San Jose Sharks Road Trip: Three Major Takeaways

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The San Jose Sharks took five out of the possible six points on their three-game road trip as they swam all across the country. Different defensive combinations, phenomenal point streaks and strong special teams play highlight the Sharks performances in one of the toughest short journeys away from SAP Center.

The San Jose Sharks should give themselves a pat on the back after battling through tough road tests against the Nashville Predators, Carolina Hurricanes and Anaheim Ducks.

Now standing tall with a 6-3-2 record and sitting atop the Pacific Division, the San Jose Sharks went on the road, in what was one of the biggest challenges to overcome in the young 2018-2019 season.

The road trip kicked off with a smackdown in Smashville. The Sharks and the Predators, two defensively-dominating Western Conference teams, clashed in high-scoring affair at Bridgestone Arena. In a furious final 20 minutes of play , the San Jose Sharks stormed back with three goals to defeat the reigning Presidents Trophy winners 5-4.

Their third road victory of the season marked the first time since October 25, 2011 that the San Jose Sharks had stolen a regulation win from the Predators in their arena. It was a tremendous performance, as head coach Peter DeBoer’s group restructured and finally showed an edge in the third period – something that had been absent through a handful of games into the season.

The Sharks trekked to Raleigh where the top two teams with the highest shot totals per game (CAR: 41.5 Shots/GP and SJ: 37.7 Shots/GP) piled on even more bullets to their impressive accumulations.

In an electric atmosphere at PNC Arena, the San Jose Sharks started out strong, jumping out to an early 2-0 lead. However, the Hurricanes, known for rallying late this year, did exactly that and knotted the game up in the third.

Luckily, Aaron Dell muscled out the barrage of attacks late in the contest. The Sharks settled with a shootout loss, but to no dismay, they held their ground when they need be and it served well to get the one point in all of the drama at the end.

Lastly, the San Jose Sharks came back West confidently for round 2 of Duck Hunt, hungry for revenge after Anaheim spoiled the home opener and San Jose Sharks debut of Erik Karlsson. Timo Meier’s OT thrilling goal was so sweet, putting the cherry on top of the road trip. The overall performance reminded me of the team that swept the Ducks in last year’s first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

San Jose dominated in all facets of the game, despite two lucky breaks to newly-acquired forward Pontus Aberg. The Sharks managed to score four times past Vezina candidate John Gibson, who tried his best to keep the Ducks in the thick of the game. However, team teal prevailed with the 4-3 victory in overtime and successfully secured five points for the happy flight back home and reassured for the upcoming four-game homestand.

SAN JOSE, CA – OCTOBER 20: Brenden Dillon #4 of the San Jose Sharks shoots the puck against the New York Islanders at SAP Center on October 20, 2018 in San Jose, California (Photo by Brandon Magnus/NHLI via Getty Images) /

A Change in the Defensive Guard?

At the beginning of the season, Peter DeBoer decided to put together his defensive duos as follows:

Brent Burns – Joakim Ryan

Erik Karlsson – Marc-Edouard Vlasic

Justin Braun – Brenden Dillon

It seems that alterations have been made with the San Jose Sharks blue line pairings through the course of the three-game stretch. As we’ve seen over the last four years, the dynamic duo of Vlasic and Braun were reunited on the second defensive pairing seen in the games against the Canes and the Ducks. With that transition, it meant that two-time Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson moved down to the final pairings with Brendan Dillon.

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Now, we aren’t sure if these new defensive combinations are going to be the new norm. However, the fact that there is not a sense of consistency established yet with arguably the Sharks strongest aspect of the game gives a feeling of disintegration.

Keeping in mind that Karlsson’s health also fluctuated last week, it’s not quite clear whether or not these combinations stay the same. But, they proved that they work, and it’s a plan that the San Jose Sharks can fall back on if their original defensive pairings falter due to injury or illness or fatigue.

There is really no benefit other than reconnecting Vlasic and Braun. The Sharks are not going to cut time away from Burns and Karlsson’s time on special teams and average of well over 20 minutes of ice time per game. Dillon and Ryan will continue to rush up on offensive breakouts.

