Five Potential Playoff Opponents for the San Jose Sharks

5. Arizona Coyotes

Do not let the desert dogs of the Valley sneak up on you.

Despite an injury-plagued season, the Arizona Coyotes find themselves, as the Valley natives like to call it, “scratching and crawling” their way into the postseason – a time and place the franchise has not touched since 2011-2012.

Even though Arizona lost cornerstones Antti Raanta, Nick Schmaltz, and Derek Stepan for most of the regular season with lower-body injuries, head coach Rick Tocchet has called up young, proven guys at the right time, and the results have been a surprising success – sitting on the bubble of a Wild Card spot.

Even more impressive, after nearly no hope at all to make the playoffs, the Coyotes still have a small chance to take over third place in the Pacific Division, crawling closer to the Vegas Golden Knights with an eleven-point margin with nine games remaining.

How have the Coyotes formulated this miracle in the making?

For starters, it’s clearly not the offense. As a common trend in the franchise’s latest history, the backbone for their strongest style of play is their defense and goaltending.

The Coyotes own a 2.80 goals against average, the 6th-lowest in the Western Conference and the 10th-lowest in the league.

In Raanta’s absence, Darcy Kuemper has stepped up in-goal, playing big minutes down the stretch as the No.1 netminder. In his seventh season and first as a starting goaltender, Kuemper has posted an outstanding 2.49 GAA and .919 save percentage with 24 of Arizona’s 36 wins, including a 9-4-1 record in his last 14 games.

On top of that, their penalty kill has been one of the best in the league with an 85.1% rating, which ranks second overall behind the impeccable defense of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Furthermore, with the help of speedster and penalty kill specialist Michael Grabner, the Coyotes have scored  a franchise-record 16 short-handed goals, two behind the Calgary Flames for the most in the league.

While their defensive metrics are impressive, the Coyotes can’t win playoff games without any offense.

Arizona’s biggest off-season acquisition Alex Galchenyuk leads the charge with 17 goals and only trails Clayton Keller and Oliver Ekman-Larsson in the highest point total with 38.

Their individual offensive numbers aren’t quite as impressive as the hottest playoff contenders, however the Coyotes are surprisingly one of four teams to have 11 players with double-digit goal totals, including Montreal, Tampa Bay, and San Jose.

Despite representing one of the lowest scoring offenses (2.62) in the conference, the Coyotes have found a happy medium for lighting the lamp and defending the crease.

Against the San Jose Sharks, the Coyotes have been a tough customer, matching a 2-1-1 record against each other. The Sharks took the first match-up at Gila River Arena, winning 5-3 in a resilient back-to-back effort following a down-to-the-wire 3-2 loss against the Dallas Stars.

15 days later, the desert dogs bounced back and earned a hard-fought 4-3 shootout victory at SAP center before shocking eyes on national television when Arizona doubled up on San Jose 6-3 back on home ice.

In the final regular season series meeting in the Silicon Valley, Brent Burns finished off the Coyotes with a brilliant back-handed shot to secure the 3-2 OT win.

The Sharks do have the edge statistically, but the largest and most important variable for both of these playoff-pushing squads heading into the final games of the season is health. While the Coyotes remain hopeful for Stepan and Raanta to return, the Sharks seek a 100% recovery for 2019 All-Stars Erik Karlsson and Joe Pavelski to drive the top line and primary power play unit.

This season has been a test of adversity for the hockey team residing in the Valley, but the Coyotes’ hopes of being a deep sleeper for the Stanley Cup are more than alive.

4. Nashville Predators

The Nashville Predators are always on the prowl down the final rigorous stretch of the season. Even though Music City is home to the reigning Central Division champs, the road to reclaim the throne is not sweet music to their ears.

The Predators are neck-and-neck with the Winnipeg Jets for the top two spots in the Central. However, the Jets hold the slight advantage with a two-point cushion and a game in hand.

Peter Laviolette’s team has embraced a season summed up perfectly as a never-ending rollercoaster, twisting and turning with more cold streaks than hot. Nevertheless, whenever the Predators enter the playoff hunt, they serve as a stealthy target to not go unnoticed.

