The Lions game was still going on when this game started. The sports universe seemed to be righting itself as Detroit football screwed themselves over with incompetent play and got shafted by officiating to add insult to injury. Should bode well for the Red Wings tonight as they always own the Sharks.
First Period:
I was distracted for the first minute or so by the revelation that Mickey Redmond’s brother goes by Dickey. Mickey and Dickey. Honestly.
San Jose got a power play early as Frans Nielsen went off for high-sticking after Nick Jensen broke up a near breakaway by Logan Couture. After the Wings killed off the penalty, Jared Coreau came out of his net to play the puck in the trapezoid. He ended up in a board battle with Tommy Wingels and won it. Yes, you read that right.
Anthony Mantha and Henrik Zetterberg came up on Martin Jones in a 2-on-1 and Mantha ended up firing a shot that ricocheted up into the netting. He was coming up the right side and had he and Z been reversed, that could have been a pretty one-timer for the captain. Alas.
Back to the penalty kill as Luke Glendening got called for hooking. Basically the same play Andreas Athanasiou got called for in Los Angeles that resulted in the penalty shot for the Kings. A bad turnover in the corner to Coreau’s left could have been a quick lead for the home team, but the shot went to Jared(’s center crest).
The Red Wings took the lead on a Thomas Vanek shot that got a huge redirect off of Sharks defenseman Justin Braun. The combo of Vanek with Nielsen and Athanasiou paid off again for the Wings as that line scored their fourth goal in four periods.
San Jose looked to tie it up with about four minutes left in the period but Coreau immediately claimed he was interfered with. The Red Wings challenged the goal and I personally thought they had a fair point, but the officials disagreed after a very short review. Joonas “Foreign Joe” Donskoi got the credit for the tying goal.
Suddenly the Sharks were ahead after Mirco Mueller fired a huge slapshot through traffic and right over Coreau’s left shoulder.
Jensen cancelled out another near breakaway, this time on Joe Thornton, who was knocked off stride enough to pirouette down to the ice. But we all know Thornton has ankles of glass no ankles at all.
Um, Sharks take a 3-1 lead on a Patrick Marleau goal. This game took a fast turn into bad territory.
Shots: 15-9 San Jose
Score: 3-1 Sharks
Standout Players: Vanek-Nielsen-Athanasiou
Tough Period: Coreau, Ericsson, OMG
Second Period:
Petr Mrazek started the second period in a ploy to use his higher goal support to get the Wings scoring more. Okay that’s probably definitely not it but hush, I can dream.
Tomas Tatar nearly got his team within one after he was fed right in front of the crease, but a sprawling Jones made the frustrating save. Athanasiou nearly got a breakaway chance of his own but Brenden Dillon made a great play to knock the puck away.
Vanek nearly had Ryan Sproul set up for a beautiful one-timer but sent it too far behind. Athanasiou hustled back on the resulting turnover but wasn’t able to take the puck away. Mrazek made a good save to keep his team in it.
The Wings crashed the net on Jones and actually got a chance with a loose puck, but Athanasiou couldn’t get a clear shot on the net. Tatar had a similar chance a few minutes later, but also couldn’t score. Those kinds of plays are just doubly frustrating because your head says that they’re doing what they should by going after second chances, but your heart is absolutely positive that were it any other team getting those opportunities, they’d score on them.
Vanek-Nielsen-Athanasiou shifts seemed to be the only time the Wings got real chances as the period wound down. The other two non-grit lines had some okay looks as well, but the former stood out above all. Still no rewards for the team in white.
Shots: 25-18 San Jose
Score: 3-1 Sharks
Standout Players: Vanek-Nielsen-Athanasiou, Mantha, Mrazek
Tough Period: Tatar
Third Period:
Sharks take a 4-1 lead less than two minutes into the third on a Brent Burns shot tipped expertly by Joe Pavelski. Déjà vu all over again a little over two minutes later as Melker Karlsson tipped a Burns shot to make it 5-1.
Mantha scored 32 seconds later to cut San Jose’s lead to three. It was a pretty little chip of a backhand on the short side that would have been just what the doctor ordered before the Wings put the game out of their own reach. Drew Miller and Glendening got the assists on the goal, with the former earning his first helper on the season. Really.
Danny DeKeyser went down as he took a booming slapshot to the head from Kevin Lebanc. He immediately collapsed to the ice but somehow was able to get up after only a short time with no apparent injuries. I was honestly shocked that he came back out to the ice at all, as concussion spotters are supposed to be watching for head injuries. I suppose that doesn’t count or something.
MILESTONE ALERT: Joe Pavelski got his 600th career point on a rebound goal to make it 6-2 Sharks. Congratulations, I guess. Jerk.
Athanasiou got his second shift in a seven minute span and immediately capitalized with a goal of his own by flying in from the short side to pop it in the net. He nearly got another one from a Vanek setup but couldn’t make the shot.
In a shocking move, the referees decided that the Sharks can actually do wrong and called a tripping penalty with 2:04 remaining. Dylan “Marsh” DeMelo had the audacity to trip our precious cherub and fellow Dylan and went to the box for two minutes to think about what he’d done. His teammates ensured he completed his full punishment and nearly scored a short-handed goal in the process. That would have been the ultimate insult to end this game.
Shots: 35-34 San Jose
Score: 6-3 Sharks
Standout Players: Athanasiou, Mantha
Tough Period: Blashill
Final Thoughts:
- JJ pointed out tonight that we have the following lines: TMZ, VAN, SNL, and OMG. All other teams wish they were as cool as us. *covers up standings*
- Athanasiou had a pretty good first period, but I thought in the second he started getting more reckless as he was trying to manufacture offense. This is one of those cases where I’m okay with it, because if he figures out how to press when the team is behind and be successful at it, he’s better in the long run. You must learn balance, young grasshopper.
- I want to point out something that happened late in the second when the VAN line was pushing for a second goal. There was a stark, sobering contrast to the OMG line out immediately before them who just couldn’t get anything going — passes not connecting and generally just running themselves out of space. It’s as good an illustration as you’ll get of the difference between players creating their own offense and those who just aren’t good at it.
- Jeff Blashill had a bad third period in the sense that the Sharks scored those two tipped goals due to an overly-collapsing defense.
- I’m actually pretty steamed about DeKeyser being allowed to finish the game. It should be pretty obvious how I feel about the concussion protocol and guys hiding injuries for whatever stupid reason, but that’s just gross incompetence for him not being immediately taken for evaluation./
Finally, I just want to say that I warned you.
Also heyo WIIM peeps I’m on recap duty tonight so be prepared for an inevitably terrible game. 🙃
— Lauren (@redwinger43) January 8, 2017
Back at it again on Tuesday in Chicago.
