The Sharks got their important five-game road trip of to a good start in Montreal on Tuesday night, despite forward Tomas Hertl being a late scratch, and ended their six-game losing streak. Good time to see what’s on the minds of Sharks fans with a mailbag…
Thoughts on keeping Dainius Zubrus on that top line for a few games? (Brädley @trilljester)
That sounds logical to me, even if Hertl is able to return against the Maple Leafs on Thursday. Along with Zubrus’ goal, Joe Pavelski also tipped in a Justin Braun shot, so that whole line finished with plus-2 rating.
It was a good sign for the Sharks in that Joe Thornton was the one who created the turnover that led to Zubrus’ goal. We’ve talked on end about how the Sharks need Thornton’s production to increase for them to have any shot at the playoffs this year, so I’d leave Zubrus there for at least the start of the Toronto game. Maybe there’s some chemistry there with the former captain.
If Hertl is able to go, I’d let him center the third line with Joonas Donskoi and Tommy Wingels, and put Chris Tierney between Barclay Goodrow and Mike Brown on the fourth line. That would subtract Matt Nieto. I’m just not sure where he fits anymore.
Do you think Tierney and Goodrow are both making strides to become legitimate NHL players? 50 was all over the ice. (Travis Bartosek @ohheytravis)
I do think Tierney has played some of his better games lately, particularly on Saturday against Minnesota. While it would still be preferable for him to get some more minor league experience, in my opinion, that just doesn’t seem to be in the cards for a team whose front office may be managing for their jobs.
As for Goodrow, the jury is still out. He was effective on Tuesday, but that was still just one game. He needs to find a way to have an impact on a regular basis.
One guy Goodrow might want to observe is Micheal Haley. The 29-year-old veteran can play a big offensive role in the AHL (he lead Worcester in goals last year in 18), but when he comes up to the NHL he has to find other ways to contribute. I’m not suggesting Goodrow needs to start fighting every game, but if he can use his big body to make a solid hit or try and get under the skin of the other team’s best players, that’s what he’ll have to do to stay here since he’s not a top six at this level.
With Martin Jones playing so well even in some losses, what's a realistic number of games for him this season, barring injury? (Jeff Elliott @JeffBElliott)
The Sharks have 52 games remaining. I’d start Jones in at least 46 of them.
I’d also start him in every game on this road trip, even the back-to-back in Toronto and Ottawa. Sure, it’s a heavy workload, but the road trip goes right into the Christmas break, where the team will have four mandatory days off from Dec. 23-26. This team needs to get on a roll again, and Jones will probably have to lead the way.
Do you have any guess as to why the Sharks are playing so badly at home? Worst in league at home, second best on the road. (Jacob Mendelson @sjsharksfinatic)
Your numbers are correct -– the Sharks have just eight points at home (4-9-0), a league-low, while they are 11-5-1 on the road (23 points), second to only Dallas.
I keep coming back to one stat, and it relates to the previous question. Jones’ save percentage on the road is .932, while his save percentage at home drops to .902. That’s not to say it’s all the goalie’s fault that the Sharks are struggling at SAP Center -– after all, they weren’t very good there last season, either – but it’s as good a place to start as any.
Trade Tommy Wingels to make some cap space? I like Wingels, stand up guy. Not a lot of options for Doug Wilson to help the defense. (SeanMac @FridayNiteRider)
Well if you’re trading Tommy Wingels just to create cap space, I don’t see much point in that. If you’re trying to move a forward for a depth defenseman, perhaps that makes more sense, but let’s face facts –- Wingels is having a down year, with just 2 goals, 8 points a minus-9 rating. You’re probably not going to get a whole lot back for him.
Further, Wingels is one of the more physical players on a team that arguably doesn't have enough physicality. He leads the team with 91 hits, and even if he’s not scoring, taking him out of the lineup makes the Sharks an easier team to play against. I’d let Wingels try and work himself out of his slump before moving him, which I’m not sure you’d be able to do anyway with those aforementioned numbers and a $2.475 cap hit through 2016-17.
