Time for my weekly Baker’s Dozen.

1. Speaking of Logan Couture... Congrats on back-to-back 30-goal seasons, in your first two full seasons in the NHL, a first in Sharks franchise history.
   #TheKid’sGotGame


2. Speaking of 'The Kid'... It’s great for Pittsburgh, the NHL and the game of hockey to have Sid the Kid back playing. I just hope he stays healthy for the rest of the regular and postseason.
   
   One of the reasons Pittsburgh has reeled off 10 straight wins is the play of MVP candidate Evgeni Malkin, who had this to say after his team recently beat Boston: "I not think about my points now, the season continues and playoffs come soon."
   #INotThinkPlayPittsburghFirstRoundFun


3. Speaking of Boston... The Bruins are struggling as they are 2-6-0 in their last eight games, 3-8-0 in March after a very mediocre 5-7-1 record in February. As a matter of fact, the four teams who made it to the Conference Finals last year haven’t exactly fared well in March. Vancouver is 2-4-0, Tampa Bay is 3-3-1 and San Jose is 2-3-3. The four teams combined records for March is 10-16-4.
   #TampaStrugglingButStamkosKeepsOnRolling_ScoredGoalNumber50vsBoston


4. Speaking of scoring while your team struggles... Since the beginning of February the Sharks have scored 54 goals. Joe Thornton has 26 points so he has been in on 48.1% of the Sharks goals in the last 6 weeks.
   
   Thornton had multi-point efforts in three games of the recent four-game road trip with three assists in Dallas, a goal and assist in Edmonton and a pair of assists in Calgary. The Sharks captain has been in on eight of the nine goals over the past five games.
   #LeadByExample

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With the Sharks and the Predators set to face each other on Thursday night at HP Pavilion at San Jose, here are the links you need to read before the game:

HAVLAT ACTIVATED OFF INJURED RESERVE
Sharks head coach Todd McLellan told members of the media on Thursday morning that the team has activated Marty Havlat off injured reserve and the San Jose forward is expected to play against Nashville.
[ SharksTV ]

NIEMI vs RINNE, LINE COMBINATIONS RE-WORKED
Mercury News beat writer David Pollak reports that it will be Finnish countrymen Antti Niemi and Pekka Rinne in goal for their respective squads and talks with alternate captain Ryane Clowe on Marty Havlat's return from injury and how it may impact his line.
[ Working the Corners ]

SHARKS LOOKING TO SHOWCASE DEPTH
CSN California beat writer Kevin Kurz reports with comments from Ryane Clowe on San Jose showcasing their depth. Forward Tommy Wingels will remain out of the lineup (upper body, day-to-day).
[ Sharks Talk ]

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Do you remember the way that the San Jose Sharks fought back from an 0-3 deficit in a Stanley Cup playoff series to force a decisive Game Seven?

If you check the history books, you won’t find any such series, but it actually happened, even though there is no definitive record of such an event ever taking place.

It was the spring of 2008, and the Sharks were facing elimination in the Western Conference Semifinal round against their Pacific Division rivals, the Dallas Stars. Instead of throwing in the towel, they won Game Four, 2-1, at American Airlines Center, and kept the series alive. On the glimmer of hope that they received, they captured victory in Game Five, 3-2 in overtime, on the strength of a Joe Pavelski goal in the extra session.

Heading back to Dallas for Game Six, the hope was to force a Game Seven, but the history books show that San Jose lost that contest. What is misunderstood is that the team did force a Game Seven, but that it didn’t take place at HP Pavilion, as the original schedule indicated.

Instead, Game Seven of that series happened on the very same night, May 4, 2008, at American Airlines Center in Dallas. You may remember the drill: the game was tied, 1-1, at the end of regulation time. Evgeni Nabokov made one of the greatest saves in franchise history against Brad Richards early in the first overtime, and the Sharks and Stars would play three full overtime periods, the equivalent of another full game, on that night, without a decision.

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--With just over three weeks remaining in the NHL regular season it appears we are primed to see an exciting roller coaster of a playoff race. In the west, seeds 7 through 11 are separated by just one point. Good new for Sharks fans is the fact that the club seems to be playing better, having just taken three of a possible points in western Canada. But for the Sharks and others in the west…playoff hockey is already here. As Drew Remenda likes to say, hockey is all about momentum. In my mind Nashville has momentum and will be very tough to beat in the west. They are well coached, have sneaky good depth, solid defense and perhaps the best goalie in the world in Pekka Rinne.

