San Jose Sharks Searching For Answers As Florida Awaits

The San Jose Sharks are sitting in a tenuous position 12 games into their 2015-16 season. San Jose sports an even 6-6-0 record and have shown little indication that they are a different team than the one that failed to make the playoffs last year. In recent seasons, the Sharks have typically played down to the level of their competition and that disturbing trend continued last time out as San Jose dropped a 5-2 decision to the lowly Columbus Blue Jackets, winners of just three games.

Now, the Sharks are set to face another team that has floundered of late, the Florida Panthers, who head into SAP Center tonight after losing a heartbreaker to the Anaheim Ducks yesterday. The Panthers gave up the tying goal with just five seconds remaining before eventually falling in a shootout to the Ducks.

Peter DeBoer has shifted around his bottom-six forwards, inserting Nikolay Goldobin and Micheal Haley into the lineup after their call-up from the AHL this morning. Goldobin will feature on the third line, and let’s see if his offensive talents can make an impact in this one.

Players to Watch

Sharks: Joe Pavelski – Pavelski has been one of the few Sharks players finding the back of the net on a consistent basis. He has scored in a career-high five straight games, and currently leads San Jose with eight goals and 12 points.

Panthers: Jaromir Jagr – The ageless wonder continues to produce at the NHL level which is pretty remarkable. The 43-year-old Jagr is still a must-see talent as he leads the Panthers with six goals and 10 points in the early going.

Three Keys to the Game

More from Blades of Teal

1. Score First

The Sharks have struggled of late to receive scoring throughout their lineup, and nothing puts more pressure on a team than getting in an early hole. San Jose has given up the first goal in six of their last seven contests, including the past four games. It should come as no surprise that the Sharks are just 2-5 in those games. San Jose needs to jump on Florida early and build some confidence and momentum, especially against a team that lost in a shootout last night.

2. Alex Stalock

It’s been a tough start to the year for Stalock who’s been atrocious in his two games in net thus far. Some may be surprised to see Stalock in net considering the Sharks really need a victory in this one. Stalock is 0-2 with a 3.93 goals-against-average and an .847 save percentage. It was already a big season for Stalock who was entering the final year of his contract, and he’s shown nothing to this point to warrant a new deal. Stalock and the Sharks are in need of a big performance tonight between the pipes to help boost his confidence because he will be needed over the course of this season.

3. Power Play

The Sharks desperately need to get their power play clicking once again, and it would help if they could do so on this current home stand. As it stands now, San Jose has yet to score a power play goal on home ice, going 0-for-13 on the season. After having the league’s sixth-best percentage with the man advantage last year, the Sharks are tied for 21st with a power play percentage of 13.9 percent. San Jose would be well served to capitalize on their man advantage chances in this one.

Next: Martin Jones Seeks More Support From Offense

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