The Good, The Bad and The Ugly! - Feb 7th. 2015

Now it's time for the post that called in sick with the flu.  It's your officially unofficial, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly!  Sharks lost to the hurricanes because LOL Sharks, and your pal Ian is going to tell you how he saw it.

The Good: The kids had a good game and the bottom 6 in its current configuration continues to impress.  Hertl got 2 goals, and an assist. Tierny frankly made things happen with some good old fashioned hustle. Without the 3rd line the Sharks never get into this game at all.  I thought Mirco Mueller had another good game, he is so good with his stick and makes a lot of really nice little plays.  Does he need work?  Yes but he's got the foundation to be a quality D man, he just needs to use his body better.  The Sharks to deserve some credit for their 3rd period heroics but honestly I'm not going to hurt my hand patting them on the back.  I thought Irwin actually had another good game. Penalty Kill minus Vlasic only allowed 1 goal on 3 attempts... I'll take it.

The Bad: Well we lost so there is that.  Antti Niemi had a game to forget, the first goal was soft and while you cannot lay this down at his feet because he was the only Shark other than a few players to actually play the first period he just needs to be better.  I felt like the Hurricanes pushed the play for a great deal of the game causing the Sharks to chase them around and yet somehow got murdered in the hit count.  We knew missing Vlasic was going to be problematic with this group but the fact that Scott Hannan was trusted to eat up 22:24 seconds is scary.  Now in fairness Hannan had a good game, and frankly I've said may times that my beef is not so much with Hannan as it is how the Sharks use him.  Tonight was a good example of that although maybe no one else can play those kind of minutes yet making the veteran the right choice.... devil's advocate.  Also with the loss of Vlasic our transition game was bad because the forwards had to do too much of the heavy lifting trying to get out of the zone. 

The Ugly:  This was a dog shit effort for two periods, and at this point I have given up on the idea that they are going to put these kind of habits behind them.  I understand everyone, even the best teams in the league are going to look uninspired at times but no one seems to do it as frequently as the Sharks do.  It took a lot of game time before I feel like I heard Randy mention a lot of our Veteran players names and I noticed Joe Thornton a couple of times tonight at all.  I don't think I have ever put Joe Thornton in the Ugly ever but he was kinda shitty tonight.  I thought Couture's game got better as the game went on but he was a slow starter, didn't think Marleau or Pavelski were particularly good either.  I don't know I thought leaders were supposed to lead by example tonight the kids set the example and that isn't the recipie for long term success with or without Vlasic.  Brendon Dillon also had a game to forget.

Final Thoughts: What is really left to say that I have not wrote 100 times before this year.  The Sharks have to be better, the sharks have to play 60 minute games, the sharks have to stop losing to teams that could draft Connor McDavid.  I want to tell you the Sharks are better than this but well over the half way point of the season is it time we stop staying that since the evidence certainly does not support it at all?

Remember if you have a question you would like me to answer in the Breaking It Down blog please e-mail me at ian.blogs.sharks@gmail.com I will not post your name as the question asker if you don't want me too.  To read the answer to the last reader question check out this post: http://ianblogssharks.blogspot.ca/2015/02/this-special-hot-take-alert-is-to.html

If you want to read previous blogs please check out http://ianblogssharks.blogspot.ca

Hot Take Alert! - Feb 7th. 2015

This special Hot Take Alert is to answer a reader question.  Normally I'd include the answer to a question in the Breaking It Down pregame blog but I thought because of the length of the answer it was worthy of its own post. I hope you enjoy the read and If I have fucked something up please let me know.

The Question:

Ian - I've read that the falling value of the Canadian Dollar v US Dollar somehow impacts the level of the salary cap. Can you explain how that all works.

The Answer:

This is a fantastic question and I will do my best.  The short answer is that Canadian teams generate their revenue in Canadian Dollars but pay many of their bills in US dollars which cuts into their total revenue, less revenue means a lower salary cap. 

