There is no reason to panic yet. I know a lot of people have been stressing this, but it needs to be said. The Sharks are only three games into a young season. There have been really good signs about this team (think of the power play in game 1 against Phoenix).
Against both Anaheim and St. Louis, the Sharks' defense was solid. Greiss has been better than expected in net. He really stepped up against Anaheim, and it was too bad Jonas Hiller stole the show with a 31 save shutout.
So, Havlat will return and so will at least one of the top goalies. There is not much to worry about. I like coach Todd McLellan's swapping of Torrey Mitchell and Tommy Wingels. I think Mitchell deserves a shot in the top-six, at least while Havlat is out. Mitchell will add grit and is not as much of a liability as the 22 year old Wingels. The Sharks have a long way to go, and if they lose a few games in the first ten, what does it matter? They are going to be a competitive team in the long run.
In crazier news, Evgeni Nabokov is back in a big way. With DiPietro out (again...obviously), Nabi will probably split time with Montoya. In his first game he put up good numbers: stopping 29 of 31 shots in a 4-2 victory for the Isles over the Rangers. The Islanders are off to a hot start and so are PA Parenteau and John Tavares. Could those two, along with a healthy Mark Streit and solid goaltending, take the Isles to the playoffs? It will definitely be interesting to watch this team of potential stars this season.
