Here is The Daily Chomp's Monday Mailbag answering your questions sent in by Twitter (tweet @SanJoseSharks using #AskSJS), Facebook, or email.

How is a trade made?
- Thomas B.



TDC: After two clubs have come to an agreement on a trade, the clubs must advise the league office, either by telephone or by FAX, of the terms of the trade. The league office then schedules a conference call with the two teams to review the transaction and give final approval for the deal. Prior to the trade call, the league office will ensure that the team has the appropriate salary cap space to make the deal; if draft choices are involved, that the club has the available choices; and that the team has available space on its reserve list to add the player(s). It should be noted that the 23-man roster restriction is no longer in force from deadline day onwards.

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Greetings from 30,000 feet!

I’m sending this missive from an aircraft that is jetting its way across the country from St. Paul, Minnesota, following a bizarre night against the Wild that proved to be a microcosm of a disappointing 2-6-1 road trip. Not only did coach Todd McLellan get “coco-bopped” by an accidental Marco Scandella stick that got loose around the San Jose bench, but the Sharks had a 2-0 lead, led 3-2 in the third on a Brent Burns goal, then lost the game, 4-3, after Nick Schultz ended a 100-game goalless drought and former Shark Jed Ortmeyer notched his first goal since joining the Wild.

The only thing that was missing was Devin Setoguchi scoring his 100th career goal into an empty net, which was possible, since he was out there during the time that the Sharks had an extra attacker on the ice. Fortunately, that did not happen, but it wouldn’t have mattered, given the fact that the result was the same: a Sharks loss in regulation.

Following the game, we hurried to the airport, happy to know that home was but a four hour flight away. Well, not so fast. Some aircraft trouble, our first of the season, chose this occasion to rear its ugly head, and after the players took in their post-game meal on the plane, it was determined that we would return to the hotel in St. Paul and try again in the morning.

Rolling out today, we were all glued to the NHL Network coverage before getting on the plane, and were a bit surprised to notice that the Wild were involved in two deals: former Shark Brad Staubitz was picked up on waivers by Montreal, and Schultz, he of the one-game goal scoring streak, was traded to the Edmontonians for defenseman Tom Gilbert, Joe Pavelski’s old college teammate at Wisconsin.

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With the Sharks and the Wild set to face each other on Sunday afternoon, here are the links you need to read before the game:

SHARKS VS WILD
Mercury News beat writer David Pollak checks in with a pregame update before today's game in Minnesota.
[ Working the Corners ]

SHARKS ROAD TRIP RECAP
CSN California beat writer Kevin Kurz reports on the Sharks loss to the Predators on Saturday night, and what need to do to improve their play if they want to hold on to a playoff spot.
[ Sharks Talk ]

NEW FACES IN THE WILD LOCKER ROOM
Star Tribune beat writer Michael Russo reporting on the three new players in the lineup tonight for the Wild, who will have used 42 skaters this season -- breaking the team record of 40 used in 2009-10.
[ Russo's Rants ]

KURTIS FOSTER AND STEPHANE VEILLEUX GLAD TO BE BACK
St. Paul Pioneer Press beat writer Bruce Brothers reporting on the Friday night trade with New Jersey that brought the two former Wild players back to Xcel Energy Center.
[ Pioneer Press ]

BEHIND ENEMY LINES
Minnesota Wild writer Glen Andresen reports that the trio of Foster, Veilleux, and Palmieri will be in the lineup tonight while Nicklas Backstrom will get the start in net.
[ wild.com ]

SHARKS AND WILD PREVIEW
NHL.com writer Davis Harpers previews Sunday afternoon's game, including trends to watch on both sides of the puck.
[ NHL.com ]

The Sharks and the Predators are set to face each other on Saturday night in Nashville. Here are the links you need to read before the game:

SHARKS LOOK TO STAY OUT OF THE BOX AGAINST PREDS
Mercury News beat writer David Pollak reports that San Jose's focus as of late has been staying disciplined and it will need to remain that way against the Predators, the third least penalized team in the league.
[ Working the Corners ]

WHAT TO WATCH FOR
CSN California beat writer Kevin Kurz provides his pre-game blog that touches on the positives from a 2-1 win in Toronto, a need for secondary scoring outside of the Sharks top forwards, and stats for Antti Niemi vs Pekka Rinne in the nets.
[ Sharks Talk ]

PREDATORS' WILSON HAS SEEN PRODUCTION SPIKE
The Tennessean reporter Mike Organ covers the progress of Predators forward Colin Wilson in his third season with the team where he is looking to produce at higher levels and not let the "highs" and "lows" get the better of him.
[ The Tennessean ]

SATURDAY IN SMASHVILLE
NashvillePredators.com breaks down the storylines, matchups, and provides analysis heading in to tonight's game between the Sharks and Predators in Nashville.
[ Predators.NHL.com ]

SHARKS AND PREDATORS PREVIEW
Deborah Francisco of NHL.com previews San Jose at Nashville with series history notes, each team's perspective, and stats.
[ SJSharks.com ]

Time for my weekly Baker’s Dozen.

1. The stats don't lie. Scoring first continues to be very important in the outcome of games. The Sharks are 21-4-2 and 5th in the NHL with a .778 win percentage when they score first. In 896 NHL games to date, the team that scores first has a record of 604-188-104.
   
