|
Sharks Losing Skid Continues and Here's Why |
|
|
|
|
|
When there’s less than a minute to play in a tied game, ideally, you’d want to send a crew of players over the boards that you know are going to either: A) keep the game tied or; B) get a goal.
Last night, with under a minute to play, Adam Burish and Andrew Desjardins came on the ice with James Sheppard to protect that score. Burish and Desjardins were the worst possession players for the Sharks in the game, regardless of Burish’s first goal in two seasons. Sheppard hadn't taken a shift with them dating back to last year. I don’t blame any of them, though, for the game winning goal going into the cage because they didn't put themselves on the ice.
The San Jose Sharks were out-coached in this game when it mattered and, the worst part is, they were at home. That single play isn't what killed the Sharks in this game, or in the last game, it’s a combination of questionable personnel usage throughout the lineup.
In the first five games of the season the Sharks went 4-0-1 with a stable lineup that seemed to click. The fourth line struggled mightily but there’s nothing you can do with that unless you make a few transactions. They dominated the game until reverting to protecting the lead in most of the games but, in general, the lines, 5v5, looked like well-oiled machines from players 1-9. The shutout against the Rangers sent the staff into panic mode and the lines were torn apart from top to bottom. The result? Two more losses.
The goaltenders aren’t getting off the hook here, I’ll get to them and their 14 goals in three games in a minute.
When a coach makes that many line changes there is going to be chemistry lost. 19/12/39/8 are going to continue to play well because they’re stars and that’s what stars do, but the possession on those lines has a chance to dip, and it did. Tommy Wingels moving to the 12/39 line is a great reward for Wingels and his strong play this year but it decimates the third line. Wingels is a fantastic third liner and he is a model for a bottom six player. When that player gets removed an already weak depth group becomes catastrophically worse. You can’t win games if half of your lines are a liability on the ice. The third line is a very important role in the NHL.
The answer is simple: go back to the lines that worked at the start of the year. There are going to be bad games and there are going to be shutouts, even the Penguins and Lightning can get shut out at some point in the season with the three best offensive players in the world between them. The answer isn't putting Brent Burns back on forward, that’s nonsense. Did Burns play well at forward last year? Yes, he did, but who is going to replace him on the blueline that is a serviceable NHL player. Does Mueller, Irwin and Hannan sound like an ideal bottom three defence group on a team that has been shelled for 14 goals in the last three games? Unless a top four defender is acquired it’s not possible to place Burns on forward again.
As for the defense, well, when you pair two offensive defensemen together you’re asking for a problem. Burns and Irwin shouldn't see the ice together. The third pairing from last night featured a stay-at-home defender and a two-way defender. A Burns-Demers, Irwin-Hannan set-up is more desirable when the puck comes into the San Jose zone.
Aside from line shuffling before during and after games as if it can have no adverse effect, the Sharks goaltending has been well below standard during the losing skid.
Niemi and Stalock have combined for 14 goals against in three games. They share equal blame with the personnel issues elsewhere for the poor results for San Jose. They need to make saves that should be stopped, it’s that simple. Playing a cat and mouse game that features 8-9 goals isn't how the Sharks win hockey games. The goaltenders need to give them a chance to win the game with three goals and if they score four it should be a guarantee.
Stop panicking and go back to what lines worked. Don’t send Pavelski out to center Burish and McGinn again and don’t pair two offensive defencemen together. The season is young and there’s no need to hit the big red button. Stable lines, stay the course.
Thanks for reading.
San Jose Sharks Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»