess Clowe can't fight for awhile

 

[MrChangoT97]

I guess we are going to be watching more FUGLY games since Clowe is out until after allstar game.

 

[Cmon_WTF]

I guess we are going to be watching more FUGLY games since Clowe is out until after allstar game.

That game wouldn't have looked any better with Clowe in the line up. It still would have been a boring, slow paced, low scoring game either way.

 

[KillerVee]

sup ladies and gents.. went to this one tonight.. bit of a stinker in terms of the play, but it was a nice win for niemi and the huge mass he carries around on his back that has #19 and #12 on it

outsider's opinion.. joe thornton looked at the net i think once the whole game and marleau might've gotten the speedometer up to about 14 mph tonight with his shots.. and aside from murray and burns does anybody on the sharks hit? i think there were a few 'finished' checks but a little oomph behind them would be alright, even appreciated, especially in such a boring game!

oh, and the refs suck.

there was an 8 month old baby next to me though, and he's attended 2 sharks games already, thats commitment and i love it.

Aww look at you going to Sharks games! How's the Bay Area treating you, Awaz?