Fehr’s experience pays off
Since coming over in deadline deal, he has stabilized fourth line
SAN JOSE >> Eric Fehr had just scored his third goal in five games, a sharp angle shot that got past New Jersey Devils goalie Cory Schneider for a first-period Sharks lead.
Sharks coach Pete DeBoer then kept
Fehr and linemates
Jannik Hansen and Barclay Goodrow out there for the next shift, and Fehr responded with an- other scoring chance against the Devils just a few seconds after his goal.
Fehr, 32, knows that whatever offense he and his linemates can provide — as they did Tuesday night against the Devils with three goals — is icing on the cake. His offensive production, after all, has been part of a 27-goal outburst by the Sharks during their five-game win streak.
The biggest thing Fehr has
brought to the Sharks’ fourth line since he was acquired Feb. 20 from Toronto is stability at the fourth line center position, something San Jose may have last truly enjoyed two years ago during its run to the Stanley Cup Final. In other words, Fehr has been everything the Sharks hoped he would be.
“That’s what you’re trying to do, you’re trying to earn your coach’s trust, your teammates’ trust, and it starts with just being tough to play against every night,” Fehr said Wednesday. “You can build it out from there, but the foundation has to be that you’re strong in you’re own zone.
“Everything that comes after that is a bonus.”
After they tried Ryan Carpenter and Danny O’Regan there in the first half of the year, the Sharks were in the market for a fourth line center as the trade deadline approached.
Carpenter managed one assist in 16 games, was placed on waivers in early January and was claimed by Thursday’s Sharks’ opponent, the Vegas Golden Knights. O’Regan also struggled to dent the scoresheet and was shipped to Buffalo on Feb. 26 as part of the trade that brought Evander Kane to San Jose.
Goodrow and Joel Ward spent time as the Sharks’ fourth line center as a stop-gap and looked good at times but are more natural on the wing.
With Fehr in place, the Sharks finally have an experienced combination of centers that can be relied
on to match up well with most teams.
Even against the Devils, Fehr, Hansen and Goodrow were on the ice at times against New Jersey’s first or second lines and mostly held their own. By doing that, it allowed the Sharks’ top two lines to get on the ice against New Jersey’s depth forwards.
And it’s not like Fehr is strictly a grinder. He scored 19 goals for the Washington Capitals in 2014-15, and had 28 points in 34 games for the San Diego Gulls of the AHL earlier this season, an experience he said helped him regain confidence.
“Last night we were able to get a couple goals, which is nice,” Fehr said of his line’s performance in the Sharks’ 6-2 rout of the Devils. “You’re not going to expect that from our line every night, but that’s what we want to do. We want to be able to contribute and help our team get on the scoresheet.”
It’s the same enviable position the Sharks were in two years ago, when they brought in veteran Nick Spaling to solidify the fourth line center spot.
Spaling had two goals and four assists in 23 regular season games but won faceoffs, killed penalties and was mostly reliable in his own zone.
Fehr brings the same qualities as Spaling did, only at 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds, he’s three inches taller and about 20 pounds heavier.
“Veteran guy, Stanley Cup winner a pro,” DeBoer said when asked why Fehr’s fit in so well. “He’s played multiple roles. He’s like Joel Ward. These guys came into the league (and have) played as scorers, played as checkers, played on the power play, they’ve played on the penalty kill.
“He’s a good pro, and when you get a guy like that that’s willing to accept whatever role you give
him, that’s always a value to your team.”
Injured forwards Ward and Joonas Donskoi both skated Wednesday. Ward is ready, it appears, to come off injured reserve at any time if needed. Donskoi is also getting closer but may not be ready to play against the Golden Knights.
TUESDAY’S LATE SUMMARY SHARKS 6, DEVILS 2