I have to say I was worried for the Sharks when I was heading down to San Jose to catch their game against the L.A. Kings. Why? The Sharks have been on a bit of a losing streak, and this isn't the greatest time to be doing so. With less than two months before playoffs start, teams have been battling to get those very important points to keep them in the running for the chance to play for the Stanley Cup. Why is this a bad thing? The Sharks are fine, they lead their division and are guaranteed a playoff spot. Again, why is this bad? Because they seem to lack the shear will and urgency that other teams have and need to keep in the running. So, I was really wondering if the Sharks could pull them out of this slump and win a game against a team that was and still is in a do or die situation. 
Luckily for me, the rest of the fans, and the Sharks we all got a wish granted. Number one Sharks goaltender Evgeni Nabokov returned after missing several games do to injury. I love Boucher (the back-up goaltender) but not having Nabby between the pipes for that long and this close to the playoffs was not a good thing. He is the anchor of the team and a very vital part for the Sharks, especially if they want to go all the way. He looked sharp against the Kings and made some amazing saves, including a break two on none break away. Not only did Nabokov defend on a breakaway, he didn't even let the puck carrier get a shot off, forcing him to the outside and around the net granting just enough time for the D-men to get back into position. He was stellar.
Another player that returned from injury was former Kings captain Rob Blake who now wears teal and I love him for it. He was also from my favored 2000-20001 Stanley Cup winning Colorado Avalanche team back when I first started watching hockey. Goals were very few and hard to come by in this game. Milan Michalek scored the first goal of the game and the only Sharks goal in regulation. The Kings came back and tied it up in the second period and it would remained tied forcing overtime. Again, overtime remained scoreless which resulted in a shootout. I was excited because it was the first shootout I had seen live. Seven rounds of shootout resulted with both Nabokov and Ersberg making some great saves. But it was Jonathan Cheechoo who scored finally and Nabby making the last save that gave the Sharks their 67th win of the year!
As I was heading home, the Sharks were headed down to Anaheim to play the Ducks, the former team of Travis Moen who was acquired right before the trade deadline. When I first heard the news that two Ducks would now be wearing Teal, it was hard to take. But I have to admit, Moen has been doing a good job, he even got the game winning goal against his former team. Still, I can't help but think of him as a Duck first, lol. I can only imagine what would happen if some of my favorite Sharks players were traded to another team. Would I stay a Sharks fan or follow them over? Hopefully, I'll never have to find out. But for now, I'm happy that the Sharks are back to winning, even if the wins have gotten more difficult to come by. Hopefully, this will help them on their quest to reach the Stanley Cup finals and finally obtain the ultimate reward in sports.
