The Random Hockey Thoughts Thread

[Ravin]

Series should be 1-1-1 because no one deserved to win that crap last night. 20 goals between two games last night. I think LA just lost the series right there unless they can come back with something huge in game 4. Giving up a 4 goal lead and dropping it in overtime is going to be on their minds. The swing is in the Sharks end for sure.

Vancouver game, well, you kind of get the idea they don't care. They lost, big deal. I think they half expected it. We have seen it time and time again, big team down, facing elimination and having a huge game, only to get outed right after. I think I picked this series in 5 for that very reason.

[leaffan]

Wish I would of stayed up to watch it.

I would just love to know how LA gave up that many goals.

[killgod]

That game was so ridiculous that it was stupid. This team is full of headcases.

Cheer up, we're cup bound. Stop being such a hater.

Wish I would of stayed up to watch it.

I would just love to know how LA gave up that many goals.

LA relaxed at 4-0. San Jose then went on to win about 25 of the final 28 faceoffs and started making plays on offence. Quick didn't stand a chance for the most part, he was eating one timers that were fuckin Ovechkin like lazers. Coutures shot was a fuckin beaut.

Doughty and Johnson were invisible for most of the game, they were't really involved in any of the early offence and couldn't do anything to stop San Jose once they started to attack. If those guys aren't going, LA doesn't have much else to rely on.

Even after Sharks made it 4-3, then off the draw the Kings rushed and scored while Pavelski and Wallin fuckin fell asleep, you'd think the Kings would have quelled the momentum right there, but a minute or so later the Sharks were all over them.

3rd Period was very conservative, but you could see LA was on it's heels as they didn't really have much attack left in them.

I don't think LA really "earned" their 4-0 lead anyways. 1st goal should have been stopped, 2nd goal was total flukey bounce. It wasn't as if LA was dominating them to earn the lead, so the comeback wasn't as shocking.

You would have been hella proud of Ian White, fuckin turnover machine.

[leaffan]

Cheer up, we're cup bound. Stop being such a hater.



LA relaxed at 4-0. San Jose then went on to win about 25 of the final 28 faceoffs and started making plays on offence. Quick didn't stand a chance for the most part, he was eating one timers that were fuckin Ovechkin like lazers. Coutures shot was a fuckin beaut.

Doughty and Johnson were invisible for most of the game, they were't really involved in any of the early offence and couldn't do anything to stop San Jose once they started to attack. If those guys aren't going, LA doesn't have much else to rely on.

Even after Sharks made it 4-3, then off the draw the Kings rushed and scored while Pavelski and Wallin fuckin fell asleep, you'd think the Kings would have quelled the momentum right there, but a minute or so later the Sharks were all over them.

3rd Period was very conservative, but you could see LA was on it's heels as they didn't really have much attack left in them.

I don't think LA really "earned" their 4-0 lead anyways. 1st goal should have been stopped, 2nd goal was total flukey bounce. It wasn't as if LA was dominating them to earn the lead, so the comeback wasn't as shocking.

You would have been hella proud of Ian White, fuckin turnover machine.

Good ol Ian White. People don't notice the turnover machine that is him till you really look at it.

I had to laugh though at how bad the sharks fans were when I was following the game on the HFboard GDT in the first period. Jesus christ those guys are failures when it comes to anything hockey sense.

[Tailback U]

Lol @ cup bound. I'm not a hater, I'm just not a homer like you.

This team still hasn't learned how to play hockey in the postseason. They are soft, none of them hit except Murray and clowe. Meanwhile every guy on the canucks finishes a check every time a blackhawn touches the puck. The Sharks played that first period at half speed. The kings have played more consistent than the sharks this series.

Who knows what team will show up next game. They could come out and get blown out and I wouldn't even be surprised. LA let up after they got up by 4, detroit and Vancouver won't.

[killgod]

Lol @ cup bound. I'm not a hater, I'm just not a homer like you.

This team still hasn't learned how to play hockey in the postseason. They are soft, none of them got except Murray and clowe. They played that first period at half speed. The kings have played more consistent than the sharks.