It was not long ago the Sharks faced a menacing Predators team in their promising 2016 playoff campaign.

Through a triple overtime contest and an intense heavy-hitting, goaltending showdown, the San Jose Sharks narrowly survived the onslaught of aggressive offense in the end, outlasting Nashville in the second round of the playoffs 4-3 in the best-of-seven series.

Fast forward three years, the Sharks and the Predators stand as two of the best defensive teams in the NHL.

Brent Burns and Erik Karlsson on one end and PK Subban and Roman Josi on the other – these Norris Trophy-caliber blueliners will do everything it takes to carry their team to the finish line in first place.

The Predators began their 2018-2019 campaign with a promising roster of loaded talent, however a plague in special teams play has cost them to a large extent.

Even with Filip Forsberg, Viktor Arvidsson, Ryan Johansen, and a plethora of lethal quarterbacks to utilize at the point, the Predators have capitalized just 12.8% of their power play opportunities, ranking 30th in the league only ahead of the Montreal Canadiens.

While their penalty kill ability lies in the middle of the pack, a weak power play will not suffice in the postseason. The deadline additions of veteran wingers Wayne Simmonds and Mikael Granlund look to turn Nashville’s offensive struggles around with the man-advantage.

The key to Nashville’s playoff success will be the smoldering production from their top-heavy forwards in even-strength play along with the electric energy from the fans at Bridgestone Arena, one of the loudest and most difficult stadiums to compete in.

Luckily, the Sharks hold the series victory over the Predators, taking the first game of the season on the road in dramatic fashion. Down 4-1 in the third period, Joe Pavelski, Brendan Dillon, Brent Burns and the Sharks scored four unanswered goals to storm past the Predators for the 5-4 finish in Music City to kick off a pivotal three-game road trip on the right note.

The San Jose Sharks nearly blew a lead when they crossed paths again in the middle of November, but the Sharks stalwart defense locked down to a clinch the 5-4 nail-biter over Nashville at SAP Center.

However, when the two met in the regular season series finale last week, the Sharks uncomfortably lost 4-2 on home ice to the Predators without an important pair of core blueliners in Erik Karlsson and Radim Simek.

While the Sharks seek to get everyone back in time for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, one wave of momentum could push the Predators past the Sharks in a closely contested competition.

3. Calgary Flames

The Calgary Flames are arguably the hottest offensive team in the NHL… and no, that was not just for the pun.

The Flames are right behind the Lightning with the second-highest scoring offense in the league, averaging 3.58 goals per game.

On top of that, Calgary is the only team that has four players with 70 or more points – Johnny Gaudreau, Elias Lindholm, Sean Monahan and Matthew Tkachuk.

With that offensive firepower, the Flames can bring the heat and stand toe-to-toe with any Western Conference opponent when the playoffs roll around.

The Flames find a hidden gem with their top marksman from the point too.

13-year veteran defenseman Mark Giordano is on a tear in a career year. The Norris Trophy dark horse candidate has racked up a season-best 54 assists and 69 points in 72 games.

Giordano ranks second among defensemen in scoring, only behind the San Jose Sharks Brent Burns and is a legit threat quarterbacking the No. 11-ranked power play in the league.

While their offense is nearly unstoppable, Calgary’s lone weakness is their goaltending. David Rittich and Mike Smith have been shaky all season long, evenly splitting time manning the net with a combined 2.72 GAA and .905 save percentage.

The Sharks have a goaltending dilemma as well. If Martin Jones can return to his 2016 playoff ways, then San Jose will be just fine. But, with a struggling 5-on-5 save percentage, Jones will need to use these final games of the regular season to find a solid rhythm to return to stardom.

Sharks hold a 2-1 series lead in the high scoring affairs during the regular season, but the top two teams competing for the Pacific Division will lock horns one more time for the last game of March.

However, if the Flames and Sharks go head-to-head in the postseason, the winner could move on based off one simple question: Which goalie has the hotter hand?

2. Vegas Golden Knights

All San Jose Sharks fans remember last year’s screeching halt to their 2018 Stanley Cup playoff run.

