San Jose Sharks: The Quarter Pole Roundtable Review
We have officially reached the quarter pole of the 2018-2019 season and it’s been a stretch of ups and downs for the San Jose Sharks. The Sharks find themselves at the top of the Pacific Division, but still have to work out some kinks.
The San Jose Sharks are a weird hockey team. They lead the NHL in several possession categories, yet can’t seem to light the lamp, although, that has been changing of late. There are times when the look like world beaters and times when they look like an average team at best.
We thought going into the year that the San Jose Sharks were one of if not the front runners in the Western Conference. We still think that, although this team definitely has some issues. Specifically with its team defense and goaltending.
But, The Sharks hold a slight lead in the Pacific Division through the first month and a half of the regular season. They are 11-7-3 with key victories over the league-leading Nashville Predators and Philadelphia Flyers.
On the other hand, San Jose often times plays to the level of their competition. Losing to bottom feeding St. Louis Blues and New Jersey Devils in two games they should have won.
The good thing is the San Jose Sharks top-six has been a sturdy force for the offensive production, averaging 3.24 goals per game (10th) and 36.2 shots per game (2nd).
The Blades of Teal squad explain their MVP picks, the biggest strengths and weaknesses, and our overall grades through 25% of the season.
Most Valuable Player
Michael: Timo Meier
Timo Meier has been the biggest surprise through the first quarter of the regular season. Meier has 12 goals, which ranks second on the team and is on pace to break his season-high mark set last year with 21 goals during his first full season. His 21 points through 21 games leads all Sharks forwards and represents a pivotal piece in the top-six, skating alongside Logan Couture and Tomas Hertl on the second line.
I expected a lot of improvements from the San Jose Sharks 9th overall pick in 2015. Meier is definitely proving his worth and shaping into a star with a great mixture of speed and skill. The 22-year-old right winger also can get feisty and he’s not afraid to get underneath the skin of his opponents. Who knows? Meier likely could be one of many representing team teal at the 2019 All-Star game in San Jose.
Steve: Joe Pavelski
Yeah. I said it. There could have been other choices here. Timo Meier comes to mind, Brent Burns who leads the team in points, and is actually having a great offensive year, and on the Brent Burns scale of defense, not the worst year defensively. But my answer is Joe Pavelski. The 34 year old as been a revelation and after his two goal game against the St. Louis Blues, now leads the San Jose Sharks in goals with 13, and leads the team in shooting percentage with 21%. Can you believe that?
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He’s the Captain and the leader of this hockey club. How Joe Pavelski goes, the team goes. His year so far merits the quarter pole MVP.
Lucas: Joe Pavelski
The San Jose Sharks are still working out some kinks but the Captain’s presence on the ice has remained one of Team Teal’s only consistent offensive threats. Joe Pavelski leads the team in goals with 13 through the first 21 games. All season long coach Peter DeBoer has been able to plug Pavelski into any line combination or situation on the ice and he’s produced positive results.
One of the most impressive things about Pavs so far this season is his involvement on the scoring plays generated by the Sharks. He leads the team in primary points at 5v5 with 10, 11 overall. In the situations at 5v5 he has been on the ice for 13 of the Sharks GF, per naturalstattrick. So, essentially every goal scored when Pavs is on the ice he will most likely play a factor in it’s success.
There are plenty of other San Jose Sharks players I could have considered for MVP. Timo Meier, Logan Couture, and Burns were others that came to mind but for some reason perhaps recency bias but Pavelski felt like the obvious choice at this point in the season.
Strengths
Michael: Strong Start
One of the brighter aspects of the San Jose Sharks game plan, I’ve noticed, early into this season is jumping out front and setting the pace and momentum right from the very moment the puck drops. San Jose has dominated the opening 20 minutes of play with a 10-2-3 record when scoring the first goal. Furthermore, the Sharks hold a league-leading 27 goals in the first period. That number continues to grow given the boost of energy from swarming and forechecking aggressively from the first shift as well as playing strong and upbeat at SAP.
Steve: Offensive Production
As said before, they lead the NHL in CF, and are second in the NHL in CF/60 and CF%. The San Jose Sharks make their money in the first period. It seems as if the always come out of the gate hot. Offensively this team is rolling, and is with Erik Karlsson yet to get really moving. Once he gets going the San Jose Sharks are going to put the rest of the NHL on notice, if they aren’t already.
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The San Jose Sharks are a little bit like their Bay Area Counterparts the Golden State Warriors, as in, when they really get going offensively, it is very hard to stop them. Their puck movement and overall offensive flow throughout all four lines is something unmatched in the NHL, when it’s right.
