Okay, so the San Jose Sharks’ season has not started out the way we, the fans, had hoped. Obviously, these past two losses have been very difficult to take and have left us with a lot of feelings of doom and gloom. However, it’s time to put these feelings of frustration and anger into perspective because it’s only two games into the season and there are still 80 more games to go. What’s more, the Sharks, despite how ugly those losses have been, could still be in worst positions within the NHL at this early point in the season.
So, in this edition of Fear the Five, let’s talk about how it could be a lot worse.
We’re 28th in the league and have a .500 points percentage
Yes, the Sharks have lost the last two games, but points-wise, we’re 28th in the league. That’s nothing to write home about, but not last either. Then there’s the fact that we have a .500 points percentage. You know who doesn’t have that? Eleven other teams in the league. Yes, the Sharks have a better points percentage than 11 other teams in the league, which really doesn’t mean much, but it’s something.
Plus, since we’re looking on the bright side of things in this post, we have a better points percentage than the Los Angeles Kings, Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks and Tampa Bay Lightning.
The goaltending isn’t as bad as it looks
Now let’s talk about the elephant in the room. There are a lot of fans out there who want to think the sky is falling on the goaltending front just two games into the season, but let’s not overreact. The truth is, while both Alex Nedeljkovic and Yaroslav Askarov let in some stinkers in their debuts, they also made some exceptional saves.
According to MoneyPuck, Nedeljkovic’s goals saved above expected is just minus-1.1, while Askarov’s is just minus-0.7. That’s not ideal after a single game, but it’s not irreparable either. One good game could swing things back in the other direction for both goaltenders.
And if you want to find solace in the misery of other teams and their goaltenders, well, Adin Hill and Jordan Binnington are both having worse starts than Askarov. Meantime, Ilya Sorokin, Jacob Markstrom, Darcy Kuemper, Andrei Vasilevskiy, John Gibson and Dustin Wolf all have worse goals saved above expected stats than both Askarov and Nedeljkovic.
Our power play is cooking
Last season, the Sharks’ power play finished the season with an 18.6% rate, good enough for 26th in the league. This season, it’s off to a blistering start. The Sharks’ power play is third in the league. You read that right, third.
Admittedly, it’s not going to stay that way, but it’s a much-improved power play compared to last season. That’s in part because of the added personnel. We’ve added offensively gifted defenders in John Klingberg and Dmitry Orlov, as well as Sam Dickinson if he gets a shot. There are also forwards like Jeff Skinner, Michael Misa, Philipp Kurashev and Adam Gaudette that give the Sharks more options offensively, especially on the second unit.
As a result, the Sharks have a 37.5% power play conversion rate in this young season. So if you’re looking for a glass half full, there’s another place to look.
Balanced scoring
Those power play goals are coming from a lot of different places, too. We’re not just leaning on Macklin Celebrini or Will Smith, neither of whom have scored this season. Instead, we’re getting goals from all over the board.
Eight different players have goals so far this season with Skinner leading the way with two goals. What’s more, 15 different players have at least one point.
At least we’re scoring
And speaking of scoring, let’s be grateful that our players are finding the back of the net because there are teams that aren’t so lucky. Did you know that the Sabres have scored exactly two goals in three games? So you think the Sharks have it bad, imagine being a Sabres fan and not just watching your team lose, but also watching them lose without scoring.
In fact, when you rank all of the teams in the NHL by goals for, we’re 20th in the NHL and we’ve played fewer games than many of the teams above us. That’s not too bad. We’re losing, yes, but at least we’re scoring.
Conclusion
Yes, we’re losing Sharks fans and in heartbreaking fashion, but the sky is not falling. This is not the end of days. We are still okay. The team will be okay. We will be just fine.
