San Jose Sharks: 3 Keys To Pacific Division Title
The San Jose Sharks have turned things around rather fast. After an inconsistent start, their season is looking up. Here are three things they’ll have to do in pursuit of a divisional title.
On average, every team has a few things they can fix (even the Tampa Bay Lighting) in order to get better. However, not every team is good enough to be in contention for a divisional title. This is not the case for the new and improved looking San Jose Sharks.
For quite a few good teams across the league, this particular season started out slow. Sometimes, there is no rhyme or reason for teams’ poor starts. Take the New York Rangers, for example. After a 1-5-2 record, they’ve won seven of their past ten games.
The Sharks are in the same boat at this point in the season. There’s no doubt they came in with the expectation that they would have a better start. However, that’s in the past now, and looking towards the future, there are three things the Sharks will need to do for that divisional title.
1. Compensate for Thornton’s Injury with Rest of Offensive Talent
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Joe Thornton is at the center of the San Jose Sharks’ (and their fan base’s) attention right now. It’s not uncommon for teams to be secretive about their players’ injuries, especially their stars. However, nearly everything is left up in the air right now.
While there’s no doubt this is cause for concern, it should be limited to the player and not the team as a whole. Thornton’s a big part of their team, but they have other great players that can pick up the slack during his absence (or lack of usual stellar play).
Other centers Logan Couture, Chris Tierney, and newbie Barclay Goodrow are all strong in their position. The Sharks have depth at center, and that should carry them through this.
2. Keep Things Tight on Defense
The San Jose Sharks arguably have one of the best defenses in the league, if not the best right now. That’s a vital part of any roster, and the Sharks are in possession of it.
They play a style where they clog up the neutral zone because of their good defense. That, in turn, leads to good scoring opportunities. Earlier in the season, they were having trouble playing that style. Now, though, they seem to do it almost effortlessly.
If they keep up what they’ve been doing the past few games, they’ll find themselves in first in the Pacific in no time.
3. Martin Jones’ Consistency
When it comes to goaltending, the situation can get a bit difficult to judge accurately. This is because a goaltender can only be as good as the defense in front of him on most nights. No team can consistently expect their goaltender to stand on his head every game.
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Currently, Jones has a GAA of 2.13 and a save percentage of .925. Those numbers improved from the beginning of the season. It can be argued, as previously mentioned, that once the defense got better, so did he. However, if he wants his team to remain strong, he’s going to need to keep those numbers as they are now.