Follow me on Twitter:
@BenShelley_20
Follow HockeyBuzz Sharks Twitter:
@HB_Sharks
The San Jose Sharks remained undefeated after their trip to Ontario, picking up a 2-1 win over the Ottawa Senators last night, followed by a 5-3 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs today.
It was a pretty even game overall against the Senators through the first 40 minutes. That said, the Sharks were really just hanging in the third period, but managed to get the win.
In tonight's game, the Leafs did manage to keep a lot of the play in the Sharks’ end through parts of the game. However, Adin Hill was very good and the Sharks pressured Toronto's defenders well and capitalized on some of Toronto’s mistakes to take the win.
While the Sharks weren’t necessarily as strong in their games in Ontario as they were against the Winnipeg Jets and Montreal Canadiens, San Jose’s 4-0 start – with three of those games coming on the road – is excellent and unexpected.
There are some pretty noticeable differences in the team compared to last season, the first of those being the forward group, which I’ve already talked about a bit. William Eklund and Jonathan Dahlen have been excellent additions and have really helped the top-six. Then there's the bottom-six, in which four of six forwards are new additions to the lineup, and I think Andrew Cogliano specifically has been great.
On defense, there’s been one key difference for me, and that’s been the play of Erik Karlsson. Not only has he been very productive to start the year, but the larger impact has been his play in the defensive zone. He’s been winning battles, has been much more reliable with the puck behind his own net and isn’t getting caught out of position anywhere near as much. Karlsson’s counted on as one of the team’s most important players and so far, he’s looking a lot better to start the year.
Then lastly, Adin Hill and James Reimer have provided the Sharks with steady goaltending early on, which is something the team hasn't had in a long time.
After four games, the Sharks are much more competitive and while we'll still need a larger sample size to really figure out what this team is, the unexpected start puts the team in a good position early on.
***NOTE: We've launched a HockeyBuzz Sharks Twitter account! For anyone interested, you can follow
@HB_Sharks for updates on articles, Sharks news, etc.***
Quiz Maker
OTHER ARTICLES FROM OCTOBER
Sharks claim Jonah Gadjovich off waivers from Canucks
Sharks reveal opening night roster
Evander Kane suspended 21 games for violating COVID protocols
Sharks look surprisingly great through first two games
Sharks won’t be able to void Evander Kane’s contract 
San Jose Sharks Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»