Hockey

San Jose Sharks stutter but should recover

In the NHL this season, all the teams have played between 24 and 28 games but the only team who has managed to rack up over 20 wins so far is the San Jose Sharks. The Sharks have been setting a blistering pace in the Pacific Division and also sit atop the Western Conference. Having only played 27 games so far, this means the record is even more impressive than first thought with only four games so far ending in anything other than triumph for the team. That’s why it was perhaps a bit of a surprise that their most recent match ended in a 3-2 OT defeat to Edmonton to give the San Jose Sharks their second home loss of the season. Both of these games were lost in overtime which gives further evidence of just how hard to beat this side currently is. Their current points total of 46 sees them six points clear of their closest rivals in the Western Conference with the Detroit Red Wings sitting in second place with 18 victories from 26 matches. This ensures that the match on the 18th of December when the Detroit Red Wings play host to the San Jose Sharks is shaping up to be a massive match for the NHL.

However, there is very little time to stand still in hockey and the San Jose Sharks have to overcome four matches before they can focus on the challenge of Detroit. Three home games against the Anaheim Ducks, St. Louis Blues and the Los Angeles Kings will give the home crowd fans the opportunity to cheer their heroes on before the team travels to take on the Columbus Blue Jackets on the eve of their match against Detroit.

With four games to navigate before then, there will obviously be some changes to the Sharks current record which stands at 22-3-2 but few would bet against them adding a few more wins in the opening column. The Sharks are the only team to surpass 100 goals so far this season which indicates their strength lies in attacking and punishing teams. A few teams in the NHL have a better defensive record than the Sharks at the moment so they may leave gaps which can be exploited at the back but it is hard to argue with victories and that’s something that the San Jose Sharks have more of than any other team at the moment.

With just over a quarter of the regular season gone so far, its far too early to say that any team looks a certainty to bring home the honors at the end of the campaign but if the Sharks maintain their current run of form, they are going to take some stopping. A total of 13 games are in the fixture list for the Sharks in December and if the team remains top at the end of this punishing schedule, at a time when most fans are celebrating Christmas and enjoying the party season then there will be few credentials about the teams’ long term chances. The away trip to Detroit will offer a strong indication of the possibility of San Jose dominating their Conference but with so many matches coming thick and fast, a loss of form could prove disastrous for any team who encounters a sticky period.