Lucas: Penalty Kill
The San Jose Sharks have continued their excellence on the PK over their first 21 games. They’ve been outstanding over their recent stretch of games and it’s a big reason why Team Teal has stayed afloat on top the Pacific division over the first quarter of contests.
Something that gets overlooked and I feel is critical for their success is on the PK is how many penalties this team commits overall. The Sharks have been fairly disciplined skaters so far this season. They rank in the bottom third of the league in penalties committed with 64. Team Teal’s also has one of the better save percentages in the NHL on the PK, which has helped lift them into elite special teams status.
Weaknesses
Michael: Power Play
The San Jose Sharks possess so many weapons to choose from when Peter DeBoer’s squad goes on the power play. I believe that might just be the problem since there has not truly been any chemistry when the two power play lines take the ice. The Sharks have converted 19.4% of their opportunities so far. Their man-advantage ranks just barely in the bottom third, but it shouldn’t with a strong supporting cast of firepower. Erik Karlsson and Brent Burns seem to take turns quarterbacking the top unit over the past few weeks, but neither has sustained success.
Ideally, those two need to partner up on the primary power play so they can both holster an explosive option from the point. The Sharks Captain has been the lone catalyst as an excellent option down low. Joe Pavelski has found the back of the net four times on the man-advantage, which is tied for 10th in the league. All in all, the Sharks need to find their groove soon because it’s an area where they should be right near the top of the league.
Steve: Team Defense and Goaltending
We’ve all seen it. The San Jose Sharks can score three goals in the first period. They come out of the gate looking like the team we all hyped up when they made the trade for Erik Karlsson. And then, they go into the second period and it all falls down. Its like they eat one too many slices of pizza during intermission. They often look sluggish in the second period and end up giving leads back, or getting their lead cut into.
They give up far too many odd man rushes, and allow guys to get behind their defenders in the d-zone. And while their goals for is at 44 after last night, they still have a goal differential of -4 with 48 goals against. This is a mixture of below average goaltending from Jones, and just plain bad team D at times.
Lucas: Goaltending
On the penalty kill the San Jose Sharks have had tons of success stopping pucks, but by in large this teams net minders have underwhelmed at key points. Martin Jones sports a league worst save percentage at 5v5 with .881%. Aaron Dell has had moments of brilliance this year, but has been leaky at crucial times. He has a fallen victim to a lot of the 2 on 1 rushes allowed by the Sharks and it shows with his below average .816 HDSV% at 5v5, per naturalstattrick.
The San Jose Sharks will fare a lot better over the course of the season with their goalies making stops. The defense is still figuring it out how to play with EK65 eating a large portion of the ice time, so it’s on the goalies to hold their own until this superstar studded defensive core can reach their potential with more time.
Overall Grades:
Michael: B
The Sharks are 11-7-3. It’s not bad, but it’s also not great a quarter of the way into the season. October and November are overlooked as important months with teams testing the waters within their respective divisions. Now, the Sharks are hanging at the top of the Pacific Division with the Canadian trio (Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver) right on their heels.
The Sharks have dominated the early parts of games this season. However, it’s been tough for this team to compete for a full 60-minute effort every single night, especially against some of the weaker teams in the league. As long as the Sharks can bring their A game when it matters most down the bulk of the regular season, I am confident the San Jose Sharks will hold a spot in the top 3 of the Pacific Division and fight on for another run at the Stanley Cup.
Steve: B
The San Jose Sharks at times have looked like world beaters. Games against Nashville and Calgary come to mind. And at times, they’ve played to the level of their competition. The Sharks have had some issues defensively all season, and seem to just now be getting their on ice personnel sorted out. Not to mention Martin Jones’ woes recently
With all that being said, they’re still in first place in the Pacific Division, and lead the NHL in shots for, and are second in the NHL in CF% and CF/60. Yet still have a goal differential of -4 with 44 GF and 48 GA, so that is the reason for the B. Overall though, they’ve been solid. Maybe a bit overhyped due to the Karlsson trade, but that isn’t totally their fault.
Lucas: B-
The San Jose Sharks have the third worst PDO at 5v5 this season. Their special teams play has kept them relevant so far this season, but so far during even strength situations the Sharks have under-performed. Their goal keeping isn’t the only thing plaguing this team, the puck bounces haven’t helped out in the offensive zone either. Their shooting percentage is at a measly 7.35% at 5v5, per naturalstattrick.
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However I expect these tides to turn in favor of the San Jose Sharks over the course of the rest of the 2018 – 2019 campaign. Their goalies have played traditionally above average over the course of their career. While the Sharks shooting percentage under Pete DeBoer has averaged around 9.1%, so expect more pucks to start finding the back of the net. Especially considering the amount of talent this team ices on a nightly basis.