A solid performance by Antti Niemi wasn’t enough to help the Sharks stay perfect on their three-game road trip. The Sharks netminder was bombarded with 46 shots through four periods of play before San Jose dropped a 4-3 decision in a shootout.
The Sharks defense struggled again to keep pucks away from Niemi and, sooner or later, they are going to wear out their goaltender. Niemi isn’t built to field 30-40 shots a game.
The Sharks are averaging 33.2 shots against per game, the 5th highest total in the league. Focus on the right hand side of the chart for the years Niemi has been in San Jose. The shots are significantly higher this year in comparison with the seasons dating back to 2010.
The Sharks need to tighten up defensively or teams will continue to bombard Niemi/Stalock with shots and, like last night, eventually the shots will go in. Believe it or not goalies can get fatigued. After non-stop rubber flying in their direction they can wear down and that has been a factor in the Sharks losses this year when they've held a lead in the third period. They still have to make the saves they should but the defense is making life terribly difficult for them.
GM Doug Wilson and Todd McLellan need to sit down and evaluate the defense. There’s a clear issue with the back end for the Sharks and it needs to be addressed. They need to find a sustainable presence on the blueline sooner than later. The trend isn’t moving in the current groups favor.
Matt Irwin and Scott Hannan are not serviceable players on a full-time basis. It seems that Mueller isn't going anywhere, and I think that’s the right call even though is play has been up and down. He will get better and he’s proven he can play in the NHL, he just needs time to get fully adjusted. On answer could be to get Taylor Fedun into the lineup. Fedun had a great camp and was a victim of his two-way contract when it came time for cuts.
I think it’s time to give the Edmonton Oilers a call and inquire about Jeff Petry’s services. Vlasic-Braun, Demers-Burns, Petry-Mueller/Fedun, in my opinion, gives the Sharks a better 7-man defensive group than what they can ice currently.
While I like Mueller it might be time to break him and Burns up. Mueller is too green at the NHL level to try and cover for Burns as he adjusts to life on defense. Burns has been the Sharks best puck mover this year and leads all defensemen in scoring so the Sharks simply can’t afford to move him to forward full time. If they had Fedun and Petry they might be able to shift Burns back if combinations worked out, but the location of Burns isn't the Sharks problem right now. The problem is the lack of stability in front of Niemi and Stalock.
Something has to be addressed. Jason Demers > Irwin, Hannan, so I’m not sure how leaving Demers out in favor of both of those players is helping the cause. You could point to his poor Corsi numbers this year but I’d counter with the fact that he plays with both Irwin or Hannan when he’s in the lineup. His best portions of games this season have been when he’s playing with Brent Burns, and that hasn't happened that often.
There are available defenders and even though the price is high the Sharks have to start testing the water to see if they can get a deal somewhere. They don’t have to acquire Tyler Myers or Keith Yandle, because the price will be too steep, but they do need to start entertaining the thought that their current defensive group just isn't getting the job done.
I'd like to add that I think the Burns no-goal in OT was a questionable call. I've seen many similar goals count, but that's the way it goes. After letting 46 shots hit Niemi the no-goal was the least of the problems for San Jose.
Thanks for reading.
San Jose Sharks Blogger • 
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