GDT: Game 26: Sharks vs. Kraken 12:30pm NBCSCA

[SJSharksfan39]

Tank looked fuller than usual today too. Wonder if it’s the holiday or if fans are just realizing the team is extremely exciting now.

Might be both. You get an early game and a lot of Kids in the crowd. Having it part of a holiday weekend makes it better.

 

[CanadienShark]

Missed this game since I had to work. Seems like a great outcome and game. The kids got their points. Liljegren yet another goal. Granlund and Toffoli got points. No complaints with the boxscore. Congrats to Cardwell!

 

[CanadienShark]

Moves the puck better than most of our defensemen, but sometimes struggles to win puck battles which is a common trait amongst our defensive corps. But on our team, he's allowed to play through mistakes because we have no one better. Had a real nice goal to open our game today, but is not so good offensively that you can excuse the issues in our own end.

I think in an ideal world where we get two better defensemen someday to be in our top pair, he probably slots somewhere between a 2nd and 3rd defensive pairing. Pairing him with someone that brings the physicality and ability to win puck battles would help him immensely.

I'd love to see an Ekholm type be paired with Liljegren. Timothy just gives that vibe of "there's more to unlock".

 

[karltonian]

To be fair though, Smith looked good with Granlund after being sheltered with Kunin and Goodrow and allowed to work on his game. I think it helped.



Kostin seems to have really struggled emotionally the 8 games he sat and I really like everything he’s said in his interview. I really hope the dude figures it out because, again, there’s a real good middle six winger in there.

Maybe he can become just a non thrown baseball bat!

 

[Jargon]

Maybe he can become just a non thrown baseball bat!

Yes!

I kind of think what’s happening with Kostin is he’s a skill guy stuck in a giant’s body and all his coaches wanted him to be a big grindy guy and he wants to dangle and make plays and was stuck being the former rather than the latter. Now he’s stuck in this weird world between both roles and I think he sometimes doesn’t know what he should be, so he gets lost and loses confidence. I think the last few games have helped him kind of find his game again as a grinder and then the surprise bump to Granlund’s line (and then the goal) gave him the confidence to go out and be both. I think Jux is exactly right — it’s all a confidence/emotional issue with him. If he can keep on this run and keep playing with Smith and Granlund, that line could actually be really, really potent.

 

[Alaskanice]

Yes!

I kind of think what’s happening with Kostin is he’s a skill guy stuck in a giant’s body and all his coaches wanted him to be a big grindy guy and he wants to dangle and make plays and was stuck being the former rather than the latter. Now he’s stuck in this weird world between both roles and I think he sometimes doesn’t know what he should be, so he gets lost and loses confidence. I think the last few games have helped him kind of find his game again as a grinder and then the surprise bump to Granlund’s line (and then the goal) gave him the confidence to go out and be both. I think Jux is exactly right — it’s all a confidence/emotional issue with him. If he can keep on this run and keep playing with Smith and Granlund, that line could actually be really, really potent.

I think you’ve discovered something here. Props.

 

[Pavelski2112]

Yes!

I kind of think what’s happening with Kostin is he’s a skill guy stuck in a giant’s body and all his coaches wanted him to be a big grindy guy and he wants to dangle and make plays and was stuck being the former rather than the latter. Now he’s stuck in this weird world between both roles and I think he sometimes doesn’t know what he should be, so he gets lost and loses confidence. I think the last few games have helped him kind of find his game again as a grinder and then the surprise bump to Granlund’s line (and then the goal) gave him the confidence to go out and be both. I think Jux is exactly right — it’s all a confidence/emotional issue with him. If he can keep on this run and keep playing with Smith and Granlund, that line could actually be really, really potent.

Tage Thompson Syndrome

 

[CupfortheSharks]

Tank looked fuller than usual today too. Wonder if it’s the holiday or if fans are just realizing the team is extremely exciting now.

I’m at most home games. I’d say attendance is up year over year but this was mostly due to it being a holiday. Attendance at almost all the weekday games is still pretty light.

 

[Jargon]

Tage Thompson Syndrome

It must be really weird to look like a goon from a Russian mob movie but have the skill to dangle through 3 guys.

 

[gaucholoco3]

Tank looked fuller than usual today too. Wonder if it’s the holiday or if fans are just realizing the team is extremely exciting now.

Sharks are hosting a big youth hockey tournament this weekend. I don’t know if they included tickets with the tournament. Also explains the pregame youth hockey jerseys.

 

[cheechoo]

I can't believe we were paid top 45 pick compensation to take on Jake Walman

Sharks just feel like ecstacy. Love this team so much right now, I want this group engraved on the cup for restoring the feeling.

 

[dmcccdmn]

Great win. Sharks are playing out of their minds scoring 18 goals in 3 games with barely any talent with tons of holes to fill in the lineup.

Guess we're not getting Martone if they keep overachieving. This roster should be dead last in the league, and they're not.

