On the season finale of ChompTalk, Mike and Doug recap the crushing defeat to the Blackhawks.  So many questions about this Sharks team- who’s leaving?  Who’s staying?  Will Marleau and Nabby re-sign?  Could Doug Wilson be under fire?  All these questions and more are entertained by the Dudes, and their guest Mark Purdy of the SJ Mercury News.  The callers weigh in too, some of them eerily recognizable from the comment threads right here at DOH.

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Series over.  Sharks manage to blow the third lead in four games, this time a two goal lead.  The only benefit is I no longer have to spend $150 to see the Sharks on Tuesday.  The unassailable truth- the better team won.  The big question- what do the Sharks do now?  That will be the focus of the season ending edition of ChompTalk- tonight at 9pm PDT on 1200AM KDOW.  Please call us at 1-800-516-1220 and weigh in.  Or email if you are too shy to call us.  At this point, I want to hear every cockamamie idea you might have.

AAAAAAAAUUUGGGHH

I think the Sharks actually brought a kitchen sink onto the ice last night- they tried every goddam thing they could think of.  As Steve Rosenbloom wrote:

I don’t know what else the Sharks can do.

They’ve skated at the pace the Blackhawks wanted, and they’ve taken it to the Hawks. And they still lost.

They went with their top lines against the Hawks’ top lines, and they produced a lot of scoring chances. And they still lost.

They changed lines, drew power plays, and outshot the Hawks in the United Center in a gotta-have-it Game 3 after dropping the first two games at home. And they still lost.

They forced the Hawks’ dangerous scorers to the perimeter and cut down on the bodies in front of their goaltender. And they still lost.

They came back from a potentially killer breakaway goal late in the third period and tied the game even later. And they still lost.

I don’t know what else the Sharks can do. And it doesn’t look like they know, either.

Despite this being written by a guy at the Trib, there’s not much here I  disagree with.  I still believe the Sharks can win game 4, because a little break here, a bounce there, and the Sharks win a game.  But even in my wildest imagination I don’t think they can win four.  T-Mac points to the Philly-Boston series as motivation, and I suppose it is that.  However, the differences between Boston and Chicago are wide and deep.  We’ve seen the Hawks just lay down for a game here and there, but not 4.  They have not lost two consecutive games in this postseason.  We’re Sharks fans, so we’re holding a grain of hope for a second miracle this year, but the realists in us know it ain’t really gonna happen.

This sucks.  Somebody cheer me up, will ya?

The Dudes find a way to celebrate the new episode naming scheme, and their 100th episode, recording at Coach’s in Campbell.  Joined by friends, family, and alcoholic beverages, the Dudes try to look on the bright side of the Sharks 0-2 hole against Chicago.  Frankly, there’s not a whole lot to be excited about, but the Sharks have been in a hole before, and fought their way back.  Why can’t they do it this time?  Taking live questions on the air, Mike and Doug try to make sense of it all, and identify what the Sharks can do to turn this thing around, because time is running out.  You can find pictures of the event here.

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Keeping the Dream Alive.

REASON #1

Did you know that the teams that have won Game 1 of the previous 12 playoff series this Spring have only won four (33%) of the series outright? Did that settle your stomach a little bit? Surprising stat actually, but it’s the way this wacky Stanley Cup playoffs has gone in 2010.

REASON #2

Did you know that when Antti Niemi plays a beauty of a game in a series he sometimes follows it with a stinker? It’s true.

April 18th shutout vs. Nashville, April 20th 4 goals allowed and .886%.

April 22nd shutout vs. Nashville, April 24th 4 goals allowed and .810%.

May 5th 5-2 win and .939% vs. Vancouver, May 7th 4 goals allowed and .867%.

Please fill in the blanks for tonight, Mr. Niemi.

REASON #3

The Sharks got 45 shots on goal, which was 10 shots more than any team has earned against the Blackhawks this entire playoff run. For a team that prides itself on limiting shots on their rookie goalie – 29.4 average shots allowed in the playoffs and a league leading 25.1 shots allowed in the regular season – you gotta figure if the Sharks can keep this up, they’re gonna win this series.