All in all, the Sharks defense solidifies as one of the best in the National Hockey League. A change in the defensive guard is not going to slow down the defensively-minded San Jose Sharks as they prepare for the nice stretch of games at SAP Center.

RALEIGH, NC – OCTOBER 26: San Jose Sharks Right Wing Timo Meier (28) prepares to take the ice during a game between the Carolina Hurricanes and the San Jose Sharks at the PNC Arena in Raleigh, NC on October 26, 2018. Carolina defeated San Jose 4-3 in a shootout. (Photo by Greg Thompson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Pretty Point Streaks

While the San Jose Sharks ride a comfy five-game point streak, a few players have shined on impressive streaks of their own as stable supports to the Sharks offense early into the season.

Brent Burns has two goals and 11 assists in an eight game point streak going back to the lopsided 8-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers. Burns picks up an accelerated pace early into this year for the 2017 Norris Trophy winner who had no goals and just seven assists in the first 19 games during his 2017-2018 campaign.

The 33-year-old defenseman is tied with Logan Couture for the team lead with 13 points Burns also has multi-point efforts in four out of the last five games, putting him in prime but early, contention for the Norris Trophy.

Timo Meier has been quite the nice surprise as he extended his point streak to eight games Sunday night with three points, including the OT winner over the Ducks. The Swiss sensation has six goals over a two week stretch, including the last four contests in a row.

Despite holding a name that generally lacks recognition in the league, Meier possesses a team-best 8 goals, two of which have come on the man-advantage, where he suits up on the second unit. With Couture and Hertl as tremendous linemates, Meier rounds out the Sharks’ top six nicely and continues to score at a stellar rate.

PHILADELPHIA, PA – OCTOBER 09: Evander Kane #9 of the San Jose Sharks celebrates his first period power-play goal against the Philadelphia Flyers with his teammates on the bench on October 9, 2018 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Len Redkoles/NHLI via Getty Images) /

Strong Special Teams

While their 5-on-5 performed adequately, the San Jose Sharks performance on the power play and penalty kill excelled over the three-game stretch of the road trip.

The Sharks did not allow a single goal down a man on seven combined occasions to the Predators, Hurricanes and Ducks, which raised their PK efficiency rating to 85.4% for 8th-best in the league. As the strongest fore-checking duo, Hertl and Couture forced solid pressure as the top penalty-killing forwards with a well-balanced defensive core down low.

Speaking of defense, Dillon surprisingly rushed down the ice Bobby Orr style on the penalty kill and fired home a short-handed goal in the game against the Predators. Dillon’s first of the season sparked the critical comeback.

Less than a minute later, San Jose Sharks captain Joe Pavelski tied it up, before Burns roofed a lethal one-timer on the power play to secure the 5-4 victory over Nashville. With Dillon’s goal, the Sharks have four short-handed goals this season, which ranks second in the league, behind Arizona.

On the man-advantage, the Sharks racked up four goals on eight opportunities, including two PP markers from their leading goal scorer Timo Meier.

Before the road trip, the San Jose Sharks had just 5 power play goals in 8 games. The Sharks nearly doubled that total with four in a span of three games.

The recent success can be attributed to the utilization of their two most lethal weapons quarterbacking the powerplay: Burns and Karlsson. Burns, who leads the Sharks with six points on the man-advantage, anchors the top unit with a cannon from the point. When the second power play unit comes on, Burns stays on and Karlsson joins him as two wonderful options to whistle one-timers to the back of the net.

Next. Its Timo Time, All The Time. dark

With the Sharks sudden success at lighting the lamp on the power play, they’ve raised their PP% to 23.1, which ranks 14th in the NHL. To add on, San Jose now has six PP goals on the road, which is tied for second with the Florida Panthers and Detroit Red Wings.

The Sharks seek to carry this successful special teams play from the three-game road trip into the loud and proud teal fan base for the upcoming series of important home games.

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