It was a tough week for the San Jose Sharks on and off the ice as the Sharks were dealt with a myriad of injuries to key pieces. San Jose was able to remain afloat however, as they split their four-game road trip to the East Coast.
With their results over the past week, the Sharks remain in a first place tie with the Vancouver Canucks atop the Pacific Division as the division is off to a slow start in the early going of the 2015-16 season.
San Jose picked up a couple of nice wins over the Washington Capitals and the New Jersey Devils, but they limped home after two shaky performances against the New York teams.
Vancouver continued the woes for the Kings by shutting them out in L.A. to being their week, before dropping a pair of games against the Blues and the Edmonton Oilers. The Canucks are remaining near the top of the division due to their defensive play which has them as the third ranked defensive unit, allowing just 1.83 goals per game.
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Arizona began their week with a dominating 4-0 victory over Anaheim, but similar to Vancouver, the Coyotes dropped a pair of games against the Boston Bruins and the Devils. Youngsters Anthony Duclair and Max Domi are paving the way for the Coyotes and these two are must-see talents. Duclair had his first career hat trick in the win over the Ducks, and the pair have combined for eight goals and six assists while being plus-nine.
Next up, the only two teams that are carrying a winning streak in the division with the Los Angeles Kings and the Oilers. After the aforementioned shutout at the hands of the Canucks, the Kings responded with their first two wins of the year, a pair of 2-1 victories over the Wild and Avalanche. Los Angeles began the year with a five-game homestand, and although they won the last two, there is plenty of concern in Southern California.
The Kings currently rank 29th in the league in goals scored with six in their five games, which is horrendous especially with every game coming at Staples Center.
The Oilers picked up their first two wins of the Todd McLellan era, defeating the Flames and the Canucks as rookie sensation Connor McDavid begins to find his game at the NHL level. McDavid leads the Oilers with three goals and he’s averaging just under 18 minutes of ice time per night. Expect McDavid to get better and better as the season goes on.
Finally, at the bottom of the division stands two teams that were in the playoffs last year. The Anaheim Ducks have just three points in their first five games, and they have the league’s worst offense with just five goals to their name, including no goals between Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf or Ryan Kesler.
After splitting a pair of games with Vancouver to begin the season, the Calgary Flames have lost four straight games by a margin of 18-8 to find themselves at the bottom of the division.
The Sharks are still sitting in a good spot despite being hit by the injury bug, and they’ve got another opportunity to distance themselves from the pack. San Jose hosts Los Angeles tomorrow night in a game that should feature plenty of intensity as the Kings want to make amends for an embarrassing opening night loss to the Sharks.
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