Homestand concludes Thursday night vs Red Wings
The Sharks will host the Detroit Red Wings Thursday Night (11/17) in the finale of their six game homestand. The Sharks thus far a 3-1-1 on the stand, with the last two games being a mixed bag. First, there was last Thrusday’s 3-1 over the Minnesota Wild which saw Patrick Marleau net two power play goals. Also, there was the back story of former Sharks Devin Setoguchi and Dany Heatley returning to San Jose for the first time since they were dealt in two separate summer time deals. There was Brent Burns and Martin Havlet, facing the Wild for the first time since these trades. Then there was Douglas Murray, who introduced Setoguchi to the boards in then opening seconds of the game so he can say “Hi” to his former team. Then there was Dany Healtey, and he may have had a shot on goal somewhere.
The Saturday night game was the return of the Phoenix Coyotes to the Shark Tank, and getting payback on an opening night 6-3 Sharks win. The Sharks this time could not find the back of the net once and played about as lethargic as a team can play in a 3-0 loss which is easily their worst game this year to date. Simply put, the game itself was “Coyote Ugly”. Head Coach Todd McLellan told the media in the post game interview that the problem the Sharks had was more or less in their heads. It sure seemed that way. About the only thing Coach McLellan could say to his team after this one is that it’s up to the men in the teal jersey’s to figure this one out. The good news is that’s it’s November, and in an 82 game schedule a clunker or two will happen. It’s how a team rebounds from it is what matters. So what will the Sharks need to do to handle Detroit Thursday Night?
The Sharks seemingly are more confident when they are taking on a team as the Red Wings because you know you are going to get challenged, and bringing anything less than your “A-Game” means you’ll get smoked. The Red Wings started out the season hot winning their first five games, however they have cooled off a little having gone 4-6-1 over the last 11 games. This does not mean the Red Wings are not formidable, they are just having a below average month. The Red Wings will be in the top three or four teams in the Western Conference by mid April. That’s about as much of a “lock” as you can have in professional sports.
The Sharks need to keep their game a simple as possible. They have strong lines as do the Red Wings, and they also have a top flight goalie in Antti Niemi who will have a weeks rest under his belt. Just keep the lines on their normal shifts, and only do adjustments conservatively (unless one or two of the lines simply does not click and a change is absolutely necessary). Jimmy Howard will be as tough as any goalie the Sharks will face, and if you are going to rattle him you have to do that early. If the Sharks can do that and get up, let’s say 2-0 after one period they will have a strong upper hand.
The Wings when on their game will attack in waves, and are the closest thing to an all-star team as you have on one roster. Johan Franzen has 9 goals so far this season to lead the team, with Nicklas Lindstrom netting 6 so far this season. Valtteri Filppula and Pavel Datsyuk are amongst the Red Wings assist leaders. You can go up and down their line up and you would be hard pressed to find a player that would be anything less than a factor. This is probably one of the most loaded franchises not only in the NHL, but also in the four major league sports (Yankees and Phillies loaded for all of the baseball fans to give you a comparison). This is the bad news.
However, with bad news their is also good news. The Sharks as a team also have one of the best rosters in the league. The reason the Sharks have had recent success against Detroit has to do with Coach Todd McLellan, a former assistant of Mike Babcock’s. McLellan knows this opponent inside out, their strengths and their weakness (what few their are). McLellan along with GM Doug Wilson have designed a team that can match the Red Wings blue print for success. So far the Sharks have been successful and are matching the Red Wings on the ice, except for one thing ofcourse (and we all know what one thing is too). When you look up and down the Sharks line up, they are built for success now and long term. Though you have players and the midway point of their careers in Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau, you also have Brent Burns and Michal Handzus who bring a strong presence to the ice. You also have Joe Pavelski who’s career is on the uptick, Ryane Clowe who is a true unsung leader who can both fight with the best of them and also be a legitamate scoring threat. Logan Couture at 22 is the future of this franchise. Antti Niemi won a cup with the Blackhawks, you don’t do that by accident especially in goal.
In late October the Sharks won the first meeting between these two teams in Detroit 4-2. The Red Wings however have been to the tank enough times and know what to expect. However, the Sharks also know what to expect from the Wings, which may be one reason the Sharks have won the last two playoff series against them. This looks like this will be a good and entertaining match-up. If it’s Sharks vs Red Wings, expect nothing less than your money’s worth…
GO SHARKS!!!
The King Shark