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Imagine you are flipping a coin, with the goal of trying to land heads four times in seven chances. Whats the better outcome? Game A: T H T H T H T Game B: H H H T T T T Obviously, the answer is neither – you only managed to land heads three times out of seven chances. In coin-flipping, we would almost certainly treat the two sequences as equals. Beyond the realm of coin-flipping, rational thought can deviate in a hurry. What if we changed the coin-flipping game to a best-of-seven hockey series, with heads signifying wins, and tails signifying losses? We have seen enough hockey to know the answer to this question. Game A would be treated as an unbelievably competitive best-of-seven; Game B, despite lasting the same number of games, would be treated as (a) an incredible choke-job by the heads group; and (b) a comeback story for the tails group. This accurately captures what happened to last years San Jose Sharks. The Sharks didnt just lose to rival Los Angeles in seven games – they went down in flames, blowing a 3-0 series lead. The Kings went on to win the Stanley Cup. San Jose could have spent the summer arming their roster to the teeth. Instead, they decided to do absolutely nothing, save for some predictable scapegoating of now ex-captain Joe Thornton. The overreaction to the first-round loss has left San Jose in a bad situation. One week ago, I noted that San Jose has experienced one of the biggest drops in 5-on-5 play this season, a far cry from the dominance they exhibited in years past. The poor play has translated unfavorably in the standings – they have only compiled 24 points in 23 games, good enough for tenth place in the West. San Joses not universally struggling this year. The larger problem with this team is that their depth is getting beaten up pretty badly compared to previous years. Since San Joses mostly stuck with the same guys down the middle of the lineup, troubleshooting the problem areas shouldnt be difficult: Sharks Lines Line Corsi +/- Per 60 Corsi% Goal% Couture Line +5.9 52.3% 47.4% Thornton Line +16.4 57.0% 52.0% Sheppard Line +11.7 55.3% 42.9% Burish*/Desjardins Line -29.9 35.9% 25.0% Its not really a surprise to see Adam Burish waived – San Joses fourth-line has been a massive Achilles heel for this team in the early going, a far cry from past competent depth that wasnt leaking scoring chance after scoring chance. On the other hand, the most impressive part of San Joses team remains Joe Thornton. Hes played a bulk of his minutes with Joe Pavelski and Tomas Hertl, the trio more or less caving in the opposition with frequency and relentlessness through the first quarter of the season. Also of note, they are really the only group of the four thats in the black as it pertains to goal rates. Theres a special kind of irony, I think, with the above table. San Jose spent an awful lot of time talking up a long-term rebuild and the closing of their contending window in the past few months, and for the most part, the team has taken a decisive step back. Except for Joe Thornton – the guy who was more or less fingered for San Joses early post-season exit. Hes been sensational, carrying an otherwise shaky Sharks team. And its important to note that Thornton doesnt just compare favorably to other lines in San Jose. We can pull out the same numbers for some of the best centers around the league, and Thornton still shines. Ive included individual scoring rates in this table as well: Elite Centre Production PLAYER TEAM Corsi +/- Per 60 Corsi% Goal% Points/60 Jonathan Toews Chicago +17.4 57.5% 50.0% 1.72 Joe Thornton San Jose +16.4 57.0% 52.0% 2.27 Henrik Sedin Vancouver +13.1 56.6% 57.1% 1.95 Jonathan Tavares N.Y. Islanders +12.2 55.2% 48.5% 2.01 Sidney Crosby Pittsburgh +11.6 56.8% 68.2% 2.51 Anze Kopitar Los Angeles +11.6 55.0% 47.4% 1.51 Tyler Seguin Dallas +4.3 51.8% 63.2% 3.52 In this group, the first six elite centers that came to my mind, along with the veteran Thornton. You can make the argument that every one of these centers plays on a likely playoff team, though Dallas and San Jose have obviously had slower-than-anticipated starts. The important takeaway from this group is that there’s virtually nothing separating any of the other six centers from Joe Thornton in terms of production. Thornton’s towing the second-best possession rate of the group, has seen favorable goal-rates on the ice, and is scoring at a better per-60 rate than guys like Toews, Sedin, Tavares, and Kopitar. We are left with maybe the most fascinating dynamic in the National Hockey League. By design, San