Depth needs to step things up
San Jose has had scoring opportunities despite Burns’ struggles
FARMER’S BRANCH, Texas — The Sharks should have enough depth to win games even when an explosive player like Brent Burns is mired in an extended points drought.
It’s when a handful of his teammates experience the same problem that losing streaks, like the one the Sharks are on, start to happen.
The Sharks have scored a combined four goals in the four straight games that they’ve lost going into Friday’s game against the Dallas Stars. Burns may not have a point in his last seven, but there also comes a time when others simply need to pick it up.
“We just need to help him out, it shouldn’t be all on one guy,” Sharks center Joe Thornton said of Burns. “I think we’ve got to give him better opportunities to put him in better spots.
“We’re not doing a good enough job to kind of work away from him and get him opportunities.”
Burns is still having a standout season, particularly for a defenseman, with 27 goals and 70 points through 73 games this season.
Burns is the first player opposing teams mention when they talk about slowing down the Sharks. When Burns has a point, the Sharks are 33-9-3 this season. When he’s held without a point, the Sharks are 9-15-4.
Still, coach Pete DeBoer pointed out that even when Burns hasn’t been on the scoresheet lately, the Sharks have created enough chances to win, such as against Anaheim on Saturday, Dallas on Monday and Minnesota on Tuesday.
They just couldn’t put them away.
“I don’t think we only score when Brent Burns is on,” DeBoer said. “We’re deeper than that, we’ve shown that. He hasn’t scored in a while, but up until a few games ago, we were putting up some significant goals and number and offense.”
It’s a safe bet that if the Sharks want to get back to the Stanley Cup final, the production will have to be spread more evenly.
Tomas Hertl’s points drought is at 10 games, Joonas Donskoi’s is at nine and Mikkel Boedker’s is at eight. The six other Sharks defensemen, in the last four games, have combined for one goal and two assists.
“My game, for sure I expect more from myself,” Hertl said before Tuesday’s game in Minnesota. “It’s already nine or 10 games without a point, so it’s a little bit tough. But I try to stay with my game. Make plays, be strong on the puck.”
“Hertl and Donskoi, to me, are the wild cards for this team,” said NHL Network analyst Mike Rupp, who played in 610 games over 11 seasons. “If those guys can play at the level we’ve seen them play in the playoffs, I think this team definitely gets back to the Stanley Cup finals.
“If they’re not at that level, it makes this team a little more susceptible to losing, just like we’re seeing now.”
Burns doesn’t feel the Sharks are that far off from turning things around.
“I don’t think it’s much. I think it’s just bounces,” Burns said. “It’s the same thing I say when things are going well. It’ll change. Just have to work through it.”
The Sharks should be able to draw on some past experience as they try to end their skid. After all, they went through a similar stretch right around this time of the season last year.
The Sharks suffered three straight losses on home ice from March 2226, 2016, coming up short against St. Louis, Edmonton and Dallas.
The three-game losing streak cost the Sharks a chance at home ice advantage for the first round of the playoffs, and this year’s skid has put their hopes of winning the Pacific Division more at risk.
But in 2016 the Sharks were able to win five of their last seven and at least recapture some momentum going into the start of the postseason, which ended with their first-ever trip to the Stanley Cup final.
Important to do the same now?
“In a perfect world, we’d want to run the table here and go in on a high,” DeBoer said. “That doesn’t guarantee you anything game one of the playoffs.”
“You’ve just got win. It doesn’t really matter,” Burns said. “It’s the same stuff we usually talk. Just have to win. Same thing as if you had won four in a row. Doesn’t matter. You’ve just got win the next one.”