How bad are the San Jose Sharks?

Photo: David Becker/NHLI/Getty Images

How bad are the Sharks?

Twenty-four points. That’s the (low) bar the 2023-24 San Jose Sharks need to clear to ensure they aren’t the worst version of the franchise in team history. For now, that dubious honor goes to the 1992-93 Sharks, who recorded a paltry 24 points that season, allowed a whopping 414 goals against (including a 13-1 loss to the Calgary Flames), and finished 11-71. -1 plate.

The 2023-2024 Sharks may not be in the same dire situation as their predecessors, but at the time of writing they have just six wins and 14 points in 25 games. They have lost 19 games, including two in overtime. This puts them on course for around 45 points this season – which is a far cry from the brutal season of ’92-93, but probably no one wants to remember. But that doesn’t mean there haven’t been memorable moments:

Speaking of scoring, as of Monday night the Sharks have a goal differential of minus 55, nearly double that of the next worst team in that area, the Chicago Blackhawks (who, it should be noted, have only one win). than the sharks). Goals allowed are a calling card of this Sharks team: they allow an average of four goals per game. By comparison, the LA Kings, the stingiest team in the league, are allowing an average of just 2.29 goals per game in the Pacific division. The Sharks, like that ’92-93 team, keep coming out of the closet, including back-to-back losses in early November in which they allowed ten goals: a 10-1 loss to the Canucks, followed by a 10-2 loss to the penguins. On the eve of Thanksgiving, the Sharks lost 7-1 to the Kraken, a game in which they allowed four goals in just over 18 minutes in the first period. “Embarrassing,” San Jose head coach David Quinn said after that game. “We weren’t ready to play. … Just absolutely embarrassing.”

The story continues

At even strength, the Sharks spend almost half their time (45.7%) in their own defensive zone. Even on the power play, the Sharks still struggle to create chances, spending more than a third (31%) of their time stuck in their own zone with the man advantage. The New Jersey Devils, who maintain the best power play in the league, spend just over 24% of their time with the man advantage in their own zone.

That said, the Sharks have had moments of good hockey. In fact, in the Sharks’ last ten games of the weekend, they have gone 4-5-1. Not bad, especially considering one of those four wins was against the Vancouver Canucks. And in their loss Sunday night in New York, the Sharks were able to score five goals against Jonathan Quick, who has a .918 save percentage and 2.34 goals-against average so far this year. Without a hat trick from the Rangers’ Artemi Panarin, the Sharks might have walked away from Manhattan with a win that night. After that game, Quinn’s tone was, rightly, more positive. “Our mental fortitude was impressive. … But we have to complete the checks and the back checks. You can’t leave anything to chance and we have left too much to chance.”

Minnesota Wild goalie Marc-Andre Fleury commissioned a new mask in celebration of Native American Heritage Night on Nov. 24. The new mask, designed by Cole Redhorse Taylor, an artist from Mdewakanton Dakota, featured floral motifs and Dakota language. Fleury, whose wife is Indigenous, did something similar when he wore a mask designed by an Ojibwe artist from Northern Ontario in Chicago in 2021.

But this time the NHL said no. The league threatened Fleury with a fine if he carried it, and followed up with the threat of a “significant” fine against the Wild as well (according to Fleury’s agent). Fleury reportedly called the decision “stupid” and wore the mask anyway. The league never followed up on the fine.

The NHL is clearly struggling when it comes to drawing lines around how and where it will allow its players to advocate for causes. This undoubtedly won’t be the last time something like this comes up – it was just a few weeks ago that the league had to back away from its short-lived ban on Pride tapes under similar circumstances. As the NHL continues to blunder, it is noted that the threats of fines so far have only been directed at players who advocate for a more open and diverse hockey family. No one who turned down the Pride jersey has ever had to make the same choice as Fleury.

Cup Chase

A familiar crowd still dominates the list of top contenders for the Cup. Boston and the New York Rangers are still at the top of the East, while Vegas and Colorado still lead the divisions in the West. But crowds are now gathering as even more clubs find their feet.

