Flames vs Sharks: 5 Questions with Fear the Fin

1. The Sharks seem to have a ridiculous number of disallowed goals this year, but I haven’t seen very many of them. What’s going on? Is there a common thread or just a lot of weird bad luck?

Well, Tommy Wingels has featured in a whole lot of them. Barring some kind of conspiracy theory where goals scored by Wingels are disallowed, it has seemed like just a bunch of bad luck. Or total incompetence of the “war room” in Toronto — however you want to dice it.

2. With their road trip this week, the Sharks have a chance to clinch a playoff spot. What do you expect from the Sharks in the playoffs? Are there gaping holes or does the team look ready to face whoever they'll meet in the first round?

This team looks as dangerous as they did last year, which means they have a chance. Their defense has been a little shaky and their third line is only okay when Joe Pavelski isn’t on it (but that should be solved when Raffi Torres is back full time). Other than that, I expect them to breeze by whoever they get in the first round. Unless it’s the Blackhawks, in which case hey, baseball season starts soon!

3. San Jose is known for a solid front office, which is something most teams' fans would kill for. What's their greatest strength been in the past few seasons?

I’m sure you could say any number of things, but for me their strength has been patience. After the disappointing Blues series in 2012, fans wanted blood – and I wouldn’t have been surprised to see the front office give in. But instead of blowing up the team or firing Todd McLellan they slowly tooled together a team that’s as good as there has been since I’ve been watching the Sharks. Their ability to wait out the “bad times” is easily their best strength…and it probably helps that they play in San Jose and not Vancouver.

4. Sharks fans seem pretty good at appreciating all the talent they have, but is there a player who gets overlooked for bigger names? Who should we be watching out for tonight?

The token answer to this question is usually Marc-Edouard Vlasic, but I’m pretty sure Team Canada fans know all about what he’s capable of after these past Olympics. James Sheppard and Tommy Wingels are both guys that have proven to be very valuable assets this season, and Justin Braun is a solid, young defenseman.

5. Will Joe Thornton ever score four goals in a game (and, more importantly, will he make good on his promise)?

It would take some kind of wizardry for Joe Thornton to score two goals in a game, let alone four. As for making good on his promise … well, when the legend becomes fact, print the legend.

Big thanks to Jake Sundstrom for answering our questions—head over to Fear the Fin for more on the Sharks heading into tonight's tilt. Puck drop is at 9PM MT!

by Ruhee Dewji