The San Jose Sharks went 2-2 this week, even though only one of the four teams they were playing was in a playoff position at the time of the game. This does not speak of a team that is ready to shed its past playoff failures.
Granted, all four games were on the road, but we have been hearing all year about how this is the best road team in the league. Sure, they were without Marc-Edouard Vlasic, second on the blueline in minutes per game, but there were plenty of players to step in even before the trade for Niclas Wallin.
Sure, they were without Manny Malhotra, but he is a checking line centre, and there are plenty of capable players to rotate in. Jamie McGinn should be getting more playing time, anyway.
The bottom line is the Sharks got out-shot in two games and were even in a third, leading to a 120-135 disadvantage for the week. Naturally, they were outscored 7-10 in the process.
This year, San Jose has only out-shot opponents by an average of .4 shots/game, rather than leading the league in that margin as they did last year. This means that against the good teams who control the puck better, unless Evgeni Nabokov steals the gameâ ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by MJ Kasprzak
San Jose Sharks Stumble Into Olympic Break
February 14th, 2010 by MJ Kasprzak Leave a reply »
Advertisement