 |
| Hannan and McLaren Continue To Provide Veteran Leadership January 17, 2007 |
| As the Sharks power play continues to hum along, another factor in the Sharks success contines to succeed under the radar- team defense. San Jose currently ranks third in the League in goals-against average for the season with a stingy 2.32. During the current stretch where they've won six of seven, that number has been an even tighter 2.14 GAA. Just as the goals scored garner greater fan attention than goals against, so do several of the keys to the low defensive numbers. To be top three in the NHL in GAA, good goaltending is critical, but many great goaltenders have looked below average with below average blueliners. In the case of San Jose, the defensemen are as talented as the netminders. Christian Ehrhoff, who leads all blueliners in shots, and heralded rookies Matt Carle (leads all NHL rookie blueliners in points) and Marc-Edouard Vlasic, still create headlines. But it is the old reliables- Scott Hannan and Kyle McLaren- who still dictate what is allowed through the San Jose's defensive zone. Unfortunately for the Sharks, they will have to skate a few contests without McLaren as he underwent arthroscopic surgery on Wednesday and will likely miss the last two games before the All-Star break. "Kyle had his knee scoped and will be out the next couple of games, "said Ron Wilson. "He is just getting it cleaned out." The surgery is a short term headache that could reap rewards come April. For Hannan and McLaren, they are more than happy to let attention go the other way, which is a big part of the mental makeup in being a stay at home defenseman. "I guess I've found my niche," said Hannan. "Coming in, I was never expected to put up points. I put up numbers in juniors, but I was not expected to do it here." With statistics being limited in how to measure the worth of a Hannan or McLaren, rewards must be found internally. "You have to play with a lot of pride in yourself, said Hannan. "I'm not one to worry about numbers. I worry about wins. "You can't have 20 guys trying to be fancy," said Ehrhoff. "It doesn't work. You need guys not as worried about their points. You need those roles to be a successful team." The two aren't exactly without any skill and do create offense in their own way as they are both strong with the first pass out of the zone. "The first pass they make is a big part of everything," said Ehrhoff. "If you have a bad breakout pass, the play can't develop. It gets the whole offense started." |