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HP Pavillion (Photo by Simon Davison/Flickr)
Having a 7-4-1 record you’d think that the Sharks are in good shape especially since they went 4-2 on their longest road trip of the season. Taking a closer look at the 12 games played you see a different story. San Jose has not only struggled to create offense, they are having problems controlling the puck in the neutral zone, which has lead to careless penalties. It’s the snowball affect that will hurt a team down the stretch.
San Jose has been known to take the wind out of teams sails but lately it’s the other way around. When they played the Los Angeles Kings the Sharks had a 4 goal deficit before coming back to tie it up. They ultimately lost to the Kings 6-4. Getting those first few goals is important and when you’re on the road taking the crowd out of the game makes it harder for that team to produce. Getting an early lead creates a cushion and shows dominance, two factors that cripple the opposition.
In only 12 games thus far San Jose averages 15 PIM that’s about 6 penalties a game. Current standings have the Sharks 2nd in the leagues PIM with a total of 189. If they keep this up they are going to have tired players come playoffs. They need to exercise more control in the neutral zone. Crisper passing and better communication is a start. When the puck is intercepted or taken away players get frustrated it’s understandable. Minor penalties happen, but roughing, boarding and charging lead to double minors, game misconducts, and suspensions. The retaliation to the mistake is the problem.
When it comes to San Jose’s special teams the players used most are Boyle, Vlasic, Blake, Marleau, and Thornton. With that talent you see why their PK is ranked 9th in the NHL with an 82.1% average. Boyle alone leads the team with an average TOI of 25 minutes and at least 5 PK minutes a game. Thornton is the team’s “Iron Man” playing three consecutive 82 game seasons as well as being a point’s leader. These are the types of players you want to keep healthy and rested throughout the season.
Bottom line the Sharks need to step up the offense and show more composure. Secondary scoring helps although every line needs to produce offensively and defensively. Ironing out the kinks in the early season is trying on everyone but the team that learns from their mistakes are the ones raising the cup at the end of the year.
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