San Jose Sharks: Where do they rank?
December 19, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; San Jose Sharks center Joe Thornton (19) passes the puck against the Los Angeles Kings during the second period at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
So far in the 2013-14 season the Sharks have a 21-7-6 record, place 3rd in the ever-so-strong Pacific Division, and sit at 5th in the stacked Western Conference. However, unlike the phenomenal record shows, the Sharks have lost 6 of their last 8 and have been blowing a lot of third period leads against weaker opponents lately. Power rankings around the internet take the recent trend of a team’s play into account to develop accurate standings of a teams momentum. They are always fun to read and see where your team ranks. Here is what it looked like for the Sharks around the internet:
The Outlet: Fansided.com
The Rank: 8
The Outlook: Their analysis for the ranking given is right on. If the Sharks continue losing like they have been, they could find themselves on the outside of the playoffs looking in for the first time this season. With such a stacked Western Conference, no top-team can afford to lose 2+ games in a row.
The Outlet: Bleacher Report
The Rank: 7
The Outlook: The folks over at Bleacher Report give the Sharks a pretty generous ranking. Dave Lozo rightfully acknowledges that the Sharks have played some hot goalies in their recent losing stretch and that the Sharks were only outshot once over the past 11 games.
The Outlet: SB Nation
The Rank: 5
The Outlook: Gotta love advanced statistics. After huge wins over the Wild and the Blues, two top Western Conference teams, the Sharks’ ranking was boosted over at SB Nation. Two big factors here were also the Sharks’ Fenwick and shooting percentage on the power play.
The Outlet: ESPN
The Rank: 8
The Outlook: The folks over at ESPN take into account that the team is going through a very rough stretch right now, but they say that the Sharks are too good for this to continue any longer. Oh how I hope they are right.
Weekly Average: 7
What do you guys think? Are the Sharks being ranked too high, too low? Considering the current cold streak that the Sharks are going through right now, these rankings definitely seem pretty generous.
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