San Jose Sharks Reclaim Sole Possession Of Second Place
Despite a tough loss against the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday night, the San Jose Sharks extended their point streak to a season-high nine games. The Sharks’ run has vaulted San Jose into sole possession of second place, although they still have plenty of teams on their tails as the stretch run heats up.
Buoyed by a 7-0-2 stretch, the Sharks now sport a 25-18-4 record with 54 points. Unfortunately, San Jose missed a huge opportunity against Los Angeles as the Kings extended their advantage over the Sharks to nine points.
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Credit the Kings for tying the game with 12.2 seconds remaining as Los Angeles has still not lost three straight since the first three games of the season. The Kings are led by their star players in Anze Kopitar (41 points), Jonathan Quick (2.14 GAA) and Drew Doughty (third in the league with 28 minutes of ice time per game).
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The Arizona Coyotes are a team that just won’t go away. After dropping four consecutive games and looking like their youth was catching up with them, the Coyotes have won two straight games against Western Conference contending teams. One player who seems to constantly be under the radar is Oliver Ekman-Larsson who is tied for the team-lead with 34 points (14 goals, 20 assists) and is blossoming into a top-five defensemen in this league.
Still one of the most perplexing teams in the entire NHL, the Vancouver Canucks are still hanging around the fringes of the playoff race despite losing Henrik Sedin in recent weeks. Vancouver ranks in the bottom third of the league in goals for, goals against and both special teams categories but they’re constantly finding ways to accumulate points with a league-high 11 overtime or shootout losses.
The Anaheim Ducks are starting to show signs of waking up from their season-long slumber as they’ve won four of their last five games to get themselves back into the playoff picture. The Ducks have finally found some semblance of scoring as they’re just now averaging more than two goals per game (2.02) for the season, led by Corey Perry who has found the back of the net 19 times this year.
Rounding out the basement in this division, the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers continue to falter as they drift farther and farther from the pack. Calgary is being hampered by the league’s worst special teams, and one of the worst defensive units as the Flames have dropped four of their past five games.
For Edmonton, a team that has lost three straight and seven of their past nine, the only saving grace for them and their fans is the expected return of Connor McDavid following the All-Star break. It’s been a rough first season for former Sharks head coach Todd McLellan as the Oilers remain one of the most futile franchises in the NHL.
Next: San Jose Sharks Weekly Roundup
San Jose has just one more game tonight before enjoying a week off as the All-Star break is upon us. The Sharks will square off against the Colorado Avalanche, two teams that are playing their best hockey of the season.