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The San Jose Sharks continue to slip in the Pacific Division standings, as the ground they gained in their 4-0 start to the season has quickly vanished. They’ve now won just four of their last 13 games and more recently, just one of their last five games. Over that stretch of games, they’ve been outscored by a margin of 19-8.

A lot of the scoring they had benefited from has dried up, as Tomas Hertl has just three points in his last seven games, Jonathan Dahlen has just one point over his last five games and Kevin Labanc didn’t register a point from the time he returned to the lineup. The team’s power play has been a letdown as of late as well, with just one goal on 11 opportunities over the last five games.

Adin Hill has also struggled and hasn’t been able to take hold of the starting job. He’s allowed at least three goals in seven of his nine games so far and has managed just an .890 save percentage. While James Reimer has been excellent for the Sharks this season, it’s concerning that Hill hasn’t been able to provide more stability in net.

The Sharks now find themselves 8-8-1 and sixth in the Division. They dropped the first game of their homestand last night against the Washington Capitals and will face the Carolina Hurricanes, Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs, before playing another five games on the road.

While the Sharks could still potentially find their footing again, it seems more likely that we saw a hot start and are now witnessing a more realistic version of the team. They’re more competitive but in what’s turned out to be a relatively tough division, San Jose is likely going to struggle to truly keep up.



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