Random thoughts from San Jose/Detroit Game 4...
- Anyone else tired of seeing the Sharks show up for about 1/2 the game? If they even amped that up to 2/3 or 3/4 of the game, they'd be up 3-1. If they showed up for the whole game this whole series, they would have won already. Way to shoot yourselves in the foot, guys.
- To the angry old dude who sits behind me at the Shark Tank: I understand your frustration, but punching the wall 10 times won't make the Sharks play better. It may, however, break your hand and make you feel really stupid. Try anger management and/or meditation. Or go the Mark Bell route and drink.
- Plenty of people are pissed off at Patrick Marleau for disappearing, but am I the only who thinks that he's injured? He was never 100% after he took a few games off about 3/4 of the way through the season, and has been up and down since then. Watch his shifts -- he's gingerly going into the boards and not shooting. His speed is missing too. Four or five years ago, I would have just figured that was apathy. The past two seasons, he's been too consistent to disappear that much. That tells me that there's at least SOME injury he's hiding. If it's a reoccurence of his back injury from earlier this season, that would make some sense, as that can affect both skating and how much strength you can get out of your upper body.
- But that still doesn't excuse Marleau for being out of position on that game-tying goal.
- And that doesn't excuse the D for being out of position on that game-tying goal.
- Neither team has put in a consistent effort throughout this series. Does that mean there's an ebb and flow to who's better or does it just mean that both teams are coasting from time to time? There's been huge amounts of apathetic and/or stupid play from both sides, which makes me think the latter.
- Ron Wilson likes to use video to motivate his team. Maybe he should show them clips of the Islanders going all-out for Ted Nolan.
- Please, shoot on the power play. Better yet, follow my keys to Game 3 and apply them the rest of the way.
- Even though it's a three-game series with two at the Joe, I'm not jumping off a bridge just yet. The Sharks have given these games away, meaning that they were in control for most of the time. They know they can win at the Joe and they know that when they show up -- such as the third period of Game 3 -- they're the better team. Two consistent efforts, that's all I'm asking for.