Who knows what team will show up next game. They could come out and get blown out and I wouldn't even be surprised. LA let up after they got up by 4, detroit and Vancouver won't.

Please, how much have you seen of this team this season? 3 Playoff games? Exactly. You comment as if this is the same ol Sharks team, it isn't. Let me guess, you're looking for the big 3 to come out and score 4 goals a game? Too bad that's not how this team wins this year, but you wouldn't know that.

They out shot, out hit, won the draws and came back from some bad luck in their own end. They pull off one of the biggest comebacks in NHL playoff history and you give them no credit, whatever. They wouldn't have done this in any other season I've watched them play.

If you would have watched just a smidge of the regular season, you'd have realized that 2 thru 8 are NO different in skill level. Every series other than the Canucks one is basically a 4v5 matchup, it shouldn't be surprising to see the Kings playing with us, this wasn't going to get an easy series.

Consistent teams don't blow 4 goal leads at home, so blow that stupid comment out yer ass. There was nothing consistent about the Kings last night, they were good on the PP in game two, shit in game three. Great on the PK in game two, again shit in game 3. Doughty, Johnson and Quick were great in game 2, shit in game 3. Where the fuck are you pulling consistent from? Lets not forget Doughty's brutal gaff on Couture's goal in game one. Consistent my fucking ass.

Here's a newsflash by the way, momentum DOESN'T carry over from game to game, it's been statistically proven to simply not be true, but think whatever you wish.

Call me a homer all you want, but at least I know the fuckin team I'm supporting.

[wr50l]

Please, how much have you seen of this team this season? 3 Playoff games? Exactly. You comment as if this is the same ol Sharks team, it isn't. Let me guess, you're looking for the big 3 to come out and score 4 goals a game? Too bad that's not how this team wins this year, but you wouldn't know that.

They out shot, out hit, won the draws and came back from some bad luck in their own end. They pull off one of the biggest comebacks in NHL playoff history and you give them no credit, whatever. They wouldn't have done this in any other season I've watched them play.

If you would have watched just a smidge of the regular season, you'd have realized that 2 thru 8 are NO different in skill level. Every series other than the Canucks one is basically a 4v5 matchup, it shouldn't be surprising to see the Kings playing with us, this wasn't going to get an easy series.

Consistent teams don't blow 4 goal leads at home, so blow that stupid comment out yer ass. There was nothing consistent about the Kings last night, they were good on the PP in game two, shit in game three. Great on the PK in game two, again shit in game 3. Doughty, Johnson and Quick were great in game 2, shit in game 3. Where the fuck are you pulling consistent from? Lets not forget Doughty's brutal gaff on Couture's goal in game one. Consistent my fucking ass.

Here's a newsflash by the way, momentum DOESN'T carry over from game to game, it's been statistically proven to simply not be true, but think whatever you wish.

Call me a homer all you want, but at least I know the fuckin team I'm supporting.

Eh Omar's the juicehead not you. y u rage so hard?

[leaffan]

Eh Omar's the juicehead not you. y u rage so hard?

He's also brown so he probably doesn't even know how to skate

:hemad:

[killgod]

Eh Omar's the juicehead not you. y u rage so hard?

Well fuck, he's admitted to not following the team all year then rages on about anything negative while ignoring what they are doing well.

You don't do what they did last night without something going well for you, nor do you have a 2-1 series lead at this point.

Then calling LA consistent, when they've been erratic as fuck, makes no sense. San Jose has been consistent, as in consistently falling asleep defensively, but that's nothing new this season.

They do something they've never done before, show heart and character when they need to turn it around, and it's ignored as if they are the same team as year's past.

San Jose has always been a 1-2 line punch and live and die by it. They now have everyone contribute to get results, which is exactly what happened last night.

LA was laughing at them on the bench after they went up 4-0, crowd is chanting "Over-rated" and San Jose responds by cock slapping everyone in the building not supporting team teal. Please tell me when you've seen that before...cause I'd wager nobody has.