The long answer has many important points that I will try to cover so that none of us (me included) feel like we a degree in economics or fall asleep before finishing reading. 

First it is important to understand how the salary cap itself works.  The Salary Cap takes anything that is referred to as Hockey Related Revenue (HRR) and splits it evenly between the players and owners.  50% of the hockey related revenue / 30 teams basically determines the cap.  There is obviously other factors (escrow) but the idea remains the same.

Second it is important to understand things that are included in hockey related revenue and they include but are not limited to national TV deals, outdoor game revenue, merchandise, revenue generated by individual franchises (tickets, regional TV deals etc..).

So now that we have an basic understanding of what hockey related revenue is we need to understand how it is affected by the Canadian Dollar.  Without getting into super detail again the Canadian Dollar's value is heavily linked to the price of oil so with oil tumbling downwards it has taken the value of our dollar with it.  But how does that effect the NHL after all there are 23 teams in the USA compared to just 7 in Canada.

The 7 Canadian teams have accounted for up to 35% of HRR this figure to my understanding does not include the massive Canadian TV rights deal that they signed with Rogers last year.  This is obviously a disproportionate amount compared to their American counter parts, again the Canadian teams collect their revenue in Canadian Dollars and paying things like player salaries in US dollars which means that with the Canadian Dollar being worth less their bottom line progressively shrinks as they pay their bills.  The Canadian teams don't have a ton of options to recoup this lost revenue, all 7 teams are already in the top 14 when it comes to the average ticket prices and with the economy down especially in Western Canada where the oil companies and business that rely on their business (like my own) are laying people off or ramping down production making a massive hike in ticket prices is not the option.  Although they will continue to progressively rise. So with the Canadian teams putting less of their disproportioned contribution into the overall pot it causes the overall revenue to be down bringing down the salary cap with it. 

As an aside this is according to Forbes this is how the Canadian teams ranked for average ticket price last year which when you tie in merchandise explains how the Canadian teams contribute so much to the revenue pie.  Canadians will pay top dollar to watch their favorite team finish last.  This is good though because if the dollar loses value on this scale for an extended period of time it will hamper their ability to spend to the cap and compete for and pay players especially if your an Ottawa or Winnipeg.

1. Toronto Maple Leafs, $373.50

2. Vancouver Canucks, $282.58

4. Edmonton Oilers, $259.83 

5. Calgary Flames, $241.18

6. Montreal Canadiens, $218.30

11. Ottawa Senators, $174.32

14. Winnipeg Jets, $156.64

It is important to note that the massive Canadian TV deal is not affected by the Canadian Dollar's fall when it comes to its contribution to the cap because it is paid in US dollars, and Rogers shouldn't be worse for wear on the deal.  The implications of a stagnated or even decrease in the Salary Cap are pretty obvious, teams are going to have to make interesting decisions when it comes to player personnel, the Islanders this year a great example of a team that was the direct beneficiary of another teams cap woes.

As it stands now the cap is expected to rise just not as much as originally expected there are a few other factors like escrow that could play into that which I would leave to someone much smarter than myself to explain properly in a way that people can understand.

This was an awesome question!  Remember if you have a question you would like me to answer in the Breaking It Down blog please e-mail me at ian.blogs.sharks@gmail.com if you are embarrassed about the question don't worry I will not mention your name in the answer unless you specifically ask me too.  If you want to read previous blogs please check out http://ianblogssharks.blogspot.ca

Breaking It Down! - Feb 7th. 2015

On Feb 7th. 2015 the Sharks will host The Carolina Hurricanes and your pal Ian is going to be Breaking It Down!  This is your semi regular officially unofficial game preview post that gives you some quick numbers and my opinions on not only our Sharks but their opponent of the night.

Know Your Team - The San Jose Sharks

Current Record (W-L-OTL): 28-18-7, 63 Points and 2nd in the Pacific Division

Last 10 Games: 6-2-2

Power Play: 21.0% (8th.)

