Sharks Facing A Tough Off Season

Sharks Eliminated In First Round

Neil Becker

29sports.com

There are now many questions to be addressed in San Jose where the Sharks who won the Presidents Trophy with 117 points once again failed to get past the first round.

Having a dangerous team consisting of a world class goaltender in Evgeni Nabokov (41 regular season wins) and explosive scoring in the likes of Joe Thornton (86 points) and Patrick Marleau (71 points) many were expecting San Jose to win the Stanley Cup.

On Monday night those lofty aspirations came to a crashing halt when the eighth seeded Anaheim Ducks offically eliminated the Sharks in what was a six game series.

“It’s just disappointing,” said Sharks captain Patrick Marleau who had 3 points in the first round.  “I can’t say much else besides that. I think having the team that we’ve had, going through a great regular season, we expected more out of ourselves, and we didn’t live up to that.”

San Jose who has now gone four years without making it out of the first round will have many players under the microscope for this latest disaster. The second line unit of Joe Pave;ski, Milan Michalek and Ryan Clowe who combined to score 70 goals this season registered only two against the Ducks. Also put under the miscroscope will be forward Travis Moen who was shut out in the six games and posted a disappointing -4 rating.

Getting the blunt of criticism will be the two stars in Thornton and Nabokov who were being counted on to lead the team to a Stanley Cup.

Some believe it’s not fair that Thornton who has always been known as a post season underachiever will be questioned this spring despite scoring five playoff points. Meanwhile Nabokov posted a sub par .890 save percentage.

In reflecting on the series Nabokov points to losing the first two games on home ice as the turning point of the series.

“Those first two games at home were the key,” Nabokov said.

“You lose two games and go down, and it’s hard after that. … Does it really matter to say it’s my fault or it’s not my fault? We win or lose as a team.”

Forward Jeremy Roenick who produced one point in the series is leaning heavily towards retirement and defenceman Blake who had a great series hasn’t made up his mind on whether he wants to play next season.

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