1. The Kings are out of the playoffs already so defeating them brings no satisfaction other than a meaningless win at the very end of a drama-filled season. It’s always fun when the Sharks beat the Kings – until they win four straight and derail you for an entire calendar year + two offseasons – but if the San Jose Sharks want a fighter’s chance for Ivan Provorov they’re going to have to throw this game and hope for a Colorado win.
2. Sticking with draft pick scenarios, if the Sharks lose they will draft at the highest/lowest – however you want to look at it – 11th overall. They can draft 10th with a Florida win + SJ loss, 9th with a FLA/COL win +SJ loss, 12th with a SJ win + DAL loss/DAL OT. Essentially, if they win they wait for the Dallas result to find out if they will go 11th or 12th – a loss puts them in wait for FLA/COL results. OT points make a mess of everything, so 9th-12th is their range.
3. We should find out the fate of Todd McLellan and Doug Wilson pretty quickly when the season comes to a close. I wouldn’t anticipate any decisions dragging into the month of May because why delay the inevitable? It’s either going to be a vote of confidence for both, a full cleaning or a McLellan firing. Everyone knows my stance on both of the Sharks polarizing non-player figures so I’ll leave you with what Plattner should do if he emerges from his Wikipedia page to grace the media to talk about Wilson/McLellan:
4. Everyone forgets that Brendan Dillon is only 24 years old. He’s had a solid season since coming over to the Sharks and should be a strong part of the future on the blueline. He’s 6’4, 225lbs, plays a solid game and is still developing his skills. We’ve even seen flashes of puck movement from time to time. He’s a safe play on defence and he’s only getting better.
5. Imagine the Sharks beat the odds and won the first pick? McDavid is ridiculous. Who does this in a major junior playoff game?
Supertalangen McDavid à¤r fantastisk! I natt gjorde han 5 mà¥l i en slutspelsmatch och sॠdetta. Wow! https://t.co/VJmqqcCJRI
— Joakim Svensson (@hockey_joakim) April 11, 20156. The top three vote getters from the poll two days ago are Zach Werenski (31%), Pavel Zacha (18%) and Timo Meier (17%). Not surprisingly, the defender was chosen. It’s a glaring weakness on the Sharks that needs to be rectified. If you draft Zacha for the sole purpose of being a winger that’s fine, but to draft him to play 3rd or 4th line center is a waste of a pick so high. The holes on this team aren’t going to fill themselves.
7. Some milestones within reach today: Pavelski needs one point to hit 70 for the second straight season, Patrick Marleau needs one goal to reach 20 for the 13th time in his career and Brent Burns needs one point to hit the 60 point mark.
8. Worcester is 5 points up on Springfield in the playoff race so I’m sure they’ll be able to breathe a little easier when the Sharks send the available bodies down for reinforcements. The baby Sharks could be a candidate to make a surprisingly deep run in the AHL playoffs with the help that will be on the way.
Thanks for reading.
*I'd like to send a huge thank you out to everyone who donated to the Canadian Cancer Society and helped me hit (and exceed) my fundraising goal for the Ottawa Marathon. I crossed over the 100% mark and the support is greatly appreciated. http://convio.cancer.ca/goto/timchiasson