Through the first three games of the 2015-16 season, things couldn’t have gone much better for the San Jose Sharks. San Jose raced out to an undefeated record, while outscoring their opponents by a 12-1 margin.
However, things began to take a turn for the worse following the Sharks game against the Washington Capitals. The biggest shoe dropped when prior to their game against the New Jersey Devils last week, Logan Couture suffered a fractured right fibula which will sideline him for four-to-six weeks. Obviously, this is a major blow as Couture is the perfect second-line center who often draws the tougher defensive assignments.
Also, Joonas Donskoi, who began the season on the top line with Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski and fared pretty well, has missed the past three games due to an unspecified lower body injury. While Donskoi has only played a couple of games, he provides depth for this Sharks team and fit in well playing the simple game Peter DeBoer likes.
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During the New Jersey game, San Jose suffered another injury as Paul Martin went down late in the game and has yet to feature since that point. It should come as no surprise to Sharks fans the impact Martin has had on this defensive unit. In the three-plus games Martin appeared in, the Sharks allowed just two goals; meanwhile, in the two he’s missed, San Jose has allowed 10 goals. Pretty staggering numbers.
Finally, Ben Smith has been out recently after taking a puck in the face, while Melker Karlsson has been out since training camp. While the Sharks have been dropping like flies of late, San Jose still sits atop the Pacific Division.
The Sharks have a feeling of a ship trying to remain afloat until they can get some of their major pieces back. Couture will be out for a good period of time, but the rest should be back in fairly short order. What San Jose can ill-afford to do is allow the injuries to become an excuse for their play.
The Sharks allowed way too many defensive breakdowns and odd-man rushes in their last game out against the New York Rangers. San Jose was at their best when they hounded the puck and made the simple play. With the amount of people out, the remaining Sharks players must make sure they do their job and not try to do too much. San Jose teams in the past have gotten in trouble when trying to do just that.
Also, the Sharks will need to rely on Martin Jones who’s been rock solid in net to this point. Jones commands his crease well and offers a calming presence between the pipes. Jones has stopped 132 out of 138 shots to this point and can carry this team like he has through his first five starts.
All-in-all, San Jose is looking to maintain their standing during their current predicament. While the ship has sprung plenty of leaks during the past week, the Sharks can still find ways to win that will allow them to overcome these injuries.
It all starts tonight with a big matchup against the Los Angeles Kings who haven’t looked great in their first five games. San Jose can send yet another statement to their rivals with a win that would see them six points clear of the Kings with two wins in hand.
All offseason, the chatter was about the improved depth of the organization, and right now that depth is being put to the test to see if it can withstand the myriad of injuries that have affected this team.
Next: Sharks Look For Second Straight Win Over Kings