Month: December 2013

Michael Duca and Morris Phillips on Cal basketball

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by Michael Duca and Morris Phillips

BERKELEY–The thing about Cal facing Creighton and losing last weekend in that non conference game is that loss won’t help them as we approach the NCAA Tournament on whose going to go and who isn’t. Cal head coach Mike Montgomery knows there’s not that many opportunities in the non-conference to make them last.

When the Golden Bears went to Maui and lost to Syracuse 91-82 November 26th Syracuse is ranked number two in the nation right now but they weren’t ranked number two when Cal played them after raking up a few more wins. The Bears didn’t beat Syracuse and they didn’t beat Creighton that will hurt them come selection time.

As far as the Bears next opponent Furman is concerned whom they play at Haas on Saturday they won’t give Cal much of a battle that will be the final non conference game for the Bears and they will see Stanford on January 2nd at Maples Pavilion to open their first conference game in the new year.

The Bears best game in non conference play was the game against Oakland which they won 64-61 the team from suburban Detroit that was in Berkeley on November 15th that game went down to the last two minutes. Oakland went onto do some almost wonderful things.

The Bears also took Michigan State down to the end of the wire that game was played at the Palace of Auburn Hills in Michigan. Non conference basketball is where you don’t want any slip ups like losing to someone your not suppose to lose to because people will come and hurt you come selection tme.

The NCAA will select someone whose in the top 40 who will hurt you, especially since Cal comes off that loss to Creighton which is disappointing and you’ll see them bounce back pretty well. The Bears are in Stanford Jan 2 and you don’t want to open the conference season with a loss and Cal hasn’t had much success at Maples lately. The Bears have lost the last three or four in Maples.

The Bears have won at Stanford only once since Montgomery was the coach the win was in his first year it’s a tough place to play for Cal. Montgomery doesn’t get much a of reception down there any more even though he was a great coach at Stanford for many years and they’re going to have to deal with Stanford and their size. If anything we know that Stanford doesn’t shoot the ball well all the time and hopefully Cal can take advantage of it.

Morris Phillips covers the Cal Bears with Michael Duca for Sportstalk Radio

For UW’s Tuiasosopo, the Fight Hunger Bowl is the singular challenge

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By Morris Phillips

Washington’s plenty talented enough to hang with the BYU Cougars in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl on tap at AT&T Park.  But with Head Coach Steve Sarkisian saying yes to USC and leaving Seattle after five seasons to coach the Trojans, one has to wonder what will be the collective mindset of the Huskies’ student-athletes when they hit the field on Friday night.

Could the Huskies feel spurned by Sarkisian, or be distracted by all the upheaval?  Or will a talented UW team leap to the challenge of attempting to win a ninth game in a season for the first time since 2000 when interim coach Marques Tuiasosopo led the Huskies to a 34-24 win over Purdue and Drew Brees in the Rose Bowl?

“You’d like to think every close team… would handle it the same way, but you just never know until you go through it,” Tuiasosopo said.  “I think our seniors have done a nice job, and I think our underclassmen have done a nice job of buying into what the seniors are talking about and staying focused on the task at hand.”

One thing’s for certain: the 34-year old Tuiasosopo is the point man for the Huskies’ mindset approaching kickoff on Friday night.  The UW legend, former Raider and son of Manu, the starting nose tackle for the 49ers in their second Super Bowl victory over Miami in 1985, is a rising star in the coaching profession.  In just five short years after retiring from the NFL in 2008, Tuiasosopo has gone from assistant strength coach at UW, to position coach at UCLA under Jim Mora, to quarterback coach and now interim head coach back at Washington with Sarkisian leaving and Boise State’s Chris Peterson set to take control of the Huskies following the bowl game.

