Sharks v Leafs

I tried to capture RW in his natural state: exasperation.

These two aren't facing each other for a reason. I don't think we need to rehash the communication problems RW and Marleau, (arguable RW and the entire Sharks team), appeared to be having last season. The story line of tonight's game will be whether or not Ron Wilson's Leafs can defeat Todd McLellan's Sharks. Or, if you prefer, can Todd McLellan's Sharks defeat Ron Wilson's Leafs.

Who has to more effective style? Can the Sharks play against a version of themselves from past seasons? Nabby vs Toskala. Toronto media vs whatever the outcome is. RW vs Toronto media. It's a night of battles, and the most colorful will likely take place off the ice. Tune in because it should be a good game. You can read about the media frenzy tomorrow.

I wish I had tickets.

7:30 pm, Tank, TV, radio, and potentially here too.

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Shameless self promotion again. I still have shark covered holiday cards , and other assorted items of awesome for sale. If you think the economy is tough right now, try running a business in it.
Again, these are my own creations and not in any way related to the San Jose Sharks.

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Post Game:
Sharks Win! 5-2

Four of those five goals were scored in the first. Early pizza night in the Tank. Om nom nom

Sharks goals by: Seto, Joe, Boyle, Vlasic (PPG), Joe Pa (SHG)
Leafs goals by: Kulemin & Hagman

Killer first. Not so good second. Decent third. Good game overall.

Vesa, I <3 you, I do, but, I wanted to see the Sharks win. Sorry.

I really wanted Armstrong to get his first NHL goal. So did Armstrong. It almost worked out too. He managed to get on the score sheet, but it was a 2 min. penalty for hooking. Next time, Riley!

The Sharks tied the NHL record for points through the first 25 games with 43. If you didn't watch them game, then you didn't hear how they mentioned that possibility over and over and over.

Mina lets us know that last season, it took until Dec. 26th for the Sharks to hit 43 points.

The Sharls are also the only remaining team to not have a home loss in regulation this season. I'd like that to continue on Thursday, when I am at the game. Just saying.

Ron Wilson travels with his own Leafs background for press stuff. Awesome.

Why I Have Given Up Understanding Coaches, But Still Enjoy Trying

I was going to post this all in the comments at We Bleed Teal, to supplement my original reaction, but then I realized it worked better as a post and not a long rambling comment in a tiny box. You can find the We Bleed Teal post here.

Last night the Sharks former head coach, Ron Wilson, tried a new trick and pulled Vesa Toskala after 65 minutes and stuck Cujo in for a shootout against Anaheim. Ignoring the fact that a)I like Vesa Toskala and b) I would have preferred to see the Ducks lose, I think this is a bizarre strategy.

According to TSN, RW claims he was playing the odds. It's a helluva gamble, even if the numbers appear to work in your favor. I doubt Cujo was cold for all of the shootouts he won so you have some uncertainty involved. Unless you have made him sit for 65 minutes in practice, and then put him on the ice to face a few shots, you can't be certain his performance will be the same or even similar to how it's been when he's played all 65 minutes. I trust this crossed RW's mind and he figured he knew his goaltenders well enough to make it worth the risk.

You could argue that, in some ways, it's a good move. It potentially throws off the opposing team causing them to lose focus. I'm honestly not sure how much of a factor who is in net is for players at the NHL level, so it's not something you can count on to affect their play.

The other issue is, how does a strategy like this change your relationship with your players? Publicly, everyone will say they're fine, but I wonder if a move like this shifts locker room dynamics. Maybe not after the first time you try it, but if this becomes a regular thing, it could signal a lack of trust in your players. That assumes many things though, such as more failures than successes with the strategy, locker room stability before the attempt, and whether or not a coach has successfully sold his guys on the idea.

In the end, it doesn't really matter (unless you're a Leafs or Ducks fan.) Coaches are always going to try wacky things if they think it will help their team get the W. This move might be a tad wacky, but it is no exception.