NHL: Sharks

Sharks start new win streak in LA, but will it last?

by Jason Reed
Hockeytalk.biz

MARCH 19, 2008 -- The San Jose Sharks rattled off 11 wins in a row before meeting up with the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday night, dropping one in a shootout. With the team fighting for their Pacific Division lives, the Sharks looked to get back on the W train on Tuesday night at Staples center as they took on the LA Kings.

They did board the train, defeating the Kings 2-1, but the Sharks didn’t look like the dominating squad that we remember from the past month. Instead, they lumbered through the game and visions of the streaky Sharks teams of seasons past begun to emerge.

Led by center Joe Thornton (20/64/84) and newly acquired defenseman Brian Campbell (7/47/54) the Sharks are a very balanced team. After Thornton and Campbell you have a group of Sharks between 31 and 39 points—Joe Pavelski (31), Craig Rivet (34), Jonathan Cheechoo (35) and Patrick Marleau (39).

Back in February it looked as if this was going to be business as usual for the Sharks—play great early on, then as the season winds down, so do their winning ways. Beginning with a Valentines Day loss to the Oilers in San Jose the Sharks dropped four straight before embarking on their 11 game win streak.

Trailing the Red Wings by only five points and with one game in hand, the Sharks have a realistic chance of catching the top team in the West with seven games remaining on their schedule. Their remaining schedule isn’t easy. They play L.A. one more time, but other than that it is a feast of Ducks, Coyotes and Stars—the two teams nipping at their heels plus a team fighting for the last playoff spot. Whether or not they take the Pacific depends on which Sharks team shows up for the remaining contests.

Campbell has been huge for the Sharks, scoring 11 points in his first ten games with San Jose. He has logged a ton of minutes and has quarterbacked the power play like John Elway in the two-minute drill. Another player who San Jose fans may not recognize is Marleau. The Sharks captain struggled through the first 60 games, but in the last 11 contests since acquiring Campbell, Marleau is on fire, with six goals and three assists in ten games.

San Jose struggled early in the LA game, with Thornton scoring a power play goal at the 17:09 mark of the first period. Other than that, they had a hard time getting a quality shot on Kings goalie Dan Cloutier. Patrick Rissmiller scored his eighth of the season (a career high) jamming a rebound of his own shot through the five-hole at the 16:23 mark of the second.

The Sharks simply didn’t look like the team that dominated for 11 games. With the effort they gave in L.A. don’t be surprised if San Jose drops to the four or five seed and a possible/probable first round exit. Of course, if they play the way they did during the win streak, don’t be surprised if they hoist the Presidents Trophy either.

“Detroit plays the rest of their games in conference, so it’s theirs to lose,” said San Jose coach Ron Wilson after the game Tuesday night. The same can be said about San Jose. Finish the season playing the way they did Sunday and Tuesday and they end up as a four or five seed battling Anaheim or Dallas. But, play the way they did during the win streak and the second seed is theirs for the taking along with a first round date with an easier opponent.

Top

Home

SAN JOSE SHARKS

BACK TO SHARKS MAIN

Write for us!