GDT: Game 40: Sharks vs. Flyers 5:00pm NBCSCA

[Shut Yer Five Hole]

only 35 more months in the league from tomorrow

 

[Barrie22]

14:34/game is 4th line ice time now?

He started the game on the 4th line, but with every game he gets moved up instantly for being such a good sport at helping the tank.

 

[Skeksis25]

You can be a crappy team and lose that’s fine, but when it’s pretty obvious you aren’t even attempting to win and at the very least trying to be competitive, you deserve to have your motives questioned

This game sucks, but the team has been quite competitive throughout this losing streak and for most of the season no? Lots of losses late against very good teams. The fact that we are worse than just about every team ends up being the deciding factor, but I don't see them as a team trying to lose or not caring, like they did many times last year. The team is just bad.

 

[TheBigDrunkPanda]

Why exactly is goodrow on the ice? His -21 is remarkable for a fourth liner…

I mean to be fair Garbagiev is probably responsible for atleast -10

wennberg has been real bad for a good few games

Being handsome is exhausting sometimes

 

[TheBeard]

This game sucks, but the team has been quite competitive throughout this losing streak and for most of the season no? Lots of losses late against very good teams. The fact that we are worse than just about every team ends up being the deciding factor, but I don't see them as a team trying to lose or not caring, like they did many times last year. The team is just bad.

I don’t think the players are trying to lose, but the front office and the moves/decisions they make on a nightly basis certainly doesn’t give them incentive to bust their asses either.

 

[TheBigDrunkPanda]

This game sucks, but the team has been quite competitive throughout this losing streak and for most of the season no? Lots of losses late against very good teams. The fact that we are worse than just about every team ends up being the deciding factor, but I don't see them as a team trying to lose or not caring, like they did many times last year. The team is just bad.

You and I have 2 very different definition of competitive lol competitive to me means in the game with a possibility to maybe tie or win

 

[knu]

For me, I'm thinking there's a disconnect between:

• Educated Sharks fans, who understand that even if this team tries as hard as possible and sets their best lineup possible each game, that they will still likely finish in the bottom 4 with an upcoming draft that has 4 guys who have 1OA talent; and
• Mike Grier, who I think made a decision to try to actually get 1OA again to guarantee they get Schaefer.

As opposed to last year when everyone was on board for tanking to get Celebrini.

I'm committed to the tank but year after year wears on you. Iono. I've been a fan since they were added to the league and I didn't feel this way when I was younger. Maybe I'm just old and cranky now.

 

[Skeksis25]

You and I have 2 very different definition of competitive lol competitive to me means in the game with a possibility to maybe tie or win

Which they have been for a ton of games this year? Heck even during this losing streak, what is that stat where we have lost so many in the third period with a lead?

 

[The Nemesis]

You can be a crappy team and lose that’s fine, but when it’s pretty obvious you aren’t even attempting to win and at the very least trying to be competitive, you deserve to have your motives questioned

Regardless of whether or not Grier has constructed the team with the intention of it being able to win games or not, most players are going to compete hard and try to win. A player that gives up and doesn't try isn't going to be employed in the league for very long.

So you can say that the team isn't trying to win in a big picture sense, but trying to ascribe that lack of effort or concern to their play on an in-game basis feels more like assumption and projection than anything that can actually be concretely applied to their play.

My comment was started because someone asked why the team was playing badly and the response I quoted suggested that they were trying to be bad because management told them that was the goal. I disagree that would happen. Grier might be trying to make the team bad to secure a draft pick, but that won't show in the effort or intent of the players, just in their inability to do better than they are.

 

[Barrie22]

Goodrow working on his 15th minus game of the season, he has been a plus player in 2 games.

 

[Shut Yer Five Hole]

Little likelihood of Sharks fireworks so maybe something will cause Torts to lose it for some entertainment

 

[The Nemesis]

Little likelihood of Sharks fireworks so maybe something will cause Torts to lose it for some entertainment

Smith should score a Michigan and then skate by the Flyers' bench playing air guitar on his stick.

 

[Tw1ster]

Sharks are missing one of their best three forwards and their only defenceman that can provide any spark of offence. For a team as bad as the sharks, those two losses are devastating. Put Georgiev in net on top of those two absences, this game shouldn’t be surprising

 

[Star Platinum]

Or, and hear me out because this is a radical thought, they just aren't that good and are full of crappy players who literally can't do any better than they are currently doing.

