COVID issues haven’t derailed Sharks’ season
SAN JOSE » No one on the San Jose Sharks’ coaching staff has come out and explicitly said that James Reimer is the team’s No. 1 goalie.
Instead, Reimer’s statistics have done all the talking.
Reimer, in his third start in the last four games, stopped 26 of 28 shots Saturday in the Sharks’ 3-2 shootout loss to the New Jersey Devils. He was in net for all five points the Sharks earned on their five-game homestand, helping San Jose keep its season on the rails with multiple players still stuck in the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol.
The Sharks have gone 2-1-1 since coach Bob Boughner and several players — including defensemen Erik Karlsson, Jake Middleton, Radim Simek, and Marc-Edouard Vlasic — landed on the league COVID protocol list. Others out right now include forwards Timo Meier, Kevin Labanc, and Matt Nieto.
The Sharks (6-4-1) have received several noteworthy performances in that time, with Reimer at or near the top of the list.
After Saturday’s game, Reimer had a .946 save percentage, second-best among 39 NHL goalies who had played in at least five games. His 1.60 goalsagainst average was tops among all goalies in that category.
According to moneypuck.com,
Reimer’s goals saved above expected per 60 minutes is .765, which ranks 10th in the NHL.
“I feel pretty good,” said Reimer, now at 3-1-1 for the season. “In the season, there’s going to be ups and downs and it’s important to just to keep working on it every single day. You come to the rink and you have a purpose, you have a plan that you want to get better at and every day, you put the work in.
“When you do that, then you can feel prepared and confident for when the games come around, and you trust and rely on the work you put in.”
Reimer figures to stay busy over the next two weeks as the Sharks begin a daunting five-game road trip against playoff-caliber teams, starting with Tuesday’s game against the Calgary Flames. The Sharks entered Sunday tied for third place in the
Pacific Division with 13 points, four points back of the Flames.
Reimer, it seems, would have a good chance to keep the net for Tuesday’s game and possibly beyond, as the Sharks continue the trip with games against Winnipeg, Colorado. Minnesota and St. Louis.
“He’s played very, very well,” Sharks assistant coach John MacLean said of Reimer, “and I’m sure he wants to keep playing as well.”
Adin Hill got off to a fast start this season with a 3-0-0 record but is winless in his last three appearances. Hill stopped 23 of 27 shots in the Sharks’ 5-3 loss to St. Louis on Thursday.
DAHLEN’S START: Sharks winger Jonathan Dahlen’s third-period goal Saturday gave him five for the season, tying him with Detroit’s Lucas Raymond for the NHL lead among all rookies.