With the 2015-16 campaign finally complete following nearly nine months of hockey, we take a look back at each Shark’s performance throughout the year.
Pairing with
Marc-Edouard Vlasic
as a shutdown defenseman for a good portion of the season, Braun had his most complete year as a professional missing one game all year and tying his career-high in goals (4) and points (23). He finished the regular season with a strong plus-11 rating and concluded the regular season fourth in ice time averaging 20 minutes and 34 seconds per game.
Braun isn’t a flashy player and the Sharks count on him more so defensively than they do with the puck, although he does have an offensive part of his game. His regular season Corsi number (shot attempt differential at even strength) was strong at 51.7, and his Fenwick (similar to Corsi but excluding blocked shots) was 53.7, good for Top-100 in the league.
He blocked 140 shots in the regular season – second best on the team behind Vlasic – and had the league’s fourth-most blocked shots in the postseason with 53.
Braun entered the playoffs coming off a rough end to the regular season. In all of March and April – 20 games – he tallied a point in a single contest (3/28 vs. LAK). He also went pointless in 15 consecutive games near the All-Star break.
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Like the majority of the Sharks roster, Braun was strong in the opening round against Los Angeles. He didn’t get called for a single penalty and had an important assist in Game 1. He continued his stout play in the first two or three games of the Nashville series. But he finished with a team-worst minus-three rating in the Game 4 triple overtime thriller and was called for a high-sticking penalty. He also had a minus-two rating in the Game 6 overtime loss.
Yet, he kept his head up and bounced back with a strong series versus the Blues. He finished the series with a plus-six rating and notched an assist in Game 2. He earned the second most ice-time in the final two games – more than fellow defenseman and Norris Trophy finalist Brent Burns.
He found himself out of position several times and was on the ice for two Penguins goals in the Stanley Cup Final opener; however, he was dealing with the news just prior to puck drop that his father-in-law had passed away.
The Minnesota native came out inspired the rest of the series, notching a goal in Game 2 and Game 3 and an assist on Logan Couture’s goal in Game 5. The Game 2 goal came with more than four minutes left in the game and forced overtime. It was the first time in his career he scored goals in back-to-back games.
Justin Braun's late goal for the @SanJoseSharks sends Game 2 to overtime. More: https://t.co/KubgANv1SO #StanleyCup https://t.co/E0y4GIimHU
— NBC Sports Hockey (@NBCSportsHockey) June 2, 2016
Next: San Jose Sharks: Three Takeaways From Game Six
One could argue Braun was San Jose’s most impressive player in the Stanley Cup Final along with players like Couture and Melker Karlsson.
While Braun had a couple rough patches in the season and wasn’t as consistent as he’d probably like, he stepped up in the playoffs and was important in the Sharks run to the Finals and arguably played his best hockey of the season in the biggest series in franchise history, too.