SJS vs CAL
Posted on April 15, 2008 05:31 PM | Permalink
The San Jose Sharks are rearranging the chairs.
Still, their fortunes will come down to how their star players perform.
Those who are on the top line are starting to feel the heat heading into tonight’s critical fourth clash in the best-of-seven series.
San Jose’s top trio of Joe Thornton, Milan Michalek and Jonathan Cheechoo has combined for no goals in the series so far.
Thornton, San Jose’s leading goal scorer and point producer in the regular season, has only three assists and the questions were whether the Flames have done anything special to defend him.
“No, they’re just tight checking,” Thornton said after the morning skate. “They take away your time and space, so you have to make your space. They’re tight on you, they make sure you have no room.
“That’s how you play hockey.”
Comparing stars
Curiously, Thornton is coming off a two-assist performance, but knows his play will be closely compared to Jarome Iginla’s.
“When you’re down 2-1, everybody can do more and I have to do more to help this team win,” Thornton said. “I have to have a big game tonight.”
While it appears the Flames won’t make any changes, the Sharks have a couple in mind.
Setoguchi, Ehrhoff get call for Sharks
Head coach Ron Wilson said Devin Setoguchi - the club’s first-round draft choice from 2005 who hails from Taber, Alta., (about a three-hour drive from Calgary) - will make his NHL playoff debut.
Also playing his first playoff game of the spring will be defenceman Christian Ehrhoff, who’d missed the first three games due to an undisclosed injury.
“That will be a huge help on the back end,” Wilson said. “Along with Brian Campbell, he’s our best skater back there and he gets pucks out of danger. He’s our best defensive defenceman, I must add, too. He’s the primary guy killing penalties and we’ve missed that.”
Wilson wouldn’t divulge who would be taken out of the lineup.
Comments
Joe Thorton is the first star?? Let's get something straight: The guy is a bottom feeder! He does nothing except stand in front of the net and use his size to block the goalie's view. Then, if he gets a chance, he tips a puck and claims he scored. That's not hockey! Get out there and make an effort, you bum! Skate! Make some plays! Don't just stand there like the oaf you are, and opportunistically take advantage of whatever happens to come your way. PLAY HOCKEY! All the goals he supposedly scored this year? - guess what - he stole most of them from his team mates, by just tipping them in (while blocking the goalie's view) and claimed he made the goal. He's like those fish at the bottom of the fish tank... they let all the other fish do the work, and they eat the food that falls to the bottom. They claim to contribute to the tank, but really, nobody wants to see them - we want to see the fish that swim. Thorton's a damn bottom feeder! And hopefully somebody will take him out for good, so we can get on with some real hockey.
Posted by: John Canada | April 16, 2008 01:03 AM
John Canada- that is one of the most nonsensical things I have read all year. You probably get all weepy over Ryan Smyth when he does the exact same thing! Or perhaps Tomas Holmstrom. It's called screening and it IS hockey. Joe has made the sharks immeasurably better, and for the record, most of his goals during the regular season weren't tips- they were shots from his trademarked spot wide of the faceoff circles. Grow a brain.
Posted by: Eh CA | April 16, 2008 12:31 PM