San Jose Sharks on One-Goal Trend in December

Outside of a 4-1 win against Carolina, the San Jose Sharks have three one-goal games in their last four matchups. Three one-goal games reveal Team Teal controls play but fails to finish, defend, and add necessary anticipation.

7-1 Loss to the Caps

Despite dominating puck possession and controlling 54.8 CF%, the Sharks couldn’t generate dangerous chances.

While the Sharks outhit Washington 19-10, outside of Mario Ferraro’s six hits, most others contributed minimal physical pressure. Ryan Reaves had three, while most others had 0-1, meaning the team’s physical play was concentrated to a few individuals.

With San Jose’s low disruption and just six blocks to Washington’s 16, the Caps found many open shooting lanes.

4-1 Loss to the Stars

The loss showed balanced possession at 46.6 CF%, with strong individual efforts but lacking consistent team play.  Players like Phillipp Kurashev, Adam Gaudette, and Colin Graf had a few notable stats or offensive production.

Kurashev’s Corsi For Percentage was 63, well above the team average of 46.6% across all situations, per Hockey-Reference. Gaudette also tilted the ice in San Jose’s favor with 62.5 percent.

While San Jose’s power play had zone time, it lacked urgency, logging only seven shot attempts and zero goals. Additionally, Dmitry Orlov and Nick Leddy showed defensive lapses. Against Dallas, Orlov’s SAT-F vs. SAT-A showed four shots for and 10 against. He faced more than double the shot attempts. Orlov and Leddy were both consistently outplayed, which aided in the Stars’ ability to generate pressure.

4-1 Loss to the Flyers

In their most recent loss, the Sharks’ possession fell to 38 CF. Tyler Toffoli, William Eklund, and Graf were the main offensive drivers. Reaves had a team-high of five hits, with the Sharks logging a total of 28 to the Flyers’ 17.

San Jose’s biggest fault in the matchup was the defense overwhelm for players like Ferraro and Timothy Liljegren. Philadelphia was able to dictate play heavily, with Ferraro, Liljegren, and Leddy all out-attempted doubly or more.

Needs Fixing

In the three matchups, defensive pairings with Ferraro and Liljegren have consistently been underwater. Toronto native Shark Sam Dicknson is projected to be paired with Leddy against the Leafs ahead of Thursday’s game.

On the offensive side, Celebrini, Eklund, and Toffoli are getting solid chances but need better support. Staying with it and focusing on rebound chances could be something the Sharks look to improve on.

When it comes to one-goal games, the Sharks need to set the tone early on. Reaves and Ty Dellandrea could be used strategically.

In the Dallas matchup, Dellandrea logged six hits which were mostly concentrated in the first period. Their early physical play could be energizing shifts that establish the Sharks’ presence.

San Jose has been showing a lot of promise in their effort and possession through these one-goal games. Their biggest issues seem to be poor execution, mainly in special teams or in the defensive zone. Team Teal can tighten up their defense and turn their power play around to start flipping these games.

The Sharks (14-14-3)  finish their five-game road trip with a game against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday.

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Featured image courtesy of San Jose Sharks on NHL.com  

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