 

[coooldude]

Friendly reminder that we are still bottom 3 points for in the league and within one win/loss of bottom 1. Two and three more games played than CHI and NSH. It's fun to watch and we're more competitive, but even if we play .500 hockey for 54 more games, Which I argue is unlikely, we're projected at 75 points. That's still bottom 5 most years.

We also got reverse goalied today - awesome fun to watch but Grub should have stopped at least 2 of those and we were wildly out-xGFd via Moneypuck. At some point the puck luck will swing the other way.

To get to 95 points and any chance at the playoffs, we would need to play .680 hockey (74 points in 54 games) or 111 point pace.

 

[tahoesharksfan]

I can’t believe no one here had us winning 8-5…


Good to see though!

 

[Shark Finn]

Wow! No words!
Great job by my favorite team forever!
... I was trying to write something but just can't. Just incredible feeling watching this game.
Also game aired in a pretty nice time for Finnish people.
LET'S ******* GO!

As a comment, I've caught a number of the Sharks home games that begin at 5:30 in the morning due to waking up early for work. Being a fan of a west coast team is finally starting to pay off, not to mention getting a job in which the working hours are pretty much up to me.

 

[GigaChad]

Nice win!
If some team offers a 1st round pick for Granny, would you take it, or keep him?

 

[Jargon]

Nice win!
If some team offers a 1st round pick for Granny, would you take it, or keep him?

I’d probably take it and hope he re-signs this summer.

The only way I wouldn’t take it is if by some miracle we’re somehow close to the playoffs. But that’s… again, a miracle situation.

 

[Star Platinum]

Nice win!
If some team offers a 1st round pick for Granny, would you take it, or keep him?

Take it, regardless of how low a pick it is

 

[Star Platinum]

I’d probably take it and hope he re-signs this summer.

The only way I wouldn’t take it is if by some miracle we’re somehow close to the playoffs. But that’s… again, a miracle situation.

The only way Granlund re-signs here is if he can't find a better winning situation in free agency. Would he be a #2 center on a better team? Probably not on a lot of teams, but maybe some lower-end playoff teams. But long-term, those center spots are spoken for so he's eventually going to be a #3 center on a team that may not be back in the playoffs for a few years. Unless he is looking for some level of stability like Toffoli was, I don't see any way he's back.

 

[Guru rustad]

As a comment, I've caught a number of the Sharks home games that begin at 5:30 in the morning due to waking up early for work. Being a fan of a west coast team is finally starting to pay off, not to mention getting a job in which the working hours are pretty much up to me.

Same here in Oslo. Except it’s 4:30 instead of 5:30. This game was awesome since it started 9.30 PM

 

[CaptainShark]

Same here in Oslo. Except it’s 4:30 instead of 5:30. This game was awesome since it started 9.30 PM

Same here, but since I have adjusted my sleep-schedule to the usual home game start time of 04:30 am, it’s tougher to stay up until 0:30 am to watch a 9:30 pm puckdrop than to get up for a home-game. Have to admit I cheat a little and start the home games at 5:15 am. By skipping the commercial breaks and the intermissions, i catch up in the middle of period 3.

And the best thing of all that. Wife and daughter are asleep, so it’s only my cat and me. No distractions

 

[Jargon]

The only way Granlund re-signs here is if he can't find a better winning situation in free agency. Would he be a #2 center on a better team? Probably not on a lot of teams, but maybe some lower-end playoff teams. But long-term, those center spots are spoken for so he's eventually going to be a #3 center on a team that may not be back in the playoffs for a few years. Unless he is looking for some level of stability like Toffoli was, I don't see any way he's back.

I kinda think he really likes it in San Jose. I think he enjoys his role, I think he likes the team and has really found his way back after a terrible time with the Pens. I can actually see him wanting to re-sign.

 

[OrrNumber4]

The only way Granlund re-signs here is if he can't find a better winning situation in free agency. Would he be a #2 center on a better team? Probably not on a lot of teams, but maybe some lower-end playoff teams. But long-term, those center spots are spoken for so he's eventually going to be a #3 center on a team that may not be back in the playoffs for a few years. Unless he is looking for some level of stability like Toffoli was, I don't see any way he's back.

I imagine that Granlund might be willing to buy into the vision if he got a long-term deal, which I wouldn't want Grier to give him. And I'd honestly lose respect for Granlund if he took a short-term, high dollar deal.

 

[Hangemhigh]

This is horrible. Sharks are not only having fun, but playing with hope. Grier needs to make a trade to take that hope away and get the tank rolling.

 

[StrawHatEklund]

I’m at most home games. I’d say attendance is up year over year but this was mostly due to it being a holiday. Attendance at almost all the weekday games is still pretty light.

Agreed. It’s like this for holiday/weekend games. Been to every home game this year and weekday games are usually about 60-65% full. Halloween and election night were the worst. Maybe 40-45% capacity.

Man, this has to be one of the best weeks of Sharks hockey in recent memory. 18 goals in 3 games and our young 3 core forwards with continuous multiple point games. Was really exciting to see Cardwell get his 1st goal as well. Celebrini with another snipe as well. Liljegren scoring again in front of my father who is a Leafs fan (his family is from Toronto) was a good time too.