Ugh . . . where do I start with this game. In a lot of ways, I almost wish I didn't spend the money and the time to go down to see the Sharks, that is how terrible the game was. And it wasn't just the Sharks either, but I guess I should start at the beginning. Only eight seconds into the start of the game and fists were already flying, resulting in some roughing penalties and a bit of 4-on-4 play. After that, the game took an amazingly slow pace and stayed that way throughout the whole game. Some of my predictions did come true with the first goal coming in the second off a nice shot from Boyle and redirected right to Clowe, who tapped it in for a 1-0 lead. The Flames scored halfway through the second with a play that started with Jay Bouwmeester at the back end. The Flames would go onto score again in the third and a steller kick save from Kiprusoff sealed the deal. Flat on his stomach, the Kipper was able to deflect the puck out of mid-air with his skate, probably 80% luck but the 20% skill truly showed off Kiprusoff's abilities. One thing I didn't count on was the great work of Sharks defensemen Douglas Murray. He's known for being a tank, try and knock him to the ice and it will be you on the ice instead. He's not known for his great puck handling skills but he definitely showed his ability against the Flames with great defensive plays that helped keep this game from being a wash out.Unfortunately, the Sharks were unable to rally late in the game and feel to the Flames, 3-2. This would be the second loss in what would be the Sharks longest losing streak in three seasons (5 losses in a row). The losing streak cost them the number one spot in the Pacific Division, the number one spot in the Western Conference, and the number one spot in the league. Because the gameplay of the Sharks was so horrible, I'm going to go over some basic hockey 101 and highlight what they did wrong while teaching you a little bit of hockey lingo.
Faceoffs - Every time play is started, it begins with a faceoff. Whether it's the start of a game or resuming play after a goal, the game always begins with the faceoff. The faceoff is also one of the few times that you truly have a 1-on-1 situation. The concept is simple, the centers from both teams stand in the faceoff circle and wait for the referee to drop the puck. Once it's dropped, they fight to win control of the puck and the game begins. So why is this 50/50 battle so important? Simply because it allows you to gain control of the puck. If you're in the offensive zone, you'll be able to get a quick shot off before the other team's defense has time to get into position. A faceoff win is amazingly important on the penalty kill (when your team is down one member) because it can easily kill off 5-10 seconds. With a 2 minute penalty, a few seconds buys you the chance to clear your zone, make the other team chase the puck down to their end, and allows you to get some fresh legs on the ice. With thirty to fifty faceoffs a game, that equates to seven or eight minutes with the puck (or without it if you lose the draw).While winning a faceoff doesn't guarantee that you'll win the game, it's a key piece of the puzzle to help put you in a position to win. The Detroit Red Wings have had the best faceoff win percentage in the entire league for the last two seasons . . . they have also reached the Stanley Cup finals in the last two seasons, winning the Cup two seasons ago. The Sharks lost the draw quite a bit against the Flames (Marleau was winning only 25% of his draws) and it cost them time on the power play and the penalty kill.
Penalties - Something the Sharks have been guilty of for quite a bit of time now, taking too many penalties. For those not familiar with hockey penalties: you get two minutes for a minor infraction, four minutes for high sticking with injury, and five minutes for a fighting major. While the common penalties are tripping, holding, charging, and high sticking. Tripping is pretty obvious, you take a guy by getting your stick between his feet. There is also a less common penalty called diving which is given to the player who fake-falls. Holding is given out when a player lets go of his stick with one hand and grabs an opposing player. You don't even have to obstructed an opposing player, the mere action of removing your hand off of a stick can get you sent to the box. Charging is given out when a player goes in for a check on an unaware player. It's a dangerous play that has the potential of getting someone seriously injured. High sticking is when your stick clips a player in the face. Sometimes on purpose, mostly on accident - a player will get called no matter what the reason. You can also get an extra two minutes in the box if the player you hit was cut.
The Sharks took seven penalties (including one fighting major), 17 minutes on the PK can kill a team's momentum and it did for the Sharks. While it didn't cost the Sharks a goal, it did cost the Sharks much needed team in the third to try and rally for a game tying goal.
Backchecking - The game of hockey is pretty simple. When you have the put, you try and get into the opposing team's zone and get a shot on goal. But when you give possession of the puck back to the opposing team, you'll need to hustle back down into your zone to defend. Most of the time, your D-men will be their to defend while the other team is rushing into your end. Every so often though, you'll find that your D-men are outnumbered on the rush and you'll need to provide support. In a lot of plays, you'll find yourself behind an opposing player, unable to get in front of him to stop him. So, you'll have to backcheck, which basically means apply some pressure by harassing the puck carrier from behind. A slight whacked with your stick, cutting down the angle in which the puck carrier can make plays from, or simply riding the player into the boards. Backchecking is a key component of a good defense and usually falls on the forwards, who while they mostly do the scoring, still have a responsibility to defend. That's the thing I really like about hockey, unlike football when you put out your defense or your offence when needed, in hockey, every player has to be able to contribute in every way. Pavelski is a great example of this. He's the center for the second line which means he has to take faceoffs (61% against the Flames). Being a forward means that he is either setting up a play or scoring the goal. But he also finds a great role in the penalty kill for being a great defensive forward, so much in fact that on the power play, Pavelski actually takes the point (meaning he takes one of the defensemen's positions).
Unfortunately, Pavelski seemed to be one of the few players actually backchecking. The Flames were basically allowed free roam of the entire rink. The defensemen were weak on the stick (a term I'll explain in another post), the forwards seemed lazy when getting back to their own zone, and poor point coverage cost them the game. Overall, it was a very boring game to watch and the loss didn't seem to wake the Sharks up much because their next game against the Kings (I caught it on TV when I was down south) looked exactly the same.
Luckily, the Sharks have found their winning ways again with a rolling Anaheim, the Dallas Stars, and a high-flying Blackhawks. The win against the Blackhawks restored the Sharks to the top of the Pacific Division and the Western Conference. Luckily, I was able to catch the Blackhawks game (it was on a national channel, so I still don't get to see the Sharks on a regular basis) and you'll be hearing my thoughts on that game in the new year. Hopefully, this losing streak will be a wake up call for the Sharks to tighten up and get their act together. With only a handful of points separating the playoff pack from the rest of the league, getting into the post-season could truly come down to one win or one loss. I'm just hoping that the five game losing streak won't cost the Sharks dearly in the end.
