[PAC vs NHL] 1-10-17

NHL Teams Points Average: 46.7

Pacific: 45.3
Central: 36.7
Metropolitan: 50.2
Atlantic: 45.3

NHL Teams at 50+ points: 9

Pacific: 2
Central:2
Metropolitan: 4
Atlantic: 1

NHL Teams at 42- points: 8 

Pacific: 1
Central: 2
Metropolitan: 2
Atlantic: 3

Pacific Division Strength: Improving but remains in the shadows of Metropolitan

Now competitive with the Atlantic, mostly due to the falling Central division. Metropolitan division has become titanic, with the Rangers holding a ridiculous wild card spot at 57 points. The Canucks are struggling to stay competitive while the Jets seem to be slipping away.

Cup Chances (Points)

Sharks: 6.26%
Ducks: 6.22%
Oilers: 5.88%
Flames: 5.52%
Kings: 2.66%
Canucks: 2.62%
Coyotes: 0.00%

 

[All-Stars] Roster Opinion 2017

Captain: Connor McDavid (EDM)

Coach: Peter DeBoer (SJ)

Forwards: Jeff Carter (LAK), Johnny Gaudreau (CGY), Bo Horvat (VAN), Ryan Kesler (ANA), Joe Pavelski (SJ)

Defense: Brent Burns (SJ), Drew Doughty (LAK), Cam Fowler (ANA)

Goalies: Martin Jones (SJ), Mike Smith (ARI)

 

4 Sharks, 2 Kings, 2 Ducks, 1 from the rest. Oh boy.

 

Replacement Suggestions

Peter DeBoer: Deserves to go, does not deserve to be Pacific coach. Why: although the Sharks are a strong opponent, not all credit can be given to DeBoer, who has admitted that he inherited a well-coached team. Who should go instead: Darryl Sutter. Why: On top of keeping an injured LA Kings team in playoff contention this year, Sutter has led the team to two cups in the last few years. He has also coached teams in the Pacific division for 17 years. In addition, the game is in LA to celebrate 50 years of their hockey history.

 

Cam Fowler: Deserves to go, does not deserve this 3rd spot on D. Why: although he has been a part of the Ducks push for the Pacific title, other players have put up similar numbers as him from other teams. Who should go instead: Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Why: This is a controversial pick. Despite an another abysmal Coyotes season, Ekman-Larsson has done relatively well for himself. He is also a defenseman near the top of the points sheet for his team. This also preserves the Coyotes place in the all-star game after my next pick.

Mike Smith: Does not deserve to go. Why: Obviously I am not pinning the Coyotes record on him. However, his emotional attitude seems to weigh heavily with the team’s overall attitude. He’s not having a spectacular year, and there are much better goalies in the Pacific that are in the playoff hunt. Who should go instead: Peter Budaj. Why: Without Quick in the line-up for an extended period of time, Budaj has kept the Kings in the playoff race defensively. He has a few shutouts under his belt this year as well. Although a case could be made for Gibson, Talbot, or Johnson, Budaj has earned a spot in this year’s all-star game. Having this game in LA makes him not been chosen sting just that much more.

 

Notable names left at home

• Leon Draisaitl (EDM)
• Milan Lucic (EDM)
• Jordan Eberle (EDM)
• Corey Perry (ANA)
• Ryan Getzlaf (ANA)
• Jakob Silverberg (ANA)
• Mikael Backlund (CGY)
• Dougie Hamilton (CGY)
• Alec Martinez (LAK)
• Anze Kopitar (LAK)
• Dustin Brown (LAK)
• Henrik Sedin (VAN)
• Joe Thornton (SJ)

[Game Report] SJ 6, DET 3 from 1-7-17

I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the Saturday game the Sharks played against the Red Wings. San Jose honored 50 years of hockey in the bay area, with origins in the California Golden Seals. The free t-shirt is the featured image.

Unsurprisingly for an Original Six team, red jerseys were numerous throughout the arena. Detroit is a team I highly respect. Growing up with a struggling Sharks team, the Red Wings were a near automatic loss for multiple seasons each meeting. Henrik Zetterberg of Detroit has become a near equivalent to Patrick Marleau of the San Jose. He and other veteran players of a changing Detroit team remain relevant to the game.

The Red Wings are in the hunt for a Wild Card spot at this point in the season, in danger of ending a 25 year playoff run.

San Jose offense was huge this game. Although it has been said before, the Sharks took that opportunity to become the last team this season to hit the 5 goal mark, exceeding it in this game by 1. The Red Wings did remain threatening for the remainder of the game. You cannot count a team like Detroit out, even down by multiple goals. (Recent evidence: the Centennial Classic) Captain Joe Pavelski netted two goals in a solid finish.

[AB] Sharks back-to-back in division

1-10-17 Edmonton Oilers (Sharks 5, Oilers 3)

1-11-17 Calgary Flames

 

Current standings:

(1) San Jose – 50 points

(3) Edmonton – 49 points

(4) Calgary – 46 points

 

With Edmonton just 1 point behind San Jose and Calgary looking to show their potential as a playoff contender, San Jose’s trip to Alberta this week is critical in the Pacific, especially as the official halfway point of the season.

Mildly interesting: Calgary does not venture south of the Canadian border during the month of January.

Boedker scored a hat trick.