   67.4% win the game
   79.01% get at least a point
   #AlrightForNow


2. Slumps, while not fun, are important in the grand scheme of things. Slumps force a team to sit down and evaluate where they are, make everyone accountable, get everyone on the same page and ultimately gives the players an opportunity to respond. The Sharks used the Columbus loss to respond and they did so in impressive fashion with the 2-1 win over Toronto.
   #IWon'tBackDown


3. Well Jeff Carter got what he wanted … out of Columbus. He never engaged the organization or community and BlueJacket fans will be better off with Jack Johnson on the roster. As for Carter, I don’t think they’ll miss him.
   #Don'tComeAroundHereNoMore


4. The Washington Capitals are 5-9-3 in their last 17 games and are currently in 10th place in the Eastern Conference. Alex Ovechkin is tied for 18th spot in the league with 24 goals, which is remarkable in that it didn't seem that long ago most hockey fans thought he was a shoe in for 50 goals a year. In 07/08 he scored 65, followed by seasons with 56 and 50 before dropping to 32 last year.
   #FreeFallin'


5. The day after the 6-3 loss to Columbus, Joe Pavelski commented on how the team would get out of this slump. “It’s going to be tough to get out of this. We’re going to win a game 2-1 or 1-0 and it’s going to be one of those tight ones where somebody steps up and finds a way. You never quite know who it’s going to be, so that’s why we need everybody.”
   #AFaceInTheCrowd

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With the Sharks and the Maple Leafs set to face each other on Thursday night in Toronto, here are the links you need to read before the game:

NIEMI vs. REIMER, McGINN ON PLAYING AT ACC
Mercury News beat writer David Pollak reports that it's Antti Niemi against James Reimer in goal and talks with Jamie McGinn about playing his first NHL game at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto.
[ Working the Corners ]

MITCHELL BACK AFTER ONE-GAME HIATUS
CSN California beat writer Kevin Kurz reports that forward Torrey Mitchell is likely to return to the lineup against the Maple Leafs, citing Dominic Moore's injury from Tuesday night's loss in Columbus. Read his game day blog 'What to Watch For' on Sharks Talk.
[ Sharks Talk ]

LEAFS' WILSON FACES FORMER SQUAD
Leafs beat writer James Mirtle looks at tonight's matchup between two teams struggling to stay in the playoff picture, compares their situations, and touches on the Ron Wilson-San Jose Sharks connection as the Toronto head coach faces his former squad.
[ The Globe and Mail ]

LIGHT DAY OF PRACTICE FOR TORONTO
The Star sports reporter Bob Mitchell reports that the Maple Leafs opted for a lighthearted practice on Wednesday, changing up their usual practice routine in lieu of some team-building style scrimmages.
[ Toronto Star ]

SHARKS AND MAPLE LEAFS PREVIEW
NHL.com writer Brian Hunter previews Thursday night's game, including trends to watch on both sides of the puck.
[ NHL.com ]

Hockey Hot Stove: Episode 6

The Sharks Broadcasters are back with Episode 6 of the Hockey Hot Stove. In this installment, the crew weighs in on the NHL Trade Deadline and what the Sharks must do to bust out of their recent slump.

SHARKS AND THE DIVISION RACE

Welcome to the dog days of the NHL season. The All Star game is in the rear view mirror and the trade deadline is still a week away.  It’s been a rough stretch for the Sharks who have points in only 4 of 10 games this month and on the mega road trip they have 3 points so far out of a possible 12. All of the sudden a .500 road trip sounds pretty good.

The upside is that the Sharks still have 24 games to play, almost a third of their season. And they remain on top of the Pacific Division tied with the suddenly charging Phoenix (8-1-1 last 10). With the LA Kings 3 points behind San Jose, it’s looking like a three team race for the division crown. Phoenix beat LA last night for their final regular season matchup. Then down the stretch in March and April the Sharks face both the Kings and Coyotes three times each. Therein may lie the season, at least from the standpoint of winning the division. And in the Pacific Division this year if you don’t win it outright you’ll be in a dogfight to get into the post season at all.

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

VLASIC WILL PLAY, WILL WEAR FULL CAGE
Mercury News beat writer David Pollak reports that defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic will be in the lineup tonight, albeit with a full cage to protect his face after taking a puck up high during Sunday's 3-2 loss at Detroit and forward Torrey Mitchell may be out of the lineup.
[ Working the Corners ]

NIEMI TO START, WILL BAD BLOOD BETWEEN TEAMS CONTINUE?
CSN California beat writer Kevin Kurz reports that it will be Antti Niemi in goal and talked with Andrew Desjardins (receiving end of a hit by Dane Byers that resulted in a suspension) and Dan Boyle (near fight with Rick Nash on Jan. 5, fight with Derick Brassard on Jan. 31) about the continued nastiness in the meetings between these two teams.
[ Sharks Talk ]

BLACKWELL NAMED WALTER BROWN AWARD SEMI-FINALIST
Sharks prospect Colin Blackwell (7th round, 194th overall in 2011) was among the 21 Division I players named semi-finalists for the 60th Walter Brown Award on Monday. The award is presented annually to the best American-born college hockey player in New England.
[ USCHO.com ]

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Here is The Daily Chomp's Monday Mailbag answering your questions sent in by Twitter (tweet @SanJoseSharks using #AskSJS), Facebook, or email.

Q: When a team scores on a delayed penalty, is it considered a power play goal or even strength? Also, if they score on a delayed penalty, do they still go on the power play?
– Johnnie H.

TDC: In the Sharks 4-3 loss to the Calgary Flames on February 8, 2012 Logan Couture scored at 6:29 in the second period. Couture scored his 23rd goal of the season during a delayed penalty when he beat Flames goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff with a wrist shot from the top of the circle.



Looking at the stat sheet for that goal, you can see that the skaters on the ice for the Sharks were numbers 3, 12, 19, 29, 39, 88; number 31 (Antti Niemi) was not on the ice. The play was recorded as an even strength goal because each team had six total skaters on the ice and San Jose did not have a man-advantage.





In this case, Couture scored before the Flames touched the puck and the minor penalty was not imposed.

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