The San Jose Sharks‘ top scorers have combined for just one goal and five points through the first nine games of the season. Tomas Hertl hasn’t scored a goal since the season opener in Prague. Meanwhile, Timo Meier has yet to score, registering just two assists in nine games.
Those numbers, along with a collective minus-13, are the main reason for the Sharks’ dreadful 2-7 start. Their early season record is an indication that the Sharks can ill-afford inconsistent stretches from their top stars. I’ll take it a step further and say prolonged off-and-on performances from these two could grant some fans their wish of winning the “Tank for Bedard” sweepstakes (from ‘Make NHL playoffs? Tank for Bedard? For San Jose Sharks, answer might be neither,’ Mercury News, 10/03/2022).
So, why are San Jose’s top scorers struggling so mightily on a team that already has more secondary scoring on paper than they did last season? What can they do to change it? Diving into the numbers and video reveals stark, almost uncanny similarities between their scoring woes. Here are a few observations on their struggles and how they can correct them moving forward.
Timo Meier and Thomas Hertl Are Not Using Their Teammates
One thing I’ve noticed is Meier’s and Hertl’s equal desire to carry the play beyond what is humanly possible. Meaning, a player can care so much about their team’s success that they “try to do too much.” That’s precisely what Hertl and Meier have been doing to a broken offensive attack. While they’re expected to carry the play, both have passed up far too many good opportunities to use their teammates, eventually leading to turnovers. Both forwards naturally draw defenders with their speed and hands, opening up passing lanes for their teammates.
It’s difficult to dish the puck when you’re struggling to score. However, making simple plays to the open ice will put them in that position. Once they simplify their approach, their talent will do the rest.
50/50 Puck Battles
Ironically, both players are doing too much with the puck, and they’re not doing enough away from it; they’re often on the wrong end of loose puck battles. This can’t happen from any team’s top players, let alone power forwards who are expected to thrive in the trenches and along the boards. Take Exhibit-A for instance:
This one play sums up the duo’s dismal puck battle efforts. As easy as it is to blame Luke Kunin for losing the puck in the neutral zone, it gets through several layers of Sharks before reaching Kunin’s stick. The odd-man rush was preventable with more engaged play from Meier and Hertl on the forecheck.
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Meier does well taking the body, but he completely quits on the play. This is just terrible defensive awareness on his part, lackadaisically retrieving a new stick from the bench while the opposition transitions on an odd-man rush. Meanwhile, Hertl gets beat twice in the trenches, allowing an easy zone exit on his second feeble attempt despite outnumbering the opposition two to one for the loose puck. Thanks to their lackluster play, the puck ends up in the back of their net. If the Sharks want to turn their season around, Hertl and Meier will need to shoulder the load of improving the team’s league-low 1.89 goals-for-per-game average.
Lack of Forward Support in the Defensive Zone
It takes all five players working in sync to orchestrate a clean breakout, but good offense often begins with a crisp d-zone breakout. Success requires heavy back pressure from the forward support, which is exactly what the Sharks’ top duo hasn’t done well enough to help out their defense. Traces of their loose defensive support is also seen in the video above.
It’s no coincidence that the Sharks’ issues with clean d-zone exits stem from their top scorers’ failure to help the defense in their own end. Meier and Hertl both need to do a much better job of hustling back on the play to provide their defensemen with the necessary support on the back-check. They’ll need to enforce heavier back pressure as a more dominant force in the defensive zone if they wish to regain their scoring touch.
Back to Basics for Sharks’ Star Forwards
The talent is undoubtedly there, so getting back to mastering the basics is the key to the duo’s success going forward. That means simplifying the game. The Sharks will need all the help they can get, and bottom-line production from their highest-paid forwards isn’t going to get the job done. In what’s been a worst-case-scenario start for San Jose, all eyes are on Hertl and Meier to help the Sharks turn the tide.
Original concept by Josh Fitzpatrick
