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Changing the
Script
Other stars have to share the
focus
There's an overall malaise amongst Sharks' fans
this playoff run, it could be we all came to the same conclusion. If Patrick
Marleau or Joe Thornton were going to tie the Sharks to their back and drag
them to the Stanley Cup finals it would have happened by now. Those of us with
long memories can recite even more This Date In Sharks' Misery moments; no I
won't go back there, it's a dark and useless place. This season could, however,
be a breakthrough in a few other ways.
The Sharks looked like a sure
bet for a top ten draft pick at mid-season. But between moving Brent Burns to
forward, the trades of Douglas Murray and Ryane Clowe, and the line shake-ups
with the addition of Raffi Torres they pulled into the playoffs. But this is no
longer a team waiting for Thornton and Marleau to score the big goals.
These playoffs need to be the stage for Logan Couture, Joe Pavelski and Burns
to show they are the players first coming to mind when you think of the San
Jose Sharks. We know that Antii Niemi can steal a series in the playoffs and he
will need to do that somewhere. The Sharks' defense is actually better than in
most previous years, the third defense pairing (Brad Stuart and Jason
Demers/Scott Hannan) is not two guys who should be up in the press box. One
excuse for stinking it up is gone already with Torres in teal now.
Vancouver is a good matchup for the Sharks. The Sharks
swept them in the regular season games but not by a lot and there's still a
little blood from a few seasons ago. Meanwhile, their fans are grumbling about
whether the Sedins' have lost their bling and how they hate both their goalies.
That feeling is probably mutual. We also need to pull for Detroit (am I saying
that?) and Minnesota so the Chicago Blackhawks get dinged up before the
Conference Finals. Most importantly, Go Sharks.
Contact Ken at at
Kenin210@eudoramail.com
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