But no. It must be that Grier told them that they'll get frosty chocolate milkshakes if they give up 4 goals in a game.

I would like a frosty chocolate milkshake as well

 

[TheBigDrunkPanda]

Regardless of whether or not Grier has constructed the team with the intention of it being able to win games or not, most players are going to compete hard and try to win. A player that gives up and doesn't try isn't going to be employed in the league for very long.

So you can say that the team isn't trying to win in a big picture sense, but trying to ascribe that lack of effort or concern to their play on an in-game basis feels more like assumption and projection than anything that can actually be concretely applied to their play.

My comment was started because someone asked why the team was playing badly and the response I quoted suggested that they were trying to be bad because management told them that was the goal. I disagree that would happen. Grier might be trying to make the team bad to secure a draft pick, but that won't show in the effort or intent of the players, just in their inability to do better than they are.

I’m not saying the majority of players are not trying to win, I’m saying the person whomever that maybe making line up decisions is not trying to win or be competitive

 

[ChompChomp]

I'm committed to the tank but year after year wears on you. Iono. I've been a fan since they were added to the league and I didn't feel this way when I was younger. Maybe I'm just old and cranky now.

I'm also a fan since day 1, but we didn't have craptastic Sharks teams for this many seasons in a row back in the day. It was always 2 seasons, at most, and then back into the playoffs.

 

[Skeksis25]

Last year on Dec 31, we were 9-25-3 with a -78 goal difference. The team this year is still awful, but there is no way you can't notice that its a more competitive team.

You can't really expect some major turnaround in a year.

 

[SJSharksfan39]

That period was depressing. I was thinking watching some of the Winter Classic that at least the Sharks are more exciting than the Blackhawks, but that period felt like an extension of the Hawks game. Sharks need Walman back in a big way. I predicted a win mainly because I want to see the Sharks snap the skid, but reality is really starting to set in.

I've also heard that Schafer is the highly rated d-man in the draft. Sharks should get him. If they don't get him, who is number 2 because they need the prioritize defense in a big way.

 

[karltonian]

I’m not saying the majority of players are not trying to win, I’m saying the person whomever that maybe making line up decisions is not trying to win or be competitive

we're literally f***ed. we have only one top 4 quality D and he is out. With three 3rd to 4th pairings as our D, winning is a question of luck most nights.

 

[Tw1ster]

I’m not saying the majority of players are not trying to win, I’m saying the person whomever that maybe making line up decisions is not trying to win or be competitive

Let’s not forget, Wars is a rookie coach and this is a development year for him too….could probably use a development day as well

 

[coooldude]

Sharks are missing one of their best three forwards and their only defenceman that can provide any spark of offence. For a team as bad as the sharks, those two losses are devastating. Put Georgiev in net on top of those two absences, this game shouldn’t be surprising

Exactly. We dearly miss Walman. None of our D's today have an ounce of offensive creativity. Literally zero today. It's a horrible day from an already very bad D squad. And two of the forward lines are totally toothless.

Last year on Dec 31, we were 9-25-3 with a -78 goal difference. The team this year is still awful, but there is no way you can't notice that its a more competitive team.

You can't really expect some major turnaround in a year.

Especially when our best player is an 18 year old.

 

[timorous me]

Zets is not playing well so far. Lots of bad passes and getting muscled off the puck.

He was questionable to even play so I'm guessing he's got something that's causing him to play not like his normal self.

 

[karltonian]

He was questionable to even play so I'm guessing he's got something that's causing him to play not like his normal self.

Maybe he shoulda sat this one out. Without his speed and energy his value is pretty low.

 

[TheBigDrunkPanda]

we're literally f***ed. we have only one top 4 quality D and he is out. With three 3rd to 4th pairings as our D, winning is a question of luck most nights.

So im not a coach or anything but if your defense is severely compromised would you start your worst goalie or your best goalie? That’s all I’m saying, missing Eky hurts too

 

[Tw1ster]

Maybe he shoulda sat this one out. Without his speed and energy his value is pretty low.

We all know Goodrow would have been saddled with Celebrini and Smith in Zetterlund’s absence with Graf slotting in on the fourth line