Slow start? What slow start? Brent Burns found his way back onto an NHL All-Star roster for the fourth consecutive season and the fifth time in his career. This year’s game will take place in Tampa, Fla. On Jan. 28th.  The star-studded showcase consists of a 3-on-3 tournament featuring teams from each of the NHL’s four divisions.

After a slow start in which the reigning Norris Trophy winner collected just seven assists and no goals through the San Jose Sharks` first 19 games. Since then Burns' is back to his old self with 23 points (7g 16a) in 21 games.

For me, one of the Sharks biggest "uh-oh's" had been the lack of production from Burns. Scoring is up across the entire league this season and guys like Burns should have been thriving under the circumstances. I figured they were going to be closer to the bottom of the Pacific than the top without him. Thankfully, the Sharks have a killer defense and found ways to thrive in spite of their stud defenseman's slow start.

Burns is currently tied with Logan Couture for the Sharks’ team lead with 30 points, as he’s tied for sixth in scoring among all NHL defensemen. Number 88 is an offensive nightmare for the other team. He has 151 points the last two seasons, including 76 last season, a team record for a defenseman.

San Jose is currently in the midst of their bye week and boy did they need it. Despite Burns' excellent play, the Sharks had been sputtering. They`ve lost three in a row and got royally spanked in back-to-back games before hitting the NHL mandated break.

That said, San Jose is sitting pretty at 21-13-6 and in third place in the Pacific Division with 48 points. With Burns playing like an all-star again, they should be able to get back on track once they resume play in a couple of days.

Here is the rest of the Pacific Division roster:

Pacific Division

F Brock Boeser, Vancouver Canucks
F Johnny Gaudreau, Calgary Flames
F Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles Kings
F Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers (Captain)
F James Neal, Las Vegas Golden Knights
F Rickard Rakell, Anaheim Ducks
D Brent Burns, San Jose Sharks
D Drew Doughty, Los Angeles Kings
D Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Arizona Coyotes
G Marc-Andre Fleury, Las Vegas Golden Knights
G Jonathan Quick, Los Angeles Kings
Head Coach: Gerard Gallant, Las Vegas Golden Knights

Thanks for reading,
Steve

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