Scoring Chances: Game 2 vs. Phoenix

Complete scoring chances summary

On-ice scoring chances for and against

Team totals by game state

Head-to-head scoring chances

• The scoring chance numbers from this game are so lopsided that there’s almost nothing of significance to comment beyond “the Sharks played really well.” Any time you can hold a team to five scoring chances (just three at even-strength and, of those, only two on net) you stand a pretty good chance of winning, I’d say.
• What’s remarkable is how little differentiation there was between the even-strength performance of the team’s top three lines; the Thornton and Couture units in particular had identical 5v5 statlines of four on-ice chances for and zero against. The Sharks finally have some semblance of forward depth (although Raffi Torres in Nieto’s spot on that third line and Martin Havlat somewhere in the mix would certainly bolster that further) and it makes them a nightmare to match up against.
• Tomas Hertl was the story of the game, and for good reason, but I thought the Sharks’ other rookie forward in Matt Nieto had a much better night than he did against Vancouver when he looked somewhat lost out there. Nieto registered an impressive four scoring chances in 13:38 of five-on-five ice time.
• Against a team in Phoenix that loves to activate its defensemen, the Sharks essentially fought fire with fire by letting their own blueliners loose on the rush and in the offensive zone and it paid off big time. Even Scott Hannan found himself pinching as deep as the goal line at times.
• Speaking of Hannan, he and Demers drew a reasonable dose of the Coyotes‘ top line throughout the game and acquitted themselves really well. It’s only been two games, but Hannan (perhaps unsurprisingly) looks much more comfortable playing alongside a defenseman capable of advancing the puck in Jason Demers than he did paired with Stuart at the end of last season.