--Where did the St. Louis Blues come from? After a slow start that cost Davis Payne his job, the Blues, under Ken Hitchcock has become almost unbeatable. In hockey there’s will and there’s skill. The Blues have both, and their consistent work ethic and great energy has them first in the West. They’re a young team just now seeing success. It will be interesting to see what they can do in the playoffs.

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 With the Sharks and the Flames set to face each other on Tuesday night in Calgary, here are the links you need to read before the game:

NIEMI GETS THIRD START IN FOUR NIGHTS
Mercury News beat writer David Pollak reports that it will be Antti Niemi once again in goal, his third start in four nights, including quotes from Head Coach Todd McLellan on his decision.
[ Working the Corners ]

WINGELS OUT, OTHERWISE NO OTHER LINEUP CHANGES
CSN Sharks Insider Kevin Kurz reports that forward Tommy Wingels (undicslosed) will miss Tuesday night's game in Calgary with an unspecified injury. Beyond one of the scratched forwards that will start in Wingels' spot, Kurz reports that there will be no other lineup changes.
[ Sharks Talk ]

BEHIND ENEMY LINES
CalgaryFlames.com writer Torie Peterson previews Tuesday's battle for 8th seed in the Wester Conference playoff picture including milestones within reach, projected line combinations and an update on injured forward Blake Comeau and his possible return.
[ Morning Skate Report ]

SHARKS AND FLAMES PREVIEW
NHL.com writer Frank Mentesana previews Tuesday's game, including trends to watch on both sides of the puck.
[ NHL.com ]

With the Sharks and the Oilers set to face each other on Monday night in Edmonton, here are the links you need to read before the game:

POSSIBLE CHANGES IN LINE COMBINATIONS
Mercury News beat writer David Pollak reports on possible changes to San Jose's line combinations, including moving Patrick Marleau to center on the second line and moving Logan Couture to left wing on Joe Thornton's line.
[ Working the Corners ]

NIEMI vs DUBNYK: ROUND 2
CSN Sharks Insider Kevin Kurz reports that goaltenders Antti Niemi and Devan Dubnyk will meet again after the Oilers and Dubnyk bested Niemi and the Sharks, 3-2, in a shootout on March 6, 2012 in San Jose.
[ Sharks Talk ]

BEHIND ENEMY LINES
Oilers writer Ryan Dittrick reports that former Shark Ben Eager will return to the lineup after missing a pair of games with the flu and talks about Edmonton's outlook on Monday's matchup, a playoff-type game against a San Jose squad in search of points.
[ edmontonoilers.com ]

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With the Sharks and the Coyotes set to face each other in a crucial Pacific Division tilt on Saturday night in Glendale, here are the links you need to read before the game:

NIEMI STARTS, POSSIBLE RETURN TO LINEUP FOR GALIARDI
Mercury News beat writer David Pollak reports Antti Niemi will start and indicates that forward TJ Galiardi is likely to return after not being in the lineup on Thursday night in Dallas. Both the Sharks (0-2-2) and the Coyotes (0-4-1) are looking for their first victories in the month of March.
[ Working the Corners ]

CLOWE: START IS KEY, HAVE TO GET THE FIRST GOAL
CSN Sharks Insider Kevin Kurz reports on comments from alternate captain Ryane Clowe on the importance of scoring first against a defensively responsible Coyotes squad. In other news, goaltender Mike Smith is expected to start opposite of Niemi.
[ Sharks Talk ]

BEHIND ENEMY LINES
Phoenix Coyotes writer Dave Vest previews the game including quotes from Phoenix coach Dave Tippett on both teams being "desperate for points" after watching Dallas grab hold of the Pacific Division lead. Defenseman Rosty Klesla is probable, center Martin Hanzal is doubtful.
[ PhoenixCoyotes.com ]

'LOW-KEY' PRACTICE ON FRIDAY FOR 'YOTES
Arizona Republic beat writer Jim Gintonio reports on Phoenix's "low-key" practice on Friday, looking for solutions in the midst of a five-game winless streak. The Sharks are in the midst of a winless streak as well, currently at four games since beating the Flyers 1-0 on Feb. 28 in San Jose.
[ azcentral.com ]

SHARKS AND COYOTES PREVIEW
NHL.com writer Deborah Francisco previews Saturday's game, including trends to watch on both sides of the puck.
[ NHL.com ]

Time for my weekly Baker’s Dozen.