And if Tuiasosopo can exude calm, excitement and anticipation for the meeting with BYU, why wouldn’t the players?  The interim coach’s situation couldn’t be any less unsettled than his team’s with a gaggle of UW assistants already gone to join Sarkisian in Los Angeles, and Peterson reportedly set to hire Jonathan Smith, his quarterbacks coach at Boise State, for the same position in Seattle.   Tuisasosopo might be a natural fit on Peterson’s staff in any capacity, or he could take his three week stint as head man and run with it… possibly to a head job at a non-BCS school looking to corral the unbridled energy of a promising, youthful coach.

Undoubtedly, Tuisasosopo and the Huskies will get just one shot together.  In BYU, the Huskies will face a staunch defensive team led by senior linebacker Kyle Van Noy that also features a power running attack led by dual threat quarterback Taysom Hill.  The Huskies will counter with oft-injured but supremely talented quarterback Keith Price and power back Bishop Sankey, who rushed for over 1,700 yards in the regular season.

The game figures to be high scoring and close; one requiring quick-twitch decisions and gutsy play calls, rigorous work for even the most seasoned of coaches. Not only will Tuisasosopo face all those challenges, he’ll do it with an unfamiliar staff.  Meanwhile BYU Head Coach Bronco Mendenhall has held the position for nine seasons and has made bowl appearances all nine times.  The contrast in experience couldn’t be more striking.

Still Tuisasosopo faces his challenge with enthusiasm and a keen eye on his alma mater’s history.  Price and safety Will Shamburger are the only remaining players from the 2009 recruiting the class that committed on the heels of the 0-12 season in 2008, the last under Coach Tyrone Willingham.  Tuisasopo referred to the 2008 season as the lowest point in the history of the school earlier this week.  Given that, Tuiasosopo frames the challenge of chasing a watershed ninth win on Friday as an historic quest.  And that’s what experienced coaches do: set goals and demand myopic focus on them.

“Now we’re at 8-4 and my hope… is that the young guys really focus on that, not everything else,” Tuiasosopo said.

And behind those goals are the players, committed to one coach who left and being asked to devote themselves to another… almost overnight.  Needless to say, according to Tuisasosopo, it can be confusing.

“They’re growing to become men, and sometimes they need to know ‘Hey, I totally understand what you’re going through.  They need someone there to help them through and manage and navigate their emotions through this process,” Tuiasosopo said.

Raiders report: Pryor looking for redemption in return in season finale

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by David Zizmor

ALAMEDA–The Raiders had started Matt McGloin and now all of a sudden the Raiders are starting quarterback Terrelle Pryor. He had a pretty nice run earlier in the season then he got dinged up and McGloin came in and had a few starts he looked okay and decided to go with McGloin for a few weeks to see what they have and now in week 17 their going back to Pryor.

There’s no rhyme or reason to it it’s a little strange but at a certain point the Raiders thought they had a shot here and they’ll go for it and then everything fell apart. Most of this is on the defensive side and the offense hasn’t been awful. Pryor is the guy the Raiders really need to evaluate and we’ve been saying this the last six weeks since McGloin took over.

Pryor is a more dynamic option back there and he’s the one with the highest ceiling and McGloin he looks okay there’s nothing wrong with the guy he’s not someone you look at and say this is someone whose going to lead us to the Super Bowl. He’s a caretaker, he’s a game manager, he’s a back up quarterback. There’s nothing wrong with that there’s plenty of room in this league for a back up quarterback.

You could look down at Dallas where quarterback Tony Romo got injured and back up Kyle Orton is going to start and take Romo’s place. The backup quarterback is something important and every team needs one. The Raiders aren’t in a position to be looking at a back up quarterback and to make sure the back up QB is any good. The Raiders need to find out if they have a starting quarterback.

Going forward everyone could see that McGloin was a back up and Pryor at least had some chance at being a starting quarterback. Pryor obviously has a lot of polishing up to do he’s someone who needs some work who needs to learn but you can’t learn until your out there on the field. The Raiders have kept him off the field for several weeks which really doesn’t make any sense.

