How Good Are The Sharks?

Seven wins, two losses. A Pacific-leading 14 points. But just how good are this year’s San Jose Sharks?

It’s time we find out.

With the Stanley Cup finalist Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings rolling into The Tank Tuesday and Thursday respectively, the Sharks have an opportunity to prove their merit. Consider:

* Going into their games (excluding the first game against Philly), San Jose’s opponents were a collective 4-12-2. Not exactly the cream of the NHL crop.

* The Kings, Blue Jackets, Panthers, and Lightning were non-playoff teams last year.

* Philadelphia had yet to win in regulation.

Fairly trivial statistics in the grand scheme of things- as That’ll Cheech You pointed out earlier, the Sharks are outshooting teams at a frantic clip- a statistic that tends to determine the relative success of a squad both in the regular season and playoff time.

So what say you Sharks fans? Do the Sharks have what it takes to win a Pacific division that (on paper) will be one of the toughest divisions in the league once again this year? Will Todd McLellan’s highly vaunted offense pay dividends down the road when fully in place? Does the powerplay have the ability to finally break out?

Stay tuned. Because this week we get a glimpse into what the rest of this year may hold.

How will the Sharks fare against the league’s best this week?