The San Jose Sharks will finally return to action tonight after a five-day hiatus from the ice. The Sharks will have their work cut out for them as they now sit in sixth place in the Pacific Division with 38 points. San Jose welcomes a fairly familiar foe into SAP Center as the Detroit Red Wings make their only appearance in the Bay Area.
The Sharks and Red Wings have met once already this season and San Jose entered that contest in a familiar position. Last time, San Jose was able to pull out a 3-2 victory over Detroit to kick off their six-game winning streak after the Sharks had dropped a pair of home games.
San Jose needs to kick things into gear in short order as their December struggles have allowed the rest of the division to either catch up or surpass them in the standings.
Players to Watch
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Sharks: Joe Thornton. It wasn’t that long ago where it looked like Thornton was struggling to produce on the offensive end of the ice; however, Thornton didn’t seem overly concerned and it’s easy to see why now. Currently, Thornton is on an eight-game point streak with three goals and eight assists over that span. He has amassed seven goals and 20 assists this season, with a team-high plus-seven rating.
Red Wings: Dylan Larkin. The dyanmic rookie for the Red Wings is a special talent who should be a force in the league for years to come. Larkin leads the Red Wings with 14 goals, including the game-winner in a 1-0 victory over the New Jersey Devils last time out, and is second with 27 points behind captain Henrik Zetterberg. Even more astounding for the 19-year-old rookie is he’s tied for the plus/minus lead with Tyler Toffoli at plus-22. Quite impressive numbers from the youngster.
Keys to the Game
1. Goaltending
Martin Jones has struggled over the last stretch as his numbers have declined over the course of each passing month this season, highlighted by a 3.06 goals-against-average (GAA) and an .889 save percentage during December. He was pulled from his last start against the Winnipeg Jets after allowing three goals through two periods, which has been a far too frequent occurrence. Jones has to be much better if the Sharks have any chance of turning things around, and he’s already defeated the Red Wings once this season, making 26 saves in mid-November.
2. Eliminate Defensive Miscues
Part of the reason for Jones’ decline has been the lack of support from the defense in front of him. The Sharks need to eliminate the turnovers and missed assignments in their own zone which are leading directly to quality scoring chances or goals against. There’s a reason why San Jose ranks 25th in the league at 2.86 goals per game. They need to tighten up their game defensively and quit playing from behind.
3. Score First
By now, everyone should be aware of how poorly the Sharks have been at SAP Center with a league-worst 5-11-0 record. In each of their five victories, San Jose has scored the first goal, while they’ve surrendered the first goal in all 11 defeats. Obviously, it would behoove the Sharks, and probably be an important emphasis, to find the back of the net first and help settle into the game.
Next: Exploring The Possibility Of Whether The Sharks Should Trade Brent Burns
TV/Radio
TV: CSN-California (7:30 p.m. PST)
Radio: 98.5 KFOX