Time and time again the threat with his legs really open things up for the Raiders and gave them an opportunity that would not otherwise exist and makes them a little more interesting to watch. It will be fun to see Pryor out there and it would be interesting to see if he could step in after being on the bench for so many weeks. It’s defintely going to be tougher going against the Denver Broncos this Sunday their the team that still has something to play for.

The Broncos aren’t going to play too hard, quarteback Peyton Manning got his touchdown record their the number on one or number two seed no matter what they get the Broncos got that home game either way. Denver might rest it’s players which could give the Raiders a chance in this one.

David Zizmor covers the NFL for Sportstalk Radio

49ers seek sixth straight win in regular season finale in Arizona

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By Gabe Schapiro

This Sunday at 1:25pm the San Francisco 49ers (11-4) will be facing off with the Arizona Cardinals (10-5) in the regular season finale, at the University of Phoenix Stadium. The 49ers are in second place in the NFC West, one game behind the Seattle Seahawks. They will clinch a division title with a win Sunday and a Seahawks loss. They have already sealed a playoff birth. The Cardinals are in third in the NFC West, one game back of San Francisco. To get into the playoffs Arizona must win, along with a New Orleans Saints loss.

Last weekend the 49ers outlasted the Atlanta Falcons, winning 34-24, in Candlestick’s swan song. The game remained close throughout, with a huge NaVorro Bowman 89-yard interception return with 1:10 remaining in the game hammering the final nail in the coffin. Colin Kaepernick completed 13-of-21 passes for 197 yards and a touchdown, to go along with 51 yards on the ground and a rushing score. Frank Gore rushed for 97 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries. Michael Crabtree continues to shake the rust off, and had five receptions and 102 yards. Vernon Davis was uncharacteristically held without a catch on three targets.

San Francisco had more trouble than some expected last weekend with the struggling Falcons, but still got the job done. They have won five straight and are looking to make it six before heading into the playoffs. To get to number six they’ll have a tough task, having to beat one of the league’s hottest squads in the Cardinals. They’ve won three straight, including a big upset over Seattle last weekend, and are 7-1 in their last eight contests.

Arizona’s offense has been very middle of the road this season. At quarterback veteran Carson Palmer can still make plays, but is mistake prone. He is among the league leaders with 21 interceptions. At wide receiver he has the always dangerous Larry Fitzgerald to throw to. He has been slowed due to injuries this season, but remains a threat. Michael Floyd has emerged as a strong secondary threat, and leads the team in receiving yards. Rashard Mendenhall has been their go-to back for much of the season, but Andre Ellington has proven to be an explosive change of pace option. As a unit they rank 16th in the NFL in points per game.

The Cardinals defense is far and away their strongest asset. Linebacker Karlos Dansby is having a great season, Patrick Peterson has stepped into his own in the secondary, and the pass-rushing two-headed monster of Calais Campbell and John Abraham have been a force. They allow the sixth fewest points per game, and are especially stout against the run. Surrendering just 84.5 rushing yards per game, they are the league’s best.

This matchup will be a classic case of great running game going up against a great run defense. In their week 6 meeting, Frank Gore still managed to run for 101 yards on 25 carries, but the Cardinals have been at their best recently. Look for Kaepernick and an ever-improving Crabtree to make some significant moves in the passing attack, where Arizona is much more vulnerable.

49ers report: Niners can’t let up on Cardinals

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by David Zizmor

SANTA CLARA–This is going to be an interesting weekend as the 49ers and Cardinals season finale will mean something for both teams. Seattle lost to these very same Arizona Cardinals whom the 49ers play this Sunday at Glendale. That does two things that keeps the Cardinals in a position to make the playoffs so they certainly have something to play for. It also puts the 49ers in a position to win the divison.

Now it’s not necessarily the most likely win for the 49ers, a couple things need to happen they need to beat Arizona to win the division but number two Seattle also has to lose to St.Louis in Seattle and while Arizona managed to beat Seattle on their home turf last week it seems very unlikely that Seattle will lost two in a row at Century Link.

