San Jose finishes 2game sweep
It’s a little late, but the Sharks are getting more comfortable competing within their division.
Rookie defenseman Nikolai Knyzhov scored his first career goal and goalie Martin Jones made 26 saves as San Jose swept a twogame set and brief homestand with a 42 win over Minnesota at SAP Center on Wednesday night.
Rudolfs Balcers, Ryan Donato and Evander Kane also scored goals. Tomas Hertl and Brent Burns added two assists apiece.
Because the corona virus-influenced schedule was reworked to include division only play, not only does every night pose as a fourpoint swing but each game serves as a measuring stick.
To be the best, teams have to beat the best. Nothing new there. And though the Sharks are not a threat to any of the top dogs this season, their games provide an opportunity to assess exactly where they have to improve to return to division contention.
“The experience our young guys are getting this year is going to help them coming back next year,” Sharks head coach Bob Boughner said. “Especially guys who are in the same roles. They’ll be able to play 4050 games now, and that experience will help them.”
Assuming the NHL opts to return to the former division alignment, the Sharks won’t be dealing with Minnesota, Colorado and St. Louis in the Pacific next season when Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver are expected to return. And Arizona is targeted for a move to the Central to allow expansion Seattle into the Pacific.
San Jose will, however, still be looking for ways to narrow the gap against Vegas and possibly Edmonton. But it might be on more even footing with everyone else — Los Angeles and Anaheim, in addition to the Flames, Canucks and the Seattle Kraken.
“The big thing about the top teams is their depth,” Boughner said. “Their third and fourth lines are good NHL players who might be a little older. Every team’s got one or two good young guys, but not two lines of young guys.”
“The top teams are really skilled offensively, but they’re tough to play against defensively,” Jones added. “You need a little bit of everything to be a top team.”
Although every team will undergo at least some change, Boughner still sees the Western Conference featuring a heavier style of play. That puts a premium on size and physical play without sacrificing speed and skill.
The Sharks have shuffled a number of young players — five have made their NHL debuts — and that practice will continue to allow management to make decisions and allow prospects to gain valuable experience.
But San Jose has been exposed on many nights because of its inexperience, especially in the bottom two forward lines.
“On the road, you want to throw your third and fourth lines out with a center man you’re not going to have to worry about a mismatch, and they can play against the top lines,” Boughner said. “When you’re at home, you want that third or fourth line to be able to play against the opponent second line, so you can use your second line to jump their third and fourth lines. That's what depth does.”