Jose’s front office may have done just enough to push their team out of the top-eight this year. And yet, they simply have no answer for Joe Thornton – a player of such unique talent, he’s capable of carrying an entire lineup for games on end. Most teams would kill for this sort of player. San Jose? Don’t ask me to explain it. Joe Mauer Jersey . The day began ominously for the Rangers when star pitcher Yu Darvish was scratched from his scheduled start with stiffness in his neck. Fill-in Scott Baker gave up three hits over six innings and Chris Gimenez hit a tiebreaking two-out RBI single in the sixth off Phil Hughes. Miguel Sano Jersey . -- The Denver Broncos are shuffling their offensive line this off-season and Orlando Franklin provided some insight into their plans Monday by tweeting that hes moving from right tackle to left guard. http://www.twinsrookiestore.com/Twins-Mi...da-Kids-Jersey/. Footballs governing body said Tuesday that of the 2,577,662 tickets allocated for this years tournament, 1,041,418 have gone to people in Brazil. The U. Zach Duke Jersey . Each day, TSN.ca provides the latest rumours, reports and speculation from around the NHL beat. Keeping The Captain? Brian Giontas agent Steve Bartlett told La Presse on Tuesday that the Montreal Canadiens want to keep their captain - an unrestricted free agent on July 1 - in the fold, while sources tell the paper that the two sides will start talks this week. Erick Aybar Jersey .C. -- Tony Stewart will not race Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway, the third Sprint Cup race hes skipped since his car struck and killed Kevin Ward Jr.PEORIA, Ariz. - Another year, same routine at the outset of spring training for Felix Hernandez. The Seattle Mariners ace threw his first bullpen session of the spring on Monday, and as in recent years, will be ramped up gradually in order to get him ready for opening day on March 31. The preparation for the season opener began with him throwing fastballs, curve balls and changeups. Manager Lloyd McClendon and pitching coach Rick Waits both said Hernandez looked great. Last February, Hernandez was brought along slowly in part because he left spring training to return to Seattle to sign his new contract, and got behind on his scheduled work. The idea has been to not make him pitch as much in February so he can be at full effectiveness in late March or early April. "Not bad," Hernandez said of his days work. "Beginning was a little wild. I was up. But then the ball came out pretty good." Hernandez said he might pitch in game action by the seventh game of spring training. Hernandez has taken a mentoring role with young Taijuan Walker, who is working toward being in the Mariners starting rotation when the season begins. Hernandez feels both Walker and left-handed starter James Paxton, both entering their first full seasons with the club, are ready to join the rotation and welcomes their questions. "They have a lot of talent," Hernandez said. "They just need to keep working hard and do their thing." Hernandez had similar guidance from former teammates Eddie&nbbsp;Guardado, Joel Pineiro and Jamie Moyer when he was starting his big-league career.dddddddddddd Hernandez realizes he isnt the only big name on the Mariners, now that star second baseman Robinson Cano has arrived. He welcomes another All-Star. "He can hit a lot, man," Hernandez said. "Glad I dont have to face him. Its all about winning. Thats all we need to do." Hes also glad to have a proven closer in Fernando Rodney on the team. "This club, its going to be a lot of fun this year," Hernandez said. "I cant wait." NOTES: Cano is expected to join the Mariners in time for Tuesdays first full-team workout. He was not at the teams spring training site on Monday, when position players reported for physicals. Canos physical is complete except for a brief check-in with team medical staff before he takes the field ... Walker threw his first bullpen session of spring training after being held out with a sore throwing shoulder, and said he felt great. He threw 25 pitches, all fastballs, and will have his next session on Thursday ... Infielder Nick Franklin, who played in 102 major-league games as a rookie in 2013, is viewed primarily as a shortstop, McClendon said, and will get some at-bats as a designated hitter in spring training. Franklin and Brad Miller are the primary contenders for the starting shortstop spot. ... Relief pitcher Ramon Ramirez arrived Monday, the veterans first day in camp after dealing with international visa issues. 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