The Seahawks have been so good for so long up there in their own stadium that losing two in a row would seem unlikely but for whatever stroke of luck if Seattle loses and the 49ers win and the Niners end up being the division champions at a bare minimum the number two seed and if Carolina ends up losing to Atlanta and the Niners won to become the number one seed and have home field through the playoffs that final game that everyone was talking about at the stick last week would end up being pushed back a little bit.

There will at least one playoff game at the stick for the 49ers before they close down that stadium there’s a lot going on in terms of the playoff race and let’s not forget that Arizona could still make the playoffs. So if they win New Orleans loses then Arizona winds up being the final Wild Card team. So there not going to be any sitting down and resting their guys and playing for nothing they have a legitimate goal in this game.

The Niners can’t rest because they have their own playoff hopes to try to fulfill but the Cardinals won’t be able to rest either their going to be aiming for that playoff spot. So this is going to be a big game New Orleans will be playing at the same time Seattle is playing.

So none of the outcomes will be known going into the game all these teams will be playing for that playoff spot their all going to be playing at their hardest everybody who can play will play. Your not going to see a lot of guys sitting out and resting this will be a very interesting game. If you look back earlier in the season the 49ers demolished the Cards.

That wasn’t even a very close game but the score looked a little closer than it was in the end it was a 32-21 victory for the Niners. Arizona always plays the Niners tough they have such a good defense Calais Campbell of the Cardinals on their defensive line is having an All-Pro year and the Cardinals are slightly higher up in the standings Campbell should get defensive player of the year considerations he’s really good.

David Zizmor is covering the NFL for Sportstalk

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: Candlestick may still have a game or two left in her if Niners make first seed

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by Ken Gimblin

SAN FRANCISCO–There is a slight possibility for the 49ers that they maybe hardpressed into hosting a NFC Playoff game at Candlestick park who hosted San Francisco’s last regular game ever there last Monday night. The 49ers are going to play in Arizona that’s going to be a big game for them on Sunday that’s coming off a big win against Seattle. So they got to play in Arizona and if the Niners beat Arizona they’ll move up to the first seed if Seattle loses to the Rams in Seattle and truthfully it’s unlikely.

If the Rams were to beat the odds and beat Seattle the 49ers would get the number one seed and Seattle would drop into a playoff situation. The advantage of being the number one seed as oppose to the number two seed is the number one gets a first round bye and has time to patch up their victories as most of the players are kind of banged up. The second thing about being number one you play your games at home.

So if the Niners get the number one seed and that would take a 49ers victory and a Seattle loss this Sunday then the 49ers would be back at Candlestick and the Stick will could be use for at least two games if the Niners were to advance and host the NFC Championship which would make it the last game ever at Candlestick.

You really have to emphasize that the 49ers could actually play two games at Candlestick if I had to critcize the Niners and their certainly playing a lot better and the fact that they got Michael Crabtree back he’s the receiver that the 49ers desperately need. The two things that stood out in the game aganist Atlanta and they were lucky to have won. The 49ers gave the Atlanta quarterback way too much time.

So the 49ers are going to have to make sure they don’t give the Arizona that much time and they need to put pressure on him. The second thing is on 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick former 49er quarterback Steve Young said that Kaepernick zeros in on the number one receiver and he’s not always picking up the receiver in the open. These are things that Kaepernick needs to work on.

Sometimes he’s not always passing off the correct way and he’s not passing off that bottom foot the results are that his passes are coming in soft and their easy to pick off. The Niners have improved and their going to have to work on a few things in order to be sucessful on Sunday.

Candlestick memories: My first Candlestick start with the 49ers at least 50 years ago in covering the Niners. I had a very close relationship with the Oakland Raiders and I spent a lot of time them home and away games and once they moved to L.A. I put my full attention on the 49ers. So I would have to say my attention had to be with emphasis on the 49ers over the years.

