Similar to 2014-15, the San Jose Sharks are stuck in reverse. For the second straight year the team has followed a hot streak with a cold one to begin the season. Not only that, the 2015-16 Sharks remind us of past teams in more ways than one.
The main comparisons are their useless fourth line and shaky defense but the organization has made some eerie decisions as well. I mean who decided the Sharks should wear their black armor jerseys at home against the Los Angeles Kings?
Maybe this team is trying the same things expecting different results. Although losing Paul Martin and Logan Couture might contribute to this losing streak, teams with depth find ways to overcome injuries. San Jose should be getting Martin back which should help their leaky defense.
However, I can’t kick the feeling that as long as Martin was injured, Brent Burns was injured as well. While a premier offensive defenseman in the NHL, Burns is irresponsible in his own zone and needs someone like Martin to cover for him.
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But enough of me being pessimistic, lets look towards hating the Sharks’ next opponent the Carolina Hurricanes. I mean, how could they take away my precious Hartford Whalers who relocated before I was sentient? Like stealing the dreams of another city’s fans, there are many aspects of the Hurricanes that draw envy.
Their captain Eric Staal is considered one of the premier playmakers in the league. If only the Sharks had a captain that could do that. The Hurricanes also possess many dangerous forwards to watch out for such as Jeff Skinner and Jordan Staal.
On a more serious note, the Hurricanes landed the best defenseman in last year’s draft in Noah Hanifin. Him along with Justin Faulk make this defense hard to penetrate. If they can get goaltending, they could become a contender in the Eastern Conference.
One more thing, the Hurricanes have won a Stanley Cup, something the Sharks haven’t done yet. However, Carolina has yet to be relevant since that championship and they’re off to another slow start at 2-5-0 this season.
San Jose should look to jump on Carolina early as the Hurricanes were shut out in Los Angeles last night. A good start could allow the Sharks to roll all four lines and be in a good position to get back in the win column.
Team Stats (at even-strength)
Carolina Hurricanes/San Jose Sharks
Goals For/60: 1.70/2.16
Goals Against/60: 2.76/1.80
Shots For/60: 25.3/31.5
Shots Against/60: 26.7/26.5
Fenwick For %: 52.5%/51.8%
Corsi For %: 52.6%/51.7%
PDO: 96.4/100.1
Lines:
Hurricanes
McGinn-Staal-Versteeg
Gerbe-Staal-Nestrasil
Skinner-Rask-Lindholm
Malone-McClement-Terry
Hainsey-Faulk
Liles-Jordan
Hanifin-Murphy
Lack
Sharks
Nieto-Thornton-Pavelski
Marleau-Hertl-Ward
Goodrow-Tierney-Wingels
McCarthy-Lerg-Brown
Vlasic-Braun
Martin-Burns
Dillon-Tennyson
Jones
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