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The San Jose Sharks won one of three games so far this week and now hold a 2-3 record this season. Here’s the weekly recap.
SHARKS WIN ONE, LOSE TWO THIS WEEK
The Sharks split their two-game series with the St. Louis Blues this week, before falling 4-1 to the Minnesota Wild. The Sharks will face the Wild once again tonight.
FREDRIK HANDEMARK PLAYS FIRST NHL GAME
Forward Fredrik Handemark played his first game with the Sharks, drawing into the lineup in San Jose’s first game against St. Louis. Handemark played just under 10 minutes and didn’t register a shot.
As for this week’s poll questions, here are some of the results, along with my thoughts on how they turned out:
QUESTION: How do you feel about San Jose’s defense group with Radim Simek in the lineup?
(Votes: 27)
No different: 54%
Slightly more confident: 32%
Much more confident: 2%
Less confident: 2%
Simek isn’t a huge difference-maker but he is an improvement to the lineup. Considering how little stability the Sharks have on defense, I’d say he does raise the confidence level in the group, to an extent.
QUESTION: The most pressing issue for the Sharks is:
(Votes: 47)
Defense: 85%
Goaltending: 15%
I’ve gone back and forth a bit about which is the bigger need but five games into the season, San Jose’s defense seems to be the biggest issue. Martin Jones and Devan Dubnyk have provided acceptable goaltending for the most part but the quality of chances they’re facing is far too high.
QUESTION: Which forward would you prefer to leave out of the top-six?
(Votes: 44)
John Leonard: 45%
Kevin Labanc: 34%
Ryan Donato: 20%
The Sharks have seven talented forwards so every game, one of them will be left out of the top-six. For now, I have to agree it makes the most sense to leave Leonard out of the top-six, while he continues to adjust to the NHL.
QUESTION: Martin Jones has played very well in two of his three starts. How are you feeling about him in net?
(Votes: 33)
Slightly optimistic: 55%
No different: 45%
I have to agree that Jones has given us a reason to think he could bounce back, at least to an extent. We know he can be a capable starter but we have to see if he’ll be able to find consistency.
QUESTION: How do you feel about San Jose’s start to the season?
(Votes: 23)
On par with expectations: 65%
Worse than expected: 22%
Better than expected: 13%
I think this is a start that was expected by many. The Sharks are competitive but are still likely to struggle defensively.
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OTHER SHARKS ARTICLES FROM JANUARY:
Breaking down the Sharks’ training camp roster
Sharks missed opportunity to capitalize on free agent market
Weekly Recap: Sharks Edition (January 3)
West Division Comparison: Sharks/Avalanche
West Division Comparison: Sharks/Wild
Santeri Hatakka earns Bronze Medal with Finland at World Juniors
West Division Comparison: Sharks/Blues
Sharks/Golden Knights Comparison
Sharks/Ducks Comparison
Weekly Recap: Sharks Edition (January 10)
West Division Comparison: Sharks/Coyotes
Sharks claim Rudolfs Balcers, assign players to AHL
Sharks announce roster and taxi squad
San Jose Sharks 2020-21 Season Preview
Sharks open season with shootout win over Coyotes
Sharks fall to Coyotes in second game of season
Weekly Recap: Sharks Edition (January 17)
Dubnyk to make first start for Sharks, Simek and Handemark expected to play
Blues hand Sharks second loss of season
Sharks beat Blues for second win of season
Sharks fall to Wild in Dubnyk's return to Minnesota 
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