I spent more time covering them and I worked with both the Giants and 49ers but I would say because of working for the Giants earlier and knowing the owners and so forth and getting closer to the players because baseball is easier to do I have to say I have more more memories at Candlestick with the San Francisco Giants.

Ken Gimblin is filling for Amaury Pi Gonzalez who is out on holiday

Physical rivalry renewed, Warriors edge out Clippers, 105-103

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Photo credit: Rocky Widner/NBAE/Getty

By Gabe Schapiro

The Golden State Warriors (17-13) and Los Angeles Clippers (20-10) claim that no rivalry exists between them, but Wednesday night’s tilt begged otherwise. In a very feisty matchup that included multiple technicals, two ejections, and much pushing and shoving, the Warriors outlasted the Clippers,105-103, at Oracle Arena.

Golden State came out of the gate slowly, and fell behind big early. At one point it looked like Los Angeles could run away with this one, after opening up a 13-point lead part way through the second quarter.

The Warriors woke up in the waning minutes of the first half, however, and began making a game out of it. They had reduced the 13-point deficit down to just two as both sides headed into the locker rooms.

The second half was a true heavy-weight battle. The lead traded hands countless times as the two California foes both got in their swings, sometimes literally. At the very end of the third quarter Draymond Green was ejected after a tussle with Blake Griffin. Just minutes later Griffin himself was ejected after earning his second technical, this time getting into a skirmish with fellow big man Andrew Bogut.

After the dust settled the two sides hunkered down for the final stretch. Neither side led by more than five points at any point in the fourth quarter. For several stretches the game turned into a point guard battle, with Stephen Curry and Chris Paul each taking their turns to pull their team back out in front with dazzling plays.

Paul has become known as possibly the NBA’s best closer. If true, tonight will go down as one of the few blown saves on his record. He was his normal brilliant self at times, but at the bitter end came up short multiple times.

With 1:08 remaining in the game, two Harrison Barnes free throws gave the Dubs a 105-103 lead. In the final minute Paul uncharacteristically missed a 9-foot jumper and a layup. He drove to the basket again with one second left only to have Klay Thompson come up with a huge block. On the final in-bounds play Jamal Crawford heaved up a long three-point attempt that just nicked the front of the rim as the buzzer sounded.

Curry was nearly a non-factor for much of the night as the Clippers blanketed him often, taking him out of the game. However he came up big when it mattered most hitting multiple big shots in the final 12 minutes. Despite he comparably down night for him, he still finished with a double-double. He had 15 points and 11 assists, to go along with six rebounds.

Bogut and David Lee also each contributed double-doubles. Bogut posted 10 points and 14 rebounds. Lee contributed 23 points and 13 boards. They are the first set of teammates to each have 10+ rebounds in 10 straight games since the 1978 New Orleans Jazz, when Rich Kelley and Truck Robinson accomplished the feat.

Thompson had his best game in a while, filling up the stat sheet. He tied for a team-high 23 points, and had four assists, five rebounds, two steals, and two blocks.

Barnes played some big minutes down the stretch, especially with the ejection of Green. He had 14 points and five boards in 25 minutes off the bench.

Paul had a game-high 26 points and 11 assists in the losing effort for Los Angeles. Griffin was having a fantastic game before his ejection, compiling 20 points and 14 rebounds. Deandre Jordan was a monster down low, posting 13 points, 13 boards, and six blocks.

Pryor, not McGloin to start home finale against Broncos

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photos via San Jose Mercury

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon

OAKLAND — Terrelle Pryor will start over Matt McGloin in the Raiders’ final home game of the season against the Denver Broncos Sunday, head coach Dennis Allen announced Monday during his weekly press conference per CSNBayArea.com’s Raiders Insider, Scott Bair.

Both Pryor and McGloin were notified of Allen’s decision earlier Monday morning.

