Whether it is the easygoing culture brought over from Boston by Joe Thornton, or the lack of urgency from Patrick Marleau in the playoffs, the San Jose Sharks always seem to get complacent.
No matter if it was Ron Wilson behind the bench or Todd McLellan, the Sharks have demonstrated time and time again to be a team that folds under pressure and fails to elevate its game when it matters most.
Now, as a fan of McLellan, I wouldn't argue for his being replaced any time soon, but one has to wonder just how much leash the coach will have if his team doesn't match its skill with some will.
In color TV analyst Drew Remenda's "20 Questions" snippets on the Sharks website, the players interviewed will all say "will over skill," but they have hardly been showing that out on the ice the last five games.
Over that stretch, San Jose has gone 0-2-3 and has fallen out of first place in the conference and division. The Los Angeles Kings are now the current holders of those top spots, and for good reason—they have superstars that work hard.
Players like Anze Kopitar, Ryan Smyth, Dustin Brown, Jarret Stoll, Alexander Frolov, Justin Will ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Andy Bensch
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