Are Sharks Back or Primed for Fall?

Few teams inspire a lack of confidence like the Sharks. The Cubs, maybe. The Red Sox before 2004.

Even head coach Todd McLellan isn't immune. Asked about his team's flirtation with elimination after Game 4, he responded that he was "disappointed but not surprised." High marks for honesty, but that's a particularly stinging indictment coming from the team's coach.

Joe Thornton, the subject of weeklong criticism, came through in Game 5's win over the Ducks, and he will have to keep up that up tonight in Anaheim for San Jose to have any hope of forcing a Game 7 back home on Wednesday.

Reunited with Patrick Marleau and Devin Setoguchi, Thornton was active and vocal, and he and Marleau showed awareness and persistence on the Sharks' OT goal.

(In case you missed it, with the lateness of both the goal and the game, Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle protested that the puck crossed the line because goalie Jonas Hiller was pushed in, but the goal was reviewed and declared legit).

Many believe Marleau is playing hurt, but he did make it out to Sunday's optional skate, as did the rest of the team, a change from last week. The Sharks won't claw their way out of the mess they've created without both Thornton and Marleau -- McLellan was clear about the need for the "core guys" to contribute, and there was no doubt who he meant. Jeremy Roenick told the San Jose Mercury News that Thornon can't just pick his spots, he has to maintain his intensity for the team to advance.

Going into tonight's game, however, the concerns now seem to center around goalie Evgeni Nabokov. He has been little tested in the series, facing the fewest shots of any goalie this postseason, but he has allowed several easy ones to get through.

There's speculation that if the Sharks are bounced in the first round that this group will be broken up, with Thornton staying but Marleau, Setoguchi and Jonathan Cheechoo all possibilities to go elsewhere.

If Marleau does get dealt, who becomes the captain of this underachieving franchise? This corner says: Avoid Thornton and his uncertain leadership abilities and go with the man who looks as if he never needs to be told to up his intesity: defenseman Dan Boyle.