I'll come out and say it, Niemi and Havlat were by far the best players in last night's game for the Sharks. Without Niemi's heroics, the Sharks would have been beaten and beaten badly. They were not the better team, but Niemi stole a win for them. I love writing that as I've been rather down on him this season. The Sharks got away with a lucky win and hopefully they come back on Saturday a little more energized and show the Blues how to really play playoff hockey.
Here is something I want to address for those who are Sharks haters:
The Sharks are not a soulless team. Sure they aren't the roughest team, but they do have guys who play hard, and play with a lot of energy and soul. Guys like Pavelski are gamers in the playoffs. Couture has shown this so far. Clowe. No one can deny that Clowe has as much heart as most in the NHL. That play from the bench just shows how much he wants to win, sure it was in bad taste, but it's more indicative of his desire to win than him being a soulless player. Can I forget about Dan Boyle? That dude keeps on playing and he's smart, and plays the entire game to the best of his abilities. Burns is showing he doesn't mind hitting people and he's joining the rush quite often. Again, that's not soulless.
Now there are some that question Marleau and Thornton. I agree about Marleau, he does occasionally provide the much needed goal, but this season he's been so quiet, I forget about him at times. Thornton is trying to be a leader and he was going after Backes. That's not soulless, people. That's a guy trying to inspire his team. Sure that top line was held off the scoresheet, but he was pivotal in Havlat's first goal as he was the one in front of the net screening Halak. I generally don't think guys who go to the front of the net are soulless.
As always,
Go Sharks!
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