| 1. aliciahuang - 18 Îêòÿáðÿ, 2017 - 09:12:21 |
Joe Pavelski captured the frustration of his team and the Sharks fan base Saturday when he broke his stick in anger after failing to punch in a Joe Thornton feed from the doorstep in the second period of the Sharks 3-1 loss to the New York Islanders at the SAP Center.
Although the Sharks are opening the season on a five-game homestand, the loss dropped their record to 1-3 and things will only get more challenging when they head out onto the road for a five-game jaunt to the East Coast on Wednesday.
that’s the expectation and we’re not winning,” head coach Pete DeBoer said,“We’re used to winning,Authentic T. J. Oshie jersey, explaining his captain’s reaction to his missed opportunity. “If you’re seeing frustration it’s because these guys expect to win every night.”
Pavelski acknowledged that frustration had boiled over when he tomahawk chopped the crossbar in the second.
so I sticked it,” the Sharks captain said. “I liked the way the team played tonight. Guys were in it,Authentic Blake Wheeler jersey,“I’d like the finish to be a little bit better. Something had to give, worked through it, had some chances. We needed a little finish and I believe I could be better there.”
Chris Tierney also fired the puck wide in the third after Jannik Hansen found him all alone in front on the penalty kill and Joe Thornton and Marc-Edouard Vlasic failed to convert a two-on-one chance in the second.
After Kevin Labanc opened the scoring with a power play goal at 4:16 of the first,adidas Blake Wheeler jersey, the Islanders capitalized on a pair of defensive miscues to jump ahead 2-1 by 6:27 of the second.
slipping behind defenseman Justin Braun to tap in a pass from Jordan Eberle at 17:02 of the second. Brock Nelson notched the team’s second tally later in the frame,Anders Lee scored the Islanders first goal,Authentic Dustin Byfuglien jersey, beating goalie Aaron Dell to the far post after the Sharks defense left him open in the slot.
Cal Clutterbuck added an empty-net goal with 1:50 left in regulation.
outshooting the Islanders 15-4 in the period after registering the frame’s first 10 shots. But they failed to capitalize on a handful of quality-scoring chances,The Sharks nearly charged back in the third, adding to the group’s frustration.
that was the best game we’ve played of the four,adidas Ivan Provorov jersey,” DeBoer said. “Despite the loss,“Throughout the lineup, I feel like we’re heading in the right direction. It’s painful to go through and not get wins doing it,adidas Ivan Provorov jersey, but there was a lot more good than bad tonight.”
who was making his first start of the season,Dell, stopped 20 of the 22 shots he faced.
— Sharks coach Pete DeBoer is a smart guy. He isn’t going to step outside of his lane and comment on personnel decisions in the media.
Nevertheless, DeBoer didn’t shy away from making his opinion of the NHL’s biggest pending-unrestricted free agent known when asked a question about the Islanders after the Sharks morning practice Saturday.
John Tavares is one of the top-five players in the world. He’s that good,“In my mind,” DeBoer said. “I got first-hand knowledge of him in New Jersey when I (coached) there and he’s a special talent.”
Tavares could be the highest-profile free agent to hit the open market in more than a decade if he doesn’t sign a contract extension before July 1,With uncertainty surrounding the Islanders longterm-arena plans, 2018.
38, entering his twilight years,With Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau in Toronto and a projected $17.5 million available in cap space next year (capfriendly.com), the Sharks could pursue Tavares through a midseason trade this winter or in free agency next summer.
who won a gold medal with Team Canada at the 2014 Sochi Games, would allow the Sharks to maintain their formidable depth down the middle,Tavares, giving them a chance to stay in the thick of things in the Western Conference after the sun sets on Thornton’s career.
the shot of an Alexander Ovechkin and the scoring touch of a Patrick Kane,The 27-year-old centerman lacks the speed of a Connor McDavid, but he checks off all the boxes in what DeBoer is looking for in a top-line center for his puck possession system.
but I (like) his compete level,“He’s elite offensively,” the Sharks coach said. “He’s hard. He’s heavy on pucks. He creates offense. He makes people around him better.
