The main problem, other than an inexplicable percentage of shots finding the back of the Sharks' net, is that this was far too predictable. By that, I don't mean it was inevitable that Martin Jones would end up MIA after having been burnt by a rough night in Las Vegas like Doug from 'The Hangover'. Rather, I mean that they should have known they might have to make up some such shitty excuse to protect what little, entirely shaken confidence he has been playing with all year by shielding him from the media more successfully than he's shielded the puck from the net. Of course, goaltending hasn't been San Jose's only problem throughout what's shaping up to be a short and sour playoff run. Just last night their two stud defenseman got walked around like they were as permanent in their defensive position as actual studs...
...thus making way for the game to get out of hand and for two of their 30 goal scorers to get mercifully escorted off the ice like they were being led to the principal's office for being juvenile jackasses during the formality of a final period to an absolute mollywhoppin'...
Still, the fact that the best thing I've seen in the Sharks' crease is their backup goaltender's pads (which are fire, for the record) speaks directly to how many times they've had their back broken by bad goals. Like, even if Martin Jones was as lost literally as he has been figuratively, it's not like his team could enlist the services of the puck as part of the search committee with it being unable to find him since the series started. Of course, it's even more inexcusable for veteran leaders like Brent Burns and Erik Karlsson to let themselves get treated by pylons while knowing their last line of defense has been offensive, so there is plenty of blame to get passed around. I just think a lot of that blame should be directed at their front office for not being proactive and presumably needing more than decades of undeniable proof that you need consistent and competent goaltending in the postseason. Most of the mental immaturity and physical mistakes can be attributed to the players, but the team having nowhere to turn when they need even a mildly big save is on the organization, as Martin Jones has long left far more juicy rebounds than doubt to the type of leaky goaltender he's been all season.
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