Am I homer for believing my team, who's winning their current series, will win the cup? I'm a homer cause I think Niemi was weak last night and the defence was lost? Cause White was terrible with the puck? Don't act as if I'm not pointing out their fuckups, but clearly some people down in San Jose are fucking blind to what good they've done so far.

I aint mad, I'm happy as fuck.

[Tailback U]

Please, how much have you seen of this team this season? 3 Playoff games? Exactly. You comment as if this is the same ol Sharks team, it isn't. Let me guess, you're looking for the big 3 to come out and score 4 goals a game? Too bad that's not how this team wins this year, but you wouldn't know that.

LOL. Let me set you straight once and for all since it is obvious that you are the guy that thinks he is the greatest fan ever and thinks he knows more about "his" team than anybody else.

I have watched pretty much every game since the All-Star break. I watched about half the games before that including the 6 losses in a row back in early January and the winning streak after that.

First of all, the "big 3" has never come out and scored 4 goals a game in the playoffs. Nor have I ever expected them to. I know the Sharks had seven 70 goal scorers in the regular season, but guess what, the regular season doesn't mean shit. I've watched the Sharks finish with the best team in the NHL and just dominate everyone they played in the regular season and lose in the first round to the 8th seed.

So fuck the regular season. It doesn't mean jack shit. I don't give a shit about what they do in the regular season. All that matters is now.

They out shot, out hit, won the draws and came back from some bad luck in their own end. They pull off one of the biggest comebacks in NHL playoff history and you give them no credit, whatever. They wouldn't have done this in any other season I've watched them play.

They won the game because LA sat back and stopped attacking and getting the puck deep. LA has dominated on the boards this series, pretty much getting the puck deep and cycling whenever they want to because they've been more physical to and on the puck. This is how they dominated in game 2 and it's how they dominated the 1st period last night.

The Sharks were able to get back into it because they were able to get the transition game going. LA collapsed in their own zone instead of winning pucks on the boards and the Sharks were able to establish possession and get pucks on net.

If you would have watched just a smidge of the regular season, you'd have realized that 2 thru 8 are NO different in skill level. Every series other than the Canucks one is basically a 4v5 matchup, it shouldn't be surprising to see the Kings playing with us, this wasn't going to get an easy series.

Oh please. LA is by far the easiest matchup for the Sharks in the playoffs. Everyone knows this. They are without their best player, have little to no scoring depth, and aren't fast. LA was supposed to be the best possible matchup for the Sharks. Everyone knows this.

Consistent teams don't blow 4 goal leads at home, so blow that stupid comment out yer ass. There was nothing consistent about the Kings last night, they were good on the PP in game two, shit in game three. Great on the PK in game two, again shit in game 3. Doughty, Johnson and Quick were great in game 2, shit in game 3. Where the fuck are you pulling consistent from? Lets not forget Doughty's brutal gaff on Couture's goal in game one. Consistent my fucking ass.

When I say consistent, I am talking about their ability to gain the zone, get a cycle going, and get pucks on net. The Kings have been far better on the boards than the Sharks this series. That is where playoff games are won. That is where the Sharks are soft.

Here's a newsflash by the way, momentum DOESN'T carry over from game to game, it's been statistically proven to simply not be true, but think whatever you wish.

Call me a homer all you want, but at least I know the fuckin team I'm supporting.

I don't care about momentum in the least bit from one game to another. Which is another reason why I wouldn't be surprised if the Sharks lost the next game by 2 goals.

Listen. I support the Sharks and want them to do well but I'm not going to cheer for them when they put forward a piss poor effort. That first period was garbage. They were skating at half speed and weren't hitting anything.

They cannot let the Kings win the battles on the boards and man handle them to and on the puck. The Sharks need to play faster and more physical so that they can break up the Kings cycle and win the battle on the boards.

Like I said, that is where games are won. Thornton, Marleau, and Heatley need to do a better job of being physical on the boards. They are 3 of our biggest forwards and they are soft. I don't care about how many goals or assists they have, I just want them to play faster and more physical because of their size and speed.

I was going nuts during the comeback last night but if you actually think the Kings first 4 goals were just "lucky" and due to "bad bounces" then you are kidding yourself. The Kings jumped all over the Sharks in that first period. Bottom line, the Sharks need to play with the same effort that they had in the 2nd period for all 3 periods.