Penalty Kill: 81.9% (14th.)

Current Streak: Won their last game

Notes: The Sharks are currently tied for 18th in the league for even strength goals for.

Know Your Enemy - The Carolina Hurricanes

Current Record: (W-L-OTL): 18-26-7, 43 Points and 8 in the Metropolitan Division

Last 10 Games: 5-2-3

Power Play: 16.3% (24th.)

Penalty Kill: 87.1% (2nd.)

Current Streak: Won their last game

Notes: If the season ended today the Hurricanes would have an 11.5% chance of winning the draft lottery and would draft no lower than 4th.

Ian Breaks Down The Hurricanes:  The Hurricanes are a dumpster fire who are probably sell more assets at the deadline to not only gain draft picks but to give the bottom feeders a run for Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel although getting Noah Hanifin or Lawson Crouse would be a nice consolation prize, this draft is supposedly one of the deeper drafts in a long time and is being compared to 2003 which was a deep draft. What could the Hurricanes trade in their fire sale?  I think it's safe to say that Adnrei Sakera will find a new as his name is brought up more than anyone else in trade rumors. I would not be shocked to see names like Tim Gleason or Jiri Tlusty in play and a long shot could see Cam Ward move if a team needs to make a play for a goalie replacement via injury. Does Eric Staal stay?  I don't know probably too big of a ticket to move (9.25 Million real dollars, 8.25 cap hit) but the Hurricanes are definitely a team looking to the future.  Carolina is playing the last game of its 4 game road trip.  No word on their starting goalie as of this writing.

Ian Breaks Down The Sharks: The frustrating thing about this year is that I'm actually worried about this game despite coming off a very convincing win against the Canucks this is the type of game that the Sharks just tend to lose.  I wish being back on home ice mattered but they have lost to shit teams at home already this year on a few occasions at SAP.  It hasn't been all bad though because I find while maybe not getting support from the veterans the kids seem to get up for the games so if the lineup matches that of the last game in Vancouver I think there is actually hope beyond simply being better than the bull shit results we have had to watch.  Since I just did a huge summary of the last 3 games yesterday there isn't much more to say without cutting and pasting from previous blogs.  Although Niemi has only played the Hurricanes once surrendering 5 goals on 31 shots I don't see Stalock drawing in for this one.  For those wondering Niemi is 22-11-6 with a 2.51 GAA and .915 SV% this season.

A Question! 

Q: Ian you talk a lot of shit about the Sharks and yet you say lots of good things about the fucking Queens, are you really a Sharks fan?  What the fuck? *This has been paraphrased for readability*

A: First, let's make something clear... I hate the fucking Kings.  That said anything I write or just post in conversation comes from what I try to make an objective place, so while nothing would satisfy me more than watching them miss the playoffs I think they are a threat until they are eliminated and dead much like a cockroach.  If you're looking for people to treat them like the Buffalo Sabers there are people in this group that do that, I'm just not one of them

As for shitting on the Sharks I wish you gave me a specific example... I'm a fan of this team I spend a great deal of my free time sitting at my computer doing blogs like this one and commenting in threads.  I think you can be a fan without having to blow rainbows of false optimism out of my ass to prove I'm a fan.  I think the worst thing I do is bring my rainy cloud to the "everything is awesome" posts and I could probably stand to do that less.  I hope this answers your question.

Yes people these are the kinds of crap questions I have been reduced to answering, however you can change this if you have a hockey related question please fire it my way, the e-mail information is below... as you can see no question too stupid.

/sigh

My Prediction: Jesus walks into a bar, gives the bartender a handful of nails and says, "bartender can you put me up for the night?"  Also Sharks lose because... LOL Sharks. (also no Grosenick to bail them out)

Remember if you have a question you would like me to answer in the Breaking It Down blog please e-mail me at ian.blogs.sharks@gmail.com and if you want to read previous blogs please check out http://ianblogssharks.blogspot.ca

What are your thoughts on tonight's game?

