"Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic's start to the season was about as cold as the surface he skates upon -- downright icy. Vlasic did not score a single point through the team's first 27 games. But throughout the prolonged slump, Vlasic calmly answered every question about the scoring drought the same way: The points will come. They have, finally, in a bunch. He got his first of the season Thursday when he scored a goal in the 6-3 loss to Buffalo. Then Saturday, Vlasic had assists on both of Ryane Clowe's goals in the Sharks' 2-1 overtime victory over the Chicago Blackhawks at the Shark Tank. His second helper was a work of art. His cross-ice pass through the slot went between the legs of the Blackhawks' Jack Skille to perfectly set up Clowe's one-timer, which beat red-hot Chicago goaltender Corey Crawford. "It was planned," Vlasic said. "They front a lot of pucks, and I saw Clowey over there and he's got the hot hand." Suddenly, so does Vlasic. He draws constant praise for being perhaps the most fundamentally sound Sharks defenseman. Vlasic is rarely caught out of position and has a reputation for excellent stick work. But the lack of scoring by "Pickles" had put the Sharks (15-10-4) in something a pickle. Coach Todd McLellan was blunt in his recent criticism that Vlasic couldn't just be a stay-at-home defenseman. He was expected to pick up some of the scoring slack with the retirement of Rob Blake and his cannon slap shot. "I wasn't getting frustrated at all," Vlasic said. "That's the last thing you want because you start trying to make plays that you don't normally make and taking unnecessary risks that compromise things defensively."" Read more: http://www.mercurynews.com/sharks/ci_16843659?nclick_check=1
