The Sharks beat the Avalanche last night in a game in which they dominated the puck for most of the contest, firing shot after shot at Semyon Varlamov until the total reached 51. It’s safe to say that if not for Varlamov this game gets nowhere near OT, even if the Sharks fired their fair share of low percentage shots at the Colorado net.
It was a great follow up performance to the Anaheim game and got the Sharks another important two points on the road.
Sharks Third Line
This game was probably the best performance by a Sharks third line in a very long time. The Nieto-Sheppard-Tierney combination was outstanding for the entire game despite a team-low zone start %.
Those are impressive numbers and that line is the reason that the Avalanche were outshot 41-17 through two periods of play. The return of James Sheppard has had a very positive impact on the bottom six for San Jose as they attempt to find some consistency from the third and fourth lines.
Brent Burns
Brent Burns continued to be a driving force offensively from the blue-line, recording another goal. The shift to the blue-line hasn’t been without growing pains defensively but Burns is adjusting well and he’ll only get better as the season goes along. Being able to control the play from the blueline has allowed Burns to see plays develop better and the result is that #88 is the leading scoring defender through October. Burns and his rookie defensive partner played their best game of the season together against the Avalanche. Special Teams
While the power play failed to score they did record 10 shots on four man-advantages. A disappointing PP result was supported by a solid penalty kill that saw San Jose successfully kill three Avalanche power plays.
The PP isn’t going to score every game and it’s in those non-scoring games that the PK has to be able to pull their weight and ensure the opposing team can’t gain momentum. That happened last night and the Sharks were rewarded. Even though they didn’t score the PP units looked good for the Sharks.
The Sharks defense was also noticeably better as a whole and had they avoided overtime they would have held the Avs to under 30 shots, but I’ll take 33 with an OT period and chalk it in the win column.
Logan Couture continued his strong play and now has 10 points in his last 7 games after starting the season with only one assists in the first four games. It was only a matter of time before Couture’s luck turned around and he began to find the sheet often.
San Jose’s next game is in Minnesota on Thursday to take on the defensively sound Wild in a tilt of strong Western Conference teams that are both expected to be playoff occupants.
Other Notes:
Burns’ goal was his 300th NHL point and he now sits one assist away from 200 for his career.
Barclay Goodrow should be returning soon, as Kevin Kurz of CSN Bay Area reports. Goodrow’s return has been long anticipated for the Sharks as they look to find stability in their bottom six group.
Also close to return, as mentioned in my last post, is Tyler Kennedy. If Kennedy and Goodrow are ready to return soon that means that Tierney, McGinn and Burish could be fighting with Kennedy and Goodrow for spots in the lineup. A healthy battle that might finally see Burish scratched from the lineup.
Thanks for reading.