In games 48, 49, and 50 of the regular season,Authentic Gustav Nyquist jersey, the Sharks began to answer the biggest ‘what if' in franchise history.
What if they had neither Patrick Marleau nor Joe Thornton in the lineup?
2004 that San Jose played a game without Thornton and Marleau. Marleau,Authentic Tomas Tatar jersey,Wednesday's 2-1 shootout loss to the Detroit Red Wings was just the third time since Jan. 21,adidas Jonathan Drouin jersey, of course, while his fellow ex-Sharks captain reportedly almost joined him.,Authentic Jonathan Drouin jersey, famously left for greener pastures with the Toronto Maple Leafs this summer
who wrote in January that Thornton "was closer to signing with Toronto last summer than many people realize." Due to Thornton's right MCL injury,That's according to The Athletic's Kevin Kurz, the Sharks have gotten a small glimpse, of what that would have looked like., over the last three games
It hasn't been all bad. On one hand, San Jose has won the five-on-five possession battle, according to Natural Stat Trick. , controlling 52.07 percent of the shot attempts and 52.21 percent of the unblocked shot attempts
but not nearly a big enough drop to sound any alarms. ,They've also only scored 0.06 fewer goals per 60 minutes of five-on-five play (2.05) compared to when Thornton was playing (2.11). That's still not all that productive
On the other, and their once-smoldering power play has only converted on one of its last eight opportunities without Thornton. ,adidas Aleksander Barkov jersey, the Sharks are just 0-2-1 in those three games. They've been outscored 12-8 in regulation and overtime
Plus,adidas Pekka Rinne jersey, their defensive play, Authentic Aleksander Barkov jersey,has remained largely subpar. San Jose has still allowed far too many high-danger chances (12.32 per 60 minutes of five-on-five play) over the last three games., which was already a major concern
Goaltender Martin Jones bailed the defense out on Wednesday, Authentic Pekka Rinne jersey,but routinely relying on 40-plus saves isn't exactly, posting a save percentage (.977) above .920 for just the fifth time in his last 16 appearances. The Sharks can reasonably expect him to be better than he has since December
a recipe for success.
Three games sans Thornton are not nearly enough to draw any meaningful conclusions, but some are beginning to become apparent. San Jose wasn't scoring all that much with him, particularly on the power play. , adidas Tomas Tatar jersey,and aren't scoring much without him
There's undoubtedly a hole atop the roster, perhaps two with Marleau also gone. As long as the Sharks' poor defensive play continues to overshadow Thornton's injury, answering ‘what if' will have to wait.,adidas Gustav Nyquist jersey, though
What if they had neither Patrick Marleau nor Joe Thornton in the lineup?
2004 that San Jose played a game without Thornton and Marleau. Marleau,Authentic Tomas Tatar jersey,Wednesday's 2-1 shootout loss to the Detroit Red Wings was just the third time since Jan. 21,adidas Jonathan Drouin jersey, of course, while his fellow ex-Sharks captain reportedly almost joined him.,Authentic Jonathan Drouin jersey, famously left for greener pastures with the Toronto Maple Leafs this summer
who wrote in January that Thornton "was closer to signing with Toronto last summer than many people realize." Due to Thornton's right MCL injury,That's according to The Athletic's Kevin Kurz, the Sharks have gotten a small glimpse, of what that would have looked like., over the last three games
It hasn't been all bad. On one hand, San Jose has won the five-on-five possession battle, according to Natural Stat Trick. , controlling 52.07 percent of the shot attempts and 52.21 percent of the unblocked shot attempts
but not nearly a big enough drop to sound any alarms. ,They've also only scored 0.06 fewer goals per 60 minutes of five-on-five play (2.05) compared to when Thornton was playing (2.11). That's still not all that productive
On the other, and their once-smoldering power play has only converted on one of its last eight opportunities without Thornton. ,adidas Aleksander Barkov jersey, the Sharks are just 0-2-1 in those three games. They've been outscored 12-8 in regulation and overtime
Plus,adidas Pekka Rinne jersey, their defensive play, Authentic Aleksander Barkov jersey,has remained largely subpar. San Jose has still allowed far too many high-danger chances (12.32 per 60 minutes of five-on-five play) over the last three games., which was already a major concern
Goaltender Martin Jones bailed the defense out on Wednesday, Authentic Pekka Rinne jersey,but routinely relying on 40-plus saves isn't exactly, posting a save percentage (.977) above .920 for just the fifth time in his last 16 appearances. The Sharks can reasonably expect him to be better than he has since December
a recipe for success.
Three games sans Thornton are not nearly enough to draw any meaningful conclusions, but some are beginning to become apparent. San Jose wasn't scoring all that much with him, particularly on the power play. , adidas Tomas Tatar jersey,and aren't scoring much without him
There's undoubtedly a hole atop the roster, perhaps two with Marleau also gone. As long as the Sharks' poor defensive play continues to overshadow Thornton's injury, answering ‘what if' will have to wait.,adidas Gustav Nyquist jersey, though