Earlier this season, the San Jose Sharks were struggling with their special teams, ranking in the bottom half of the league in both departments. The Sharks were poor on the penalty kill last season so the fact they were faltering in that department once again this season wasn’t all that shocking; however, seeing San Jose struggle on the power play was because that was one of the few bright areas last year.
Fast forward almost two months and the Sharks special teams are carrying San Jose in recent weeks. As it stands right now, the Sharks are in the Top 10 in both categories, ranking seventh with a penalty kill success rate of 83.7 percent and ninth with a power play conversion rate of 20.9 percent.
It was their special teams that were pivotal in San Jose’s come-from-behind victory over the Los Angeles Kings last night as the Sharks were perfect on the penalty kill while converting on two of their four opportunities, including the tying and eventual game-winning goals.
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San Jose’s turnaround on the penalty kill has been staggering as the Sharks have been on quite on the run, especially considering the defensive miscues that have defined the first part of the season for this team. As pointed out by Jon Rosen, San Jose has allowed only four goals on the penalty kill in more than a month and their last goal against came against the Calgary Flames on Dec. 8.
San Jose is 41-for-45 on the penalty kill (91.1%) since November 17.
— LA Kings Insider (@lakingsinsider) December 23, 2015
The Sharks turnaround has been a pleasant surprise and hopefully the discipline and success of the penalty kill can rub off on San Jose’s defensive coverage at full strength.
On the flip side, the Sharks power play has been an engine continually gaining steam. San Jose has scored a power play goal in four straight goals, scoring six goals over that span. Leading the way for team teal is none other than Joe Pavelski who leads the Sharks with five power play tallies, including three in the past four games.
San Jose’s power play, like the rest of their game, has been much more successful on the road than at home. In fact, the Sharks lead the league with 16 power play goals on the road compared to only seven at SAP Center.
Next: Pavelski Powers Sharks Past Kings
While the special teams have picked up their, they do overshadow the fact that the Sharks must improve at even strength to have any chance at consistent success. Currently, the Sharks are minus-11 in terms of scoring at even strength (68 goals allowed compared to 57 goals scored). That must be addressed after the holiday break.
Meanwhile, San Jose can take solace in their special teams and know they have some time to figure things out at even strength because their power play and penalty kill can keep them in the game.