Sharks Equipped for Championship Run

The San Jose Sharks continued to roll over the weekend with a 6-5 come-from-behind win against the home-standing Chicago Blackhawks. There are so many things I love about this team it is incredible. They have the obvious advantages that come with experienced guys like Jeremy Roenick, Joe Thorton, and Patrick Marleau and great goaltending by Evgeni Nabokov. Perhaps more importantly are the things that accompany the leadership these guys provide, which makes the team really stand out; first is the incredible play of first year man Devin Setoguchi who leads the team in goals with 10. His on-ice energy and intensity is second to none and while he may not keep up this scoring tear he is on all season it appears as though the Sharks have struck gold in Setoguchi. Furthermore, the solid play of backup netminder Brian Boucher has been impeccable. Boucher was 4-1 in five starts with a 1.49 goals against average along with a stellar .940 save percentage going into Sunday’s game. The Sharks play a very good defensive style of hockey but also showed Sunday night that they can win high scoring affairs when the opportunity presents itself. It is early in the season but thus far the Sharks have shown they have bought into new head coach Todd McLellan’s system and they have confidence in one another on the ice. Every player knows their role and they play it very well. The Sharks have an incredible 31 points in 19 games and have all the makings of a championship team.