The San Jose Sharks knocked off the Detroit Red Wings by a score of 5-3 at the Tank on Monday night. They remain in sole possesion of second place in the Pacific Division.

The Sharks used a balanced attack to pot five goals and fend off the struggling Wings.

The win kept San Jose above their west coast counterparts in the race for the final two playoff spots in the Pacific Division. Vegas has the top spot locked up, leaving second and third open for a California clubs to fill.

The only safety net in this Pacific Division race is to win games and collect points. Forget about getting help. If the Sharks keep winning, they are in.

San Jose concluded their six-game homestand with a 4-2 record. It was a HUGE win for the Sharks. While some have decided to write off this team, I have not. I still think they are the most playoff ready of the three CA teams and the only one with their destiny in their own hands.

- They have a balanced attack when it's clicking and last night it was clicking. Three of the four lines scored goals and Martin Jones was his Martin Jones-like self.

- The addition of Evander Kane was the most significant of the CA teams. The Ducks added fourth line depth, while the Kings added D depth and the return of Jeff Carter. Kane has a high-end skill set and can be a game changer.

- Consistency. I felt like we knew pretty early in the season what we had with the Sharks. The Ducks have been really good, really bad and painfully inconsistent. The Kings started hot, tapered off and have been good enough of late. Somethings got to give and it won't be SJ.

The Ducks fell out of a playoff spot by losing at home to the St. Louis Blues. The Kings moved into third place by beating the Vancouver Canucks at Staples Center. This race is so tight that one slip up and you're out. Anaheim picked a terrible time for a three-game regulation losing streak.

The Sharks will not be the odd man out in April. They are 3-2-0 in March - both losses were to playoff bound Eastern teams. Five of their next seven games are against non-playoff teams and the upcoming three-game roadie is all non-playoff teams. This is a great opportunity to put distance between themsleves and the field.

Thanks for reading,
Steve

Join the Discussion: » 2 Comments » Post New Comment

» Sharks offense in heating up; have they turned a corner?

» Radim Simek's return will help, but San Jose's issues run deep

» The Last Place Sharks; Should We Get Used To It?

» Evander Kane helping Sharks get back on track

» Patrick Marleau's big return masks Sharks woes