There have been a few moments in this series where I have (half) legitimately wondered if the Sharks had some sort of illness affecting a majority of the team, and last night was particularly brutal. They were so slow, and so hesitant to skate, it was painful to watch. I stopped and rewound the game a few times to watch particular races to loose pucks again - you could see the Sharks, with or without body position, letting up and gliding towards loose pucks on a consistent basis, while the Predators would not stop moving their feet until they had control or made a play. It was frustrating to watch, especially given how fast they came out of the gate to take the early lead.
I will say, the only silver lining I can find out of game 6 was that, despite the Predators utter domination for fifty or so minutes, it still was only a one goal game that was decided on a once in a lifetime backhand from a young grinder, that still needed a little deflection from the defenseman before going bar down and in. If this game was 8-1 I'd be a little worried, but they played like a streaming pile of pig**** and still managed to make a game out of it.
I know it's unlikely to happen before a game 7, but I would really like to see Demelo in over Polak. The team desperately needs to be better at moving the puck and Roman is undoubtedly the worst of the bunch. I think a fresh Demelo will add some youthful exuberance on the backend and would bring some needed energy.
Additionally, I hope Wingels is back for game 7. He seems to be the kind of guy who probably hates sitting and watching, and would come out with a vengeance Thursday.
Finally, I just feel it's important to note that last year, when the Sharks were completely out of the postseason, ****ing sucked. I hate that they lost last night and I will hate it a thousand times more if they lose Thursday, but we just need to enjoy the ride.
Fans on the main board are impossibly quick to anoint the Sharks Cup champs after a good game or two, and are even quicker to anoint them chokers after a loss. I think when we, as a fanbase, mirror those extreme highs and extreme lows, we only feed into that narrative that the organization is mentally weak and prone to epic collapse. So, before Thursday, just try to not act like the sky is falling, because it's not. On gameday, just ****ing enjoy! It will be entertaining regardless of what happens.
