Last night was a good effort by the Sharks, but they came up short. Anaheim's Jonas Hiller made 36 saves on 38 shots. He looked like his old self. Unfortunately, the Sharks big players couldn't manage big plays on a star goaltender. Thornton had an assist, but was a -1, as were both Marleau and Clowe. Marleau managed just two shots on goal in over 20 minutes of ice time. Brent Burns was -2. The highlight of last night, other than Hiller's stellar play in net, would have to have been the fan who threw a dead duck on the ice.
Check that out here:
Too bad the Sharks couldn't kill the Ducks they were facing. The Sharks need to step up their play against their in-state rival, especially when the Ducks are having such a rare disappointing season.
And if you're not already, I highly suggest tuning in to the World Junior Championship on NHL network. Canada destroyed Finland 8-1 last night, and team USA beat Denmark 11-3. USA's win was special for Sharks fans for one reason: Charlie Coyle. Coyle, a close to point-per-game player this season before he left Boston University for the St. John Sea Dogs in the QMJHL, tallied a hat trick in leading team USA to a huge victory. In case you don't remember, Charlie Coyle was traded with Devon Setoguchi for Brent Burns. I had heard good things about Coyle, but had never seen him play until last night. He's definitely got talent and could develop into a good NHL forward one day. Most immediately, his leaving is a big blow to BU, but in the future could be a blow to the Sharks as well.
Wednesday is the next big night to watch for with the following match-ups:
01:30 PM MT FIN - USA
03:30 PM MT SUI - SWE
06:00 PM MT CZE - CAN
08:00 PM MT SVK - RUS
Then, of course, there's Marty Havlat. The underachieving forward will be out for the next 8 weeks following hamstring surgery. Hopefully he can return to form quickly once he returns.
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