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly - Week In Review! - Feb 6th. 2015

Guys first I want to apologize for the lack of GBU's of late and appreciate the fact that people actually asked what the hell was up it makes the time I put into these posts 100% worth it and I can't thank you guys enough or put into words the appreciation that I have for the support you have given me since this started.  Unfortunately I live in the eastern timezone and I have to be up around 7ish to start my work day.  What has happening too often was game ends around 12:30 to 1 am, after putting together the post and never being one to leave a good conversation about hockey it could be 3 am before I lay down, 330 before I'm sleeping and up at 7am... needless to say the sandman was starting to attack me at work and that is unacceptable,  This is no ones fault but my own, I'm a grown ass man making poor decisions, I just wanted to explain why the change.  Now I do enjoy the other stuff I wrote but I really like the GBU the most so in order for it to continue I'll be changing up the format a little bit.  On weekends you will still get your post game GBU's unless I'm doing something else after all this is a hobby for me. During the week I'll probably do a GBU that covers a few games on Friday.  I hope everyone enjoys the format and continues to read.

Without further a due its time for the post that could probably be summed up as Vancouver game good, Calagry game bad and Edmonton game ugly... its your officially unofficial The Good, The Bad and The Ugly for our games against the Oilers, Flames and Canucks.

The Good:

Beating Ryan Miller: I think from a mental standpoint the Vancouver game could not have been more important, lets be honest this could easily end up being a first round match up and Ryan Miller has been just amazingly good against the Sharks in his career.  The last thing the Sharks needed was doubt of if they could outscore the Canucks in a 7 game series.

Rookies pushing for spots: In Vancouver 6 rookies in total jumped into the line up and while a couple have been playing well for a long time (Melkar Karlsson) while others have had a rough go trying to adjust to the NHL game (Mueller) while some we questioned why the hell they were called up in the first place (Tarasov).  Last night though the youth movement was in full swing and to me it was nice having a team on the ice that could actually play skilled hockey.  I know boo for my dislike of Scott and we have won x games with him in the line up.  I'm sure I could figure out the games that the sharks won on a full moon as a cool stat, we are as likely to be be winning games because of Scott's 4 minutes as we are the Sharks actually being lunar powered but I digress these are the type of line up decisions that win hockey games on a regular basis.  I think of the players Karlsson and Goodrow are here to stay I don't care who gets healthy they probably keep their spots at this point.  Mueller looked like a guy that hadn't played an NHL game in a couple months and while the are areas of his game that are raw he does a lot of little things that you really have to watch for right, stick positioning and stuff like that.

The Special Teams: While the end result for 2/3 games was less than great the Sharks scored power play goals in all 3 games going 3/8 in total.  The penalty kill on the other hand has been out of its mind going a perfect 7/7 in the last 3 games with different players getting a look on these units, last game featured Mueller logging some PK time and not looking out of place.

Giveaways:  The Sharks actually made a great deal of progress giving the puck away a lot less than normal against the Canucks, is this an anomaly or a sign of things to come... I don't know.

The Bad

Stalock continues to slump:  I continue to be curious about Stalock, he was almost splitting time before he was injured and we have not seen much of him since than.  While his record isn't his fault entirely he has not done himself any favours either.  His numbers are sliding towards those of his career as a pro and those are frankly not good enough to be a NHL starter and barely good enough to be a backup who gets any significant playoff time.  I still wonder if he goes back under the knife after the season which would explain a ton.

Giveaways and Power Plays:  Vancouver game aside the sharks have done one thing of concern and that is turn the puck over a lot, this is especially concerning on the power play where although they have scored they have been victims of shorthanded goals and just brutal turn overs that have forced their goalie to make serious stops.

