San Jose Sharks Are In Perfect Position To Overtake Ducks
On Feb. 1, only 14 days ago, counting the Olympic break, the San Jose Sharks were trailing the Anaheim Ducks by 11 points and most people considered their Pacific Division hopes to be down the drain already. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports
On Feb. 1, only 14 days ago, counting the Olympic break, the San Jose Sharks were trailing the Anaheim Ducks by 11 points and most people considered their Pacific Division hopes to be down the drain already.
In what seemed like the snap of a finger, the Sharks brought themselves to within five points of the league-leading Ducks and, as a result, have set themselves up for a potential run at the Pacific Division title.
Following the Sochi Olympic break, the Sharks will play 13 of their 23 remaining games at the incredibly intimidating Shark Tank. So far this season, the Sharks have gone 22-4-3 when playing at home, which is the fourth best record in the league. Only one rank behind the Sharks are the Ducks, who have a similar record of 22-5-2 at the Honda Center. They will close out the season by playing 12 out of their remaining 22 games on their home ice.
Clearly, the scheduling will not play a huge role in determining the Sharks’ ability to catch their Southern Californian rivals, but that just places more emphasis on the home games for the respective teams. It is absolutely crucial that the Sharks win more than they lose when playing at home. If they don’t, their division hopes could be out the window before they even begin to make a run.
Up until now, arguably the biggest storyline in the Sharks’ 2013-14 campaign has been injuries. Tomas Hertl was cheaply injured for the rest of the season by Dustin Brown. Logan Couture just had hand surgery that most likely caused him to miss the Olympics. Raffi Torres hasn’t played a regular season game yet. Adam Burish just returned from back surgery. Brent Burns was out for a while with some kind of facial issue. We could also mention Martin Havlat‘s time out of the lineup, but that is becoming somewhat of a given. This list barely scratches the surface of all the injuries that the Sharks have had to deal with this season.
The best part about the endless injuries list? The Sharks have competed with the best teams in the league and have proven themselves as Stanley Cup contenders in the face of all the adversity. We already saw the effect that Burish had during his season debut. He seemed to be all over the ice playing physically and smartly. With Torres and Couture set to return after the Olympic Break, the Sharks will be the healthiest that they have been all season.
Judging from their performance thus far with injuries, a healthy Sharks team could be one of the best in the league, maybe better than the league-leading Ducks. The level of play will only increase from here on out as the Sharks will give it their all for the Pacific Division crown.
X-Factors:
For the Sharks to even have a chance at surpassing the Anaheim Ducks for the top spot in the Pacific Division, these two areas of the game will need to be at 100 percent.
Goaltending
December 31, 2013; Anaheim, CA, USA; San Jose Sharks goalie Antti Niemi (31) defends the goal against the Anaheim Ducks during the second period at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Lately, there has been a whirlwind of speculation surrounding Antti Niemi‘s starting role on this team. Fueled by a red-hot Alex Stalock, Niemi’s critics have been adamant for a switch in the goaltender roles.
Who can blame them? Niemi has been terribly inconsistent as of late and Stalock has been absolutely stellar. Although I am a huge Stalock fan and I am all for him getting more playing time, I can tell you this: the Sharks will not be switching the roles because Niemi has already proven himself as one of the league’s top goalies. Instead, Niemi will be forced to prove himself as the organization’s top goaltender. When Niemi is in the zone, the Sharks are as well.
If Niemi is able to get back to the Niemi that we know, he will not only be silencing his critics but he will also be propelling the Sharks toward the division title that we all dream of.
Depth Scoring
Jan 14, 2014; Washington, DC, USA; San Jose Sharks center Tyler Kennedy (81) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against the Washington Capitals in the first period at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
The most concerning stat for the Sharks this year has been their depth scoring, or lack there of. In Blades of Teal’s midseason forward grades we presented a chart that showed the total points categorized by line. The difference between the top two lines and the bottom two was insane.
Guys like Tommy Wingels, Tyler Kennedy, Matt Nieto, and Martin Havlat seriously need to get their names on the scoresheet more often if the Sharks want to close out the season on a high note. This team will not go far if they only rely on their top two lines. A hockey team that isn’t able to consistently run four lines with some type of consistent scoring basically has no chance at the Stanley Cup.
Do not — and I seriously mean do not — judge the Ducks based on their recent struggles. Yes, a large part of why the Sharks were able to get in such close proximity standing wise of their rivals was because the Ducks have gone 5-5-0 in their last 10 games. I think we all know how good the Ducks really are and the Sharks will, by no means, catch up to the Ducks easily.
However, it can’t be denied that the Sharks are in good position to make a run for the division title. With injured players returning, a good home record during the home stretch, solid goaltending, and depth scoring I see no reason why the Sharks won’t be able to at least give the Ducks a scare.
Everyone mark your calendars, the Pacific Division could potentially come down to these games:
Thursday, March 20 @ San Jose 7:30 PM
Wednesday, April 9 @ Anaheim 7:30 PM
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