This season has been a period of rebuilding, growth and developing the team’s skills. The San Jose Sharks have struggled to find themselves out of the bottom of the league. Each game, win or lose, is never the same in the end. The drive, momentum and passion to win fluctuate every game.
Sharks Struggle To Keep Momentum From Game To Game
Warsofsky had a whole list of things for #SJSharks to improve on from tonight, a listless performance: “We need more from everyone else. Competitiveness, puck play, execution, 50-50 pucks, races, things that it takes to win in the league consistently. We need more of that.”…
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) January 17, 2025
In recent games, their ability to make plays, score on power plays and their number of takeaways, is terrible. When comparing their 6-3 win over the Detroit Red Wings to the 4-1 loss against the Columbus Blue Jackets. It’s noticeable to see where they focused their attention and where they slacked off.
Sharks Relying On Only A Handful Of Players To Fight
The Sharks had an impressive win over the Red Wings on January 14th to start their road trip. They had 24 shots on goal while the Red Wings had 28. They won 47.1% of their faceoffs, they had 18 giveaways, eight takeaways and 18 blocked shots. Their 6-3 win should have propelled them to keep that force moving forward. However, it seemed to not affect their drive to win the next game.
The 70’s line as they are called, consisting of Macklin Celebrini, William Eklund and Tyler Toffoli collected eight points alone against the Red Wings. For only playing 10 games this season together on the same line, they were the highest-scoring line the Sharks had.
Celebrini is an elite talent, but the skill that doesn’t get talked about enough are his puck receptions. You rarely see him bobble a puck. Every puck he gets he moves it into a dangerous position with his feet in stride—a huge detail, IMO. #SJSharkspic.twitter.com/Bvp0ZzStWe
— Max Miller (@Real_Max_Miller) January 15, 2025
Now, focusing on their most recent 4-1 defeat against the Blue Jackets, two days later. It is as if we are looking at a completely different team. They recorded only one shot on goal in the second period and only came alive in the third period.
San Jose had 19 shots on goal while the Blue Jackets had 34. The Sharks did have a 60% win on faceoffs, however, 19 giveaways did not help them one bit.
Where Do The Sharks Need To Focus?
For starters, they should not be leaning on an 18-year-old rookie to lead the team. Each player needs to start playing harder and working on their areas of weakness if they ever want to move from last place.
An area of focus for the Sharks is to start learning how to end plays. They need to grow their skill in puck handling to make it harder for their opponents to get a stick on it. Focusing on limiting their number of takeaways and giveaways is also a great place to start. Their last two games have had high numbers of giveaways.
The defense needs improving. The Sharks do have great players like Jan Rutta, Cody Ceci and Jake Walman who have provided much-needed depth to the Sharks. However, they have been hit with injuries that have taken out their top defensive players.
NHL GameScore Impact Card for San Jose Sharks on 2025-01-16: pic.twitter.com/DPJm25wAoI
— HockeyStatCards (@hockeystatcards) January 17, 2025
Another area that the Sharks need to work on is their ability to put pressure on the other teams all over the ice. Putting pressure on them when they have the puck, getting in the way, intercepting passes and continuing to be an aggressive force.
The Sharks have struggled to play a full 60 minutes. They slow down in the third, or they don’t come alive until the third. They need to grow their level of competitiveness, grow their ability to push harder and keep fighting.
The Sharks will not make it out of the bottom of the league until they get a grasp of what it takes to play.
San Jose Sharks Looking Comfortable In Last Place
The Sharks remain last in the Pacific Divison with a depressing total of 34 points. If they want to get out of last place, they need to pass the Seattle Kraken who have racked up 41 points. This does not seem like a promising goal for the Sharks with their recent level of play.
They are 14-27-6 this season in 47 games played. They will play the New York Islanders on Saturday, January 18th. This will be the third game in their current five-game road trip.
It will be a surprise for all to see what version of the Sharks shows up on Saturday. An opportunity for the Sharks winning ways to pick up.
Main Photo: Samantha Madar/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images
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