Five Things That Went Wrong For San Jose Sharks
Apr 11, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Kings center Tyler Toffoli (73) scores past San Jose Sharks goalie Alex Stalock (32) and defenseman Brent Burns (88) in the second period of the game at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
The 2014-15 season wrapped up for the San Jose Sharks with a 4-1 loss to the hated Los Angeles Kings Saturday afternoon. There will be no postseason hockey in the South Bay for the first time in 11 seasons and it brings about a defining offseason for a Sharks franchise at a crossroads of contending and rebuilding.
In trying to find answers to the myriad of questions as to why San Jose missed the playoffs, here are five things that went wrong for the Sharks this year.
1. Defense
San Jose took a major step backwards this season after putting together a top-five defensive unit during the 2013-14 season. After ranking fifth while only allowing 2.35 goals against per game, the Sharks ranked 24th at 2.76 goals against this season. It’s a stark contrast from a team that was a solid defensive unit.
Also, San Jose gave up more shot attempts, allowing 29.7 shots against per game this season after allowing 27.8 a season ago. The Sharks also saw their shots for drop to 31.6 per game from 34.8. Basically, the other team was able to control the game better against San Jose than in years past.
This year’s group was one that was turnover-prone and lacked the physical toughness in front of their own net. While injuries to Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Justin Braun and Mirco Mueller didn’t help matters, the fact remains that San Jose was not good enough on defense to contend. Also, the move of Brent Burns back to defense was a failure as his defensive mistakes cost the Sharks more than his offensive exploits could make up.
2. Penalty Kill
Simply put, the penalty kill was dreadful for the Sharks. Following a similar theme as above, the Sharks slid way back after making significant progress a season ago.
San Jose ranked 25th in penalty killing at 78.5 percent after ranking sixth at 84.9 percent last year. The Sharks couldn’t get the key saves from Antti Niemi or Alex Stalock on a consistent basis, but they were hung out to dry too many times by their defensemen and forwards.
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3. Home Record
The Tank, or SAP Center as it’s now known, has provided the Sharks a decided advantage over their opponents. That was not the case this year as San Jose posted a 19-17-5 record at home, including losing all eight contests during the month of February.
This comes after a dominant season in 2013-14 when San Jose posted a 29-7-5 record which tied them for second in the league in home wins. Even during the lockout shortened season of 2012-13, the Sharks won 17 of their 24 games which shows how pitiful San Jose played at home this season.
4. Lack of Depth
The Sharks didn’t have enough production throughout their lineup to maintain their perch in the Western Conference. Most of this was due to Doug Wilson’s decision to go with younger players and bypassing any meaningful free agents during the summer.
San Jose’s top-five scorers accounted for 52 percent of the goal production this season (116 out of 224 goals) and that’s not enough in today’s NHL. While Chris Tierney stepped up during the final month, the Sharks will need more from Tomas Hertl, Matt Nieto and others next season.
5. Front Office Tension
It’s no secret there was a divide between the front office and the players, and the situation exploded when Joe Thornton finally spoke out telling Wilson to “shut his mouth.” While both parties claimed to have put the situation behind them, it will be interesting to see both of their comments when the Sharks clean out their lockers on Wednesday.
Moving forward, this franchise needs to find the unity and camaraderie needed to function at a high level. The divide only added pressure on a group of players that don’t handle pressure well. Next season, the focus needs to return to the ice rather than the drama that unfolded off it.