Trying to figure out who the Sharks are may be more about looking at the future, than the past.
Maybe, just maybe, we finally caught a glimpse of the real San Jose Sharks.
This is a team that is really hard to get a handle on.
On paper you’d think the Sharks are a solid bet to get the Western Conference final at the very least. But, as we all know, this game is played on ice and it’s when the Sharks are on the frozen pond that they often run into trouble.
It was the stumbling, bumbling Sharks who sleepwalked through the first 21 minutes of last night’s contest in Los Angeles; falling behind 3-0 in the first period and 4-0 44 seconds into the second. Not sure about you, but I was thinking: Here we go again; another playoff choke.
It’s not that the Kings are a pushover. On the contrary, they are a well-coached club which is patiently (at least thus far; a playoff loss in the first round could change things) being constructed to be good…and good for a long time, by GM Dean Lombardi. But when the Kings’ star forward Anze Kopitar went down with an injury, it seriously diminished their chances against the Sharks. And yet the Kings managed to get a split in the first two games played in San Jose and then built a commanding lead in Game 3.
Then they collapsed. Or did the Sharks emerge?
With the San Jose Sharks, it’s really hard to tell. Certainly they deserve credit for bouncing back to win with five second period goals. And to cap the evening off with a dramatic OT victory is undeniably an indication this team is the real deal.
Or is it?
That’s the thing about the Sharks, just when you think you have them figured out, they go in a different direction.
Right out of the chute this season the Sharks raised eyebrows when they won just once in their first four games. Then they won four of the next five. Through the first half there was never any real sense this was a team that would be able to match high expectations. Then, early in 2011, the Sharks dropped six straight and panic set in.
Panic, that is, for everyone except GM Doug Wilson. The former star defenceman told sportsnet.ca at the time he would not make radical changes on his team. Wilson said he believed in the group and was convinced the leadership would come from within the room. Wilson did make a few roster moves; acquiring defenceman Ian White along with depth forwards Kyle Wellwood and Ben Eager, but the GM was right, the team was led by those who were already aboard at the start of the year.
What’s most interesting is who is guiding the team. It’s not captain Joe Thornton who was given the ‘C’ in hopes it would inspire him to greater heights at this time of year. It’s not Patrick Marleau who had the ‘C’ taken off his jersey in hopes it would relieve him of the pressure that comes with being team captain. It’s certainly not Dany Heatley whose production took a massive dip this year.
If the Sharks are to go deep into the playoffs, they will need these three players to be significant contributors, but it is the next wave of talent – Ryan Clowe, Joe Pavelski, Devin Setoguchi and even rookie Logan Couture who are now driving the bus. Maybe that in itself is reason to believe this team is different than the teams that previously failed to meet expectations.
San Jose finished second in the Western Conference with 105 points courtesy of a 48-15-9 record. They had the second best goal-differential in the West at plus-35. Thanks in part to the emergence of Antti Niemi, who was rewarded with a long-term contract extension, the Sharks finished with the 10th best goal-against in the NHL.
Game 3 presented a huge challenge for the Sharks and they answered the bell. It would’ve been easy to fold their tents after falling behind 4-0, but they didn’t. After forcing overtime with five goals, it may have been crushing to lose in the extra period. San Jose took care of things early in overtime with Setoguchi notching his first goal of the playoffs. Clowe also scored twice and Couture, a finalist for the Calder Trophy, added a goal and an assist.
The one thing you learn about the San Jose Sharks is, what you see today is not necessarily what you’ll get tomorrow. This team is still very much in the prove-it stage so as much as the big comeback win should inspire them to greater heights, there’s no guarantee of that happening.
