Ian Evans

Mon, 12 Mar 2007 11:33:19 -0800

I was at the Vancouver game last Friday night (they lost 2-1 in overtime), and I can tell you straight up that the Sharks are not looking like a team to be feared come playoff time. The Sharks are riding Nabokov's suddenly-stellar play to get their recent wins, because it sure isn't because they're playing well. Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau are the only forwards that pose any sort of consistent offensive threat. Billy Guerin is pointless in his 6 games since joining the Sharks, and has apparently adapted to his new team by mimicing their terrible neutral zone passing, lack of timing, and dumb defensive mistakes. Given how young the Sharks are, and how much responsibility has been placed on their rookie defensemen (Vlasic and Carle) and forwards (Bernier, Pavelski, Clowe), I expected some ups and downs this season. What's worrisome is that the Sharks are playing so much worse, so much less as a team, now compared to the first half of the season. Comparing the Canucks to the Sharks is useful here. The Canucks have very little offense outside of the creepy Sedin twins and Markus Naslund. Their defense is decent, and Roberto Luongo is a great goaltender. Altogether, the Sharks should have been able to use their speed and size to wear down the Canucks, like they did to their opponents earlier in the season. Instead, the Canucks controlled play. They did the little things that win you games: made sure to clear the zone on defense, played for rebounds on offense, and made crisp passes on the breakout. The Canucks struggled at the beginning of the season, but have steadily improved their play over the last two months. For the Sharks, it's the exact opposite.

SFist: It's Got to Be the Morning After

Ian Evans