REASON #4

The Sharks haven’t lost back to back games in two months. It gets better…

REASON #5

Did you know the Sharks haven’t lost back to back home games since December 5th and 9th? They’re not going to suddenly forget how to win at home. It gets better…

REASON #6

The Sharks lost Game 1 vs. Colorado, they won Game 2. They lost Game 3, they won Game 4. They got crushed in Detroit, they closed them out the next game. Enough said.

REASON #7

Every time I write a post like this, the boys win. I’ve done my part…

Just a little.  My initial reaction to the game yesterday was opposite of other postseason losses so far.  Previously, I figured the Sharks were starting the downhill slide and would lose the series and would then trade all their good players and fire the rest and OH MY GOD IT HURTS THE SHARKS ARE TERRIBLE.  This time?  Not so much.  They seem to be shaken by their losses much less than I am, to their enormous credit.  I have no doubt that they are mentally tough enough to put it behind them, and go out and win game 2.

But that doesn’t mean they are going to win it.  In my view, they have to solve the Toews ‘n’ Kane problem.  The young, fresh-faced players are like adorable Cabbage Patch Dolls, except with dazzling puck skills and manscaping.  Kane in particular looks like a younger, mulleted version of Pavel Dasyuk out there.  I’m not saying the Sharks should play the trap, but they need to find a way to keep that pair from getting a head of steam in the neutral zone.  Inevitably, it leads to a long painful offensive possession.  Sometimes you see Keith or Campbell do the same thing, with mostly the same results.  That has to stop, or at least lessen, if the Sharks are to win the series.

Other than that, it’s hard to be too down on the Sharks effort.  They put 45 shots on a team that averaged 25 against during the regular season.  Against a goalie with a .910 save percentage, that’s four goals per game, easily enough to win.  The Dustin Byfuglien boogeyman didn’t really appear, his goal from 40 feet out notwithstanding.  This guy is bigger than Tomas Holmstrom, but not nearly as dangerous in the slot.  The bigger danger is the load of ice they take at will.  If the Sharks let them pull the Globetrotters routine every game, it could get ugly.  By the same token, if the Hawks give up tons of scoring chances and get pushed around  by the larger Sharks forwards, it could get ugly the other way too.  It’s going to be a great series.

Don’t be afraid to come out and see us at Coach’s this Wednesday for the 100th episode.  Think of it as a first date in a public place.  We don’t bite.  Except for Doug that one time, but he was on mescaline and his record has since been expunged.

Oh, and we have the best GM in the league, and he in turn has the best progeny.

After the Sharks lose game 1, they aren’t quite as down as you might expect.  They got 45 shots on Antti Niemi, which would normally be good enough for the win.  Mike and Doug think that, like the Colorado series, if they keep getting lots of scoring chances, they will win.  But the NHL isn’t only about the Sharks, the Dudes break down the epic collapse of Boston in round 2 vs. Philly, and talk about how the honeymoon may be over for the Cinderella Montreal Canadians, losing 6-0 in game one of the Eastern Conference Finals.  The Dudes also talk about the teams that lost in the second round, and what changes they might make.

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The Dudes collect on their bet they made about the Sharks-Wings series.  They still can’t quite believe it, but it’s time to look ahead to another Sharks nemesis this year- the Chicago Blackhawks.  Time to break down the matchups from the Hawks, and try to identify how the Sharks can continue onto their first Stanley Cup Finals berth in franchise history.

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The Dudes are celebrating after the Sharks vanquish the mighty Red Wings in the conference semifinals in five games.  Mike and Doug break down how it all happened, and have a conversation with Mark Smith about it.  ‘Smitty’ gives his perspective on this year’s Sharks, and fills in some personal anecdotes about some players he’s faced, and what kind of adversity he and other players have gone through in the postseason.

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Mike and Doug couldn’t me more thrilled about the Sharks 3-0 lead on Detroit, but they know it’s not over yet.  They break it all down, and take some listeners emails too.

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