Sharks vs. Ducks: By the numbers
A look at the numbers behind the Sharks' 4-0 win over Anaheim.
- One of the larger discrepancies between the possession numbers and scoring chances that I've seen in a game but there are a couple of obvious explanations. The first is that the Sharks, for the second straight contest, led Anaheim by multiple goals nearly the entire way through. The second is that San Jose blocked an inordinate amount of shots in this game. Anaheim attempted 54 shots at even-strength and the Sharks blocked 28 of them, a 52% block rate that's double the league average of 26%. Needless to say, definitely a game where the chances painted a clearer picture than shot attempt differential.
- It's hard not to marvel at the job Patrick Marleau, Logan Couture and Tommy Wingels did last night. In addition to starting four times as many even-strength shifts in their own end as in the offensive zone, they were hard-matched by Todd McLellan against an uber-line of Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Teemu Selanne. And yet the Sharks outchanced the Ducks by a ridiculous 6-1 margin when they were on the ice. They probably won't be able to do this on a nightly basis but holy hell was that fun to watch.
- The upside to having actual forward depth: the Sharks' de facto "top" line of Havlat, Thornton and Burns basically did nothing of consequence at either end of the rink during even-strength play. It didn't matter because their other three lines all handily outplayed or drew even with their respective matchups. Even the best players in the league aren't "on" every night, the key is supplementing them with enough depth for it to not matter.
- Seriously, this might be the most even distribution of 5v5 minutes I've seen doled out among the forward lines this season. Opening up a 3-0 lead early certainly had a lot to do with that but it was very clear McLellan could trust any of his four lines to perform their role last night. That hasn't always been the case this season. Hopefully Adam Burish and Michal Handzus don't draw into the lineup anytime soon.
- Brad Stuart and Jason Demers were a quietly effective pairing during a stint together earlier this season and once again had a nice outing in their reunion. It would be nice to see Vlasic and Irwin switch places among the pairings deployed last night but that feels greedy at this point./