Unsung Heroes of the Regular Season for the San Jose Sharks

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With the first round less than 24 hours away, which unlikely hero will make some noise in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the San Jose Sharks?

We all know the engines that drive the San Jose Sharks explosive offense and lock-down defense.

Brent Burns, a firm Norris Trophy candidate with a team-high 83 points, is the veteran catalyst on the back end, carrying a heavy, imperative load in even-strength and special teams play.

The centering specialists of Joe Pavelski, Logan Couture and Tomas Hertl wield a trifecta of unswerving strength and swift stick-handling to the solid foundation of San Jose’s top-six.

Timo Meier and Evander Kane, who registered career-high goal totals this season, are the speedy and sturdy wingers that can turn on the jets during an odd-man rush or grind tirelessly for pucks deep in enemy territory.

And who could forget two-time Norris Trophy winner and elite Swedish defenseman Erik Karlsson, who missed 18 of the last 19 regular season games due to his reaggravated groin injury?

On the bright side, Karlsson recorded a healthy +3 and a 22:01 TOI in the 5-2 victory over the Avalanche in the regular season finale. Without a doubt, Karlsson will be a beast on the blue line when the Golden Knights roll into town Wednesday night.

While the San Jose Sharks prepare for the playoff rematch with Vegas, there are a few overlooked pieces that have some more fuel to throw into the fire after glowing in the dark all season long.

Kevin Labanc

Two months ago, Kevin Labanc was the man on the hot seat as San Jose’s top bargaining chip to trade at the NHL Trade Deadline.

Everyone knew Labanc had the potential as a threat to score from all angles. The banker just needed to find his stride.

Fast forward 19 games to end of the season, Labanc tallied six goals and 15 points to reach a career-high 17 goals, 39 assists and 56 points in his third season with the Sharks.

It is safe to say that San Jose Sharks general manager Doug Wilson made the right move to keep the flashy 23-year-old sniper in teal.

With a wicked wrister on the wing and in the high slot, Labanc has cashed in at just the right time alongside the play-making wizardry of Joe Thornton during the final weeks of the playoff push.

Labanc is very important to this team’s future. Not only has he established career totals this season, Labanc has steadily improved his shot accuracy and passing precision, which has led to increased point totals in all three season at the NHL level (20 in 2016-17, 40 in 2017-18, 56 in 2018-2019).

I would not be surprised to see Labanc spending more time on the power play in the playoffs, just like the time he earned setting up Couture with a perfect cross-ice pass for the game-winning goal in double overtime to secure the 4-3 win over the Golden Knights in Game 2 of the Western Conference Second Round.

Marcus Sorensen

Marcus Sorensen has the grit, the energy and the smooth style to support a versatile role on the wing

When you look at it, San Jose’s third line suits like the perfect sandwich.

The ageless wonder Joe Thornton serves as the bread, complimenting and putting all the ingredients together with eyes in the back of his head to locate open skaters for great-A scoring chances.

Kevin Labanc represents the cheese, knifing his way through the offensive zone with smooth stickhandling. Like a slice of swiss cheese, Labanc can also find the holes to the back of the net with enjoyable creativity.

Last, but not least, Marcus Sorensen stands as the most important part to any sandwich – the meat. Sorensen is the toughest ingredient to this line, using his entire frame to block out defenders in shooting lanes and is not afraid to lay down a heavy hit to make a play in the offensive zone.

Like Labanc, Sorensen put up impressive career totals, notching 17 goals and 30 points in his first full season at the NHL level (80 games).

After signing a two-year contract extension through the 2020-2021 season with a team-friendly annual average value of $1.5 million on January 14th, Sorensen tallied 9 goals and 15 points in the final 32 regular season games.

Sorensen most likely will never be a true top-six contributor, but the 27-year-old Swedish winger is a sure-lock as a top-nine forward who should never put too much of a dent on the Sharks’ salary structure.

Nevertheless, Sorensen is a vital part to the third line that makes San Jose’s depth much scarier with his breakaway speed and unrelenting upper-body strength ready to knife through the Knights’ defense.

Brenden Dillon

Dilly, Dilly!

The popular chant lives on, but Brenden Dillon’s physical presence and defensive capabilities has not lived up to the hype it deserves during his career year.

Dillon ate up minutes big time for Team Teal with his heavy hitting and drive to compete every night he took the ice. As a primary partner on the final blue line pairing, Dillon was one of two San Jose Sharks defensemen to play in all 82 games alongside Brent Burns.

In his fifth season with the Sharks, Dillon recorded a career-high 21 assists. Accompanying his lone goal, which was a key short-handed tally against the Nashville Predators that sparked the 5-4 comeback victory at Bridgestone Arena, Dillon tied a career-high point total of 22 points, which he set last season.

With Karlsson’s recent absence, Dillon has earned more shifts, which has resulted in an increased TOI for No. 4, averaging nearly 20 minutes per game – three more minutes then his regular season average.

Must Read. San Jose Sharks Regular Season MVPs. light

Now, with EK65 back in the lineup for the playoffs, the two will be a dynamic duo when they resume action together in the first round against the Golden Knights.

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