Since I don't have the ability to watch hockey on TV anymore (and I'm still crying about that) I find that I have less opportunities to write any hockey focused blogs lately. Thus, I decided to do something new for this season, game previews of the match-ups that I will be watching live from the Tank in San Jose. I'll be at three games in total this season and my first trip down is only a few weeks away.
On December 5th, the Calgary Flames will be rolling into San Jose for the first meeting between these two teams this season. there are some pretty big underlying stories between these two teams, the biggest underlying story comes from two seasons ago when these big guns faced each other in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. It was a rough and tumble style that was played through six games, each team winning three and forcing the game seven. There were a lot of heroes on both sides and a lot of scape goats as well. One notable event that changed the course of the series was a gigantic hit on then captain Patrick Marleau which resulted in an injury. Yet there was no retaliation from the Sharks, a moment that many sports journalists deemed as the defining moment of the series. The Sharks ended up losing that game as well as the next, and then found themselves with their backs against the wall in a do or die situation - game seven. Another hero would arise in game seven and that hero was the great Jeremy Roenick who is now retired. Getting the two goals from JR was enough to put the Flames away and advance the Sharks to the next round. 
Jay Bouwmeester is known as a premier defensemen, capable of both scoring and stopping a goal. We haven't seen much of number 4 because last season he was a member of the Florida Panthers. Now, in the Western Conference, Bouwmeester is looking to make a huge impact on the way the defensive game is played. He's a very capable player and is paired with one of the most feared defensemen in the west, Dion Phaneuf, the big number 3 himself. Both play on the penalty kill, power play, and everywhere else. This pair can be lethal and will have to be shut down if the Sharks want to win.
Not to fear, the Sharks have their own top 10 defensemen in Dan Boyle who came from Tampa Bay last season. He has done wonders for the Sharks, having the second highest plus/minus rating. He's also 7th in the league for assists and 2nd in points among defensemen. One other great thing about 22 is that he can flat out skate. You usually only see great dekes in video games, but Dan Boyle can deke a player right out of his skates, and he can do it often. Two of his four goals were scored in a one on one situation where he deked around the defensemen and faked the goalie. Beautiful, beautiful goals.
With the Flames killer defensive abilities, you'd think that the credit would go to the defensemen, nope that honor goes to Miikka Kiprusoff, literally one of the best goalies in the league. He's in the top ten for wins, goals against, save percentage . . . you name it he's there. Oh, did I mention that he used to be a Shark too . . . the number one goalie for the Sharks actually. He and Nabokov were schooled by the same great goalie coach, the late Warren Strelow. As always, when the Flames and Sharks meet head to head, the game becomes a great showdown of goalie talent. Almost like in the old west, where quick draw competitions ruled the scenes, so will these two prestigious goalies.
Out of all the Sharks offensive talent: Joe Thornton, Dany Heatley, Devin Setogushi, Joe Pavelski, and others - the one that I think could truly come out as a hero is Patrick Marleau. He's on a record pace for goals this year and is number 2 on the Sharks team for most points and he's only a point below Thornton in first. Not only can Marleau score goals (13 so far), he knows how to score the big ones. The ones that tie up the game or seal the deal. So, I'll be looking at Patty when it's clinch time to come out big.
I can't express how excited I am to go see a live game . . . I haven't seen them play since the first of October. It has seriously sucked not being able to watch the games on TV, and radio gets a little hard to follow but what I have seen/heard has been great news. The Sharks are sitting on top of the league right now and we're only a quarter through the season. With the Olympics coming up and things like the trade deadline, the Sharks might not be on top forever. But I know they will make it to the playoffs, the only question is what happens after that. The Flames are also high in the standings so I'm sure we'll see them again soon in the playoffs, maybe even in the first round. Either way, this game is much more than just a regular season meeting between two rivals. This is a spark to ignite a bitter rivalry that could ultimately lead to one big showdown come the post season.