“We got a chance to see Matt McGloin for six games,” Allen said. “I liked a lot of things that I saw in Matt. It’s been a while since we’ve gotten an opportunity to see Terrelle in a game and I want to get him in the game and get another opportunity to evaluate him.”

McGloin’s three-touchdown performance in a 28-23 victory over the Houston Texans in Week 11 gave Oakland a glimpse of a possible answer at the quarterback position, but McGloin played up-and-down to a 1-5 record while Oakland (4-11) lost five straight games including a 56-31 home drubbing to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 15 in which he threw four interceptions.

McGloin finished 20-for-36 for 206 yards and an interception in Oakland’s 26-13 loss in San Diego Sunday and it was clear that Oakland had seen enough.

Pryor goes back under center and should get a long look against the Broncos. Pryor played well against Denver back in Week 3, completing 19-for-28 passes for 281 yards, a touchdown with a career-high, 112.4 passer rating.

Denver (12-3) is coming into Oakland looking to wrap up the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye in the AFC Playoffs. Denver wrapped up the AFC West with their 37-13 victory in Houston, coupled with Kansas City’s 23-7 loss to Indianapolis at Arrowhead.

Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning threw for 400 yards and four touchdowns, while breaking Tom Brady’s NFL-record 50 touchdown passes set in 2007, sending the down-trodden Texans to their 13th straight loss in the process. Manning threw the record-breaking touchdown to tight end Julius Thomas on a 25-yard pass in the fourth quarter, his third touchdown pass of the quarter.

In a season where he most likely collect his fifth league MVP award, Manning has a chance to set another record Sunday.

With a league-leading 5,211 yards passing this year, Manning needs 265 yards to surpass New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees’ NFL-record 5,476 set in 2011.

Manning loves to spread the ball around and with four targets with at least 10 touchdowns  like wide receivers Demaryius Thomas (86 catches, 1,377 yards, 12 TDs), Eric Decker (83 catches, 1,261 yards, 10 TDs), Wes Welker (73 catches, 778 yards, 10 TDs), and the previously mentioned tight end Thomas (60 catches, 752 yards, 12 TDs), its almost a safe bet that Manning breaks the record against the Raiders.

David Lee Erases Pepsi Center Nightmares, Burns Nuggets for 28 Points in 89-81 Warriors Win

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By Matthew Harrington

The standings mean little in December, but by grinding out an 89-81 victory over the Nuggets in Denver Monday night the Warriors gained the peace of mind that were the season to end today, they’d be in playing for the O’Brien Trophy. David Lee exploded for 28 points at the Pepsi Center, site of last season’s devastating season-ending injury, to push the Dubs past the Nuggets (14-13) for sole possession of eighth-place in the Western Conference in a rematch of last season’s opening round of the playoffs.

Lee did the heavy lifting for the Warriors (16-13), registering his ninth-straight double-double on a game-high 28 points and 10 rebounds on a night where most of Golden State’s buckets uncharacteristically came from in the paint. In total, just under half (44) of the Dubs 89 points came in the key. The Warriors managed to nail nearly half (7 of 16) of their shots from beyond the arc despite guards Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson combining for only three treys on seven attempts. The pair still managed a healthy 14 and 13 points respectively.

Nuggets center Timofey Mozgov dropped 14 points on the Warriors to accompany his game-high 11 boards. The Nuggets bested the Warriors on the glass, pulling in 47 rebounds to Golden State’s 42.

Ty Lawson, ex-Warrior Nate Robinson and Andre Miller all broke double-digit points marks for the home team.
The Warriors held a decisive 30-22 lead after the first quarter but had to settle for a 47-43 lead after only scoring 17 points in the second. The Nuggets again limited the Warriors to 17 points in the third quarter to end the frame leading the visitors 66-64. The Dubs took control in the fourth, outscoring the Nuggets 25-15 for the 89-81 win.