Since you're such a regular season guy, you should know that the Sharks were statistically terrible in the 3rd period for much of the year (especially early on). You can't have that shit in the playoffs. Guys need to be ready to play when the puck drops and not let up for 3 periods or this team doesn't stand a chance vs. the likes of Vancouver and Detroit.

Let downs will happen, obviously, but the Sharks need to pick up their tempo instead of waiting for a team to score 8 straight goals on them in order to realize that they need to start playing harder.

I don't question their heart, I don't think they are going to quit, but I do question their effort when it needs to be. Sorry for not being happy with the Kings scoring 8 straight goals in this series before the Sharks decided to start playing faster.

[killgod]

LOL. Let me set you straight once and for all since it is obvious that you are the guy that thinks he is the greatest fan ever and thinks he knows more about "his" team than anybody else.

I have watched pretty much every game since the All-Star break. I watched about half the games before that including the 6 losses in a row back in early January and the winning streak after that.

First of all, the "big 3" has never come out and scored 4 goals a game in the playoffs. Nor have I ever expected them to. I know the Sharks had seven 70 goal scorers in the regular season, but guess what, the regular season doesn't mean shit. I've watched the Sharks finish with the best team in the NHL and just dominate everyone they played in the regular season and lose in the first round to the 8th seed.

So fuck the regular season. It doesn't mean jack shit. I don't give a shit about what they do in the regular season. All that matters is now.

So it doesn't mean shit, that for the first time since this core team was assembled, that the production comes from 12 forwards instead of 4 or 5? WTF are you smoking?

They won the game because LA sat back and stopped attacking and getting the puck deep. LA has dominated on the boards this series, pretty much getting the puck deep and cycling whenever they want to because they've been more physical to and on the puck. This is how they dominated in game 2 and it's how they dominated the 1st period last night.

The Sharks were able to get back into it because they were able to get the transition game going. LA collapsed in their own zone instead of winning pucks on the boards and the Sharks were able to establish possession and get pucks on net.

So cause San Jose started pressuring them, taking the body (even Thornton was throwing weight around), this is all LA's doing, no credit to the Sharks right?

Oh please. LA is by far the easiest matchup for the Sharks in the playoffs. Everyone knows this. They are without their best player, have little to no scoring depth, and aren't fast. LA was supposed to be the best possible matchup for the Sharks. Everyone knows this.

Sharks have been foiled many times in the past by stout D and LA boasts one of the best 6 defenders in the league.

Listen. I support the Sharks and want them to do well but I'm not going to cheer for them when they put forward a piss poor effort. That first period was garbage. They were skating at half speed and weren't hitting anything.

Vancouver just played a fucking awful 60 minutes, yet you can't stop jerking them off. Gee, makes sense.

They cannot let the Kings win the battles on the boards and man handle them to and on the puck. The Sharks need to play faster and more physical so that they can break up the Kings cycle and win the battle on the boards.

Sharks have out hit and out shot them in the series, it's like you expect them to utterly destroy them like they are an AHL team.

Like I said, that is where games are won. Thornton, Marleau, and Heatley need to do a better job of being physical on the boards. They are 3 of our biggest forwards and they are soft. I don't care about how many goals or assists they have, I just want them to play faster and more physical because of their size and speed.

Marleau and Heatley use their speed quite often to generate chances, are you blind? Thornton was putting guys into the glass last night, but I suppose you missed that too.

I was going nuts during the comeback last night but if you actually think the Kings first 4 goals were just "lucky" and due to "bad bounces" then you are kidding yourself. The Sharks need to play like they did last night in the 2nd period for all 3 periods.

Yeah cause Niemi regularly misses straight on unobstructed shots like that. Oh and please show me Kyle swollen-eyed Cliffords highlight reel of no look backhand trick shots off the post, I hear he does it often.

Since you're such a regular season guy, you should know that the Sharks were statistically terrible in the 3rd period for much of the year (especially early on). You can't have that shit in the playoffs. Guys need to be ready to play when the puck drops and not let up for 3 periods or this team doesn't stand a chance vs. the likes of Vancouver and Detroit.

