Posts About "Joel Ward"
Sharks Playing Like a Second-Tier Team
November 10th, 2017 The San Jose Sharks have already played three seasons in 2017-18. Season one was the opening game, which was brief, painful and over quickly, a 5-3 loss to Philadelphia. The second season lasted 11 games and the Sharks came away with an 8-3-0 record. In every one of these games, San Jose was competitive. The third season covers two...
Old Age, Treachery Power Sharks
April 14th, 2017 A team which stumbled into the NHL playoffs spent most of the first 20 minutes of the playoffs appearing to stumble again. The San Jose Sharks trailed 2-0 in the late in first period against the Edmonton Oilers when their long-dormant power play took to the ice. In 15 seconds, the power play threatened twice without scoring before the...
Sharks in a Dry Spell
March 22nd, 2017 Defense is a non-issue for the San Jose Sharks having one of the top defenses in the league. Throughout the season, though, the Sharks’ offense has been sporadic at times. As the regular season enters the final stretch, offensive production has once again become an issue. A current four-game skid has seen the Sharks’ once comfortable...
Ward’s Value Goes Beyond Sharks' Scoresheet
January 19th, 2017 To win the Stanley Cup, no matter what point in the season, players make sacrifices regardless of the aftermath. For San Jose Sharks forward Joel Ward, his presence stretches beyond the ice and the locker room. He has been a gritty player, always grinding in the corners for loose pucks. Despite his current production below from last...
Recap: Sharks Shoot Down Jets 5-2
January 16th, 2017 The San Jose Sharks and Winnipeg Jets got their season series underway in a matinee at SAP Center. The Sharks lack of secondary scoring is a narrative that has lasted most of the season. The shaky Jets goaltending continued to fuel the fire on what to do with Michael Hutchinson and Connor Hellebuyck. First Period Once again the...
Speculation Rises For Sharks Top Trade Candidates
December 26th, 2016 The San Jose Sharks are in a good spot. They have pushed themselves to the top of the Pacific Division in time for the Christmas break. Further, they have added two rookie forwards to the roster and both are panning out. While the Sharks are in a good spot, there is a fly in the ointment. It is the salary cap. Currently, Tomas Hertl...
Balance Is Key to Sharks Roster
December 24th, 2016 One of the challenges facing the general manager of a professional sports team is to decide on the best approaches to building that team. Each sport has its own idiosyncrasies, so what might work in one sport might not succeed in another. Acquisition Methods In the NHL, there are many challenges associated with each method of...
Sharks Flashing Stanley Cup Form
November 14th, 2016 After 15 games, what can be said about the San Jose Sharks? There is no doubt that the Sharks have shown flashes of the team that made the Stanley Cup Final last year. But they have struggled to score and only recently has Martin Jones started to turn things around in goal. Starts with Martin Jones & the Non-Stars The current...
San Jose Sharks Appear on Track in the Early Going
October 18th, 2016 Three games is a small sample size — I know. But as the San Jose Sharks settle into their 2016-2017 campaign, its clear that this team is on track, the mojo that took them to the Stanley Cup Final months ago not far removed. Sure, they suffered their first loss on Monday in a 7-4 road defeat to the New York Rangers, a game that...
3 Stars of Stanley Cup Final Game 3
June 5th, 2016 One of the things that stood out to me about hockey when I was younger was the “Three Stars of the Game” after each game. It was, different, like everything in hockey was to me when learning the game. It was reminiscent of the “Hero & Goat” caricatures by the late, great Bill Gallo that I read in the NY Daily News after...
San Jose Sharks Advance By Staying In The Moment
May 26th, 2016 The sequence came with about a dozen minutes to go in the third period. The San Jose Sharks were leading the St. Louis Blues, 3-0. The Blues leading scoring, Vladimir Tarasenko, flashed open in the high slot area. But as he got off his shot, three Sharks collapsed on him. His shot was deflected, floating harmlessly into the netting above...
3 Stars of the Night: May 25
May 26th, 2016 It’s the most, wonderful time, of the yearrrrrrrr! Who doesn’t love playoff hockey right? This is what we wait all season for, this is why most of us became fans of the game, as the postseason captivates us year after year after year. My personal favorite part is the dying minutes of a one-goal game when everything is a scramble,...
Sharks Revel in Newfound Confidence in Game 1 Win Over Predators
April 30th, 2016 For 40 minutes on Friday night, it looked as if the San Jose Sharks were reverting back to the playoff Sharks we're all too familiar with. It looked like all the intensity and energy they played with against the Kings in the first round were gone, and it looked like Pekka Rinne would face 40-plus shots and stop all of them. And then...