The Ugly

Erratic compete: I'm not going to go into anything to heavily here, this is a topic that has frankly turned the horse into glue it has been beaten so bad.  I have often said that a loss always sucks the problem is how the Sharks lose to some of the bottom feeders of the league when all the points matter right now but we play the Hurricanes on Saturday so maybe I'll just unload it all then.

So how do you feel about the weekly recap format?  Is it too long?  Should I lose my job and just focus on game after GBU's?  Let me know!

Remember if you have a question you would like me to answer in the Breaking It Down blog please e-mail me at ian.blogs.sharks@gmail.com and if you want to read previous blogs please check out http://ianblogssharks.blogspot.ca

I do have a question that I will answer in the next breaking it down and if you want to add yours get it in asap! 

Breaking It Down! - Feb 5th. 2015

On February 5th the Sharks will visit The Vancouver Canucks and your pal Ian is going to be Breaking It Down!  This is your semi regular officially unofficial game preview post that gives you some quick numbers and my opinions on not only our Sharks but their opponent of the night.

Know Your Team - The San Jose Sharks

Current Record (W-L-OTL): 27-18-7, 61 Points and 3rd in the Pacific Division

Last 10 Games: 5-3-2

Power Play: 21.0% (8th.)

Penalty Kill: 81.7% (16th.)

Current Streak: 2 losses, 1 in a shootout.

Notes: The Sharks have a .500 winning percentage on the road with a 13-10-3 record.

Know Your Enemy - The Vancouver Canucks

Current Record: (W-L-OTL): 28-18-3, 59 Points and 4th in the Pacific Division

Last 10 Games: 5-5-0

Power Play: 18.3% (26th.)

Penalty Kill: 86.3% (4th.)

Current Streak: 1 game winning streak

Notes: The Canucks who have played 3 fewer games than the Sharks but only have 2 fewer points.

Ian Breaks Down The Canucks:  I have drawn parallels in previous posts to other teams but I don't think there is an easier one to draw to the Sharks than the Vancouver Canucks.  In my opinion they both finish inside the playoffs and your truly pegged the 'nucks as a playoff team in the summer, but I don't know who the bigger pretender is between these two teams.   While goal differential does not tell the whole story the Canucks sit at a +8 and have liked the Sharks stumbled around losing 5 of their last 10.  Opposite to the sharks though they have beaten teams they should beat while losing to arguably better teams (Ducks, Lightning and Predators).  However this team is still transitioning and new GM Jim Benning under the watchful eye of Trevor Linden appear to be heading in the right direction, I have really liked a lot of his moves this year.  Signing Ryan Miller was an important step to putting the Luongo / Schneider saga in the rear view mirror.  Speaking of Ryan Miller expect him to get the start and he has been nothing short of a Shark killer in his career going a disgusting 9-1-0 with a 2.05 GAA and .937 SV% and in our last meeting this year he allowed only one goal  on 32 shots for a .969 SV%. 

Ian Breaks Down The Sharks: The Sharks have pretty much erased most of the good will built up with their 3 impressive wins near the end of the home stand. I didn't see much of the Flames game to be completely honest with you but I can tell you I didn't like what I saw.  Stalock had another game to forget and while as many have pointed out the loss was hardly all on him I think anyone taking an objective look at this team shouldn't be penciling him in as the starter for next year.  Although a small sample size his career numbers are sliding down to his AHL numbers which are below average for an NHL starter.  I'm not trying to bag on the guy, I like Stalock but the numbers are what they are.  The Sharks need more consistent production from their top 6, I find the bottom has really kept this team a float.  I mentioned Ryan Millers record against the Sharks above, that needs to end, this could be a first round opponent depending on how things finish and the Sharks need to have confidence that they can beat Ryan Miller and win games. The Sharks are running out of road for bad games although they have a gap between them and some of the formerly bottom feeding teams it gets smaller with every loss.  The Canucks will still have 3 games in hand after tonight if they are able to tie us with 61 they have more road to bumble around than we do and that could be the difference between home ice, which has been slightly better than the road this year.  These are important 2 points, they are all important 2 points now and the Sharks need to play for 60 minutes every night and what better place than here, what better time than now...