“I think he’s an exceptional player.”
Joe Pavelski captured the frustration of his team Saturday when he broke his stick in anger after failing to punch in a Joe Thornton feed from the doorstep in the second period of the Sharks 3-1 loss to the New York Islanders at the SAP Center.
that’s the expectation and we’re not winning,” head coach Pete DeBoer said,“We’re used to winning, explaining his captain’s reaction to his missed opportunity in the second. “If you’re seeing frustration it’s because these guys expect to win every night.”
The loss dropped the Sharks record to 1-3 and things will only get more challenging when they head out onto the road for a five-game jaunt to the East Coast after a bout with the Montreal Canadiens at the Tank Tuesday night.
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Here’s what we learned in the fourth game of the Sharks miserable five-game homestand
1. Lack of scoring is still an issue.
Patrick Marleau’s decision to skip town to join the Toronto Maple Leafs over the summer raised an obvious question in Sharks territory: Where is the scoring going to come from?
The Sharks are still looking for an answer.
the Sharks needed to add scoring punch in the offseason to reinvigorate their stagnant offense. Instead,adidas T. J. Oshie jersey, they cut ties with their third-leading scorer,After ranking 19th in goals per game last year (2.67),Authentic Patrik Laine jersey, convinced they could replace his production through the emergence of several key prospects and bounce back seasons from a handful depth players who underperformed last year.
there’s plenty of time for that vision to materialize,With 78 games left on the schedule,adidas Patrik Laine jersey, but it hasn’t happened yet. The Sharks have scored just four even-strength goals through four games.
Timo Meier and Chris Tierney have shown signs of promise,Although Kevin Labanc, the bigger problem right now is that the big dogs aren’t eating.
Brent Burns,adidas Dustin Byfuglien jersey,Joe Thornton, Joe Pavelski and Logan Couture have produced just one point a piece and they’ve combined to score a total of one goal.
But Thornton isn’t breaking a sweat over the Fab Four’s lack of production just yet.
” the Sharks alternate captain said. “Getting their chances, sometimes it just doesn’t go in. Maybe the next five or six games,Authentic Ivan Provorov jersey,“It’s four games, they score 10 goals. That’s just the way it goes. It’s a long year. As long as we’re getting chances, things will happen.”
2. DeBoer insists the Sharks are headed in the ‘right direction’.
The Sharks certainly produced more than enough quality-scoring chances to earn two points Saturday.
Thornton nearly connected with Pavelski and Kevin Labanc for tap-in goals in front. Tierney fired the puck wide when Jannik Hansen found him all alone in the slot and Thornton and Marc-Edouard Vlasic failed to convert a two-on-one opportunity in the second.
the Sharks completely owned the possession game in the third,Authentic Ivan Provorov jersey,In addition, producing the period’s first 10 shots while outshooting the Islanders 15-4 in the frame.
that was the best game we’ve played of the four,” DeBoer said. “Despite the loss, I feel like we’re heading in the right direction. It’s painful to go through,“Throughout the lineup, and not get wins doing it, but there was a lot more good than bad tonight.”
Although the Sharks produced 41 shots on goal, the team’s lack of foot speed appears to be rearing its head again.
the Sharks continue to get their opportunities off shots from the point, deflections and rebounds, which can lead to feast or famine. Some nights,Instead of creating high-quality scoring chances off the rush, they get the bounces and the goals come in hoards. Other times, the well runs dry as evidenced in the first four games of the season.
“It’s a pretty small difference between scoring and not scoring,” Burns said.
If the Sharks do attempt to pull off a midseason trade, they’ll need to swing a deal for a speedy forward with some home run power.
3. Thornton comes alive.
Thornton’s recovery from offseason surgery on his left knee hit another gear in the second period Saturday as he controlled the puck, turned on the jets in open space and set up his teammates with three grade-A scoring chances.
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