Coming into the game the San Jose Sharks had been practically scoring at will, having compiled 11 goals in just two games since the All-Star break. The Phoenix Coyotes had been struggling up until the Sharks came into town, were able to slow down the streaking Sharks. In recent games the Sharks defense had been stingy, but they gave up five goals to a Coyotes team that played some of its best hockey of the season against the Sharks.
For the first part of the game, the Sharks were playing a fairly evenly matched game. It wasn't until late in the second period when things began to go awry. The Sharks were 47 seconds away from entering the locker room tied at two goals apiece. Then Martin Hanzal of the Coyotes got a wrist shot past Antti Niemi to put the Coyotes up 3-2 heading into the second intermission.
I really believe this was that goal that deflated the Sharks because then they became worried about playing catch up and having to score not once, but twice in the third period to win the game. Once they were behind, they started thinking too far ahead and it showed with how they came out in the third period.
There were a lot of sloppy passes and I saw the inability on the part of the Sharks to get the puck out of their offensive zone. It seemed as if every pass out was getting immediately put back into the zone. No matter what they tried they were having difficulties, which then translated into having a hard time getting the puck into the Coyotes' offensive zone to try pull within reach.
The Sharks pulled within one with a little more than 30 seconds left in the game when Marleau netted a nice pass across the face of the goal from Ryane Clowe. It was now 4-3 and in the last 15 seconds the Sharks got the puck towards the front of the net. However, the Coyotes were able to clear it out and Radim Vrbata was able to score an empty net goal at 19:59 in the third period.
I really didn't see too much urgency out of the Sharks throughout the entire game. There were, however, many things I saw that definitely hurt the Sharks, including their inability to control the puck in the neutral zone. Also not converting the proper opportunities to get the puck out of their zone and missing opportunities when on the forecheck hurt the Sharks. It also hurt that the Sharks couldn't stop Phoenix while playing five-on-five. All of the Coyotes' goals came in even-strength situations except the empty-net goal when the Sharks had a man advantage due to having pulled Niemi.
The Sharks will now enjoy, really, their last break of the regular season as they don't play again until February 8 when they face the Calgary Flames. Then starting February 12 the Sharks play nine straight on the road and then in March they play 17 games in 31 days.
David is co-founder of wrapupp sports blog where they post fresh content daily and present sports blogs and sports opinions - all with a West Coast bias. Growing up in the Bay Area, David is a huge supporter of all the local sports teams; the Giants, Athletics, Warriors, Sharks, 49ers, and Raiders. His one fault, admittedly, as many of his friends and family would say, is his love for the Los Angeles Lakers. Growing up, Magic Johnson was his favorite basketball player and he fell in love with the team. He chalks it up to, "Not knowing any better". Now his love for sports has turned just as academic as it is intuitive and he follows most all sports all over the nation.
You can follow David on Twitter: @officialwrapupp
Sources:
SJSharks.com. Sharks vs. Coyotes Game Recap. NHL 2012.
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San Jose Sharks Vs. Phoenix Coyotes: Fan Preview
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