Sharks must take advantage of upcoming homestand

Follow me on Twitter: @BenShelley_20 Follow HockeyBuzz Sharks Twitter: @HB_Sharks The San Jose Sharks are off to a surprisingly strong start to the season. They kicked off the year with a four-game winning streak, but have now dropped their last two games. However, the team kicks off a five game homestand tomorrow night, which they must take advantage of. In their next five games, the Sharks will face the Montreal Canadiens, Winnipeg Jets, Buffalo Sabres, St. Louis Blues and New Jersey Devils. In this series of games, the Sharks should probably be striving to pick up seven or eight points. They need to beat the Canadiens, who have just one win in their first seven games. Then while both the Buffalo Sabres and New Jersey Devils are off to strong starts, those are the kind of games San Jose needs to win if they want to earn a playoff spot down the line. The Sharks have also beaten the Jets once at home already and if they can take two points from the games against them and/or the St. Louis Blues, they’d be in a good spot. Another key is that after the five-game set, they’ll be back on the road for five games after that, where they’ll face some tough competition including the Blues, Colorado Avalanche and Minnesota Wild. Being realistic, that’s a trip where the Sharks may not fare so well, and if they can pick up a series of wins at home before then, it could go a long way. The Sharks certainly look like an improved team, after a 4-2-0 start while playing five of their first six games on the road. However, they need to follow up with some key wins in the next week or they could risk falling back a bit in the standings early on. With a limited sample size of Sharks hockey so far this season, how they perform in the upcoming homestand may tell us a lot about the team and their direction this season. ***NOTE: We've launched a HockeyBuzz Sharks Twitter account! For anyone interested, you can follow @HB_Sharks for updates on articles, Sharks news, etc.*** QuizMaker OTHER ARTICLES FROM OCTOBER Sharks claim Jonah Gadjovich off waivers from Canucks Sharks reveal opening night roster Evander Kane suspended 21 games for violating COVID protocols Sharks look surprisingly great through first two games Sharks won’t be able to void Evander Kane’s contract Sharks pick up wins over Senators and Maple Leafs, remain undefeated Sharks suffer first loss of season, fall 4-3 to Bruins Sharks trade Dylan Gambrell to Senators