Golden State next takes the court at Oracle Arena for a Christmas Day showdown with the fourth-place Los Angeles Clippers for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off. The Warriors will look to avenge a 126-115 loss October 31st that saw Clippers point guard Chris Paul torch Golden State for 42 points.

Joe Thornton, Power Play Ease Absence of Hertl

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By Matthew Harrington

SAN JOSE, CA – On a day when Sharks fans received coal in their stockings it was a man known for his beard, larger-than-life figure and propensity for giving to others that delivered a present to San Jose fans. With the news that rookie-phenom, Youtube sensation and dream aficionado Tomas Hertl would require surgery on his knee, injured on a knee-on-knee hit by Los Angeles forward Dustin Brown last Thursday, Jumbo Joe delivered a Sharks victory over the red-hot Colorado Avalanche in a 5-4 shootout at the SAP Center Monday night. Jolly Old Saint Joe erased any fears of a dip in production without his usual running mate, wrapping up the second-straight Sharks win in games without Hertl with a bow on top.

The Sharks captain finished the night with what should be called a Joe Thornton hat trick, assisting on three of San Jose’s four regulation goals in 20:22 of ice time. His second assists of the night, coming on line-mate Brent Burns’ tenth goal of the season was an absolute work of art. Thornton curled along the boards to shake an Avalanche skater before feeding a streaking Burns with a backhand pass to the tape of Burns’ stick. Burns fired the trigger in the slot point-black to tie the game.

It’s not the first time Burns has been the prime beneficiaries of Thornton’s play this season, notching 19 points (10g, 9A) in just 24 games while skating primarily on a line with the Captain but it’s rookie Hertl’s chemistry with the two veteran forwards that had people taking notice. The youngster established himself as an offensive force with 15 goals already this season on the left wing beside Thornton and Burns. Now the Sharks, already struggling for offense amidst power play woes and a Logan Couture scoring slump faced the quandary of replacing another potent offensive weapon.

“I think you’ve seen it, we’re confident in our group,” said Brent Burns. “We have a lot of elite skill. Sometimes it’s just about switching it up.”

Coach Todd McLellan held open auditions to fill Hertl’s vacancy on the top trio on Saturday, shuffling lines in the Sharks 3-2 shootout defeat of the visiting Dallas Stars. While Jumbo Joe scored the game-winner in the skills competition Saturday, the more promising sign that the Sharks could sustain the loss of Hertl is Thornton’s connection with Joe Pavelski.

“He’s playing well,” praised Thornton of the Plover, Wisconsin Native. “He finds himself in front of the net wide open. He just has such a nice shot. Tonight he just complemented me and Burns so well. He’s such a smart player, he’s feeling it right now.”

How sizzling is Pavelski? Twice Pavelski and Thornton have combined to produce points in the standings out of nothing Pavelski received a Thornton pass for a dramatic goal to force a shoot-out Saturday night then again Monday the Thornton to Pavelski connected on late-game heroics, with diminutive Joe tying the game with Antti Niemi pulled and 20 seconds remaining in regulation.

“Pavs has been a real clutch player over the past two weeks,” said McLellan. “He’s the go-to guy. He’s been getting it done. We’re happy for him and we’re happy for us.”

McLellan is likely more satisfied with the sudden gelling of a power play that was empty on its last 13 opportunities. McLellan scrapped the stagnant groupings of five and introduced two new power play units Monday night, with the results paying immediate dividends to the tune of a 2-for-4 clip. Jason Demers and Matt Irwin each cashed in on man-advantage opportunities, with both blue liners scoring from point shots with traffic in front.

“That’s the reason, pretty much, why you win or lose in the NHL right now,” said Thornton. ”Your penalty kill has to be good and your power play has to be good. Our power play hasn’t been very good but we’ve been able to win a couple games without it but it’s something we needed.”

Other than recapping the play of the evening, McLellan played coy with the media regarding the more difficult questions regarding player confidence.

“It’s Christmas, let’s all go home and enjoy it,” ended McLellan. “I’ll answer those questions when we come back.”