3 Pivotal Games Down the Stretch for the San Jose Sharks

The San Jose Sharks are in the midst of the final full month of the season when each game matters more than the last. However there are a few games that have a little more significance than others…

Team Teal is heading down the final stretch of the regular season on fire going 18 – 6 – 1 since January first. They’ve recorded the leagues 4th best point percentage during that span, per naturalstattrick. Overall the San Jose Sharks have played well as season establishing themselves as one of the few legitimate Stanley Cup contenders

The Sharks have shown that they are able to win regardless of the situation at hand. They’ve had the leagues worst save percentage, been without their best player for a fifth of their games, and got dealt one of the toughest road schedules in the entire league.

They’ve persevered throughout it all and have positioned themselves nicely with playoffs set to begin in about a month. However at the moment the San Jose Sharks are trailing the Calgary Flames for first place in Western Conference. Surpassing the Flames for first place is even more important this year because it means that they get to avoid the 3 seed in their division which will more than likely be the red-hot Vegas Golden Knights.

The Calgary Flames have the easiest remaining schedule down the stretch according to powerrankingsguru. This put tons of pressure on Team Teal who own the 22nd easiest schedule with 16 games remaining. Every game counts but a few matter more than the others. Here are a few examples of those games that the San Jose Sharks have circled on their calendars.

March 12th @ Winnipeg Jets

This match-up falls on the second night of back to back games. The night prior they face-off against another potential playoff team the Minnesota Wild, but this game against the Jets carries a little more weight for the San Jose Sharks.

Back to back away games are an excellent way to test a teams depth, which is an important factor in the Stanley Cup playoffs. The San Jose Sharks lead the Jets in the conference standings, so a win in Manitoba could potentially be what solidifies the number one seed for Team Teal.

On the surface it would seem that the Jets are playing well but the underlying numbers suggest that they might be over-performing. According to Evolving-Hockey the Winnipeg Jets have negative rates in xGF/60 differential, SF/60 differential, CF/60 differential , and FF/60 differential. Numbers like these exhibit that the Jets are over performing and coasting by with a strong PDO and raw talent. It’s tough to tell if this style of play will translate into the playoffs.

The Winnipeg Jets made the most moves during the trade deadline but it doesn’t seem like the adjustments have made much of an impact yet. But with a few more games under their belt and the eventual return of star blue liner Dustin Byfuglien this team could turn a corner sooner than later.

The Jets really don’t have much to prove in the regular season and with injuries to integral parts of their roster the underwhelming performance can explained away.  However expect them to be fully engaged against Team Teal at Bell MTS Place on March 12th.

March 31st Versus the Calgary Flames

It’s a no brainer that this would be a critical game for the San Jose Sharks. The Calgary Flames have been outpacing the western conference for most of the regular season. But Team Teal is now within striking distance with only a chunk of games remaining.

This match-up is the second of yet another back to back for the San Jose Sharks. The night before they face another divisional foe and potential first round opponent the Vegas Golden Knights. That makes this game quite an undertaking for Team Teal but it’s a great opportunity for them to accumulate points and gain ground quickly in the standings.

The Calgary Flames have the easiest schedule but will have a difficult time overcoming some lackluster goaltending of late. Since the beginning of February Calgary is recording the leagues sixth worst save percentage, according to naturalstattrick. It appears that they are burning out at just the right time giving the San Jose Sharks an opportunity to leapfrog the current Pacific Division leader.

Unlike the Sharks, Calgary didn’t do much of anything at the trade deadline except for adding a depth piece  in forward Oscar Fantenberg. They signaled that they have confidence in their current group, but standing pat could potentially be a huge mistake with the other teams in the western conference loading up for a significant playoff push.

Nevertheless Calgary has a strong defensive core, deep forward group, and game breaking talent. So San Jose Sharks fans shouldn’t underestimate the Flames potential to keep Team Teal at bay for the rest of the season.

If there were only three games to pay attention to down the stretch for the San Jose Sharks it would be these. Match-up’s like these are legitimate tests for Team Teal’s depth with these teams being potential opponents in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.