It must be unbelievably tough to be a San Jose Sharks fan these days.
Unfortunately, there is nothing really nice to say about the Sharks right now. This is especially the case after the team lost by a score of 10-1 to the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night, November 2nd.
As of this writing (Friday, November 3rd), the Sharks own the league’s worst record at 0-9-0-1 and have shown absolutely no signs of improving. There are many reasons why they are struggling so much.
For starters, this team has a lot of trouble scoring goals. The Sharks are currently last in the league in goals scored as they have scored just 10 goals in 10 games, so if you are counting at home, that means that they are scoring one goal per game, which is obviously awful.
It is easy to see why the Sharks are not putting the puck in the net. Tomas Hertl, usually one of their best offensive players, currently has just five points (one goal and four assists), and their second-leading scorer, Fabian Zetterlund, has just four points (three goals and one assist).
The Sharks are currently without their captain, Logan Couture, due to a lower-body injury. Couture is usually one of their most consistent forwards, so it definitely hurts that he is out of the lineup.
It also does not help the Sharks that they no longer have defenseman Erik Karlsson, as he went to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the offseason. Karlsson led the team in scoring last season with 101 points (25 goals and 76).
The team also traded Timo Meier to the New Jersey Devils last season. Meier was someone who never had trouble putting the puck in the net for the Sharks.
As one can imagine, the team has been horrible defensively. As of this writing, they have given up the most goals in the league as they have allowed 44 goals in ten games, which means that they are allowing about four goals per game.
The Sharks give up a lot of odd-man rushes, do not do much to help out their goaltenders, and the team gives up a lot of shots on a nightly basis. In fact, the Sharks are last in the league in that category, as they give up about 38 shots per game, which certainly makes it tough to win hockey games.
While one cannot blame the team’s goaltending for its horrific start, they certainly have struggled just like everyone else. Newcomer Mackenzie Blackwood, who was outstanding in his first start with the Sharks, came crashing back down to earth.
As of this writing, Blackwood, 26, is 0-5-0-1 with a 4.17 goals-against average and a .895 save percentage. Considering the amount of shots the team gives up every game, a .895 save percentage is not terrible.
The club’s other goaltender, Kaapo Kahkonen, has also been quite bad to start the season. Kahkonen, 27, is currently 0-4 with a 4.30 goals-against average and a .876 save percentage.
I am sorry, Sharks fans, but it is going to be a very long season for you and your favorite team.
ITR 46: Offseason Chaos – Inside The Rink
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