Tampa Bay Two Step
October 22nd, 2009 by DougLatest podcast here. All things Ryan Vesce and Sharks reported on.
The Sharks will be riding high tonight after total dismantling the NY Rangers in the Garden on Monday night. This should be a game that the coaches and players can point to that when the Sharks are on their game, they can storm into any opposing teams arena, even a place as vaunted as MSG, and put on quite a show.
Going into this afternoon’s game in Tampa Bay, the Sharks are facing a team whose top players are really struggling to find their own chemistry together in their defensive zone. The top two lines are a combined -18 which is muy brutal. We’ve said it’s taken the Sharks top six some time to learn how to play together after adding Heatley and losing Pavs, and they are a combined +10. On the surface, this appears to be a game the Sharks should cruise through - Tampa has been allowing 3.49 GAA in their first seven games, which is third worst in the league. The Bolts have been blasted in their local media for giving up after falling down early - which we know won’t happen against San Jose since we’ve given up the first goal in eight out of nine early games. So will the Bolts take the criticism from the media and the coach to heart and try and make a point tonight? I think they’ll try and it’s possible San Jose will fall down early YET AGAIN, but the Sharks have got this comeback thing down to a science and should take this game running away - 4-1 Sharks in the end tonight.
I know it’s early (this is my new catchphrase) but I’d like to call everyone’s attention to Logan Couture’s stats at Worcester in the first five games - 3 goals, 5 assists = 8 points. He’s scored two game winning goals, so this is great progress for a young player that Doug Wilson is counting on to be a valuable cog in the Sharks future top six. Good stuff.
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4 Responses to “Tampa Bay Two Step”
By gump on Oct 22, 2009
thanks for the update. interesting info. good to hear about logan.
By dman on Oct 22, 2009
Games like this always worry me. I’ve noticed that the Sharks often come out flat after big wins the game before… ESPECIALLY against weaker teams.
By Doug on Oct 22, 2009
I forgot to mention that I think Dan Boyle is going to go bananas tonight against his old team with a multi-point game. This guy has too much pride not to let it all hang out tonight against the owners who forced him out of town.
By Jerry on Oct 23, 2009
I assume you’d like a do-over of this entry just as the Sharks would like a do-over of tonight’s game. What a pathetic and gutless performance.