My Killer Instinct articles are back for this season. These are articles are basically my version of my former fellow Blades of Teal staff writer The King Shark’s “My Two Cents” articles. In this one, I’m going to look at how the Sharks can respond to their in-game inconsistencies this year looking back on last year.
Last season, the Sharks started off spectacularly with a 6-game winning streak, including that 9-2 blowout against the New York Rangers that saw then 19-year-old rookie Tomas Hertl score 4 goals. As great as that achievement was and as filthy as that fourth goal was, that’s not what I’m here to talk about. I’m here to talk about the process. Like, how on Earth did they manage to manufacture 9 goals in that game? And more importantly, how could they have kept up their success throughout the season to avoid all the inconsistencies and even eventually losing to non-playoff teams?
We can talk individual players all we want, but in the end it’s a team game. In my game previews, I always try to come up with my keys to the game for the Sharks to be successful against their opponents and win. So, without further ado, here’s what they should really look out for:
Execution, Execution, Execution
It doesn’t matter how old you are, or how talented of a hockey player you are, or what you’re trying to do. It all comes down to execution. Last night, I was re-watching the full game between the Sharks and the now-two-time Stanley Cup Champion L.A. Kings on Nov. 27th during that 5-game home stand. The one thing that I remember being really annoyed with (other than the non-calls against Kings earlier in that game) was the lack of execution on their power play. All it is is just making the right decisions, making passes tape-to-tape, having good communication and not going offside all the time. For some reason, in that game the Sharks lacked the polish on their power play. And really, the same thing could be said at times on their even strength play. They’ve got to fix that this season.
Simplifying Their Game
At the beginning of last season, the coaching staff successfully drilled the North/South game and shoot-first mentality in the players’ heads. Of course, that showed in that 9-2 win. It’s not about how fancy you can make plays. It’s not about how many players you can dangle past.
(a) It’s about the shots on net. Defenseman Marc-Eduoard Vlasic once told Brodie Brazil in a post-game interview that if you don’t get shots on net, you can’t score. The Sharks need to get back to that mentality, and since I didn’t go to any preseason games and only got to watch the third period of their preseason split-squad game against the ‘Nucks in Vancouver (because that was the game airing on NHL Network at the time at the start of the Sharks’ preseason), I can only hope they have that shoot-first mentality back in their minds for their first regular season game tonight against the Kings and that it’ll stay there for the rest of the season.
(b) It’s about the details of the game. As a player, to be successful, you have to develop good habits. That includes clean and efficient breakouts, making sure passes are tape-to-tape (this goes back to execution), making sure the players keep their shifts short and making them count for the next player to jump in and continue in on the process, making sure the line changes are efficient so that way it doesn’t lead to an offensive rush or breakaway going into the defensive zone, and communication which I touch on next.
Communication
It’s extremely important that the players communicate with each other. It’s their job to hold themselves accountable for any mistakes they make and make sure they correct it. It’s the players’ job to make sure they have numbers back if a team mate accidentally turns the puck over in the offensive zone and it leads to an odd-man rush the other way. Everyone’s got to have each other’s backs and make up for their mistakes. Good communication leads to good habits and great players.
Stick to the Game Plan
It’s easy to get away from the game plan when you have a huge lead over the opposition, but that just simply can’t happen. If the Sharks want to eliminate or reduce the inconsistencies this season, they have to follow the script, and it’s doing all the little things right. As Drew Remenda would say, it’s making sure your details are back in the game. They don’t want to get away from the game plan, but when they do they just have to get back to how they were playing successfully earlier during the game and play that way.
I know some or most of these sound familiar from an earlier article I did on the Sharks’ execution last season, but it really doesn’t stop. It’s a never-ending process. Hockey’s a game of mistakes, and it’s a game of pattern recognition.
Tonight’s Game vs. the Los Angeles Kings
Someone else on the Blades of Teal staff will be doing the preview for tonight’s game, but nothing changes in terms of the game plan except the addition of physicality while being disciplined among other details. Again, hopefully San Jose will address their inconsistencies and play better throughout the season, actually winning against non-playoff teams and not throwing away much-needed points in the standings. That said, go Sharks! #BeatLA