My Prediction: It turns out that both teams are the same and making contact causes the universe to divide by zero thus ending everything and yet the Sharks still find a way to lose because Ryan Miller hates us.

Remember if you have a question you would like me to answer in the Breaking It Down blog please e-mail me at ian.blogs.sharks@gmail.com and if you want to read previous blogs please check out http://ianblogssharks.blogspot.ca

What are your thoughts on tonight's game?

Breaking It Down! - Feb 3rd. 2015

On February 4th. the Sharks will visit The Calgary Flames and you pal Ian is going to be Breaking It Down!  This is your semi regular officially unofficial game preview post that gives you some quick numbers and my opinions on not only our Sharks but their opponent of the night.

Know Your Team - The San Jose Sharks

Current Record (W-L-OTL): 27-17-7, 61 Points and 2nd in the Pacific Division

Last 10 Games: 5-3-2

Power Play: 21.3% (8th.)

Penalty Kill: 82.0% (14th.)

Current Streak: Lost their last game in a shootout.

Notes: The San Jose Sharks are 18-4-3 when scoring first.

Know Your Enemy - The Calgary Flames

Current Record: (W-L-OTL): 28-20-3, 59 Points and 4th in the Pacific Division

Last 10 Games: 7-3-0

Power Play: 17.1% (21st.)

Penalty Kill: 77.3% (26th.)

Current Streak: 2 game winning streak

Notes: The Flames are the best 3rd period team in the league with 66 goals for.

Ian Breaks Down The Flames:  Not much has changed about the Flames since we saw them last, they continue to play well winning 7 out of their last 10 games including a shootout win at their last meeting with the Sharks in the Tank.  They are breathing down the Sharks necks with 59 points after playing the same number of games played they are at least 4 points ahead in the wildcard position of a suddenly surging pack that includes the Colorado Avalanche, Minnesota Wild and Dallas Stars while the Kings continue to flounder. They are also 2 points behind a suddenly slumping Jets team for the top wild card seed.  In net tonight for the Flames will be Jonas Hiller who has had some great games against the Sharks in his career despite a losing 8-10-2 record with a GAA 2.32 and .928 SV%, Hiller is always a threat to steal a game.  It's very fair to say that these are an important 2 points for both teams.

Ian Breaks Down The Sharks: The Sharks are coming off a very disappointing end to what was in the bigger picture a very successful home stand.  It was disheartening to show up and play as uninspired as they did for most of the game before finally waking up in the 3rd.  It was also probably equally as sad to see the sheer amount of fan apology for the shit game.  I know demanding better does not always equal on ice results but as fans of this team we should demand better than efforts like that.  I could spend the rest of the blog ripping apart all the stupid things we said about why the game was ok but onwards and upwards.  Alex Stalock get's the start tonight and no one on the team needs a better game than he does right now.  He has been average to bellow average in what I'll admit is a small sample size going 5-5-1 with a 2.65 GAA and .906 SV% which is not good enough.  This start makes sense though because they are going to save Niemi for the second part of a back to back against Vancouver.  On an unrelated note I really enjoyed the first part of the Epix series and I am glad that so far it has not hurt their performance on the ice as some teams (like the Kings LOL) have gone on slides during previous shows.  Hopefully I have not Jinxed anything.  Chris Tierney has been called up and no word of Tarasov being sent down.  Although it does not appear that Mueller will finally draw back into the lineup it should shock no one if he finally does. 

My Prediction: Sharks get back in the win column and put some much needed space between themselves and The Flames in the standings.

