San Jose Sharks Face Biggest Test Against Chicago
The San Jose Sharks wrap up their rugged road trip to begin the second half of the season tonight with their toughest task to date. San Jose travels to the Windy City where they will square off with the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks for the third and final time this season.
San Jose limps into this contest having dropped two of the first three games on this trip and fresh off a 6-2 drubbing at the hands of the Nashville Predators. Meanwhile, Chicago has been the hottest team in the NHL, winning all three games after the All-Star break and sporting a seven-game winning streak at the United Center.
Also, the Blackhawks rank in the top-1o in most offensive and defensive categories in the league as they can light the lamp with the best teams, while also shutting down their opponents. In essence, Chicago is the most complete team in the NHL which will make this a big test for San Jose.
These two teams have met twice already this season with the Blackhawks capturing a 5-2 victory at SAP Center right before Thanksgiving and a 4-3 overtime win on Dec. 20.
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Sharks: Martin Jones. Jones had a very rough outing against Nashville, allowing five goals on 29 shots including a back-breaking third goal which he should have stopped. Jones will have to bounce back against the league’s seventh-best offense, and he hasn’t posted very good numbers against Chicago this year. In the two previous meetings, Jones has allowed eight goals with a 3.96 goals-against-average and a meager .860 save percentage. He will need to be much better to give his teammates a chance in this one.
Blackhawks: Patrick Kane. Kane has been the most dynamic offensive player in the NHL this year, leading the league with 76 points (32 goals, 44 assists), 17 more than Jamie Benn and Erik Karlsson. Kane can play the role of the playmaker or sniper and the Sharks have witnessed the havoc he can create. He has one goal and three assists against San Jose this season with a plus-six rating as the Sharks have not been able to slow him down.
Keys to the Game
1. Manage the Puck
Chicago is a team that thrives on puck possession and speed through the neutral zone. San Jose struggled with some ill-advised pinches against the Predators and have been known to turn the puck over at times. The Sharks will need to play a smart, north-south game and not try to be overly fancy with the puck. Get in on the forecheck and try to make life difficult on the Blackhawks defense.
2. Traffic in Front
San Jose needs to get more bodies to the front of the net and cause havoc for Corey Crawford between the pipes. Crawford has won four-straight against the Sharks, and leads the league with seven shutouts (all of which have come at home). San Jose needs to find ways to get to the prime scoring places and capitalize on their opportunities; otherwise, it could be another long night for the visitors.
3. Rise to the Occasion
San Jose has had some big games of late against the Kings and Ducks and have fallen just short. This is another measuring stick game for this Sharks team to see if they can compete with the gold standard in the Western Conference. San Jose has done a nice job in bouncing back as they haven’t lost back-to-back games since the beginning of January. They will have to play their most complete game of the year to extend that run tonight.
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TV/Radio
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Radio: 98.5 KFOX