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Pacific Division Preview: San Jose Sharks |
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Today we get to a familiar opponent and a heated rivalry that got hotter last year. The San Jose Sharks. Our fun and lovable norther neighbors who love to scream "Beat LA" at the top of their lungs whenever they get the opportunity. The Kings and Sharks formerly didn't have much of a rivalry, but after several meetings in the post-season and last year's brutal slugfest, 2013-14 should be interesting to say the least.
Not much introduction is needed for San Jose. You know the players, you know how they play, and not much has changed on their roster. So without further delay. The Sharks:
2012-13 Record
25-16-7 (6th in the Western Conference, 11th in the NHL)
17-2-5 Home, 8-14-2 Away
Eliminated in seven games by the Los Angeles Kings in Western Conference Semifinals
Top-5 scorers in 2012-13
Joe Thornton - 48gp - 7g 33a 40p plus-6
Logan Couture - 48gp - 21g 16a 37p plus-7
Patrick Marleau - 48gp - 17g 14a 31p minus-2
Joe Pavelski - 48gp - 16g 15a 31p plus-2
Brent Burns - 30gp - 9g 11a 20p Even
Goaltender stats
Antti Niemi - 43gp (24-12-6) - .924 Save%, 2.16 GAA, 4 shutouts
Thomas Greiss - 6gp (5-1-0) - .915 Save%. 2.53 GAA, 1 shutout
Team Stats
Goals for per game - 2.42 (24th)
Goals against per game - 2.33 (6th)
Powerplay - 20.1% (7th)
Penalty Kill - 85.0% (6th)
Hits - 1031 (22nd)
Faceoff % - 53.4% (2nd)
Additions/Subtractions
OUT
Thomas Greiss (PHX)
Tim Kennedy (PHX)
Jonathan Matsumoto (FLA)
Scott Gomez (FLA)
T.J. Galiardi (CGY)
Dominic Moore (NYR)
IN
Tyler Kennedy (PIT)
Peter Emanuelsson (Skellefteå - SHL)
2012-13 vs. Kings
Record: 2-2-0
Goals for/against - 11/13
Leading scorers: Brent Burns (2g, 6a, 8p), Logan Couture (3g, 1a, 4p), T.J. Galiardi (2g, 1a, 3p), Joe Thornton (0g, 3a, 3p), Matt Irwin (2g, 0a, 2p)
Goaltenders - Antti Niemi - 4gp (2-2-0), .904 Save-percentage, 3.31 GAA
2012-13 King stats vs. Sharks
Justin Williams - 2g, 4a, 6p
Dustin Brown - 3g, 1a, 4p
Rob Scuderi - 0g, 4a, 4p
Anze Kopitar - 0g, 4a, 4p
Kyle Clifford - 3g, 0a, 3p
Goaltending
Jonathan Quick - 3gp (1-0-1), .903SV%, 2.74GAA
Jonathan Bernier - 2gp (1-1-0 .917SV%, 1.99 GAA
Results
LAK L @SJ 3-4
LAK W @LA 5-2
LAK SO L @SJ 2-3(SO)
LAK W @LA 3-2
Analysis
If there was one team in the NHL that matched the curious disparity in home and road form of the LA Kings last season it was the San Jose Sharks. A league best two regulation losses was nullified by a total of eight wins on the road. In fact, when the playoffs rolled around the two worst road teams that remained were the Los Angeles Kings and the San Jose Sharks. It was no surprise that when the two teams met in the post-season, each held serve and the victor was the team with home-ice advantage in the series. Despite being a reasonably predictable outcome in the Western Conference Semifinals, the Kings-Sharks series was arguably the most competitive and entertaining series in the entire 2013 postseason. Every game hung on the edge of a knife, and San Jose Sharks fans will forever remember that fateful moment that Joe Pavelski couldn't quite elevate a shot. It was a series that literally could have turned on a solitary goal.
The Sharks, once considered aging and surrounded with question marks, seemingly reinvented themselves with the emergence of young players like Matt Irwin and Tommy Wingels, and aging impact players like Andrew Dejardins and Bracken Kearns. A timely shift, and maybe one of the best coaching decisions of the year, was Todd McLellan moving bull in a china shop defenseman Brent Burns up to forward to help an offense that couldn't score mid season. They've become a deeper team, a more threatening team, and with the found form of Antti Niemi a much more solid defensive team. As mentioned before though scoring was the problem last year. Despite getting great seasons in production from Couture, Burns, and Patty Marleau, no one else could score. With a lineup that's only real threatening addition may come from young 2012 first-round selection Tomas Hertl, it looks like it could be more of the same for the Sharks. However, it was a formula that worked last season, and a solid special teams crew and a stalwart defense helped make up for a lack of production. They are a nasty team to match up against down the center, and have three of perhaps the best centerman in the league back to back to back. Between Thornton, Couture, and Joe Pavelski the Sharks were the second best faceoff team in the league and the best in the Western Conference. That statistic is maybe the most massively influential in their prowess on both the powerplay and penalty kill. Big faceoff wins from your best players on a regular basis.
Despite the positives of 2012-13, the Sharks are still the third oldest team in the league with an average age of around 29.309 years old, in front of just Detroit and the New Jersey Devils (yea that team with Jagr, Elias, Brodeur, Zidlicky etc. etc.). They also were fortunate enough to avoid any injuries to their top players (something something Martin Havlat), which could be an impossibility to avoid in an 82 game season. With a team that lacks scoring already, one key forward down and the season turns on a dime. Imagine last season if Couture missed 10 games? How about if Marleau missed 10? It could have been a very different finish. They aren't getting any younger and despite an inspiring season I feel as if the Sharks are a volitile team that could see themselves fight for the top of the Pacific or scrapping for a playoff spot towards the end. May I remind you that it was widely believed that McLellan would have been fired if they didn't get out of the first round last season. Niemi will have to be dynamite yet again this year, and he'll have to do it with the unproven Alex Stalock backing him up rather than Thomas Greiss. Niemi and the Sharks will have to remain relatively healthy throughout if they want to go beyond 2012-13. Big followup seasons will be expected of key defenseman Matt Irwin and Justin Braun, and forwards Tommy Wingels and Brent Burns as well.
Personally I feel like the Sharks have one good year left in them with the formula they currently have. However, with Thornton, Marleau, Boyle and Stuart one year older you have to wonder if this is the year the window shuts a little faster than they can squeeze through it. I expect San Jose to fight tooth and nail with the Kings for the division title this year, but they are definitely one key injury away from being in a world of hurt. They are a team built for the playoffs with the exhaustive style of puck possession hockey they play, but they have to get their first. The question remains, do they have the weapons to get them there over the rigors of an 82-game season?
Los Angeles Kings Blogger • 
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