1. The Sharks, more than any other team in the Pacific Division, control their destiny to win the Division. Why? Because the Sharks have twice as many divisional games left compared to the other teams – so if they do well in those games they should be in a solid position to finish 3rd in the Western Conference. Here are each team’s Pacific Division records and how many divisional games they have left this year.
   
   ANA 8-9-2, 5 games left (2 vs SJ)
   DAL 10-9-1, 4 games left (2 vs SJ)
   LAK 11-4-5, 4 games left (3 vs SJ)
   PHX 10-6-3, 5 games left (3 vs SJ)
   SJS 7-6-1, 10 games left (4 at home, 6 on the road)
   #NeverSayNever


2. Excuses like not scoring and injuries are just that … excuses. In the NHL you have to find a way to win. The Blues average 2.54 goals per-game, which is tied for 19th in the NHL, but are 1st in the West with 91 points. While the Sharks would like to score more (who wouldn’t) they are still 12th in NHL in goals/game with an average of 2.69.
   
   The Penguins have 308 total man-games lost this year but are in 4th place with 85 points in the East. As a matter of fact, there are only 3 teams with less man-games lost than the Sharks, and they are the Bruins (71), Blackhawks (100) and Predators (120). The Sharks with 122 man-games lost to injury, have less than half than 11 teams including the Blues (268), Panthers (291), Flyers (306) and Jets (245) who are currently in the playoffs.
   #FindAWayToWin


3. Special Teams are important, the question is how important are they?
   
   • Montreal has the best PK in the league and is in 15th place in the East.
   • Edmonton has the best PP in the league and is in 29th place in the overall standings.
   • The NY Rangers have the 29th best PP, or 2nd worst in the league. They are in 1st place in the East with 91 points.
   • Ottawa, Philly, Winnipeg, Florida, Chicago and San Jose are all in the bottom 10 in PK in the league and all are in position to make the playoffs.
   #FindAWayToWin

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With the Sharks and the Stars set to face each other in a crucial Pacific Division tilt on Thursday night in Dallas, here are the links you need to read before the game:

NIEMI IN GOAL, McLELLAN ON IMPORTANCE OF THURSDAY'S GAME
Mercury News beat writer David Pollak reports that it will be Antti Niemi in goal and there could be some lineup changes at game time. His blog also includes quality insight from key players on in both locker rooms.
[ Sharks Talk ]

LEHTONEN TO START, MOORE LIKELY USED IN SHUTDOWN ROLE
CSN Sharks Insider Kevin Kurz reports that Dallas goaltender Kari Lehtonen will start in goal for the Stars and talks with Sharks center Dominic Moore about his likely defensive assignment against the Eriksson-Ribeiro-Ryder line which has scored a staggering 31 points during their 7-0-1 run.
[ Sharks Talk ]

DARYL 'SIX SHADES' REAUGH AND HIS GAME PREVIEW
FS Southwest and CBC color analyst Daryl Reaugh checks in with a highly entertaining preview of Tuesday night's game. 'Razor' touches on the previous meeting between the two teams and the Pacific Division race. Courtesy of Stars TV.
[ StarsTV ]

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30 DAYS OF FINGER CROSSING AND SCOREBOARD WATCHING

So this is what it’s going to be like for the next month!

There was a point in the first period during Wednesday night’s Sharks vs. Oilers game when depending on the outcome, and the other games underway in the NHL, the Sharks might have finished the night in 10th place in the Western Conference or in 3rd. That’s how crazy-tight things are with exactly thirty days to go in the season. As it turned out the Sharks picked up a precious point and finished the night alone in 8th place, but tied in actual points with both Los Angeles and Colorado.

Looking up, the Sharks are just one point away from 7th placed Phoenix and three points back of division-leading Dallas. The Sharks have 17 games left. Of those 17 games, 13 are against teams that are either trying to catch them or against teams the Sharks are trying to catch.

I’m guessing your average fan would rather the team be locked into a playoff spot by now and just jockeying for position. But that’s not the way things are unfolding this year. Everything’s up in the air. There are no guarantees. Each and every one of the last 17 games is huge.

It’s the playoffs BEFORE the playoffs. Nerve wracking? Yes. But it’s a great time to be a hockey fan.

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