The Fifth Liners

This year was one to forget for San Jose Sharks as they crawled home only 11th overall in the Western Conference. For the first time in over a decade, the Sharks failed to make the play-offs. This lapse in form also led to sacking of Todd McLellan as Head Coach. What exactly went wrong? Well not having a clear leader seemed to affect the direction on the team. Long time leader, Joe Thornton had the 'C' removed from his jersey in the off-season. Copying Montreal, the Sharks went with four alternates instead. While the Habs made it work, production seemed to slow at the SAP Arena. Joe Pavelski was top scorer with over 70 points and the other big four Logan Couture , Brent Burns , Thornton and Patrick Marleau all contribute around the 60 point mark. But outside of these guys, the higher points score was 36 points. The Sharks need to find a way to round the side more, because right now it is just a party of five. Former Devil's boss, Peter De Boer has been installed ...

Finally the Detroit Red Wings have given permission for head coach Mike Babcock to begin speaking to other teams. This news has caused a wave of disillusion over Michigan because after taking home the Stanley Cup in 2008- he has become a fan favourite! But where would be the best destination for this man? Here are my top 3 choices for M.B Toronto Maple Leafs  This one is by far the bookies favourite and many were speculating this one as early as last season. As an Ontario boy at heart, this one will no doubt be in the front of Babcock's mind! But although this project may have long term potential, surely it is too much of a short term risk? The Leafs are currently going through yet another rip up and rebuild operation by Brendan Shanahan and I feel there is too much work needed to get where Babcock wants to go. Also lest we forget, the Leafs fans are not forgiving of lack of progress (no matter how many years running) and should he take the job- M.B should expect jersey's...

The Vancouver Canucks after nine straight defeats finally beat the San Jose Sharks 4-2 at the SAP Center last night to condemn the Sharks to a fourth straight defeat. But when Roberto Luongo knocked Joe Thornton's shot into his own net after only 1.17 of the first, all Canucks fans must of had that sinking feeling that this was going to be yet another wasted trip! But for once, Vancouver didnt fade away and only 3 minutes later Brad Richardson levelled the scores! This paved the way for an action packed rest of the period and Mike Santorelli put the Canucks ahead after 09.25 when he slotted past Niemi! Mike Brown latched onto a great assist to level the scores after 10.45 and once more we were at a tie game! San Jose then kept Luongo busy with several testing shots before Chris Higgins nudged the Canucks in front again with less than a minute left in the first! After 5 minutes of the second played, Zack Kassian redirected Kevin Bieksa's long range shot to give Vancouver...

It's been a busy week, what with the Champion's League final, the Go Karts in Monaco and Daft Punk releasing their new album. Anyway back to hockey. Things are sewn up in the east now, the Penguins will beat  play Boston in the Eastern Conference Final. In the west however, it's a different story with Detroit and LA still fighting it out, touch wood Detroit will make the most of the home ice advantage and win the series. San Jose on the other hand are the little train that never gave up. Despite the Kings dominating game five and shutting out the Sharks, Coach Todd McLellan must have slipped some kangaroo juice into his players' Gatorade cos last night they bounced right back*. I've heard of rushing the goal, but the Kings' initial strategy seemed to be 'rush the penalty box'. Kyle Clifford, Mike Richards and Anze Kopitar all made visits to the box in the first five minutes of play. Presumably Darryl Sutter will rethink this strategy as it al...

The San Jose Sharks are currently proving to be very dangerous to the LA Kings' hopes of retaining the Stanley Cup. Last night the Kings were given a royal welcome to the HP Pavilion but the monarchs were made to look like mere pretenders to the throne. Two games ago, the Kings were 2-0 up in the series and it looked like nobody was going to take their crown. San Jose however has firmly nailed its colours to the mast. The sharks dictated the pace immediately and in the sixth minute Brent Burns and captain Joe Thornton were on hand for a little rally culminating in the Sharks' first goal. The shot was blocked initially but Burns was able to tap the rebound past Jonathan Quick and score.  In the second period Colin Fraser was penalised for roughing and the resulting powerplay allowed Logan Couture to tip in Dan Boyle's pass.  The weight of the crown may be weighing heavy on the Kings' shoulders because discipline is starting to slip, that's not to say t...

Writing witty headlines is tough. The San Jose Sharks are on a roll. If they win tonight at the Shark Tank then they'll be the first team to advance through to the conference semi finals.  It's been a comfortable ride for the Sharks, winning all but one of the series games in regulation. That's not to say there hasn't been controversy though. Vancouver Canucks D-Man Kevin Bieksa has accused Sharks forwards Logan Couture and Joe Thornton of simulation (or flopping) to earn penalties. In the 5-2 win, 3 of the Sharks' goals came on the powerplay.  Is the Canucks' disciplinary record going to cost the team their chance at winning the cup? Probably. The team has clocked up 42 penalty minutes over 3 games, compared to 20 minutes by San Jose. The least of any team so far. If you're interested, Montreal has the most at 147. It's a sobering thought that Vancouver are the only team to have not won a game in this playoff series.