San Jose Sharks Hold Steady Despite Tough Losses
The San Jose Sharks are in the midst of a tough road trip, dropping two of their first three games following the All-Star break. However, San Jose has managed to maintain their second-place position within the Pacific Division with 31 games remaining.
Through the first 51 games of the season, the three California teams are locking down the top three positions with the Los Angeles Kings leading the way with 65 points. The Sharks find themselves seven points behind the Kings, while the Anaheim Ducks are one point behind San Jose. All three teams will be in action tonight as they look to create separation from each other.
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Stock Up: Anaheim has been the hottest team in the division, rattling off six straight victories before falling to the Pittsburgh Penguins last night. The Ducks have finally started to look like the team many pundits believed to be Stanley Cup contenders at the beginning of the season.
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Joe Thornton continues his red-hot scoring ways of late as he has found the back of the net in back-to-back games for San Jose. Although his 10-game point streak was snapped against Anaheim last week, Thornton has points in 19 of his past 22 games, amassing a total of 28 points (seven goals, 21 assists) over that span.
His uptick in production has been one of the many reasons the Sharks have been able to hold down their second place standing in the division.
Stock Down: After being revitalized with the addition of Connor McDavid, the Edmonton Oilers have been absolutely dismantled in their last two outings. Edmonton has been outscored 13-2 over their last six periods of action, including an 8-1 drubbing by the New York Islanders last time out. Needless to say, the Oilers could certainly use some defensive help.
The Arizona Coyotes and Vancouver Canucks are beginning to fade in the Pacific as both teams have been in a free fall of late. The Coyotes and Canucks have dropped their last four contests as Arizona now trails the third-place Ducks by three points, while Vancouver finds themselves five points back.
These two teams will face off on Wednesday as they both look to salvage whatever they can as their seasons start to slip away.
Next: Sharks Need Defensive Help As Trade Deadline Nears
San Jose is back-at-it tonight when they square off against the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks. The Sharks have dropped both meetings with the Blackhawks this season and will want to head home on a high note following a rugged trip to kick off the second half.