We've given up 1 goal in the 3rd period in this series. Terrible.

Oh there's the impeccable Vancouver mention again, no they play every period flawlessly. Even when they lose 7-2, they are amazing.

Let downs will happen, obviously, but the Sharks need to pick up their tempo instead of waiting for a team to score 8 straight goals on them and then decide to start playing harder.

You're right, that's unacceptable but to suggest it was LA domination generating that 4 goal lead is stupid. Shots were 9-7 and shit just went LA's way. When that ended, the better team prevailed as they should. San Jose didn't have any fluke or soft goals, they took their defence apart and fired great shots into the net.

[Tailback U]

So it doesn't mean shit, that for the first time since this core team was assembled, that the production comes from 12 forwards instead of 4 or 5? WTF are you smoking?

Actually the production is coming from 9 forwards:

eager 1:07
mayers 2:25
nichol 3:03

Our 4th line isn't even getting ice time. Don't know why and I don't agree with it.

So cause San Jose started pressuring them, taking the body (even Thornton was throwing weight around), this is all LA's doing, no credit to the Sharks right?

Like I said, in the 2nd period, the Sharks came out and started to throw their weight around and play faster and more physical. No disagreement there. My gripe is with their play in game 2 and in the 1st period.

Sharks have been foiled many times in the past by stout D and LA boasts one of the best 6 defenders in the league.

Many times in the past? I thought the past doesn't matter? I thought this was a brand new team with 12 forwards that produce?

Vancouver just played a fucking awful 60 minutes, yet you can't stop jerking them off. Gee, makes sense.

When the Sharks go up 3 games to 0, they can play an awful 60 minutes. Until then, there is no excuse.

Sharks have out hit and out shot them in the series, it's like you expect them to utterly destroy them like they are an AHL team.

Statline doesn't tell the entire story. Sharks aren't consistently finishing their checks and they haven't done a great job of getting pucks deep and getting a cycle going on a consistent basis.

Marleau and Heatley use their speed quite often to generate chances, are you blind? Thornton was putting guys into the glass last night, but I suppose you missed that too.

Heatley has actually played the best of the 3. Marleau had his first good game last night. Thornton had an awful game but he did throw a few hits in that 2nd and 3rd period finally. But really, Joe had an awful game. His turnovers have been horrid.

Yeah cause Niemi regularly misses straight on unobstructed shots like that. Oh and please show me Kyle swollen-eyed Cliffords highlight reel of no look backhand trick shots off the post, I hear he does it often.

Those goals were generated because the Kings just forced their way to the net with the puck. When you get a rush like that and attack the net you get "lucky" bounces and chances.

We've given up 1 goal in the 3rd period in this series. Terrible.

How many have we given up in the 1st and 2nd? Again, I'm talking about playing at one tempo for 3 periods. What do you not understand about that?

You're right, that's unacceptable but to suggest it was LA domination generating that 4 goal lead is stupid. Shots were 9-7 and shit just went LA's way. When that ended, the better team prevailed as they should. San Jose didn't have any fluke or soft goals, they took their defence apart and fired great shots into the net.

LA dominated puck possession in the Sharks zone. Attacked the net relentlessly. Generated a bunch of turnovers with an aggressive and fast forecheck. Again, just looking at the shots category doesn't always tell the story. I'd figure a Canadian would know this.

This is what I want the Sharks to do:

1) Finish their checks.
2) Battle for pucks on the boards.
3) Forecheck better.

All have to do with effort and playing at a higher tempo. I don't care about anything else. All I care about is effort.

[Woy]

lol

[leaffan]

Would you females stop arguing over the sharks.

[wingsfan77]

The 5 minute major Richards picked up tonight is an absolute, total f'ing joke. Kunitz only gets 2 minutes for sticking out his elbow directly into Gagne's head but Richards gets his elbow up while defending himself and gets 5!?!?! GTFO, the refs have been absolutely atrocious throughout the play-offs so far with no signs of stopping.