It came at the hand of the Vegas Golden Knights, riding a surge of unwavering momentum and the back of extraordinary goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury in their inaugural season, only to fall in the Stanley Cup Final to the eventual champion Washington Capitals.

The Vegas Golden Knights are a real test, not just for the Sharks, but all Western Conference teams looking to cruise through their playoff runs.

No one expected Gerard Gallant’s team to make the playoffs in their first year of existence into the league, let alone potential back-to-back postseason campaigns to kick-start their young and thriving franchise.

However, this year’s team has a different feeling. They’re not a bunch of misfits stringing miraculous numbers and sensational performances together like their 2017-2018 season.

Rather, the Golden Knights have solidified a powerful top-six with the strong support of the defensive core, led by Marc-Andre Fleury.

In the standings, Vegas sits quietly in third place with 87 points in the Pacific Division. However, the reigning Western Conference champions still stand within striking distance to sneak up a spot or two as the final few weeks of crunch time hit.

After reeling in the biggest fish at the NHL trade deadline in Mark Stone, Vegas has been hot, as of late, going 10-1 in their last 11 games, which includes a convincing 7-3 victory over Team Teal at SAP Center last Monday.

When combining the other regular season battles, the Sharks carry a 1-2-0 record against Vegas, surrendering 15 goals in the process while only getting six in their favor.

Now, why is Vegas ranked second on this list?

Well, the lingering factor that points to San Jose’s side is the fact that Fleury is dealing with a lower-body injury.

Fleury remains day-to-day despite showing improvement in his recovery. Fleury’s lower-body issue doesn’t seem too serious, but getting locked back into the right mental focus is crucial when the playoffs roll around.

The Sharks are facing a similar scenario with Erik Karlsson and Joe Pavelski on the shelf. However, the Sharks captain is working his way back effectively while the two-time Norris Trophy winner is close to reaching a 100% status.

Expect these two teams locked-in and fully loaded for the final week of the regular season. With one meeting left on March 30th, it’s of the utmost importance for the San Jose Sharks to regain their composure and confidence before going head-to-head with their potentially toughest first-round opponent in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

1. Winnipeg Jets

At the beginning of the year, most of us had our eyes set on the Winnipeg Jets.

Along with the Sharks, they were my favorites to make the Western Conference Finals from the very first game in October.

While this year’s regular season West Side Story has turned the final page, a new book awaits deeply in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Jets are on top of the Central Division, but it won’t come easy with the Predators lurking right behind.

However, in my mind, the offensive juggernaut of Paul Maurice’s team is what scares many Western Conference competitors.

With the superstar talent and leadership from Blake Wheeler, Mark Scheifele, Connor Hellebuyck and Dustin Byfuglien mixed with the promising performances from their young phenoms like Patrik Laine, Kyle Connor, Nikolaj Ehlers and Josh Morrissey, Winnipeg is definitely capable of making it farther than their 2018 postseason run.

The Jets have the edge on the Sharks and here’s why.

When the San Jose Sharks took Winnipeg down twice at MTS Centre, they did so without facing a fully-healthy Jets squad that has suffered major blows on their defensive pairings.

Morrissey and Byfuglien, their top two quarterbacks for the No. 4 power play in the league, were both out at the time of those games played, and the Jets narrowly lost both games by goals that came in dramatic fashion (Pavelski’s OT winner in the first road meeting and Pavelski’s GWG with 4.3 seconds left in regulation in the final matchup).

When the playoffs roll in, the Jets, as well as the Sharks, will recover from recent setbacks and be ready for whatever comes their way.

When both teams were fully healthy in the first West Side Story showdown of the season, Ehlers’ hat trick lifted the Jets to a 5-3 victory over the Sharks at SAP Center.

On paper, the Sharks have the depth to go toe-to-toe with the Jets, it will be a gutsy, grind-it-out effort to really push past this unrelenting, offensively and defensively minded opponent.

The Western Conference is set up to be a slug fest, which will be the perfect end to a turbulent regular season for the San Jose Sharks.