San Jose Sharks Have Opportunity To Reestablish Identity
The San Jose Sharks started the 2015-16 season on a high note, recording victories in their first four games and only allowing their opposition to score two goals in the process. However, after experiencing a rash of injuries that took impacted the team’s depth, San Jose has dropped three of their last four games while giving up 16 goals in those games.
Beginning tonight against the Nashville Predators, the Sharks have an opportunity to reestablish the identity this team built over those first four games. San Jose is expected to have Joonas Donskoi and Ben Smith back in the lineup, after Paul Martin returned last time out against the Carolina Hurricanes. That leaves Logan Couture as the only regular currently missing from the Sharks’ lineup, and he’s obviously a big part of this team.
However, with the bodies they have coming back, this looks like a much more balanced NHL team.
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Donskoi will return up top on the first line alongside Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski. While it’s been an awfully small sample size, Donskoi has fared well in his first three NHL games, recording one goal and a plus-three rating. He doesn’t seem out of place at the NHL level, and it will be interesting to see how he responds from his first stint dealing with an injury.
With Donskoi back on the top line, Matt Nieto will be reunited with his regular linemates on the third line in Tommy Wingels and Chris Tierney. Expect that line to push the pace with three guys that can all skate pretty well.
Finally, Smith will slot back into the fourth line center role, which solidifies San Jose’s position down the center. Smith, who was knocked out of the last road trip after taking a puck off the head, provides a real NHL presence rather than the revolving door of AHL players that have played for the Sharks recently.
Smith said cut in his ear required 17 stitches. Says he's still waiting for Vlasic to take him to dinner #SJSharks
— Curtis Pashelka (@CurtisPashelka) October 28, 2015
With the Sharks as healthy as they’ve been in more than a week-and-a-half, it’s time to see how this team will project over the course of an 82-game season. San Jose has been hanging on recently until they got more fresh bodies back, so let’s see if this team resembles the one that shot out of the gates with four straight victories.
The Sharks need to get back to rolling over their four lines and receiving production throughout the lineup. San Jose faces a tough test in the Predators tonight, but for the first time in a while, the Sharks should have all their horses ready to go in this one.
Next: Pacific Division Stock Report - Week Three