NHL: For Sharks, It’s A Feeding Frenzy

Is this the year?

That may be the motto for all teams at the beginning of the season, but for one team, it has a meaning of struggle and frustration.

Annual playoff failures have haunted the San Jose Sharks ever since the 2004 Conference Finals losing to Calgary in six games.  They have never been able to get over the hump.

Now, they are on a roll.  In the Sharks last 19 games all they have done is go 17-0-2, and won those games in dominating fashion. 

The teams they have faced haven’t been pushovers either.  Wins over Eastern Conference top seeds Montreal, Ottawa, and Pittsburgh, as well as rivals Anaheim, Dallas, and Detroit, have cemented this winning streak as one of the best all season.

605-455-127.  That is the Sharks’ opponents’ combined record as of March 31. 

How have the Sharks been able to beat such good teams convincingly?

San Jose is playing much more physical and getting guys to the front of the net; both are things the Sharks have lacked all season.  They have a distinct size advantage over most of the teams in the league but have not used it.  They are now.

A struggling power play has also given the Sharks troubles but that changed at the trade deadline when GM Ron Wilson brought in puck-moving defenseman Brian Campbell from Buffalo. 

Campbell is 2nd among defenseman in assists, 52, and points, 59.  He has played 17 games with San Jose and registered 2 goals and 14 assists in that time, but most importantly has 9 power play points.

With any conversation of the Sharks, you have to mention Joe Thornton.  Once again he leads the league in assists, 65, and is among the top five in points overall, 93.

He is the catalyst for San Jose, especially during the last 19 games, scoring 11 goals (one game being a hat trick) and 14 assists.  He also is consistently winning over half of the face offs every game.

Some critics were ready to trade away Jonathan Cheechoo and Captain Patrick Marleau.  They have recently found their scoring stroke.  Cheechoo has 11 points the last 19 games while Marleau has 14 points in that same time.

Lost in the offensive prowess is the goaltending.  Evgeni Nabokov is the league leader in wins, 45, and over the last 19 games, has a 2.53 GAA, keeping the Sharks in every game.

The Sharks had a problem with the backup goalie situation, so they brought in veteran Brian Boucher.  His first game with the Sharks he recorded a shutout against St. Louis and the next three games he played, he allowed a total of 3 goals.

Will this success last?

There is no reason to believe it will end.  The playoffs are about momentum and there is no other team hotter than the San Jose Sharks.  They are the team to beat.  They are finally living up to expectations set for them in the beginning of the season by fans and critics alike.

Is this the year?  That question will be answered come June.  The Sharks have all the pieces in place.  Now it is time to set it in motion.