After important win, difficult stretch ahead
The Sharks are about to embark on another difficult portion of their schedule, perhaps every bit as challenging as the last two-plus weeks in January when they played eight straight games on the road over a 15-day span.
The Sharks travel to play the St. Louis Blues on Thursday and Saturday. They then begin an eight-game homestand which includes three games with the Vegas Golden Knights, two with the Colorado Avalanche and two more with the Blues.
Tuesday, the NHL announced the Sharks will host the Minnesota Wild on Feb. 22, a game that was initially supposed to be played April 23.
It’s a daunting string of games for even the best teams in the NHL.
That’s part of the reason why the Sharks’ 3-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks on
Monday was so critical. Not only was it an important two points against a team they’re going to have chase down if they want to make the playoffs, but it also gives the Sharks a little bit of momentum before a stretch of games against arguably the best teams the West Division has to offer.
“(Anaheim’s) a team
we’re trying to catch,” said Sharks goalie Martin Jones, who had 26 saves in the win. “It seems like every game, with the way the schedule is, every game’s an important game. They’re all division games, so today was definitely big for us to get a little momentum going into this next road trip.
Takeaways from Monday’s game:
PLAYING WITHOUT KARLSSON >> Defenseman Erik Karlsson has a lower body injury and is considered day-to-day. It’s unknown when exactly he’ll be back, but it appears he’ll be able to return sooner than Radim Simek, who is on injured reserve with an upper body ailment.
The Sharks played pretty well Monday without both defensemen. Their power play had good puck movement and was able to generate a handful of quality looks, with John Leonard scoring with the man advantage in the first period for his first NHL goal.
In place of Karlsson and Simek, the Sharks dressed Fredrik Claesson and Nicolas Meloche. Coach Bob Boughner was pleased with how they played in their first game as a pair. Nikolai Knyzhov and Marc-Edouard Vlasic played close to 22 and 25 minutes, respectively.
But a note of caution for those thinking the Sharks are a better team without Karlsson than they are with him. Actually, two.
First, Jones had to make a few key saves in the first two periods, especially in the first five minutes of the game. Without him, the Sharks could have easily been down after 40 minutes instead of up 3-1. Second, the Sharks were playing the Ducks, which is not the same as playing Vegas or Colorado or even St. Louis. If Karlsson can’t play Thursday, this same Sharks lineup figures to have a tougher time with
the Blues than they had Monday with the less-potent — and less-deep — Anaheim Ducks.
That’s not to say the Sharks can’t take some things from Monday’s game and use them going forward.
Knyzhov spent some time on the penalty kill against the Ducks and could, with more experience, be in a position to take those minutes from Karlsson. That could benefit Knyzhov’s development as a pro and lessen Karlsson’s load, allowing him to save some energy and play more to his strengths as a force at even strength and on the power play. It’s worth a shot considering he had just four assists in 13 games this season.
Monday’s game also gave us a glimpse of what it means to have Brent Burns at the top of the Sharks’ power play, and how San Jose could benefit if he and Karlsson were on separate units. We still say it’s worth exploring, even of its just for a game or two.
In any case, Boughner seemed to like what he saw Monday.
“We want to be more in an attack mode and I thought that we had a much different look with Burns up top,” Boughner said. “I think that the penalty
killers have to respect that big shot up there and that opens up the flanks a little bit. So it was a different look for us, one that I thought that probably was one of the better ones of the year.”
BOUNCING BACK >> Jones was called on the carpet by Boughner after the Sharks’ 6-2 loss to the Los Angeles Kings last week. But Jones was better in the last two games. Although the .889 save percentage in the games against the Golden Knights and Ducks is hardly otherworldly, it is a small step in the right direction.
Devan Dubnyk should be available to play either Thursday or Saturday, Boughner said earlier Monday. But Jones at least goes into that series with a little more confidence and momentum.