In the West, the Kings are battling the Canucks for second place in the Pacific. Notably, the Kings’ recent rise in the standings included an early November win against the Golden Knights – which is to say LA could be real. Meanwhile, Dallas and Winnipeg are jockeying in the Central Division, with the Jets riding a strong winning streak through November to pull themselves away from the Blues and Predators. But keep an eye on the Coyotes, who have won five in a row.

While Boston’s hot start has propelled them to the top of the Atlantic, the Panthers and Red Wings have started to look like more serious contenders in recent weeks. Meanwhile, the Leafs regressed, suffering losses in both Chicago and Pittsburgh around Thanksgiving, erasing the progress they made in Sweden during the Global Series. While the Rangers were still somewhat alone at the top of the Metro, Carolina moved them into second place this past month, ahead of, wait, the Philadelphia Flyers? Okay!

At the other end of the scale, not much has changed since October, aside from the New Jersey Devils’ fall from Metro contenders to bottom dwellers. The Devils score (mostly from tight positions), especially on the power play (a league-best 37.5%), but they are also scored often, conceding 3.6 goals per game, making them among the worst in the league belong. (somewhere around the Blackhawks and Oilers).

The Bedard-Hughes Show

Bedard still has his doubters, but there is no rational denial of his talents. Bedard had a pair of multi-point nights in November, including in Florida, where he scored two goals, one of which will almost certainly be a highlight of the season. Frankly, this is nonsense:

But Bedard wasn’t alone in November. Vancouver captain Quinn Hughes continued his strong start by becoming just the fifth defenseman in NHL history to record five three-point games within the first 16 games of a season – a record he shares with Bobby Orr (who won the twice), Denis Potvin, and Dennis Wilson.

And on the 25th, Hughes set a Canucks franchise record for most points by a defenseman in one month: 22. At the end of the month, Hughes was third in the league with 35 points, behind teammate JT Miller and Nikita Kucherov of Tampa Bay.

Elsewhere in the hockey world

Chicago – The curious case of Corey Perry started when he had a healthy clean sheet for two games in the penultimate week of November, on November 22 and 24. That weekend, Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson said Perry would be out for the “foreseeable future” but gave no details as to why. An exchange? A family problem? Not a single player knew. Neither coach had details. But online speculation was rife (and vile) and the Blackhawks made no attempt to quell it for days. Finally, on the 28th, Chicago placed Perry on waivers, effectively releasing him from the team entirely. As they made that move, the Blackhawks released a statement saying that an internal investigation found that Perry “engaged in conduct that was unacceptable and violated both the terms of his standard player contract and the Blackhawks’ internal policies to promote professional players. and safe working environments”. According to sources who spoke to ESPN, Perry had traveled to Columbus with the Blackhawks on the 21st – ahead of their game on the 22nd – “and an incident involving a team employee occurred that day.” Perry was removed from the lineup and the Blackhawks launched an investigation.

Detroit – The Perry drama somewhat overshadowed the other big news that arrived the same day: Patrick Kane signed a one-year, $2.75 million contract with the Red Wings. Daniel Sprong, who currently wears number 88 for the Wings, apparently offered it to Kane.

Boston – Bruins’ forward Milan Lucic was arrested by police early on the 18th following a domestic incident at Lucic’s home. Lucic was arraigned in Boston court three days later on charges of assault and battery against a family member. The night he was arrested, Lucic’s wife called police and said he had tried to strangle her. The police report said she later responded to that claim, but that Lucic had pulled her hair and police “observed redness on the victim’s chest.” Lucic entered the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program the day after his arraignment.

Belfast – Former Chelsea FC goaltender Petr Čech made his professional hockey debut on November 25 with the Belfast Giants of the Elite Ice Hockey League. Čech wears number 39 in tribute to dominant former NHL goaltender and compatriot Dominik Hašek, whose photos were among those that Čech scrapbooked as a child.

New York City – In November, the NHL introduced its own series of NFTs. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