Feb 19, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; San Jose Sharks center Patrick Marleau (12) and defenseman Brent Burns (88) and left wing James Sheppard (15) and center Joe Thornton (19) and defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic (44) celebrate Marleau
Exhale Sharks fan, at least for now. The San Jose Sharks picked up a big 5-2 victory over the Dallas Stars last night and now head into their biggest matchup of the season against the hated Los Angeles Kings. It’s the showdown that Sharks’ players and fans have been looking forward to all year and San Jose can carry some much needed momentum to Levi’s Stadium.
San Jose has been in a tailspin for much of February, going 3-5-2 this month while allowing 37 goals in those 10 games. Meanwhile, Los Angeles has found their stride after their usual rough stretch during the middle of the year. At the outset of 2015, the Kings won only three of their 13 games while dropping in the Pacific Division standings; however, they’ve surged right back into the thick of the playoff chase by rattling off six straight victories heading into the game against the Sharks.
The beauty of tomorrow night’s Stadium Series matchup is the importance of the game. While most people will be cherishing the unique experience to watch a hockey game outdoors with around 70,000 people in California, both teams need this game to bolster their playoff chances. The Sharks and Kings are separated by only two points in the Western Conference standings, but Los Angeles has three games in hand.
For the Sharks, this game represents a crossroads of sorts. San Jose has been trying to balance rebuilding while winning at the same time, and it’s produced an inconsistent product on the ice. The Sharks recent woes have many questioning whether they can extend their consecutive playoff appearance streak to 11. The fans have taken notice as SAP Center has been filled to less than capacity on most nights.
The Stadium Series presents the Sharks an opportunity to prove to the Bay Area that they intend on making the playoffs and being a factor. It provides them the perfect opponent in the Kings who have haunted the Sharks since April 30, 2014, the date when San Jose’s playoff collapse was completed. If the Sharks lose, it proves that they once again can’t rise to the occasion on the biggest stage. It will allow the Kings to surpass them in the standings and probably for good.
However, a Sharks win helps keep the Kings at bay and prove that these Sharks still have something left in the tank. It will provide an energy boost for the stretch drive for the players, but more importantly the fans, who are searching for a reason to believe in the 2014-15 version of the San Jose Sharks.
One piece of advice for all Sharks fans: soak in the experience because it could be a tense stretch drive to the finish in San Jose. Let’s see if the Sharks will rise to the occasion.