Remember if you have a question you would like me to answer in the Breaking It Down blog please e-mail me at ian.blogs.sharks@gmail.com and if you want to read previous blogs please check out http://ianblogssharks.blogspot.ca

What are your thoughts on tonight's game?

Breaking It Down! - Feb 02nd. 2015

On February 2nd 2015  the Sharks will play host to The Edmonton Oilers and you pal Ian is going to be Breaking It Down!  This is your semi regular officially unofficial game preview post that gives you some quick numbers and my opinions on not only our Sharks but their opponent of the night.

Know Your Team - The San Jose Sharks

Current Record (W-L-OTL): 27-17-6, 60 Points and 2nd in the Pacific Division

Last 10 Games: 6-3-1

Power Play: 21.0% (8th.)

Penalty Kill: 81.9% (14th.)

Current Streak: 3 game winning streak.

Notes: Sharks are ahead of Vancouver by 3 points but Vancouver once again has 2 games in hand.

Know Your Enemy - Edmonton Oilers

Current Record: (W-L-OTL): 13-28-9, 35 Points and 7th in the Pacific Division

Last 10 Games: 4-6-0

Power Play: 13.3% (28th.)

Penalty Kill: 79.7% (23rd.)

Current Streak: 1 game losing streak

Notes: The Edmonton Oilers are dead last in the west, second last in the NHL and have the 3rd worse goal differential at -51

Ian Breaks Down The Oilers:  Edmonton continues to exist as a cautionary tale that just because you bottom out and get a ton of top prospects does not mean that you get to become the Chicago Blackhawks.  The Oilers problems are many, they are filled with NHL ready top flight forwards but their defense is poor and their goaltending is not good enough on most nights to steal them games.  Their defense will get better once guys like Darnell Nurse are able to make the jump to the big club provided he fills out a bit however not being a hot free agent destination the Oilers have had to make due with what they can draft.  There are a few major issues with this teams construction obviously but they been impatient with coaching going through at least 4 in the last 6 years and the kids that they expected to carry the load got paid before they really did anything to earn it.  If you look at other teams that have built up through the draft even first overall picks usually have to earn their ice time before they earn their pay checks, a guy like Taylor Hall for example really earned either.  There is also the problem of not enough top quality mid level veterans around to help the kids grow.... and all the kids have ever known is losing.  It will be interesting to see what this team does going into the trade deadline and into next year. Do they start over again?  Time will tell.  I expect Ben Scrivens to get the start who despite what was a record breaking performance against the sharks at the time has a losing 2-4-1 record with a 3.13 GAA and a .909 SV%.

Ian Breaks Down The Sharks: The Sharks are coming off of a big winning streak against 3 of their most fierce rivals picking up an important 6 points.  While I don't like their odds against Chicago in a 7 game series after their last game the games against the Kings and Ducks were far more convincing.  Now is the real test though as silly as this sounds, with every point mattering will the Sharks keep doing the things that are working and hot against the Oilers or will they relax and take a night off.  That's the problem with this team they are not consistent and while all good teams lose to bad teams sometimes the Sharks have lost to bad teams way too often this year.  There is a lot of talk about what exactly this team is in regards to pretenders or contenders and personally I have felt pretty down on this team when it comes to their ability to claim the ultimate prize, but a good win here after the last 3 games will definitely start to sway me other direction.  Sharks added to their list of wounded with McGinn sitting out for this game, Kennedy will re-enter the lineup.  Hannan who was questionable for this game is back in for another round of the greatest defense pair in Sharks history with Irwin manning the other side (who has actually been ok of late). I expect Niemi to get the start after his excellent game in Chicago but this is also a great opportunity to get him some rest and Stalock a start so we shall see.

My Prediction: Some people just want to watch the world burn....

Remember if you have a question you would like me to answer in the Breaking It Down blog please e-mail me at ian.blogs.sharks@gmail.com and if you want to read previous blogs please check out http://ianblogssharks.blogspot.ca

What are your thoughts on tonight's game?