(Sittin” on) the edge of the seat, I couldn”t help but mouth memorable lyrics from an all-time tune — aptly set in the Bay Area — as I watched the San Jose Sharks falter again in the playoffs, losing 2-1 in Game 7 against the Los Angeles Kings Tuesday night:
“Looks like nothing”s gonna change. Everything still remains the same.”
The poignant words of the late Otis Redding apply so poetically to the 2013 Sharks.
This group of teal men used a first-round sweep of the Vancouver Canucks to trick trusting hockey fans into thinking this might finally be the year.
But when it came time for the sixth-seeded Sharks to take the reins in the second round against Los Angeles, they balked at the opportunity and skated head-down after a ninth-straight disappointing postseason exit.
The turning point proved to be Game 2.
The visiting Sharks had the defending Stanley Cup champs up against the wall with a 3-2 advantage with less than three minutes remaining.
Then came back-to-back San Jose penalties, which led to a pair of Kings goals within 22 seconds, and suddenly the shell-shocked Sharks found themselves down 2-0 in the series, having just blown a golden chance to steal a necessary road win.
San Jose showed some resolve by winning all three home games but could only muster one goal in the last two matchups in Los Angeles.
The Sharks” biggest problem was their offense, which managed only 10 goals and was shut out twice by Kings goalie Jonathan Quick. San Jose averaged 35.3 shots on goal in the first three games but inexplicably dropped down to 24.75 per game in the final four.
A number of offensive role players looked solid, doing many of the things that don”t necessarily show up on the stat sheet, but the Sharks needed those guys to contribute in tangible ways as well.
And they didn”t. Instead San Jose only got two points each from Scott Gomez, T.J. Galiardi and Tommy Wingels, and zero points from the likes of Bracken Kearns, Andrew Desjardins and Adam Burish.
Then again, most of the big names were also no-shows.
Patrick Marleau, who scored in each game against the Canucks, only had one goal against the Kings.
Joe Pavelski managed just four points (all assists) with only 15 shots on goal against the Kings after peppering 21 shots in four games versus Vancouver. San Jose”s top scoring threat, Logan Couture, put away just two goals despite 22 attempts on net.
The worst offender was captain Joe Thornton, who posted only four points and a measly 11 shots on goal in the seven-game series.
Unequivocally, Thornton is the greatest Shark in history, notching 502 assists and 664 points in the regular season since being traded to the Bay during the 2005-06 campaign.
Unfortunately, San Jose has absolutely nothing to show for his leadership tenure — unless you count earning the reputation as the most disappointing NHL franchise of this century.
Thornton (along with the other core guys, Pavelski and Marleau) should finally be held accountable for not even sniffing the Stanley Cup Finals.
Team execs need to get new blood on offense and defense, and Couture, Brent Burns and Dan Boyle should be the only untouchable players when it comes to potential trade bait.
Head coach Todd McLellan is most likely on his way out as well.
It”s too bad because McLellan is the best Sharks coach ever (220-108-48 regular season, 27-28 postseason), but his term has never really instilled confidence. Heck, in his first season, San Jose had the NHL”s best record but fell to the No. 8 Anaheim Ducks in the 2009 opening round.
The Sharks made the playoffs in each of McLellan”s five seasons but earned only two conference finals appearances (with just one win between the two series).
In the cases of McLellan and Thornton, history has shown that “best ever” will never be good enough.
It”s time for San Jose executives to blow up the team – they would be unlearned and overly hopeful to somehow believe the group will come through next year after so many consecutive failures.
Of course, rebuilding or retooling on the fly can be scary and difficult, but what should be more terrifying is the prospect of wasting Antti Niemi”s prime.
Goaltenders are the most important players come playoff time, and the Sharks” Finn just had his best NHL season.
The 29-year-old posted career-best marks with a .924 save percentage and 2.16 goals-against average during the regular season and a .930 save percentage and 1.87 goals-against during the postseason.
Niemi didn”t even put up those numbers when leading the Chicago Blackhawks to the 2010 Stanley Cup title, so the Sharks need to find a way to capitalize on his proficiency soon.
Still, it”s unclear if San Jose has the willpower and drive necessary to pull the trigger on tough offseason moves that could change its fortunes or if the franchise will just accept its lot in life and think, “I guess I”ll remain the same” — as Otis sang in “(Sittin” On) The Dock of the Bay.”
The Sharks are going to be labeled as the NHL”s most underachieving team until they decide to stop living up to the billing. The onus is on them.
