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The Sharks are Legit Contenders

The San Jose Sharks are on quite the winning run as of late, going 8-0-1 to start off the season. Many experts heading into the season had picked the Sharks to decline sharply, especially in terms of scoring. After the first nine games, however, the Sharks are still leading the league in goals even after a 0-0 tie with Detroit. They are also the only team in the league to not lose in regulation. The big question most Sharks fans don’t want to ask is how long can this be sustained?

Obviously the Sharks will lose some games as no team can go through an entire 82 game season without one. But at what point will the Sharks come crashing down to reality? Or better yet, what is their reality? This year’s team has some of the best depth throughout the entire lineup. There are three lines of scoring with Pavelski centering the third where he is thriving with 12 points in 9 games. Two rookies, Hertl and Nieto, have filled in with consistent high-level play. The defense has seven NHL caliber defensemen on the roster. And do not forget about the injuries that have already plagued the lineup. Havlat, Torres and Burish have missed all nine games. Burns is a big piece (literally) missing from the top line after taking a stick to his gums. Yes, his gums. His teeth were already gone from previous stick-to-face encounter. Dan Boyle was just placed on IR meaning the dirty hit from Lapierre did more long-term damage than was hoped for. When these players come back in the lineup, the Sharks are going to be even scarier for opponents with some of the best depth in all of the NHL.

The San Jose Sharks made a small move with the Edmonton Oilers the other day, acquiring one of the most beautiful mustaches in the NHL. Doug Wilson and Todd McClellan praise Mike Brown for his speed and penalty killing, but he is much better known for his fighting skills. This move can definitely be attributed to the hit Dan Boyle took from Lapierre and the lack of physical response by the Sharks. Listening to his interview with Dan Rusanowsky, Mike was told that he would not be expected to change anything about his game by Doug Wilson. Having Brown in the lineup keeps the Sharks players safe on the ice without sacrificing ice time to a guy who does nothing else. Expect to see a lot more fights this year whenever he plays and less dirty hits against Sharks players.

Time will tell how long Dan Boyle is out of the lineup, but expect the Sharks to slow down somewhat. His presence on the back line moving the puck up out of the zone is matched by no one on the current blue line. Jason Demers’ ice time will go up in hopes that he can fill the void but don’t expect him to be able to carry the responsibility well. His defensive lapses could turn his career into a Joe Corvo-type player (aka a power play specialist only). Matt Irwin and Justin Braun will also see some increase in their power play time, but unfortunately none of these guys will replace the puck movement of Boyle.

The San Jose Sharks are surging and I (always) believe they are Cup Contenders this season. Even with some of their key players already out, they have been finding ways to win games as a whole team. These early wins will only make March and April a much less hectic push to make the postseason, unlike this last April. Just don’t forget: the shortened 2012/2013 season started off with 7 wins before going on a 7 game losing streak. This year’s division changes also make the playoff race a bit more interesting as the Sharks now have to be one of the top three teams in the Pacific to be guaranteed a spot.

 

Fun Fact: Back in 2005, I ran into (then current) Sharks player, Mark Smith at Mountain Charley’s. With a disapproving Niko Dimitrakos (not pictured) watching, we had a few Patron shots together.

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