The Sharks got a badly needed win tonight in Philadelphia, 3-1 over the reeling Flyers. This ends a five-game San Jose losing streak.
This is as happy as I've been with a Sharks effort for a very long time. They did (almost) everything a hockey team needs to do to win tonight. Let's break it down...
How to Win a Hockey Game
#1: Get great goaltending. Check. Evgeni Nabokov played an outstanding game tonight. He made not one or two but several tough, crucial saves. Without him, the Sharks play most of this game from behind, rather than with the lead.
#2: Get goals from your go-to guys. Check. Sure, you want to have a balanced attack, but every hockey team has a handful of guys you look to for the core of your scoring. When these guys are finding the net, things generally tend to go pretty well. When these guys aren't finding the net, there's much anxiety (see: earlier this season, subjects Marleau and Cheechoo). Tonight, Jonathan Cheechoo and Milan Michalek, two of the Sharks biggest guns, both scored goals.
#3: Get a big play or two from an unexpected source. Check. In the 1994 playoffs, the Sharks got critical goals from Shawn Cronin and Vlastimil Kroupa in the course of winning their first playoff game ever. That victory came at the expense of the mighty (then as now) Detroit Red Wings. The Sharks, of course, went on to take that series in an upset the likes of which may never again be seen in the NHL. As you can see here and here, neither of these guys lit the lamp much--Cronin had not scored that season, had only three goals in his NHL career up to that point, and never scored again--but it was the sort of thing that made you believe that anything was possible.
Tonight, Douglas Murray scored the Sharks' third and final goal of the game--his first goal in 115 NHL games. (Congrats, Douglas!) Coming as it did so quickly after Michalek's goal, it was a real kick in the teeth for the Flyers, who never really looked like much of a threat for the rest of the game.
#4: Show mental toughness. Check. Craig Rivet took a gamble on a San Jose power play very late in the second period, and things went badly awry when a misplay at the blue line, combined with Rivet pinching, sprung the Flyers on a three-on-one. A properly executed three-on-one should end with someone shooting at an empty net, and the Flyers properly executed their three-on-one--goal, Mike Knuble, with only 5.8 seconds left in the second period. The immediately preceding San Jose power play had looked promising, but instead of going into the second intermission up 2-0, the Sharks went into the locker room tied at a goal apiece.
It's always bad to give up a goal late in a period, and the later in the period you give it up the worse it is, but for a team on the skids, playing their fourth road game in five nights, that could've been a genuine back-breaker. It wasn't. The Sharks came out at the beginning of the third and picked up right where they left off, continuing to control the play, and before long they were ahead 3-1 and it was the Flyers who were collapsing.
#5: Stay out of the box. Check. The Flyers had nary a power play tonight. The only San Jose penalty minutes were assessed to Jody Shelley for a tough, gutsy fight against Flyer PIM leader Riley Cote.
And, finally, the complement to #5...
#6: Make the other guy pay when he's in the box. Ch--er, wait. No check. The Sharks' power play looked dangerous at times tonight, but they still couldn't put one away. Against a team that takes a lot of penalties, like the Flyers (or the Ducks) you really have to take advantage of your power plays.
So, it wasn't a perfect night, but still a very good one. I've been rough on the Sharks when they haven't played well, but tonight they played well. I'd be happy to not be rough on them for the rest of the season...of course, this would require them to play well for the rest of the season.
We'll see which Sharks team shows up on Sunday in Pittsburgh.
#2: Get goals from your go-to guys. Check. Sure, you want to have a balanced attack, but every hockey team has a handful of guys you look to for the core of your scoring. When these guys are finding the net, things generally tend to go pretty well. When these guys aren't finding the net, there's much anxiety (see: earlier this season, subjects Marleau and Cheechoo). Tonight, Jonathan Cheechoo and Milan Michalek, two of the Sharks biggest guns, both scored goals.
#3: Get a big play or two from an unexpected source. Check. In the 1994 playoffs, the Sharks got critical goals from Shawn Cronin and Vlastimil Kroupa in the course of winning their first playoff game ever. That victory came at the expense of the mighty (then as now) Detroit Red Wings. The Sharks, of course, went on to take that series in an upset the likes of which may never again be seen in the NHL. As you can see here and here, neither of these guys lit the lamp much--Cronin had not scored that season, had only three goals in his NHL career up to that point, and never scored again--but it was the sort of thing that made you believe that anything was possible.
Tonight, Douglas Murray scored the Sharks' third and final goal of the game--his first goal in 115 NHL games. (Congrats, Douglas!) Coming as it did so quickly after Michalek's goal, it was a real kick in the teeth for the Flyers, who never really looked like much of a threat for the rest of the game.
#4: Show mental toughness. Check. Craig Rivet took a gamble on a San Jose power play very late in the second period, and things went badly awry when a misplay at the blue line, combined with Rivet pinching, sprung the Flyers on a three-on-one. A properly executed three-on-one should end with someone shooting at an empty net, and the Flyers properly executed their three-on-one--goal, Mike Knuble, with only 5.8 seconds left in the second period. The immediately preceding San Jose power play had looked promising, but instead of going into the second intermission up 2-0, the Sharks went into the locker room tied at a goal apiece.
It's always bad to give up a goal late in a period, and the later in the period you give it up the worse it is, but for a team on the skids, playing their fourth road game in five nights, that could've been a genuine back-breaker. It wasn't. The Sharks came out at the beginning of the third and picked up right where they left off, continuing to control the play, and before long they were ahead 3-1 and it was the Flyers who were collapsing.
#5: Stay out of the box. Check. The Flyers had nary a power play tonight. The only San Jose penalty minutes were assessed to Jody Shelley for a tough, gutsy fight against Flyer PIM leader Riley Cote.
And, finally, the complement to #5...
#6: Make the other guy pay when he's in the box. Ch--er, wait. No check. The Sharks' power play looked dangerous at times tonight, but they still couldn't put one away. Against a team that takes a lot of penalties, like the Flyers (or the Ducks) you really have to take advantage of your power plays.
So, it wasn't a perfect night, but still a very good one. I've been rough on the Sharks when they haven't played well, but tonight they played well. I'd be happy to not be rough on them for the rest of the season...of course, this would require them to play well for the rest of the season.
We'll see which Sharks team shows up on Sunday in Pittsburgh.
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